Dream Theater - Images and Words (Album Review)

Okay, so, where do I even begin with this album? Some people call it the very first Progressive Metal album ever made (something I don't agree with), others call it the greatest Progressive Metal album ever and the greatest album DT has ever and will ever made. Yes I'm talking about the mythical and groundbreaking Images and Words.



Ok, so first of all, this album has this messianic complex that we all love. This album was made during a really tough moment for Dream Theater. Their debut album "When A Dream And Day Unite" was a complete commercial failure but this wasn't really DT's fault, there were serious problems with the record label when it came to the management and distribution that WDADU had.

DT was basically ripped-off by its first label company which offered them a tour, a single and even a music video and we all know that at the end of the day they didn't get a thing. It was also in this moment when DT realized that Charles Dominici wasn't the right singer for them and they decided to "let him go". I love that phrase, "let him go" ,come on dudes, it sounds pretty but you fired him, say it like that.

That's something that I have always thought was kinda cruel, especially when you watch Charles Dominici's early basement interviews with DT and you can see that he has the DT logo tattooed on his arm, OH DAAAAMMMNN, that must have hurted; It's like tattooing the name of your ex-girlfriend... but a little bit cooler.

Miraculously they managed to find a new label and a new singer, the infamous James Labrie. Now, they were ready for their second album but I'm pretty sure  this was their last chance; I don't think that DT would have survived another failure.

New unknown label, new unknown singer, only one bullet left and... this thing came out

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300"] There was no time for pain, no energy for anger[/caption]

You know... just..one of the greatest albums of all time... it happens... it happens.

A lot of people call Images and Words the greatest album that DT has ever and will ever release, and I know that because I'm one of them.

Yes, for me, Images & Words is the greatest DT album ever, this album is just perfect in every way. There's nothing I have to complain about it, nothing! Every single second of music is perfect: poetical lyrics, beautiful melodies, technical compositions that are not from this world including a great number of the greatest guitar solos that you'll probably ever hear and an overwhelming emotional atmosphere ( we must to thank Kevin Moore for that, honestly).

There's only one other album that sometimes manages to battle my I&W preference, but it all depends in what kind of mood I am, but generally I&W is the one.

Every song of this album is a famous classic: Pull Me Under is probably the most famous progressive song ever, Under A Glass Moon is one of the greatest guitar composed songs of all time. The lyrics of the songs have also been memorable and analyzed through the years. Whether or not Metropolis is about Romulus and Remus, whether or not Wait For Sleep and Learning to Live are about HIV or about the struggle of fighting a mortal disease, whether or not Pull Me Under is really about Hamlet. There are a lot of interpretation of these songs that have risen over the years and that's because they wrote those lyrics in an amazing metaphorical but also literal aesthetical way.

I also think that this album has the greatest lyrics of any other DT album... well maybe except Awake. When it comes to lyrics I&W and Awake are in a complete tie for me. Awake lyrics are a little bit more literal but full of emotions and strong feelings.

Metropolis is my favourite DT song. Pull Me Under's guitar riff that starts at 4:03 is my second favourite guitar riff ever, only top by one of the final riffs that you can hear almost at the end of The Ivory Gate of Dreams by Fates Warning.

For me this album just represents the real and honest Dream Theater, this is not DT trying to copy or imitate other style, they started imitating bands like Iron Maiden and Rush but they soon evolve and here you can see a truly form style completely developed by them, a style that changed this whole genre and inspire many musicians to come. For me this is the real Dream Theater, every time that someone mentions DT; this! is the first album I think about and every time someone asks me about them I just say: Go and listen to I&W first! Because for me, that album is who they are, or well, who they really were.

I could talk about this album just on and on but I'm afraid all that I have left to say has already been said. Images & Words is just simply one of the greatest albums of all time (talking in general not only inside the genre), the greatest Dream Theater album, and a perfect candidate for the greatest Progressive Metal album of all time.

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Why DC heroes are destined to fail in film from now on

How many films has Marvel released in this last decade? How many films has DC released in this last decade? It's obvious that you can remember way more modern films based on Marvel comics than on DC. Marvel has tried, at first they failed many times with a lot of their superheroes but they kept releasing films. They were constant and optimistic about them until they finally managed to craft their art with this new wave of Marvel hero films starting with Iron Man (2008).



These new films that Marvel has released (Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk)  are actually good, decent films. I mean the characters are well-developed and also they are incredibly well adapted to the big screen, the films are entertaining and you can really relate to these heroes. The only downside for me are the villains, non of these movies have great or memorable villains, just Ok villains. But despite of that, Marvel has managed to release good solid movie after another in a short period of time without any of them been disappointing. And let me tell you, the success that they are having right now is not a lucky streak, the success that they are having right now is the results of pure trial and error.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="258"] And when I say trial and error I MEAN trial and error[/caption]

Starting with X Men in 2000, they have been releasing films for the last 12 years and in this last 4 it seems that they have finally manage to make all their films solid, good and constant culminating with The Avengers.



And what about DC? well... Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy was enough to battle all these Marvel superheroes films alone, but now it's over, The Man of Steel is the next in line, but c'mon, Superman can't battle alone The Avengers as Batman did. Batman is frozen now, Superman alone and DC is pretty much screwed.

But now let's think this trough Ok? After all those films that Marvel has released, hero film after hero film for this last decade. I'm afraid that there's no room for DC heroes anymore and from now on DC heroes are pretty screwed in the art of cinema.

And these are my reasons why DC heroes are destined to fail in film from now on:

1) Marvel already owns the superhero film genre, which is something that they have been exploiting for the last ten years; that I'm afraid that real soon people will start to get a little bit tired of superhero films, specially films that introduce a new hero right from the beginning; so right now is a little too late to start releasing films about all the super heroes that you have.

2) And most importantly. With the exception of Batman, DC heroes do not work as well in the big screen as Marvel heroes, and this is the reason why: DC heroes are not as relatable to the audience as Marvel heroes are. Contrary to DC heroes, Marvel heroes are charismatic but the most important thing about them is that, it's really easy to relate to them (Spider Man, Hulk, Iron Man, Wolverine, even villains like Magneto) everybody can relate with at least one of them in some kind of way.  Almost any teenager can relate to Spider-Man specially nerdy boys, I'm sure that you know someone who behaves like Tony Stark and really relates to him. Anyone who considers himself a social recluse can relate to any of the X-Men or to Hulk. And this happens because Marvel heroes are imperfect, they have flaws which show their human side (even if they're mutants or something) that's what makes them relatable and that's what audiences want.



DC heroes on the other hand, they're not really that relatable and some of them are just too perfect that you can even consider them demi-Gods, honestly can anyone relate to Superman? or Green Latern? or Aquaman? or Martian Manhunter? No (well maybe some of you can) but my point is that those heroes just don't have that same effect and they will not be that interesting in the big screen to watch. And that's why I think that in an enviroment where Marvel's imperfect and charismatic heroes rule, there's no room for DC superheroes and they are basically destined to fail.

So I don't know what the hell is DC going to do now, a rushed Justice League film is destined to fail and we all know that.

There's only one thing that I know DC could do, to completely kick Marvel in the balls and reinvent the whole comic book film genre forever. I will summarize this in just one word ... Vertigo...

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Dream Theater - When A Dream And Day Unite (Album Review)

So, we start this series of reviews with the very first DT album: "When A Dream And Day Unite". Which is their most underrated album of them all and... maybe I'm alone on this but , its possibly one of their best albums ever too.



"When a dream" is actually an amazing album but not a lot of people and not a lot of fans seem to recognize it as such, but why is it? Well I think there are several reasons for this: WDADU is the band's most different album of them all, especially since James Labrie is not part of it. I'm sure when a lot of people hear the voice of Charles Dominici in this album they say: "What the hell?" "This singer doesn't fit with the band", "they sound nothing like their later records", "they never play any of the songs of this album in their concerts so why bother?". And they're right in all of the above. Charles Dominici didn't fit quite well with the band and that was the reason why he got fired, I wouldn't say that they sound nothing like their later records, their songs are a little rawer than I&W and Awake, but their style is there. And yes, they almost never play any of the songs of this album on tour, but despite of all that; if you see this album as a complete standalone 80's rock/metal work then you'll find out that its an amazing album and you should give it a listen.



I wouldn't call WDADU one the most original albums that I know, the influences of Rush and Iron Maiden are present trough out every song of the album. Basically their whole style is just an amalgamation of these two. But its a beautiful combination indeed. It's also really interesting and amazing the type of compositions that they were already able to create in this early stage of their career, that's when you realize that they virtuosic skills go back to the days when they were basically teenagers.

Another thing that this album has (which is something that I cannot say about other DT albums) is the fact that is really solid, consistent and fluent.  The only weak moment of the album (at least for me) is "The Killing Hand" which is the band's first attempt in creating a narrative epic, but is truly my less favorite song of the album.

The album also has a great dark atmosphere and we have Kevin Moore to thank for that, songs like: "Status Seeker", "The Ones Who Help To Set The Sun" and "Only A Matter of Time". Have an amazing vibe and tune, a little bit melancholic but really beautiful. 


I think that the main problem that this album had, was that it came out too late, 1989. Honestly that was a late year for releasing music of this style, bands like Iron Maiden started to fade away from public attention and bands like Rush had to change their style in order to survive and Heavy Metal itself was in the moment of decline. If WDADU would have been released in 1985, I'm sure that it would have been a blast.

A great album in the wrong time :(

But a great album indeed! and you should definitively check it out, specially if you're a fan of Rush, Iron Maiden or Dream Theater. Just imaging Iron Maiden and Rush playing together with Geddy Lee on vocals.





Thanks for reading :)

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