Dream Theater - "Awake"

Dream Theater - Awake
1994, Atlantic

1. 6:00
2. Caught in a Web
3. Innocence Faded
4. Erotomania
5. Voices
6. The Silent Man
7. The Mirror
8. Lie
9. Lifting Shadows of a Dream
10. Scarred
11. Space Dye Vest

Awake is a lot heavier and a lot darker than Images and Words. I also think it's a good deal more dense. Gone is the commercial sheen that brightened up the last album and in its place is heavy sludge. When I was in college I tried listening to this album again and again and I'd fall asleep every time. How did I like it after not listening to it for years? Well... I did manage to stay awake this time (no pun intended!). However, I still don't really like this album. Most DT fans go bonkers for this one but it's actually boring for me. It doesn't seem like the songs are as interesting. I'd take Octavarium or Black Clouds & Silver Linings over this one any day. I do like "Lifting Shadows of a Dream" and the morose album closer "Space Dye Vest." I suppose it's par for the course for me - I usually don't like albums everyone goes ga-ga over and Awake is, unfortunately, no exception.

Useless Fact: "The Mirror" is about drummer Mike Portnoy's struggle with alcoholism. Eventually he would turn his experiences in Alcoholics Anonymous into a five song sweet that begins with "The Glass Prison" on Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence.