Dream Theater's Images and Words 30 Years Anniversary: A Milestone of Progressive Metal

Dream Theater revolutionized Prog - yes, that's it. When Images and Words was released in 1992, no one could have predicted that it would be such a hit. Heavy guitars paired with ingenious keyboard arrangements, plus lots of gimmicks, etc... No one expected this album, uncommercial as it is, to be such a commercial success.

It's now 2022. Dream Theater are considered the gods of Progressive metal and this album has something like cult status today. This is mainly due to the freshness that this album still has even after countless listenings. Through the release of this record, the Prog also gained a little more social acceptance. Since Dream Theater, non-progheads have also been talking about "prog".

Song-wise, all registers of the band's unbelievable ability are pulled out. With Pull Me Under you have a neck breaker on board, which you can sing along to after three listens. Another Day is a beautiful ballad, worth mentioning is the saxophone entry at the end. Take the Time really rocks. Here, for the first time, there is really wonderful tinkering. Surrounded again a more balladesque song. And if you still don't know Metropolis—Part I: 'The Miracle and the Sleeper'  today, it's your own fault. Even after listening to it a thousand times, the song keeps surprising. Some bands don't manage that much variety in 10 minutes in their whole career. The middle part is especially awesome. Delicious.
Under a Glass Moon is also quite heavy again. The crowning conclusion is the combination Wait for Sleep and Learning to Live. The former is a two and a half minute piano ballad with very soulful vocals. The second part is 11.30 minutes and takes up the piano line from the predecessor. The song needs its warm-up time (but the whole album needs it), but little by little great moments unfold.

Compared to the first album When Dream and Day Unite, the band's sound has changed more away from heavy-metal and towards prog-rock. The metal elements don't predominate that much anymore, but they are definitely still there. You can't complain about the sound; the whole thing is very proggy.
LaBrie doesn't sing as badly at all as is often criticized on the Internet forums. On the contrary, his voice is particularly pleasant in the lower registers.
What bassist John Myung hammers into his 6-string is simply brilliant, although one rarely really notices it. You should really make the effort and just pay attention to the bass. In the middle part of incredible Metropolis part 1, Myung plays an ingenious bass solo, followed by a bit of tinkering with the sound fraction to create a double bass carpet.
John Petrucci's guitar undisputedly dominates the entire sound of Dream Theater. His monster riffs and arpeggio clean pickings are just omnipresent in the music. A word about Mike Portnoy's punchy drumming on this album: 70 percent of the metal components on this album are the work of Portnoy.
Everyone in the band is capable of dazzling as a soloist, especially Moore on the keys. Indeed, this album is peppered with all sorts of the gimmicks of the great guitar/keyboard duo Petrucci/Moore.
I have no qualms about awarding this album a perfect score because it is a blazing prog gem from the 1990s. Images and Words is a milestone of the Progressive metal genre. So many bands were significantly influenced by it. Thus, any dedicated prog-head must have Images and Words in their collection!

 

'Images and Words' definitely is a landmark album. I remember when it was released and many of my friends got into this album who were not necessarily into progressive rock or metal for that matter. It's amazing to me that this album found a broader audience considering that grunge had already become the new big thing, and high caliber technical musicianship was not en vogue at the time.

I was curious to hear the follow-up album to 'Images and Words', and 'Awake' did not disappoint when it was released. I think I like it even better than I&W.

 

Dream Theater Metropolis—Part I: 'The Miracle and the Sleeper', live in Tokyo 1995

 

I never rated Images And Words as highly as others did but, it was definitely an influential album and one that gave the genre much needed exposure. If I was to reach for a Dream Theater album it would be Scenes From A Memory or Awake. Also, from the same time period Fates Warning's Perfect Symmetry (1989) and Parallels (1991) are well worth checking out.

 

Dream Theater Pull Me Under, live in Japan 1993

 

I was sick of the video and never bought the album until something like 2003 when I grabbed a used copy but there is some solid stuff on it. Haven’t gone back to play it for awhile but I played the New York 93 boot featuring most of the material not long ago.

 

John Petrucci has reflected on his band's storied accomplishment, explaining song-by-song what the entire album is about and what makes the Images and Words so special.

 

It is the 2nd best DT album, but some songs sound a little dated today.

 

Used to be obsessed with this album, but it's lost its charm for me over the years. I still love the Wait For Sleep/Learning To Live finale, though.

 

I like you mentioning Fates Warning. I think they were really the first progressive metal band that laid the groundwork for Dream Theater and other future prog metal type bands. Queensryche was also coming up at the same time as FW, but FW really incorporated more technical playing, odd time signatures, and fused that with metal.

 

Dream Theater Another Day, official video

 

This album will always be huge for me personally.

I didn't pick up on it until I heard 'Metropolis Part 1' on the radio one Friday night* early in 1993. I bought the cassette (!) the next day.

At the time I was studying like crazy for my final accountancy exams. I&W became my between studying sessions 'treat' and I played it to death.

I saw them on tour in April 1993 in a smallish club, which was awesome.

I like a lot of the following albums but I&W will always be special.

* I can be so specific because there was 'The Friday Rock Show' on radio here in the UK, which at that time was one of the few ways to hear new rock music.

 

Dream Theater Wait for Sleep, Live at Musikcafeen, Copenhagen 1993

 

Like King's X, Fates Warning always seemed poised for the big time that evaded them. Those two albums are arguably their best, but their last three are excellent. The downtime (2005-2012) did them a lot of good.

 

Dream Theater Learning to Live, live at Roseland Ballroom, New York City 2000

 

Dream Theater Under a Glass Moon, live in Tokyo, 1993

 

Dream Theater Take the Time, live in Bangkok, 2008

 

I remember when the album came out I said to a friend "I've heard the future of progressive rock and its name is Dream Theater."

 

I&W has to be in the top 5 of most important albums to me personally. It was that huge to me. And it holds up extremely well. Still awesome from start to finish, and still sounds fresh as ever. Awake and Scenes rate slightly higher for me in the DT canon, but I&W rounding out that top tier gives them a top 3 that for me most other bands cannot come close to touching. Great band, amazing record that is Images and Words.

 

Amazing album, one of my favorites. Thanks for pointing out that LaBrie kills on this. We all know that he’s struggled late in his career, but he’s fantastic on this record.

 

Dream Theater Surrounded (live at the Marquee Club, London, England, 1993)

 

Dare I say, JLB on I&W is one of the greatest vocal performances in rock history from a full album standpoint. He is that awesome on that record. For all of the instrumental greatness of the band, his voice was the first thing that grabbed me when I first heard the band. Without it, I likely don't become a fan.