Band:	Dream Theater
Album:	Awake
Style:	Progressive metal
Release date:	October 04, 1994
A review by:	Herzebeth

01. 6:00
02. Caught In A Web
03. Innocence Faded
04. A Mind Beside Itself: I. Erotomania
05. A Mind Beside Itself: II. Voices
06. A Mind Beside Itself: III. The Silent Man
07. The Mirror
08. Lie
09. Lifting Shadows Off A Dream
10. Scarred
11. Space-Dye Vest
12. Eve [Japanese bonus]

We all know what to expect when you buy a Dream Theater album, complex music, incredible guitar solos, enjoyable bass-lines, polished vocals, and well Mike Portnoy (we all know who he is right?). Awake is not an exception, James Labrie gives us an incredible vocal performance, his vocals have all kinds of shapes and cool structures. The Music is exceptional and well Mike Portnoy as always is marvelous.

The album starts with 6:00 a great song with a crazy intro (irregular beats with a nice hi-hat companion) the song starts with James saying 6:00 o clock on the Christmas morning several times, and then everything explodes with awesome riffs and bass-lines, this song is incredible really; every song is structured, there is no bad track actually. Another incredible song is "A Mind Beside Itself" a long song that includes 3 parts:

#1 Erotomania: an instrumental song that contains the best drumming I've heard, complexity, irregularity, all kind of short and long solos, this song more than structured seems like an incredible improvisation that later was polished.
#2 Voices: a great song, probably where "A Mind Beside Itself" really starts, a very cool intro with the most awesome downfall in the 1:08 minute (pay attention to the keyboard, isn't it beautiful?) the lyrics on this song are implausible "Feeling Threatened? We Reflect your hopes and fears?" that line will haunt me forever.
#3 The Silent Man: this is an acoustic song, really sounds amazing, the vocals are beautiful and those choruses in the second layer are just stunning.

Note: "A Mind Beside Itself" is not listed in the "track list", only in the booklet we can find that the 4, 5 and 6th tracks are united into one big song.

The production is outstanding really, the music is polished and everything sounds very clean; the artwork is quite simple (contrary to the music) in the booklet we can find only the lyrics and a huge picture of the band recording in the studio, the cover by the way is very symbolic and surreal, one of the greatest covers in progressive metal (love the clock shaped moon).

You can't lose with Dream Theater, this band has like a guarantee policy that states "If You buy this album you won't be sorry?ever" so that really says it all right?