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jmchzn - Wake up peopleAs a musician I can get very technical in a review. As a drummer I can be very critical and as a music lover I can be very emotional but I'll spare you all the pontification and just say this is a great work of art. If you're a DT fan then you probably listen to a lot of great music but in the realm of commercial music very little of it ascends to art ....rather hobbles around as craft at best. That said DT in general has definitely taken "rock" music to it's highest art form on Awake. Much of their sound pays homage admittedly to their influential bands but here we have something very special. There have been quite a few ground breaking albums in my lifetime that have influenced my life spiritually and musically. Albums like Made in Japan, Quaddrophinia and Visions of the Emerald Beyond and bands like RTF and Zappa and Tool have all had profound implications on my life. There is much good music out there if one commits to a journey of exploration. Awake is part of that journey for any music lover and if you are a musician is a must listen. It's a research paper you need for your doctorate. Study it's entirety. For a fan it's as refreshing and alive as the day it was released. If you're a Rush fan take it personally that DT although better musicians technically DT pays homage in a very personal way to Rush all over the place on so many of their albums. This is a good thing. Rush although has been through some yikes what are they thinking patches in general are a special band and few albums are as amazing as 2112. that said Awake is and you may want to make a analogy that DT has a Rush thing going on .....just listen and enjoy. Breathe. There's more here..... Much more
Laser Jazz Riff - Kevin Moore's Last Album and His FinestAfter recording, Kevin Moore left the band to pursue solo work, and he did a great job. Everyone did, LaBrie, Petrucci, Myung and Portnoy were great too. The album starts heavy and remains heavy for most of this album. Plus, there's a three part suite, A Mind Beside Itself, including the songs Erotomania, Voices and the Silent Man. It also has a pretty spooky feeling to it. Then it ends with Space-Dye Vest, which Kevin Moore did a great job with the keyboard. Overall, if you like Dream Theater's more heavy sounding stuff or miss Kevin Moore being in the band, you will love this album.
The 633 - Argubably, DT's Best Work"Awake" isn't an album you should toss to the side; its a prog masterpiece. DT's introduction with Seven String Guitars is amazing, and shows Korn how to play them properly.
The best track on there is "Lie"
and 4-7 is a suite called "A Mind Beside Itself", just to let you all know.
FlyGuy124 - One of the best Prog bands!Complex music, incredible guitar solos, enjoyable bass-lines, polished vocals, and well Mike Portnoy . 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 production is outstanding, 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. A definite buy if your a Progressive rock nut!
tornsocks - AwakeWith esoteric, emotional percision you will be led on a sojourn of hightened sensibility.
DreamTeam69 - 6 o'clock on a christmas morningThis album is a must have!! I absolutely love most songs on the album.
Good Songs:
6:00, Caught In a Web, Erotomania, Voices, The Mirror, Lie, Scarred, Space-Dye Vest.
O.K. Songs:
Innocence Faded, Lifting Shadows Off a Dream.
This is just my opinion.
MetalPod - Lightning strikes againThis is actually the first cd I heard by DT. As such, I was amazed when I first listened to it. I had been looking for a decent, heavy, prog rock/metal band to listen to, and Dream Theater would quickly become one of my overall favorite bands. '6:00' is pretty cool, but 'Caught In A Web' was the track that hooked me for life. 'Innocence Faded' would have made a good single if these guys could have ever gotten radio support. Likewise for 'The Silent Man'. 'Lifting Shadows Off A Dream'is areally cool song that shows off John Myung's bass, accentuated by John Petrucci's flawless guitar. These two really have a very tight relationship, musically. 'Space Dye Vest' is one of my all time favorite Dream Theater songs. It's so moody and dark; the samples in it are really whacked-out, and actually add a lot to the feel of the song. After 'Images and Words', I think a lot of people doubted that they could do it again, but they recorded a follow-up that easily met the high expectations.
Tommy shizzle - Awake is an excellent piece of hard progressive rock.Atmosphere. It's somewhat due to the spacey production but the songs fit so well with it.. This albums atmosphere takes you somewhere that the newer DT albums don't. Just buy it
someone unknown - In The Top 3This is in my top three Dream Theater albums along with Images and Words and Scenes From A Memory. Why? Because the music is stunning! This isn't music for the common metalhead, however. A lot of these songs don't have a chorus.
The thing about Dream Theater is they have great ideas about music, such as playing in 9/8 time instead of playing in 4/4 or having several minute instrumental sections instead of a 20 second guitar solo. This is why I love music like this. It's diverse, complex and actually has thought put into it.
6:00-One of the best songs on the album 5/5
Caught In A Web-It has a chorus, but it's still pretty good 4/5
Innocense Faded-Good song, once again with a chorus, not as interesting as the others 3.5/5
Erotomania-Instrumentals are always my favorites, nothing against James...5/5
Voices-My personal favorite, no chorus and long instrumental section 6/5
The Silent Man-Accoustic rock, solid track 4.5/5
The Mirror-Heavy and complex, gotta love this song 5/5
Lie-The first riff has serious groove to it! Great guitar work at the end 5/5
Lifting Shadows-Another slower song, but that doesn't mean it doesn't rock 4/5
Scarred-A masterpiece of progressive metal, one of my favorites on the cd 5/5
Space-Dye Vest-Very haunting piano based song, kind of boring in places but good overall 3.5/5
This album is worth buying if you aren't afraid to open your eyes and try out some new awesome music!
AidanMReviews - This is a masterpiece.I grew up with Dream Theater. Out of all progressive rock bands I have listened to, they're the most impressive. They are extremely talented. "Erotomania" is a wonderful instrumental song. But all songs on here are wonderful.
Redbaron1234 - OH MY GOD!!!!!!Dream Theater is one of the greatest bands in history. Awake is one of the heaviest albums they have to date. The songwriting on this album is exemplary. They just have a way of making you feel good no matter what mood you are in. I have turned so many people on to this band and everyone of them are eternally grateful. If you want to buy a high quality album, this one is it.
Μιχαήλ - dream theatertotaly awsome
pay iiqikkqk - Fantastic album love itFantastic album love it please listen to it you will love it
soculese - Wake Up!This.....This album is hands down one amazing work of art. It has EVERYTHING. Cohesive songwriting, thought provoking lyrics, musical themes that link the album together, a brilliant opener, an amazing closer, and a production sound that has a wide dynamic spectrum placing each instrument in it's proper sonic space. It's the complete package. Standout tracks are Scarred, Voices, Lie, and Caught in a Web. This is Dream Theater "almost" at their very best. Released 16 years ago it still has relevence for me as it has stayed in my regular rotation of albums that I can listen to from start to finish. Like a fine wine, for me it has only gotten better with time.
berzerker707 - Amazing!!!A must have for your collection!!!
Ranlisben - The best DTThis is the best DT album. Images and words, and Scenes are good albums, after that the quality starts to drop off. this is DT before they started repeating themselves, or worse, trying to sound like other bands.
I'm Late to the Party - To The TopCan't believe Awake is more than 2 decades old yet still sounds so fresh. I've been playing it on a loop for weeks and have not tired of it yet. By far, my new favorite album and my new favorite band -- sorry, Pink Floyd.
Esoteric Invalid - One of Their BestThis has to be one of Dream Theater's best albums. From "A Mind Beside Itself" (the three part suite including "Erotomania", "Voices", and "The Silent Man") to "Space Dye-Vest" this album has fantastic music! Not to miss out on!
Xela**** - See this album? Buy it now.Dream Theater's "Awake" is definitely one of my most favorite albums of all time. It beautifully combines complexity and tenderness in one album that will please hard-rockers and easy listeners alike.
Philip Defracio - My Favorite Album of All TimeI was floored the first time I heard this record, literally perfect in every way. Dream Theater has come close with some of their other records but I truly believe this album will never be beaten, by any band.
RockNRollStaaaa - My favorite DT album by farI love Dream Theater. Almost all of their albums are some of the best albums I've ever listened to. This, however, is by far my favorite, and possibly my favorite album of all time. Personally, my favorite singer is Steven Tyler, but this might be my favorite vocals album. My favorite songs are probably Innocence Faded, Erotomania, The Mirror, Scarred, and Space-Dye Vest. Every song is fantastic though.
zachjones1 - One of their best.This album is right up there with Metropolis and 6 Degrees as one of my favorite DT albums of all time. Several of these songs I could just play over and over, and even the weakest songs are still very good (compared to the worst tracks in I&W, which were just average).
6:00: 9/10
Great way to open the album. Very energetic and technical, with some great keyboard work. Also quite catchy. The one thing that knocked off a point is that odd use of sampling. It's kind of annoying sometimes hearing it repeatedly.
Caught In A Web: 7/10
A solid song, though not one of the best on the album. This song is a lot more metal than anything DT's done previously, and I think they pulled it off quite nicely here. The vocals do get a little grating in a couple areas, though.
Innocence Faded: 8/10
This song feels a little out of place on this album. Not that it suffers for it, but it seems like it belongs on I&W more than this album. However, I do think this song is very good musically, and the buildup is great.
Erotomania: 9/10
Awesome instrumental. It bounces between crazy technical parts and more melodic emotional parts very smoothly, I especially like the keyboard work here. Some of the best in DT's entire discography.
Voices: 10/10
Coming in right where Erotomania left off is one of my favorite DT songs ever. Everything from the buildup to the vocals and even the lyrics is pretty much perfect.
The Silent Man: 9.5/10
This song is kind of a conclusion to Voices, so it feels very depressed. However, it ends on an optomistic note, which I like. Musically, this song isn't that elaborate, being mostly acoustic guitar. However, this is an acoustic guitar ballad done right.
The Mirror: 9/10
I wasn't expecting a really heavy song right after The Silent Man, but... okay. Anyways, this song is the prelude to Portnoy's 12 Step Suite, and it's really good. I really like how the heavy, hushed vocals go with the guitar. Great keyboard solo at the end too.
Lie: 7/10
Pretty good song, but kind of underwhelming compared to the several songs that came right before. It continues the heaviness of The Mirror, but it feels like a much straighter metal song than what DT usually does.
Lifting Shadows Off a Dream: 9.5/10
Another amazing song. This is one of the softer songs on this album, and it's very emotional. Very haunting, but with a kind of uplifting effect. However, it builds into a great chorus.
Scarred: 10/10
I like how this song goes between quieter emotional parts and loud metal parts. And the guitar solo near the end is amazing,
Space Dye Vest: 10/10
This song feels a lot different than what DT normally does. I don't know why they don't do more keyboard-oriented songs like this, because this is perfection. This song is very haunting and sad, like something that plays during one of the best movies ever. I don't really know if this is my favorite DT songs, but it's really close.
Well, this album is amazing. Not only does it contain several masterpieces, but it also has NO duds whatsoever. It covers the whole spectrum from technical ability, to heaviness, to deep, emotional pieces, and blends them together really well. I recommend getting the entire album.
knavely - this is a creative masterpiecejust brilliant. imo nothing they have done since has come close.
mesmerizing
Ragnarhasknots - Awake (1994)A track by track analysis:
1. 6:00
4.5/5 stars
From the outset, this opener already carries a different tone from Images and Words. The organ by Kevin Moore makes this song. That and the jammy atmosphere. Also LaBrie’s vocals are much rougher but no less high range, and are pretty good as a result.
2. Caught in a Web
5/5
Heavier than 6:00 by a long shot, LaBrie’s vocals are awesome on this song. John Petrucci deals out fantastic riffs, and Kevin Moore fills out the sonic blanks with organs and synths. Can’t go wrong with this one.
3. Innocence Faded
4/5
My least favorite song here, but even then it’s still high quality. Great moody verses and a very melodic chorus, with an 80’s sounding outro that adds to the mix.
4. Erotomania
4/5 stars
My second least favorite song on this album. The band performs admirably, but they haven’t yet reached the zenith of their powers as makers of killer instrumentals. Connects to the next two tracks as an extended suite.
5. Voices
5/5
The creepiest number here is also very hard hitting as well. Lyrically, it can sound funnily nonsensical but nevertheless sad. Again, LaBrie steals the show.
6. The Silent Man
6/5
The final installment in the trilogy that began with Erotomania, the Silent Man may very well be the prettiest song the band ever cut. As such it’s the best ballad of many they’ve made. Background vocals by Mike Portnoy (or is it John Petrucci? Can’t tell) cement the tune’s beauty.
7. The Mirror
6/5
This song and the following remained the heaviest songs Dream Theater composed until 2002. This one rides on a terrific groove metal feel to really sell its craziness. The end of the last chorus ends with eerie keyboards by Moore and then the rest fades into Lie.
8. Lie
6/5
This song is considered a game changer for Dream Theater, as it started to show how the band was departing from its Queensryche influence and into a much more metallic one. LaBrie sounds very nasty here, enough to forget about the soaring vocals of Images and Words, and the groove is just mean.
9. Lifting Shadows off a Dream
6/5
Another spectacular ballad. Though not as pretty as the Silent Man, this song is just as good. It is reminiscent of U2, but if U2 were better musicians. Great bass by Myung, and the ending is fantastic.
10. Scarred
6/5
The longest track is of course the least accessible to mainstream listeners, but for progressive rock fans it’s a treat. It sounds like Rush, especially at the end. I really like it.
11. Space Dye Vest
6/5
Seriously what’s up with the ballads? Why are they so good on this album? This one and Vacant (off of Train of Thought) are the darkest ballads they dared to make, but Space Dye Vest is by far the creepier of the two. It’s very personal and the music equally so, with Moore’s pianos being a prominent feature. You couldn’t ask to end an album better than with this.
Consensus:
Awake’s heavier tone set the standard for Dream Theater’s later work, and James LaBrie’s singing hit a peak he’d never replicate ever again. Therefore, Awake is an essential Dream Theater record. I for one consider it to be the second best album they ever made, after Train of Thought.
Amy Sedai - DT's BestThis is my favorite Dream Theater album. I've noticed that many of these reviews don't meniton "The Mirror/Lie" which is most certainly the highlight of this record. At the end of "Lie" the band seemlessly reverts - probably the best word because it's a really cool transition, no real preparation unless you know it's coming - back to "The Mirror." Not only that, there are pieces of "Space Dye Vest" running all through the song, and that kind of musical coherence is cool. Most bands just have a song, and then another song, and another etc. But Dream Theater weaves melodies and themes from song A into song B, and then from song B into song C, and it makes for a tight, cohesive record. The instrumental virtuousity of each band member is well documented, but I say don't listen to Dream Theater for that - listen to them because they make mature, complex, amazing records. This music is incredible, regardless of the individual talent of each instrumentalist. They are song-crafters, and this is possibly their finest, most fully-realized work.
TigersJC86 - Great albumI felt like this was the last time we see James at his best vocally. Songs are all great. Just a good overall feel
moshlyfe - Dream Theater AwakeAbsolute genious! Dream Theater's music is so alive and vivid and it's hard not to listen to the rest of the album after hearing powerful tracks like 6 O'Clock, Voices, Lie, etc. Mike Portnoy's drumming with John Myung's bass bring a kicky rhythm to John Petrucci's guitar, Jason LaBrie's vocals and Jordan Rudess' keyboards. Very underrated album.
Ragnarok - I Know All About The Honor Of God Mary JaneAnd I do, but thats not the point... The point is, is that Dream Theater is the best Progressive Band in ages. Awake, the follow-up to Images and Words matches the impressive second album in every way EXCEPT that it is slightly more guitar driven this is not a bad thing on Awake. I highly reccomend this album to anyone who likes... well... Good Music. I rather enjoyed 6:00,The Silent Man, and Space-Dye Vest, so if you can't afford the entire album quite yet puchase these three to quell your ravenous musical appetite.
icepeter96 - Solid, complete albumWhen it first came out, I was underwhelmed by the lead single, Caught in a Web, and didn't pick it up until a year later. This is when I learned that you can't judge a DT album based on the song the label chooses to release. This is still my favorite Dream Theater album, and it started some themes that have followed them throughout their careers. It's got a little of everything, from the epic Voices to the accoustic Silent Man, to the fist-pumping Lie, to my personal fave Lifting Shadows Off A Dream, wrapped up by the piano/emo Space Dye Vest.
JonnyClaymore - MasterpieceThis album and Images & Words changed my outlook on music, period.
6:00 - 9/10 - Great Intro Song, really sets the mood of the album.
Caught In a Web - 10/10 - Heavy hitting but still melodic.
Innocence Faded - 9/10 - Great follow up to Caught In a Web, although much more melodic
Erotomania - 10/10 - This has to be one of my favorite instrumentals ever. Leads into Voices Perfectly
Voices - 10/10 - My Personal favorite on this album. The guitar solo is epic
The Silent Man - 10/10 - Great ending to A Mind Beside Itself, and a great acoustic song too
The Mirror - 9/10 - Kind of an unorthodox follow up to The Silent Man, but altogether its simply great.
Lie - 10/10 - The "single" of the album does not disappoint at all. Love how it brings back the main riff from The Mirror at the end.
Lifting Shadows Off A Dream - 10/10 - Awesome in every way, remind me of U2 in a way.
Scarred - 10/10 - Really dark, yet very melodic and hard-hitting. I almost forget that its ten minutes long.
Space-Dye Vest - 10/10 - Really great ending to this album, equal parts melodic and dark, represents the core value of this album.
So as you have read, I LOVE THIS CD !!!
if you're still unsure, just buy it, you won't regret it at all.
phoenixmax - This is the definitive Dream TheaterEvery second of this album is rock solid! This is one of the most listened to albums of my entire collection of over 3,000 CD's! This album is masterful in every aspect as it pertains to sound, instrumentation and vocalization. If you were ever curious to buy a Dream Theater album then look no further, this is the one to get you hooked.
Redcoat - Still Their Best...This is still my favorite DT album, and probably always will be. They've released some amazing albums in their career, but if I had to pick one, defining DT album, this would be it. The songs just flow one into another, capped off with the epic "Scarred" (my personal fave) and Kevin Moore's swan song "Space-Dye Vest". A must-have in anyone's DT collection.
Afro Ninja - AwakeLove this album but it was a horrible idea HORRIBLE idea to make Scarred album-only. Even though I didn't buy this album off of iTunes I am outraged!
metalhead4 - Dream Theater = AmazingThis is a great follow up to IAW.This definatly has a darker mood and atmosphere than IAW. Its more metal basically. Best songs are Scarred, Lie, 6:00, Innocence Faded, And Caught in a Web. Bye th whole thing you wont be dissopointed.
ndefabis - Caught in aweb of great musicThis album is amazing. In my opinion, this album is one of the highlights of DT's career. If you are a Kevin Moore fan you will especially love this album.
RUSHFWOPETH - My favorite DT album.This was the album that introduced me to Dream Theater. I still love it more than any of their others, with the possible exception of Scenes From a Memory. Every song is great. It just has such a great sound, it puts you in a mood, more than any of their other stuff. Creepy as hell, but so different. Kevin Moore's keyboards, in particular, add a ton to the sound...if you like this album, check out Fates Warning's "A Pleasant Shade of Gray", he adds a lot to their album as well.
Personal favs are "The Mirror", "Lie", and "Scarred", but they're all amazing. "Scarred" is one of my all-time favorites, I would buy the whole album just for that one song.
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skdesign - Moore was good but Rudess way better!As with every DT album this is excellent. But I find that their music went to a whole new level when Rudess joined the band. He brought something special to DT and it shows in their later albums.
The_Silent_Man - One of the best..my favorite album of dream theater along with images & words.. i am still a big fan of the band but this line up with kevin moore was so soulful and dark yet highly technical and heavy.. i dont think that the band found such balance after the departure of moore..
Cannotsleep Drummer - Very GoodNot the best DT album but nevertheless good. Best song is space dye vest...
Buy it.
Kaptin Phalcon - an amazing albumthis album is just incredible, it has awesome progressive qualities and more of the technical genius you expect from Dream theater. my personal favorites are space dye vest, which is just beautiful and moving and caught in a web, i don't know why i like that one though I just do. This is definitely my favorite dream theater album.
dreamtheaterisdabomb - awakesic i seriously reccomend that u buy this album. its not as metal as the other albums but its mor of a hard rock fusion my fav song is 6:00 it rox.
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FromABuriedHeart - Heavy Dream Theater ftwWhile nowhere near as good as I&W this is definetly the second best album of their early career upto Scenes.
I only wish they'd have kept their heavy style!
Highlights are Voices, The Mirror & one of my favourite DT songs: Space Dye Vest
The Deganawida - Only just found but never too late!!Only just discovered this album. I'm decades too late but it still blew me away. Just a classic of its type. Thanks Dream Theater, it's never, ever too late to put a smile on someone's face.
Johndan4 - oktheres allot of sellection of types of genre and is a enjoyable album.
Zach O'loughlin - HOMG?!!Truely magnificient piece of Music from a heavy metal muscians point of view but on a DT point of view most definately one of there top 3, up there with "Octavarium" Completely worth every penny of every song!! :D
LipsOfDeciet - AMAZING!Another slice of brilliance from the greatest band in the universe, Dream Theater. Every song is a masterpiece. Second only to Images & Words. (I havent head SFAM though)
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