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Images and Words is the second studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on July 7, 1992, through Atco Records. It is the first Dream Theater release to feature James LaBrie on vocals. Since its release, the album has maintained its position as the band's most commercially successful studio album, and the song "Pull Me Under" has the distinction of being the only Top 10 hit (radio or otherwise) the band has had to date. This particular song has also had more recent success as it has appeared in the 2008 video game Guitar Hero World Tour. The album has received acclaim from music critics since its release. The German magazine Rock Hard elected Images and Words Album of the Month and lauded Dream Theater, using "the old [1970s] term 'supergroup'"; according to the reviewer, they set "standards and still perfect them, although they hardly appear to do so" and, even considering the many influences in their music, the "versatility, the linking of different grooves and melody elements within each songs" shows how Dream Theater are "style-transcending like no other band." In another contemporary review, Select gave the album a lower rating, referring to the album as "elaborate, layered prog-metal" and stated that "if this was a book, it'd be for the coffee-table, glossy but not essential." Phil Carter of AllMusic was taken by the band members' "impressive ability on their respective instruments" and by LaBrie's vocal range, writing also that the album is an "excellent mix of progressive metal stylings with heartfelt vocals and thought-provoking lyrics". Metal Storm reviewer calls Images and Words "a masterpiece and also a historical album", because it "brought something totally new to the scene, this famous progressive metal sound that would become Dream Theater's signature". Canadian journalist Martin Popoff in his Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal praised the band's musicianship and "the tricky arrangements", but was not thrilled by the album, which he found "a bit too self-aware and calculated to be in the true spirit of progressive rock."
Wow these guys are impressive! Progressive metal feel to this that I really loved. I've heard the song "Another Day" in the past somewhere and it was great hearing it again! Terrific!
Friendly reminder not to take any "Greatest Guitarists" list seriously if it doesn't include John Petrucci. Dream Theater sounded dated and kitsch from the get-go, but who cares when they can play this well?
I said this on the last Dream Theater album someone posted and I’ll say it again - there were some weird kids in my music program that wore Dream Theater merch everyday and this checks out. It’s kinda fun though
Sometimes an album is better than even its most rabid, nerdy fanboys can describe. It's pretty rare, but it does happen, and this is one of those times. Something about the unashamedly-cheesy approach, the ambition, the incredible pinpoint technical proficiency, etc etc. It's basically the standard for any band full of conservatory graduates (either this or Toto IV). Either way, it's a 5/5.
Great guitar playing, but the keening vibrato-laden singing dates this music as a product of its era.
Dream Theater makes a kind of music that is a horror to me. Certainly the ballads like Another Day irritate me to the core of my listening experience. It's a collection of bombastic and pointless sounds that feel like eating like cheap prefab noodles. It sort of fills the room with sounds that are familiar, but add nothing to your life.
September 5, 2025 Half the songs are over 8 minutes, and the thing is still less than an hour. For a metal/prog band, that's efficiency! My only real exposure to Dream Theater has been "Pull Me Under", from Guitar Hero IV, but I'm looking forward to hearing more! Whoa the lead singer is a Canuck, instant 5 stars "Surrounded" is exactly the kind of maximalist madness I want from these kinds of bands. AOR power ballad + Dreamy synth + over-the-top guitar shenanigans. More Whitesnake than Metallica, but still
When theater kids start to get the improper idea that they are cool/badass/not extremely beat-upable (I was a theater kid)
Progressive metal. Ni fu ni fa.
Yeah calm whatever
Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Take the time
Sounds like what I imagine Tool sounds like mixed with hair metal. An interesting combo that I don’t think I’m into. They seem a little late to the game. Instrumentation shouldn’t be stealing the show. Lyrics are fine, but the way this guy sings them makes me tune out. Also, there are five songs on here that are over seven minutes long. Fuck that shit. They didn’t need to be that long. It’s a fine album, but not for me. 3/5
An interesting genre bending album here. Primarily hard rock and metal, yet there are ballads, and sax solos. This album does feel a bit dated in the 90s metal era but it’s still an enjoyable album with lots of unique features that your typical metal album wouldn’t have. There is some replay value there but this is an album that is better artistically than it is enjoyable as a whole. 6.5/10
Dream Theater are really conservatory players with metal hearts, and Images and Words makes that obvious from the very first note. The technical brilliance is staggering: Petrucci, Moore, Myung, Portnoy, and newcomer James LaBrie all sound like they are born for this. The production is crystal clear, every riff and run perfectly audible, and “Pull Me Under” remains a classic that deserved its unlikely MTV run. And yet, as much as I admire the skill, I’ve never fully connected to it. Too often the songs feel more like showcases of musicianship than pieces that grab you emotionally. It’s dazzling, but also distant. And at times it feels like fretwanking. I get why this album is revered as the blueprint for modern prog-metal, and it absolutely earns its reputation for influence. But for me, it’s a 3.5* listen: impressive, but it never resonated.
Great memories of playing ‘Pull Me Under’ on Guitar Hero World Tour so there is a nostalgia bump here most likely. There’s no denying the instrumental work here is incredible – everyone in the band is firing on all cylinders, and while the guitar parts are a standout I found myself entranced by the drums throughout. That being said, I can’t help but feel that sizable chunks of this album just feel kind of silly, with the synth parts and completely over the top arrangements evaporating the immersion at times. I’m being a complete hypocrite given I’m a huge Rush fan, but this early-aughts prog does sometimes feel like it fell victim to the rise of electronic instrumentation which can make it sound dated and overdone. All in all, though, this was a solid listen and a great modern add.
Overwrought