Images & Words vs Awake

[jayou521]

Awake may be a more cohesive album, but I still prefer Images And Words. There are simply no standout tracks like Pull Me Under and The Miracle And The Sleeper on Awake, at least to me.

That says it all for me as well.

[Gowienczyk]

Awake may be a more cohesive album, but I still prefer Images And Words. There are simply no standout tracks like Pull Me Under and The Miracle And The Sleeper on Awake, at least to me. I still rank them both in the middle overall.

Lifting Shadows off a Dream.

/youarewrong

[Evilbottom]

Gah! Don't make me try to choose! Images and Words was the first album by them I heard, and I was blown away by it. Awake was also good but I don't think I was as blown away. I've since grown to love them in equal measures, but I'll vote I&W just because it used to be my favorite.

[KingProgdor]

Lifting Shadows off a Dream.

/youarewrong

Great track, but I've always found 'Voices' to be much more of a standout.

[macamatic]

Lifting Shadows off a Dream.

/youarewrong

It's a good song, but it doesn't grab me like Metropolis.

/noimnot

[timmah638]

Awake, but not by much. I love both albums.

[JukeBoxHero]

Both are great albums, although a bit different in their structure. I'll side with Images and Words for Take the Time.

[metalhead27]

Awake has always stood out a little more to me. More memorable songs, better variety and flow within the album, and better lyric imo. Just about everything works a little better for me.

[killer_roach]

One of the biggest problems comparing the two is that the "Final Fantasy VII effect" holds pretty solidly over Images and Words. It's a fantastic album, but it's also the album that most people started off on, and their memories of being brought into Dream Theater are somewhat colored by that.

[Gowienczyk]

It's a good song, but it doesn't grab me like Metropolis.

/noimnot

Maybe it's because Metropolis, Part 1 is one of their masterpieces. (their best one, imo). The instrumentation in Lifting Shadows off a Dream is about as good, but it's really a matter of what grabs you. I like LSOAD a little more than MP1:TMATS because it is the beginning of Chroma Key and Moore's creative peek. Listen to LSOAD and then Chroma Key's records (specifically Dead Air for Radios and Graveyard Mountain Home) and Awake's brilliance is magnified.