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Dream Theater's web of metal and progressive elements comes roaring out of the speakers at full throttle like some manic coupling of Frank Zappa, Guns & Roses and Yes, a garish torrent of virtuoso chopsmanship, classical flourishes and good old fashioned nosebleed metal.
With his snaking, syncopated lines, complicated rhythmic variations and crunching tone, Dream Theater's John Petrucci is a guitar hero for the '90s, and string slingers who admire the likes of Alan Holdsworth and Steve Vai will find much to admire in his unhinged extended flights on "Voices" and "Erotomania." And singer James LaBrie possesses the kind of classic tenor pipes that distinguish singers like Robert Plant, Steve Perry, Geddy Lee and Axl Rose from the rest of the pack: the kind of powerhouse squawk that can push through the guitars and keyboards--hey, you can hear him in Antarctica.
The songs on AWAKE constitute a richly orchestrated suite of moods, and tend towards the kind of mystic parables and epic gestures that used to so fascinate Jimmy Page. It's a nightmare world of spiritual crisis, lost innocence, fractured identity, fatal temptation and stifling paranoia. The music reflects this tension in its grand gestures and intricate ensemble passages, to particular effect when the lyrics tend more towards personal rites of passage, as on "Scarred" and "The Silent Man."
Recorded at One On One Studios and Devonshire Studios, North Hollywood, California between May & July 1994.
Personnel: John Petrucci (guitar); Kevin Moore (keyboards); Mike Portnoy (drums, percussion); Rich Kern (programming).
Audio Mixers: Duane Baron; Ed Miller ; Ryan Arnold; John Purdell.
Recording information: Devonshire Studios, North Hollywood, CA (05/1994-07/1994); One On One Studios, North Hollywood, CA (05/1994-07/1994).
Photographer: Dennis Keeley.
Dream Theater: James LaBrie (vocals), John Petrucci (guitar), Kevin Moore (keyboards), John Myung (bass), Mike Portnoy (drums, percussion).
Q (12/94, p.130) - 3 Stars - Good - "...melodramatic New Jersey outfit who marry metal with what used to be called progressive rock. All the trademarks of the latter are here: the cryptic voiceovers...the epic scale...and, amid madly frenetic melodies, mellow, reflective passages..."
Dream Theater - Awake Songs
Awake Music Review
Average Rating: (4.6 out of 5 stars)    List All 46 Reviews Excellent....
I intend to buy the whole Dream Theater collection and this one did not dissapoint me, just like all the magnificent work of this band.
Submitted by frailejon87 (Caracas, Venezuela) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 1 found this helpful.
 Super
As already expected this CD from Dream Theater is a super CD. I already have more Cd's of this band and I saw them in Rotterdam Ahoy November 2002.
This album is more from the same but everytime I listen to this music I'm dreaming away because of its beautifullness.
Submitted by a.j.vanderlinden (Maasdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands)
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Best DT release up until 6 degrees of inner turbulence
Kevin Moore plays keyboards for the band on this one and writes quite a bit as well, I loved this one so much I wore it out, and had to replace it! The band shows how "TIGHT" and syncopated they can be. J. LaBrie also shows he does not have to reach Bruce Dickinson/Geddy Lee(early) heights in his vocals, and I can actually sing along in key with him to much of this mid-90's release. For those of you just discovering D.T., this would be a great starting point CD to get you hooked on the musical prowess that is Dream Theater!
Submitted by markkrill (Missouri, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Dream Theater At Their Best
This album is great from start to finish, and my favorite songs are Innocence Faded and Space Dye Vest. Erotomania is a great epic as well. I think all fans of prog rock / heavy metal should give this album a listen...I bet most people will like it.
Submitted by a reviewer (California, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Dream Theater-Awake : More than just better than before
This is a very good progression from "Images and Words"(their previous release). Some of the songs have a little more of a psychadelic twist to them (6:00, and Space Die Vest). There's also more anger/intensity on tracks like The Mirror,Lie,and Scarred. This is conveyed not just in the song writing, but in Labrie's angrier vocals as well. They appear to have done an excellent job in mixing and production in the studio, because the disc has impressive imaging(placement of the sounds/effects). This disc has to be heard on a good sound system to be fully appreciated. If you liked "Images and Words",but wished for a little more aggression,you'll love this disc. It's still one of my favorites by them.
Submitted by a reviewer (Fort Wayne,Indiana)
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