Track Listing

1. Lie
2. 6.00
3. Erotomania
4. Silent Man
5. Lifting Shadows Off A Dream
6. Scarred
7. Innocence Faded
8. Mirror
9. Voices
10. Caught In A Web
11. Space Dye Vest

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7593 in Music
• Released on: 1994-10-03
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Some rock & roll purists consider the term "progressive rock" an oxymoron. After all, rock & roll is supposed to be about feeling, not thinking. Prog rock bands miss the point by taking the soul out of a musical form that's purposely crass and anti-intellectual. All the precise, long-winded arrangements, keyboard flourishes, wailing vocals, and over-orchestration of groups like Yes, Emerson Lake & Palmer, and, to a degree, Rush suck the soul out of something that should be less head and more body. Dream Theater, though they possess many of the same characteristics as these bands, still manage to maintain a human element in their music. Awake is at times self-indulgent and pompous, but songs like "Lie", a passionate crusher that finds guitarist John Petrucci launching riff after thunderous riff in a cacophonous volley of crunch, ring true with real passion and base emotion. It's the depth and tonality his guitar brings to the music that keeps Dream Theater from falling into the Styx-isms they often veer dangerously close to. A very solid record for those who don't mind thinking while rocking. --Adem Tepedelen

CD Description
Dream Theater's web of metal and progressive elements comesroaring 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".

Customer Reviews

Progressive metal at its finest
In my opinion Awake is the strongest Dream Theater album. It is noticably heavier than Images and Words, although the songs contain the same great melodies, awesome playing and polished production present on the previous album. The lyrics are much darker and deeper than on any of the bands other albums and the use of samples adds great atmosphere to the recordings. Despite the 75 minute running time there is not a single weak tack on the album. Fans of progressive metal, especially those with a taste for heavy, yet melodic guitar music should check this out.

Top 3 Dream Theater album
This is a rather belated review given how long ago this fine album was released. However, I was compelled to write following some of the, frankly, odd and surprising opinions expressed by my fellow reviewers.
As the follow-up studio release to the band's impressive debut, this is unquestionably a 5 star album. However, for those of you who do not own all DT's albums, I guess you might have been taken aback by the overall heavyness. Compared to Images and Words, Awake is far heavier, less keyboard driven with a fantastically heavy guitar tone. La Brie's vocal performance is also far more visceral and, thankfully, dare I say it, a little less cheesy than he can be at times.
The musicianship is simply amazing. John Petrucci on guitar really shines on this record, as does Mr Portnoy on drums. I have to say the guitar solo on Voices remains one of my favourite Petrucci solos. Yes, his playing is incredibly technical, but his note choice is quite exquisite at times.
As indicated in the title of this review, as far as I'm concerned this makes it into the top 3 in terms of DT's albums. It is very hard to criticise any aspect of this offering. The playing, vocals and production are impeccable. Stand out tracks for me are 6 o'clock, Voices, Erotomania, Lifting Shadows..& Caught In a Web.
If you appreciate quality songwriting, arrangements and musicianship, you cannot help but admire this album if you are in any way into rock, whatever your particular slant. Highly recommended.

Heavy!!!!
I was a bit stunned when I first heard Awake. Having become a huge fan of DT following "Images...", I struggled a bit to cope with this next release.
HEAVY is the word. Apparently John Petrucci decided to do almost the whole thing on a 7 string guitar, and made major use of the low B string.

There are some slower and lighter moments, and the instrumental prowess is still outstanding, but overall it's more in the "thrash" side of metal. Nevertheless, the vocals do maintain a melodic element to the proceedings, and the songs are still very good.

Worth getting, but get Images first.