Dream Theater – Images and Words – Live in Japan, 2017 (2021)
Artist: Dream Theater
Album: Images and Words – Live in Japan, 2017
Genre: Progressive Metal
Label: Inside Out Music
Year Of Release: 2021
Quality: FLAC (image+.cue)
Tracklist:
01. Pull Me Under (08:24)
02. Another Day (04:54)
03. Take the Time (12:45)
04. Surrounded (05:46)
05. Metropolis – Pt. I: “The Miracle and the Sleeper” (13:09)
06. Under a Glass Moon (07:19)
07. Wait for Sleep (04:05)
08. Learning to Live (12:10)
Personnel:
– James LaBrie / vocals
– John Petrucci / guitar, producer
– Jordan Rudess / keyboards
– John Myung / bass
– Mike Mangini / drums
Dream Theater’s Images and Words – Live in Japan, 2017 is the first entry in the relaunched Lost Not Forgotten Archives series. The band has been around for more than three and a half decades now and has released so many records and played so many concerts that such releases are particularly rewarding for fans of old date like myself.
This particular record captures the band at the height of its career. The musicianship is out of this world. John Myung is a versatile, steady and resilient bass guitar player who doesn’t need to be in the spotlight to convince with his perfect balance between feeling and technique that forms the backbone of his band’s unique progressive metal sound.
John Petrucci might be the greatest contemporary guitar player to be around. He convinces in atmospheric instrumental sections, heartfelt slow-paced ballads, menacing and heavy mid-paced stompers, fast-paced and nearly frantic sections and plays one breathtaking solo after another.
Jordan Rudess complements him perfectly on keyboards as the wizard offers everything from cinematic background layers over smooth, enchanting and dreamy passages to ecstatic solos duelling the guitar performances.
Mike Mangini has become more than a replacement for original drummer Mike Portnoy. He doesn’t only have the variable technical skills of his predecessor but also the understanding when to push things forward and when to recede into the background to give the music space and time to breathe. The latter quality has always been completely oblivious to Mike Portnoy. This particular album includes laid-back drum passages as well as a memorable solo that never gets boring throughout three highly entertaining minutes.
Singer James LaBrie is often described as the band’s weakest member as fans of old date claim that he has never fully recovered from a case of food poisoning in the mid-nineties or that his voice has become significantly weaker throughout the past decade. Both statements are half-truths as James LaBrie’s vocal register might have become lower as time has come by but his voice nevertheless still breathes emotional life into his band’s technically appealing instrumental work. The Canadian singer is the heart of Dream Theater and after having watched the band perform seven times in the past twelve years, I can guarantee you that his performances are still absolutely stunning and better than those of most other metal singers of his age. This album is a testament to his under-appreciated talent.
The eight songs offered on this output convince with an energetic production in which each instrument shines vibrantly while the enthusiastic Japanese crowd is audible from start to finish.
Highlights include the powerful, passionate and focused performance of the band’s only hit single ”Pull Me Under”, the breathtaking ballad ”Surrounded” that sends shivers down the spine of anyone who has a heart and the incredible rendition of ”Metropolis (Part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper)” that includes the aforementioned outstanding drum solo and remains entertaining through thirteen minutes of progressive metal mastery.
This release comes around in a solid digipak but doesn’t include a booklet as it focuses on the music alone. There is also an expensive vinyl version for sophisticated connoisseurs stuck in nostalgia with too much money on their hands but the CD version takes less space, sounds perfect and costs a lot less.
If compared to the studio album of the same name, this live performance recorded twenty-five years later is even more courageous, dynamic and imaginative. This record simply doesn’t get boring as I have listened to it at least ten times since buying it roughly a month and a half ago. This release isn’t as easy to find as the band’s regular studio or live albums but you should certainly try to purchase a copy since this release captures the band’s excellent chemistry in its most accomplished line-up to date. Anyone who appreciates progressive rock or progressive metal should call this release their own.
by kluseba, metal-archives.com
