Dream Theater: James La Brie (vocals); John Petrucci (guitar); Kevin Moore (keyboards); John Myung (bass); Mike Portnoy (drums, percussion).

Additional personnel: Jay Beckenstein (soprano saxophone).

Recorded at Bear Tracks Studio, Suffern, New York and The Hit Factory, New York, New York between October & December 1991.

Dream Theater's first album with new vocalist James LaBrie is an excellent mix of progressive metal stylings with heartfelt vocals and thought-provoking lyrics. Guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung, and drummer Mike Portnoy, all of whom trained at Berklee, show impressive ability on their respective instruments. Kevin Moore's keyboards weave strongly through the intricately constructed songs, while operatically trained LaBrie shows an impressive range with his tenor. Standout tracks include the complex "Metropolis, Pt. 1," the Shakespeare-influenced "Pull Me Under" (also released as a single and video), the dramatic "Take the Time," and the 11-minute, thoughtful "Learning to Live." Dream Theater's musicianship and songwriting are a cut above the norm; this is a very good disc. ~ Phil Carter

While continuing to improve its musical chops and explore more progressive territory, Dream Theater reached its mainstream apex with 1992's IMAGES AND WORDS. Here the group capably combined prog-rock high-mindedness with metal crunch and commercial accessibility on the opening track "Pull Me Under," helping to snare an audience big enough to push this album past gold sales status.

What makes IMAGES AND WORDS stand out is the fluid marriage of shred tactics, soaring vocals, and catchy hooks, all wrapped up in a polished studio sound. Fans can argue whether this is the band's best, but there is no denying the power of epic, engaging songs like "Take the Time," "Under a Glass Moon," and "Metropolis - Part I," a track that foreshadowed the 1999 outing SCENES FROM A MEMORY. Following IMAGES AND WORDS, Dream Theater became increasingly complex in its approach, to varying degrees of success, but this album represents a time when the ensemble brought progressive metal to the masses with little compromise.