Awake (1994)

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Listening to "Awake" periodically for about last three years, I keep considering this album as the most successful Dream Theater's work behind another brilliant album "Scenes from a Memory". Released in 1994, "Awake" is very different (in my opinion, much better) from its predecessor "Images and Words". The things that attract attention are better sound quality, more efficient performance (most of all this regards to Mike Portnoy, one of the best drummers in the world at the present), and well thought-out arrangements. Even at my first listening I estimated this album as a real break-through of Dream Theater to the top of prog metal scene. The trilogy "A Mind Beside Itself" is a true all-time masterpiece of progressive metal. Unfortunately, this album became the last work of Dream Theater with an outstanding keyboardist Kevin Moore, who left the band to begin his solo career in 1994 (later Kevin became the originator of Chroma Key project). If you still haven't listened to "Awake", I advise you to do it right now!