Images And Words: A Progressive Album?

[wasteland]

I just wanted to share with you this one review I found on Progarchives of my favourite album of all time. Needless to say, I disagree with the author on just everything, especially on his exasperated approach of comparing songs and sections to past releases or past bands, a philosphy that in itself clashes with the most basic significance of the word "progressive" itself.

So, here it is, discuss!

This is in no way a masterpiece of prog rock - it's a very good and progressive metal album, but the influences are so obvious and the style so narrowly in the metal vein that it is impossible for me to consider it a prog rock album.

Some people say this is a masterpiece, mainly because of the virtuosic playing and because people like it, which is fair enough - but leaving opinion aside and recognising that virtuosity does not a prog album make, let me start my review with my customary yardstick: Can I tell from the first 5 minutes the overall style of the rest of the album? If I can, then it's clearly not a prog album.

Pull Me Under mixes Yes, Diamond Head and Metallica (a riff from "...And Justice For All") with a strong melody - but, virtuosic musicianship apart, a surprisingly unremarkable track, given the strong support. There are progressive moments where the riffs go noticeably into Yes territory - but nothing particularly inventive or truly progressive.

Another Day is, on the surface an FM rock ballad replete with sax. It is an interesting interpretation of the standard rock ballad, but not a prog song.

Take the Time starts with a nice keyboard wash, leading to some interesting rifferama which sounds quite close to the first track. A little Steve Vai guitar and rolling bass leads to a section which sounds remarkably like Skid Row. The chorus is what really destroys any prog pretensions for me, and the busy, over-powerful drums seem somewhat unnecessary. There is a nice developing riff section from about 4", which reminds me somewhat of Twelfth Night (Live at the Target), but the keyboard lead is quite horrible. More riffs follow in an unrelated mish-mash forming a kind of bridge between keyboard solos which are unnecessary as well as naff-sounding. Wearyingly back to the chorus, this track shapes up to be an overlong standard rock song with prog pretensions. A piano heralds a sudden change, with a lovely, fluid guitar line, but the overbearing drums soon herald a coda section which quotes the chorus and a predictable fast'n'furious but very melodic guitar solo draws the piece mercifully to a close.

Surrounded starts like another FM ballad replete with naff string synths and this album begins to shape up like an REO Speedwagon or Foreigner album albeit with slightly odd prog and metal-orientated rhythms.

A simple riff kicks off Metropolis - Part I, quickly followed by another riff from Metallica's "...And Justice For All" album (the bridge section of "One"). It gets kind of interesting around 2:40, reminding me of part of Les Miserables, but the style is now extremely predictable and limited to the simple riffs interspersed with chumking metal riffs. The vocals are stubbornly in the realm of Sebastian Bach. Around 4:20, some odd timings are thrown in, in what seems like a futile attempt to say "we are a prog band, you know", but these sections do not add to the drama, only the length and percieved complexity of the piece. Anyone can tack a bunch of unrelated riffs together - the skill comes in making seamless music and getting unrelated riffs to sound related. Listen to Supper's Ready to get an idea of how this is done. The patchwork quilt of this piece lacks overall artwork and is wearying and annoying to listen to. An extended bridge in a standard rock song structure does not make a prog song.

Under a Glass Moon confirms that there is a single style running through this entire album, and that it does not, ultimately progress. We have keyboard washes, Metallica riffs, Yes and possibly King Crimson quotations, and basic rock-song constructions, with the familiar Seb Back vocals. Short bridges underline the prog wannabe style - it's really good to hear a band desire the prog status, but, for me, good prog does it without trying, and the mistake that this album makes time and time again is that it tries too hard.

Wait for sleep opens with an extremely simple piano line and synth washes, and the ballad style (again). This continues throughout, developing slightly - making this the closest this entire album comes to real prog!

Finally Learning to Live. I think the Metallica riff comes from "Ride The Lightning" in this case, but there's also a touch of "...And Justice for All". After the predictable riff, the snare sounds so 1980s that a feeling of neo-prog arises; a kind of mix of Pallas and IQ. This is followed by the riff from "Justice..."'s title track. Around 4:40 there are some interesting texture changes, but those keyboards sound so horrible! The guitars sound good though, but this is yet another patchwork quilt bridge section - not real progression, as the musicians take us on an arbitrary journey with no real drive, rhythm or drama in the structure - indeed, what is so wearying is the lack of any real structure to these sections.

This is NOT a prog album, let alone a masterpiece of the genre!

To hear a real progressive metal band at its best, go back 4 years to Metallica's "...And Justice For All" (1988). The latter is a superlative for all that progressive metal would become - but without the keyboards, although it was the earlier "Master of Puppets" (1986) that first established the prog metal sound. Also worth investigating are Megadeth's "Peace Sells, But Who's Buying", Slayer's "Reign in Blood" or "South of Heaven", Kreator's "Extreme Aggression", Napalm Death's "Scum" and Helloween's "Walls of Jericho".

To really dig into progressive metal's past, check out Diamond Head's "Living on Borrowed Time" and "White Album", then any Budgie album from the early 1970s. The fluid and imaginative riffs, grounded in Led Zeppelin but escaping the shackles of blues/folk rock in a way pioneered by Uriah Heep, will show you clearly what is meant by progressive as opposed to the more patchwork approach we see here (sic).

Re-interpreting other band's material is one way of producing prog rock, as some of the "real" prog bands will testify (e.g. Yes's use of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and the Beatles as springboards), but the overall feel of the music on this album is of Heavy rock with metal and progressive leanings - there are not enough elements present to make a fully-fledged progressive album let alone a masterpiece! There are far more progressive metal bands out there - for example, Cradle of Filth.

So I rate it as Good (with some excellent technical and melodic playing), but not essential for a collection of prog rock, as it does not sit easily alongside the prog greats.

[Cedar redaC]

Them's fightin' words!

I don't have ...And Justice for All, so I can't say anything for how it compares to Images and Words. As influential as Images and Words is, I think that more people would have brought this comparison up if it was true.

[Scorpion]

I don't agree with the author, on basically the same account that you do. Also, I don't hear many of the similarities, especially to Metallica, it seems very far-fetched.

[Glass Moonlight]

Progressive album, oh yeah. Metal? I don't really know. Images and Words has like 2 songs I would consider metal, and one that's kinda. With songs like Another Day, Surrounded, Take The Time, Wait for Sleep, and Learning to Live, shouldn't it be considered progressive rock? Like, there isn't much Metal here, in my opinion.

[bosk1]

I find that quibbling over the definitions of "prog rock" or "prog metal," or arguing over whether something is truly in or out of the genre to usually be a pretty meaningless and silly exercise.  But that being said, from the bands he considers to be prog, he has no idea what he is talking about.  And as pointed out, the comparisons he is trying to draw between parts of songs are WAY off base.  Pretty useless review.

[wasteland]

Pretty useless review.

One of those that, coming from a pro reviewer, according to the site's standards, is worth 10 ratings by common people :/

[theseoafs]

This review is downright silly -- he seems to think that you can't be progressive if you have a trademark sound.

[bosk1]

This review is downright silly -- he seems to think that you can't be progressive if you have a trademark sound.

Not to mention that he also seems to think that any song with a palm muted guitar riff must somehow be ripping off And Justice For All. 

[wasteland]

This review is downright silly -- he seems to think that you can't be progressive if you have a trademark sound.

Not to mention that he also seems to think that any song with a palm muted guitar riff must somehow be ripping off And Justice For All. 

Or that every band should look back to Supper's Ready when they have a bunch of riff to glue together into a section. 

[Polis]

I despise it when people downgrade an album because it sounds like other bands. Apparently, all prog after the 1970's sounds like Yes, Genesis, Floyd, or KC. While there are pronounced similarities, this is true because prog was hierarchically diffused and defined by those classic bands. In my opinion the sound of prog is like Wakeman keyboards or soulful Gilmour solos, or odd riffs.

I also don't think DT sat down at a white board, listened through And Justice for All and said to themselves "how can we rip off each and every one of these riffs?" while writing I&E. MP was the metalhead, not JP.

[hefdaddy42]

What an asshat.

[snapple]

What an asshat.

[Pols Voice]

What's with prog reviewers and their obsession with calling everything involving keyboards a "wash"? Especially "mellotron wash".

[Jaq]

There are far more progressive metal bands out there - for example, Cradle of Filth.

Oh sweet jesus can't stop laughing.       

[AngelBack]

One sentence about Surrounded Really... REALLY ?

[Rattlehead]

Just a classic case of someone who passes their opinion off as if it were a fact 

[King Postwhore]

I remember in 1992 it was just what I was looking for.  I loved Prog and i love heavy rock/metal so when I heard it I went mental for it.

[Jaffa]

Prog: Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Kreator, Napalm Death, and Cradle of Filth.

Not prog: Dream Theater.

Seems legit to me!

[BlobVanDam]

This guy doesn't seem to have a lot of musical knowledge, since he compares every single riff to Metallica, and every single vocal to Sebastian Bach. Is Metallica the only metal band he knows that plays a riff in E? Is Sebastian Bach the only other high screamer he knows?
For someone who seems to know so little about music, he sure seems to be far too hung up on genre classifications.

[wasteland]

Prog: Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Kreator, Napalm Death, and Cradle of Filth.

Not prog: Dream Theater.

Seems legit to me!

Yeah, I'm positive that the guy doesn't even know what Prog Metal is 

[Jaffa]

Wait for sleep opens with an extremely simple piano line and synth washes, and the ballad style (again). This continues throughout, developing slightly - making this the closest this entire album comes to real prog!

Just saw this.  Wait For Sleep is the most progressive song on Images and Words. 

[MoraWintersoul]

Prog: Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Kreator, Napalm Death, and Cradle of Filth.

Not prog: Dream Theater.

Seems legit to me!

Yeah, I'm positive that the guy doesn't even know what Prog Metal is 

Ditto

[GasparXR]

  Through the entire review.

[Sketchy]

The. TTT. Keyboard. Lead. Is. Not. Horrible.

[MoraWintersoul]

The. TTT. Keyboard. Lead. Is. Not. Horrible.

It might be my favorite keyboard lead in the history of DT.

[wasteland]

If not the, then one of those. I must say that the keyboard solo in LTL is a though competitor to get rid of. And so are Trial Of Tears and Overture 1928.

[hefdaddy42]

Do you even listen to technical music?

[wasteland]

Do you even listen to technical music?

I don't think it's really about technicality. They are just pleasant and fit the song. That's really all I need and care for.

[Sketchy]

<3 the ToT keys solo.

[Lowdz]

He's also wrong about AJFA missing the keyboards. It's missing the bass too 

[Zook]

Slayer is the farthest thing from prog.

[?]

If someone came to me with a straight face and said Metropolis is not prog, I'd die of laughter.

The. TTT. Keyboard. Lead. Is. Not. Horrible.

It might be my favorite keyboard lead in the history of DT.

If the lead you're referring to is the solo, I agree - it's easily the best keyboard solo in any DT song ever, closely followed by the one in Scarred.

[Bolsters]

Very amusing review. A clear lack of understanding of progressive music and definitely not someone whose reviews on the subject anyone should be reading.

Also, this isn't the first time I have heard someone refer to "...And Justice For All" as progressive metal, and it still irritates me every time someone says it.

[wasteland]

Yeah, I was too extremely baffled at his constant reminders of the supposed pionieeristic role of Metallica in prog metal. 

[?]

I found the Metallica references ridiculous as well - I can hear them in PMU, but LTL doesn't sound like Metallica AT ALL.