Dream Theater - Images And Words [Clear]

Prog metal found its blueprint on Images And Words, Dream Theater's 1992 breakthrough, now pressed on clear 140 gram vinyl.

The band's second album was their first with singer James LaBrie, and it arrived in a grunge-dominated era carrying technical ambition to spare. Against the odds, Pull Me Under became a radio and MTV hit, introducing a mainstream audience to odd time signatures, virtuoso solos and songs that stretched well past the eight-minute mark.

Produced by David Prater, the record balances muscle with melody. Pull Me Under rides a brooding, Hamlet-quoting riff, Take The Time flexes funky grooves and dazzling interplay, and Metropolis, Pt. 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper packs enough twists to inspire a full sequel seven years later. Learning To Live closes with sweeping, symphonic ambition, while John Petrucci's guitar and Kevin Moore's keyboards trade lines with jaw-dropping precision.

Decades on, it remains the gateway record for countless prog fans and a benchmark for musicianship in heavy music. Plenty of bands have tried to match its blend of soaring hooks and instrumental fireworks, but few have managed it.

On clear vinyl, the pressing looks as striking as the playing sounds, a fitting home for one of the most influential albums in progressive metal.