| CD Reviews Last updated: 9.27.05 Dream Theater When Dream And Day Unite Tracklist: 1. A Fortune In Lies (5:12) (Lyrics: Petrucci, Music: Dream Theater) 2. Status Seeker (4:17) (Lyrics: Dominici/Petrucci, Music: Dream Theater) 3. Ytse Jam (5:43) (Music: Dream Theater) 4. The Killing Hand (8:42) (Lyrics: Petrucci, Music: Dream Theater) I. The Observance II. Ancient Renewal III. The Stray Seed IV. Thorns V. Exodus 5. Light Fuse And Get Away (7:23) (Lyrics: Moore, Music: Dream Theater) 6. Afterlife (5:27) (Lyrics: Dominici, Music: Dream Theater) 7. The Ones Who Help To Set The Sun (8:04) (Lyrics: Petrucci, Music: Dream Theater) 8. Only A Matter Of Time (6:37) (Lyrics: Moore, Music: Dream Theater) Total: 51:28 Introduction: Released in 1989, Dream Theater�s debut album When Dream And Day Unite is often overlooked by some. Usually it�s because it�s not as common as Dream Theater�s other releases. Or maybe it�s because the band had a different vocalist at the time, Charlie Dominici. Nevertheless, this disc has some great moments, but some so-so ones as well. This review is based on the 15th Anniversary re-release of the album from AAO Records in 2004. The re-release has been digitally remastered and features a good collection of pictures of the band taken almost 15 years ago. Also included in the booklet is thoughts on the album by Mark Bredius, webmaster of Dream Theater�s official website, as well as a foreword written by Charlie Dominici himself, written specially for the remaster. Synopsis: �A Fortune In Lies� begins the album with a thundering drum intro. There are some great guitar riffs by Petrucci in the intro. Dominici sings very well in this song, some his best vocals on the album. �Status Seeker� is a very Rush influenced track, featuring a lot of synths and Dominici sounds a bit like Geddy Lee at times. At first, I absolutely hated this song. But after several listens, it eventually grew on me. The chorus is catchy as hell (especially the �Nothing is sacred/You draw the bottom line with a dollar sign� part) too. The instrumental �Ytse Jam� is the third track of the album. It�s one of the few songs on the album that is still a staple in Dream Theater�s live set to this day. This is an awesome instrumental track that shows off how great each member is at playing his respective instrument. My favorite part occurs around the 2:46 mark, where a keyboard solo begins, which then goes into a guitar solo, which then leads into a fast as hell bass solo, which then goes into a short drum solo. Yes, that�s right, each of the instruments gets their own solo. �The Killing Hand� is up next, and is the epic track of the album. It is split into five separate parts: The Observance/Ancient Renewal/The Stray Seed/Thorns/Exodus. I like how this song progresses into each separate part. The instrument playing is top notch in this track, and Dominici delivers his best vocal performance on the album. Next up is the first of two Kevin Moore penned tracks, �Light Fuse And Get Away�. Okay, admittedly, the title is kind of lame, but the song is quite good. The intro leading up to the first verse is pretty cool. My favorite parts of the song is the chorus; it�s so damn catchy, both the lyrics and the music. �Afterlife� is the only song in the Dream Theater catalog that was written solely by Charlie Dominici. There are some pretty good synths during the verses, but it�s not too much of a standout track. It�s a decent song overall. Next up is �The Ones Who Help To Set The Sun�. The intro is quite interesting. There�s some mysterious synths accompanied by samples of thunder. It sounds cool with headphones on. The rest of the song is okay. There�s a good solo by Petrucci towards the end of the song. �Only A Matter Of Time�, the second song written by Kevin Moore, closes out the album, and it�s a pretty appropriate closer. I really like the keyboard intro to the song. It�s one that�ll get stuck in your head all day. The lyrics are fairly catchy too. Highlights: �A Fortune In Lies�, �Ytse Jam�, �The Killing Hand� Overall: Dream Theater�s debut album is a respectable one, with some really great songs to be found and excellent instrument playing too. But some fans of the band may not like the album. Dominici�s vocals may be an acquired taste, and some of the lyrics may come off as too cheesy for some as well. Those that are unfamiliar with Dream Theater should look to albums such as Images And Words and Awake to spark interest. This album is mostly recommended to established fans of the band. Final Score: C+ Any questions, comments, submissions, or anything related to the site should be e-mailed to me: shadowdragonxx [at] hotmail [dot] com. Don't take anything from the site without permission. |
| When Dream And Day Unite Album line-up: John Petrucci � Guitars Charlie Dominici - Vocals Kevin Moore � Keyboards Mike Portnoy � Drums & Percussion John Myung � Bass Additional Personnel: N/A Release Year: 1989 (Re-released in 2004) Label: Mechanic Records (Remaster released by AAO Records) Produced by: Terry Date and Dream Theater |
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