Search - Dream Theater :: When Dream and Day Unite

Heck of a debut

Kerry Thornock II | Buffalo, NY, United States | 11/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Don't get me wrong, Labrie's vocals are good and all, even though it kinda bugs me at times when he tries to reach for those high Jon Anderson-esque pitches/notes. But what happened to Dominici after this debut. I think his voice is awesome, in an operatic way. In fact, IMO he looks and sounds a lot like Steve Perry. This record took me a while to really appreciate and enjoy, as I've since noticed is rather characteristic of prog in general. By now, this is one of my most faves from DT or anyone else. But in general, though, I love the instrumental side of these guys' sound."

A Taste of Things to Come

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 11/23/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While it has certainly been eclipsed by the albums that immediately followed it, Dream Theater's debut album When Dream and Day Unite is still an excellent album in its own right.



Like many other fans, I discovered Dream Theater with their breakthrough Images and Words album, and only picked up WDADU after I had all of their other studio albums. The vocals are always my top priority in a band, and I wasn't really excited about a Dream Theater album without James LaBrie. I wish I hadn't waited so long to get this disc. It is clear that Charlie Dominici is no LaBrie in terms of talent or emotion, but he still gave a solid performance, and more importantly the rest of the band was in great form on this album. It is full of great songs that I regard as some of their best (Ytse Jam and the Killing Hand are just two examples), and is probably a more consistent album than some of their later albums like Falling Into Infinity or Octavarium. It sounds even better now since it was recently remastered and re-released.



Front to back, this is a great album, especially considering when it came out. In terms of maturity and complexity, there were very few bands in 1989 that could stand up to Dream Theater. Images and Words may have set the progressive metal standard, but When Dream and Day Unite is still a great album, and should be a must-have for fans of the band and the genre.



NOTE: When Dream and Day Unite was reissued in 2002 and featured digitally remastered sound, which is a nice improvement over the original. Early versions came in a neat digipack (but without liner notes/lyrics), while later versions came in a standard jewel case (but with the full liner notes).

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First Official Release

Christopher Calabrese | Watertown, CT, USA | 07/06/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"At this point in the evolution of Dream Theater, their full potential had not yet been grasped. Their music would not reach levels of perfection until later records like IMAGES & WORDS or AWAKE. This cd also features singer Charlie Dominicci - he would only be a member on this one album.



However, this does not take away from the beauty that embodies this important Prog Metal release. Some of the songs featured such as 'A Fortune in Lies' and 'The Killing Hand' are songs that the band had written when they were in their early 20's and under the name MAJESTY. When you think about all the material Dream Theater has recorded over the years, and you think about these early songs, it should give you the chills, because you know that most human beings lack that type of musical ability at such an early age.



I wouldn't recommend this album as a fair place to start, simply because James LaBrie is not in the band yet, and while these songs are prog metal classics, it is clear that the band was still musically immature. Most importantly, you can hear their influences, such as Rush, Kansas, Yes, and Metallica, but they had not yet established a sound that was uniquely 'Dream Theater'.



If you love extremely progressive and indulgent metal, this is a great place to look. Songs like 'The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun,' and 'Light Fuse and Get Away' are juggernauts of extreme proportions by way of complex time meters, random key changes, polyrhythms, harmonies, and amazing solos. There are also some more 'commercial?!?!?!' sounding tracks such as 'Afterlife' and 'A Fortune in Lies.' Another highlight is the instrumental 'Ytsejam' which is still a popular fan favorite at concerts, and often includes some sort of extended drum solo from Mr. Portnoy. It is truly a labor of love from a few good friends on Long Island.



On a side note, I own both the original release and this limited edition remastering, and either I'm going deaf, or I hear absolutely no difference between the two!"