July 7th, 2026 - We're Gonna Need a Montage of Images and Words

 

Hello rockers, proggers, metal maniacs and craft brew freaks!  Happy Tuesday!  Your heavy metal drinkin' buddy the Meista here today rocking out to "Images And Words" (34 years old today!), the excellent sophomore album by the mighty Dream Theater whilst enjoying a very crisp and crushable We're Gonna Need a Montage Kölsch from Drekker Brewing Company!  Hells yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Dream Theater
• Title: "Images And Words"
• Recorded: October through December 1991 at Bear Tracks Studio in Suffern, New York and The Hit Factory in New York City, New York
• Release date: July 7th, 1992 (2nd studio album by Dream Theater)
• Record company: Atco Records
• Production: David Prater
• Album cover art: Access Images (artwork) and Larry Freemantle (art direction)
• Personnel: James LaBrie (lead and backing vocals), Kevin Moore (keyboards), John Myung (bass), John Petrucci (guitars), and Mike Portnoy (drums and percussion)
• Musical style: Progressive metal, progressive rock
• Sound: In a word, epic!  Apart from Rush, by the late '80s and very early '90s prog-rock was all but dead.  And then something amazing happened!  At the height of the grunge movement, a bunch of fairly unknown kids from New York with a Canadian singer released the single "Pull Me Under" from their 2nd album, a multi-layered, complex, and epic metal/prog rocker, and a new age of prog was born, but with a twist.  Not only had they been influenced by ELP, Yes, early Genesis, and Kansas, they had deep roots in power metal (Iron Maiden and Fates Warning) and thrash (Metallica and Megadeth) as well.  Kevin Moore's keyboard work is beautiful, rich, and profound with a nod to Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson.  James LaBrie's vocals are melodic, wonderfully high, and honest.  John Myung's bass work is god-like... intricate, driving, and magical (just listen to the tapping on "Metropolis, Pt. 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper"!)  Mike Portnoy's drumming is in a word, incredible!  And John Petrucci's guitar work gives all prog guitarists before him a huge run for their money!  Ethereal at times, powerful and completely metal throughout, "Images And Words" is an incredibly important album of its age in my opinion.  It redefined not only prog rock, but heavy music in general.  From opening track "Pull Me Under" (the band's only hit) to "Another Day" to the epic "Metropolis, Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper" to "Under A Glass Moon" and on to finale, "Learning To Live," this album is an experiment in profundity and artistic integrity.
• Major themes: Life, discovery, introspection, isolation, imagination, , etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Pull Me Under"
2. "Another Day"
3. "Take The Time"
4. "Surrounded"
5. "Metropolis (Part 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper)"
6. "Under A Glass Moon"
7. "Wait For Sleep"
8. "Learning To Live"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Drekker Brewing Company (Fargo, North Dakota) 
• Website: https://drekkerbrewing.com/
• Brew: We're Gonna Need a Montage Kölsch
• Style: German-style Kölsch
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV:5.0 % 
• Pour: The We're Gonna Need a Montage pours a clear, bright straw-yellow hue with a very thin, bright white, bubbly head that slowly dissipates to a thin ring with light lacing.
• Nose: The nose is grainy, malty, and grassy.  There are aromas of freshly cut hay, lightly toasted white bread, crackery malts, lemongrass, light lemon zest, and grassy hops.
• Taste: Following the nose, the flavor of the We're Gonna Need a Montage is characterized by notes of crackery biscuit, bready malt, light barley, lemon zest, grassy hops, and a splash of honey.
• Mouthfeel: Light-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel of the We're Gonna Need a Montage is very crisp and smooth with a dry, clean finish.

Overall pairing: The Drekker We're Gonna Need a Montage is a crisp, crushable, easy drinking and tasty brew...  a great foil to the complex and progressive genius that is Dream Theaters excellent "Images And Words"!  'Nuff said!

Cheers and hails!!