BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS

"Black Clouds & Silver Linings" roughly falls on the 20th anniversary of Dream Theater's first major release. Longtime Dream Theater fans will not be disappointed and those new to their music will find this recording to be a good introduction.

As usual, Dream theater exhibit their usual prowess as masters of the hard rock/metal genre, executing technical arrangements with seemingly flawless skill that has maintained their appeal to musicians and progressive rock fans for years.

The only shortcoming may be their tendency to utilize recurring themes in their music, which often come off as recycled melodies and lyrics. Nevertheless, this release has several highlights and original excursions. Not the least of which is the bonus disk "Uncovered 2008/2009" which comes with the Special Edition packages. Here they produce stunning reproductions of music by Queen, Iron Maiden, Dixie Dregs etc. -- Highly recommended.

Lyrical themes include forays into Freemasonry, human tragedy, alcoholism (which sheds light on an earlier release titled: Glass Prison), and a tribute to Mike Portnoy's father (the drummer). Detailed listening notes wouldn't do justice to the music but The Count of Tuscany, clocking in at over nineteen minutes in length, has proved to be a gem. The song represents a culmination of what progressive fans love. The track begins with an uplifting progression that gradually builds to an in-your-face melody which breaks into a dreamy excursion then recapitulates an earlier theme. Even though this track, again, uses seemingly tiresome musical themes from earlier Dream Theater releases, it is likely to become a Dream Theater favorite.