BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS

It is so curious how the Dream Theater issue evolved. A new release of them always triggers such controversy. Cause their audience is divided in two parts: the metal fans and the prog fans. This makes sure that a high grade in this site will never be achieved for their new releases. Both of them never get enough of their medicine and both of them tend to dislike the other's. Also for DT's old releases the force of habit and nostalgia melts the reviewer's heart and idolises it. But for the new ones and having the highest expectations after so many years we always try to find and we magnify the wrong, no matter how tiny it can be. Regarding what kind of DT fan I am, I think that I am a bit of both. My jaw drops every time they teach us what prog metal is all about and I still bang my head when the riffs get tough. I admit that I like them both proggy and thrashy, so for me all their releases are, to say the least, marvellous. So for "Black Clouds..." my verdict is that it is extraordinary good. Everything you need from them is here and more. These guys are amazing, true gold. After so many years I stopped judging them and I just enjoy them. Is it better than Systematic Chaos? Who cares I love them both. Why Portnoy tried to growl and why he does blast beat? So be it. It 's not Opeth but it fits. Why only six songs? Whatever, they can give us a 50 song crossover album and I wll still like it. Because I don't wait something specific from this band. I just enjoy their new work. That's it. I never do song to song review because I buy an album, I listen to an album, I review an album. And after 75+ minutes you feel complete. The secret lies in just sitting down and letting the music flow inside. Don't judge it, don't compare it, just surrender yourself to it. I don't know how to explain what it sounds like, it's old and new, it's DT, it's everything. I don't know what new will come up from this, I don't know how their next release will be, this one is "5 stars" for me. And for those that didn't like "Black Clouds..", just take a look in the site's 2009 Top Albums: This one is not in it but do you believe that all the other releases that are in there are better than this? Do they have more reviews than this? Do we judged these to the extend that we judge this one? I understand, we always wait more from DT, but do we look ourselves in the mirror when we say that something is lost in the way?