BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS

I said a while back in my review of IMAGES AND WORDS that I believe that there are only 5 items in Dream Theater's catalog worth giving a 5 star rating; well, that review was written before the release of Dream Theater's 10th Studio Album, BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS and I can confidently say that this will be the 6th item in their catalog that I believe deserves a strong 5 star rating.

However, I will be honest with you, this album isn't a masterpiece as a 5 star rating would normally suggest. Yet this album comes so close to achieving masterpiece status that it would be criminal to give it any less than 5 stars.

After 2007's SYSTEMATIC CHAOS, there was doubt amongst the community that Dream Theater's next album would be more of the same, thus by the time that BLACK CLOUDS was announced, it was obvious the fear was starting to spread. Some had low hopes, yet others held high hopes that this album would be a return to the form for the band. I can confidently say that those who had high hopes for this album were right; and it was well worth the wait!

1. A Nightmare To Remember (9.5/10): The second-longest song on the album and the longest album opener so far in their history, Dream Theater have unleashed a monster of a song here. This is easily the most metal song on the album and easily bridges the gap between SYSTEMATIC CHAOS and BLACK CLOUDS. Starting with the sounds of thunder and a haunting keyboard melody, the full band comes in a few moments later with an opening chord that rivals The Glass Prison. The song soon revs into gear as Mike Portnoy pulls out some drumming chops that haven't been seen for quite some time. James LaBrie's metal vocals have really improved, no longer imitating James Hetfield from Metallica! At around 5:00 the song drops into a mellow and melodic section, filled with some of the nicest vocal melodies and harmonies that haven't been heard since SCENES FROM A MEMORY. This is easily one of the best moments on the album and is a good throwback to the bands work of the 90s. But it doesn't end there, oh no. The band revs back into metal gear as Jordan Rudess and John Petrucci trade solos (it's a cliche thing for DT but it doesn't get any better than this though). Jordan makes good use of his Continuum Fingerboard, reprising the main theme at various points. After this comes the infamous "Mike Portnoy growls" section - first of all I'd like to say that these AREN'T growls at all, please educate yourselves people :) And secondly, they're honestly not as bad as everyone seems to say. Overall this song is amazing, though could do with about 1-2 minutes less music at the end as the song really does feel like it's ending around the 14 minute mark. Highly recommend listen.

2. A Rite Of Passage (9/10): Track 2 of the album has us listening to the band's first single release thus far. This song is easily the most "commercial" sounding of the whole album and easily the best single they've released since the singles of IMAGES AND WORDS. The main riff is a really catchy metal hook that should be a crowd pleaser at concerts. The chorus contains some great melodies, both vocally and guitar wise. Mike Portnoy provides some really relaxed drumming (at least for him anyway) on this song, scaling it back to the basics the song needs to carry on; and it's surprisingly effective, especially for a band that relies on so much technicality. But don't despair, the instrumental break spotlights John's technical solo followed by a Jordan Rudess solo that includes some experimental Bebot sounds that have never been used by the band before which are once again surprisingly effective. Overall a great song, yet easily the weakest on the album, which says a lot!

3. Wither (9.3/10): Most likely the next single release by the band, this song is a throwback to ballads such as Another Day and, to a lesser extent, Hollow Years and The Spirit Carries On. James' vocals are easily the highlight of this track. The guitar solo is easily one of Petrucci's more restrained solos and it's obvious he really had a feel for the song. While the classic ballads have better than music and seem to be somewhat more memorable than this track, it's obvious that Wither has high levels of emotion and the music and LaBrie's excellent vocals really carry that through strongly.

4. The Shattered Fortress (9/10): I'll be honest with you, I'm still not quite sure what to make of this song, I'm a fan of all the other songs of the 12 Step Saga, yet I just can't connect to this one like I can with the others and I'm still not sure why. That aside, however, this song has some outstanding musical moments on it. The reprise of various themes from the other songs in the Saga are really effective and are the only logical way to end the Saga in a suitable manner. Some of the transitions can be somewhat disjointed, something which many fans have a problem with; I can see their point but they're such fleeting moments that it really doesn't bother me all too much. The ending of this song (specifically Part XII. Responsible) is easily the best part, highlighting some wordless singing from LaBrie and the use of the opening from The Glass Prison as the closing seconds of this song.

5. The Best Of Times (10/10): This song is amazing, from the Piano and Acoustic Guitar (with some Violin added courtesy of Jerry Goodman) to the Rush inspired verses. I do admit that I haven't listened to this song nearly as much as the others yet I still feel it deserves the rating it does. LaBrie's vocals really shine here, and John Myung's bass licks fill out this song during a later portion (can't remember exactly when it is during the song, but I do remember that it was tastefully done). Of course no review of this song could be published without mention of the soon to be famous John Petrucci guitar solo that makes up the final few minutes of the song: This solo is filled with such emotion that it rivals the previously thought untouchable solo in Octavarium. A perfect way to end the song, and in reality if this was the end of the album I would be happy, but no....it continues and we come to one of the most amazing songs Dream Theater have ever written......

6. The Count Of Tuscany (10/10): This song is easily the biggest rival to Octavarium and A Change Of Seasons for me. The symphonic intro that takes up the first 4 or so minutes is amazing and is somewhat of a throwback to the classic Dream Theater. Jordan Rudess chooses some amazing keyboard patches on this track that have so much of an impact on the presentation of the song that I just have to mention it. The vocal delivery by James LaBrie is stunning, especially considering that these are some of John Petrucci's silliest lyrics, yet don't let that detract you at all, because if you do, you will miss out on the most amazing section of music ever written: the last 10 or so minutes of the song. Starting with the standard instrumental style that DT are known for, they soon progress into the unexpected "Volume Pedal Swell Section" where Jordan uses a large range of patches to create a huge ambient piece reminiscent of DT's own Trial Of Tears and Pink Floyd's Shine On You Crazy Diamond. After this, a simple acoustic guitar playing chords is overlapped by James LaBrie who brings the band into the final and most uplifting section of the whole song. Supported by a quick amazing guitar solo, Jordan's outstanding symphonic keyboard patches and James' wordless singing, this ending is as beautiful, majestic and progressive as it's going to get. This is easily one of the band's best songs and quite possibly the band's best album closer so far.

Overall, I find this album an extremely good listen and well worth the wait. This is a new side of Dream Theater that I hope will continue to create more amazing records using this one as a template.

Final Rating:

9.5/10 which is close enough to the 5 stars.