BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS

I read many of the reviews and I wanted to write my own: this is not a bad production from DT, but it is not their best at all. They reached their zenit with Scenes from a memory, probably one of the best musical productions ever from a prog / metal band, and definitely one of my best purchases in my 46 years. Black clouds & silver linings is worth buying just for a couple of songs (and also for being a fan, of course): The shattered fortress and The count of Tuscany. The first because it closes the circle opened in Six degrees..., which I suppose it is not only important for what it takes and claims but for the very act of finishing it, putting the final period to a brilliant novel in several acts. The last because of its inherent beautifulness, the omnipresent marvelous guitars, the crescendos, the force well administered, the different parts very well assembled, at times joyful and in other moments full of melancholy. This is the very reason of the 3 stars I give this production, and the main reason you (fan of DT) should buy this CD. Besides from those two songs, the rest are simply forgettable since they do not remain in your memory more than the very moment you listen to them. A nightmare to remember is really a nightmare to forget about. This song just reveals what a band can do when they are tired of writing. Take a look at Octavarium or Systematic Chaos (even Train of thought in its entirety is better than A nightmare...). Which is the difference between a song from Train... and A nightmare...? That you can easily follow any of the songs in Train... and remember them, even in the most difficult musical parts. You cannot follow A nightmare... It even made me fall asleep! Really! Wither. Well, I've heard better songs in that fancy from DT, for instance Misunderstood. A rite of passage is so obvious that it does not happen to deserve a review of any kind. Maybe you can save The best of times from the wreckage, but its light is a tiny one within the big darkness the rest spill over the thorough CD.

In other order are the covers. I am also a big fan of King Crimson, so I could not avoid to confront both the original Lark's with DT's cover. Have you heard Starless cover from Morse, Portnoy and George? THAT is a cover I have enjoyed with infinite pleasure, as long as the original is respected (and sometimes enhanced). But Lark's cover lacks the brute force that the original has. Stargazer is, on the contrary, full of that energy that populated both Deep Purple and Rainbow, and it is more enjoyable than most of the DT's BC $ SL tracks. The Queen's ones are another good effort, since Sheer heart attack is not one of the most popular Queen's albums and DT showed here a good choice and best taste in arranging those versions. For the other two I don't know the originals, but I like Morse's song better than Zebra's one. And Iron Maiden... well, I never liked them, so this song does not represent anything to me more than "another cover".

It is amazing how a band I like so much as DT can do this uneven work, I wish their next album will shock me as Scenes... did so many years ago. I sincerely hope so...

BC & SL is for DT's fans only. If you are not a fan, I recommend you to go and listen other material from DT first.