BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS

Dream Theater- Black Clouds and Silver Linings (2009) This album was a big surprise for me. It sounds quite different to some of their other material. There's only six tracks, but they're all quite epic in length.

A Nightmare To Remember- Heavy stuff, both in terms of lyrical content, and riffs. DT sound like Metallica in parts of this opening volley. The lyrics are about a car crash (and the sample of a car wreck only serves to confirm this), and the music is just as bludgeoning as the concept. One could be forgiven for thinking DT have abandoned prog altogether, and have become a metal band first and foremost. But the lovely mellow section in the middle of this track puts those fears to rest. I got chills when I first heard the 'bathing in beautiful agony' lyric. Drummer Mike Portnoy's growling Opeth-like vocals near the end may grate some fans, though. Some fans like Dream Theater for their progressive material, others like their headbanging fare. As a fan of prog and metal, I have the best of both worlds. John Pettruci (guitar) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards) are on top form here.

A Rite Of Passage- Sounds similar to 'Home' from their 'Scenes From A Memory' album at first, but turns into a different beast altogether. It's an anthemic sing along about, of all things, Freemasonry. The chorus is quite mainstream sounding, and it would probably get radio airplay if only it wasn't eight minutes in length. About halfway through, it shifts again, into a kind of Trivium- esque heavy metal section. By blending together pop hooks, prog conventions, and chucking in metal influences, DT always manage to surprise me.

Wither- The big ballad. It's about writer's block, its hummable, and radio ought to be playing this. The song sounds similar to, say, 'Vacant' from 2003's 'Train Of Thought' album.

The Shattered Fortress- The conclusion of Portnoy's Alcoholics Anonymous song suite, which began way back with 'The Glass Prison' on 2002's 'Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence' record. The song takes us back through many musical moments in recent DT history. Themes from 'Repentance', 'The Root Of All Evil', 'This Dying Soul' and the afore-mentioned 'Glass Prison' are all bundled into the one track. My one complaint with this song is that, unlike the others in the suite before it, it does not really offer up its own addition to the concept, it merely comes back full circle to the others. Maybe it needs to be heard in context. Hopefully, the band will play the whole suite live, at some point in the future, so I can hear the whole thing.

The Best Of Times- I knew this song was about Portnoy's father, who died earlier this year, so I was prepared for a tearjerker. 'The Best Of Times' is a great song, with an almost disconcertingly honest series of revelations about Portnoy's life with his dad. It's certainly a song with very emotionally revealing lyrics. I challenge you not to cry, actually. There's a strong Rush influence in the instrumentals as well.

The Count Of Tuscany- My favourite track on the record. It could well develop into one of my favourite DT songs. After a great 70s prog-influenced opening few minutes, referencing Yes and Rush, (and a great Petrucci solo), the song takes off with a tale about Petrucci's run-in with a freaky Tuscan count. The song goes into so many places in its 20 minutes. It's part Yes, part Dragonforce power metal ballad, and in the end, turns into a pastoral, Pink Floyd-esque piece. With strings and all. My favourite DT epic since Octavarium, actually.

I bought the 3 CD special edition, which includes a bonus disc made up of Queen, King Crimson, Iron Maiden, and Rainbow (amongst others) cover songs, which are all really great, by the way; and a third disc with the instrumental-only cuts of the album. I like James La Brie's vocals in DT, some others do not. But people who like the virtuosity of the musicianship can now hear it uninterrupted by vocals. And in BC&SL, DT have certainly returned their musical chops to the forefront. It's an emotional journey, taking in the highs and lows of life (hence the album's title). And it draws on many influences, from old-school prog to modern Machine Head/Trivium/Dragonforce style metal. Existing fans will be pleased, it may win them new fans (it got to number six on the US charts, astonishingly), but detractors will probably continue to whine. My only complaint really is that it's a collection of unrelated songs. Previous DT records have often had musical and lyrical themes which link the songs together. Usually, DT songs work best when heard in the context of their respective albums. A singles band, they are not. BC&SL bucks that trend somewhat. But, oh well. It's still a diverse and layered recording. It will grow on you.