BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS

when i first heard "A Rite Of Passage", i was mesmerized...couldn't wait for the album to come out. but, as is wont with DT nowadays, they tease you with the "single" and taunt you with the incredibly long wait for the rest...well, at least this time they did all those covers (i loved "Odyssey" and "Stargazer", the others were ok - maybe they should have done more Rainbow/ Deep Purple stuff like "Child in Time" or "A Light In The Black")

so, when i finally got the album, my first reaction was disappointment. not that it was bad, it just was not all that i dreamt up during the wait!

"A Nightmare To Remember" at over 16 minutes, is another one of those DT songs that is great but you still wish they didnt just ramble on and on...

"A Rite Of Passage" - i've already said above, i was mesmerized and i still think its my favourite off this album...

"Wither" - not bad for a DT ballad but not great either...

"The Shattered Fortress" - its a good thing MP finished this one before he went AWOL on DT...then again, maybe he ran out of ideas after finishing it! we'll never know for sure. but this is one hell of a song right from the furious "step-up" intro and through all 12+ minutes - a fitting end to a phenomenal concept

"The Best Of Times" - not sure of this one...its got a really weak chorus, not a very memorable solo or anything, just another song

"The Count Of Tuscany" - quite a contrast to the opener: with this one, its almost 20 minutes and you're left wanting more...enough said!

here's to...whatever's to come...