BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS

Accustomed to long albums and long-standing songs, Black Clouds & Silver Linings is no exception in DREAM THEATER's discography, with over an hour and 15 minutes for just 6 songs. Despite being a good work and having some songs of great brilliance and superb virtuosity, at times it becomes predictable and repetitive. That acts against it and drives points away to round out an excellent job.

The album begins with the disturbing A Nightmare to Remember, one of the darkest and most contrasting tracks on its discography. References to the corrosive genres Black and Death metal by bursts (Mike Portnoy with a guttural voice and an infernal double bass drum stamp of both musical currents) and nods to the 80s Rush define the song, where the unbridled keyboard of Jordan Rudess and a chaotic guitar-solo by John Petrucci.

After such an intense start, the revolutions go down to the half-tempo of A Rite of Passage, a simple and recognizable chorus that dominates much of the theme until once again Petrucci and Rudess show their virtuosity with an exalted counterpoint between the two. The delicate ballad Whiter, in my opinion, one of the best in DREAM THEATER, is enveloped by melancholy in its development and marvelously guided by James Labrie with a decisive and impeccable vocal part until the denouement with a short and thunderous solo by Petrucci.

The Shattered Fortress is a combination of snippets from previous works brought together in a fast-paced and maddened rush of thrash metal with a reflective couple of minutes in the middle of the song. With it concludes the so-called "12 step suite", which was worked in parts since the previous Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, Train Of Thought, Octavarium, and Systematic Chaos. Composed by Portnoy and related to his troubled past with alcohol, The Shattered Fortress lacks, in my opinion, a solid identity of its own.

The Best of Times is a heartfelt tribute from Portnoy to his father, with an unplugged beginning of guitars, cello, and piano in its first 3 minutes, then becoming more festive, taking again references from Rush, always maintaining a respectful and intimate memory: a subject full of feeling.

Finally, it is the turn of the fantastic The Count of Tuscany, the jewel of the album. Almost 20 minutes of pure prog- metal. Excellent arrangements, great harmonies, and a soundscape of the best of the DREAM THEATER repertoire of all time. From the huge acoustic intro, the great mid-stage development (hello, Xanadu?) to the epic finale, there are no fractures or lapsing moments. An excellent theme to listen to and enjoy tirelessly.

From the covers disc included in the special edition, it is always appreciated the reappraisal spirit of DREAM THEATER towards the rock legends, and its constant recognition of them. With great success in cases like Rainbow's Stargazer or Iron Maiden's To Tame a Land, and in others risking beyond the limits as with the trio of Queen songs taken from Sheer Heart Attack, the complicated Tenement Funster / Flick of the Wrist / Lily of the Valley, or the ramblings in part two of Lark Tongues in Aspic, by the band led by Robert Fripp.

Black Clouds & Silver Linings could be better, but it's not bad at all. These New Yorkers are great musicians, and that is always good news because even in the less well-done songs, their quality allows them to maintain a standard that very few groups can reach.