Here's my short review of DT's latest. Don't go too hard on me, I'm a terrible writer and this is my first review
Black Clouds & Silver Linings, Dream Theater's tenth full-length studio album, is a worthy addition to any Dream Theater fan's collection...Well, almost. People looking for a reinvention of the Dream Theater sound won't find that here. What they will find is a very strong refinement of the modern Dream Theater sound. The album is full of memorable vocal melodies and harmonies (two things that were sorely lacking on
Systematic Chaos), and although there are extended instrumental passages in nearly every song, they seem to fit and hold the listener's attention more so than the ones on the band's previous effort. However, while the music has drastically improved on
Black Clouds & Silver Linings, the quality of the lyrics has resumed its steady decline. Entertaining at their best (the tongue-in-cheek
The Count of Tuscany), and cringe worthy at their worst (Mike Portnoy's otherwise touching tribute to his father,
The Best of Times), the lyrics detract from the otherwise very good songwriting far too often.
Individually, the main members of the band absolutely shine on this record. John Petrucci has written some of the best solos of his entire career for the songs
The Best of Times and
The Count of Tuscany, and Jordan Rudess, often criticized for his overplaying adds tasteful atmosphere and texture to every song. This isn't to say this album is absent of the trappings of the modern Dream Theater instrumental section – it is full of them; but the band seems to have improved at making those instrumental sections more memorable and interesting this time around.
The centerpiece of the record is the near-twenty minute
The Count of Tuscany. The song, recounting an experience John Petrucci had with a real-life count in Italy, is a three-part epic. The first section is a prelude of sorts, featuring a short guitar solo before taking off into Rush territory for a while. The song pauses for a split second until we are introduced in to the main thrash-inspired guitar riff that introduces the vocal melody of the second section of the song. Part two of
The Count features a few infectiously catchy radio-friendly choruses and some very silly vocal lines before spiraling down into the final section of the song which starts off with a multi-minute ambient break featuring lush keyboards and volume pedal guitar work very reminiscent to the intro of
Trial of Tears. After that, a lone acoustic guitar is heard playing the chords from the beginning of the song, when the vocals kick in again to start what is arguably to be the best three minutes of music the band has made in the last ten years. While vocalist James LaBrie falls flat in
The Best of Times, his delivery in the finale of
The Count is a truly majestic send-off.
The rest of the album is full of other gems, as well.
A Nightmare to Remember is a 16-minute riff fest sure to satisfy the metal fans, with a soft interlude sandwiched in the middle of the song that may very well feature the best vocal part of the entire album.
Wither, the album's trademark pop-oriented song, doesn't disappoint. The members of Dream Theater have always been able to write catchy hooks, and
Wither's sing-along chorus and bridge showcase that skill. Rudess elevates the song to a whole new level in the instrumental break, and Petrucci's Brian May-esque solo is a short, but tasty transition to the final chorus. The final step in Mike Portnoy's "Twelve Step Saga" (A collection of songs detailing the twelve steps of recovery),
The Shattered Fortress, doesn't disappoint. Essentially it is a skillful mash-up of Dream Theater's previous "twelve step" songs which avoids sounding clumsy, forced, or trite. One shining moment in particular is a section that features a combination of three very popular past Dream Theater riffs backing a very long, blazing keyboard solo that is sure to be a fists-in-the-air, headbanging moment at live shows.
Black Clouds & Silver Linings won't do much for Dream Theater fans who have become disenchanted with the band's current stylings. However, the music is sure to capture the hearts and minds of the Dream Theater faithful around the world, as the band appears in top form on this record aside from a few lyrical follies.
A-