Dream Theater, "Black Clouds & Silver Linings"

black clouds & silver linings
this is dream theater's 10th studio album, released in june. before i start, i'll just say i love the album artwork and that it matches the tone of the music.

1.a nightmare to remember
lightning cracks the sky, and what sounds like the undertones of a hammered dulcimer open the album. this song features plenty of tritones to create an evil sound, much like black sabbath. mike portnoy uses impressive double bass throughout the song with great variation. after a first four minutes of aggressive verses, the song turns directions into a soothing acoustic, ethereal sounding mid-section that lasts until the 8 minute mark, at which point petrucci and rudess duel away. after the solos, it gets heavy again, with portnoy-- almost comically-- singing in an aggressive voice. the rest of the song is pretty much repetition of previous parts, though notable is portnoy's first ever use of blast beats. i'm not opposed to this, as it suites the tone of the song. the lyrics are about john petrucci's near death experience when he was caught in a car accident as a child. the lyrics aren't fantastic, but they get worse. overall, this song reminds me of halloween-- lyrics about nightmares, lightning sound effects, and tritones all create the effect. this is a far cry from what some dream theater fans may want, but i'm glad they're trying to do something new.

2.a right of passage
the weakest track of the album, and their first single. a cathcy riff takes up most of the song and doesn't leave much room for anything else. petrucci gives nice pinch harmonics, but this song is too simple for what i want from dream theater. the lyrics, about the masonic order, are boring and lack any real meaning. While boring, rest assured the solos aren't.

3.wither
the shortest song on the album at 5:26, but one of the greatest. it opens with a soothing acoustic riff, and myung's thick and calm bassline creates a wondrous sound. while i often dislike james labrie's singing, he redeems himself with this song alone. the lyrics, the highlight of the song, are about petrucci's experiences with writer's block. with these lyrics petrucci helps to recoup some of the losses he makes in regards to some of the terrible lyrics on other tracks. midway through, the apex of the song is reached with rudess' soaring string synths and labrie singing the chorus' "like reflections on the page, the world's what you create". this song immediately became one of my favorite dream theater ballads.

4.the shattered fortress
this is the final song in portnoy's twelve part suite about his recovery from alcoholism. as such, he rehashes and works in favored riffs from the previous songs in the suite. at first, i felt like i was being cheated out of a 10+ minute song, but i have since then recanted this view. though many old riffs are being reused, it's great to hear all these songs come together in a conclusive way (it's sure to be an amazing song live because of this). what is new, though, is the beginning: a thunderous prelude with drums, guitar, and keyboard coming together to make me feel like i'm ancient babylon. altogether a great song.

5.the best of times
mike portnoy played this song to his father before he passed away from cancer. that said, this song is a tribute to his father. Instead of being a song about his father's passing, it's more of a celebration of his life. the song is in e major, which lends an air of happiness to the song. in the beginning is a touching piano intro, then a lovely violin mimics, followed by a tear-producing acoustic guitar solo. after these introductions, the real song begins with an overarching riff by petrucci that reminds me of 'the spirit of radio' by Rush. towards the end of the song, portnoy's lyrics are truly hearfelt, and labrie sings them with sincerity. the highlight of the song is petrucci's ending solo, one of dream theater's best.

6.the count of tuscany
my favorite track of the album, this song has everything-- an acoustic intro, progressive verses, heavy choruses, great solo interludes, and an epic ending. the one thing that falls flat, for the most part, are the lyrics. with such cheese as "let me intoduce/ my brother/ a bearded gentleman/ historian", petrucci recounts his frightening encounter with a count of italy who takes him to his estate where petrucci's bowels then loosen in fear for his life. still, labrie sings them well and you learn to appreciate the elementary lyrics. the last five minutes are the best of the entire album. it begins with simple acoustic guitar. labrie then begins to gently sing lyrics that don't suck and a conversation between petrucci and the count follows. then comes in rudess with a simple piano line and portnoy with a bass fill before bringing in a drum pattern that carries for the rest of the song. at this point, the lyrics and vocals climax, as well as everything else. the end result is a slow progression from simplicity to symphonic grandeur. the song ends then ends with a soaring guitar solo. this five minute ending ends the album so very well and is one of my favorite passages of dream theater.

black clouds & silver linings is as good as you'd expect dream theater to be. it has its faults, but its strengths overshadow them. i believe it to be a step up from their previous album, systematic chaos, and, unlike others, i have hope for the future of dream theater. they've been making music for over twenty years, and i'm amazed i can still be impressed by them. maybe i have crappy taste in music, or maybe dream theater is just that good.