Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Dream Theater are one of my favourite bands of all time. I've bought albums of theirs after hearing one song and they always come to mind when I think of recommendations for people with some interest in heavy metal. However I can't think of a band that irritates as much as they do.
I thought I'd accepted that Dream Theater could release the greatest music I'd ever heard along with songs that I would skip over for the rest of my life all on the one album. When Systematic Chaos came out in 2007 I realised I hadn't. To say I disliked this album would be an understatement. To say I took it well would also be an exaggeration too as I've let basically everyone I know within my metal circle know exactly how I feel. Of course much of this has to do with their tour that followed, which left me extremely discouraged.
When it came to Dream Theater, I thought I'd be like an old school Metallica fan. I would shun them only focusing on the great albums they have already done. Recently though my interest has come back after listening to their new album while at a mate's place for dinner. To my surprise it wasn't horrible and it only made me choke on my chicken a couple of times.
So now here I am reviewing Dream Theater's tenth studio album Black Clouds & Silver Linings having recently purchased it and given it a few spins. It is indeed a huge step up from Systematic Chaos but some of the problems that arose on that still remains.
Black Clouds & Silver Linings gets off to a spectacular start with A Nightmare to Remember. It's heavy and memorable and not even the presence of Mike Portnoy's unnecessary backing vocals prevent this from being the standout of the album. Following on is A Rite of Passage, which is more melodic but still a winner.
For mind the most controversial song on the album is The Shattered Fortress. This closes the Twelve-step Suite, which has been an ongoing theme for some time. As much as I enjoy the song it goes over old ground particularly The Glass Prison and The Root of All Evil, so I hope they don't perform it live.
To bring the album to an end Dream Theater showcase their best and worst with the near 20 minute The Count of Tuscany. Certain sections of this song are absolutely brilliant while other parts will have you falling asleep.
Dream Theater are back on track with Black Clouds & Silver Linings. Whether it will continue is anyone's guess, I know I'll be sticking around for at least one more album.
7 / 10
