Dream Theater Music:

		List Price: $29.98		Label: Roadrunner Records Salesrank: 44555 Released: June 23, 2009
		Our Price: $19.98
		Media: Vinyl

Editorial Review:
'This album's a musical and emotional rollercoaster, but most of our albums are,' Mike Portnoy says of Black Clouds & Silver Linings, Dream Theater's tenth studio album and second Roadrunner release. Black Clouds & Silver Linings marks another milestone on Dream Theater's iconoclastic musical journey,
which began two and a half decades ago and now encompasses a hugely impressive body of music that's established the durable progressive metal outfit as a one-of-a-kind creative force with a fiercely devoted international fan base. The new album - produced by band members Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci, who also serve as the group's main lyricists - offers a vibrant manifestation of the world-class musicianship, vivid lyrical scenarios and ambitious, multi-leveled
compositions that have established Dream Theater as a uniquely compelling creative force.

Black Clouds & Silver Linings [2 LP 180g Vinyl] Reviews:
Beyond Words!!
2009-10-23 - Where can I begin? I've been a Dream Theater fan ever since a friend of mine introduced me to "Images and Words." So I have had the great experience of listening to their music which is, without a doubt,beyond words. For me, "Black Clouds and Silver Linings" evoked undescribeable emotions; the same way "Images and Words" did when I first heard it. From start to finish, there is a roller coaster of feelings when listening to all the selections. I simply cannot put each song in a category of its own. There is just no way!! They grew onto a whole other level of musicianship and lyrical writing that I feel surpasses all the other albums. I was hoping that someday they would write like they did on "Images and Words." I believe that "Black Clouds..." is that album. It should really be given 10 stars. Beyond Words!!!!!

unispired.
2009-10-16 - been following DT since the beginning. now im totally disappointed, the intros are long and boring, the lyrics are the worst ever, some songs sounds old, they are only 2 good songs here, the others are boring, don't like portnoy's voice, labrie has no space to sing.

the #1 is good
the #2 sounds old and boring.
the #3 is boring as hell
#4 sounds like Bryan Adams with happy chorus and stuff, really childish.
#6 is excellent, good prog touchs, reminds me the good DT times.


Terrific Album
2009-10-08 - A logical step for this incredible band. When a band is a consistently awesome as DT is, it's no longer a matter of better or worse, per se. What IS important is their uncanny ability to continue surprising their listeners while remaining within the realm of their style, genre, etc. Unfortunately, I feel that many fans of this band fail to recognize this and end up getting fussy and even indignant when DT doesn't COMPLETELY reinvent itself with each forthcoming album. For those of you who haven't yet purchased this record on account of the negative reviews, hesitate no longer. This is a terrific record which displays Dream Theater's constant evolution.

For a while, the lyrics for Count of Tuscany ruined the song for me, but I've since changed my mind about that and now fully appreciate what the song is about.

excellent
2009-10-05 - excellent CD the service very good, this is my first CD on Amazon, and I totally order another

The Best Of Times is a new DT classic for certain....
2009-09-25 - I haven't listened to Dream Theater since 1995. I thought the band had run it's course and would fade into oblivion. Well - boy was I wrong. I may be the only person to say this - but I think this is their best record. Scenes From A Memory, Images and Words and Octavarium are all a close 2nd, IMO. The lyrics are VERY rough in spots, but the overall themes of childhood, loss and hope for the future are all strong and cohesive. Cohesive lyrics are a rarity for this band....especially the lyrics on Systematic Chaos...which are pure garbage. Here's a quick review song by song:

1 A NIGHTMARE TO REMEMBER:
Awesome riffing, an exceptional chorus, and aside from some stupid singing from Portnoy (as usual these days), a near masterstroke. The production is thick and heavy, fitting in perfectly with the album's themes, title and cover. Great shredding as well :)
2 A RITE OF PASSAGE:
Decent song - not a great single, IMO...but hey - they write 25 minute long songs - they don't have a lot of choices for singles. It certainly doesn't suck - which is refreshing for a DT single.
3 WITHER:
The ballad of the record (and the real single) - the melody lines take a more modern approach and the lyrics are actually pretty good. Great glam rock chorus. The best ballad I've heard from them since Surrounded (unless you consider I Walk Beside You a ballad). Another thumbs up!
4 A SHATTERED FORTRESS:
After the previous masterstrokes, this comes off a little long (and long winded). It's the final lyrical passage for Portnoy's AA songs, but it's also the worst track on the album (but still not a bad track). However, that shows the quality of the record as a whole - that an average sounding song (and not really bad song) is the worst on the record.
5 THE BEST OF TIMES:
An Absolute Masterpiece. Great Lyrics - a fitting tribute to Portnoy's father. One of their 5 best, imo. Starts with a 3 minute dirge, than kicks into a DT version of Spirit of Radio. At this point they should just rip off Rush without hesitation. It's when they sound their best. Anyway - guitar solo in this is amazing, and again - somehow - some way - great lyrics that actually MEAN SOMETHING!!! I love this one.
6 THE COUNT OF TUSCANY:
Yes - the lyrics are awful....but this is obviously yet ANOTHER Rush tribute and the lyrics seem tongue in cheek and silly on purpose. It is obviously a tribute to La Villa Strangiatto (sic?) and Xanadu and about 57 other Rush songs. But hey - who else can pull it off? These guys love other bands and that is the pretty cool thing about them: They are fans like the rest of us. It's a long one (19 minutes) but it's a fitting closer to this beautifully dark record.

BONUS DISC :
(DISC 2 OF ALL COVER SONGS)

1 STARGAZER
Labrie pulls off a little Dio......not bad at all and a great opener for the bonus disc. The band sounds 70's heavy - so it works. Rainbow is the perfect band for DT to cover for a plethora of reasons that I don't feel like typing.
2 TENEMENT FUNKSTER
FLICK OF THE WRIST
LILY OF THE VALLEY
Queen, a rock band much better than DT that writes songs 100,000 times better than DT, recorded these 3 classic tracks for Sheer Heart Attack. Pretty obscure (yet awesome) covers to pick. Labrie and Portnoy can't even dream of tackling this vocally ... but it's cute that they tried. The band nails it. But the idea that they covered Flick of the Wrist was what got me interested in listening to DT again. Great pick!
3 ODYSSEY
Morse/Dixie Dregs shredding. Perfect for Petrucci - but at this point my head is hurting.
4 TAKE YOUR FINGERS FROM MY HAIR
This song is by Zebra. If you know who that is, than you feel the same way I do. I just don't like the idea of DT playing a glam rock cover from the early 80's. Weird for me (but probably not LaBrie - as this is right up his alley timbre'-wise).
5 LARKS TONGUES IN ASPIC, PT. 2
A brilliant Fripp (KC) cover. The best on the bonus disc instrumentally. A VERY cool song. Hope you like 11/8 measures.
6 TO TAME A LAND
OK...my favorite heavy metal band is Iron Maiden..and once again - Dream Theater picks an obscure yet awesome song to cover. They lower the key two half steps for LaBrie, and it kind of sludges up the riffing a bit. Production can't touch the original for clarity. But again, I'm a Maiden fan - so it's probably not that bad of a track. Great way to close the bonus disc.....as the outro section is one of Iron Maiden's all-time best.

DISC 3 is an all-instrumental version of the disc if you REALLY hate LaBrie. I personally don't see the point - but it's a nice way to expand this to over 3 hours. Anyway...DT is back.