Dream Theater's most recent effort, Black Clouds and Silver Linings, is once again something new for fans of progressive rock and metal. However, this time it's not the fact that the legendary band has reached across the musical spectrum to yet again touch upon another style, it's the fact that they've actually decided to stick with one. For nearly twenty years the band kept changing faces, which for many was a plus, and showed how diverse they could be. However, in spite of the fact that we've heard this brand of progressive metal before, most listeners will find a great amount of comfort in the consistency of the music.
There's nothing overly shocking here. We all know that Petrucci and Rudess can rip through their solos with ease; we all know that Mike and Myung provide outstanding, complex rhythms to complement the two melodists. James LaBrie's vocals only grow more and more accustomed to the aggressive style of singing, and yet his softer melodies haven't been ruined at all. The riffs are crushing and devilishly complex--nothing new for the old fans.
The album starts off with the menacingly dark "A Nightmare To Remember", a song about a car crash that john Petrucci experienced when he was just a child. As the title of the album implies, it was a tragedy, but everyone survived in the end. It's slow at first, but wonderfully heavy. Petrucci rips out a beastly riff and rocks with it for a bit with the rest of the band supporting his melody. LaBrie comes in soon after, his vocals gruff, reaching into the territory of Dave Mustaine. The sixteen minute epic changes attitude several times, going back and forth between eerie clean sections and brutal, thick riffs. We've all heard Dream Theater play heavy before, but this song brought in a completely new, evil element.
Next we have "A Rite of Passage", a song about the Freemasons and their possible link to the New World Order. It's fast and thrashy, perhaps the thrashiest song that Dream Theaters ever composed. John Myung's opening bass line sets the dark tone that is carried out through the rest of the song. From there, Petrucci, Portnoy, and Rudess come in, tearing through the next few riffs with devastating efficiency. The song's pace remains constant throughout, providing the listener with a classic sonic assault. Overall it's a very epic track, surprisingly fast for a band like Dream Theater.
"A Rite of Passage" is the proceeded by the album's slowest track, "Wither", a song about the defeat of an artist's block. Unlike most ballads, Dream Theater has decided to keep their downtuned guitars in play, accentuating the contrasting moods with thick, powerful chords. String arrangements play a good supporting role just behind the vocals, eventually taking an absolutely moving lead part near the middle of the song. From there it breaks into a short piano riff, and then into an emotionally charged guitar solo. By the end, you'll be hard pressed to find something more wonderfully composed, and yet so simple and emotional.
Next we have "The Shattered Fortress", the final song in Mike Portnoy's epic Twelve Step Saga. This song focuses on the drummer's former alcoholism problem, and how he managed to overcome it. Opening with a heavy, faded in riff, the song crescendos into a blasting, powerful, emotional ride from hell to heaven. You're brought back to the other four songs several times, with slightly altered lyrics and riffs. We hear soft, gloomy sections, powerful keyboard sections, intense drumming, solid bass playing, and crushing riffs. James Labrie's vocals go back and forth from gruff singing, powerful soprano, and soft, almost spoken parts. Both Petrucci and Rudess take extended solos in this song, carrying it from one section to another before finally coming to the monumental end. With one powerful crash, the saga comes full circle, ending on the very riff that started "The Glass Prison" seven years prior.
"Best of Times", a tribute to Mike Portnoy's now deceased father, is fifth, picking up at a surprisingly slow pace after the quick and heavy predecessor. It opens with a soft piano riff, then adding in a violin, and not long after, a guitar. After they play through one of the themes, they stop, and then the real fun begins. Far of fin the distance you start to hear something--John Petrucci shredding through a riff like an animal. His guitar grows louder, then boom! Welcome to the next part of the song. You're thrown into an exciting bombardment of music, not deviating greatly from the style of Rush--though there are plenty of "metal" elements thrown in. The vocals are strong, ripe with emotion, and the instrumentalists play with technical precision, yet unyielding passion. From this part, it head back into softness again, then kicks back into loud emotion, repeating the main theme again and again until it fades into the final song...
Enter "The Count of Tuscany", the album's nineteen minute epic about a trip to Tuscany gone awry when guitarist John Petrucci meets a count and his cannibalistic brother. It starts with an emotional acoustic riff, followed by a guitar solo that play over the passage. By this time, you know this shit's gonna get epic. A shiver should have run up your spine, and you should be completely immersed in the music. The solo dies out, and the acoustic guitar starts up with another riff. Then the keyboards enter, then the drums, then everything kicks in, and the real fun starts. The mood switches from emotional to adventurous, string parts and complex guitar and drum sections carrying the song, the bass providing excellent support. Oh, but we're not done yet, in fact, we haven't even started. Suddenly, the song changes, turning towards the dark. Heavy guitar and bass parts play in contrast to sinister sounding keyboard parts, all complemented by relentless drumming. Then the story begins and LaBrie starts singing. We're taken on a journey into the life of The Count, into his castle, across his vineyards, exploring every last creepy fact of his life. The verses consist of heavy, thrashing riffs and simple, yet atmospheric keyboard playing. Around the ten minute mark the focus switches back to the instruments. A plethora of complex, oddly timed riffs lead into a slower lead part, which only leads into the spacey, ambient interlude that officially concludes the dark part of the song. For a few minutes the guitar and keyboards are the only instruments playing, laying down ambient textures and chords. You're whisked away into another universe--mystical, yet brooding. An acoustic guitar then picks up, and the mood changes yet again. The pace increases, but not too greatly. The vocals come back, as do the keyboards and eventually the rest of the instruments. We've arrived at the final, and grandest of the silver linings on the album. In the end, it turns out that everything was just a misunderstanding, and there was never any danger. The electric guitar kicks in again, and the song breaks into its final, most epic section of all. Everything builds up until the final vocal part, which then leads into a powerful guitar solo that carries the song until the final riff--a reprise of the adventurous section from before. It ends with a blast, then fades into the sounds of birds chirping on a sunny day.
Overall, this album is a win for any fan of Dream Theater and progressive metal. Every song is consistent, diverse, and yet, not all that new to our ears. It's great to see that Dream Theater can find comfort in their own little niche and play the hell out of it. It may not be their best effort, but it's damn good. Of course, if you're not fond of the band, you'll probably find the same things to complain about as before. Lots of guitar and keyboard wanking, lots of "unnecessarily" complex riffs that never end, vocals that may not suit your fancy, emotionless playing, you know, the typical complaints. Though, I think this album gets a solid 8/10.
Lyrics: http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/dreamtheater/blackcloudssilverlinings.html#1
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