Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Linings Review

I’ve just never been into Dream Theatre. Everything seems over produced to me and the vocals just can’t be that good live which hurts the band in my opinion. They have been around for a long time so people obviously like them, but I just don’t understand it.

The vocals are good live, how can you just sit back and asume they are not unless you are an idiot.

I’ve now read three reviews of this album. I need to get something off my chest. Dream Theater is easily the best live band I’ve ever seen, including the vocals. Each of the members is one of the best (if not the very best) at what they do.

You wanna criticize LaBrie? Fine. They happen to have included a third disc you can take to your next karaoke show. Do a better job on the mike, I dare you.

You wanna criticize their lyrics, use the same disk and write your own.

You wanna criticize DT for being ‘overproduced’? What were you expecting, stripped-down AC/DC songwriting? In case you haven’t noticed over the past, what, 25 years, that’s been their sound.

On the other hand, if you just don’t like them or their style, I can respect that. They aren’t for everyone, and honestly this album isn’t exactly their most accessible to new listeners. For that I’d recommend Images and Words, or Octavarium. Even Metropolis Pt 2 would work as an intro to the band, though being very familiar with Images and Words would help greatly, as the two albums share themes musically and lyrically.

The point to all this is that there’s always more going on in a DT song than you’re gonna catch in one listen. It took me two weeks to get into Awake, their second major release. Now it’s one of my favorites.

If you’re looking for something to fill in a gap you see on the top 40, you’re looking at the wrong group. They’ve fought long and hard battles to avoid becoming one of ‘those’ kinds of groups.

If you’re looking for a group to take you to places in music that few bands have imagined, if you’re looking for a musical rollercoaster, then let this group introduce themselve to you. I can guarantee you’ll have a great time.

From a long time DT Fan, this is easily their worst album since Six Degrees. It is really and truly a terrible album. What makes this even worse is that Systematic Chaos was a great album. It is just crap and DT fans sometimes need to stand up, especially to Mike Portnoy, and tell him to start making better albums. The lyrics are crap, the riffs are suspect and the only redeeming part of this album is James LaBrie’s singing. Just awful!

Are you kidding!!?? This is the best album since 6 Degrees, the only decent songs in between then were Stream of Consciousness and Octavarium, and Systematic Chaos sucked (except In The Presence of Enemies)

And the album debutted at #6 on the Billboard 200!!

Well, I have to give it to DT, they almost got me on this one. As a long-run fan, since 2000 and having acquired and heard lots of time of their complete catalogue, I must say that this album, well, is kinda mediocre. Sure, I do not expect them to pull another Scenes From A Memory (which imho is still *VERY* commercial, when compared to the pure zaniness of let’s say, Images And Words).
And yes, thank God, its better than Octavarium. Better than Systematic Chaos? Can’t say for sure, the two albums seem to be on the same vein, exactly, but from my (totaly subjective) POV, Systematic Chaos is better because it’s nearer to the classic prog-metal riffing and musical composition of the earlier years.
Truth be told, last great (truly great) thing I ‘ve heard from DT is Train Of Thought, lots of riffing, changes of pace and rhythm, every song a musical adventure, but every piece of every song nicely tied to the previous one.
Here, I really hate the abrupt changes that sound so forced and fake, I mean, even in the “single”, Rite of Passage: plain classic stuff that we all have heard a million times and suddenly, a total change of everything, “hey guys, it’s the solo time, you kids at Berkley start taking notes now”. It feels… artificial.
I wanted it to be so much better, make every song a paradise of craziness and strange solo / riffing to be discovered. Not this time though. (I will not start with how I felt of the Recycled Song…errr… Shattered Fortress)

Oh, and the lyrics, honestly, suck. Gone is the interwoven balance between the song lyrics and the pace / music, gone is the classic thing that every progressive rock / metaller hopes for which is the lyrics being a reflection of the music which in turn becomes a vehicle for the meaning of the spoken words to come forth.

What can I say, I hope next time they get it better.

I was very disappointed when I heared a Rite of Passage before the album release. A song that sounded too much like something which has been done over and over again in the genre.

However…the rest of the album. I love it! I commend DT for not falling in the trap of repeating the same tricks from their fans favorites over and over again. Let’s accept it. They do what they want to do and it may not always be everybodies cup of tea. Great album! And comparing it to their other albums and claiming “Album x was their bets” just doesn’t work for me.

Dream Theater has been my favorite band since they opened my mind and eyes to what music is supposed to be, some 18 years ago. Much of their writing affects me deeply; some songs I can’t identify with. After owning the new album Black Clouds and Silver Linings for two weeks, I’m finally listening to it today for the first time. I won’t give a review yet because DT’s music has never been easily accessible to me. It always takes a few listens before it’s absorbed. We all may have differing opinions about DT and the music they write, but the determining factor is that THEY are the creators; say what you will. It is produced for our enjoyment, and they are brave enough to bare their souls through what they write. Enjoy Dream Theater or not, they will remain DT.

I have listened to this album quite a few times through now and my conclusion is basically the same as Chad’s here in the fact that Dream Theater doesn’t really do anything new here, but hey, that’s not a problem for me. I’ve been a fan since I first heard them on Six Degrees and have listened to all of their albums now and like it all. For me, Black Clouds has some really good Dream Theater songwriting, albeit as people have mentioned, the lyrics do need some work (Sorry John, car crashes and adventures in Italy are not the best writing material in my opinion).

Be that as it may, Nightmare to Remember and Rite of Passage are great metal songs. Withered is a pretty much formulaic metal ballad and I would have hoped more from DT but I’ll take it. Shattered Fortress did not impress me at first, but after hearing Portnoy’s explanation of the tracks and how this was to be the finale in his 12-Step Suite, I can see how that fits in better. Best of Times is a good song. And Count of Tuscany is good, although again somewhat formulaic, although this time it’s DT’s epic long song formula, so it’s still good.

As to Live shows, yes, Dream Theater absolutely rocks live. But their music may not be for everybody so you gotta like it or leave it.

Yeah dream theater sucks, we are definitely the unsung heroes of prog…

dream theatre were at download 09. there is talk of the vocals not being good here on this forum.
lets just say that the dream boys left the stage with a shed load more prog metal fans and older fans of the fenre all wishing and hoping for new releases from tool and floyd. They are one of the few live acts if played at the right time on a sunday metal fest (all drunk n stoned) they really create a mood of there own. it is so structuraly different from the rest of the acts that you realise dream theatre are one of the heavy weight prog metal bands. vocally good but hey – im listening to the progressive riffs n the full dark sound they offer — truly inspiring stuff (then it was off to see slipknot rip up the crowd)

This album is great. Some fans here seemed really selfish to me, as they criticize the band for not having produced something worth to please their very unique ears. C’mon, how can one comply on “overproduction”? This is ridiculous, so I won’t comment on this… as for the old “more of the same” argument, DT has a well defined identity. If many songs seem familiar from the songwriting perspective (i.e., musical structure), it’s just their approach to music. You have the option of choose something else to listen to or you can just accept the way it is. So, please, stop criticizing something beautifully written and produced: Black Clouds is a masterpiece. And the lyrics… one thing that I really appreciated on this DT album was the attitude of making the lyrics simlple yet intriguing enough to make us transcend into the storyline. That’s it, DT at their best: love them, or leave them, it’s up to you.

I’m a big Dream Theater fan love every album they did before Black Clouds. But this album just really doesn’t measure up to the others.

The lyrics are weak and the melody’s/Riffs are predictable. The exact opposite of every other Dream Theater album. Whats with the double pedal obsession for no reason? It does not fit its just trying to please the new record label. The only song on there I can bare listening to is Wither. Portnoys “Vocals” dont help either the constant low chanting thing really does not add anything except the feeling of annoyance.

Please, do not judge this band from this album. Disregard this album and pretend that they have done 9 studio albums so far.