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Black Clouds and Silver Linings

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Dream Theater Format: Audio CD

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Editorial Reviews

Special Edition includes the Black Clouds & Silver Linings CD, plus a CD of 6 cover songs, and a CD of instrumental mixes of the entire Black Clouds & Silver Linings album. '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.

Product details

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.08 x 5.35 x 0.55 inches; 3.95 Ounces
Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Roadrunner Records
Item model number ‏ : ‎ 5452691
Original Release Date ‏ : ‎ 2009
SPARS Code ‏ : ‎ DDD
Date First Available ‏ : ‎ April 24, 2009
Label ‏ : ‎ Roadrunner Records
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0026J8LHW
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 3

Best Sellers Rank: #79,494 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl)
- #253 in Progressive Metal
- #1,504 in Progressive Rock
- #3,258 in Pop Metal (CDs & Vinyl)

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330 ratings

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The pinnacle of progressive metal? Perhaps!

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2009

Verified Purchase

I have been a DT fan since the 80's and I have not always been enthusiastic about their work. For me things started sounding stale around Infinity and Six degrees. Then they changed, and have been progressively improving (pun intended) since Train of Thought. I really see Black Clouds as a breakthrough album for DT. This is different, and in my opinion, better than almost everything that has come before. It's more progressive without losing any of the hard edge. Long epic songs that are theme based but with abundant variety so that you are never even momentarily bored. Just when you think 'wow, this is a great theme' it changes to another great theme. It is almost as if each song is 5-6 good songs tied together. The only song on the album that gets repetitive is The Best of Times, which is still a very good song. We get growling from DT for the first time ever - not LaBrie but Portnoy - and as someone who generally does not like growling, this plays out very well. I will say that for the first time since he joined the band, I actually like LaBrie's vocals. He has really come a long way and seems to integrate well into the rest of the music - something which I don't think he did well in the first few albums. I think the pinnacle of his career with DT is the 'Beautiful Agony' section of Nightmare. Gives me goosebumps every time. Portnoy, Myung and JP are technically incredible, as always, although I liked JP's tone on Systematic Chaos a little better. Rudess does a lot of synth-noise stuff on this album which I am not convinced takes any actual skill and seems like filler. I kind of wish he would spend a little more time composing memorable solos instead of thrashing on a touch pad. Its fun but it gets old after a while.
In all, as oppoesd to almost every other band I have followed, DT seems to be getting better with age. No pop sellouts. No lazy, redundant, self indulgent music. It is fresh, crisp, hard, interesting, beautiful progressive music that I will be listening to 10, 20, 30 years from now - just as I still listen to 'Dream and Day.' What more could you ask for?

7 people found this helpful

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P. Zeller

All Silver Linings!

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2010

Verified Purchase

I must admit, I didn't expect this...

Scenes from a Memory is one of the best discs I have ever heard from any group. Since that disc, Dream Theater has created several very entertaining musical trips with their various albums. Before Scenes, DT was strictly a curiosity for me. As a result of that album and since, I have very much become a big fan. There have been no disappointments in any album since then. So, I expected another good disc from the band. This, however, goes way beyond! In just over one month's time listening to this disc, it has now come to rival Scenes in my book....

After the heavier, more conscise direction the band took on Systematic Chaos, I half expected the band would push alittle further down that path, more in the direction of many of the current, "mainstream" bands. However, they changed directions again. (You'd think I'd have known better, since they have often moved like this from album to album in the past.)

I have read other descriptions of Black Clouds & Silver Linings as "their darkest since Train of Thought". However, I don't hear that at all. What I hear is powerful music and lyrics delivered as well as any they have created in many years. While the themes may be "dark", the messages and the music are anything but.

The first piece, "A Nightmare to Remember" is an amazing sonic painting of a boy describing his experience surviving a horrific car crash. The music is complex, but not unlike the complex strokes and colors of a master's painting. The underlying message is one of awareness and survival.

Wither is a "short" piece about the creative writing process and how the best work flows from times when we give up tyring to control the process and let it overtake us. This is a beautiful piece delivered as if it were intended for a lover. It is as good of a "love song" as you will hear from most composers.

A Shattered Fortress closes out the "AA suite" they have been developing over the last five albums. It is a very fitting ending, bringing back and interweaving themes from the previous portions of the suite. My money is on the band releasing the entire suite as its own disc. Even though I own each, I suspect that playing them in sequence will be an amazing experience as well.

This brings me to my favorite music on this disc, the last two songs. The Best of Times was written as a tribute to Portnoy's father on his deathbed (his father lost his fight with cancer early in 2009). I have heard many tributes over the years by many different artists. This is one of the best. It is played and sung with such feeling by all the band members that you begin to feel like you know the two of them. If you pay any attention at all to the lyrics, you will find a tear in your eye by the end of the song. More importantly, you will know how much he loves and idlizes his father. Very few tributes truly bring that message home as well as this one does.

Finally, The Count of Tuscany is quickly becoming one of my favorite DT songs of all time. It is an incredible musical tale which takes several beautiful, unexpected turns, both musically and lyrically.

If there is any drawback on this album (and I struggle to come up with any), it may be that, lyrically speaking, there seems to be a slight lack of direction with one song, A Rite of Passage. It is a song written about Free Masonary. However, I am still not quite sure the overall point of the song. However, this is a very minor "blemish" on an otherwise near perfect disc.

Now, if you are trying to decide whether or not to get the special edition, three disc set, I highly recommend it. The second disc is a set of covers. The first couple, Stargazer and a Queen medley, are somewhat pedestrian in nature. Decent pieces, but not impressive. I think this has more to do with the original songs themselves. I would have thought there were better Deep Purple and Queen songs they could have selected. The rest of the music on this disc is very entertaining the way the band delivers it.

The high point on this disc, I believe, is the Zebra cover "Take Your Fingers from My Hair". Great song back then, some interesting and very good "personalizations" of it by DT now. I also enjoy the Iron Maiden and Dixie Dregs covers as well.

The third disc is the instrumental versions of disc one. As indicated, it is strictly disc one without the vocal tracks. At first glance, that sounds dubious. It is not the version I will play very often. However, what it does allow the listener to do (without having to own additional electronic equipment) is hear the music behind the song in a different light. You at once both appreciate how good each musician really is, as well as the value James' singing brings to the total package.

Overall, Black Clouds & Silver Linings is an incredible step for Dream Theater. It plays like a culmination of the music they have been developing over the last decade. The covers disc is an enjoyable ride through familiar music (not unlike Change of Seasons). The instrumental disc is an enlightening side trip into DT that we don't often get a chance at.

You can not go wrong with this package.

5 people found this helpful

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Kurt Harding

Decent But Not Great

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2009

Verified Purchase

With as much progressive rock that I listen to and buy, it comes as a surprise to many of my friends that Dream Theater is not at the top of my list. Oh, I'm fairly well acquainted with the music of some of the members like that of Petrucci, Portnoy and Rudess from some of their other projects. But I never really got around to checking out this band because no one I know who likes them has strongly recommended them. With the three-disc special edition release of Black Clouds and Silver Linings I finally decided to take the Dream Theater plunge.
What's the verdict? Well, the music itself is pretty decent but hardly qualifies as great. James LaBrie's vocals are rather weak but Mike Portnoy's percussion is quite spectacular. If anyone unfamiliar with the band were to ask me what they are like, I'd say that they lean far more towards metal than prog. Judging from the number of reviews in the short time since the CD's release, its apparent that the band has a large and vocal fan base. In the case of this release, its about three to one with a favorable opinion of it. After many listens, I count myself among those who enjoy it.
I like most of disc one; my favorites are A Rite of Passage, The Best of Times, and The Count of Tuscany. Disc Two I am lukewarm on but I most enjoy the band's take on King Crimson's old Lark's Tongues in Aspic Pt. 2. But I think the best part of the set is disc three which features instrumental mixes of songs on the first CD. It makes for great energetic background music.
The CD is accompanied by an attractive booklet containing lyrics, pictures, and pertinent album information. I don't know how Black Clouds and Silver Linings stands compared to previous Dream Theater releases, but when listened to without reference to previous efforts, it sounds fine to me.

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Cubby Kovu

Fairly predictable album

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 20, 2013

Verified Purchase

While the songs as a whole are Good on this album If compared the predecessors it is starting to wear a bit thin things are getting predictable, you just know what is going to happen in the music, you can almost guess when a guitar widdly is coming of a keyboard run is going to happen, This is not totally a bad thing at least it means you know your going to like it and if you have not got other DT albums you will be excited, The Music is pretty good Lots of fantastic bassing and drumming and intricate guitar and keyboard work and that lovely voice still. However I think they could have chosen to go with a different approach for a song or two this problem is not just with DT it is common with a lot of 'Prog' bands at the moment they seem to have bogged down in to a comfortable commercial sound that is selling well. While this is not a bad thing in some ways it does mean it get a bit stale with the same overall timbre in every album.

That said tis a quality album with excellent long tracks like Count of Tuscany which makes the album worth buying just for that song.

One person found this helpful

Mr Blackwell

For Every Black Cloud...............................

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2012

Verified Purchase

Where to start,i'm not an uber fan,been aware of Dream Theater since the mid 90's,ist album bought was 'Live Scenes...' ,have all the albums of which 'Awake' would be my favourite.It would appear the backlash started several years ago,each album a new voyage forward or a series of diminishing returns depending on which camp your in.Me? im in the middle somewhere,can see both points of view .. So..

In regards to this particular release,i absolutely love it,from the opening Hammer house of horror intro to 'A Nightmare To Remember' to the final moments of 'The Count of Tuscany',this release resonates with me more and more with each listen.

Take the opener,yes some may feel that the effects,car crash etc detract,i think they add to the texture,the soundscape,depite being 16 minutes long it never overstays its welcome.Unsurprisingly 'Rites of Passage' struggles slightly but its still a strong track,with some superb guitar playing,'Wither brings a little light and shade while 'The Shattered Fortress ' reprises old themes.

If you've lost a parent(i've lost both) then 'Best of Times' with its mournful opening and heartfelt lyrics,absolutely hits home,all of which just leaves the epic 'The Count Of Tuscany',gothic lyrics and atmosphere abound,the musicianship on this track alone worth the price of the disc.

Minor quibbles the occasional death grunt/vocals probably not required and bassist John Myung could be doing with higher up in the mix but these are small concerns .A superb disc from a band,for me,back on track after that previous couple of albums which felt forced.

The ltd edition comes with a bonus disc of covers,all well played none particularly required,well played nonetheless,the exception being a truly outstanding version of Rainbows' 'Stargazer'. The 3rd dics seems a rather pointless instrumental version of the album,although my young son disagrees,he prefers that.

The black clouds surely hang over some fans heads in regards this release,the silver linings are the rewards that repeated listens bestow upon you,i think its up there with there best.

2 people found this helpful

Andy Sweeney

The Best Of Times

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 19, 2009

Verified Purchase

There is probably no other band on earth like Dream Theater. Bringing together so many different styles of rock and metal, effortlessly bridging sub-genres often within a single epic, multi-dimensional composition. There are elements of other bands' sound within "Black Clouds & Silver Linings". Within one song it is possible to pick out the influence of legendary bands such as Rush, Queen, Pink Floyd and Metallica, whilst retaining Dream Theater's individual sound. The album itself jumps from hard riffing and growling vocals to wide, expansive prog-metal, melodic, near-populist balladry, making it an engaging and often thrilling listen. It's the eclectic nature of this album and the superb performances from the band, especially guitarist John Petrucci, which make it such a resounding success, especially after the poorly received "Systematic Chaos".

There are six tracks on the main album, only two of which are less than ten minutes long. The album closer, the brilliant Rush-esque "The Count Of Tuscany" is only less than a minute shy of hitting the twenty minute point! It is, therefore, almost impossible to talk about the individual songs in all but an overview. Such is the complexity and varied nature of each song, you could literally write an essay of musical criticism about each one. However, what I will say is that, from start to finish, it's a extremely good album. It is rare that you get music this powerful heavy and yet containing so much melodic beauty. Even the covers on the bonus disc are well worth listening to - I especially enjoyed the Rainbow and Queen tracks. Dream Theater are firing on all cylinders with this release and it stands proudly amongst the best of their work over their 25 year career.

6 people found this helpful

Luke

Best album since "Scenes"

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

This album is the best DT album since "Scenes from a memory". If you can, buy this special edition. Why? Because it features all songs in an instrumental version. The song "The shattering fortress" is MUCH better this way. Really cool, should have been on original album instead of the version with vocals. Suddenly, "Wither" (in my opinion the weakest track) sounds good as well :))
Plus you get some cool cover versions.

One person found this helpful

BD Muratori

One of their best albums yet

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 8, 2010

Verified Purchase

Well ... after reading many reviews of this album i decided to create my own. I have now had this album for about a year. If we take the first and third discs first, I absolutely love the music, so much so that the instrumental version has not left my mp3 for now more than a year. Perhaps this has more to do with the fact that I do not really like La Brie's voice - there is a lot of talent there, but it is not really my thing. The covers disc is rather disappointing, in particular, stargazer is nowhere near the original (but I still give them five stars overall). How anyone thinks they could even come close to the performance of Ronnie James Dio I have no idea!

One person found this helpful

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