Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Lining
 

Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Lining - June 23rd

Been a fan since Images & Words. However, Dream Theater has been going in a slightly different direction for the last couple albums. They seem to be favoring a more hardcore/metal sound than their tradition progressive. For me, this is a let down, though many others may rejoice. The word Gothic has been used to describe this album by members of the band, which has me nervous. Their last album was horrid in my opnion. In the Presence of the Enemy Pt 1 (track 1) was the only thing salvageable from it. I miss the days of Scene From a Memory & A Change of Season. Why am I still getting my hopes up? I can't help but be curious even though I will almost assuredly hate their new album...bummer.

Track List

• 1) A Night to Remember
• 2) A Rite of Passage
• 3) Wither
• 4) The Shattered Fortress
• 5) The Best of Times
• 6) The Count of Tuscany

The Shattered Fortress represents the last song in the Twelve Step Suite, which is about Portney's strugge with alcoholism.

Thoughts and comments?

Yeah, it's going to be crap, I wouldn't get your hopes up at all. There progressive stuff was great though, actually Dream Theater was the band that got me to start listing to prog.

Yeah, same here actually. They sound like they're trying to sound like Metallica, which just doesn't understand. No offense to Metallica fans by any means, but it just doesn't make any sense.

I haven't listened to that much Dream Theater, but from what I've heard I've liked their newer stuff a lot better than their older stuff. I dig the tracks Panic Attack, Constant Motion, and Forsaken but I could never get into Images And Words or Awake.

See those three songs are perfect examples of what I don't like what they're becoming. Images & Words was brilliant! But anyway, I can't hassle you too much, your avatar makes me smile.

you just grow out of them at some point...you just realize that speed and technique isn't everything...

Maybe I'll have to give Images & Words another whirl.

This is Awesome recording
 

DT has the right to change their sound and that's good.I've been a diehar and devoted fan of DT since their beginning as Majesty and i have fellowed them ever since.I bet this cd sounds good and i know i will like it.

I consider Images & Words to be their opus, and while I liked Black Clouds more than Systematic Chaos (which I thought was terrible), it's not much of a step up and is definitely still in the same mold. I know bands should be able to experiment and change their sound, but IMO they're abandoning what made Images & Words so great and are attempting to create a sound that just doesn't fit them.

There might not be a lot of prog bands "greater" than Dream Theater. But judging prog based on Dream Theater is liking judging metal based on Limp Bizkit, there's so many better prog bands out there, it just enrages me that Dream Theater get all the attention.

They're talented musicians for sure, but I think they work better with their side projects. Petrucci and Ruddess with Liquid Tension Experiment, Myung with The Jelly Jam and Portnoy for his work with LTE and Neal Morse.

They would be a lot better if they were an instrumental group. That damn vocalist ruins whatever potential they have.