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View Full Version : Album Club: Week 53: Dream Theater - Black Clouds and Silver Linings (2009)



John
07-08-2012, 04:39
Dream Theater - Black Clouds and Silver Linings (2009)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7d/Dream_Theater_-_Black_Clouds_%26_Silver_Linings.jpg

http://open.spotify.com/user/gamalon/playlist/0wA53ORY2Ez0YHNw9DM1NY

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Clouds_%26_Silver_Linings

Available on CD and Vinyl

Dream Theater is an American rock band that influences have a mixture of Progressive rock and Heavy Metal.
The band plays a genre that is called Progressive metal. The band influences range from Genesis, Yes, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Rush, Queen, Rainbow, Iron Maiden, Queensryche, Metallica, Testament, Al Di Meola, Dixie Dregs and Return to Forever
I been a fan since the first album, years ago in London there was a metal record shop called Shades that used to import the latest records and every Saturday morning they would play some of the new releases, listening to songs like a Fortune in Lies in Shades I just became a fan straight away and was lucky enough to see the band both times they played the Marquee and all the way up to the present tour.
For me as a fan of the band its hard to pick a album, so many great choices I could of easily of picked Images and Words, Metropolis part2, Six degrees of Inner Turbulence, A Train Of Thought or Systematic Chaos to name a few. I must admit I was very tempted to pick A Train of Thought but have gone for Black Clouds and Silver Linings. A Train of Thought is the heaviest album the band recorded, whilst Black Clouds shows a bit more of the band influences.
I expect a very mixed reaction to this album; its quite heavy and complex most tracks last over 10 minutes, but for me it represents everything I love about Dream Theater. It has plenty of complexity but also some great melodies, it’s quite heavy and lyrics are thoughtful and based on personal experiences. But I understand for most people this might be unlistenable due to its heaviness.
This album needs to be played loud to get the best out of it. Kick drums should really kick, and guitars should crunch. If you getting to the level where the neighbours are asking you to turn it down then that sounds like the right level, if people can hear the album a few houses away even better! This is music that needs to be felt in your body as well as heard.

Alex_UK
07-08-2012, 08:17
Thanks John - looks interesting! (Hope you don't mind I've added a cover image and the year to your post.)

I'll have to wait for a clear house before giving it the "big 'un" !!!

John
07-08-2012, 09:02
I be very suprised if you like it Alex

Tim
07-08-2012, 09:20
I have 3 Dream Theater albums John, but not this one and I'm pretty sure I have not heard it before, so looking forward to listening to it.

John
07-08-2012, 09:37
Its one of my favs so hope you enjoy Tim

sparrow
07-08-2012, 10:25
10/10 from me I know this one very well..bought on it's release day..anyone thinking of buying should try & get the 3 cd version there is a disc with all the tracks but instrumental versions. This was Mike Portnoy (drums) last outing with the band... unfair of the band to sack him IMO...the last epic track is one of the best they have done IMO...vinyl version was too expensive for me..

John
07-08-2012, 10:27
The vinyl recording is pretty good worth the money

Tim
07-08-2012, 11:14
Its one of my favs so hope you enjoy Tim
Well I'm grinning at the moment John and loving it, its on my Amazon Wish List to buy.

I saw Transatlantic in 2010 and was astonished by Mike Portney, not only for his power, but also his technical ability - he's no slouch as a vocalist either. I have this cranked on headphones at work and have had some funny looks as I get near to a bit of headbanging :fingers:

I shall give it a proper listen at home before I vote, but its rating very highly right now..... good choice for me fella.

John
07-08-2012, 11:19
Yes it does get the head to shake a bit
Portney drumming on this is awesome. What a way to bow out

RichB
07-08-2012, 11:32
John, to listen as you intend I'll have to wait til I'm back home at the weekend to do this one properly on the big system. Another one the headphone rig won't do justice to.

Look forward to it as I'm partial to a bit prog/metal.

Bazil
07-08-2012, 13:32
I have Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory which I like apart from a couple of crash, bang, wallop bits.
Looking forward to hearing Black Clouds and Sliver Linings.

John
07-08-2012, 15:34
Metropolis PT2 is a classic This one at times is a heavier but also you can hear some of the bands influnces such as Rush on a few tracks
Also worth checking out the 2nd CD on 6 degress of Inner Turblance another concept disc but showing some Pink Floyd influnces

Tim
07-08-2012, 17:02
I really like this John and have ordered the 2 CD special edition, mainly due to the fantastic high energy cover of Stargazer, which I love, but there are plenty of others on the 2CD as well.

Anyway, on to this album which really does highlight Mike Portney's drumming prowess and you are right, it does need to be played loud (looking forward to getting the CD). I particularly like the ending sequences of The Best of Times and The Count of Tuscany, which reminds me of 'Relayer' in parts, but possibly my favourite track is Wither.

At the moment it's a 9, but I will await the album arriving before scoring :)

John
07-08-2012, 17:43
Glad you enjoyed it
I think its Mike best work. The drumming is just awesome
The Best of Times reminds me a bit of Rush
Wither is great but my personal favourite is The Count of Tuscany

Tim
07-08-2012, 18:06
I just found this John, whilst selecting my purchase Original Album Series (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Dream-Theater/dp/B005DEVGFG/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1344362344&sr=1-2) - it would be a very good deal for those just getting into DT if they liked this album.

As pointed out, [B]Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From a Memory is a particularly good album also. I just cancelled my 2CD order and found the Roadrunner 3 disc Limited Edition, Box set at Zoverstocks :eyebrows:

I'll shut-up now :o

MartinT
08-08-2012, 06:34
Good in parts, but becomes a little 'samey' for me over the length of the album. There's no doubt as to their high energy and skill. This one is much more in my son's genre than mine, and very similar to his band's material.

4/10 based on your scale.

John
08-08-2012, 07:05
I must hear you sons band sometime Martin

John
08-08-2012, 07:11
I just found this John, whilst selecting my purchase Original Album Series (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Album-Dream-Theater/dp/B005DEVGFG/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1344362344&sr=1-2) - it would be a very good deal for those just getting into DT if they liked this album.

As pointed out, [B]Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From a Memory is a particularly good album also. I just cancelled my 2CD order and found the Roadrunner 3 disc Limited Edition, Box set at Zoverstocks :eyebrows:

I'll shut-up now :o

The box set looks like a bargin It also has Images and Words which is a classic and A Train of Thought which after the second track just becomes the heavist album they recorded.

John
08-08-2012, 07:13
I have Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory which I like apart from a couple of crash, bang, wallop bits.
Looking forward to hearing Black Clouds and Sliver Linings.

You might not like it as much as it has more crash bang wallop bits:rock:

Wakefield Turntables
08-08-2012, 07:16
Side 2 song 1 on vinyl is a prime example of mike pourtney can do. It's not their best but I use side two as a reference track when evaluating new kit, it's my second favourite torture track for the 1210 :D

John
08-08-2012, 07:27
Hi Andrew
I know you a big fan of Dream Theater.
Which track do you think is Mike best work, for this album is a lot about the consitency of Mike drumming and what is fav torture track for the 1210

MartinT
08-08-2012, 08:31
I must hear you sons band sometime Martin

Some samples from Clockwork (Simon's band) here:
http://soundcloud.com/moose-clockwork

An article about them:
http://www.onslaughtradio.com/unsigned/band/clockwork/

synsei
08-08-2012, 09:14
I've given this a 5 (It's ok actually) because I may play the album occasionally when I'm in the right mood for it ;)

Welder
08-08-2012, 14:04
I’ve got the double CD set of this.

If there are any outstanding examples of how to completely feck up a recording of what imo are a bunch of talented and imaginative musicians, this has got to be on the list. :doh:

Dream Theatre does dynamics in bucketfuls and the tosser that mixed this successfully managed to not only wipe out the dynamics but also present as near to a one dimensional sound stage as is possible. Everything is too far forward in the mix.
Despite this being a terrible recording I really like a lot of what Dream Theatre produces and marking for talent, energy, content etc, I would have this around 8.
My problem with this is, surely they must have listened to this mess of a recording and it seems they let it go. If they’re happy with this, fair enough but as a recorded representation of their work it’s rubbish.

I like the band, like lots of what they do, but this album is a great example of bad recording.

3/10

John
08-08-2012, 14:05
Glad you kind of enjoyed it Dave

John
08-08-2012, 14:10
I’ve got the double CD set of this.

If there are any outstanding examples of how to completely feck up a recording of what imo are a bunch of talented and imaginative musicians, this has got to be on the list. :doh:

Dream Theatre does dynamics in bucketfuls and the tosser that mixed this successfully managed to not only wipe out the dynamics but also present as near to a one dimensional sound stage as is possible. Everything is too far forward in the mix.
Despite this being a terrible recording I really like a lot of what Dream Theatre produces and marking for talent, energy, content etc, I would have this around 8.
My problem with this is, surely they must have listened to this mess of a recording and it seems they let it go. If they’re happy with this, fair enough but as a recorded representation of their work it’s rubbish.

I like the band, like lots of what they do, but this album is a great example of bad recording.

3/10

Shock horror John (Welder) is a Audiophile;)
I get lots of dynamics on my system and can really hear into the recording. Yes it is a bit compressed but I heard so much worse

Welder
08-08-2012, 14:21
Shock horror John (Welder) is a Audiophile;)
I get lots of dynamics on my system and can really hear into the recording. Yes it is a bit compressed but I heard so much worse

Fair enough John.
Using foobars dynamic range tester I get 5 as lowest and 6 as highest, not that one needs to measure it; you can hear the compression to the point that it's offensive to the ears.
I may run it through Tau later.

John
08-08-2012, 14:28
Lol

Tim
08-08-2012, 15:41
Lol, what about the musical composition and lyrics though John (W)?

Welder
08-08-2012, 18:04
Lol, what about the musical composition and lyrics though John (W)?

.
When I listen to this and most of their other albums come to that, the very first thing that strikes me is how appalling the recording is.
It’s very hard to get past this point because it really is that bad given the music’s/bands potential.
With some bands/whatever it doesn’t matter so much, you know you’re listening to a product. These products aren’t really meant to represent the music as such; it’s an entertainment genre meant for playing to chickens in battery farms to keep the eggs flowing. However, I’ve got plenty of that sort of music on my hard drive and most of it sounds better than this.

Dream Theatre deserve better. They do some really interesting theater style heavy rock that really would benefit from sympathetic recording. I mean, who wants to dream in black and white in one dimension.

Imo you need to be deaf if you can think that this even gets on the bottom rung of the audiophiles dream of reproducing the sound of a live event.
The band is great imo; the album is rubbish. It wouldn’t matter if angels with harps were singing.
I suppose I should be surprised that no one else has mentioned the compression and general recording quality, but I’m not.

So, when you get the album, have a listen then come back and tell me I’m wrong, or that you agree with me.

Tim
08-08-2012, 18:32
So, when you get the album, have a listen then come back and tell me I’m wrong, or that you agree with me.
Some very fair points and well presented ;)

synsei
08-08-2012, 18:46
I could say that it's suitable for the car except that I'd be driving everywhere at 100mph whilst listening to it... :D

John
08-08-2012, 19:42
Come listen to it on my system
Yes it not perfect recording but the energy I get is pretty realistic

John
08-08-2012, 20:00
I guess for me I am to used to the imperfections of live music I seen the band play every tour I am proud to say i am not a audiophile
I guess I connect with in a very different way its about the energy and emotion of the music this is music to feel in your body

RichB
08-08-2012, 21:43
well I'll give this a 7 as i like what I'm hearing and will order the box set on the strength of this but I entirely agree with Welder, the production does them no justice...

for an example of how it could be be done check out anything by porcupine tree they consistently get a great sound imho.

Tim
08-08-2012, 22:34
anything by porcupine tree they consistently get a great sound imho.
That'll be down to Steven Wilson - the man's a genius ;)

Beechwoods
08-08-2012, 22:48
This gets a 7 from me - musically I really like it but I find 'clean' male rock vocals with an American accent difficult. A Perfect Circle bring out a similar set of conflicted opinions on my part. The drumming and guitar are great I think and I like the production personally, though I was listening to it on headphones via Spotify so some of the nuances may be lost on me.

A fine choice John and nice to have some heavier stuff in Album Club. Thank you.

Bazil
14-08-2012, 17:27
I really like some parts of tracks but I just cannot cope with the racing rock guitars and drums. I was never into that sort of music years ago and today I just want to turn it off.

John
14-08-2012, 17:32
Totally understand its not for everyone

Tim
14-08-2012, 17:37
Well I have had a chance to listen to the full 3 disc edition John and it still deserves a solid 9 from me. The percussion is what makes it for me, technically brilliant. I also really like the instrumental version of the album, which is outside what you posted really, but nonetheless excellent.

After a few listens I think The Count of Tuscany is now my favourite track ;)

Thanks again John, for me a good choice.

John
14-08-2012, 17:51
I thought I suggest a few albums that might appeal to those that like this
Pain Of Salvation Remedy Lane Its a bit more emotionally driven and conceptual in nature I prefer the vocals http://open.spotify.com/album/4tl2Rynem8A7LapdDQ5Y9c
Andromeda ii+l http://open.spotify.com/album/5UuuNHVBgswbD7TGrQzOx7
Wasteful Soul Rain 21 Very similar to POS but has a Greek vibe going through it, another conceptual album
Spirial Architect A Sceptic Universe This is very complex and deals with a dark exenstential stance towards humanity
Zero Hour The Towers of Avarice: Heavy complex with Ronnie James style vocals and some of the nicest guys I met http://open.spotify.com/album/0RmdWmWYGeh7OkajI7glT8
Queensryche Operation Mindcrime A classic http://open.spotify.com/album/4eEQ3aNA8mptFIfbFdX79p

John
14-08-2012, 17:53
After a few listens I think The Count of Tuscany is now my favourite track ;)



Mine too

Tim
14-08-2012, 17:59
Queensryche
Now there's a band that doesn't get mentioned often - Silent Lucidity is one of my all time favourite songs, brings me out in a cold shiver everytime (in a good way).

John
14-08-2012, 20:13
Yes Silent Lucdity is a great track
I was lucky enough to see Queensryche perform Operation Mindcrime at Hammersmith

Beechwoods
14-08-2012, 20:50
I've come across Operation Mindcrime before, but never checked it out. Now playing...

spotify:album:4eEQ3aNA8mptFIfbFdX79p

John
14-08-2012, 20:52
Back when it came out I played it to death

Beechwoods
14-08-2012, 20:55
When it came out I was into Carcass and Bolt Thrower!

Two seminal albums from that year.

spotify:album:0hZQj8vgT0AEU4DYKBo9Ir
spotify:album:478lAFcNT7zfHNBCuyVlPe

John
15-08-2012, 15:03
Pretty heavy It took me years to get into this vocal style but love its energy
A few years ago went through listening to Avante guard Techinical Metal Certainly not easy listening :eek:
DE04SCD2DcE
RztR4E12dGU

keiths
21-08-2012, 14:20
Just 3/10 from me. I've never really got on with 'heavy' rock etc. and this falls just a bit too far over the heavy side of the prog/metal line for me. Quite enjoyed some of it, but not as much as Porcupine Tree which I feel is similar.

John
21-08-2012, 15:52
Totally inderstand Keith
I did go for their second heavist album
I would try Six Degress of Inner Turblance listen to the second CD, it is the most Pink Floyd inspired material they done the second CD is kind of modern take on DSOM

Tim
21-08-2012, 16:15
Looking at the poll results John, there is a pretty even spread across the board. :eyebrows:

keiths
21-08-2012, 16:22
Totally inderstand Keith
I did go for their second heavist album
I would try Six Degress of Inner Turblance listen to the second CD, it is the most Pink Floyd inspired material they done the second CD is kind of modern take on DSOM

Cheers John - I'll check those out.

John
21-08-2012, 18:46
Looking at the poll results John, there is a pretty even spread across the board. :eyebrows:

To be honest I was not really expecting anyone to like it, as pretty heavy

Tim
21-08-2012, 19:42
I think the results have been pretty positive TBH and as you say, its quite a heavy one. I love the extra discs too, so thanks again for making me buy it :doh:

(must buy less, must buy less . . . )

The Grand Wazoo
06-09-2012, 07:42
Just getting round to posting my thoughts on this John.
I've never heard much from this band before for some reason. Not bad, I quite like it in places & really liked it in others.
I sometimes had a bit of a problem coping with the 'oh, so profound' lyric style & delivery in places. I often do with US bands - it sometimes comes across as profound cheesiness to me! ......but I can cope with that.

Hearing this motivated me to buy the 5 album boxed set, which I had seen before & wondered about giving it a go, so it can't all be bad.

I gave it what would have been a 7 / 10.

John
06-09-2012, 11:43
Thanks for feedback
I was hoping you might like it but thought it might be to heavy for you
Yes the band do deep and heavy but I like it when bands can do that, I actually think this is some of their most personal writing
Some of the music is quite Rush inspired and I think on this album you can clearly hear that at times I thinking mostly in the drumming
I think you like some of the box set

The Grand Wazoo
06-09-2012, 13:57
I can do heavy, John - at one time, it was all I could do!

John
06-09-2012, 14:43
Lol I think we been to a few concerts years back like Maghony Rush

The Grand Wazoo
06-09-2012, 15:56
Oh, yes - I remember we realised we'd both been to that gig at the Hammy Odeon - Bloody hell, that was a long time ago now!

John
06-09-2012, 16:03
Yeah we both getting on. One of the few drums solos I actually enjoyed in my entire life (i generally dislike them with a passion)