Black Clouds & Silver Linings

saw DT again last year and like bands in general, they are much more comfortable on stage than in the studio. Nevertheless, I feel this is a very good release, and gives the usual DT sense of grandure and the "big" sound. Very disappointed that Mike has left as I don't see how he can be replaced!

I am a fan of DT and I also like the new era of them (from 6DOIT) !!
I have to admit that this album is quite different and I feel they want to come back to their origin !!! I mean, in confront of recent album, they returned to play with in a particular way that i didn't listen from years !!
For example the first 4 minutes of The Count Of Tuscany gift me a Petrucci old style, this part of songs reminds Images & Word and in particular Take The Time with many change of time and a strong cooperation between Keybord and Guitar !!

Best Of Times has one of the best solo's of last year, melodic, varius, but doesn't have the feauters I heard with The Count Of Tuscany..it's similar with song like The Ministry Of Lost Souls or Sacrificed Son even thought is more direct !!

A Nightmare To Remember takes something from Train Of Thought, maybe is too long and in some parts could boring but conteins one of the best parts of full album...the central break is really perfect, it seems go out from Falling Into Infinity...solo Blues's Style

Wither is one greates ballad so far...emoctions can be felt for all song long, Solo's is very similar to Bohemian Rhapsody from Queen !

The Last two songs :

A rite Of Passage is very boring (in my opinion), unusefull riff that remembers In The Name Of God

Shattered Fortess :

is it a song? It's pretty good, but it's a collage from past episodes, doesn't have personality...It should have been put into a B-side CD not a full lengh album !!

In conclusion

Some parts let me hope for a return to progressive's style, but these parts are mixed with other that don't make me love this album for entire !!!

I hope the next album will make the step we all hope !!

I have been a big fan of DT since 2000 the first album of theres that I heard was Scenes From a Memory and in my opinion this album is there best scince then. They have compined all the best things about DT music to make a brillant album I have been playing this one at least once a day scince I got it. Really looking forward to Wembley in october it will be my 10 th DT concert also meet and greet before the show carn't wait. It is well worth listning to the instrumental version of this album you get some things that you miss on the full vocal version from the music side. Kepp up the good work lads. The 3 disc version is well worth the money some good covers on disc 2.

I don't agree with " CTCTCT" Systematic Chaos went a bit flat and boring for me in the middle of the album, this album however is a very well balanced album, quite progy in some of the longer songs, so if you don't like DT like that, then you won't like this album. Two songs are quite radio freindly "A rite of passage" and "wither". Overall this is a very good album. I can't complain about it at all! A lot of the DT fans are too critical, and don't even know what they want from DT anymore.

Nothing new??? If it aint broke don't fix it....DT just get better and better.....'The Count Of Tuscany' is just amazing stuff....as is the rest of the album, but this is a stand out track for me...

Brilliant!!!

An absolute work of art , admittedly systematic chaos was amazing however I think this album is truly amazing , I notice something different everytime i listen

Nothing really new whatsoever apart from Mike Portnoy playing a blast beat at the end of a song. Systematic Chaos was a belter, this one is a stinker!