Re: Deadeye Deep Dives: Dream Theater (Black Clouds and Silver Linings)

[DoctorAction]

Great album.

It's a bit patchy, but back to "proper" DT after the silly TOT, and they haven't been back to this level since.

TROAE, IWBY, PA and the title track get top lovin' from me.

Among other great parts, that keyboard solo with MP enhancing it beautifully about 11 minutes into the title track is absolute gold. And the real orchestra sounds gorgeous.

Like 6D, but warmer, in a way.

[devieira73]

I love this album! Like Zydar, I agree that is the end of DT golden era studio albums (1992-2005) (although DT always released great songs and albums after that, just for comparision's sake within their body of work). It has 4 incredible songs: The Root of All Evil, These Walls, Panick Attack and Octavarium. I Walk Beside You and Sacrificed Song are really great, but a bit below those mentioned 4 .The Answer Lies Within to me is one of the weakest DT songs and Never Enough isn't only inspired by Muse's Absolution album, in fact, is almost a version of an especific Muse's song from it, Stockholm Syndrome. Despite being a really cool song, this resemblance always bugged me a lot.

[macneil]

I agree with the general consensus, Octavarium is a fantastic album with some peak DT moments, but  it's also the first album in the incredible run from Images through to this point (excluding FII) that has a few skippable tracks, and I agree that is the end of the "golden era". Of course Score came from this tour as well which was a peak moment for the band.

[Dream Team]

One of my wife's favorites. It's a great album of "bookends" and I can appreciate some of the stuff in the middle but as a whole a little too straightforward and unexciting. Good album to introduce new fans though.

[Whitefish]

I agree with the general consensus, Octavarium is a fantastic album with some peak DT moments, but  it's also the first album in the incredible run from Images through to this point (excluding FII) that has a few skippable tracks, and I agree that is the end of the "golden era". Of course Score came from this tour as well which was a peak moment for the band.

Yes, Score was a beautiful way to conclude the "golden age".

[Jamesman42]

8VM is a stellar album. It was my first album to anticipate by them, and I still remember going to Best Buy to purchase it. I listened to it so much. The title track is a varied and yet cohesive epic and my number 2 song by DT, second only to Metropolis Pt. 1. The nuggetzz aspect is also incredible to me, and elevates it even more. This is a top 3 album by the band, sometimes top 2.

I have mentioned this before I believe, but one special connection I have to this album is "The Answer Lies Within". My buddy Brian wasn't a DT fan (or a rock fan) but loved that song when he heard it in my car one time. He would ask me to play it every time we drove to college together. He passed away in his sleep a year later. Every time I hear the song I think of him and our drives together. He was a great guy.

[DragonAttack]

Posting here for a later edit after traveling....

Briefly, my favorite DT album...that also has a great bonus title track!  

Great write up, but help me out here:  of course I know of the 'Seven Seas of Rhye' reference.  I guess I have to embarrassingly ask when exactly is the Bohemian Rhapsody piano? 

EDIT 12/17 just for inclusion
Tracks 1-4 make for a great Side One
Tracks 5-7 make for a great Side Two

I divide the bonus track into the beginning instrumental, then the main part, and then 'The Razor's Edge' for the times when I don't have time for all of it.  'The Razor's Edge' sounds great right after SS, and is perfect as the last song we hear in the car after a trip.

[Deadeye21]

Great write up, but help me out here:  of course I know of the 'Seven Seas of Rhye' reference.  I guess I have to embarrassingly ask when exactly is the Bohemian Rhapsody piano? 

Still I swore that I'd never be someone like him

Ba da da da dum dum. It's a reference to it, it's not directly it, but I can only think minor key BoRhap when I hear it

[voncorn]

Still I swore that I'd never be someone like him

Ba da da da dum dum. It's a reference to it, it's not directly it, but I can only think minor key BoRhap when I hear it

Good catch, I can totally hear it now in my head. I'm out here STILL uncovering "nuggets" fourteen years on (I didn't have '8V' until 2010). And that's after having since getting deep into nearly all the bands referenced in the Full Circle verse. I'm not very compelled nor in any hurry to start diving into Peter Frampton's oeuvre.   

The pre-chorus to "Just Let Me Breathe" never fails to make me think of the rockin' climax to "Bohemian Rhapsody" as well (So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye).

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I'm one of those fans who classifies I&W, Awake, SFAM, and SDOIT as the "Big Four" and considers those albums to be their best by a country mile. What I feel less certain about, just in terms of my own thoughts and feelings, is what my personal fifth favorite DT album is. If I had to choose one, it would probably be 8VM.

[Deadeye21]

Systematic Chaos – 2007
Tracklist: 1. In the Presence of Enemies; Pt 1. 2. Forsaken. 3. Constant Motion. 4. The Dark Eternal Night. 5. Repentance. 6. Prophets of War. 7. The Ministry of Lost Souls. 8. In the Presence of Enemies; Pt 2.

Stream-stematic Chaos

For a lot of people, Octavarium marks the end of the golden era. The tour in support of the album also marked the band's 20th anniversary and saw the band playing at least one song from every album each night, with Majesty and Falling Into Infinity demo tracks finding their way into the mix regularly. The tour culminated with a show at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City, during which the band were joined by an orchestra. This show was filmed and released as Score in 2006. The show ended with a bit of controversy, as the band returned to the stage to play an encore, which stretched the show past the venue's curfew and inflicted a fine of $30,000 USD.

Octavarium would be the final album released under the Atlantic Records deal, and they subsequently moved to the Roadrunner Records label. This would prove to be a great choice as their ninth album would receive great amounts of advance promo, including the band's first music video since Hollow Years. The album would be the first to chart in the top 20 at release. Yet, why do we seem to look at this as the first album outside of Dream Theater's golden era? Well, let's dive into the album with my favourite title. This is Systematic Chaos.

For the first time since Scenes From a Memory, this album starts entirely independently. In the Presence of Enemies, a song that stretches it even further than Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence as far as being able to be considered a single song, curiously serves as both the album's opening and closing track, somewhat like Shine On Crazy Diamond on Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here album. I'm firmly in the camp of this being one track by the way. This has been explained as being due to the band feeling that In the Presence of Enemies was both the best opening and closing track for the album, and following directly after Octavarium, this was a new direction to try things. This song is inspired by a Korean comic, or manhwa, named Priest.  In the first part, we are treated to a great instrumental overture, full of some chaotic twists and turns and a stirring melodic section. After 4 minutes of overture, the first riff of the piece returns with a clean buildup into the second movement, titled Resurrection, which sets off our story. The brief snapshot of the story here is that we have a subject known as the "Heretic" who has been forgotten and abandoned by a past trauma, but is tempted by an unknown evil to help clear the way for its emergence. This section of the song ends with a bit of chaotic shredding into the sound of a heavy wind. While we're going to leave it there for now, this is a great way to start the album. I love the way that James sings this one, it's a heavier version of something we come back to with The Astonishing, where just by the inflections in his voice, I can hear the difference in the characters.

As the wind dies down, we hear a somewhat haunting piano which opens into a heavy riff. This is Forsaken, the second single from the album. Forsaken has always reminded me of the style of Evanescence, and I kinda want to hear a version featuring Amy Lee. John Petrucci's lyrics have turned fully fictional for this album, and this one is a great example of that. The story of Forsaken sees a subject thinking he's seeing beautiful things, but instead a vampiress has chosen to feast upon his blood. This is the shortest track on the album, and follows a very straightforward song structure. It's probably not in my top half of songs on this album, but would top the bottom half if Enemies were combined. JP's solo is great, and I really like the brief moment of the piano reversing at the end of the song.

Constant Motion is the first single from Systematic Chaos, and probably the song that comes to mind for most people when they think of the album. This is Portnoy's baby, which I think could have been somewhat auto-biographical for Portnoy at the time. This is a rather unique track, in that it's a bit of a duet between Portnoy and LaBrie for lead vocals. I've seen this song get bashed as being a "generic" song and being a fine song but not fine for Dream Theater. To me, this is one of my top 3 songs from Systematic Chaos and one I'd burn to see live. This is a full on banger of a track, and I'm not sure where it seems to lose people. The middle instrumental section alone has some of the best work from Portnoy, plus killer solos from Jordan and JP. The lyrics aren't necessarily some of my favourites from the album, but I love lines like "devoid of any uncertainty throughout my very soul", "random thoughts of complete disorder", and the great "apocalyptic mind debris", which was often replaced by "apocalyptic James LaBrie" live. This song is a killer tune, and lands firmly in my number two spot.

Wait, if Constant Motion is only number two, then what's number one? That's coming up next. The Dark Eternal Night is hands down one of the heaviest songs that Dream Theater ever produced. The first to feature a seven-string on the album, The Dark Eternal Night is about a Pharaoh rising from the grave as a monster and waging war against the living. This is heavily based on a story by HP Lovecraft called Nyarlathotep, and even borrows several direct quotes from the story as part of the lyrical content. To me, this goes harder than any Metallica Lovecraft tune. The instrumental section is pure insanity, featuring some absolutely killer riffs, a ragtime section and just sheer carnage. JP's solo is brilliant, and I really like the ending vamp section with Jordan's finally bit of keyboard ad-lib. I really like the distortion on Portnoy's vocal under JLB's, making for some really heavy vocals. This was the first song I ever saw Dream Theater play live, and it holds a special place in my heart because of it.

The second half of Systematic Chaos is leaps and bounds away from the greatness that has preceded it. Starting with one of my least favourite Dream Theater songs, Repentance. This is the fourth chapter of the Twelve Step Suite. This features step eight and nine, which is to admit to the wrongs that you've done and to ask for forgiveness, and if possible to make amends. I like that the intro is a mellowed version of the This Dying Soul riff, and that we get a reprisal of the first line of that song. But really, apart from the guest appearances and a brilliant solo from JP, this song really doesn't do much for me at all. The song ends with narration by a pitch-shifted Portnoy reading directly out of the AA handbook, and it goes on for too long. I thought it was kinda fun when I saw this one at the Shattered Fortress show, but this song just isn't much fun to revisit on the album.

Next, Prophets of War. This is by far the most poppy song on the album, and it's a fairly different feel for the band overall. This song features a James LaBrie lyric about the ulterior motives behind the Iraq War and features a group of fans during the chants. It's a really odd one to talk about, with the very Queen-esque backing vocals during the verses and Portnoy's rap section which honestly may have been a step too far, even if written decently. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this song. Some days I think it's great, other days it's pretty bad. Today, I wasn't really in the mood for it. I think this song knows what it wants to be, but I don't know it necessarily gets there. This was one of the small handful of songs played at Portnoy's final show with the band, so obviously Dream Theater thought it was worthy of being a festival cut. Personally, I'm not sure I agree.

The Ministry of Lost Souls is a divisive cut if ever there were one. Looking back at the 2022 leg of the Top of the World tour, I know there were a handful of fans, like myself, who were very happy to see this one come back, but a very vocal portion of the fanbase who were a little bit miffed by its inclusion. For me, this is the lyrical apex of Systematic Chaos, telling a beautiful story of a man who saves a woman from drowning, but dies in the process. She is subsequently filled with regret and sorrow until she is reunited with him on the other side. Alternately, this could be about a woman who wants to self-delete by jumping into the water, but he stops her until he can't convince her to stay any longer and "releases her from this life". I honestly love this song, and as the mini-epic to Systematic Chaos, I think it stands up brilliantly. The main body of the song leading into the instrumental section is absolutely beautiful, employing the use of acoustic guitar and piano rather than the heavier electric and synth sounds that we hear in the epic instrumental section. I don't know that the two sections are necessarily the best fits with each other, as the instrumental here goes along a very similar path to what the latter half of Enemies will do, but to begrudge a Dream Theater instrumental section for sounding like a Dream Theater instrumental section is a lot. I really like the unison that brings us back to the main theme of the song, and Petrucci's final melodic lead is a great way to wrap up the song. I wish I'd had a chance to see this one before they booted it from the set for the 2023 leg.

And then we're back to In the Presence of Enemies, with Ministry's ending fading back into the heavy winds that we left off on. In the third movement, entitled Heretic, we're entering into a very ominous mood with more reversed piano sounds over a pulsing bass line. James sings as the Dark Master here, suckering the heretic even further into doing his bidding. In the second verse, the perspective changers to that of the heretic's fear of the darkness, though at this point, it's too late. He's given himself to the darkness and the chaos begins. In movement four, The Slaughter of the Damned (holy shit, what a title!), this is a battle of the two halves of the heretic's soul. In the first, we see it from the tainted half that belongs to the Dark Master. He's tempted to destroy all those who stand before him and spread the darkness. But the other half is still on the side of right, as symbolised by the use of a biblical psalm about the valley of the shadow of death. A reprisal of the final lyrics from the first half has the heretic ultimately realise that he is doing wrong, and we're into a chaotic instrumental section, called The Reckoning. This represents him starting to regain his self-control, realising who he wants to be and trying to break free of who he is now. In the final movement, Salvation, the song returns to the melodic solo of the Prelude. Here, he breaks free from the Dark Master's control. He isn't a servant of his darkness but has used it to fight for what he believed to be right. His soul is his own now, and he will not fight for his Dark Master, but rather for himself.

Honestly, I can see why this is no longer Dream Theater's golden era. The songwriting isn't in the same ilk as that which came before it. But honestly, I don't think it necessarily detracts from Systematic Chaos still being a great album, for the most part. As you can see, I don't find quite as much substance to a lot of these songs, but I'm still loving a lot of them. We've moved away from the more personal songs into a realm of sheer fantasy with many of the songs here, but I don't think that stops this from being a killer album with a lot to like, even love in a lot of cases.

But hey, one man's opinion doesn't necessarily dictate what you like or don't like. I'm keen to see what you all think now that I've had my two cents about it all.

By the way, a brief update while I have your attention. With the end of 2024 fast approaching, I've decided to take a short break after next week's deep dive on Black Clouds and Silver Linings (which, for completion, which also feature Raw Dog). The timing of this has actually worked out perfectly, and I'm almost finding it funny how exactly this has all worked out. There will be a special review on Christmas Day about he HolidayT Spirit Carries On, a special cover medley released back in 2020, which I thought I'd throw in just to be festive. Other than that, the Dramatic Turn deep dive will drop on January 3rd, and The Astonishing will be broken into two parts in the same week, with disc one on the Wednesday and disc two on the Friday. I'll catch up with you all before then, I'm sure, but in case we don't chat, have a safe and happy holiday season and carpe diem!

[Zydar]

I became a fan of DT in 2007, just after SC was released. I really liked it at the start, but as I started to discover their other albums, this one sank more and more on my favourites list  I still visit the album from time to time, and every time I find something to enjoy. Constant Motion is a fun and fast paced single, ITPOE is an interesting epic split in two parts, Forsaken has some nice stuff going on. The Dark Eternal Night is heavy and ferocious, and a good song despite the silly lyrics. I keep seeing Prophets Of War getting some criticism, but I really enjoy it. The one song I could never get into is the snoozefest that is The Ministry Of Lost Souls. I've tried many times, but it does nothing to me at all. Repentance is not of any big interest to me either. I'd give the album a 6/10 nowadays. 

[BeatriceNB]

I find SC to be all over the place, in terms of my enjoyment.

The Ministry Of Lost Souls is one of my favourite Dream Theater songs and I love its lyrics; it's also like 4 chords and incredibly repetitive, but somehow I never thought it overstays its welcome.

In The Presence Of Enemies is fun and has great moments. My least favourite epic, right behind A View (which is above ITPOE just because the section starting a 5:10 is beautiful), but still great.

The Dark Eternal Night is also great, but I don't like the studio version; the Budokan 2017 one is ok, and the Luna Park one is AMAZING (LaBrie shines in that rendition).

Forsaken is like... both really good and really bad. Funnily, Taylor Swift has a song (Haunted) which is also "Evanescence meets A7x, in D minor". There should be a mashup of both songs 

The rest I don't have much of an opinion. Overall, I think SC is an OK album, perhaps overhated. Fun album, some cool concepts, and the fantasy lyrics I think work (vampires, monsters, afterlife, Priest adaptation).

[Deadeye21]

The Ministry Of Lost Souls is one of my favourite Dream Theater songs and I love its lyrics; it's also like 4 chords and incredibly repetitive, but somehow I never thought it overstays its welcome.

Yay! We have one!

Forsaken is like... both really good and really bad. Funnily, Taylor Swift has a song (Haunted) which is also "Evanescence meets A7x, in D minor". There should be a mashup of both songs 

Ummm... I was not ready for that comparison. I'm pretty sure that Haunted intro follows the same progression too. I'm gonna have to try that out now. Eek.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

SC was the first DT album released while I was a fan. I remember being so excited for it, and scouring for any tidbits I could during the making of. If I remember correctly, they released some short videos or maybe some song arrangement pictures or something around Christmas? I dunno, it was a long time ago...

In terms of the album itself, I think ITPOE1 is one of their most underrated tracks. Amazing. And I like a lot of the other songs, such as Repentance and ITPOE2. Overall though, one of their weaker albums for me, but still a great time when I'm in the mood for it.

[mariner]

Love these reviews, Deadeye.  So interesting to read.

I also thought that Octavarium was the peak of their golden era.  For me, there is only one album since then that holds up to that era (ADTOE), although there are golden moments (TCOT, Illumination Theory, much of DOT).

Systematic Chaos was a let down for me after the peak of Octavarium.  I like Constant Motion - love the opening riff; and I like Forsaken, as I think it is melodically beautifully written.  Repentance is interesting but I agree it doesn't hold up on its own.  Prophets of War sticks out like a sore thumb.  Ministry feels like the "we need an epic prog song" track, and it has a lot of "been there, done that" for me.  Admittedly, I enjoyed it on the recent tour that you referenced.  ITPOE for me has always been great musically but the story does little for me.  I also thought it was a bit contrived to split it in half as they did.

So...  not surprised to be let down after a masterpiece, but still a great record that has incredible playing on it.

[durga2112]

The Ministry of Lost Souls is a divisive cut if ever there were one. Looking back at the 2022 leg of the Top of the World tour, I know there were a handful of fans, like myself, who were very happy to see this one come back, but a very vocal portion of the fanbase who were a little bit miffed by its inclusion.

I absolutely adore this song - the moment when everything cuts out except the piano and vocals, followed by the crescendo under "it reached all the way to heaven", is one of my all time favourite DT moments.

When I saw them for the first time in 2022, I already knew most of the songs in the setlist, but there were a couple that I had absolutely no idea about - "About to Crash" and "The Ministry of Lost Souls". I never listen to the 6DOIT songs in isolation, so I was mentally prepared to hear "War Inside My Head" after ATC; it probably took me a good 30 seconds to realize what the fuck was going on when they went into something completely different - I honestly wouldn't be surprised if someone had told me my head was literally spinning as I was mentally shuffling through their discography trying to figure it out. 

The live version of this song on Chaos in Motion has always sounded a little off to me - is it just me, or is JP slightly out of tune on it?

[TheCountOfNYC]

Systematic Chaos is a weird one for me, as I like every song on the album individually but as a whole record, it's my third least favorite only ranking ahead of WDaDU and FII. Compare that to something like Train of Thought, which has three long songs that I rank below anything on Systematic Chaos (TDS, ES, and HtF), but as a full album I much prefer ToT to SC. It could be that this was the first album with Jordan where there was no thematic concept or pre-planned musical vibe, and as a result, despite them writing great songs, they failed to write a cohesive album.

[YngVai]

I feel like Systematic Chaos would be more highly regarded if it hadn't preceded Black Clouds. It's not the most consistent record of theirs, but a fun jaunt and some of it fucks super hard.

By the time Black Clouds came around, it felt like I'd just missed the boat on their "Golden Era." That album's always felt like a less inspired sequel to SC to me.

It was the first of theirs they released after I became a fan and I really enjoyed the lead up to it's release, gorging myself on it, and then seeing them for the first time on that tour. After the following album cycle and the fallout with MP it really did seem they needed to recharge.

[Zydar]

It's not the most consistent record of theirs, but a fun jaunt and some of it fucks super hard.

I'm sure it does

[Deadeye21]

Funnily, Taylor Swift has a song (Haunted) which is also "Evanescence meets A7x, in D minor". There should be a mashup of both songs 

Well... I tried...

[BeatriceNB]

Well... I tried...

Fun take, I was thinking just Taylor Swift's vocals over the Forsaken instrumental.

I have to bring my favourite Taylor Swift mashup, because it works incredibly well, almost like the vocals were written for A7x's Nightmare.

[Deadeye21]

Fun take, I was thinking just Taylor Swift's vocals over the Forsaken instrumental.

Tried that, wasn't anywhere near as fun that way

[evilasiojr]

Although it has also fallen in my taste over the years due to other greater records, SC is a special one for me too.

TDEN was the first DT song I really heard back in '08, after getting to know the band just for the instrumedley videos and some Portnoy stuff. I remember having to try to download the video of them playing that song over weeks cause my internet was too slow  and being completely blown away by every extra minute of the song I was able to listen to. ITPoE is an amazing song imo, specially part I, and I really dig TMoLS and Repentance, more atmospheric and slow, but right to my taste as well.

Also the doc video Chaos in Progress is something that made me dig this album slightly more. It's so raw and funny at the same time. I wish I had one of that for every album I like!

[three__days]

SCompare that to something like Train of Thought, which has three long songs that I rank below anything on Systematic Chaos (TDS, ES, and HtF), but as a full album I much prefer ToT to SC.

I think those songs are the 'heart' of the album! They give it its distinct character, they add so much. I love those songs tho hahah!

[DragonAttack]

Another great write up

In order, I have 6D, I&W, Awake, SFAM, LSFNY, LaB, 8vm and then this.  I'd finally complete my collection after the CiM show in Baltimore.

I was so looking forward to this one. And then, well, most everything I liked about the band mostly.  The 'heaviness' was too heavy, MP's BVs were more competing than complementing JLB, the lyrics felt more like Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie, etc. etc.  ITPOE Pt 1 was terrific live then, and as opening song in DC in '08, and I'd put it in their Top 50.  CM and PoW have an appeal in spite of some things, as does TMOLS. TDEN just ain't me, but it sure was popular when performed during multiple tours.

I gave ITPOE Pt.2 dozens of listens, on its own or with Pt.1, hoping it would catch on, and it simply didn't.  Tastes...

A very edited release for me.

Side One
In The Presence Of Enemies Pt.1
Repentance (the first 5:44)
Constant Motion

Side Two
Prophets Of War
The Ministry Of Lost Souls

ITPOE Pt.2 (final 3:44 as an optional reprise)

[Ben_Jamin]

Even though you started with Systematic Chaos, I just want to say a few things regarding Octavarium.

I would likely consider 8vm my third favorite album. Favorite tracks would be TROAE, These Walls, Panic Attack, and of course the title track. Least would be TALW.

IWBY is a great song I enjoy, the lyrics are a bit vague for me to have considered it to be about Jesus, but I can see how some would. I agree with you on the meaning of the song. It has good vibes and is uplifting, fitting for a song about someone who will always have your back and will always be there for you.

Never Enough, even though it's been said to be about the ungrateful fans by the writer himself, I see it in a similar way but more broader to be more a response to those people who claim to love you, but don't really appreciate you. It's a contrast from IWBY, it's in the first person, and the mood is great for this feeling of a bit of anger, but also frustration. I also like it's heavily influenced by Muse, it's a neat little subtle stab at those fans, and like bait they say things like they're not original and are now just copying other bands.

[Ben_Jamin]

Systematic Chaos was actually my first DT album after really becoming a fan. I didn't know what to expect, and was a bit surprised at how they amped up the metal and progressive elements on it. Right from the intro we get an amazing syncopated run into a big explosion, great way to start off the album.

ITPOE PT.1, PoW, and TMOLS are my top tier for this album.

ITPOE Pt. 1 intro JP solo is among the best I have heard from him and from then on the song just soars. I was so hyped when they pulled this out for the Distant Scenes tour.

Prophets of War is such a fun song. Regardless of the subject matter, I can still boogey down to it. It also has one of the best timed feedback moments ever as well. It's chaotic tone along with it's weirdness plays into the subject matter, like how it's seen as crazy and how "it's time to make a change". The middle section is my favorite JLB moment for me, I love how he sings "Will help us see us through is faith".

The Ministry of Lost Souls is a great song and it flows well from PoW. Many consider the instrumental section to not fit, but I disagree entirely. The instrumental section represents that regret and sorrow you mention from the woman who was saved. At the end, it returns to the main theme in a more sad kind of tone to represent the moment where the last time she reached out her hand, it was her last final life. As if she was pulled through the liquidity of the water, like stepping through the looking glass in a way. You all should've seen my face when this was played right after About to Crash. 

[Jamesman42]

SC was my 2nd album after becoming a fan. It was a letdown for me, though I grew to love some of it and now I think it's middle of the pack for DT. 

And here I will give my usual disdain for TMOLS, a bottom 5 DT song if there ever was one.

[YngVai]

I think the sentiment has been expressed, but I think "Ministry" went over really well this last tour cycle, despite being a pretty "whatever" DT track. Maybe just the right song placed at the right point of the setlist, but it felt like it was punching above its weight.

[Deadeye21]

Black Clouds and Silver Linings – 2009
Tracklist: 1. A Nightmare to Remember. 2. A Rite of Passage. 3. Wither. 4. The Shattered Fortress. 5. The Best of Times. 6. The Count of Tuscany.

Black Clouds and Silver Streaming

After the fantastic tour for Systematic Chaos, which finally brought Dream Theater to Australia and an infamous show in Perth, it was back to the studio for Dream Theater. Reconvening at Avatar Studios in NYC in October of 2008, the next writing sessions would prove to produce only six new songs. However, four of these six songs easily eclipsed the ten minute mark. As Mike Portnoy would go on to describe the album as  "a Dream Theater album with A Change of Seasons, Octavarium, Learning to Live, Pull Me Under and The Glass Prison all on one disc." A special edition of the album would add six cover songs to the mix, featuring songs by Rainbow, Queen and Iron Maiden, but we're not here to talk about those. Instead, this deep dive is dedicated to the songs that used to make Mike Portnoy's final album with Dream Theater. This is Black Clouds and Silver Linings.

We start with the delicate sound of thunder and rain, before a somewhat horror-sounding piano kicks into a crushing guitar tone. Welcome to A Nightmare to Remember, an absolutely killer opening track. The lyrics by Petrucci paint a clear picture of the experience of a car crash and the resulting trip to the hospital through the eyes of a child. This is based on a real life event that JP had as a kid. The first and last thirds carries a Train of Thought style heaviness to it, while the middle is quite a unique sound and serves as my favourite section of the song. The "Beautiful Agony" section tells us about the "man without a face", a masked doctor, trying to provide help to the frightened kid. As this transitions back into main riffs from the earlier heavy riffing, we're treated to some awesome solos by John and Jordan. Sadly, this song isn't without a bit of controversy for the fan base thanks to Mike's rapped bridge section. It wouldn't be too bad if it was kept to this rap, which could be a bit of a callback to Prophets of War in isolation, but then they had to ruin it with a terribly cheesy growl that Portnoy really didn't handle well at all. I've recently found footage of a studio outtake, which shows that James almost had a contrasting part in this section which is actually pretty cool.

. All in all, this is a great song, and I'll forever be bummed that I missed out on the Distance Over Time show (thanks COVID, you  ing bastard) and subsequently getting to see this song live. Thankfully we have Distant Memories, I guess.

A Rite of Passage is a bit of an odd one. This song served as the big promo single from the album, and I'm not sure it was the right choice. The song's main riff has always felt very reminiscent to a riff from Misunderstoodto me, the one right after each heavy chorus. That said, I really like Myung's bass tone in the intro, and the riff is solid. But as we get into the first verse, I think it's a little weak. The whole gang vocal sound doesn't work for me on this one, and I really don't like the effects that are chucked in all throughout that verse. It's a shame, as I really like James' part, and I feel like it would have been great if it had been left alone. The chorus is awesome though, the harmonies on this one are perfection! The lyrics for A Rite of Passage are all about the secret society of Freemasons, My grandfather used to be one, and I wish I could have asked him how well the lyrics actually tied into what his chapter stood for. Sadly we lost him right as COVID kicked off in Australia. The instrumental section to this one is pretty rocking. JP absolutely shreds, and the supporting riffs are pretty cool. The first half of Jordan's solo is pretty cool, but the climax leaves us with another bit of controversy to talk about with the first use of his iPhone as an instrument. Back in the day there was an app called Bebot, which Jordan obviously liked the sound on, as he uses it on this track, It's honestly just an annoying end to an otherwise cool instrumental to my ear. A Rite of Passage is a song that seems to overuse effects and gimmicks to its own detriment in my opinion. There's a lot to like, but it's marred by other things.

Wither is our ballad here, the only track under six minutes. Wither is a song about the creative process, and the difficulty of starting a song from a new place each time. This song has an interesting distinction as being the first song since Scenes From a Memory a decade prior to have a song written entirely by one member, John Petrucci. Wither also stands apart as being a song with multiple different versions, being the album version, a slightly different album version with JP's vocal instead of James', and a beautiful piano version featuring only Jordan and James. This was the album's second single, with a music video shot during the second European leg in 2009. It's a nice song, but it's not one that I have a lot to say about, as seems to be a recurring theme with these shorter, softer songs. Personally, I wish the piano version could have featured John playing the solo on an acoustic guitar maybe, but that's just me.

Up next, we reach a finale seven years in the making. This is The Shattered Fortress. This is essentially a medley, albeit there are some new sections added, like the intro, or some pretty cool twists that merge some segments together. As the final song of the Twelve Step Suite, The Shattered Fortress deals with steps ten to twelve. The tenth is to continue to take personal inventory and admitting to being wrong when asked. The lyrics to this section, titled Restraint, very much deal with freedom and basically having the subject ready to walk out of the now shattered glass prison that he had built for himself. This section kicks off with the reuse of a riff from the instrumental section of The Glass Prison, but also uses the heavy rhythmic pattern from This Dying Soul and comes to a head with a reprise of the chorus from Repentance. Beneath Jordan's stirring keyboard solo, we hear a cool combination of the Glass Prison riff and the This Dying Soul intro. This then breaks down into a reprise of a bridge from This Dying Soul, coupled with the St. Francis Prayer which asks to bring positive attributes instead of negative and harmful ones (that I may bring love where there is hatred. That where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness, etc.). This second movement deals with step eleven, which is to pray for knowledge of God as we understand him and to carry out his ways. We can hear this summed up through the altered lyrics to The Root of All Evil's chorus. After a fantastic Petrucci solo, we're into one last new section that directly states the intent of step twelve. Having been saved, we are now responsible to help any that need it for themselves. The song ends up with a final reprise of the intro of The Glass Prison, and in the fadeout we can hear the static, the pulsing synth and the distorted tom rolls. Someone else is about to start their own journey through the glass prison. For many, this is the worst part as it's "nothing original and just a twelve minute filler" but I think this is actually my favourite segment of the Twelve Step Suite. It's finally hopeful and it contains all of the musical highlights from the last four songs. Dream Theater were supposed to finally play the full suite on the Black Clouds tour but it never happened. Portnoy did launch his own tour in 2017 for it, playing the suite in full with Haken and Eric Gillette. I think a lot of us are still praying for the day Dream Theater does play the suite in full, but I'm kinda hoping it's a one off. Still, I'm glad it exists, and I hope that it helps a lot of people.

The Best of Times is quite easily the saddest song on the album, though it truly had no chance of being a happy one with it's subject matter. The Best of Times is Portnoy's tribute to his father, Howard, who was dying of cancer as this album was in production. A version of the song exists with Mike singing lead vocal, which was played for Howard in hospital and then again at his funeral. As of 2017, this is the oldest song in Dream Theater's discography to have never been played live. I have to say, the acoustic intro conjures a tear to the eye, but the opening into the first two verses always makes me cheer up, as it's probably the most " yeah" motif Petrucci has ever written. The first two verses paint a beautiful picture of great times that Mike and Howard shared together, which makes the dark shift so much more tragic. The back half of the song is a beautiful tribute to Howard, which features the line "Remember: seize the day", a great callback to A Change of Seasons and Portnoy's mother. The Best of Times is most famous for its solo, which is honestly one of Petrucci's finest works to date. I hate to seem insensitive to the tragedies that have befallen Mike this year, but if there's another album after Parasomnia, I wonder if there'll be another song like this and A Change of Seasons for his sister and maybe a line or two for Mickey. What else is there to say except RIP Howard Portnoy.

And at last, we've reached the biggest song from Black Clouds and Silver Linings, The Count of Tuscany. Starting with a simple but beautiful melody, coupled with an equally beautiful solo, I think this atmospheric intro is very easily one of the most beautiful things that Dream Theater have ever put together. I could quite happily listen to a version of the first 3:20 and the back half of this song. However, from this point on, the song starts taking some heavier twists and turns. Once again inspired by a true story, The Count of Tuscany anecdotally recalls when Petrucci and his guitar tech were taken to visit an Italian Count's mansion during the Train of Thought tour. I gotta say, this is absolutely the best song from the last three albums to my mind. This weaves together the progressive, metal, melodic and pop cornerstones of the Dream Theater sound into one perfect package. The harmonies in the chorus are great, even if not quite as powerful as those in Rite of Passage to my ear. The lyrics take us on the full journey perfectly. The twisting and turning instrumental section is truly awesome. I must, however, say that I'm pretty sure the melody at 10:17 is pretty much directly lifted from Muse's Knights of Cydonia, which was released in 2006. We know that the band were obviously big fans of Muse at the time, given the whole Never Enough thing, so this is pretty on the nose. Just as the song seems like it's at an apex, the whole song gives way to a beautiful melodic section. To me, this feels like the intro of Octavarium, now with added Petrucci. The end of this lead break starts to form the melody of the ending. Then we cut back to an acoustic guitar playing the chords from the intro as James laments that this could be the end of his life. As the band kicks back in, we hear James ask for a chance to explain, before it all comes to a head with the count saying that "the stories you've heard aren't true, just fables and tales". John revisits the solo from the start of the song in a higher octave, and the song ends with a nice bit of a singalong moment. As the song fades away, we can hear an ambient sound that I think is supposed to resemble birds and a stream? I'm honestly not sure what this is supposed to represent, but as it dies out, so too does the album.

This is a great listen. One that I feel doesn't get the credit it deserves. Despite four of these songs being revisited over the last fifteen years, I feel like I don't see this get its fair shake from the fanbase. I personally love it. A Nightmare to Remember is ultimately the best opening track on a Dream Theater album to me, and The Count of Tuscany may be the best closing track. The Shattered Fortress is probably my favourite section of a long running suite, The Best of Times serves as a powerful tribute to a great man. Yeah, there's the singles, but a few different choices and A Rite of Passage would be up there too. This album genuinely rocks, and to an extent, I'm glad that Portnoy went out on this one as it was a bit of a high point for the band. I wish he hadn't left, but damn, it's a great album to leave on if he decided he had to.

Now, before we wrap this one up, I need to touch on one last song. Raw Dog While I'm not really able to add much about the covers, I do want this series to talk about every original track by Dream Theater, so it wouldn't be fair to leave this one out. Raw Dog is a very Djenty riff for Dream Theater. This is the band's first instrumental track since Stream of Consciousness, and it's pretty damn heavy. This is the first time that JP would drop the tuning of his seven string, and it's something that he's only done three more times to date. I have to say, this has a lot of elements in it that make this track feel closer to the Mangini era material to my ear, which is ironic when you consider this is the last song that Portnoy recorded with the band before he left the band. This track was written for the PS3 game God of War III, and as such makes a reference to Ytse Jam by being named Raw Dog - god war backwards. On this track, Jordan uses a bit of a unique instrument called a Harpeji, which was only invented in 2007. This is actually the first commercial use of the instrument. This track also makes a light reference to Pull Me Under by cutting off very abruptly. It's definitely not a favourite of mine, but hey, it's kinda fun to listen to every once in a while.

Alrighty guys, I'm gonna be back on Wednesday for a special semi-original track review of The Holiday Spirit Carries On. Yes, I know I'm jumping ahead a little in the timeline, but if I'm gonna be doing this deep dive series over the holiday break, you're kidding yourself if you think I'm not dropping that one on Christmas Day. It's literally perfect! I won't change the thread title for that one though, so you can either check for it yourself, or see it when we come back for A Dramatic Turn of Events on January 3rd. I love that it's turned out this way and the Mangini era doesn't kick in til 2025!

If you don't read my review on the day, have a very safe and merry Christmas. Don't go too hard on yourselves. Lots of love and see you all next year!

[macneil]

Great write up as usual Deadeye! I'm curious as to why the Perth show was infamous? Let's hope they get to Australia at some point soon (Brissy for me, but I'm prepared to fly anywhere in the country this go round if they skip it again).

Black Clouds is a tricky album to review, it's all caught up in nostalgia as I was obsessed with it when I was getting into the band early on, but not every song holds up for me.

Some truly high highs but a few low moments.

• A Nightmare to Remember is one of my favourites, beautiful agony section is one of the greatest moments in the whole discography, only let down by the DAY AFTER DAY AND NIGHT AFTER NIGHT section and the song is probably slightly too long, though it doesn't bother me too much.
• The 2 singles don't do anything for me, 2 very forgettable songs.
• Shattered Fortress is pretty cool, but feels mostly like a reprise of all the previous songs and I don't return to it much.
• The Best of Times is a special song with one of JP's greatest solos, but one I've gotta be in the mood for.
• I adore The Count of Tuscany silly lyrics and all and is probably my all-time favourite DT song.

A pretty strong album overall, though now that you mention it I don't think I've ever listened to the covers disc.

[Deadeye21]

Great write up as usual Deadeye! I'm curious as to why the Perth show was infamous? Let's hope they get to Australia at some point soon (Brissy for me, but I'm prepared to fly anywhere in the country this go round if they skip it again).

Well, Perth was the very first show the band ever played in Australia. The venue was the Burswood theatre, which is now Crown. Problem is, the date was January 26th, Australia Day. A lot of the parking was taken up or closed down for the skyshow, and the heat was so excessive that year that there was a major power failure in the second set, which ultimately resulted in the show being cancelled midway through. Adelaide was the first ever show to be finished in Australia.

Dream Theater would return to Perth on the Black Clouds run, where they played their last Aussie show with Mike Portnoy at Metro City. While Portnoy returned to a Perth in 2017 with the Shattered Fortress tour, Dream Theater has only visited Sydney and Melbourne since, and in the 15 years and five album cycles that have since passed, Dream Theater only returned twice (which should have been three times, but again,  you COVID!). It doesn't look likely for them to return now that Portnoy's back, seeing as they're going for major venues that DT couldn't fill over here.

[WilliamMunny]

From the early '90s through 2009, Dream Theater walked on water in my eyes.

That pretty much ended the moment I picked up this album at the store and gave it my first spin. I'm not sure there's a release where the finished product fell so short of my expectations.

Obviously, there's a lot of fan-favorites here, so this is a 'me' thing, but I could literally take or leave every song.

What really did it in was the lyrics. To this day, I cannot for the life of me fathom how the guy who penned "Voices" and "Lines in the Sand" thought the line "sucking on his pipe" made sense.

But that's just me

BC&SL is my least favorite DT record with JlB on vocals, and I think it is definitely the line of demarcation for my fandom.

I still enjoy ADTOE, but when I get in the mood for some DT, it is ALWYS 8VM and earlier.

Great write-up, as usual

[durga2112]

As Mike Portnoy would go on to describe the album as  "a Dream Theater album with A Change of Seasons, Octavarium, Learning to Live, Pull Me Under and The Glass Prison all on one disc."

Has anyone ever determined which songs these comparisons were meant to refer to? "The Best of Times" seems to be the ACOS reference, "A Rite of Passage" = PMU, and "The Shattered Fortress" = TGP, but what about the other two? I guess "A Nightmare to Remember"/"Octavarium" (the "beautiful agony" section brings "Medicate (Awakening)" to mind, but the rest of the song doesn't seem all that similar to me) and "The Count of Tuscany"/LTL (similar outros, I guess)? I gotta hand it to Mike - it's a pretty ballsy move to say that your upcoming album contains songs comparable to many of your most iconic songs. 

A Nightmare to Remember is ultimately the best opening track on a Dream Theater album to me

Wow, I don't think that's a take I've ever heard before, but I can definitely respect it.

And since you mentioned Christmas Day, maybe this is not the right place for this question, but does the band/Portnoy still do a little surprise at 6:00 on that day? I can't remember if that was just a Portnoy thing or if it was even kept up the whole time he was in the band.