Dream Theater

Black Clouds And Silver Linings (Roadrunner Records)

Since almost ten years up to now, every Dream Theater's new release has always been linked with several discussions about its musical quality. By an hand the diehard fans keeping alive their total admiration for the band, on the other hand many other detractors putting serious doubts about their musical sincerity since SFAM on. Today this brand new BCASL won't change the situation. It seems that Dream Theater is a band still alive and with many arrows to shoot, but there's something lacking. I don't talk about the musical, melodic or instrumental ideas, but about how the band uses to develop them together into the same songs or along all the entire album. They look like not having a well defined harmony in their composition progress. BCASL features many great melodic ideas, perfect instrumental performances (as usual), but many parts figure out not well connected each one with the other, they look as different pieces pasted together without a precise target about what to do. Anyway the release is good and still better than the previous Systematic Chaos or Octavarium, for sure; it displays us how the band has still more to give in music, but maybe something has to be changed for the future.

—Fulvio Bordi (80/ 100)