Dream Theater — Black Clouds & Silver Linings

intothewellsabyss
Jun 23, 2023
4 min read

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…

14 years ago today, the “Stargazer” gave us “A Rite of Passage”!

On June 23, 2009, Dream Theater released their tenth full-length studio album, “Black Clouds & Silver Linings” via Roadrunner Records.

It is the band's last album to feature drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy before his departure on September 8, 2010. The album was recorded between October 2008 and March 2009 at Avatar Studios in New York City, where they previously recorded “Falling into Infinity” (1997) and “Systematic Chaos” (2007).

“Black Clouds & Silver Linings” was produced by John Petrucci and Portnoy, and was engineered and mixed by Paul Northfield.

“Black Clouds & Silver Linings” was a major success for Dream Theater, becoming their highest-charting album on the Billboard 200, where it peaked at number six.

Background:

Dream Theater began to work on the album in October 2008. Mike Portnoy described “Black Clouds & Silver Linings” as, "a Dream Theater album with “A Change of Seasons”, “Octavarium”, “Learning to Live”, “Pull Me Under” and “The Glass Prison” all on one album." Jordan Rudess said at a NAMM Show that Spectrasonics virtual instruments were used on the album.

Lyrical Themes:

The album's lyrics were written by John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy, and all except one concern personal experiences about disturbing or difficult moments of their lives.

Though most songs were written by Petrucci, "A Nightmare to Remember" was based on a childhood car incident; "The Count of Tuscany" was about an actual encounter he had in Tuscany; and "Wither" was about the process of songwriting for him.

"The Best of Times" was written by Mike Portnoy about his father, who died from cancer. "I just wanted to write something that was a tribute to our life together," said Portnoy, who played the song for his father prior to his death.

"The Shattered Fortress" is the final part of Portnoy's Twelve-step Suite, reprising and concluding themes and motifs from the suite that began on 2002's “Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence” album.

The remaining song, "A Rite of Passage", concerns Freemasonry; a video of the edited single was released on May 8, 2009.

"Wither" was released as a single on September 15, 2009. In addition to the album version of the song, the single contained an alternate version featuring only a piano and vocals, a demo version with John Petrucci on vocals, and a demo version of "The Best of Times” with Mike Portnoy on vocals. There was also a video to follow it which was released on November 18, 2009.

Critical Reception:

Initial critical response to “Black Clouds & Silver Linings” was generally favorable. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 68, based on five reviews.

Rich Wilson, author of Lifting Shadows, previewed the album for Metal Hammer, calling the album "Dream Theater’s finest and most balanced album in a decade."

Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars writing, "Black Clouds & Silver Linings” is still an archetypal Dream Theater album; one that's unlikely to broaden their audience all that much, but is conversely guaranteed to thrill their hardcore converts with its renewed devotion to the most exigent and stimulating facets of the band's chosen musical domain."

Similarly David Buchanan of Consequence of Sound (now Consequence.net), an online music magazine, said: "that this release will not necessarily bring in new fans but will also not disappoint the current flock, and this is very true. There are no improvements, but no sheer letdowns, either." He gave the album four and a half stars out of five.

The album was named as one of Classic Rock‘s 10 essential progressive rock albums of the decade.

The album debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200 selling 40,285 copies. It was the first time in the band's history that they had cracked the Top 10 on that chart, and is currently the band's highest single week sales of an album. The album also debuted at #1 on Billboard Top Internet Albums, and #2 on Billboard Top Rock Albums. The album also marked the first time that the band hit the number one spot in Finland.

The album won a 2009 Metal Storm Award for Best Progressive Metal Album.

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

Click this link to listen to the “Black Clouds & Silver Linings” via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/black-clouds-silver-linings-special-edition/319394419

Click this link to follow Dream Theater on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dreamtheater

Click this link to follow Mike Portnoy on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikeportnoyofficial

Click this link to follow John Petrucci on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnpetrucciFB

Click this link to follow James LaBrie on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialjameslabrie

Click this link to follow Jordan Rudess on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jordanrudessofficial

Click this link to watch the official music video for “A Rite of Passage”: https://youtu.be/gX6jirCykI0

Click this link to watch the official music video for “Wither”: https://youtu.be/-boKk8uhmcY

Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells

Dream Theater — Black Clouds & Silver Linings

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Lyrical Themes:

Critical Reception:

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