New DREAM THEATER thoughts???

So, what did you guys think of Black Clouds and Silver Linings? I'm going to pick up my copy today. The whole album is solid imo. I'm happy with the result.
 
I only listened to it once last night but so far it's interesting. I can't make my decision about it until I listen to it more.

Though I can tell you that their cover of "Flick of the Wrist" is awesome. It makes this Queen fan very happy when a band covers Queen properly :cool:
 
Its a solid step in the right direction.

The good- A Rite of Passage and Wither. Great songs.
John's solos are outstanding.

The bad- The song lengths. To me it seems like they're deliberately pandering to the young prog heads who think 15 minute songs are cool. I like long songs if the song warrants it, but a few of these tracks sound like 2 or 3 songs glued together to make a long song. ie:The Best of Times.

The ugly- The backing vocals. Enough already.
 
Great album. Best since Scenes. Pity about the drummer with the lousy vocals. They could have just sampled some of Midnight's vocals from Atlanta last year for a greater statement.
 
[The bad- The song lengths. To me it seems like they're deliberately pandering to the young prog heads who think 15 minute songs are cool. I like long songs if the song warrants it, but a few of these tracks sound like 2 or 3 songs glued together to make a long song. ie:The Best of Times.]

* Mel, in reference to your statement above I have a question..and I mean this seriously, Are you a Dream Theater fan or even a prog metal fan? DT are ALL ABOUT THE LONG TRACKS BRUTHAAA! Yes, this one has the most long tunes on 1 disc but this was overdue in my opinion..Give it a few more spins. And in case you ask...no, I do not think all prog metal has to have long tracks to be considered prog.
 
* Mel, in reference to your statement above I have a question..and I mean this seriously, Are you a Dream Theater fan or even a prog metal fan? DT are ALL ABOUT THE LONG TRACKS BRUTHAAA! Yes, this one has the most long tunes on 1 disc but this was overdue in my opinion..Give it a few more spins. And in case you ask...no, I do not think all prog metal has to have long tracks to be considered prog.

Yes and yes. I don't believe I said I disliked long tracks altogether. You need to read what I said again. Theres a difference between a really cool long tune that flows and one that sounds like 3 songs stuck together just for the sake of making a lengthy one. Two songs out of six that are under 10 minutes? I mean come on...
 
Yes and yes. I don't believe I said I disliked long tracks altogether. You need to read what I said again. Theres a difference between a really cool long tune that flows and one that sounds like 3 songs stuck together just for the sake of making a lengthy one. Two songs out of six that are under 10 minutes? I mean come on...

I understand what you're saying, but I think all the longer songs on this disc are incredibly tight. They all rock to high hell, and none of them sound to me like they were stretched out for the purpose of making some long-ass songs. I've heard many overly long prog and power metal songs over the years, and none of these hit me the wrong way.

Overall, I think this is their best album in a very long time. I especially love The Count of Tuscany. The lyrics for that song are completely ridiculous...I almost want to say the whole thing is tongue in cheek, but it doesn't quite sound that way. But whether it's a serious song or not...musically, I love it, and it's my favorite DT song since Octavarium.
 
The good- A Rite of Passage and Wither. Great songs.

Totally agree. Rite of Passage is a great example of the DT style I like most. I'd love to hear them do more of this. Wither is awesome because it's a ballad but still really heavy. Funnily enough the heavy, stomping DT songs are the ones I like least these days.
 
Absolutely love this album, awful lyrical choices aside. Plus, it's great to finally be able to piece together all of the parts to the AA/addiction/whatever song series.
 
The bad- The song lengths. To me it seems like they're deliberately pandering to the young prog heads who think 15 minute songs are cool. I like long songs if the song warrants it, but a few of these tracks sound like 2 or 3 songs glued together to make a long song. ie:The Best of Times.

Indeed but for a different reason. The songs tend to drag a lot. Especially the last track. They could have chopped off a good 5 minutes and I would have liked it better.
 
I really LOVE this album, because it feels like their "prettiest" sounding album, and I'm all about the great melodies they make, not necessarily the more "prog" sounding interludes. I was actually surprised to see a few of you list Rite of Passage as your fav, because I feel that's the weakest song on the album. All the others are fantastic though. Good to see the band can appeal to different tastes.