“This album’s a musical and emotional rollercoaster, but most of our albums are,” Mike Portnoy says of Black Clouds & Silver Linings, Dream Theater’s tenth studio album and second Roadrunner release.
Black Clouds & Silver Linings marks another milestone on Dream Theater’s iconoclastic musical journey, which began two and a half decades ago and now encompasses a hugely impressive body of music that's established the durable progressive metal outfit as a one-of-a-kind creative force with a fiercely devoted international fan base.
The new album—produced by band members Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci, who also serve as the group’s main lyricists—offers a vibrant manifestation of the world-class musicianship, vivid lyrical scenarios and ambitious, multi-leveled compositions that have established Dream Theater as a uniquely compelling creative force.
Black Clouds & Silver Linings features a pair of concise numbers, “A Rite of Passage” and “Wither,” along with four longer pieces that exemplify the band’s knack for extended, multi-part epics. Those tracks—“A Nightmare to Remember,” “The Shattered Fortress,” “The Best of Times” and the near-20-minute album-closer “The Count of Tuscany”—showcase the compositional complexity, instrumental expertise and emotional immediacy for which the quintet has become known, along with spacious, crystalline production that emphasizes the sonic nuances of the band's playing and arrangements.
“I think that this album is taking all the things that our fans love about us and putting them all in one place,” states Portnoy. “A lot of the music is dark and heavy, but at the same time it has a lot of soft and melodic edges that are equally important to our sound. I compare it to what Yes did with Close to the Edge or what Rush did with Hemispheres, where they put out a single album with just a few huge songs.”
Black Clouds & Silver Linings’ title reflects the personally charged lyrical themes that give the album an introspective depth that balances the music's widescreen scope. “Both of those sides have always been reflected in our music, and I think that that balance has gotten more refined as we've continued,” John Petrucci says. “I think that a lot of this record is telling stories about things that we’ve lived through. Sometimes it's fun to write fantasy-based things, but it’s definitely more satisfying when you can use real-life situations to tell a story.”
“Many of these songs have a very personal attachment to me,” says Portnoy. ‘The Best of Times’ is about losing my dad, who was battling cancer throughout the making of this record. And ‘The Shattered Fortress’ is the closing chapter to a 12-part series of songs dealing with the 12 steps of recovery, which started five albums ago. That’s been a big part of my life, being clean and sober for nine years, and a lot of people have told me how much those songs have meant to them.”
Dream Theater’s knack for balancing the epic and the intimate has been a constant throughout the band’s lengthy evolution. The group first came together in 1985, when Petrucci, Portnoy and bassist John Myung were students at Boston’s Berklee School of Music. Initially known as Majesty, the nascent combo quickly gained a reputation in the grassroots metal underground, with their cassette The Majesty Demos becoming a sought-after item in the metal community.
Dream Theater made a mainstream splash with their 1992 sophomore album Images And Words, which spawned the MTV-fueled hit “Pull Me Under.” The band then began a long association with Atlantic/East West, achieving substantial success with the albums Images and Words, Awake, Falling into Infinity, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, Train of Thought and Octavarium. The group's skill and versatility expanded with the crucial additions of lead vocalist James LaBrie in 1991 and keyboardist Jordan Rudess in 1999.
Dream Theater’s individualistic approach often put the band at odds with the methods of the major-label world. But their dynamic recorded output and exciting, surprise-filled live shows nonetheless earned the group a large and uncommonly loyal worldwide audience.
“Being on a major label never really felt like the right place for us, but they kept renewing our contract because our fan base was strong enough to justify it,” Portnoy says. “They tried to get us onto the radio, and tried to promote us through all of the traditional means, but we always felt like a round peg in a square hole.”
With 2007’s acclaimed Systematic Chaos, Dream Theater moved to the more hospitable environment of Roadrunner Records. The move yielded immediate results, with Systematic Chaos becoming the band’s highest-charting album to date. The album’s release coincided with the publication of Lifting Shadows, an authorized biography recounting Dream Theater’s first twenty years.
“Once we came to Roadrunner, it really felt like home,” Portnoy states. “I think they understand how to deal with a band like us, and they trust us to give us the space to do what we do.”
Dream Theater may well be the ultimate cult band, receiving relatively little mainstream exposure yet continuing to make music on their own terms while maintaining a large international fan following, whose devotion is anything but casual.
“We’re probably the only band that can fill Radio City Music Hall in New York or Wembley Arena in London or the Budokan in Tokyo and still not be a household name,” Portnoy notes. “But in some ways, that’s worked in our favor, because we’ve never had to worry about being overexposed or being a flash in the pan. Dream Theater fans are amongst the most hardcore, lifelong fans you’ll ever see. We have fans who follow us around on tour and rework their lives around our tour schedule, and now they’re bringing their kids to the shows.”
“It definitely takes a certain attention span to be a Dream Theater fan,” Petrucci points out. “The fact that we use unusual arrangements and longer song lengths to develop ideas and tell a story can scare people off, because it’s not party music that you can just put on in the background. But the people who get it are passionate about it. I think they appreciate that we never phone it in, and they know that they can expect something interesting from us.”
“Being a Dream Theater fan is a commitment, but I think that you get out of it what you put into it,” adds Portnoy, who oversees the archival official-bootleg and fan-club releases that the band regularly makes available to fans through the band’s YtseJam label. “Not everybody is willing to take the journey, but I think that if you’re willing to invest the time, it’s gonna be that much more fulfilling. And the reward for us is having these fans that have really stuck by us and helped to sustain us.”
Dream Theater’s restless creativity extends to their high-energy live shows, which have become more ambitious and diverse, as the band’s career has progressed. One distinctive aspect of Dream Theater’s concerts is their ever-changing set list, which Portnoy oversees to ensure that no two shows are alike.
The band’s fans have also enthusiastically supported a variety of adventurous side projects featuring Dream Theater members, including Liquid Tension Experiment, Explorers Club, MullMuzzler, OSI, Platypus, The Jelly Jam, Transatlantic and True Symphonic Rockestra. But it's Dream Theater that commands the lion’s share of the five musicians’ attentions, and their longstanding creative rapport has never been more riveting than on Black Clouds & Silver Linings.
“This album was made similarly to the way that our last five or six records were made,” says Portnoy, “which is that we move into a recording studio empty-handed, without writing anything individually or in advance. We write all the music in the studio and we record each song when it's completed. We’ve always made records by banging it out together in the same room, bouncing ideas off of each other. Not many bands work that way anymore, but we feel it’s very important to work together as a band, because you can’t replace that chemistry. You can’t make a Dream Theater record through the mail.”
That organic honesty gives some hint of why, after nearly a quarter-century of existence, Dream Theater continues to thrive. “We were never an overnight sensation, and we never had the quick rise and the quick burnout that happens with so many bands,” asserts Portnoy. “Instead, we’ve had this long, slow-building, sustained career that's allowed us to develop and evolve and grow. But I think that we still have the same spirit and the same values that we had when we formed the band 24 years ago.
“We're in an amazing situation now, where we have complete creative freedom,” Portnoy concludes. “We can make any kind of record we want, and know that fans and our label will support it. We’re basically making records for ourselves and our fans, and not having to worry about what anyone else thinks. It’s taken 24 years to earn that, but now that we have, it’s a great place to be.”
03/07/2009 - MIKE PORTNOY WALKS US THROUGH DREAM THEATER'S NEW OFFERING, TRACK BY TRACK Total Guitar recently gave it's website readers an exclusive peep at a video interview with DREAM THEATER stixman Mike Portnoy, 29/06/2009 - MIKE PORTNOY TAKES TOTAL GUITAR THROUGH DREAMTHEATER'S NEW ALBUM Last week saw the release of the new album from DREAM THEATER- the aural delight that is BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS. In a 26/06/2009 - THIS WEEKS TOP NEWS!! Who put the week on fast forward?? It's freakin'Friday once again. Oh, hang on- THAT'S A GOOD THING! And here, as ever are the top ... 26/06/2009 - CLASSIC ROCK AWARDS NOMINEES ANNOUNCED- ROADRUNNER ACTS GAIN 6 NOMINATIONS Roadrunner Records is thrilled to bag a whole clutch of nominations in this year’s Classic Rock Magazine ‘Roll Of Honour’ 2009 Awards. The categories were ... 25/06/2009 - DREAM THEATER TAKE OVER ROCK RADIO PLUS MIKE PORTNOY TALKS METAL BANDS On Saturday 27th JUNE, prog metal legends DREAM THEATER will take over ROCK RADIO. At 4pm, 24/06/2009 - RR UK INTERVIEWS DREAM THEATER'S MIKE PORTNOY- PT2 As promised, in the player below you will find part two of our interview with DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy. In this section of the ... 24/06/2009 - MIKE PORTOY TAKES THE PROG QUIZ Cast your mind back. A fair ole while. When OPETH released their current album, Watershed. Classic Rock / Metal Hammer sat down with vocalist Mikael ... 24/06/2009 - OPETH GIVING AWAY A SIGNED CANVAS! OPETH are giving away a limited edition canvas of their live DVD cover, signed by all the band, on their OFFICIAL MYSPACE! 22/06/2009 - RR UK INTERVIEWS DREAM THEATER'S MIKE PORTNOY- PT1 When he was in the UK recently, we sat down DREAM THEATER'S Mike Portnoy for a chat about what the band have been up to ... 22/06/2009 - OUT TODAY- NEW ALEXISONFIRE AND DREAM THEATER Head to your local store / online platform and today you will will be able to pick up two of the most highly anticipated releases ... 19/06/2009 - THIS WEEKS TOP NEWS AND MEDIA Owing to all of the RR staff being stuck in a field (AKA running around hooking up rucks of interviews before getting hideously drunk) last ... 19/06/2009 - XBOX GAME WITH FAME- PLAY CALL OF DUTY AGAINST DREAM THEATER Fancy taking your chances against DREAM THEATER'S Mike, John M, John P, Jordan, and James in a game of Call of Duty: World at War??? ... 17/06/2009 - DREAM THEATER'S FIFTH COVER VERSION GOES ON SALE. MIKE PORTNOY TALKS ABOUT 'LARKS TONGUE IS ASPIC PART2' The latest DREAM THEATER album- the stunning BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS, will be released on Monday 22nd JUNE, with the Special Edition featuring a ... 17/06/2009 - DREAM THEATER ANNOUNCE UK PROGRESSIVE NATION TOUR DATES DREAM THEATER have announced their UK dates for their upcoming PROGRESSIVE NATION tour! PROGRESSIVE NATION founder and mastermind, drummer Mike Portnoy, has once again hand-p 15/06/2009 - PLANET ROCK STREAM 2 TRACKS FROM DREAM THEATER'S UPCOMING ALBUM + SEE MIKE PORTNOY TALK ABOUT THE ALBUMS LYRICS PLANET ROCK are currently hosting what can only be described as a DREAM THEATER 'showcase' for the upcom 11/06/2009 - DOWNLOAD STAGE TIMES! PLUS SEE HOW YOU CAN GET THE BACKSTAGE GOSSIP!! It's almost time people!! Tomorrow DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2009 kicks off and this year, Roadrunner UK has a staggering ELEVEN bands on the bill, including the ... 10/06/2009 - GET £2 OFF ROADRUNNER RELEASES WITH OUR GOLDEN TICKET IN THIS MONTHS METAL HAMMER If you pick up the current issue of Metal Hammer (that will be the one with SLIPKNOT'S Mick Thomson on the cover), inside you wi 09/06/2009 - DREAM THEATER RELEASE ZEBRA'S TAKE YOUR FINGERS FROM MY HAIR DREAM THEATER have released a fourth of the cover version which will be included on the Special Edition of upcoming album BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER ... 06/06/2009 - THIS WEEK'S TOP NEWS AND MEDIA ON RR UK It's been a bloody busy week here at Roadrunner UK. You only have to have a read of the last RR UK blog entry to ... 03/06/2009 - NEW COMPETITIONS- LINE 6 AMP AND CAB PLUS SLIPKNOT, DOWN AND DREAM THEATER GOODIES UP FOR GRABS!! It's definitely worth your while hitting the ROADRUNNER COMPETITIONS PAGE as we have some STONKING prizes up for grabs for June!! If you want to ... 24/06/2009MIKE PORTOY TAKES THE PROG QUIZ Cast your mind back. A fair ole while. When OPETH released their current album, Watershed. Classic Rock / Metal Hammer sat down with vocalist Mikael ... 08/05/2009CHECK OUT DREAM THEATER'S NEW VIDEO FOR 'A RITE OF PASSAGE' HERE NOW!!! DREAM THEATER have revealed the first video from upcoming album BLACK CLOUDS & SLIVER LININGS. The video, which is for the track A RITE OF ... 22/06/2009RR UK INTERVIEWS DREAM THEATER'S MIKE PORTNOY- PT1 When he was in the UK recently, we sat down DREAM THEATER'S Mike Portnoy for a chat about what the band have been up to ... 24/06/2009RR UK INTERVIEWS DREAM THEATER'S MIKE PORTNOY- PT2 As promised, in the player below you will find part two of our interview with DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy. In this section of the ... 03/07/2009MIKE PORTNOY WALKS US THROUGH DREAM THEATER'S NEW OFFERING, TRACK BY TRACK Total Guitar recently gave it's website readers an exclusive peep at a video interview with DREAM THEATER stixman Mike Portnoy, 29/06/2009MIKE PORTNOY TAKES TOTAL GUITAR THROUGH DREAMTHEATER'S NEW ALBUM Last week saw the release of the new album from DREAM THEATER- the aural delight that is BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS. In a 28/05/2009DREAM THEATER'S 'BLACK CLOUDS...' COLLECTORS EDITION BOX SET- SEE IT AND BELIEVE IT! Below is the first glimpse of the upcoming Collectors Box Set of DREAM THEATER'S Collectors Edition Box Set of new album BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER ... 12/02/2008DREAM THEATER TO RELEASE ANIME VIDEO EARLY 2008 Dream Theater and Roadrunner Records are ecstatic to announce that the band's new video, "Forsaken," will premiere in early 2008. We think this anime-themed video ... 26/06/2009THIS WEEKS TOP NEWS!! Who put the week on fast forward?? It's freakin'Friday once again. Oh, hang on- THAT'S A GOOD THING! And here, as ever are the top ... 19/06/2009THIS WEEKS TOP NEWS AND MEDIA Owing to all of the RR staff being stuck in a field (AKA running around hooking up rucks of interviews before getting hideously drunk) last ... 26/06/2009CLASSIC ROCK AWARDS NOMINEES ANNOUNCED- ROADRUNNER ACTS GAIN 6 NOMINATIONS Roadrunner Records is thrilled to bag a whole clutch of nominations in this year’s Classic Rock Magazine ‘Roll Of Honour’ 2009 Awards. The categories were ... 20/05/2009MIKE PORTNOY SPEAKS ABOUT THE COLLECTORS DELUXE BOXSET OF 'BLACK CLOUDS...' When DREAM THEATER release new album BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS on JUNE 22nd, they will not only release a regualar and special edition CD, ... 09/06/2009DREAM THEATER RELEASE ZEBRA'S TAKE YOUR FINGERS FROM MY HAIR DREAM THEATER have released a fourth of the cover version which will be included on the Special Edition of upcoming album BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER ... 10/06/2009GET £2 OFF ROADRUNNER RELEASES WITH OUR GOLDEN TICKET IN THIS MONTHS METAL HAMMER If you pick up the current issue of Metal Hammer (that will be the one with SLIPKNOT'S Mick Thomson on the cover), inside you wi 18/05/2009DREAM THEATER RELEASE COVER VERSION OF RAINBOW'S 'STARGAZER' DREAM THEATER have released one of the cover versions from their upcoming special edition of new album BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS as a digital ... 15/06/2009PLANET ROCK STREAM 2 TRACKS FROM DREAM THEATER'S UPCOMING ALBUM + SEE MIKE PORTNOY TALK ABOUT THE ALBUMS LYRICS PLANET ROCK are currently hosting what can only be described as a DREAM THEATER 'showcase' for the upcom 17/06/2009DREAM THEATER ANNOUNCE UK PROGRESSIVE NATION TOUR DATES DREAM THEATER have announced their UK dates for their upcoming PROGRESSIVE NATION tour! PROGRESSIVE NATION founder and mastermind, drummer Mike Portnoy, has once again hand-p 03/06/2009NEW COMPETITIONS- LINE 6 AMP AND CAB PLUS SLIPKNOT, DOWN AND DREAM THEATER GOODIES UP FOR GRABS!! It's definitely worth your while hitting the ROADRUNNER COMPETITIONS PAGE as we have some STONKING prizes up for grabs for June!! If you want to ... 26/05/2009DREAM THEATER RELEASE A SECOND COVER VERSION AS DIGITAL 'SINGLE'. MIKE TELLS ALL... DREAM THEATER have released a second of the cover versions to be included on the special edition of their upcoming album BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER ... 11/06/2009DOWNLOAD STAGE TIMES! PLUS SEE HOW YOU CAN GET THE BACKSTAGE GOSSIP!! It's almost time people!! Tomorrow DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2009 kicks off and this year, Roadrunner UK has a staggering ELEVEN bands on the bill, including the ... Black Clouds & Silver Linings Black Clouds & Silver Linings Black Clouds & Silver Linings (Box Set) Black Clouds & Silver Linings (Box Set) Black Clouds & Silver Linings (Special Edition) Black Clouds & Silver Linings (Special Edition) Larks Tongues In Aspic Pt. 2 Larks Tongues In Aspic Pt. 2 Take Your Fingers From My Hair Take Your Fingers From My Hair Odyssey Odyssey Tenement Funster/Flick Of The Wrist/Lily Of The Valley (digital single) Tenement Funster/Flick Of The Wrist/Lily Of The Valley (digital single) Stargazer Stargazer A Rite Of Passage A Rite Of Passage Chaos In Motion 2007-2008 DVD Chaos In Motion 2007-2008 DVD Forsaken Forsaken Systematic Chaos Systematic Chaos Systematic Chaos CD/DVD Systematic Chaos CD/DVD Promo Live Shots Press Other Finally we see the Collectors Edition Box Set. For full details of the contents, check out this video interview with Mike: CLICK Black Clouds & Silver Linings Collectors Edition
