User Score
Generally favorable reviews- based on 91 Ratings
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 77 out of 91
-
Mixed: 9 out of 91
-
Negative: 5 out of 91
Review this album
-
-
Please sign in or create an account before writing a review.
-
-
Submit
-
Check Spelling
- User score
- By date
- Most helpful
-
JCArtistManagementJul 24, 2009
-
-
JeffreyWSep 11, 2009Pleasure for the ears, probably the most complex and beautiful album of the decade.
-
-
Apr 21, 2012
-
May 10, 2011Probably the best album of their career thus far. Sort of builds on what made them successful into one monsterous masterpiece that mixes in both dark and light themes perfectly. Awesome stuff.
-
MHJul 13, 2009Boring, mostly uninspired, take-no-chances prog metal. There's a dozen bands out there with as much talent, better vocalists, and the willingness to broaden their horizons.
-
-
DougD.Jul 28, 2009Prog rock never sounded so stale. It has also rarely been an enjoyable genre since the early 80s.
-
-
YairAAug 7, 2009Used to be a huge Dream Theater in the past, but felt they lost direction after '6 Degrees of Inner Turbulence'. The opening and final tracks are exceptional, the rest could be better. 'The Shattered Fortress' was actually annoying, as it's basically a remix of previous work. Wither is kinda boring too. Too bad the rating is integer based. my rating is 8.6.
-
-
JoshHOct 15, 2009Dream Theater, ok there will be some bias as they are one of my favourite bands. This album won't entice many new fans, but it will certainly please their old ones. There are some "hits and misses" but the songs, especially the monstrous Count of Tuscany, will give the listener some great enjoyment.
-
-
TonatiuthAJul 29, 2009Awesome, this is my favorite cd since Train Of Thought, just a little disappointment with Wither but, an excellent album.
-
-
JoshC.Jul 29, 2009Best album of the year, and best of dream theater.
-
-
AdamWhytheF*ckDoYouCareJan 25, 2010
-
-
jamieaJul 11, 2009Fantastic CD! 2 singles and 4 epics! soft, heavy and melodic, music cant get much better than this!
-
-
VasilePJul 21, 2009Dream Theater sound, but in 2009 context. Still doing progressive songs, with added heavy and "easy" songs. Not many prog bands these days, to many Dream Theater copies outhere. Great, great, great album. However, it didn't hit me as fast as "Scenes from a memory" did...
-
-
MundoMJul 25, 2009Pretty different from its great predecessor "Systematic Chaos" in terms of experimentation but still a pretty solid album. There is a lot of personal stuff in their songs that gives a deep sense in the lyrics. A Really recommended work.
-
-
AnassB.Aug 11, 2009It's a great Album ! it entres on Top 5 of Dream Theater's greatrest Albums.
-
-
PhilM.Aug 30, 2009
-
-
LuigiNNov 14, 2009Totally awesome album! it's become one of my favorites of them and I'm already looking forward to the next album of these Prog Metal masters!
-
-
ChrisBDec 21, 2009This and Systematic Chaos are two of the best albums by this band, I'd highly recommend listening to both of them.
-
-
MarkKDec 25, 2009Monstrously awesome.
-
-
marcuss.Jul 11, 2009Excellent CD-best since Scenes From a Memory. Picking up the special edition, with several covers ranging from Rainbow to Queen, is well worth the extra money. Original songs like Wither and Count of Tuscany are among their best.
-
-
CarlosAJul 18, 2009
-
-
Jul 10, 2013It's not the greatest Dream Theater album out there, not even close. However, "Black Clouds and Silver Linings" is still great. For people who are just getting into DT, it's a good place to start. However, for fans, it's a little too familiar. Still great, thought. Also, "The Count of Tuscany" is super kick-ass.
-
Nov 24, 2020My favorite album ever made. The Best of Times expresses an immense amount of raw emotion that gets me every time, The Count of Tuscany is just a masterpiece and A Nightmare to Remember makes my head bang like crazy as much as it relaxes me in the calmed sections. I'm aware that this is not objectively their best album, but I just love it so much.
-
For all its abundantly positive qualities and minor but clear distinctions from prior efforts, 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.
-
Black Clouds and Silver Linings is, obviously, a mixed bag from Dream Theater. Fans like myself will enjoy it, but again, you can’t deny how familiar it all feels.
-
MojoWith four tracks topping 12 miutes, it's essentially a celebration of pre-punk boffin-rock, 'The Best Of Times 'and 'The Count Of Tuscany' both prog-metal masterpieces worthy of imperial-phase Rush. [Jul 2009,p.95]