Twenty-five years and running, Dream Theater have never sounded surer of themselves. It is as if they knew what they wanted when they hit the recording studios — and knew their fans would love it. Little did they know that Black Clouds & Silver Linings would attract a horde of newborn DT-iites. Each track has a true story attached to it, and John Petrucci’s lyrical prowess takes it to another level. The first track, A nightmare to remember, is nothing like the Dream Theater we’re used to. The opening bars are the heaviest ever heard in the Dream Theater catalogue. The violent intro puts you right in the eye of the storm so much so that we hear James LaBrie growl for a few minutes. A rite to remember and Wither take your breath away. The riffs, the melodies, the production take you back to the days of Pull me under and Peruvian sky. Classic DT. The spoiler is The shattered fortress : there’s little originality and LaBrie’s vocals are forgettable. The best of times is glorious. It is a Mike Portnoy song through and through. He wrote it for his father, who died of cancer. A heart-wrenching violin solo is coupled with Jordan Rudess’s genius on the keyboard — and then you feel the pain in Portnoy’s drumming. If you weren’t a Dream Theatre fan, you will be.