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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

New Music

By: Staff Writer

27/06/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Dream Theater / Black Clouds and Silver Linings (Roadrunner)

There's no such thing as short and sweet for prog-metal masters Dream Theatre. There may only be six songs on their 10th release, but with four of those clocking in at 13 minutes or longer, this is no EP.

The sheer length of the tracks allows the veteran quintet to fit more musical ideas and time changes into one song than many bands do on the course of an entire album.

The 16-minute epic A Nightmare to Remember sets the tone for Black Clouds with guitar hero John Petrucci's fretboard gymnastics on full display while Jordan Rudess keeps up with equally speedy keyboard runs.

The talented rhythm section of bassist John Myung and drummer Mike Portnoy -- who provides the low-voiced growls that act as the counterpoint to the almost too-smooth voice of James LaBrie -- keep up with all the changes flawlessly and give the material its heft.

Rite of Passage is a relatively short offering at only eight-minutes and proves to be a highlight with the most memorable melodies, along with more of Petrucci's hypersonic fretwork and gargantuan riffs. It's no wonder the song was edited down and released as the album's first single.

The ballad Wither acts as sort of an intermission before the cinematic and driving the Shattered Fortress, which completes the band's saga about Portnoy's 12 step recovery from alcoholism. The over-the-top opus the Count of Tuscany never wears out its welcome as it changes tempo and time signatures several times throughout its 19-minutes with an obvious ode to Yes, Frank Zappa and Pink Floyd.

Dream Theatre doesn't make the kind of music that will have you humming its zippy melodies later, but with so much going on that it's never predictable or boring. Winnipeggers will get to witness the band live at the Burton Cummings Theatre Aug. 16 with Zappa Plays Zappa. 'Ö'Ö'Ö1/2

-- Rob Williams

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 27, 2009 C4

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