Dream Theater lightens things up a bit and looks on the bright side with Black Clouds & Silver Linings - their tenth studio album out now on Roadrunner Records. That is, as light as a CD about a car wreck, wasting away, secret societies and the passing of a parent can be. Still, with a nod to 80's-era Rush sprinkled through the album's 80-minutes this material is more accessible than the batch of brooding tunes found on 2007's Systematic Chaos. The six originals on Black Clouds & Silver Linings spans a full spectrum of sights, sounds and styles.

"A Nightmare To Remember" opens with the sound of an approaching storm colliding into orchestrated instrumentation and thunderous drumming. The song runs the gamut from manic to melodic including a hazy hospital scene after the car crash which is the story line of the song. "A Rite Of Passage" speaks about secret societies and melds middle eastern tones with metal. Varied vocals meander through a mysterious maze of meters and measures. "Wither" is wistfully and wishful enhanced by LaBrie's breathy vocals. "The Shattered Fortress" is jagged like a broken glass bringing together the pieces of Portnoy's previous 12-Step songs. It is a hard hitting hodge podge of past and present dialogue and musical digressions.

In contrast to the chaos is the beautiful "Best Of Times" written and dedicated in memory to Mike's father Howard Portnoy. The song ranges from pensive to peppy starting with a pretty piano part by Jordan enhanced by subtle strings. The pace picks up with vibrant visual lyrics of life moments shared with Dad. John's solo on the song is spectacular and literally soars to heaven. The CD closes with the epic "The Count Of Tuscany". It is a thematic and highly technical tune. Countless changes and haunting hooks adds to the intricacy and intrigue of the song. Dream Theater's new storm of progressive rock metal music appears to have brought forth an abundant crop of good reviews and new fans while landing the release in Billboard's Top 10 Overall Albums (#6) on the week of its release.

It looks as though Dream Theater is utilizing the chaos principle to finally put things in order as far as their career goes. Perhaps, as progressive rock music is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, there's been a method to their musical madness all along. Either way, signs point to brighter days ahead for the quality quintet hailing from New York and Canada - proving that the dream is still alive 20 years on from their first release.

• Info: -- USA/NY 2009: www.dreamtheater.net (Laura Turner Lynch/Kweevak.com)