*** Black Clouds & Silver Linings by Dream Theater – The Least Essential DT Album to My Collection

I won’t say that this is a bad album.  However, I will say that Dream Theater seems to have something both similar and better than everything on this album that they have done prior to BC&SL.  Prior to this, I won’t say that Dream Theater had done no wrong.  I did think 6 Degrees of Inner Turbulence was a weak and repetitive effort.  However, that much was all cleaned up when I heard 4 Degrees of Radio Edits, which is I think is totally awesome.  I’ll also say that I can’t tell if A Nightmare to Remember is supposed to be comedy or is serious, which probably means that the band was serious. Lol!

I guess what I find most disappointing about this album is that physically it offers nothing more than a typical hair band album, like say Poison, or Warrant.  Yes, I admit to liking Poison, but I don’t have any delusions about their technical grandeur, and when it comes to technical grandeur that is what I expect from them, and I feel that their offering of technical albums fills a very important role in many people’s lives, in the same way that folks where angry when Pantera broke up because Pantera filled a very important niche in peoples’ lives.

Wither is nothing but an mediocre ballad.  You know the standard ballad Dream Theater puts on an album that is just trash to attract new fans to the other stuff that they do that is better.  Except, what is different on this album is that the cheese ballad is one of the better songs on BC&SL.  Enough said!!!  .  As for this album, it doesn’t have any redeeming greatness, just mediocrity that might help them get popular, so I suggest moving on to something that will challenge you more intellectually, and not stuff that would have made it on the radio in the 1980s.

My best advice is not to buy this one and to buy a real Dream Theater album like Awake or A Dramatic Turn of Events.

***** The Ritual by Testament – Probably An Excellent Attempt At Selling Out While Saving Face

When Testament started out, they had too much grind for many to take notice of them.  If they followed that path, then they would have wound up like virtually unknown bands like Napalm Death.  Okay stop right there.  Some people love Napalm Death, and if you are one of them, that is cool by me because I typically don’t judge bands by the amount of fans they have.

What I like most about The Ritual is that it sounds close to being a sellout album, such as something my wife can listen to, while still sounding dark enough to be classified as metal.

I don’t know if the drums were triggered, but it doesn’t sound like they were.  That is always a plus.  Also, the distortion is not overdone.  I can generally tell what is being played when the distortion knob is cranked up to 10, but when every heavy band does that and also adds compression, it is like there is no dynamics to the sound.

The Ritual in a way sounds almost like Testament had admitted a failure on their earlier albums, and was going to head in the direction of Megadeth and Metallica during the better days of their career.  If that was their mission, they accomplished it well, and the ritual is on par with Metallica’s Kill Em’ All, and Megadeth’s Peace Sells, But Who’s Buying.

Likewise, though Anthrax has usually gotten more attention, especially in the early days, than Testament, Testament was much more flexible, and in my opinion proved to be the better band.  Thus, it should come as no surprise that when the killing days of metal, meaning the days where it became nearly extinct, Testament was able to pull through, and eventually flourish.

So, why 5 stars?

This album deserves 5 stars because anyone should be able to listen to it, appreciate it, and have something positive to say about it, no matter who they are or what walk of life they come from.

***** The Dream Sequencer by Ayreon - Demonic Space Age Music Unlike Anything I Have Ever Heard Previously

When I first listened to this album it was so scary I wanted to hide under a pillow when I was listening to it.  I was scared to death, but I also liked it in the way a jalapeno pepper's, or in this case a habanero spice is thrilling.  This is the same way I am able to listen to jazz and appreciate it for what it is, even if it is softer, but sometimes death metal is just what the doctor ordered.  My wife actually was the one who called the sound of this album, "Demonic," and I would have to agree with her.  To me that just means that I'll listen to it when she is not around.  However, what I want you, the reader to know most is that this album delivers the goods when it comes to progressive rock.  It really is good music and not fluff pop music.  Sure it might be scary.  However, in my opinion that is just as if this album is as an artist might want to paint with one color more than another to the point of actually making a point with that color.

*** Beyond Outrage by Robert B. Reich – Of Reich’s Works That I Have Read It’s Comparatively Subpar

The first point I would like to make takes up a third of this book.  It is on what Reich has called Radcons in another book.  I think Reich has said enough about Radical Conservatives by now.  The Radcons are no longer a threat.  However, I agree that regression is a threat.

My generation has rejected the Radcon way of life in favor of having a more liberal lifestyle.  It is not radical conservatives Reich is afraid of, but those who wish to be fiscally responsible, and these folks may be either Democrat or Republican.

I, myself, have already stated that I believe Reich is wrong about what to do.  Reich wants to continue running trillion plus dollar deficits until the economy gets better.  However, to me that seems stupid.  We may get a good run at having a good economy, but not enough to sustain an economy recovery.  That is, 8 years is not enough time to put us in the positive, and chances are that partly because of term limits, we won’t be able to sustain enough of a recovery.  Perhaps, getting rid of term limits is something we should consider, but I think that we would just go for another 4 years of Obama mediocrity.

Some presidential leaders to look for come 2016 are Hillary Clinton, Deval Patrich, and even Reich himself.  It has baffled me why Reich hasn’t run for office.

The first part of this book, “The Rigged Game,” I think most folks already know enough about.  Most folks are angry at Wall Street and the rich, and want government to work for them doing things such as closing loopholes.  The word is out.  And, folks are right, the game is rigged.

One area I flat out disagree with Reich is that I don’t think giving more money to the poor is a good answer.  In my opinion, folks need to find out how to make their money, the money they already don’t have because they are broke because they have already spent it, work for them, such that the poor can be empowered.  Thus, the answer is for folks to be more careful when spending, rather than to toss out more handouts.  These actions are going to take a concerted effort, and America is going to need to find some fiscally conservative cheerleader that can see to it that folks are able to make their money go as far as it can possible go.

One suggestion I might make is that I often shop at Amazon.com, if a local store doesn’t have what I need, or if the local is charging an unreasonable price.  There are lots of good bargains on Amazon.com, especially if you are willing to put up with having used goods.  Also, there are other stores like BJ’s where if you are careful with your money, it will stretch further.

The major problem of this book is that it assumes that if you put more money in the hands of average Americans, then good things will happen, but that isn’t true.  The fact is that most Americans are clueless when it comes to math, such that if you gave them more money, they wouldn’t have a clue how to spend the money wisely.  Therefore, the problem is not that the poor and middle class don’t earn enough, but the problem is that CEO pay is ludicrously high.  The reason middle and lower class pay is good is because if we raise it, it would simply cause more inflation, and folks would have a much more difficult time determining whether or not they should purchase something based upon its price.

I do agree with the author that there are certain things we should be outraged at, such as the buying of political offices.  I agree that CEO pay is out of control.  I agree that we need to close tax loopholes, such taxing what is now considered to be capital gains.  Reich does make a lot of good points, but I felt that his books Supercapitalism, and Aftershock were much better. 

Lastly, the last third of the book seems both naïve and correct.  In order to have a movement that will make change, we have to get off of our couches.  However, the USA suffers for this as we Americans are couch potatoes.  Our ancestors would have bound together to fight against our problems, but for us, we are not a very cohesive nation.  That is, too often we relate to each other via the internet.  That is another subject that Reich might do well to include if he writes another book.

**** Killing Is My Business and Business Is Good by Megadeth – Awesome and Totally Old School

The reason I subtracted a star and gave this album 4 stars is that I don’t want anyone to be disappointed with the quality of the sound of this album.  This album was made on a shoestring budget, and as in the way that there isn’t so much need to buy old jazz albums because the newer ones are higher quality, so it is that way with Killing Is My Business.  As for me, I like the old school production.

As for the music on this album.  It is some of the best thrash/speed metal out there.  It really is a good album.  This is the type of album that when someone says to me, “I think metal blows,” and I say to them, “Well if you think it’s so bad, then why don’t you try playing it?”  I have never heard anyone complain to me about an album like this one when I said something like, “I will listen to your criticism, if and only if, you can play it,” because truly this album is a work of art, and it is not easily repeatable, as it is with all great works of art.

***** Bringing Heaven Down to Earth Book One by Tzvi Freeman – Let’s Insert This In The Canon!

Some books are amazing, but this one is phenomenal, so phenomenal that it is of biblical proportions.  Frankly, this writing is so high quality that it dwarfs almost everything except that which has made it into Tanach.  This is eternal wisdom literature.  Is there anything holding us back?  I don’t think so.  Let’s do it and put this book in its proper place!

***** Mind’s Eye by Vinnie Moore – A Widely Unknown Guitarist Guaranteed To Blow You Away

After listening to this album thoroughly it is of no wonder to me why Vinnie Moore attracted the attention of Jordan Rudess, which if you haven’t heard of, I suggest buying a cd with Rudess on it first, preferably something from Dream Theater.  So why didn’t Vinnie Moore make it?  And, I understand that “making it” is a very arguable idea.  I guess my idea of making it means that you can tour because people will have heard your name, and associated with something good.  The problem is in the demand for music like this.  It is just not there.  That is the reason I theorize why Tony MacAlpine seems to have largely abandoned consistently putting out tremendously good solo albums in the Guitar Virtuoso genre, which is what I suggest that Vinnie Moore is trying to tap with this album.

What Vinnie Moore does for money, I haven’t got a clue, but it probably isn’t in album sales.  That for me is very bitter to swallow because he is such a tremendous artist.

I will also add that Mind’s Eye sound virtually identical to Tony MacAlpine’s solo work.  I don’t take that as a negative for when I listen to this I don’t care if he sounds like an artist, the fact is that he is playing wicked awesome music.  And, also if you like Yngwie Malmsteen, then you will probably like this.

Thus, as the five star rating suggests.  This is an album I highly recommend for purchase.