Ready for some controversy?!
Number 50 - A Nightmare to Remember - Black Clouds and Silver Linings
"Hopelessly drifting,
Bathing in beautiful agony.
I am endlessly falling,
Lost in this wonderful misery."
Why it made the list - this was one of my top five songs. I'm not even kidding. I loved it. I had it right up there. I thought it was epic as hell. I came on this forum and everything changed. There's an episode of How I Met Your Mother (called Spoiler Alert) where every time they have one of the other characters tell them something about someone they didn't realise, breaking glass is heard to signify something being "spoiled" - representing somebody "shattering" an illusion they had of another character. Well coming on here, this song was "spoiled" for me. I never really cared much about the "Day after Day" part - it neither detracted or added to my feelings on the track. But the roar at the end. Somehow I never noticed it. Now I can't not notice it. And how did I not hear it before. Every listen of this track makes it fall lower and lower and I even considered dumping it from my top fifty. But then the dilemma struck. What would it replace? In the end I'm completely satisfied with what I ended up with. Let's talk about the track. An interesting subject matter. At least it's clear what Petrucci is writing about this time. The drumming is amazing in this track. I love the main theme, all variations of it. LaBrie is okay but not great. His best moment is easily the Beautiful Agony section. Myung is disappointingly quiet. I think of all the albums this is the one I notice him on the least. I hate when I have to actively listen to hear bass. It's a damn important instrument and should be more audible. Apart from that it's long but still enjoyable.
Why it didn't finish higher - like so many of the longer songs that made the list, it goes on just a bit too long. I think it could have ended after the little instrumental part after "Day after Day". Again I don't have anything against this part just that last bit goes on a while for no apparent reason. Sometimes I think of this track as more A Never-ending Nightmare.
Best part - After the Beautiful Agony interlude there's a little solo before the main theme returns. The drumming here is insanely intense. It's actually just before "Day after Day..."
Number 49 - The Ones Who Help To Set The Sun - When Dream And Day Unite
"There had to be a time,
When I thought that you were watching,
It had to be when my senses lost control," Why it made the list - A very strange song. But intriguing and interesting. The almost three minute intro that has nothing to do with the song is awesome. It actually sounds like something I'd hear in a Legend of Zelda game. That's the first thing I thought of. That or Mr. Bungle. It just seemed to be out of place. Then that heavy bassline to kick the track off with yet more brilliant drumming from Mike Portnoy. The music itself is pretty good without blowing me completely away. I can understand how people skip this though. At the start it doesn't give any indication of being as good as it actually sounds like it will be. The sad thing is, these people are missing out on a great track. The guitar solo is solid too while not being mind blowing. Probably deserves to be one of the lower rated tracks bit I've always enjoyed it do it's in the middle.
Why it didn't finish higher - at the end of the day, it's another Dominici venture. Which brings it down. The lyrics are a little bizarre if not downright confusing. It probably could have been higher if the production and personnel were a little better. Also this was perhaps their first foray into strange time signatures but unlike other songs like Metropolis and learning to live, it is not as cohesive and the flow is just not as good.
Best part - Can't go past that atmospheric intro. Just sets the mood for the song. The fact it isn't repeated later makes it even more interesting.
Here's where I break your heart fischermasamune 
Disclaimer: The following track contains much gushing, wanking and complete self indulgence. It is not recommended for persons who suffer from intolerance of over appreciation or those who are turned off by overly positive comments.
Number 48 - Illumination Theory - Dream Theater
"To really feel the joy in life,
You must suffer through the pain.
When you surrender to the light,
You can face the darkest days."
Why I
like love this song - this is just the perfect ending to DT12. It wraps everything up in a thoroughly enjoyable track that just picks up momentum as it goes on. There is so much to love about it. Every member is audible all the way through. A truly pleasurable journey from start to finish.
The Journey of Illumination Theory
I. Paradoxe de la Lumière Noire
Spectacular from the start. That orchestral opening. It is an absolutely perfect introduction to the main theme of the song.
II. Live, Die, Kill Oh My God. The epic drums. Then that killer riff underlined by an equally killer bassline. This is brilliance. I also love the strings underneath the "Kill" verse. And the guitar solo just at the end of this segment closes it off beautifully. It could have ended here but instead they did something amazing.
III. The Embracing Circle For two minutes I feel nothing but peace. Love or hate this section (it seems to be about 50/50) it has to just make you feel calm and relaxed.
The gorgeous orchestral interlude is just to die for. The return of the theme from the opening segment is so rich and powerful. It's almost a polar opposite of the first half of the segment.
IV. The Pursuit of Truth That bass! That sexy bass. What a riff. Then the slightly chaotic keyboards leading into that epic Petrucci solo at the 13:14 mark. Then back to the main riff of the first part for a bit more. Just pure
V. Surrender, Trust and Passion Finishing with some heartfelt lyrics, a beautiful melody, another lovely solo from Petrucci and that final sustained note. And that little gem - the hidden track to finish the album.
Why it don't finish higher - so if all I've done is gush over the song from pretty much start to finish, why on earth does it find itself at number 48?!
The answer lies in four rather large flaws that I've actually neglected to mention this far.
Flaw number one: The track just doesn't flow. The five parts isolated are terrific but you have almost no flow. It's almost incoherent as TOWHTSTS. To me the epics all have great parts but of them only this track is weaker when you put all the parts together. The rest are stronger. One of the main reasons for the track not flowing is the ambient section. It's great in isolation but it stalls the momentum of the track. When it comes back later it feels like a different track almost.
Flaw number two: The ending is a little underwhelming. A controversial opinion here I reckon. I sort of feel ripped off when the song ends. It just doesn't have that epic feel to it. Which is a shame. The rest of the track is great but the last part is just a let down. It makes sense at the end but it feels like they just slowed it down to have an epic finish. But it's very underwhelming compared to other songs.
Flaw number three: LaBrie's vocals are yet again strained It's weird. On ADTOE, he doesn't go for as many of those higher notes but he doesn't sound like he's struggling either. On this album he does. A lot. And in this song he does too. Its a massive reason this dong finished so low. It's not easy to reach some of those notes and in all honesty he doesn't really nail them. It's not like Dominici trying to sing Awake. But it isn't very great. I love LaBrie. I really do. But he's not ever going to sound like he did pre-vocal chord accident. That becomes abundantly clear when he attempts it.
Ouch. What a nasty slap. I feel like a bitch.
Flaw number four: Hidden track?! WTF?!! It's not that I'm against hidden tracks. I just think they are unnecessary in this technological age. This hidden track while beautiful should not be part of the song. After the ending, there is a minute of silence then this part for two minutes before fading out.
It has nothing to do with the track. Yet it is included as part of the track and part of the final part. Hmmm
These flaws may be incorrect or downright picky but for me they are a huge reason why this song funds itself so low. And yet, I fucking love it!!!
Best part - hard to single one out but gotta be that bass to start if The Pursuit of Truth. Dead. Sexy.
I apologise for that one. I know it was long. I look forward to the controversy this post and particularly that entry raises. I'm not even close to done yet either.
Number 47 - Disappear - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
"I gave you my hand,
I said it's okay, letting go time to leave here,"
Why this made the list - Arguably Dream Theater's most haunting song. This has a beautiful melody and truly harrowing lyrics. I think it is possibly LaBrie's best lyrics. And boy do they touch me. Death is a truly fascinating and at the same time frightening prospect. Ceasing to exist. What is it truly like? Sorry for the existential questions but it's always at the forefront of my mind meaning this song touches me deeply. I used to be frightened of dying. I used to think death was the end. Now it's different. I think that there has to be some higher plane of - you know what? I've digressed a fair bit. Let's talk about the music. The soft guitar and the piano on the verses is beautiful. (I love the verses) but the background in the chorus is also fantastic. The last verse is filled with so much emotion and passion. It's impossible to not have some sort of emotional reaction to this song.
Why it finished higher than Illumination Theory - What this song has that Illumination Theory doesn't have is heart. Lots and lots of Heart. They both have beauty. They both have great melodies, motifs and themes musically but when it comes to the lyrical content, this has more feeling and emotion to it. It's a lot more relatable.
Why it didn't finish higher - it's depressing. I mean I love me sone depression and melancholy but this song is just laced with it. There's plenty of more hopeful and positive songs out there. I love it for making me feel but I hate it for the sane reason. Also and perhaps more pertinently, its not very in your face and bombastic. It's also not a ballad. And finally it's not progressive. How it fits on the discography is beyond me but somehow despite all this, they make it work.
Best part - a tie between LaBrie's plaintive singing in the final verse and the distorted guitar underneath the second chorus. I know I cheated. Sue me.
Topic: Yit Say Jammer's incredibly fanboyish and unnecessarily detailed TOP 50 thread (Read 7435 times)