Systematic Chaos Revisited....

[Ben_Jamin]

PoW is great.

I remember when they released a video with the beginning keyboards of PoW and how a lot of people got excited,  then they heard the actual song.

[chaossystem]

I loved this album as soon as I heard TDEN on YouTube, then bought the CD and heard the opening of ItPoE, pt.1 on my car stereo. I'm one of the few people who doesn't like TMoLS, but other than that I always feel the need to defend the rest of it, except maybe for PoW, which is a little weak, but still doesn't suck.

I've said it many times: I think SC is one of their best, at LEAST as good as anything else they've ever done, even when compared to SFaM, 6DoIT, 8vm, or the "holy trinity" of their first three albums!

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

I hate that Ministry of Lost Soul drags. It feels long as hell, and that's not usually the case for me with DT's long songs. I loved ITPOE Pt.2 back in 2007, but it has lost some of its charm in the last couple years. I still think it's a good song, tho. ITPOE Pt.1 is still awesome.

The rest of the songs are meh.

[Train of Naught]

I don't believe their first three albums are all considered "part of the holy trinity" though..

[Cyclopssss]

You guys are mad. I remember the concert at the Ahoy when they toured SC with the giant ants on the stage and all.
When Ministry of Lost Souls started, with those visuals, you could feel the chills run up and down peoples arms and there wasn´t a dry eye in the house! Sure it may not be the bands best effort, but it had some great songs on it. 

[cramx3]

I don't believe their first three albums are all considered "part of the holy trinity" though..

Yea, not so sure WDaDU is apart of any holy trinity.  In fact, I do not think there is any string of 3 albums by DT that would make a holy trinity.  They seem to do two great albums back to back, but can't get a third in the chain.

[BlobVanDam]

FII > SFAM > SDOIT is my #4/#2/#1, and lately I've been questioning whether I'd bump FII up to #3, so I'd definitely call that 3 great albums back to back.

WDADU is not part of any holy trinity.

[Train of Naught]

Oh, poll time!

SFAM>SDOIT>TOT is probably my favorite conescutive three albums

[CharlesPL]

WDaDU (5) > Images > (1) > Awake (3-2)

[Tick]

Worst DT album ever

Agreed.

Even though the production on WDADU is gawd awful, at least the songs are decent. 

Meh, not really.
I love SC. Always have.

[Outcrier]

SFAM - SDOIT - TOT

[BlobVanDam]

The favourite three album run in the two threads I found was SFAM/SDOIT/TOT, followed by IAW/Awake/FII. Neither of these answers surprises me.
WDADU/IAW/Awake came 5th in both polls, so even for consecutive runs, it does not rank very highly.


https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=36427.msg1543191#msg1543191
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=37620.msg1598633#msg1598633

[Kotowboy]

FII > SFAM > SDOIT is my #4/#2/#1, and lately I've been questioning whether I'd bump FII up to #3, so I'd definitely call that 3 great albums back to back.

WDADU is not part of any holy trinity.

Yes.

My top 3 are

Octavarium
Scenes From A Memory
Six Degrees


When Dream And Day Unite, DT12 and Systematic Chaos all feature in my bottom 3.

[matthewmatt]

Well… it was my first DT album, I heard it when it came out and I’ve been a fan ever since. Yes, I prefer it to Awake and Images. A Heresy. But I just love the sound, the compositions, the fact they’ve split ITPOE (in the same way Pink Floyd have split SOYCD), which is rather cool IMHO, the cover… I don’t get the hate for many of the tracks - honestly, TDEN is one of my favourite DT songs ever! POW was hard to get into, it’s really very different, but I believe that’s good, to experiment a little. Let alone the fact I’ve warmed up to it a lot recently and now I enjoy it too.
Forsaken is just pure fun. I love the lyrics, I can’t help but to smile when I hear it.
ITPOE is probably my favorite DT epic (narrowly edging out 8um).
To me, the album has it all; the metal sensibilities, the prog and even the catchiness in all the right measures. It needs more love!

My thoughts on DT might be controversial (as are those on Maiden, which I present on the Maidenfans forum) but honest - and SC is my #1 album, along with TOT (yes, I really can’t choose; if you really wanted to know, 8um and SDOIT share the second spot nowadays, then it’s probably Clouds and then Scenes. Yes, I’m more into the new stuff. So kill me).

So if there’s ANY “holy trinity” sequence for me, it would be TOT - 8 - SC. 

[Enalya]

I just can't get into this album. True, they tried a lot of things that they normally wouldn't do (probably mostly MP's decision), but it just seems less like DT and more generic, especially a lot of the darker themes and MP's vocals (I can never take his metal vocals seriously). Forsaken isn't bad, and there are some nice instrumental sections (ITPOE part 1, CM, TMOLS) but I just can't get into it overall.

Exactly this. Although I really love Repentance, even covered it vocally.

[RandalGraves]

whoever thinks ITPOE pt 2 is a bad song, he should really start wondering why the hell he thinks he understands DT

Give me a break.

The album is OK.  It's definitely a good driving album, and fun to sing along to in the car.

But it doesn't have any depth.  It's the surface fun, but nothing more.

I think this is a great way to describe the album. Like a popcorn movie, it's fun every now and again, but if you want to sit there and pick it apart, there's all kinds of flaws and unnecessary bits.

It's not one of my favorite albums, and I generally only listen to ITPOE (both parts) and TDEN, but it can be fun every once in a blue moon.

[Kotowboy]

I find ITPOE part 2 very uncomfortable to listen to for the Dark Master !!!! Stuff.


Even though I know it's all metaphorical and JP is Christian.



Also : 78:41. Is Systematic Chaos their longest single album ? It's 18 seconds shy of a full CD.

[BlackInk]

I think FII is longer.

[Kotowboy]

Wikipedia says :

Length   78:12 Falling Into Infinity

Length   78:41 Systematic Chaos

[BlackInk]

Oh. I thought I remembered FII playing the longest in the "every album at once" video a while back.

[Kotowboy]

I think the guy admitted he messed up.

[Train of Naught]

Yeah he said Repentance was left out.

[darkshade]

Let's just say... Systematic Chaos would be a lot of bands' best album. Not DT's.

[Outcrier]

Let's just say... Systematic Chaos would be a lot of bands' best album. Not DT's.

Nah again. God, you underestimate lot of bands then (or overestimates DT).

[nicmos]

Definitely my least favorite DT record.  Having said that, the first 3 tracks, if you concentrate on the music and pretend the lyrics and a lot of the vocal lines don't exist, are really great, solid music.

I really think, if they had used the music for Forsaken for something else (something less fantasy-y), and the singing were a little different, it would be one of DT's all time top shorter tracks.  I think the music to that song beats most of what's on DT12.

CM, similarly is great, if you take out the singing and the last keyboard solo (WTF Jordan!) is just a fun, extremely well executed Metallica-esque track.

TDEN will never be good to me, too dark, too eternal for me I guess.

Repentance hasn't changed to me either, it's ok, but seems more background music than anything I ever want to listen to.  If listened to as part of the suite might work better.

PoW, hmm.... never know what to think of this.

TMOLS again, hasn't changed to me, I always loved the instrumental part, but cringe at the rest of it.  I feel like this song had a lot of potential but is really half-baked.

ITPOE part 2 is as I thought before, pretty good, along with part 1 some really great music (not lyrics), just not in the upper echelon of DT songs.

Out of the whole album, I think really Forsaken has benefitted from trying to relisten with fresh ears.  The others are about where I thought they were all along.

[Rodni Demental]

Let's just say... Systematic Chaos would be a lot of bands' best album. Not DT's.

Nah again. God, you underestimate lot of bands then (or overestimates DT).

It does't really matter, it's too general of a statement to mean anything let alone be offensive. The statement "Systematic Chaos is better than other bands best album" can be completely true, just depends what bands you're comparing them to and how highly you think of them, and as a relative general statement I'd say it is true. If not a bit unfair or biased to all the bands that I'm writing off in this way, but I still believe there are bands out there that probably couldn't top something like SC. You probably won't make that statement if you're thinking of bands that you really enjoy or a band you don't just have a generalised idea of from just a few songs.

[Rodni Demental]

CM, similarly is great, if you take out the singing and the last keyboard solo (WTF Jordan!) is just a fun, extremely well executed Metallica-esque track.

Lol, that Keyboard solo is pretty crazy and out of this world, I love it.   

PoW, hmm.... never know what to think of this.

Yeah same, I sometimes like it but other times kinda confused about it. (Although I actually quite like MPs spoken part). It's definitely not the sort of thing I'd want or expect from the band, but I'm glad they made it because it's still nice to be surprised with a bit of unexpected variety.

[darkshade]

Let's just say... Systematic Chaos would be a lot of bands' best album. Not DT's.

Nah again. God, you underestimate lot of bands then (or overestimates DT).

No, and no. You're insinuating that I'm calling SC a bad album.

Also, a lot of bands suck and blow.

[Outcrier]

Ok 

[Kotowboy]

Now that it's been 2 years since DT12 - rank the RoadRunner albums ( again ).


1. A Dramatic Turn of Events.
 2. Systematic Chaos
  3. Black Clouds & Silver Linings
   4. DT12

[hefdaddy42]

Now that it's been 2 years since DT12 - rank the RoadRunner albums ( again ).

1. A Dramatic Turn of Events
2. DT12



3. Systematic Chaos




4. Black Clouds & Silver Linings

[CDrice]

Now that it's been 2 years since DT12 - rank the RoadRunner albums ( again ).


1. A Dramatic Turn of Events.
 2. Systematic Chaos
  3. Black Clouds & Silver Linings
   4. DT12

1. Dream Theater
2. A Dramatic Black Clouds of Silver Events
3. Systematic Chaos

[CharlesPL]

1. DT12
2. ADToE


3. BC&SL





4. SC

[Train of Naught]

1. ADTOE
2. SC
3. DT12
4. BC&SL

[jammindude]

1. DT12
2. ADToE


3. BC&SL





4. SC

This is pretty close to mine as well.   The only change I would make would be putting more spaces between 3 and 4.