Favorite album covers

[MirrorMask]

I searched for such a thread and I didn't find it, so if there was one, don't blame me for not looking up old threads, blame for sucking at using the search function 

As the title says, can you rank your favorite *album covers* from best to worst? I thought of my preferences and came up with this list, from most favorite(s) to least liked:

Awake
Scenes from a Memory
Images and Words
Train of Thought
Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Systematic Chaos
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Falling into Infinity
Dream Theater
Octavarium
A Dramatic Turn of Events
When Dream and Day Unite


The top ones are clearly my favorite ones, and the bottom ones my least favorite ones, the middle is a bit more muddy but generally I like well thought and visually striking covers while not being a fan of the artificial ones that seem to come from some Photoshop work done in half a day.

Vote your favorite covers and let's chose the best Dream Theater album cover! (where will The Astonishing rank in this list?)

[Train of Naught]

Ahh yeah, I remember there being a thread on favorite album cover, but I'm not sure if it was reddit or DTF, and I don't think we ranked all of the albums on that one, should be fun:

1. Black Clouds and Silver Linings
2. Systematic Chaos
3. Octavarium
4. Scenes from a Memory
5. Train of Thought
6. Images and Words
7. Falling Into Infinity
8. Dramatic Turn of Events
9. Six Degrees
10. Awake
11. Dream Theater
12. WDADU


I'd also like to mention that if the new cover is going to be anything like Kotowboy's example (with the big NOMACS surrounded by that landscape) it might become my favorite.

[Another_Won]

I haven't thought about this before so I tried sorting through them.  I found that I tend to like the darker ones that have more symbolism related to the album.  It was tough because I kept associating the music with the cover.

1. Black Clouds and Silver Linings
2. Awake
3. Images and Words
4. Train of Thought
5. Dream Theater
6. Systematic Chaos
7. Octavarium
8. Dramatic Turn of Events
9. Scenes
10. 6 Degrees
11. Falling into Infinity
12. WDADU

[Train of Naught]

So which one is DT12, 4 or 5?
NVM.

[MirrorMask]

It was tough because I kept associating the music with the cover.

Ironically my top 3 favorite covers indicate also my favorite albums, but I swear I concentrated only on the cover artwork, hehe!

[Another_Won]

So which one is DT12, 4 or 5?
NVM.

Ha!  I was hoping no one saw that.

[54_diplomats]

1. Awake
2. Octavarium
3. Images and Words
4. Dream Theater
5. Train of Thought
6. Six Degrees
7. Falling Into Infinity
8. Scenes from a Memory
9. Black Clouds
10. WDADU
11. Systematic Chaos
12. ADToE

[Art]

1 - Falling into Infinity
2 - Awake
3 - Train of Thought
4 - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
5 - Scenes from a Memory
6 - Images and Words
7 - Octavarium
8 - Black Clouds & Silver Linings
9 - Systematic Chaos
10 - Dream Theater
11 - When Dream and Day Unite
12 - A Dramatic Turn of Events

[Another_Won]

I really thought no one was going to put anything lower that WDADU.  Wow!  What is it that you guys hate about ADToE?  Is it just the clown?

[Train of Naught]

I don't mind simplicity, but the unicyclist just feels like a "The First Chapter" rip-off, and there's not much to say about the background either. However, I agree WDADU is worse.

[nattmorker]

Train of Thought / Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Scenes from a Memory
Systematic Chaos
Dream Theater
Falling into Infinity
Octavarium
Awake
A Dramatic Turn of Events
Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Images and Words
When Dream and Day Unite

[54_diplomats]

I really thought no one was going to put anything lower that WDADU.  Wow!  What is it that you guys hate about ADToE?  Is it just he clown?

I don't know. I just don't like it.

[krands85]

The only two I particularly like are Octavarium and the self-titled. Don't think I could really put together an overall ranking other than having those 2 at the top.

[CharlesPL]

1. Awake
2. IaW + ACoS
3. SFAM
4. 8V
5. WDaDU
6. BC&SL
7.FII
8. SDoIT
9. DT12
10. ToT
11. ADToE
12. SC

[Pax]

From best to worst:

If my prediction is right, and that amazing dt.net/theastonishing background is actually the artwork, it would be no 2

Awake
SC
SFAM
IAW
TOT
BC&SL
ADTOE
SDOIT
WDADU
Octavarium
FII
DT

[Kotowboy]

Octavarium.

[CDrice]

I'm pretty bad at ranking things, but here's a general idea.

Favorites: Six Degrees of Iner Turbulence, Black Clouds and Silver Linings
Like: Images and Words, Scenes from a Memory, Train of Thought, Octavarium, A Dramatic Turn of Events, Dream Theater
Meh: When Dream and Day Unite, Awake, Falling into Infinity, Systematic Chaos.

[TheCountOfNYC]

Scenes From a Memory
Octavarium
Train of Thought
Images and Words
Awake
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Systematic Chaos
Dream Theater
Black Clouds & Silver Linings
A Dramatic Turn of Events
Falling Into Infinity
When Dream and Day Unite

[jakepriest]

1. Scenes From A Memory


2. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
3. Train of Thought
4. Octavarium
5. A Dramatic Turn of Events
6. Black Clouds and Silver Linings
7. Images and Words

8. Systematic Chaos
9. Awake
10. Falling Into Infinity
11. DT12
12. WDADU

[Nearmyth]

I tend to prefer covers that convey/elicit some sort of emotion, so I haven't really liked any DT covers since Six Degrees.

1. Scenes From A Memory - is by far the best cover
2. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence - reallyyy cool artwork
3. Train Of Thought
4. Images And Words
5. Awake
6. A Dramatic Turn Of Events

The rest I can't really care to rank as I don't care for them, except maybe DT12.

[IDontNotDoThings]

1. Awake
2. Systematic Chaos
3. Train Of Thought
4. Scenes From A Memory
5. Black Clouds & Silver Linings
6. Falling Into Infinity
7. Octavarium
8. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
9. Images & Words
10. A Dramatic Turn Of Events
11. When Dream & Day Unite
12. Dream Theater

[Stadler]

1. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
2. Train Of Thought
3. Black Clouds & Silver Linings
4. Octavarium
5. Scenes From A Memory
6. Images and Words
7. Awake
8. Falling Into Infinity
9. Systematic Chaos
10. A Dramatic Turn Of Events
11. Dream Theater
12. When Dream & Day Unite


Any of the first four are interchangeable with each other.
Any of the second five are interchangeable with each other.
The last three are pretty much as they are.

[Destiny Of Chaos]

SFAM
ToT
8VM
BC&SL
FII
DT12
SC
Awake
I&W
6DoIT
ADToE
WDADU

[DragonAttack]

1a. Octavarium (color, concept, imagery, music)
1b. A Dramatic Turn of Events (see above...and, ....so that's what the little boy is looking at through the open door on BC&SL)
1c. Scenes from a Memory (their best)

4.  Images and Words
5.  Six Degrees
6.  Dream Theater (yeah, it's so simple, but.....it looks great on tshirts....)

7.  Black Clouds (everything seems so distant, as does the music and lyrics)
8.  Falling Into Infinity (to think the band didn't have enough control to get the band font on the cover)

9.  Systematic Chaos
10. Train of Thought (cold and metallic, which does fit the music)
11.  Awake (I like the idea(s), but the presentation doesn't quite work for me)

12. WDADU

[If there's another category for live LPs, I like 'Score' and 'Luna Park', with  LIVEtime being in an all-time 'worst of' list]

[MHStrawn]

1.  Octavarium - 8
2.  BC&SL - 8:  my least favorite album has the best cover
3.  I&W - 7
4.  Awake - 6
5.  SFAM - 6
6.  TOT - 6
7.  SC - 6
8.  ADTOE - 6
9.  ACOS - 5
10. DT - 5
11. FII - 4
12. WDADU - 3
13. SDOIT - 2

[EraVulgaris]

I used to like the Octavarium cover a lot, but I just can't unsee that the far right string is too short. Therefore, my new favorite is BC&SL. I also like SFAM and TOT quite a bit. DT12 is the worst.

[hefdaddy42]

SFAM is the best.

WDADU is the worst.

[AboutToCrash]

Is there an actual meaning behind the ADTOE artwork? Does the guy on the tightrope about to snap signify the bands future "in the balance" or "hanging by a thread"? or did Hugh Syme just knock it up with no apparent meaning?

[Calvin6s]

1. SFAM
2. 6DoIT
3. Octavarium
4. Systematic Chaos
5. WDADU
6. FII
7. Awake
8. I&W
9. ADToE
10. BC&SL
11. ACoS
12. ToT
13. DT12

Don't get the hate for WDaDU cover.  DT12 is just so generic.  Disliked ToT cover the moment I saw it.  Some I like the color scheme, but not the content

SFAM and 6DoIT are classics.

[1neeto]

WDADU is the best. The hell you all hating?

[EraVulgaris]

Is there an actual meaning behind the ADTOE artwork? Does the guy on the tightrope about to snap signify the bands future "in the balance" or "hanging by a thread"? or did Hugh Syme just knock it up with no apparent meaning?

Not sure if there is a deeper meaning behind it, but it fits the title (the guy is about to experience A Dramatic Turn Of Events *roll credits*)

[Rodni Demental]

Best album covers: I&W, Awake, SC, BC&SL

Pretty cool: 8vm

Average: DT12, FII

I'm fairly indifferent to SFAM and SDOIT style, they work but the imagery doesn't do much for me.

Worst: WDADU, ACOS

What's left ah... TOT and ADTOE. Yeah, I could barely remember those ones so I suppose they're not exactly memorable, not the worst though. Clearly I like the ones with random images scattered ambiguously, dunno why. Guess they're more fun to look at long term?

[BlobVanDam]

Is there an actual meaning behind the ADTOE artwork? Does the guy on the tightrope about to snap signify the bands future "in the balance" or "hanging by a thread"? or did Hugh Syme just knock it up with no apparent meaning?

I believe the tightrope idea was supposed to fit with the album's original title of Bridges in the Sky. As to why it's a unicycling clown? No idea on that one.

[mikeyd23]

I'd have to think a lot about actually ranking them all out, but off the top of my head, SDOIT is great and SFAM is too.

[noxon]

My fav DT cover is FII.

I have problems with SFAM and TOT in that they were based on existing work. That doesn't mean the covers aren't good, they're just... hmm, lazy?

I mean, this image hang in art museums already in the nineties..

It's the same reason I'm not particularly fond of the Hugh Syme artworks - they're kind of lazy and rushed, where fans time and time again find flaws that they have to fix before print... (remember octavarium "lines" being just single stroke photoshop lines that werent even drawn straight).