1. The Astonishing
2. Dream Theater
3. A Dramatic Turn of Events
4.. Systematic Chaos
5.. Black Clouds and Silver Linings
Top 10:
1. Bridges in the Sky
2. Our New World
3. The Count of Tuscany
4. In The Presence of Enemies
5. Illumination Theory
6. Breaking All Illusions
7. The Shattered Fortress
8. The Gift of Music
9. The Bigger Picture
10. The Answer/A Savior in the Square/When You Time Has Come
Disc 1 of TA is really what puts it at the top. Disc 2 has great songs, but disc 1 is more memorable. The simplicity along with that beautiful orchestra give TA the edge for top ranking as an album. Overall I'd say the Roadrunner years were/are good, but unlike an almost flawless 90s/early 2000s output, it's too much of a mixed bag.
Quick runthrough:
SC:
ITPOE - Awesome
Forsaken - Although not a bad song, what hurts it the most is that it's boring!
Constant Motion - Pretty good rocker I suppose, but not one I tend to go back to very often.
The Dark Eternal Night - I like it
Repentance - I like it
POW - I HATE IT
TMOLS - When the only good part of the song is the out of place instrumental section, that's not a good thing.
BC&SL:
ANTR - I like this song up until the trade off solos.
AROP - Boring, but I like the solos up until the bebot.
Wither - It's pretty good I guess.
The Shattered Fortress - Love it, although admittingly it loses steam after Jordan's solo, which I like.
TBOT - I don't care for it.
TCOT - Love it, cheese and all.
ADTOE:
OTBOA - Boring. Pull Me Under is better
BMUBMD - I barely remember what this sounds like
LNF - Under a Glass Moon is better.
TITL - Great song
BITS - LOVE IT
Outcry - Metropolis is- OK, these two aren't entirely structurally similar, but Outcry is just kinda boring.
FFH - Eh, it's OK.
BAI - Love it, but Learning to Live is better. Although again, not a straight structural rip off.
BTS - Eh, it's... OK
DT12:
FAS - Cool. I love symphonic Metal.
TEI - Great song.
TLG - Good song
EM - Kinda blah. Plus the shuffle on my phone killed this song for me.
TBP - Great song
BTV - Good song
STR - Good song
AFTR - It's alright.
IT - Love it.
The Astonishing - I'll just list my favorite songs:
The Gift of Music
The Answer
Lord Nafaryus
ASITS/WYTHC
Act of Faythe
Three Days
ALLB
Chosen
MoB
TPTD
Our New World