This is the Life appreciation thread

[CrimsonE]

Wow. Just wow.  I always knew DT had it in them to create the perfect ballad, but in the past, they had fallen somewhat short.  The closest was their live version of Hollow Years, but that was largely because of JP's amazing electric soloing, not found on the original song.

But here is an absolutely genius piece of work with some of JLB's best vocals to date, a lush textured sound, and my god--can JP's solo from  4:25- 5:05 be any more spectacular?  JP has had flashes of truly emotional playing that ranks up with Joe Satriani, David Gilmour and Criss Oliva at their best, but the solo here really slays just about everything he's done in the past. 

And if that wasn't amazing enough, there are the lyrics, which are among the most poignant and relevant the band has ever done. 

Hats off to to the band for putting together one of the best songs in the catalog.  I can only hope to hear that slice of heaven live when I see them next month.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Amazing song.

[Liberation]

Agreed, it's excellent. It was a great surprise since I expected a typical quiet ballad a bit like The Answer Lies Within after the snippet and... wow.

I'd love if they closed concerts with it.

[SupermanJLU]

My favorite ballad on ADTOE and maybe my favorite DT ballad ever.

[Ben_Jamin]

Love his vocals on the last chorus.

[Jamesman42]

Great song. MP keeps it nice and simple.

[Priest of Syrinx]

Great song. MP keeps it nice and simple.

[OsMosis2259]

Not sure why this song doesn't get any love! About time for an appreciation thread

Love the main riff and it's legendary when it comes back again at the outro. Love the chorus especially the last one.

[Ultimetalhead]

The part from the solo to the end is a constant stream of awesomeness. I especially love the "What will they say after you're gone" part where it resolves up to the chorus.

Definitely one of the hidden gems on the album, wedged in between two epics.

[Scooterfruit]

Listened to it twice back to back on the way home from school. Love it!!!

[3xodus]

Best song on the album imo.. As soon as I throw on ADTOE this is the first song I skip to.

[KevShmev]

This song just keeps getting better and better.  This might end up being my 2nd favorite.  I love everything about it.

[Zydar]

A great song, the 2nd best ballad on ADTOE (after BTS).

[BlobVanDam]

Not sure why this song doesn't get any love!

You haven't been reading my posts hard enough!

This is definitely one of my favourites on the album, probably second, maybe even first. JP's guitar work is amazing, and the vocals are some of the best on the album. It's a well constructed "shorter" song, with a couple of nice touches to keep it DT.

[m0hawk]

It's quite the pleasant song. The only thing I dislike about it is the intro/outro acoustic guitar riff. Everything else is quite emotional.

[ariich]

Really gorgeous song, and I adore the way it builds up. Third favourite on the album.

[Phoenix87x]

I love this song, especially the intro 

[tri.ad]

Terrific song, and one of DT's best ballads so far. I really enjoy everyone's performance during that song, but the piano solo is especially beautiful.

[shantustarsun]

JP's solo at 4:23 may be one of his best!

[stryker]

A great song, the 2nd best ballad on ADTOE (after BTS).

+1.  Definitely a great ballad for sure!

[Zook]

Just got chills during the final chorus. I love this song.

[?]

A great song, the 2nd best ballad on ADTOE (after BTS).

[Orbert]

Great song. MP keeps it nice and simple.

Wot?

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

trolololojames

[kirksnosehair]

My favorite Dream Theater ballad since "The Spirit Carries On"

[FretMuppet]

Best. Climax. Ever.

[JPX]

DT definitely scores an A+ for This is the Life. Great song from beginning to end, and such a soaring lead from JP.

[Panic Attacker]

This is definitely a song that can be construed  as a song dedicate to MP, from the band's point of view.

[AngelBack]

Frustrating thing about this song is that just when I think I have my top 3 songs on the album figured out, I listen to this again and....back to square one.

[senecadawg2]

It is a great song, with a great solo. However, I probably wouldn't say it's my favorite ballad on the album (see BTS), and definitely not my all-time favorite DT ballad (see Disappear).

[N4Player]

Favourite ballad on the album. Loved it on first listen.

[fibreoptix]

You know, it's funny. When I heard the snippet for this song, it was the first snippet that didn't do a single thing for me. I had this song pegged as a definite skipper. But after hearing the entire thing in the context of both it's composition and the entire album, I have to admit this is my favourite song on the album. Glorious stuff. Good lyrics, good music, good solo... ticks all the boxes.

[kartmaze2]

Favourite ballad on the album. Loved it on first listen.

+1

[hefdaddy42]

Well, it's just gorgeous.

[Mladen]

It truly is a good song, but there's one section that brings it down and stops it from being perfect - it's the verse before the guitar solo. It just drags and it's not nearly as beautiful, melodic or memorable as the rest of the song. Everything else is really wonderful, though, especially the lyrics and LaBrie's performance.