Onno's Top 51 DT songs v. This story ends where it began

[Onno]

Here are some picks that some people may not agree with.

35. Sacrificed Sons
I've always loved this song. Perfect leadup to Octavarium! The lyrics are good, and I love the epic buildup in the song. The instrumental section is great and isn't pointless at all. And although James' vocals aren't really understandable at times (not as bad as in Innocence Faded though), they're still very good at the least. I love this song, it's like a mini-epic.

34. The Ministry of Lost Souls
Speaking about pointless instrumental sections... This song definitely has one, but I don't give a shit. I love this song. The lyrics are cool and James' vocals are fantastic. It's so beautiful! I can understand some of the hate for it, but I still think it's a bit underrated.

33. Raise the Knife
Here's a personal favourite of mine. Another song that I haven't heard before when I first listened to Score, and it's fantastic. James' performance is obviously much better than on the FII demos though. Anyway, this should really have been on FII instead of YNM. It's a fantastic song with great performances by all band members. Its style is very alike to the better songs on FII, but it doesn't throw away almost every aspect of the DT core sound like YNM and Just Let Me Breathe do. It's just a fantastic song.

[DebraKadabra]

Not too keen on SS/TMOLS, but RtK is outstanding.

[BlobVanDam]

I think RTK is decent, but I much rather it being left off FII.
I think SS is great (including the instrumental section), and TMOLS is always better than I recall, although never a favourite. As for the instrumental, yeah it does drag, which does bring it down, but the rest of the song is great.

[?]

Here are some picks that some people may not agree with.

Well, your prediction was right! Raise the Knife isn't bad but it's a bit uninteresting musically and I don't like the lyrics. TMOLS suffers from the "2 songs glued together" syndrome; I like the ballady main part, but when the instrumental section begins I'm like "Noooo, why did you do that?!" However, Sacrificed Sons is a good pick, I like it better than the overrated title-track of Octavarium. *puts flameshield on*

[Nekov]

Raise the Knife is a nice song

[Onno]

Another update

32. Peruvian Skies
A simple yet great song. Just like RtK, it manages to maintain the DT core sound but also adopts a simpler style. A lot of Pink Floyd and Metallica influences can be heard in this song, which becomes even clearer when you listen to the live version from OIALT. It's just a fantastic song with a great buildup.

31. Surrounded
Another beautiful song. I don't think of it as a ballad, but it's also obviously not a normal prog song like PMU; it's something in between. The lyrics are great, James' vocals are great, keys and guitars are great, everything is great, and it really deserves to be this high.

30. The Killing Hand
DT's first epic. Although not as mature as for example ACOS, it's still a great epic. I like the lyrics, it's a cool story. I rarely listen to WDADU, I prefer WDADR. But for TKH, I prefer LATM or Live in New York '93. Those 2 versions are just too great, 'cause James sings his balls off and it's absolutely amazing. As for the acoustic intro or Another Hand, I don't really care. Both are great.

[Ruba]

TKH is about 15 places too low, but I like the batch.

[MoraWintersoul]

Someone said AH/TKH? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep2vadeM9nY
Yes in this song's general direction.

[BlobVanDam]

I love Peruvian Skies and Surrounded. The Marquee version of TKH ain't bad either (my gawd those vocals), but the studio version is not something I can listen to at all, and the vocals and melodies are terrible. One of the many songs on the album that just was not written with Dominici in mind at all.

[DebraKadabra]

32. Peruvian Skies

Massively underrated song is massively underrated.

[Onno]

Thanks for the responses guys


29. The Dark Eternal Night
Fuck you, haters! This song is epic. I even like the lyrics! It's a very heavy song with some sick instrumental song. Just the way it starts and the main riff are epic enough to blow your balls of. The middle instrumental section is fantastic. I like the JLB/MP vocal tradeoffs, they fit the song very well. And lastly, there's the outro, which is the perfect outro for this song. The heaviness combined with Jordan's solo is just amazing.

28. A Nightmare to Remember
I suspect there's more hate incoming! BC&SL was the first DT album I ever heard and thus ANTR was the first DT song I ever heard. I was blown away by this song, everything was perfect. And after 3.5 years of listening to DT, my love for this song may have decreased a little, but it's still this high in my top 50. Yes, the instrumentals at the end are a bit too long. But who cares? I like the story this song tells, even if the lyrics are a bit cheesy sometimes. The intro is fantastic, everything afterwards until the mellow part is great, and then it turns epic. The mellow part has some great lyrics and vocals and great playing by everyone. It's just a fantastic song. And I even like MP's cookie vocals!

27. Strange Déjà-Vu
I almost combined this one and Regression/Overture 1928 as one song, but that was a bit too much. Anyway, this song is a great leadup to those tracks and a great introduction to the story of the album. Overall, it's just a short perfect song!

[Sycsa]

And I even like MP's cookie vocals!

Until this day I thought I was the only one who liked that part, along with the blast beat. It always gets me fired up. Didn't like how Mike sang it live though, that's the real cookie monster. lt's also one of his best drumming performances, no wonder they used the song for the auditions.

[Elite]

!!

[BlobVanDam]

Woo! Great choices!
TDEN and ANTR are both hugely underrated songs, and are both excellent. I agree that ANTR's instrumental section is longer than it needs to be, and doesn't add a lot, but it doesn't detract for me either.
And Strange Deja Vu is awesome too.

[Onno]

And I even like MP's cookie vocals!

Until this day I thought I was the only one who liked that part, along with the blast beat. It always gets me fired up. Didn't like how Mike sang it live though, that's the real cookie monster. lt's also one of his best drumming performances, no wonder they used the song for the auditions.

!!

Woo! Great choices!
TDEN and ANTR are both hugely underrated songs, and are both excellent. I agree that ANTR's instrumental section is longer than it needs to be, and doesn't add a lot, but it doesn't detract for me either.
And Strange Deja Vu is awesome too.

Another update will arrive tonight or tomorrow.

[DebraKadabra]

TDEN and ANTR are both hugely underrated songs, and are both excellent. I agree that ANTR's instrumental section is longer than it needs to be, and doesn't add a lot, but it doesn't detract for me either.

I'm with Blob on both TDEN and ANTR.

[BlobVanDam]

TDEN and ANTR are both hugely underrated songs, and are both excellent. I agree that ANTR's instrumental section is longer than it needs to be, and doesn't add a lot, but it doesn't detract for me either.

I'm with Blob on both TDEN and ANTR.

Hey, we agree on several DT related things, such as I believe ACOS and SDV.

[DebraKadabra]

That much is indeed true.  That was fake shock btw, but you can't green-text an emote.

[BlobVanDam]

Oh I know, I just like to remind myself that occasionally people agree with me.

[DebraKadabra]

 

[Onno]

Hey people, here's another update.

26. Stream of Consciousness
This song is DT's best instrumental by far, and it's godly. It is the perfect followup to Vacant and a great prelude to ITNOG. Those three songs in a row have such a fantastic flow! This song has the trademark ToT heaviness. It's a long instrumental, but it never ever becomes dull or even slightly less interesting. My favourite part is probably the whole section from 3:30 on, the one with the EPIC guitar and keyboard solos. The guitar solo at 3:50 is one of my favourite shredding solos of all time. And the section in the middle with the slightly slower feel is just awesome as well. Great song.

25. Beneath the Surface
The perfect album closer for ADTOE. I love how the song sounds so happy, but the lyrics are actually pretty dark. Jordan's thingy solo in the middle part sounded kinda weird to me at first, but when I listened to the song more, I started to really like it. I love James' vocals here, especially the last parts. It's just an amazing song and one of DT's best ballads.

24. Take The Time
Few people will disagree with me on this one I think. It's just an amazing song, and I can't really think of a thing in the song I don't like. The lyrics are some of DT's best and everyone is just once again performing top notch here. I also really like the Freebird section they played as an extension of this song on OIALT.

[Scorpion]

Three great songs! Though I disagree on your assessment of SoC, while the first half is completely amazing, the second half leaves a little to be desired and does drag a little. You're right about the guitar solo, though, that's fucking killer.

The other two are amazing as well. Great to see some appreciation for BtS.

[Full Speed]

Love Beneath the Surface. My favorite Dream Theater song by far. Don't care too much for the other two.

[BlobVanDam]

Take The Time is in my top 5, and SOC is great.
Don't care for BTS at all though. One of DT's weakest ballads imo (aside from the great bridge section with the keyboard solo), and a weak ending to ADTOE.

[?]

BTS helped me through a sad time in my life upon its release and I still love it - easily one of DT's best ballads and I like how it broke the pattern of always having the longest song as the album closer.

[Lolzeez]

Three great songs! Though I disagree on your assessment of SoC, while the first half is completely amazing, the second half leaves a little to be desired and does drag a little. You're right about the guitar solo, though, that's fucking killer.

The other two are amazing as well. Great to see some appreciation for BtS.

[Sycsa]

Jordan's thingy solo in the middle part sounded kinda weird to me at first, but when I listened to the song more, I started to really like it.

It's the highlight of the song. Jordan took a page out of Keith Emerson's book, just listen to Lucky Man.

[Onno]

Love Beneath the Surface. My favorite Dream Theater song by far. Don't care too much for the other two.

Completely unrelated to your comment: COOKIE MONSTER!

Take The Time is in my top 5, and SOC is great.
Don't care for BTS at all though. One of DT's weakest ballads imo (aside from the great bridge section with the keyboard solo), and a weak ending to ADTOE.

Well, it's not my favourite ballad... (hint hint)

Anyway guys, yesterday I discovered that by mistake I had thought I had already included a certain song in my top 50. As I looked through my list I discovered I hadn't. Coincidentally, I would probably place it either directly above or below Take The Time (depends on mood), so here goes:

25/23. Endless Sacrifice

This song is great. It combines some really beautiful instrumentals with great vocals and lyrics, it's almost a ballad. The chorus is fantastic and is the first sign of the song slowly turning into a more metal song. The instrumental section is gorgeous, and the riffs are nice and heavy. The last part of the song is great too. It's just a great song that I'd forgotten about until I heard it live in 2011. That was great!

[Full Speed]

My favorite from TOT. From when the vocals kick in after the instramental to the end of the song is one of their best outros ever imo.

[hefdaddy42]

I like the main parts of the song, and I like the instrumental section, but I think they fit poorly together.

I still like it.

[Lolzeez]

My favorite from TOT. From when the vocals kick in after the instramental to the end of the song is one of their best outros ever imo.

Agreed.

[?]

Good song, almost ended up in my top 50 - the instrumental section is weaker than the other parts though.

[MoraWintersoul]

Endless Sacrifice was also in my top 50 and I totally support the appreciation for it, it's just a great DT song.

[Onno]

Update time!

23. Space-Dye Vest
My second favourite DT ballad. It's so incredibly emotional and dark. It's the perfect ending to Awake and the KM era. The only complaint I have about this song really is the samples. I like their inclusion but there are a bit too many of them.

22. Disappear
...and my favourite DT ballad. This song is so amazing. It sounds really REALLY dark and depressed; so much that I hated it when I first listened to it. I skipped it every time on SDOIT. And then one day I woke up to find I listened to it again and I absolutely loved it. The lyrics are some of the saddest lyrics I've ever seen/heard. But the best part of this song is the atmosphere. It's so desperate and dark, but also very beautiful. And the last lines by James... "Let them come take you home....."

21. Under A Glass Moon
epic intro - brilliant instrumental shit - brilliant vocals - instrumental fills - more epic vocals - epic chorus - more brilliant instrumental shit - more epic vocals - another epic chorus - cool instrumental section with epic keys - WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYkasdsdsdmkkgdkgkdgkkkgkksmksiyieieieeieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeieeieieiiieieisdiwooowoowwowwoawaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaawldlddldldldldllfooeoeoooooooooooooooefoeofeooeoooeooooooowowowowowowooowowowwowowowoooooooooowwoowoooowowowowowowowwodsleieiieieiieieieieieieiiielalallalaiiieieeieielalalalalalaowooeeoeeeeldwldowoowowowwwowoweoielwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhwiiiiiiiiiwoowowdwdwdwd (yep, guitar solo) - more instrumental shit - epic keys solo!!!11!! - more instrumental shit - epic chorus - intro reprise in outro - STAHP
And it's even better on Score!

[?]

SDV =  , UAGM =  and Disappear is good, but lacks something that would make it better than just good in my eyes.