Octavaripolis DREAM THEATER TOP 50 LIST (Beware of the prog)

[Octavaripolis]

50. Panic Attack

Well, welcome to my list of amazing prog-lovin'! I will write about my 50 favorite Dream Theater songs in this post, in order and stuff! (No shit sherlock)

It's really cool that this is the first on my list because it's probably the song title that describes my feelings about writing this list better than any other song titles of DT. When I first heard this song I really didn't like it all, mostly because of that sloppy bass-intro.. But as I listened more and more to Octavarium as a whole, my appreciation for this song just grown and grown and now I just appreciate it as the straight forward rocker it is. James LaBrie also does a great job on this song, definitely one of my favorite vocal performances of his in this song. Also Jordan Rudess is really showing off some amazing orchestral patches and that is so amazing as a contrast to the crazy keys-solo later on in the song. Summary: The song from an album with tons of great rockers, but still manages to win my heart. 

[Octavaripolis]

Also, all replies are welcome. 

[The Stray Seed]

Actually, I didnt' like it at first either. But not because of the bass intro, which is awesome IMO, but because of the Muse-ish vocals. But it actually grew on me and now I think it's a good song, one of the best off of Octavarium, I would say #2 behind the title track, maybe tied with These Walls.

[BlobVanDam]

Loved Panic Attack from the start when it was released as a single. I was actually a little disappointed that the rest of the album wasn't anything like it. Nice start.

[Scorpion]

What's sloppy about the bass intro? Anyway, Panic Attack is pleasant enough. Nothing great, but a good song. I love the "Run, try to hide" part.

[?]

Are you going to reveal just one song at a time? That's a pretty slow pace, unless you post multiple writeups per day.

[Zydar]

I've heard/read that this is the only song where JM plays with a pick. Can someone confirm this?

[BlobVanDam]

I've heard/read that this is the only song where JM plays with a pick. Can someone confirm this?

He also played the outro of TDEN with a pick, I think. I do recall Panic Attack being a big deal because he used a pick though, so I think it may have been the first, and thus only one at the time it came out. I'm not aware of any other instances, although I'm not 100% on it.

[Octavaripolis]

49. As I Am

Oh, I spy with my little eye: Another DT-rocker!
John Myung.. You little charming intro-man.. You literally (almost) make me forget all sad things in my life, on this planet and the fact that Adrenaline Mob is a terrible joke of a band with that bass-intro. God damn it John. If you keep this up I'll probably be a bloody optimist in a couple of years. It's a shame that the actual song doesn't match that bass-intro. But it's a really good song. But seriously DAMN JOHN. That bass-intro.. Are you trying to seduce me? When I first played Train of Thought through my stereo my face turned all red and all my clothes kind of fell of and landed on the floor.

On a more serious note, Mike Portnoy also does some amazing work in this song with groove. One of his best, in my honest opinion. But that doesn't really matter because it's like having a sex with a fat chick right after you've seen the most gorgeous chick walking past you on the street. The sex with the fat chick is nice, but damn.. It doesn't compare to that fantastic femme fatale that you'll be dreaming of in the next five years.

On an even more serious note, this song is one of the few none-I&W songs that I accept as an encore. It's really great live and if you haven't seen it in concert you better hope that they play it the next time they hit your hometown.

Summary: Bass.

[Octavaripolis]

Also, I might vary between multiple posts per day and one. It all depends on how long they are.

[Sycsa]

Holy shit, I love this! 

[Zydar]

You had me at bass

[Octavaripolis]

Holy shit, I love this! 

Thank you!

[MoraWintersoul]

you better hope that they play it the next time they hit your hometown somewhere not too far away from your home COUNTRY at least.

Fat chicks can be femme fatalles, just saying other than that, lovin' your writeups.

[BlobVanDam]

I didn't understand any part of that post. Except for the bit where you chose "As I Am". And that's a great song. So I'm ok with that part.

[DebraKadabra]

I didn't understand any part of that post. Except for the bit where you chose "As I Am". And that's a great song. So I'm ok with that part.

Yep.

Good start though - Panic Attack AND As I Am.

[GasparXR]

But seriously DAMN JOHN. That bass-intro.. Are you trying to seduce me? When I first played Train of Thought through my stereo my face turned all red and all my clothes kind of fell of and landed on the floor.

Great start to your list! Panic Attack was my very first DT song, but it's not even close to being my favourite now. I don't even really feel anything special for it, but it's a good song. As I Am is REALLY good though, and I agree about the bass intro, although the bass/static/bell intro in the Glass Prison outclasses it by a bit. I feel like they almost copied the idea over from the previous album, starting with bass and entering heavy.

[Octavaripolis]

48. A Fortune In Lies

Hmm.. The first song on my list from the infamous WDADU arrives!
One major problem that most fans (myself included) have with this album is it's low production-quality. But this song actually makes use of that, without intention I am guessing. What's so cool about this song is that it's really RAW. Raw Dog might try to tell us it's raw in its title but in comparison to this piece the dog is as raw as Mike Manginis smile.. Another odd thing that makes this song stands out is that I actually prefer it with Dominici on vocals. He does an all-round job on this song in my opinion and that is actually a pretty cool effort for Charlie.

But the low production of this album does not only benefit it.. If you learn the song on guitar you'll notice how complex a lot of these riffs are. But they just don't get the proper attention they should because of the low production. A great example of this is the riff is that kicks about 1 minute into the song, a really cool and innovative riff but the recording doesn't really do it justice because it's not that prominent in the mix. Also, the drumming is amazing. Mike Portnoy really knows how to play extremely complex rhythms and make them as smooth as your standard drummers 4/4-beat. The breakdown at about 3 minutes in is also amazing as a build-up to the guitarsolo. I really like it when the keys kick in at the breakdown. This solo is yet another example of how talented and skilled John Petrucci is. It really succeeds with the combination of melodic playing at the outro-chorus and the superfast shredding and sweeping in the middle.

It's also a great album opener, a lot better as an opener than more popular songs like Pull Me Under and The Root of All Evil.

Summary: Rawer than Raw Dog.

[Octavaripolis]

(I accidentally just posted 47.. I guess that means I'll have to post it without removing it later today..)

[DebraKadabra]

Are you going to reveal just one song at a time? That's a pretty slow pace, unless you post multiple writeups per day.

Especially since Destiny of Chaos can request moderator intervention if the list is going too slow.

NOT that it's gotten to that point, mind - just pointing it out.

[Octavaripolis]

47. Peruvian Skies

This is such a great diverse song that just feels very standard, and given in a list like this. It's simply a good Dream Theater song despite being kind of a Metallica-deja vu. Another thing about this song that one should really learn appreciate is the lyrics. They might be kind of hard to interpret but I am mainly pointing out the actual poetry of these lyrics. Read them out loud to yourself and I bet you'll understand what I am talking about. It's also one of the more "metal"-songs of FII, which makes it quite a breeze! This song combines the mysterious sounding Falling Into Infinity-tone and the raw, badass Awake-tone. Great song.

I also love that there are two guitar tracks during the soft part, the arpeggio-thingy (which is AMAZING) and some distorted power chords underneath. That really creates a cool vibe. OH AND THAT SHERINIAN KEYBOARD-LINE AT 2:30!(!!) That's so amazing. He does a lot of amazing keyboard-lines on this track. He really brings the track up to a whole different level. Portnoys drumming during the heavier part is also excellent, it's just so tight and complex at the same time. It's during beats like that I miss Portnoy. The solo is just very Petrucci, it feels like home. What makes it so great is that it really makes the song much more core-dream theater. If John Petrucci had laid a more shred-filled solo it'd feel a lot less like the band I love and a lot more like your generic metal band. First time around this song, I really had a hard time liking the metallica-ish after the solo but then comes that really cool harmonic stuff on the guitar about five minutes in to the song and that really makes me forgive those mediocre riffs.

Summary: Awake + Falling Into Infinity + Metallica = works for me.

[Octavaripolis]

46. Bridges In The Sky

This song always reminds of seeing DT live. I saw them in february 2012, and this song actually felt like such a classic opener, which seems rare for newer dt-songs. This song has such a natural DT-sound and I don't think there's one thing I'd complain about this song except the mixing of the drums, perhaps.. Another quite special thing about this song is that it feels very metal, but still manages grasp a lot of progressive stuff. It feels like Dream Theater took the greatest bits about Mike Portnoys attempt to transform them into more modern metal and mixed it down with some SFAM and IAW juice. And it's a good mixture of flavors. Another quite rare thing about this song is that it seems to be appreciated by almost everyone on the picky dreamtheaterforums.org which is very rare, especially when it's newer songs. But that might be because they would all be decapitated by me if they wouldn't show enough love for this song.

This one of those songs that makes me PROUD of Dream Theater because this is a new song and it still ROCKS as f**k! If someone ever says Dream Theater has lost their sting or something along the lines of that statement just answer by picking up your axe and start playing this. Finish your (hopefully) amazing performance by saying "This is a new Dream Theater-song, now let's go listen to Yes latest album and see how much sting they've got left.."

The transition between the guitar and keys-solos is actually kind of shockingly good, even for Dream Theater. The whole instrumental-section of this song is just amazing. Remember the unison that's just after the solos? It's probably on top five of Dream Theater-unisons. Another thing that makes this NEW song so amazing is Manginis excellent drum-playing.. There's just something so diverse about his playing, to go from the cowbell-beat on the last chorus to the bombastic beat at the very end is an amazing feat.

Summary: A song that makes me awfully proud to be apart of this proggy madness.

[DebraKadabra]

Peruvian Skies
Bridges

Both a bit low, but it's not my list.

[iamtheeviltwin]

Bridges is the best song on ADTOE.

Both BiTS and Peruvian Skies are strong metal songs.   

[senecadawg2]

Besides Panic Attack, all your picks have been good so far

[Octavaripolis]

45. This Is The Life

This song. Man oh man. This song really gives me shivers when they hit the chorus with the most power. This kind of gives me Another Day-vibes but without feeling cheesy (Trust me I love another day, that was not me harassing that song) with a sax solo and all. It's kind of amazing that Dream Theater can write songs with lyrics this serious and that still doesn't make me feeling like a belong on a plate with some crackers on the side.

One of the best thing about this song is the smooth transition from the arpeggiated guitar-intro to the more dramatic part with the guitar theme. The dynamics of this song is absolutely amazing. John Myung also does some amazing work in the verses with his absolutely smooth bass-line. But that doesn't mean it feels forced, it's just very smooth. The Guitar solo is also top notch, one of the better ones on this album. The guitar solo itself is also amazingly dynamic.                                             
Summary: This is the song we belong to

[DebraKadabra]

Definitely underrated, that song is.

[GasparXR]

Definitely underrated, that song is.

Most certainly! It has been compared to Another Day, but I really don't think it sounds anything like it. Another Day has the 80s ballad vibe (could have been bad, but turned out excellent) whereas this sounds more like what you'd expect from a power ballad by Dream Theater, without being stale. The bridge after the second chorus is where the song starts getting really awesome, followed by one of the best solos from the album and the third, extended chorus.

[DebraKadabra]

Exactly.

[Destiny Of Chaos]

Is this still happening?

[Destiny Of Chaos]

This list is being put on hold. Please let me know when you have the time to continue. In the mean time, I'm going to let someone else start their list.

[Octavaripolis]

Sorry guys, I am currently doing extra work at the docks.. It's really wearing me out