The 'Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (album)' Appreciation Thread

[Mister Gold]

Amazing album. Sounds fresh every time I listen to it. Flips between 1st and 2nd in my rankings.

Definitely! I think the musical experimentation that the band did on this album has a lot to do with that. There's always something new to pick up on any of the songs on that album, and it's probably the best representation of what I personally think progressive music is all about: surprises and exploring all sorts of soundscapes. 

[Octawakeimages]

Such a great album.  Just listened to it all the way through again.  So much talent in this band,  can't wait to see what they have in store for us this September!!     

[black_biff_stadler]

I've always viewed it as two separate albums. I love disc 1 except for Disappear because TGP is a thorough pleasure to listen to and is their signature metal opus, accept no substitutes. Blind Faith really taps into that soothing, uplifting and energetic vibe that LTE had on Universal Mind's middle section (piano break all the way through the key/axe harmony on top of MP's double bass part.) Misunderstood can be a tad boring for me but the chorus hits particularly hard coming right on the heels of the mellow verses and I really like the outro's dated harmonizer sounds. TGD is flat-out awesome. Fuck Tool. I don't care about the 46&2 comparisons, Danny Carey is the only member of that band that could even play in a DT cover band. And yes, I like them but find them badly overrated. Back to TGD, I love its intensity, buildup, and awesome solo section. I'm not gonna waste my time shitting on Disappear since I know most of y'all like it.

As for disc 2...

Overture has some ear-pleasing disneycore but is so herky jerky at times that it feels more like a rough draft. ATC has its moments so I'm kinda neutral with it. Movements 3-7 are all pretty enjoyable for me except for GK with Solitary Shell being my absolute fave from all of disc 2. I also really like the dramatic middle part to ATC reprise. GF bores me miserably and having the final minute being a single fading chord disappointed the shit out of me.

All in all, I like the album well and if I could swap Disappear for Solitary Shell and treat it as a single disc, it'd easily make my top 3 or 4.

[The Letter M]

I've always viewed it as two separate albums.

I always find statements like this odd. Had the physical medium upon which the album was released contained ALL SIX songs on a single disc, would this still be a thought?

I mean, did people in the 60'd/70'd view double-vinyl albums as "two albums"? Did people argue "LP1 of Tommy (or The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, or Tales From Topographic Oceans, etc. etc.) was better/worse than LP2?" Some of those albums, like Tommy, now fit on to ONE CD, so does it even matter anymore?

And in the digital age, where music can be released freed of the time-constraints of the physical medium, albums can be as long or short as they want and be viewed as a whole, and single album.

I always find it silly that people view SDOIT in this way because of how it was released on 2 CDs. It's a single album, but it just HAPPENED to be on two discs. If we had 100-minute CDs, it would've been a single album. On DVD-A discs, it would all fit on one disc. It just depends on the medium.

Either way, it just amuses me is all. I mean, at least arguments regarding whether or not the title track should be considered one song hold more credence than the whole "2 'albums' because it's on two discs" thing.

-Marc.

[black_biff_stadler]

Well, it sounds like you've got it all figured out and already know what I'm thinking. Stellar psychic work, good sir



Despite your presumptuous diatribe, I'll indulge you with some reasons:

1. Although it has a mixture of heavy and mellow like the first disc, it's way different in its overall sound since most of the songs don't have extended instrumental sections.

2. It also has a heavy emphasis on the theatrical vibe which makes it feel almost like some kind of movie soundtrack instead of being regular DT music.

3. Disc 2 is 42 minutes. Disc 1 is 54 minutes. This basically means there's almost the same run time for both so it's not like SDoIT (song) is some fleeting anomaly the way Disappear is a short ballad in the midst of disc 1's heavier tracks. Basically, it creates a near 50/50 balance to contrast disc 1 in a similar way to how Opeth's Damnation complements Deliverance.

[?]

TGD is flat-out awesome. Fuck Tool. I don't care about the 46&2 comparisons, Danny Carey is the only member of that band that could even play in a DT cover band. And yes, I like them but find them badly overrated. Back to TGD, I love its intensity, buildup, and awesome solo section.

Quoted for total agreement I also agree on the Misunderstood chorus, it's so crushing compared to the earlier parts of the song

[kirksnosehair]

*appreciates*


My absolute best Dream Theater live experience ever.   They were still doing "An Evening with Dream Theater" back then and I had front row center balcony at the Orpheum Theater in Boston.  The sound that night was incredible.  The album was brilliant and they played a ton of material from it, including the entire second disc to re-open the show after the intermission.


This album will probably always be somewhere in my top 3 from Dream Theater.   

[jdprsaga]

Ranked #1 for me.  Listening to it right now just because of this thread 

The experimentation on it it's what makes it the best, I'd love to see DT experimenting like this again. also what someone said before me, all songs are kind of different which makes it diverse and fresh.

missunderstood (what an atmosphere) -> the great debate  (great transition there); the test that stumped them all; goodnight kiss (that solo)  ->  solitary shell (another great transition here); diappear is a majestic song; all of them are superb which makes them my favorites songs in the album

I don't know if you guys will agree with me but in my opinion there is only one album compared to this one in terms of experimentation, when dream and day unite. But that one suffers from a bad production and sound quality so it makes it rank low, but lots of experimentation in there.

[hefdaddy42]

I've always viewed it as two separate albums.

I always find statements like this odd.

Me too.

I mean, hey, whatever, if you feel that way, you feel that way.  But I don't understand it at all.

[Mister Gold]

I've always viewed it as two separate albums.

I always find statements like this odd.

Me too.

I mean, hey, whatever, if you feel that way, you feel that way.  But I don't understand it at all.

Likewise.

Ranked #1 for me.  Listening to it right now just because of this thread 

The experimentation on it it's what makes it the best, I'd love to see DT experimenting like this again. also what someone said before me, all songs are kind of different which makes it diverse and fresh.

missunderstood (what an atmosphere) -> the great debate  (great transition there); the test that stumped them all; goodnight kiss (that solo)  ->  solitary shell (another great transition here); diappear is a majestic song; all of them are superb which makes them my favorites songs in the album

Yeah, I really hope the band does a lot of musical experimentation on the new album. I'm sure they could come up with all sorts of wacky surprises.

[PwnsomeWin]

Six Degrees is great. My favorite song off of it is Disappear (Yeah, not the title track). The whole album has a big variety, from heavy songs like Glass Prison and The Test That Stumped Them All, to quiet songs Disappear and Solitary Shell.

[VincentMDO]

Six Degrees is great. My favorite song off of it is Disappear (Yeah, not the title track). The whole album has a big variety, from heavy songs like As I Am and The Test That Stumped Them All, to quiet songs Disappear and Solitary Shell.

As I Am? LOL

But SDOIT is my #1 album.

[PwnsomeWin]

Six Degrees is great. My favorite song off of it is Disappear (Yeah, not the title track). The whole album has a big variety, from heavy songs like As I Am and The Test That Stumped Them All, to quiet songs Disappear and Solitary Shell.

As I Am? LOL

But SDOIT is my #1 album.

OOPS LOL. I meant The Glass Prison. How did I screw that up? xD

[Dublagent66]

Just a DT album song list GPS malfunction that's all.   

[Mister Gold]

Six Degrees is great. My favorite song off of it is Disappear (Yeah, not the title track). The whole album has a big variety, from heavy songs like Glass Prison and The Test That Stumped Them All, to quiet songs Disappear and Solitary Shell.

Disappear is awesome! But really, so is the rest of the album~

[ytserush]

Top 3 album along with When Dream and Day Unite and Octavarium.

[Mister Gold]

Top 3 album along with When Dream and Day Unite and Octavarium.

Nice.

~

On another note, I'm getting a female friend of mine in DT and Rush these days. She's already a Pink Floyd fan, and is quickly falling for both DT and Rush. Didn't take long for me to figure out what songs to recommend her to check out from Rush, but I took my time to give the best suggestions for DT. Ended up with the following: Trial of Tears, The Dance of Eternity, Learning To Live, Breaking All Illusions, On The Backs of Angels and the entirety of the album Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence.

Prog overload, or am I doing good?

[Octawakeimages]

Top 3 album along with When Dream and Day Unite and Octavarium.

Nice.

~

On another note, I'm getting a female friend of mine in DT and Rush these days. She's already a Pink Floyd fan, and is quickly falling for both DT and Rush. Didn't take long for me to figure out what songs to recommend her to check out from Rush, but I took my time to give the best suggestions for DT. Ended up with the following: Trial of Tears, The Dance of Eternity, Learning To Live, Breaking All Illusions, On The Backs of Angels and the entirety of the album Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence.

Prog overload, or am I doing good?

Since shes already a Pink Floyd fan, she might also like Peruvian Skies.

[rickhawk80]

My favorite DT album!!!  I was an on again/off again casual fan but this album is the one that pulled me under for good (see what I did there?).   

These days I tend to listen the most to whatever the most recent DT album is but the old ones that get pulled off the shelf most frequently to get a spin in the CD player are this one and "Score," which is my favorite of their live releases.

[Outcrier]

How can the best album ever have a song you don't really like?

Anyway, great album, yes.  It doesn't touch the Big 3 of I&W, Awake and Scenes, but it is still pretty great.

The other songs make up for it i guess (you don't have to love all songs in an album to love it).

[Outcrier]

SDOIT it's my favorite DT album along SFAM, then comes Images and Awake and here it is, the big 4 

[Nearmyth]

Love this album, definitely one of my favorites, but it ties with SFAM, I&W, and Awake for my favorite albums.

My ranking probably goes:

1. The Glass Prison
2. SDOIT
3. The Great Debate
4. Blind Faith
5. Misunderstood
6. Disappear

But I love all the songs to death, they're all somewhere in my top 30.

This is also probably one of Dream Theater's strangest and most diverse albums. You listen to TGP and think wow this is gonna be some heavy shit, better buckle in. Then you get to Blind Faith and you're like wait... no??? Maybe really proggy too??? Then you get to Misunderstood and you're like ok wtf is this.

And don't get me started on the second disc which, to me, sounds completely different from the first disc. This diversity only proves to me how creative Dream Theater was with this album, and a whole 96 MINUTES too! Not to mention just a year or so after SFAM, which would have been really hard to follow-up.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

My third favorite DT album, right after Images and Scenes. Not a single weak song.

It runs the gamut of emotions and manages to encapsulate so much of what makes Dream Theater so great to begin with. As far as rankings go:

1. SDOIT
2. The Glass Prison
3. Misunderstood
4. Blind Faith
5. Disappear
6. The Great Debate

It almost feels wrong to have to rank them since I love them all so much.

[Outcrier]

1. SDOIT (3, behind 8V and ACOS)
2. The Glass Prison ( Top 10)
3. The Great Debate (Top 10)
4. Blind Faith (Top 20, maybe 10)
5. Misunderstood (Top 20)
6. Disappear

[BlobVanDam]

*sees thread*

Yep, SDOIT is still definitely DT's best album.

[JiM-Xtreme]

For me, this album represents DT at their creative peak. Not necessarily my favourite album of theirs but certainly one that showcases them at their best, after everything had finally fallen into place.

[jakepriest]

Definitely a top 4 album. Would be higher for me if it weren't for the title track.

1. The Great Debate
2. Misunderstood
3. Blind Faith
4. The Glass Prison
5. Disappear (a pretty boring song overall, but still has some very nice melodies and I like the ending)
6. SDOIT

[Tom Bombadil]

My 3rd favorite DT album, all the songs are excellent except the title track which I really don't like, but the other 5 songs make up for it.

[gmillerdrake]

Blind Faith is probably my favorite DT song. Absolutely love it. TGP is fantastic as well....but BF stacks up against all others for me.

[LTE3]

If I could only have 1 DT album this is it, of course it is the longest so that helps, but musically it is the most diverse and most beautiful.  I think Six Degrees is their best epic, and the Glass Prison their best Heavy tune. Plus it is even more amazing that this was their follow up to Scenes. Seeing the Score show live watching them play Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence with the full orchestra was unbelievable. For me this is there last masterpiece  and for my money they have had 3. Images and Words, Scenes From a Memory, and Six Degrees.

[fibreoptix]

My favourite DT album for many, many years. In fact, disc 1 shot to the top of my ranks pretty much the moment I bought it. Disc 2 took a little longer but I got there.

It sounds pretty obvious to say but for me this is DT at their most creative, especially Jordan who really made his mark in the band this time around. Every track has something to enjoy.

The Glass Prison for me seemed to usher in the truly 'heavy' side of DT that they'd never really got around to properly achieving before. I don't know if this is more a testament to how far the sonic production of albums in general had come by this point but I remember being shocked at just how heavy it was.

Blind Faith just sounds so lush and vibrant. Some lovely keyboard sounds and that piano break/lead duel is absolutely brilliant.

Misunderstood is one of my all time favourite DT songs and I sorely wish they'd do another song like this. One of the most unique songs they've written. (Stop saying songs.)

The Great Debate again features some of Jordan's finest keyboard work and Mike's drumming is not to be taken lightly either.

Disappear gave me chills for months when I first encountered this album. I usually always love James' lyrics and this set stands out as one of his best.

I don't even need to go into the second disc, it really does speak for itself.

[tofee35]

BEST. ALBUM. EVAH.

-Tof

[JayOctavarium]

First disc is great. The second disc is.. well... far from it. 6DOIT is my least listened to album (minus The Glass Prison and sometimes Misunderstood)... even behind WDADU / FI / BCSL.



Come at me bro.

[BlobVanDam]

First disc is great. The second disc is.. well... far from it. 6DOIT is my least listened to album (minus The Glass Prison and sometimes Misunderstood)... even behind WDADU / FI / BCSL.



Come at me bro.

GTFO.

[JayOctavarium]

The second disc has it's moments but it just seems.... bloated at times.

I think that is the first time I've ever used that term on DTF