Buddyhunter1's Top 10 BEST & WORST Dream Theater Songs

[Buddyhunter1]

You know, I love Dream Theater. They were the band that launched me into the love of music I have today, and while I don't listen to them as often as I used to, they're still my favorite band out there. They've got some of my favorite songs in existence, and I've gone through their discography and picked out my ten absolute favorites. These are the songs that make me love the band as much as I do.

THAT SAID, no band is perfect. If you've been around for over 25 years and have released over ten albums, there's bound to be some crap. And yes, Dream Theater does have some songs I cannot stand. While most of my top 10 worst Dream Theater songs are just boring and uninteresting, there are a few at the very top that I absolutely despise. So, I figured I would count down not only Dream Theater's best, but their worst as well. Because bitching is fun.

Before I start, keep in mind that I'm only counting songs from their full albums. So, you won't see any demos or anything like that. I would have made an exception for A Change Of Seasons... if it was actually in my top 10 favorite songs. Which it isn't. Deal with it. Also, this is my list, not yours. I can pretty much guarantee that you'll disagree with at least a few of my picks. What can I say, I have weird taste.



Now that that's out of the way, let's get started! I hope you enjoy it.

[Scorpion]

Octavarium should not have the top spot.

There, now that's out of the way so I can just quote myself at the end of your list. Looking forward to this otherwise, you have a pretty great taste in music, and that about bottom songs is pretty cool as well. I don't know if there are any songs that I actively despise, by any band, simply because that's something that I don't think a song that I don't like is worth wasting energy over, but I'm still looking forward to you trashing some tracks.

... if, you know, they're the correct ones.

[Buddyhunter1]

Thanks for the spoiler. (For everyone who hasn't read my Top 33 Albums, at least.)

[Buddyhunter1]

#10 BEST:
These Walls (Octavarium)

One thing I'll admit Dream Theater could use some more of is genuine emotion. That's not to say they can't pull it off, they have their fair share of emotional songs. I just think they could use more of them. A case in point: These Walls. While the lyrics aren't amazing or anything, they accomplish more than the majority of Dream Theater's lyrical discography by being actually relatable and expressing the sentiment they're trying to get across. Lyrics aside, this is just an amazing song. The choruses are absolutely gigantic and powerful, the verses are beautiful, and the simple structure really works in the song's favor. Length-wise, it's absolutely perfect. There's also some great performances, especially by James. Petrucci's baratone guitar sounds really awesome, and Jordan's keyboard work fits perfectly. (I've heard a lot of people compare this song to Muse, but aside from the synth in the choruses I don't really get the comparison.) Amazing song, but we're only getting started.



#10 WORST:
Innocence Faded (Awake)

Yeah, you guys are probably gonna hate me for this one. Like I said in my first post, the majority of songs on my worst list are just... boring. They don't get actively BAD until around the top five. Innocence Fades is not a bad song, it's just one of the songs I care for the least. There's some stuff it does do well; James gives a pretty good performance, especially in the verses, and the ending is pretty cool. The rest is just un-noteworthy for me. The chorus gets kinda annoying after a while, and there's not anything this song does that isn't done better in other songs by the band. Also, most generic song title ever. I know that doesn't have anything to do with the actual song, but come on. It's true. Not a bad song, but easily my least favorite from Awake and I wouldn't mind at all if I had never heard it.

[hefdaddy42]

Well, I like both songs, and can't really agree with your placement in either list.

But cheers!

[Lucidity]

Yeah, everyone else seems to love Innocence Faded, but I think it's pretty bad. Some parts are nice, like the chorus, but the majority of it is just really odd-sounding and forgettable.

[Elite]

Innocence Faded is top 10 material for me.

[BlobVanDam]

ACOS should not have top spot. *reads post* Oh good, it won't. Had to get that out of the way, since Scrop has to always get in his little shot without reason for the great 8V.



I like both songs too. I don't know why Innocence Faded gets all the hate. Is it because it's actually catchy and accessible?
I do prefer These Walls though, which is an excellent song, so I'm down with that.

[Rattlehead]

This is an interesting idea for a list, I will definitely be following 

[GasparXR]

I like the idea behind this list. Definitely following so I can scream at all of my favourite songs being in your bottom 10. Oh wait, Innocence Faded is there! Nevermind, I won't have to scream for at least one song!

[sueño]

Looking forward to this.  I don't own any DT albums, just a couple songs.

I'll buy something from these recommendations.   

[?]

These Walls is great, but seeing an Awake song in someone's bottom 10 always makes me a sad panda

[Scorpion]

ACOS should not have top spot. *reads post* Oh good, it won't. Had to get that out of the way, since Scrop has to always get in his little shot without reason for the great 8V.

As if you'd have reacted any differently if you knew that ACOS was at the top of the list. Buddyhunter, sorry for the spoiler. Looking back, it is kinda dickish - sorry.

Good picks though. While I like Awake a lot and wouldn't put IF that close to the bottom, I do think that it's one of Awake's weakest links. Yeah, it's catchy and accessible, but it just doesn't do anything for me. These Walls, meanwhile, is amazing. Not Top 10 for me, but I love it and it's great to see some appreciation for it.

[BlobVanDam]

ACOS should not have top spot. *reads post* Oh good, it won't. Had to get that out of the way, since Scrop has to always get in his little shot without reason for the great 8V.

As if you'd have reacted any differently if you knew that ACOS was at the top of the list. Buddyhunter, sorry for the spoiler. Looking back, it is kinda dickish - sorry.

I didn't see his comment about the spoiler, so your initial comment looked completely out of the blue when I read it, so hopefully that explains my reaction! No hard feelings.

[Scorpion]

No harm done, Mr.

[Sycsa]

Innocence Faded is top 10 material for me.

I'm joining this team. James' absolute best performance and one of JP's best solos.

I like both songs too. I don't know why Innocence Faded gets all the hate. Is it because it's actually catchy and accessible?

I actually disliked it somewhat for that reason, sounded too pop-ish, but it grew on me immensely (just like James' voice in general, which kept me from getting into DT for years, then suddenly became one of the biggest attractions). I still like listening to it every single time. So it definitely has a lot of depth. Interestingly enough, same case with These Walls, which is also on the more catchy & accessible side.

[SomeoneLikeHim]

Innocence Faded is awesome!

[Tom Bombadil]

These Walls is great, but seeing an Awake song in someone's bottom 10 always makes me a sad panda

^This

[Buddyhunter1]

#9 BEST:
Panic Attack (Octavarium)

This is the first Dream Theater song I ever heard (thanks Rock Band 2), and in my opinion, it still holds up. When people ask what the heaviest DT song is, most people seem to say something from Train of Thought or the 12-step suite or something, but if you ask me, it's Panic Attack. You would think that such a brutal song would feel out-of-place for a band like Dream Theater, but if you ask me, everything fits perfectly. The riffs are awesome and ridiculously heavy, the keyboards fit the atmosphere of the song perfectly, and the vocals do as well, which is surprising considering LaBrie isn't really a metal vocalist. The flow and execution are simply amazing, which is why this remains as one of my favorite DT songs to this day.



#9 WORST:
Prophets Of War (Systematic Chaos)

Prophets Of War is an unremarkable song made worse by some poor execution. Like that stupid rapping section after the second chorus, and those horrible Queen-style vocals in the second verse. Even the gang vocals in the chorus, while being a good idea, sound completely dry and powerless, which is the exact opposite of what their purpose was. Seriously, how did they manage to screw that up? Even without these mistakes, the song would still be boring and forgettable. Bosk gave this song the honor of the worst DT song of all time on his list, and while I wouldn't go THAT far, I can definitely see why.

[Ruba]

Panic Attack is an interesting choice for top 10, but I enjoy it. But if you ask me, what is the heaviest DT song, I'd say The Mirror.

Prophets of War was somewhere around #15 in my top 50, so I'm one of the weirdos who like it.

[Destiny Of Chaos]

Panic Attack was in my Top 3, so yeah 

[Bolsters]

Panic Attack is underrated. Nice to see it getting recognition being high on your list.

[Tom Bombadil]

hmm I'm not a huge fan of Panic Attack, but i absolutely can't stand prophets of war. Probably would be even higher on my list of worsts.

[Rhayader]

#10 BEST:
These Walls (Octavarium)

I stopped reading here. 

[BlobVanDam]

Panic Attack is underrated. Nice to see it getting recognition being high on your list.

This! Excellent song, even though I wouldn't rank it quite so far.
I think there are still plenty of DT songs worse than PoW, but it's not great. I like the harmony vocals though. They were trying something different.

[senecadawg2]

So far, I'm completely baffled by your picks. I like your two 'worst' picks better than each of the 'best picks'. And the appearence of 2 Octavarium songs, with more on the way (presumably), only makes it worse. You've really got me confused, and I look forward to seeing what you come up with next.

[?]

POW deserves its position, but Panic Attack...

[Meatrose]

I also think that Panic Attack is a bit underrated. It's nowhere near my top 10 but each time it's played in one of my playlists I always go "this song is actually pretty good", as if it surprises me every time it happens. 

I also like your idea of presenting your 10 best and worst songs. It's interesting and I'll definitely follow the thread.

[Buddyhunter1]

#8 BEST:
Learning To Live (Images And Words)

If I didn't have anything from Images and Words in my top ten, you guys would kill me. Thankfully, Learning To Live exists. I don't think there's anything I can say about this song that hasn't already been said a million times. It's easily the best song on Images and Words and one of the band's best album closers. The lengthy instrumental section that takes up most of the song is what really makes it so good. It starts out soothing and majestic, builds into that awesome F# by James, then just keeps on kicking ass. The outro to the song is also amazing, it's just a shame it fades out so quickly. I don't think anything else needs to be said. I know this song is awesome, YOU know this song is awesome, EVERYONE knows this song is awesome, so yeah.



#8 WORST:
Overture (Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence)

Alright, let's address the elephant in the room before I talk about Overture. No, I don't consider the 2nd disc of 6DOIT to be one song. As a suite of different songs, it works pretty well. As a single epic, it just doesn't work for me. A lot of the transitions are just too jarring and the sections often sound too unrelated for me to view it as a single piece. If you do, that's fine, but I'm splitting it up. Alright, now that that's out of the way, let's talk about Overture. Actually wait, let's hold off on that once more. First, let me talk about Overture 1928 from Scenes From A Memory. That song is how you do an overture right. It's got fantastic flow, all the different sections sound right together, and it's an all-around good song. I bring Overture 1928 up to provide some contrast to Overture, which is how NOT to do an overture right. It's clunky, it's awkward, it just sounds like they put all these different sections together for the sake of putting them together. It just doesn't sound right, and it starts the 2nd disc of 6DOIT on a poor note. Also, while it's pretty cool that Rudess did the whole orchestra himself, it still sounds pretty fake. Then again, using a real one wouldn't improve the song by much, sadly...

[BlobVanDam]

Don't agree with that at all. SDOIT Overture is how you do it right. While I love Overture 1928, it feels half-assed to me compared to the SDOIT Overture, which is a melodic masterpiece, and a beautiful introduction to the song.

And I'm not a fan of LTL. Weakest song on IaW imo, and wouldn't make my top 50.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

It's clunky, it's awkward, it just sounds like they put all these different sections together for the sake of putting them together. It just doesn't sound right, and it starts the 2nd disc of 6DOIT on a poor note.

I like Learning To Live, though.

[Joshin U]

STRONGLY disagree with your view of  SDOIT's overture, but I appreciate the love you're giving 8vm    keep 'em coming!

[Tom Bombadil]

Agree perfectly with those last two

[hefdaddy42]

Don't agree with that at all. SDOIT Overture is how you do it right. While I love Overture 1928, it feels half-assed to me compared to the SDOIT Overture, which is a melodic masterpiece, and a beautiful introduction to the song.

YES!  YES!  YES!

And I'm not a fan of LTL. Weakest song on IaW imo, and wouldn't make my top 50.

WTF Blob

[Ruba]

Agreed with both, though I find SDOIT as a one song. Though Overture is the worst movement of it by far.