JoeG's Ramblings About Zero Hits and 50 Other Pretty Cool Songs - Five left!

[JoeG]

JoeG, I like how you put a line or two of the lyrics under the title. Just out of curiosity, are they your favorite lines from the song or just random ones?

Sometimes they're my favorites, sometimes they aren't. Generally I've been choosing them on the basis of succinctly describing the meaning of the song, or if such lyrics are unavaliable, lyrics that have a certain poetic feeling about them, which work well as a standalone quote. I try to stay away from the most recognizable lines, or those which quote the title, in general. Someone (I forget who) who was doing a top 50 right around when I joined the forum did them, and I thought it worked real well.

Haven't decided what I'm going to do when instrumentals start appearing in my list.   

Cool to see some Train Of Thought love, some odd picks too. Interesting read!

Train of Thought is a very polarizing album for me. A couple pieces on it I can't stand, everything else, while not at the very top, made it to this list. Some of Dream Theater's very best heavy stuff is on there for sure. 

[Tom Bombadil]

Ha, I hadn't even thought of that with regards to instrumentals. Maybe like a "bee bee boop" (obviously I'm referencing Erotomania there)

[Mosh]

Cool to see some Train Of Thought love, some odd picks too. Interesting read!

Train of Thought is a very polarizing album for me. A couple pieces on it I can't stand, everything else, while not at the very top, made it to this list. Some of Dream Theater's very best heavy stuff is on there for sure. 

I used to be that way, but I've really been into it this year. Dunno why, but lately it's been my go to album if I need a metal fix. 

[JoeG]

Cool to see some Train Of Thought love, some odd picks too. Interesting read!

Train of Thought is a very polarizing album for me. A couple pieces on it I can't stand, everything else, while not at the very top, made it to this list. Some of Dream Theater's very best heavy stuff is on there for sure. 

I used to be that way, but I've really been into it this year. Dunno why, but lately it's been my go to album if I need a metal fix. 

Yeah it's definitely a grower. Honor Thy Father's squeaking onto the end was the last edit I made to my list before locking it down for posting, and a couple TOT songs yet to be written up rose significantly on the list in the past several months.

[Mosh]

Actually the one that's grown on me the most is one you wrote about already, Endless Sacrifice. One day it just clicked, I love it now.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Interesting choices on these last ones.

[aprilethereal]

TDEN getting some appreciation is always nice

[?]

Where Are You Now? and TDEN are bottom 3 DT songs for me

[mocool13]

I'm glad someone else somewhat else likes TSF. I think Petrucci's solo in that song is amazing, one of his best shreddy solos if not one of his best solos in general imo

[JoeG]

Actually the one that's grown on me the most is one you wrote about already, Endless Sacrifice. One day it just clicked, I love it now.

Interesting. That was one of only two songs on Train of Thought that clicked with me immediately on first listen, and the only one which has gone down significantly on my list since.

[Ruba]

ACOS. is. low.

But Outcry is a welcomed sight! 

[JoeG]

Sorry for the lack of updates, real life got in the way for a bit there. Should try my best to have one every day or two from here on out.


34. As I Am (Train of Thought)
You're in the way of all that I believe in

One of the first Dream Theater songs that caught my attention after I first heard their music. A great straightforward, high energy metal song, which hits you over the head from the start. It's a song where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; while most of the elements that it features are relatively unremarkable by Dream Theater, the overall effect is very effective, making for a great high energy live song. Nevertheless, there's some great playing from everyone on this one. John Myung shines through the mix on this one, and really adds to the song throughout, particularly in the softer pre-chorus sections. John Petrucci drives the song forward with varied riffs which work well. Jordan takes a bit of a back seat on this piece, but he has some cool effect in the lead up to the guitar solo, the highlight of the song. One of Petrucci's best shred-oriented solos. Short but sweet, with plenty of insane playing. The solo, the insane drum fills that follow it, and the general vibe and lyrical theme of the song must have made this a great concert opener for the Train of Thought tour; the whole song seems to say "we're here to kick some ass."



33. Scene Four: Beyond This Life (Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory)
What we have been is what we are

First Scenes from a Memory track to appear, and what a piece. A classic example of Dream Theater's ability to combine countless styles from the expected to the wacky into seamless epic pieces. Beyond This Live has it all: an acoustic sounding first chorus, Megadeth inspired riffing, shredded solos, the famous Zappa section, incredible unisons and drumming, and vocals which range from soaring to almost rap-like. It's definitely one of the most diverse songs Dream Theater has ever written, and it works great. This is one of Jordan's best pieces on Scenes From a Memory, as he really gets to show off both his technical playing and diverse array of sounds. John has great parts as well, the solo that explodes out of the acoustic bit at 3:10, and the riff at 7:10 are highlights. And of course, Beyond This Life spawned the truly incredible instrumental jam featured on Live at Budokan. Too many great moments there to even count, from the groovy bass that drives the whole thing, to John's demonstration of how to shred at way too many notes per second indefinitely, to the creative varied beats Mike puts under it, to the keys/drum tradeoff which somehow brings the whole thing back to the main riff seamlessly. The one problem I have with this piece which drags it down for me is the lyrics. It's one of the few songs from SFAM where I feel focus on the story of the album detracted from the lyrical quality. I get what they were trying to do with the newspaper story, but it just leads to forced vocal phrasing, and overly literal lyrics on the level of Black Clouds and Silver Linings, especially in the frantic "Had a violent struggle taken place?" section. I just find it cringeworthy, and drags down what would likely otherwise be a top 20 song.



32: Under a Glass Moon (Images & Words)
Taste the memories running from my eyes

Under a Glass Moon has never quite grabbed me the way it seems to for many, but it's doubtlessly an absolutely fantastic piece of music. It starts with a bang with soaring, multi-layered guitars, shortly joined by one of Mike Portnoy's most iconic drum grooves. It was a great way for them to open the first leg with Mangini. James has some great delivery throughout of what are some of the deepest and most mysterious lyrics Dream Theater has ever written. They share the stage with some real funky short instrumental breaks, followed by the guitar solo. I don't agree that it's one of Petrucci's absolute best, but it's certainty a great performance. I actually think I slightly prefer Kevin's solo. A lot of what Kevin brought to Dream Theater overshadows his actual playing and technicality, and people don't seem to mention gems like this that much. I also love the bridge that connects the solos; Mike's drumming meshes with the music absolutely perfectly there. The ending is great as well, I love when songs return to their openings that way.



31: Another Day (Images & Words)
Find another reason to stay

Sax. Now there's an element that Dream Theater needs to revisit in their music. It creates for an incredible blend of jazz with a synth-driven, almost symphonic feeling, creating something incredibly unique and simply beautiful. Each part of this song is better than the next, from the intro solo, to the simple and wonderful piano verse, to the sax reprise of the main theme, to the unbelievable vocal explosion that pushes the song from something ethereal to something epic. The instrumental work that follows is simple but incredibly powerful, while James fully explores his range to the tune of some beautiful lyrics. And he's not done until the very end, with the unreal delivery of the final line. This is one of those pieces that I practically never listen to the album version of, thanks to two things: Images&Words tour recordings featuring james performing superhuman vocal feats, and the LSFNY version, which makes up for a somewhat lackluster vocal performance with the fantastic live Sax. The liberal interpretation of the album part by Jay really adds to the jazzy feel of the song. As I have and will continue to mention, that's one of Dream Theater's more underutilized influences, which seems to create something amazing each and every time it pops up.



30: The Count of Tuscany (Black Clouds & Silver Linings)
Suddenly, I'm frightened for my life.

Like many, I have very conflicted feelings for The Count of Tuscany. Dream Theater clearly pulled out all the stops here to create the mother of all epics, seemingly at the expense of some of the other tracks it shares a disk with. They built a balanced piece with everything from heavy riffing to an ethereal mid section, from a terribly catchy chorus to a ridiculously proggy solo spot. There's no point in the music that seems forced or overly drawn out, and there are some real musical high points in there. As I mentioned, the chorus could have been pulled out of the song and stuck into a shorter piece to make a great radio hit, and the into has a great soaring quality to it. The song is great throughout, but once the mellow mid-section fades out and the acoustic strumming comes in, this piece takes off into the stratosphere. The chord progression is beautiful, as is James' singing over it. Keys lead us into a return of the drums, which slowly but surely build us up to an incredible climax, with huge guitar chords, a beautiful horn-like patch and choirs, and great soloing that build one of the most incredible outros in the entire Dream Theater discography.

The weak point of the song, of course, is the lyrics, but they don't bother me for the same reasons they seem to bother most. I don't particularly mind them being overly literal; obviously this piece is no Glass Moon, but the lyrics flow musically and work on that level, and I find it strange that this piece in particular gets criticized for this, when it's up against gems like "THEY CONTINUED TO INVESTIGATE. THEY FOUND A NOTE IN THE KILLERS POCKET." But what does bother me about them is just how poorly the overall theme goes with the music. I mean, The Count of Tuscany's instrumentals were clearly written to build the mother of all Dream Theater epics, with one epic riff after another, and an ending which just screams "the most important event in the history of the world and probably also the universe just happened." And it's...a misunderstanding involving an eccentric dude? When compared to epic journeys of self-realization following the death of a loved one, a suite of stories about mental illness, a concept piece about the cyclical nature of things, and a man's journey of loosing and reclaiming his soul, a guy's wine-filled cellar just doesn't stack up...at all. Its not that the lyrics are bad, its that their story simply isn't worthy of a 19 minute piece of music, let alone one that sounds as great as this.

The music honestly seemed infinitely more appropriate delivered instrumentally as the band welcomed Mangini on The Spirit Carries On documentary. Its a shame, because so much of the song is brilliant. But it is what it is.

[Tom Bombadil]

Glad to see you start this back up again. All 5 of those songs are great!

[425]

As I Am is one of my least favorite DT songs (I like pretty much every DT song so it's not like I hate it, I just don't love it). But the other ones are all brilliant choices, I would probably put them all in around the same general area as you.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Good update. As I Am is very good, one of my favorite tracks from Train Of Thought

Beyond This Life is awesome, not much more to say there.

Under A Glass Moon is good, but it's never been one of my favorites, and in fact, I rank it last on Images And Words (though that says more about what it's up against, rather than anything about its quality.

Another Day is amazing, as is The Count.

[Nearmyth]

Nice picks, Beyond This Life is a personal top 5 for me. Glad to see it gets some recognition, I barely see it on people's lists.

[Whatsername]

Love seeing As I Am on here! Great track.

Also I think putting UAGM that low is criminal.

[JoeG]

Onto the top 30, with four more songs:



29: Cover My Eyes (Falling Into Infinity Demos)
My black and whites are turning red

Why on earth, if Falling Into Infinity was supposed to be a "commercial" Dream Theater album, could the record label/Dream Theater not find room for this 3.5 minute nugget of brilliance? Catchy as all hell, and even though I hold almost all of Falling Into Infinity in very high regard, with a few surprise picks from it left on my list, I'd gladly replace many of its songs with this. It has a distinctly pop feel to it, but at the same time, it doesn't feel overly stripped down or simplistic like I Walk Beside You, You Not Me, or some of Dream Theater's other more pop oriented songs. To the contrary, it has a great multilayered feel to it. John gives us some sweet guitar work which comes through best in the unplugged live version, although the electric version has some cool stuff as well like the "Wah" pulses in under the chorus. Derek's style shines in this song, with many cool parts like the dirty sounding sweeping part under the pre-chorus build-up. And even in a song that's mostly (entirely?) in 4/4, Mike displays a blatant refusal to keep things simple, with beats ranging from subtley complex to downright freeform. This is especially highlighted in live versions in the instrumental breakdown, where the band manages to create something that feels both completely free, yet also driven by a single riff. Shades of Stream of Consciousness, a very good thing in my book.

If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend this version. Live with full electric instrumentation, and while not quite as well put together as the acoustic breakdown, maintains the extended instrumental outro.



28. These Walls (Octavarium)
Watch me crawl from the wreckage of my silence

A beautiful little melodic piece. Don't care much for the intro (never have liked overly distorted guitars), but once the main key riff comes in all is forgiven. Jordan's key tone tone on this piece is unbelievable, and the pieces he plays are great. The drawn-out high notes that come in at a few parts like the end of the chorus are a bit off the wall, and really add to the song. Mike Portnoy does fantastic work here as well, the freeform high hat and splash work during the verses is one of the song's best parts. These Walls is one of relatively few pieces where the guitars take a back seat and perform only atmospheric work for most of the song, with the keyboards taking center stage. However, the huge guitar chords in the chorus are downright fantastic, as is the soaring solo, which feeds perfectly into the string patch which takes the song to another level going into the final chorus. James gives a beautiful delivery of the final lines, which feed into the song's final surprise, the hard-hitting outro. It also has some of my absolute favorite lyrics from Dream Theater's more recent albums. So many great lines, and a very relate able theme, about building up walls which prevent us from saying what we really mean, and being what we really are.



27. Scene 9: Finally Free (Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory)
No longer torn in two

What a way to close out Scenes from a Memory. It ties everything together, and in doing so, captures so many emotions; the hopeful spirit of Victoria, the plotting of Edward, the murder and death of Julian, and the weight off Nicholas' sholders. And these parts are captured not just in the lyrics, which brilliantly use slight variations on the same wording to tell three very different yet connected stories, but in the music, which mirrors these emotions perfectly. I think that this intense synergy between the lyrics and music on Scenes from a Memory is a big part of the reason so many people want Dream Theater to do another concept album.

Finally Free has so many great parts. The hopeful strings as Nicholas awakens, which fade into darkness as Edward plans his actions after the murder, returning to bright as the note is quoted. The explosion that follows as we transition to Victoria's perspective, and the "finally free" passage appears again. The downright sinister playing during the murder sample section. The beautiful One Last Time reprise, and the short but emotional solo which follows. And of course, the beautiful final "finally free" reprise, repeated twice. I love the musical dichotomy between the first and second repetition, its as though the first is Nicholas first realizing the truth, and the second is him realizing the full implications, the load being lifted off his shoulders, and the happiness that results. The best is yet to come though, as there's still the outro. Such incredible work. The way the drums build in each repetition of the of the riff, and the way the riff itself is almost but never quite the same, makes for a great close to a great album. The little addition on the end of the live version is nice as well.



26. Stream of Consciousness (Train of Thought)
BOM bum BOM bum, ba-da BAM da-ba da-DOM dum 

Speaking of Stream of Consciousness, here it is. Dream Theater's most recent instrumental, and one with a distinctly different feel from all the rest. Stream of Consciousness has a real metal edge to it, as well as noticable symphonic influences, which add signifigantly to the typical technical display of a Dream Theater instrumental. Jordan has great key sound after great key sound here; I particularly like the orchestral sounding bit at 2:03 (The "lyrics" above, if you couldn't tell). John Myung also does great work on this one, keeping the piece riff grounded in some of the more technical solos. And John Petrucci has many simply incredible solos.

The transitions of Stream of Consciousness are fantastic. The music progresses from section to section rather than abruptly shifting. Features that add to this include drum parts which build upon themselves little by little each time they repeat, solos which are very much based on the riffs that drive them, keys slowly growing under guitars before taking the lead and vice versa, soloing done over the riff that lead into it rather than something completely new, and of course constant re-quoting of a few driving riffs. Unlike many of their more ambitious works, absolutely none of Stream of Consciousness feels like it could have been cut off and used for something else. Its clear the band put a lot of time into composing something so cohesive, and it pays off big time.



Geez, I'm starting to run out of Train of Thought songs, aren't I?

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Good to see These Walls. I'm not a fan of Finally Free, and Stream Of Consciousness this high causes me physical pain.

[Ruba]

These Walls is good, FF and SOC were both in my top 10.

[aprilethereal]

These Walls is obviously great, Finally Free is amazing (in my top 10), and SOC was my introduction to DT, so it's a really special song for me.

[JoeG]

I love how everyone's just ignoring the sudden appearance of Cover My Eyes 

[Ruba]

Maybe it's time to reveal the embarrassing fact that I haven't heard other FII outtakes than Raise the Knife (Score) and You Or Me  .

[aprilethereal]

I love Raise The Knife, but other than that I prefer FII to the demos

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Haven't heard Cover My Eyes.

[?]

Maybe it's time to reveal the embarrassing fact that I haven't heard other FII outtakes than Raise the Knife (Score) and You Or Me  .

Listen to Speak to Me right now, you won't regret it!

[Ruba]

I can't just now. But I really should listen the outtakes, sometimes non-album tracks include real gems (Eve  ).

[JoeG]

Maybe it's time to reveal the embarrassing fact that I haven't heard other FII outtakes than Raise the Knife (Score) and You Or Me  .

Haven't heard Cover My Eyes.

These are major problems in your lives that you need to address 

They're all great songs. For Cover My Eyes, there are three distinct versions, all great in their own ways: The demo version with full band instrumentation, the acoustic version from the Unplugged 98 show, and the SDOIT-era live recording I linked in my description, which combines elements from the other two.

[Tom Bombadil]

Love the inclusion of Cover My Eyes. It's a really great song and deserves appreciation!

[425]

I've only heard Cover My Eyes a couple of times but it's an early favorite among the songs that didn't make FII. It's really great and quite compact.

These Walls is brilliant.

Finally Free is what it is. I think I gave my opinion of it on another thread pretty recently. I think it's a really great 9 minutes that is significantly harmed due to its lack of a proper outdo.

Stream of Consciousness is quite good but I wouldn't put it this high.

26. Stream of Consciousness (Train of Thought)
BOM bum BOM bum, ba-da BAM da-ba da-DOM dum 

Speaking of Stream of Consciousness, here it is. Dream Theater's most recent instrumental, and one with a distinctly different feel from all the rest.

Raw Dog says hi. In all its utterly forgettable glory.

[JoeG]

26. Stream of Consciousness (Train of Thought)
BOM bum BOM bum, ba-da BAM da-ba da-DOM dum 

Speaking of Stream of Consciousness, here it is. Dream Theater's most recent instrumental, and one with a distinctly different feel from all the rest.

Raw Dog says hi. In all its utterly forgettable glory.

ssh. I'm trying to throw people off for my #1 pick here.

[JoeG]

25. Scene 2: Overture 1928/Strange Deja Vu (Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory)
I'm still searching, but I don't know what for

Yes, I'm cheating and counting these as one song. I rarely listen to one without the other. What a piece. Overture 1928 is a simply incredible opener, exploding out of the gate with all the energy of Metropolis Pt. 1 and then some. It pulls together numerous themes from the album which follows brilliantly, seeming to pick some of the best themes from each. I particularly like the Dance of Eternity preview near the end. At the same time, it gives all the instruments a chance to shine and give a preview of the great journey the album is about to take us on. As it ends, and you think things couldn't get any more diverse, Strange Deja Vu comes in. Its a very interesting piece, with plenty of great parts. I love how the instrumentals grow under the "there's a house I'm drawn to" verse. I love the soaring keys pulled straight from Overture 1928's main theme under the chorus, and the downright funky bass driven riff which takes us into the "back on my feet again" section. And of course, I LOVE the piano break that follows. Strange Deja Vu is a piece which feels completely different at practically every moment, and yet I couldn't identify a specific moment where it shifts abruptly in its entire length. It doesn't change. It progresses. And I love that.



24. Erotomania (Awake)
BEEEEEEE, bop, BEEEEEEE, bop

Erotomania often gets comparisons to The Dance of Eternity, but in my view, it does everything right that TDOE does wrong, to create a incredible mesh of a technical display with brilliant songwriting. The riffs are very smartly constructed, even when they change time signatures several times each repetition, they flow in a very natural manner, such that you don't really notice that the time is changing if you aren't looking for it. Guitar solos pepper this piece, but they never feel thrown in for the heck of it, they always progress the piece along rather than simply saying "okay everythings on hold for a bit, John is going to play a billion notes per second for a bit and then we'll go right back to where we started, deal with it." In fact, perhaps my favorite moment is the moment at 4:42 when everything else breaks away and john plays those descending notes. Mike's drumming is rather laid back compared to what it could have been, serving to create a rock-solid groove for the other instruments to work around, which works very well here, giving a real solid feel to a piece which could have easily devolved into chaos. Erotomania also paces itself with some downright beautiful parts. The preview of The Silent man, and the build-up which leads to it, is incredible. As I mentioned in my Silent Man writeup, I'm a big fan of the live non-acoustic version, and it works brilliantly with full band instrumentation here. Kevin absolutely shines on the piano, and the sustained guitar, later synth chords take The Silent Man theme to a new level.

Also, just because this video can't get enough appreciation, this is perhaps the greatest cover version of Erotomania ever recorded.



23. Breaking All Illusions (A Dramatic Turn of Events)
Power's not an act
It's understanding truth

The grand almost-finale of A Dramatic Turn of Events. At release, I was with those who said this would go down as one of Dream Theater's all time greats. It hasn't aged as well as I thought it would have, but its still a great song. John Myung's return to lyric writing brings this song a poetic edge which had been missing from Dream Theater's music. Jordan is the star for a lot of it, driving the intro, the chorus, and many of the instrumental bridges with some beautiful synth work, and some very unexpected sounds (I love the organ, then piano that leads into the low-key first vocal section, and I LOVE the piano). His contributions give the song a real uplifting tone. Breaking All Illusions is very laid-back at times, which gives John Myung's rock solid bass riffing a chance to take center stage and drive the song along. And during those atmospheric sections, Mike Mangini absolutely shines. He shows a capacity for intense technical playing one minute, and great dynamic playing with complex polyrythms at others. There are a few moments in the song which feel a bit out of place, such as the heavy part before the first chorus, but it makes up for it with so many other great ones. The key/guitar tradeoff which leads off the instrumental is constructed very well indeed. As mentioned, the dynamic post-intro is great. And of course, there's that guitar solo. That freaking beautiful guitar solo. John Petrucci brings a dynamic, restrained edge to his soloing which had been missing from many recent albums, and it sounds like it's just him, JMX, and Mike Mangini jamming out in a basement somewhere. Until that incredible moment when Mike busts out a drum fill which leads to an epic explosion of sound, bringing the song to an incredible climax. As a whole, Breaking All Illusions doesn't grab you from beginning to end as well as I would like, but has enough great elements to make it a modern day Dream Theater classic.



22. Hollow Years (Falling Into Infinity)
Once the stone your crawling under
Is lifted off your sholders

Now we're getting into songs that I seriously love; the part on the list where these writeups simply fall out of me without having to listen to the songs, they're so engrained. Hollow Years is an underappreciated masterpiece which is simply beautiful. This is a song which has literally improved with age, as the album version is much better than the demo, and its live performances from 2004-on pulverize the album, and have brought it this high in my rankings.

John has some beautiful acoustic playing in the intro, which sounds almost like some alternate stringed instrument. Throughout the song, the instrumentals do some gorgeous stuff, the piano break following the first chorus comes to mind. But for the most part, it's a vocal driven song, which is a good thing, because the lyrics are some of Dream Theater's very best. So many beautiful lines, which can be interpreted in a number of specific ways. Broadly speaking though, it's about awakening from a dark, meaningless time in your life, and the hopefulness that follows. The uplifting, inspiring spirit of this song is captured absolutely perfectly; every time that chorus hits me, it makes me want to stop slaving away at things that ultimately don't matter, and go out there and achieve dreams. Such a powerful piece of music.

The singing is backed up by some great instrumental work as well. Hollow Years is one of the few Dream Theater pieces where Ringo Starr's influence on Mike Portnoy is plain as day, and it works great here, from the simple beats which carry but don't distract from the greater song, and the simple but powerful, almost tribal sounding drum fills. And of course, since we're talking live version here, I can't go without mentioning John Petrucci's solo. It's a near-perfect blend between technical and emotional playing, building seamlessly from the album solo into something unbelievable, with Jordan and Mike providing some great atmosphere for it. But the solo, incredible as it is, is just the build-up. The way it builds and soars to climax at the end gives the final chorus the energy that it deserves. And boy does James deliver, pouring power and emotion into its delivery in a way that can only be done in a live setting, with great harmonies as icing on the cake. And then, there's that live outro. John's solo gets all the attention, but the subtle yet complex piano soloing Jordan introduces is even better. It never takes center stage, but it adds to the uplifting spirit of the song with an almost playful feeling, which works perfectly with the lyrics.

I really wish I could rank this higher. But there are 21 Dream Theater songs better than it.



21. Octavarium (Octavarium)
We move in circles
Balanced all the while

And to close this update with a bit of controversy, here's another traditional #1 pick, gone just barely outside my top 20. I find very little fault with Octavarium, but it doesn't do it for me quite the way it seems to for many.

There are more than a few bits of this song that make it a joy to listen to though. Although I think the intro drags a bit, it does a very good job at creating a slow atmospheric build up. The explosion as the whole band comes in after almost four minutes is great though, although the acoustic section and most of "Someone like Him" feels a bit overly restrained by comparison. Once the band surges back up again though, the song takes off and becomes an incredible modern Dream Theater epic. The bass driven Medicate has so many good parts to it. Mike's drumming here has shades of These Walls. The Orchestra also really begins to shine here, creating a great atmosphere. I love how it was used in Octavarium, it never takes over the song the way it does at times in Six Degrees, yet adds to the song every step of the way. The song reaches new heights as it transitions into one of Jordan's all time great key solos. I love everything about it; the pacing, the sound, the tone, and the instrumental backing to it, which slowly but surely develops metal influences, to take us into the frantic Full Circle. Full Circle is one of their better vocal tradeoff sections, and leads us into an instrumental which seems to screams the lyrics "Trapped inside this Octavarium" without saying a word. Proggy as all hell, but it shines as a mid-epic instrumental where The Darkest of Winters failed before it in ACOS. The 8 step build-up works well, especially within the context of the album, but it's a bit sharp and abrupt for my tastes; there's a reason that the LtL F# is considered James' finest vocal moment by many rather than the Octavarium G5. The Razor's edge is also very well done, but it doesn't do it for me as the all-time-great outro that many people call it, in fact, I think I prefer the orchestral pre-solo section to John's solo. The solo's fine, but wouldn't even rank in his top 10 for me, when you've got gems like Hollow Years, These Walls, Under a Glass Moon, Another World, and numerous solos to appear yet on my top 50 to compare to.

Overall, Octavarium is a fine song with no major flaws, but it isn't able to rise itself to the top of the list. Or, for that matter, to the top of its album for me.



Octavarium, A Change of Seasons, The Glass Prison, and SDOIT are all down already, and a couple other biggies will fall in spots 20-11. Any early top 10 guesses?

[Tom Bombadil]

I like all of these, but I think 8VM should be higher

[Lucien]

That's the one of the lowest times I've ever seen octavarium ranked, other than when it isn't ranked at all

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Hmm, good picks. Strange Deja Vu, Breaking All Illusions and Octavarium all appear on my list, though not in these positions.

Erotomania I'm not crazy about, but I'm not an instrumental guy.