Shadow Ninja's Super Incredibly Awesome Top 50 EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!1!!! v. #1

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

All right, I know many (read: none) of you have been waiting for this moment, and finally, here it is. My Top 50. Expectations shall be shattered, people shall be amazed, and bowels will experience involuntary movement.

I have a majority of my list already written, and I'm just going to do a few final revisions, and I should have the first five or so up within the hour. In the meantime, let's see how many people I can get to follow this.




.....Maybe I should offer cash incentives.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

I want DT

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

They will have a few songs on this list.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

I'm gonna go ahead and guess your #1 is a DT song, on one of their studio albums.


So in other words, A Change of Seasons is not #1

[Tom Bombadil]

I'll be following... Once you start, that is.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

 All right, here we go. This list was pretty hard for me to put together. I really love the majority of DT's material, plus the songs I like can change fairly quickly, depending on what I want to listen to at the moment. So, basically as soon as this list is finished (or before then, possibly. ), it'll be obsolete. Still, it'll probably be a fairly good representation of my tastes. Anyway, I had a lot of fun putting this together, so I hope all of you enjoy reading it.  

So, let's go!




Actually, I have a few notes before we begin. First, I'm not overly familiar with Falling Into Infinity as of this writing. Take that how you will.

Second, there will be no b-sides or demos on this list. It would cause my slightly obsessive mind to short-circuit, possibly tearing a hole in the space-time continuum.

Third... nothing really. I just feel like there should be three. Let's go!




50. This Is The Life - A Dramatic Turn Of Events

This one was unexpected. Before making this list, I hadn't really thought of this song much. "Understated" is probably the best word for it. If I waited a bit longer to make this list, this song might have been much higher. So, what does Shadow Ninja like about this song? First, the clean guitar intro is just beautiful, as are the subsequent guitar solos. People who say JP is all shred and no heart obviously haven't heard this song. Then, LaBrie's vocals are just wonderful. Jordan is very subdued here, he has some quite piano parts, and his subtle pads around the 3:30 mark are fantastic. Special mention goes to Petrucci's lyrics on here. They're still his more recent straight-forward style, but they're quite beautiful in their own way. All in all, a fine choice for number 50!


49. Strange Deja Vu - Scenes From A Memory

I'm really trying to think of things to say about this one. I mean, I love it, but why do Iove it? Part of it, I suppose, is the way Overture 1928 melts into it. Then the sudden fast paced guitar riff around 3:00. The vocals are really great here as well. Though I will admit, in general, I don't really care about the lyrics of Scenes From A Memory. There are a few exceptions, but this is not one. Not being a lyrics guy, though, not paying attention to the lyrics doesn't really hurt the song for me.

So, why isn't this one higher? I've said only good things about it. Well, for one thing, there are simply 48 DT songs that I think are better. Also, one of the problems with SFAM is that taken out of context, some of the songs lose a bit of their "punch" I suppose. Regardless, this explanation is dragging on, so I'll just end this one here.


48. Outcry - A Dramatic Turn Of Events

This is a song I never really think of until I listen to it. It starts with quiet keyboards and some electronic drums. Then the song explodes as JP's riff comes in. Also, this song contains probably my favorite vocal line from James on the album.

Bullets fall like fire raining from the sky

I just love the way he delivers that line. Actually, his vocals are great throughout the song. I can't remember offhand, but the lyrics are by JP, right? I really enjoy them. The "rise up, be counted" section is really cool. The instrumental section is also one of their best (on this album). It feels like an actual composed instrumental rather than just solos. (which I also like ) Rudess and Myung really shine on this track, especially the quieter parts.

That's really all I have to say for this one... Great song, number 48.


47. Sacrificed Sons - Octavarium

This one is a bit different for Dream Theater. Somewhat atmospheric, with a bit of creepy edge to it. It's one I hadn't really appreciated until recently. It was just "that song before Octavarium". However, it's really grown on me lately. I love James's falsetto vocals at the beginning. The harmonies in the chorus are really cool as well. The lyrics are good as well, although there is a bit of a "why now?" feeling to them. The solo section isn't one of my favorites, but it's solid enough.

Hmmmm... .I don't really have anything else to say. I feel like I should try to make these writeups more interesting... but then I get distracted, so whatever.


46. Peruvian Skies - Falling Into Infinity

So, I said I wasn't very familiar with Falling Into Infinity. But now you know there is at least one song from that album on my list (or could there be more? who knows?)

So, what is there to say about this song? The opening is great. I'm sure what kind of effect JP is using to get that sound, but I like it. James sounds really good here as well, the somewhat aggressive tone he uses in the verses is nicely offset by the light tone of the choruses. I like the way the song changes halfway through and gets a lot heavier. JP has a really great solo here.

[senecadawg2]

booo!  Everyone knows that Strange Deja Vu isn't a song by itself, only with Overture 1928

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Familiarize yourself with FII.


Nice songs, would be in my top 50 as well.

[senecadawg2]

Familiarize yourself with FII.

Yeah, particularly ToT and LitS. If both of those don't make an appearance in your top 10 I will lose my shit.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Prepare your undergarments.

[Lucien]

Prepare your undergarments.

[425]

Excellent choices, though Outcry really hasn't clicked for me yet. The rest deserve their places or higher (SDV, SS).

Question: Will any songs from the self-titled album be appearing on this list? Or, if that's more specific than you want to reveal, did you take the self-titled album into consideration when making the final version of this list?

[Tom Bombadil]

All 5 are pretty solid choices. Nice start.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Excellent choices, though Outcry really hasn't clicked for me yet. The rest deserve their places or higher (SDV, SS).

Question: Will any songs from the self-titled album be appearing on this list? Or, if that's more specific than you want to reveal, did you take the self-titled album into consideration when making the final version of this list?

I wrote this before hearing the self-titled album, so none of those songs will appear on this list. I'm not really familiar enough with them to judge them accurately, anyway.

[Scorpion]

I is following dis, dawg.

[Ruba]

Outcry and Peruvian Skies are amazing.

[?]

I had all of those songs (Strange Deja Vu was coupled with Oveture 1928 though) ranked around 40-50, except Peruvian Skies which got an honorable mention. We'll see if there are more similarities in our tastes

[Onno]

Following. Cool choices so far but Outcry is one of my least favourite songs from ADTOE. I think the lyrics are way too cheesy. Instrumentally it's great though.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Update cometh.


45. A Rite Of Passage - Black Clouds And Silver Linings

I suppose this might be something of a controversial choice, seeing as Black Clouds And Silver Linings isn't always too well thought-of here. But this is my list, so deal with it.

This is really a great song.










....Oh, you were expecting me to say something else?   I love the main riff, I love James's vocals, the chorus is one of DT's best, and JP has a really killer solo here. The only thing I don't really care for is the Bebot solo, and it doesn't last long enough to really bother me that much. So, that's all!







44. Lost Not Forgotten - A Dramatic Turn Of Events

So, here we are. Number 44. What do I like about this song? First, the piano at the beginning is really cool, as is the riff that follows. Mangini's drumming really stands out here, he has some really fantastic parts. James's vocals are fantastic, and I personally really enjoy the lyrics. I know not everyone's crazy about JP's "historical" type lyrics, but I quite enjoy them, especially here, where I think they worked a lot better than in A Rite Of Passage.

There is one thing, however, that I do not like about this song. That is the infamous "tickle" section. Normally, I like DT's unisons, but this one just bugs me. I think the song would have been stronger without it. But, life moves on, and doesn't subtract that much from the song.


43. The Dance Of Eternity - Scenes From A Memory

Now, I'm not really an instrumental kind of guy. I know that seems odd coming from  a DT fan, but I tend to take more of a "vocals first" approach. Even though I enjoy some instrumental groups, (Animals As Leaders, Gordian Knot, LTE) the vocalist is normally the biggest selling point for me. But, there are some songs that despite having no singer, remain interesting to me all the way through. This is one of those songs.

Now, I know most people think this song is just sort of a pointless technical exercise for DT to show how talented they are. And maybe they're right, but to me, this is one of the only instrumentals I actually find "catchy". I get parts of this caught in my head quite often. Whether it's a guitar riff, a ragtime piano solo, or what have you, I find this song to be fun and interesting all the way through. The only negative it really has in my eyes is that the production is not quite to my liking. But, in the grand scheme of things, that really doesn't matter to much. Onward and upward....


42. Far From Heaven - A Dramatic Turn Of Events

Not really much to say about this one. Jordan has some really nice restrained playing, James vocals are beautiful. I can't remember, but he did write his own vocal lines for this one? If so, he did a wonderful job as these are some of the best melodies he's ever sung with DT. Overall, just a very lovely song.


41. One Last Time - Scenes From A Memory

So, another song under 4:00 minutes. This trend is somewhat disturbing.   Very nice, almost pop-like song. Honestly, I think this song is one of the ones that could actually get some radio play, if radio stations played any groups that play instruments. /progsnob   Anyway, this is just a great song. I feel like Scenes From A Memory is a bit hit-or-miss as far as James' vocals go, but on this song he sounds great.  "His words I cannot HEAR!". Fantastic.

That's really all I have to say for this one. Onward!

[Tom Bombadil]

Not the biggest fan I this update. I only like LNF and One Last Time. I could do without the others.

[TAC]

All songs listed are good, with the exception of AROP. and a nice mention to This Is the Life, which is a perfectly written song. Everything about it.

[425]

Good choices. I will join you in the "Rite of Passage Chorus Fanclub."

LNF is another song from ADTOE that I like on paper but doesn't click too well with me.

TDOE is good, it recently started clicking with me and sounding like a good song instead of just wacky instrumentals.

FFH is one of my favorite DT ballads and one of my favorite songs on ADTOE. "Not asking you to save me, I'm too far from Heaven" = chills.

OLT is another DT song that is just really good in 1500 different ways.

[?]

I never listen to TDOE and AROP has a catchy chorus, but the song is ruined by the instrumental section. The rest of the songs in this update are great though

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

40. These Walls - Octavarium

So, what can I say about this song? It's probably one of DT's more underrated tracks, (if that term really meant anything) I never really see anyone who particularly dislikes it, but you never anyone say they like it, either. It seems a bit overlooked. Which is a shame, because it's really a great song. It starts with a great crunchy riff, has great keyboards, and James' vocals are fantastic. The build up to the chorus is one of the best they've done, which leads me to my only real complaint about the track, which is that chorus isn't quite as good as the rest of the song, especially considering the greatness of the pre-chorus.   But, that's a minor complaint. It's still a great song.   Onward!



39. This Dying Soul - Train Of Thought

So, here's the first song from Train Of Thought on my list (but will it be the last? Who knows!). Honestly, while I enjoy Train Of Thought, it ranks pretty low for me, due to some fairly lackluster songs.

But, we're not talking about those. We're talking about This Dying Soul. And what is there really to say about it? This is just a great headbanging song, especially the part starting at 3:45, probably my favorite part of the song. Not really a whole lot to say about this one, just a really solid song. Also, this is the song (I think) that has a section supposedly heavily inspired by a Metallica song. I don't really hear that, but I haven't listened to a lot of Metallica, so maybe that's why. But! Anyway, that's really neither here nor there (what an odd phrase, by the way). Onward!


38. Repentance - Systematic Chaos

So, another song from the Twelve Step Suite. This one is a bit different, DT have never done anything else quite like it. It's very restrained, with everybody playing only what is needed. Also, the song contains one of JP's best solos. The spoken word section seems to be the part most people dislike, and while I understand their complaints, I think it works very well in the context of the song.

[Lucien]

 

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

We can't all have These Walls at number 1.

[Onno]

These Walls is very cool, but both TDS and Repentance are nowhere near my top 50 (although I must say the former has grown on me since I did my top 50).

[425]

Yeah, I'm with Onno. These Walls is the only one of these that does too much for me. The others aren't bad but they're the definition of 60s-70s range songs.

[?]

These Walls is very cool, but both TDS and Repentance are nowhere near my top 50

[hefdaddy42]

[Ruba]

Repentance is amazing, These Walls is very good and This Dying Soul good. Best update so far.

[Sycsa]

I love These Walls. Mostly because Mike's evolving pre-chorus drum fills, JP's tasty solo, and the time signature. It's pretty catchy, even poppy, but I love the way it achieves that effect.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Repentance is amazing, These Walls is very good and This Dying Soul good. Best update so far.

Based on the other posts so far, I think this comment belongs in the controversial opinions thread.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

37. Light Fuse And Get Away - When Dream And Day Unite

This is the first song from WDADU to appear on my list. Now, I've heard a lot of complaints about this song, it's too disjointed, the melodies are unusual, there are far too many lyrics, and so on. To be honest, most of these things are true. It just so happens that I like it.   The song has a lot of energy, with lots of rapid changes. I know a lot of people don't care for Charlie's vocals, but I not only tolerate them, I really enjoy them. Apart from a few unfortunate moments, he really sounds fantastic on the entire record. Anyway, back to the song. I imagine this one would be hard to sing live, with so many words crammed all together.   This song also has one of my favorite DT choruses.

That's really all I have to say about this one, I suppose. Moving on.


36. As I Am - Train Of Thought

So, I've said before that TOT is one of my least favorite DT albums. Still, even a lower ranked DT album is a really good album as far as I'm concerned. To be honest, I don't really have much to say about this one. Great riffs, great vocals, great solos, just a really great metal track. Also, the lyrics are fun to listen to when you're angry.


35. Prophets Of War - Systematic Chaos

"No, Shadow Ninja, don't do it! POW is horrible!!" No, it's not. Shut up.   Seriously though, I love this song. Until I joined this forum, I has no idea that this song was so disliked among DT fans. I really like James' lighter vocals in the first verse and chorus. The following riff is fantastic, if I could actually play guitar, I'd want to play that riff. The Queen-style vocals I think are really cool, though for some reason people dislike them. (Do they have the same problem with the ones in the Queen cover on BCSL? 'Cus those were pretty bad. )  Now, there's one more thing people hate about this song. Mike's vocals. Now, prepare yourself.






Are you ready?








I like Mike's vocals here. His pseudo-rap is really cool, it's got a nice driving beat to it. And come on, who doesn't want to sing along with this?

SEE YOU SWEAT
UNEXPECTED CONTROVERSIAL

    Well, that's probably enough controversy for now....