Parama's Top 50 Nightmare Cinema Shows, v. Gold Statue! The End!

[jakepriest]

The ambient section in TCOT is miles ahead the WTF middle part of Illumination Theory imo. While it is a nice break in TCOT it completely kills IT.

[Evermind]

The ambient section in TCOT is miles ahead the WTF middle part of Illumination Theory imo. While it is a nice break in TCOT it completely kills IT.

This deserves a lot of from me. Couldn't agree more.

[Edan the Man]

I like both of those sections, but find them both to be equally out of place and overall a detriment to their songs. I don't think either kill the song but they definitely leave me thinking "why is this here?"

[Joshin U]

The ambient section in TCOT is miles ahead the WTF middle part of Illumination Theory imo. While it is a nice break in TCOT it completely kills IT.

I agree to a degree.  The ambient section in TCOT flows much more naturally and seems to progress the song much more efficiently, while the middle section of IT appears out of no where and ends abruptly, making it a jarringly misplaced piece of the song.  That being said, by itself, I enjoy the IT middle section more than the TCOT ambient section, just not in the context of the song.

[?]

The ambient section in TCOT flows much more naturally and seems to progress the song much more efficiently, while the middle section of IT appears out of no where and ends abruptly, making it a jarringly misplaced piece of the song.

[Crow]

Yep I'd agree that TCOT's flows better, but I also enjoy it more really. I just really dislike IT, it's one of the bottom three on the album for me 

Anyways, here, have a song.

8. Lines in the Sand
I seriously didn't intend for these to be right next to each other, but hey, I'm not complaining! I usually listen to them together now, anyways, even though they're two distinct, standalone songs. Anyways. I never hated this song, but I never cared for it much or even paid attention to it until a few months ago. In fact, if DT12 hadn't sucked so hard I'd probably never have turned to their other albums and wouldn't have discovered how absolutely fantastic this song secretly was. The free-time intro is something I don't think they've ever done anything like, but then I could say that for the rest of the song too. See, it tricks you with its grandiose intro. And then. It's groove time, baby. Compared to this song, 6:00 is only a little bit groovy, dudes. Notable is how that doesn't take away from the pure power of the song, too. They go perfectly hand in hand. I only have one, tiny tiny gripe. I can't say I care much for the backing vocalist on the chorus, but it doesn't detract from the song, the chorus is still pretty tight despite being noticeably the least great part of this one. And then of course, Petrucci's solo. Dear god. I wish he just did more like this. Cut out the shred, play with soul. Not like the sections after it don't match it in greatness. And hey, Stream of Consciousness makes a cameo appearance, even! The song builds up nicely to the final verses which are just ABSOLUTELY PERFECT and the chorus after them is honestly a bit underwhelming in comparison to how beautiful those last verses build up. Man, I shouldn't be saying bad things, because I love this song from beginning to end. If the chorus was a bit stronger this would probably have made my top 5, but #8 certainly isn't /bad/ by any means, now is it? Just that 7 through 1 all have flawless choruses, which is why this can't match them. Well actually one of them doesn't really have a chorus, but shut up.

Eighteenth Discussion Question: Are there any DT songs where one background element brings a section or song down for you? Not counting samples of course because I already asked that.

[Evermind]

1. Scarred
2. Lines in the Sand
3. A Change of Seasons
4. The Mirror
5. Disappear
6. In the Presence of Enemies
7. Breaking All Illusions
8. Anna Lee
9. Beneath the Surface
10. Take the Time

So it's 2 out of 3 already!

Oh, and you could've guessed like that in my list too, but too late now.

[Joshin U]

I'm not sure how "background" it really is, but I really think the backing vocals in LITS drags it down.  I would listen to the song so much more if it wasn't for the chorus and its "background" elements.  Also, Misunderstood's ending has lots of annoying background stuff, as we know, but it can all be considered the foreground, too, so..... 

[?]

Eighteenth Discussion Question: Are there any DT songs where one background element brings a section or song down for you? Not counting samples of course because I already asked that.

I personally dislike the keyboard sounds in the outro of Misunderstood - even the guitar noise sounds much more pleasant...

[Crow]

2 out of 3 and in the correct order too! If that means anything, only 1 song on your list will be on mine, since the rest you ranked below ACoS? 
Or maybe there will be a plot twist and several of the others will be on the list but not the one you put at #1. Only time will tell.
IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME!

Also poor Misunderstood's outro :<

[Evermind]

Well I'm totally sure you'll have Scarred on your list, so I put it as #1. 

[Crow]

Maybe... 

[Evermind]

By the way, I wrote that above when I edited my post, you should totally come and guess my other nine songs while you're at it. 

[jakepriest]

I personally dislike the keyboard sounds in the outro of Misunderstood - even the guitar noise sounds much more pleasant...

This. If it weren't for the keyboard sounds Misunderstood would be ranked much higher for me.

Also I would like Lines In The Sand a lot more if they sacked that horrible singer in the chorus. Kinda kills the song for me and I don't listen to it anymore unless I'm listening to FII as a whole.

[Tom Bombadil]

I think both LITS and Misunderstood are pretty much perfect the way they are.

[Crow]

The only difference between the LitS demo and album version I dislike is the removal of the last bit in the final verses. All the other changes were for the better though. I just don't like the vocals in the chorus but it's not even close to ruining the rest of the song for me.

[Crow]

Here have an honorable mention.

53. On the Backs of Angels
Certainly a very grand song, aside from the intro and the piano break it's pretty heavy the entire way through. It gives the song great atmosphere, and the song's quite diverse for its runtime. Definite highlight is the intense section before the first chorus, such driving energy to cap off the build-up to the chorus the rest of the song has had. Of course, can't help but note the structural similarities to Pull Me Under, but ehh that kind of thing really doesn't bother me, since they're two vastly different songs. And this one has a better ending anyways, the song just gets damn heavy in the outro. This song did totally get booted off the list though when I relistened to it doing write-ups, but it's still an excellent song and a good opener for the album. God knows how fan opinion of the album would have changed if it started with BMUBMD, after all. The thought makes me shudder.

[Crow]

Honorable mentions aren't very popular huh 
Fine, have awesome music instead.

7. Breaking All Illusions
This song, by itself, probably causes me to overrate the entire album somewhat. There's just so much good music here and absolutely nothing is fat worthy of being trimmed. They really pushed the limits of their songwriting capabilities here, covering basically everything the band is known for. Lots of parts have a lush, full atmosphere, especially the chorus that basically bookends the entire instrumental section. The first verses start quiet, with a drum and bass groove, and gradually build up to a pseudo-chorus, then the metal part of "prog metal" kicks in and treats us to a fantastic riff. Then the aforementioned chorus, which is, of course, amazing. The instrumental section starts out with signature DT wackiness and technicality without getting overbearing like a lot of DT instrumentals tend to be, making it a pleasure to listen to. Then Petrucci's solo section starts. He gives us a bit of a tease of what's to come at first, before the small pause. Then the solo starts. Easily one of the top three Petrucci solos, there's nobody on earth who can listen to this solo without falling in love with it and anyone who claims otherwise IS DEAD TO ME. Of course, the rest of the band providing great backup and build-up throughout just makes something amazing into something absolutely magical. It's sort of a wonder that the time-signature wackiness following this building up to the last chorus doesn't pale in comparison; in fact, I think that entire section is pretty damn awesome too, it builds up in its own special way such that the chorus can't help but come back in at just the perfect time. And then the Far From Heaven reprise at the very end is a wonderful and epic way to end the song, it gives the song and the entire album a good feeling of closure, which is probably a factor into why I'm not huge on Beneath the Surface, since it's basically a bonus track that accidentally ended up on the album anyways. But yeah. This is just a fantastic song.

Nineteenth Discussion Question: Well now's as good a time as any. Favorite Petrucci solo, anyone?

[Evermind]

1. Scarred
2. Lines in the Sand
3. A Change of Seasons
4. The Mirror
5. Disappear
6. In the Presence of Enemies
7. Breaking All Illusions
8. Anna Lee
9. Beneath the Surface
10. Take the Time

Another one down. And as you can probably guess, I have no objections about BAI being here.

[Crow]

Plot twist: I've actually been counting in reverse, BMUBMD is my favorite DT song and we're counting down to the worst songs now.
Did you expect that?

[Joshin U]

Nineteenth Discussion Question: Well now's as good a time as any. Favorite Petrucci solo, anyone?

I'm weird, so my favorites are not the typical ones, really.  My favorites are probably TGD, As I Am, BAI (great song pick!), Erotomania, BTV, and the opening sweeps in TGP.

[Crow]

Which one in Erotomania? That song has three 
Can't really complain about any of those picks, Petrucci's solo is the best thing about BTV so.

[Evermind]

Plot twist: I've actually been counting in reverse, BMUBMD is my favorite DT song and we're counting down to the worst songs now.
Did you expect that?

No, totally didn't.
If it's true, I think you should go and listen for BMUBMD a few times. Should be a pure enjoyment for you. 

[jakepriest]

Already said what I think about the song. 
Favourite Petrucci solo... that's kinda tough as he has a lot of good solos. For wankery, TGP arpeggio solo comes to mind / As I Am. For eargasm, Learning To Live / Surrounded / The Spirit Carries On. I think the solo in The Best of Times is quite overrated by the community here (don't mind me, it's still a great solo).

[Joshin U]

Which one in Erotomania? That song has three 
Can't really complain about any of those picks, Petrucci's solo is the best thing about BTV so.

The last one, of course.   

[Crow]

Of course is not necessarily what I'd think since all are great, though yes that one's the best 

Anyways, close to the end of honorable mentions.. and whoops, look, another song from an album off the list!

52. The Best of Times
Totally honest. This song is only this high for the solo. Isolate the solo itself, call it a song, and this would be in my top 10. It's just a bloody fantastic solo, one of Petrucci's best, so I'm disappointed that a lot of the song doesn't hold up to it. The slow intro is very nice but feels very disjointed from the rest of the song. There's nothing wrong with the song being as upbeat as it is, and it's certainly not bad, but it's out of place with basically everything else in the song. Also the lyrics are BC&SL standards of bad, I cringe at a few of them every time. Fortunately when the song gets less energetic and more heartfelt I start to get into it again, it's undeniably a beautiful song. But yes, that solo. Petrucci you are a legend. That's all. Hnnng. This truly is a frustrating song and I'm a little disappointed it didn't quite make my list.

[jakepriest]

Meh. I actually like The Best of Times as a song, but for the main melodies. The solo is great, but I think it's a tad bit overrated. I am also not a lyrics-person by any means, but the ones in this song are hilariously bad. 

[Prog Snob]

I don't get all of the hate for TBOT.  It pales in comparison to TCOT but I like the upbeat tempo of the song and like you said, the solo is just fantastic.  It's easily one of his best. 

[Zydar]

A very underrated song. Awesome solo, great melodies and vibe, and I don't mind the lyrics either. That "Rushy" guitar riff before the first verse is very tasty.

[Crow]

6. Voices
Well, I'm sure everyone and their mother expected this one to show up on my list eventually. I mean. It's the quintessential song off Awake (though not *necessarily* my personal favorite.) This song is basically tied with Breaking All Illusions in terms of "oh god that's amazing" so consider it a tie, I pretty much flipped a coin to rank them. The heaviness of the riffs in the intro is great... and then the song's like, yep, now let's transition perfectly into beautiful piano, soft singing, and guitar melodies. That just happened. And you loved every second of it. Obviously I've got to use my catchphrase here. Build-up. This song does it perfectly, multiple times. The verses build up to the monstrous chorus so well. And the chorus is one of the best they've ever done, LaBrie is absolutely on fire here and the band backs him up perfectly. The "Thought Disorder" section is probably the one less-than-perfect section of this song but I still like it. It's a nice counterpoint to the lightness of the first verses, anyways. And of course.

The section with the samples has such great energy to it, I just love it. And then the entire next few minutes just build up and up to Petrucci's fantastic solo, and LaBrie shows us again that he is a god, and everything is just wonderful. Then we build to the last chorus, which is like the other choruses, but even better. What a way to end a song. The lyrics throughout are also just fantastic, definitely one of their best. Oh yeah there's that acoustic thing at the end that transitions quite well into The Silent Man, too. It's nice. Fish filets.

Twentieth Discussion Question: What's your favorite misheard DT lyric? Because I don't even know I'm running out of legit questions.

[Joshin U]

Great pick, in my top 5 

Twentieth Discussion Question: What's your favorite misheard DT lyric? Because I don't even know I'm running out of legit questions.

Although Voices has so many good ones, I'm going to have to go with Sacrificed Sons.

"GOD ON HIGH-

A MISSED STEAK.

WILL MANKIND

BE A STEAAAAAK"

[jakepriest]

I don't know. Voices hasn't really ever clicked with me, and I love Awake and consider it a top 3 album. I really don't enjoy the keyboard progression during the first verses. The chorus is good but again the keyboard kinda kills it. It's overally just a really boring song for me. I'll take Scarred over Voices any day.

For the question;

[Crow]

I know I've been on the DT boards too long when I immediately got that 
And I dunno it's not boring in the slightest to me but whatever! Personal preference is a thing that exists.

Anyways my choices are a bit less predictable in the top 5 or at least I'd like to think so but ehh 

[Evermind]

I actually thought of Voices right after I posted my prediction. Great song, that is.

I've a lot of favourite misheards. Here are some:

"all my lipsticks falling into darkness"
"ever deadly suicide"

And from the new album:

"digging up a coal mine"

[jakepriest]

"digging up a coal mine"

I haven't ever caught this one  Might be because I don't like TLG and skip it whenever I listen to the album.