Laughingplace56's Turbotastic Top 50 DT Songs

[Laughingplace56]

LNF is not just "similar" to UaGM, it is a complete and total ripoff, a poor man's UaGM, a song that is a total waste of 10 minutes of album space, a song with nothing new to offer and nothing that compares to the song it's rewriting. So I cannot agree with its placement on any list  short of a worst of DT list

Dear lord someone doesn't like that song 
Maybe because I started listening to DT in 2011 and not 1992-2010 and heard both songs around the same time the similarities didn't bother me but i really enjoy both.

[Crow]

I put it as the 4th worst DT song when I did my worst DT songs list 
Let's hope the other three songs worse than it don't show up here.

[Laughingplace56]

Into the 30's...

40. Breaking All Illusions (Learning to Live 2.0)

The (almost) closer of ADToE. At first I really didn't like this song much. I thought it was ok but I thought everyone was making way too big a deal over it. I still think it's madly overrated, but I like it a good deal more now. It has a great deal reminiscing LtL between the intro and the first verse and the inclusion of the piano theme from the ballad type song preceding it etc., but it's great on its own. It has its own ideas and strong points and works well as a composition coming right after FFH.

39. The Mirror

The intro.  Very simple chugging riff, powerful drums, incredible keyboard theme in the back. This is an awesome headbanger. Great lyrics, great flow, goes into the less superior Lie beautifully. LOVE the inclusion of the SDV theme throughout. Fun song and should be awesome live.

38. The Bigger Picture

I used to love this song even more but it got tiring pretty quickly. It's still an excellent song. Beautifully calm piano melody in the beginning with James' soft singing. I'm the biggest fan of the intro but it's not bad. The melodies and instrumentation of the song is excellent. The best part of it is the ending. That last verse is just gorgeous.

37. Beyond This Life (Studio/LAB Versions)

When that riff kicks in after Fatal Tragedy, it's one of the most energetic sections of the album. It seems like a lot of people regard this song more than I do, and while I love the song, I think it's far from the best on the album. But it's hard to pick a best from this album. The first few verses keep the energy of the beginning and the ending is excellent. The instrumental part can become a little stale to me at times honestly, but it's still excellently written.

*EDIT: Forgot to mention the Budokan part. The jam in the middle of the instrumental.  The Portnoy/Rudess bit is the highlight of the performance. Incredible. I wouldn't mind this song coming back in the set just to see them jam with Mangini like they did here.

36. The Silent Man

Best part of A Mind Beside Itself (eat your heart out, Voices). Very beautifully written. Very simple and moving, and I love the way it takes the theme used in Erotomania and translates it onto an Acoustic guitar. Short, sweet, light hearted, and a very different pace compared to the next darker song on the album, The Mirror.

Top 5 4 favorite songs to play on drums

10. Black Clouds and Silver Linings

Very basic metal drumming for the most part. TBoT and TSF have some interesting patterns and accents but for the most part fairly average drumming compared to their other albums. That isn't to say some of it isn't fun. If the "Beautiful Agony" part was taken out of ANTR, not only would the song be 100x better but it would be completely fun (if that part and some other parts were trimmed down to make the song 7 or 8 minutes it'd be a whole lot better. The song is too long and drags.). But since it's not like that, the most fun song to play is The Shattered Fortress. Fast paced, interesting drumming and takes some themes and patterns from superior (and less superior) songs. It'd be better without the bit from Repentance but that's just because I don't like that song. The Count is very fun just because of how great the song is. ANTR comes in third because there's only 6 songs on the album and I don't listen to one of them (Wither) and don't play another (The Best of Times). That leaves A Rite of Passage. BORING. Metallica style drumming. It's only 8 minutes and it still feels too long. This top 5 is only a top 4 because given the length of the album, i had very limited choices.

1. The Shattered Fortress
2. The Count of Tuscany
3. A Nightmare to Remember
4. A Rite of Passage

[Crow]

BAI and The Mirror too low 
TBP is alright, best on DT12 at least. BTL and Silent Man I can't complain about either of really.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

If the "Beautiful Agony" part was taken out of ANTR, not only would the song be 100x better

wtf is this

[yeah_93]

People seem to like a lot the ending of The Bigger Picture. I like much more the "What if caught in a moment I get lost..." section.

[Tom Bombadil]

4 great songs! And I've never really tried drumming TSF I guess I'll give it a shot now.

[son_ov_hades]

The Silent Man  I think its the best song on Awake and therefore much too low.

[Laughingplace56]

If the "Beautiful Agony" part was taken out of ANTR, not only would the song be 100x better

wtf is this

It's decent, but it didn't need to be in that song. It's sort of boring at moments and it's not just that part I wish wasn't in it. I wish some other parts were trimmed down because the whole song is just far too long and drags quite a bit.

People seem to like a lot the ending of The Bigger Picture. I like much more the "What if caught in a moment I get lost..." section.

Love that section too. Really from there til it ends is the best part of the song now that i think about it. If the beginning was as good as the end (not saying it's bad, just not as good), I'd rank it higher.

4 great songs! And I've never really tried drumming TSF I guess I'll give it a shot now.

Its tons of fun. There's other parts of the 12SS that just destroy it drumwise, but it's plenty fun.

[Sacul]

36. The Silent Man

Best part of A Mind Beside Itself (eat your heart out, Voices).

wat
BAI and BTL are too high, but I can't complain abou the others. Nice to see some love for DT12

[a8ac]

-The (almost) closer of ADToE. At first I really didn't like this song much. I thought it was ok but I thought everyone was making way too big a deal over it. I still think it's madly overrated,   

-. The instrumental part can become a little stale to me at times

-. If the "Beautiful Agony" part was taken out of ANTR, not only would the song be 100x better

[Evermind]

Totally agree about TSM being the best song of A Mind Beside Itself. I enjoy some moments in Voices, but overall don't like it much.

On the other hand, cut Beautiful Agony off ANTR? No.

[Laughingplace56]

-. If the "Beautiful Agony" part was taken out of ANTR, not only would the song be 100x better

On the other hand, cut Beautiful Agony off ANTR? No.

I like the section of the song to an extent. I don't like it dragging down ANTR even more than the rest of the song does. It's ok, but I feel that the song would benefit from cutting that part out and trimming some fat off of it. If it was a straight 7-8 min balls to the wall "As I Am" style opener, it may have even cracked my top 50. For example, the song up til then is awesome. If it went into a bridge, then some solos then the ending, it'd be fine.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Huh. Never encountered that opinion before. Well, there's a first time for everything.

I mean, I love Prophets Of War, so....

[Laughingplace56]

Huh. Never encountered that opinion before. Well, there's a first time for everything.

I mean, I love Prophets Of War, so....

It's not top 50 material but i do rather enjoy the song. Not amazing, but I do like it. I don't get the massive hate. It's not a bad song.

However, if we're talking Muse-style DT songs, Never Enough>Prophets of War.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

It's in my top 50.

Never Enough is not, though I do enjoy the song.

[jakepriest]

A bunch of nice picks, but for me BAI and BTL are both way too low.

Can't agree on Beautiful Agony being the worst part of the song as it's by far the best part.

[Laughingplace56]

Last bit of the 30s with some popular ones...

35. Trial of Tears (Budokan)

The first version I heard of this song was the Budokan version and I loved that one so when I listened to the studio version it didn't seem as great. Still very good, but not as good. This is the best FII song. I don't seem to love it as much as most of the DT fanbase though. Love the intro and outro. Very surreal and calm. The keyboard solo is outstanding and the song has some very cool musical passages. If the Budokan version had LaLP vocals, it'd be even better.

34. Sacrificed Sons (Score)

I've seen this song get some negative comments about it and I don't get it. This song is awesome. The simple piano intro with the soft vocals in the first verse/chorus is very calming. I love the theme on the Continuum throughout the choruses. The ending part of JP's solo when the orchestra kicks in is powerful and beautiful. The riff in the final verse before the last chorus is energetic and the most metal part of the song. The lyrics to the song are very good. The bit after the last chorus is very well written.

33. Scarred

This song went from meh-OMGZ-meh-awesome over the past few years to me. The intro with that bass and drum line and simple piano/guitar is just incredible. The chorus is one of the best on the album. I could listen to the outro  on repeat for hours. The rest of the song is just ok. If the verses and instrumental section matched those 3 parts, this would be a top 10 song. But it's still a great song.

32. Outcry (Metropolis Pt. 1 2.0/LaLP)

The list from here until the end of the 20s or so was incredibly hard to compile. Most of them are pretty interchangeable because they're all great. This one took a little to grow on me because of the instrumental. The theme in the intro and choruses is very powerful and moving. Puts a smile on my face everytime i listen to it. I didn't like the instrumental at first. It was just too much and way to obtuse for me. This is coming from the buy that already liked TDoE  . But as time went on, I couldn't stop listening to it or playing it on drums cuz it's just FUN. Yes it's obtuse, but it's DT. Very technical and some cool themes going on. The LaLP is incredible for Mangini's drumming and JP at 7:39 for the added notes to the solo  . Fun technical song.

31. Misunderstood

Very unique experimental song. The beginning flows beautifully and is very open which lets it breathe. Then it gets heavy. Portnoy has some incredible drumming in some parts of this song. The guitar solo is very different and I'm in the camp that really likes the guitar noises at the end. The pre chorus is probably my favorite lyrical passage of the song. Very cool lyrics and I love how James sings them. The keyboard arpeggios at the end are awesome as well.

Top 5 favorite songs to play on drums

9. Octavarium

I actually don't like putting this album so far down on the list because it is fun, but the other 8 are ridiculously fun. Yeah there's songs like The Answer Lies Within and I Walk Beside You, but there's also Panic Attack, which is fast, has some cool drum patterns and is mega fun, and Sacrificed Sons, which at first is slow but once the instrumental kicks in, from there on out is the most fun part of the album to play. These Walls comes next in the list and while it's not a fast metal song, it's very fun and relaxing to play. The hi hat/ride pattern that plays behind the main theme is glorious. Next is TRoAE, which is the most commercialized and straight forward part of the 12SS. It comes 4th in comparison to the other 4 12SS songs. Then Never Enough comes in 5th because while it's basically Stockholm Syndrome DT style, it's still really fun every now and then.

1. Panic Attack
2. Sacrificed Sons
3. These Walls
4. The Root of All Evil
5. Never Enough

[jakepriest]

Sacrificed Sons is a top 10 song and probably my most favourite to play on drums. I just love everything about it.

[Tom Bombadil]

5 more good songs, although Scarred is 32 spots too low.
And I've also never tried drumming Sacrificed Sons because it starts off so slow. I'll have to give that one a shot as well.

[yeah_93]

Misunderstood is a great choice. Agree with Outcry, the chorus is awesome, but I don't like the instrumental section.

[Laughingplace56]

5 more good songs, although Scarred is 32 spots too low.
And I've also never tried drumming Sacrificed Sons because it starts off so slow. I'll have to give that one a shot as well.

Scarred is your favorite?   
PLAY IT. The beginning is slow but from the instrumental on is fun as hell.

[Tom Bombadil]

5 more good songs, although Scarred is 32 spots too low.
And I've also never tried drumming Sacrificed Sons because it starts off so slow. I'll have to give that one a shot as well.

Scarred is your favorite?   
PLAY IT. The beginning is slow but from the instrumental on is fun as hell.

Yeah, Scarred might be my #1 favorite song by any band, easily my #1 DT.
And I listened to SS again and singled out the drum part and it does sound like fun. I'll definitely play it next time I go home.

[jakepriest]

5 more good songs, although Scarred is 32 spots too low.
And I've also never tried drumming Sacrificed Sons because it starts off so slow. I'll have to give that one a shot as well.

The beginning is slow but from the instrumental on is fun as hell.

The beginning is the best part to play. I can feel all the emotion in the music when I play it  The instrumental section is really fun but the intro and chorus are just godly.

[Laughingplace56]

5 more good songs, although Scarred is 32 spots too low.
And I've also never tried drumming Sacrificed Sons because it starts off so slow. I'll have to give that one a shot as well.

The beginning is slow but from the instrumental on is fun as hell.

The beginning is the best part to play. I can feel all the emotion in the music when I play it  The instrumental section is really fun but the intro and chorus are just godly.

It's not my favorite part (mine is right after the instrumental section during the last verse.), but i definitely love playing it. You can definitely feel the emotion.

[Crow]

All of these are good songs, some better than others, and then some are Scarred and way too damn low but whatever it's cool it's cool
Sad that ToT is the last we'll see of FII though :<

[Laughingplace56]

All of these are good songs, some better than others, and then some are Scarred and way too damn low but whatever it's cool it's cool
Sad that ToT is the last we'll see of FII though :<

I realized writing that one up that I like FII less than i thought i did. ToT and HK are great, JLMB, TAMP, AL, PS are ok, LitS, HY, NM, BMS are eh and YNM sucks 

[son_ov_hades]

The fact that Lines In The Sand isn't even top 50 is very sad. Of the last update, only Trial Of Tears and Misunderstood would make my top 50. Scarred is pretty cool but fairly overrated, Sacrificed Sons has that great instrumental last part but otherwise is just okay, Outcry is one that I've never been able to get into.

[Sacul]

33. Scarred

The chorus is one of the worst on the album.

Fixed. My opinion on your choices:

Ok.
Too high.
Too high.
Bloodly high.
Too low.

How much time have you been playing drums? DT songs must be very difficult, I guess.

[Laughingplace56]

The fact that Lines In The Sand isn't even top 50 is very sad. Of the last update, only Trial Of Tears and Misunderstood would make my top 50. Scarred is pretty cool but fairly overrated, Sacrificed Sons has that great instrumental last part but otherwise is just okay, Outcry is one that I've never been able to get into.

I'm just not a fan of LitS. I like the intro and i like some of the instrumentation, but i hate the chorus, the song drags on far too long, and I just find it boring. I agree Scarred is overrated but it's still very good.

How much time have you been playing drums? DT songs must be very difficult, I guess.

I've been playing a little over 2 1/2 years (self taught) and I've been paying DT music for about 2 years. What's funny is the first song I (attempted) to learned was TDoE  It took about a month of playing it once a day for me to get a decent handle on it and since then I've played it literally 100's of times and know it inside and out.

And honestly, for the most part, their music isn't THAT hard to learn on drums. Does it actually require you to pay attention closely and map everything out in your head, then take a few plays at the minimum for you to begin to get a hold on it, unlike most Heavy Metal/Hard Rock? Absolutely. There's certain songs and parts of songs that I had to really sit down and listen to/pay attention closely just to understand it, but on a whole a good portion of their material is fairly easy to digest (which I'll make a list of with the end of my top 50 since I'll finish the 12 albums before i finish the list). You just have to count the time signatures and you're good. That's how it is for me at least.

Now, on to the bottom 20's...
As we get higher into the list, know that most of these songs (including some of the 30s-50s) are very tentative in their placements. They're not drastically different; they're either on the mark or fluctuate a little give or take 5 placements. DT just has so many incredible compositions, it's hard to get a firm list.

but, anyway....

30. The Ministry of Lost Souls (CiM/Studio)

This is the only song on this list that mentions the atrocity that is Chaos in Motion. I literally cannot listen to half of that album/DVD, ESPECIALLY Scarred and LitS. I personally hate the mix of the instruments, but James is unbearable. I don't know if that's the mix to blame, but man it doesn't sound good at all. The only reason I include the CiM version of this song is because parts of it are faster on that DVD and I think it sounds better that way.
The main theme of the song is beautiful. The song drags on a little and probably could be a little shorter, but it's not extremely too long. Some say the instrumental section is out of place, but I think it works and it's awesome. The outro solo is great and MP improving behind it is always fun to listen to. Very good song and doesn't deserve some of the hate I see it get.

29. Home

Out of the whole album, this feels the closest to Metropolis Pt. 1, imo. Some of the same lyrics, some of the same drum patterns, and it feels similar in structure. The first verse feels very similar to Metropolis' first verse, for example. But the difference between the comparison of Metropolis and anything on SFAM vs. comparing ADToE to I&W is that SFAM is a 76 minute expansion of the song, therefore it's a "copy". ADToE more or less is I&W 2.0, SFAM is Metropolis Pt. 2. Completely different.
Anyways, on to the song. LOVE the intro. The Arabian sounding keys are awesome. The main riff is energetic and powerful. My favorite on the album. The verses, chorus and instrumental section are all very good, but not OMGZ AMAZING. That leaves the outro.  That minute long instrumental into TDoE is the best part of the entire album. I LOVE the way that part flows. Arabian Nights Keys are back, the drum and bass grove is amazing, and the guitar in unison with the keys is awesome. One of the many highlights of the album.

28. The Enemy Inside

Without a doubt one of their best straightforward metal songs and one of their best singles. That intro coming out of FAS punches you right in the face with the 7-string guitar godliness, Mangini's POUNDING drums, the (slightly inaudible) keys and Myung holding it down on the bass. Then the main riff kicks in (not the chugging one in the verses).  THAT GROOVE. Fucking gorgeous. Then the chugging riff in the verses kicks in and that was exactly the type of riff I was hoping for in the weeks before the single was released last August. If this isn't a high energy, balls to the wall kick ass metal song, I don't know what the hell is. The solo after the quirky keyboard part reminds me a lot of the solo in OtBoA. Awesome song and cannot wait to see it live in April.

27. These Walls

The instrumentation in the verses remind me of music you'd here somewhere in Italy. (Part of this is because it reminds of a song that was played in an advertisement for a hotel based off of Portofino Bay, Italy.) I think the music throughout is beautiful with a few heavier tones thrown in. On a whole, I think 8VM is one of their lesser heavy albums save PA and TRoAE. Some of the keyboard sounds very cinematic, like much of DT12. The outro closes the song excellently. Great song with a nice flow.

26. This Dying Soul

If there's any reason for this song to be this high it's two specific reasons: the dududududu dudu dudu riff it created ( I don't know any other way of describing it  ) and the last 4:30 minutes or so after the TGP riff.
I love the whole song. It's heavy, it's groovin, it's a great addition to the 12SS. But that riff is one of my favorite all time DT riffs, and that ending is just amazing. I know a lot of people don't like the ending unison, but HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE THAT PART?? That whole stretch from after TGP riff til the end is one of the heaviest parts of the album and is just epic. That unison never fails to make me smile. I deem the song worthy of the 12SS.

Top 5 favorite songs to play on drums
8. Images and Words

It was really hard ranking them from here until the top 3, because the next five all have incredibly fun songs, but some just eh songs. I&W has UAGM (Score version specifically) and Metropolis, which is all it needs to be higher than the other albums. Those songs are just FUN to play. I've actually only played the studio version of UAGM once. I always play the Score version just because of MP's incredible musicality in it. For the most part, I don't play 100% what's written. Normally I play a fill my way or throw in some accents. But the Score version is just more energetic, more musical, and more fun. Metropolis is self explanatory. While the whole song is just great fun to play, the instrumental is very musical and different than most of the album. After those two songs is Take the Time. I don't *love* the song like some do, but I do enjoy it. It's very upbeat and fun to play. The drum pattern of the second verse is amazing and brought back in TGD on SDOIT. Pull Me Under is next and while again I'm not as big a fan of it as some, it's actually a really fun song to improvise with. The song's really open for inserting some different ideas into and it's quite fun. Not a huge fan of AD, WFS isn't particularly fun to play on drums ( ) and I don't really like playing LtL, so spot 5 goes to Surrounded, which is actually pretty fun to play when I play softer music.

1. Under A Glass Moon (Score edition)
2. Metropolis Pt. 1
3. Take the Time
4. Pull Me Under
5. Surrounded

[ThatOneGuy2112]

28. The Enemy Inside

Let the storm begin.

All great picks. I don't think I'd have TEI or These Walls that high though. And I'm not sure I understand the point of your little tangent when explaining Home's placement, but eh it's your list.

[Laughingplace56]

28. The Enemy Inside

Let the storm begin.

All great picks. I don't think I'd have TEI or These Walls that high though. And I'm not sure I understand the point of your little tangent when explaining Home's placement, but eh it's your list.

The first part about the comparison to Metropolis? That had nothing to do with the placement I was just saying 

[ThatOneGuy2112]

28. The Enemy Inside

Let the storm begin.

All great picks. I don't think I'd have TEI or These Walls that high though. And I'm not sure I understand the point of your little tangent when explaining Home's placement, but eh it's your list.

The first part about the comparison to Metropolis? That had nothing to do with the placement I was just saying 

That and the brief on I&W and ADTOE similarities. Just seemed a little out there but it's all good, I do agree for the most part. And now that I think about it, Home really is the most similar to Metropolis Pt. 1 in structure.

[Crow]

Yay TMOLS loves! And while I don't like the ending to Home I'll never complain about seeing the song this high up since it is kind of awesome. TEI is one of the better tracks on DT12 but that's not saying much, still wouldn't make even my top 70  These Walls and TDS I wouldn't put this high either but both are great songs.

[jakepriest]

TDS higher than Home? Yeah. I don't like you anymore. Home might be my no. 1 favourite DT song. 
I like to see some love for TEI and These Walls though.

Under a Glass Moon is fun to play on drums, but it's still a pretty mediocre song in my eyes. The tambourine double-bass pattern is fun tho.

Metropolis is tons of fun to play, but I gotta concentrate a lot or I mess up the final instrumental part with the hat/snare-doubles counting. So I don't play it that much. 
It was also the song that really got me to sit down and learn triplets on the bass drum, which was a nightmare for me to digest for some reason.