Favourite Two Back-To-Back Songs On The Astonishing

[mc7]

Which TWO songs back-to-back is/are your favourite/s or which do you consider to be the best.
If you want you can ALSO pick the worst or least favourite TWO songs back to back.

Personally, my fave 4 would be (in album order):

DYSTOPIAN OVERTURE / THE GIFT OF MUSIC
When we first got to hear The Gift Of Music it sounded great and gave the upcoming album some encouraging potential to be great. When heard alongside Dystopian Overture it stands out even more. A fantastic way to open the album.

A SAVIOR IN THE SQUARE / WHEN YOUR TIME HAS COME
I wish The Astonishing would have had more great moments like this where the songs blend into one another giving the songs and the story a more unified feeling. The slight gaps between songs didn't always work for me.
These two follow each other seamlessly. In fact the soft end of ASITS and intro to WYTHC is one of my favourite album moments and reminds me strongly of the intro to Surrounded beginning with the quiet section to when the rest of the band kick in.
I know it's already been mentioned but the guitar solo on ASITS is perhaps the best on the entire album for me (wish it were longer).

THE X-ASPECT / A NEW BEGINNING

This is probably my favourite two songs back-to-back. As I mentioned in another post The X Aspect is the dark horse of the album and has many wonderful shifting moods from JR's sentimental piano intro (sounding a little like a cross between the main themes of Love Story and The Deer Hunter) to the acoustic guitar and Procol Harum-esque organ to the heart melting Evangeline theme providing the heavier and more symphonic moment rounded off by a fantastic bagpipe solo by Eric Rigler.
Not much more can be said about ANB that hasn't already but the album's most epic track (possibly intentionally slotted almost in the middle / the heart of the album) is awesome showcasing all the best abilities of the band. The much-applauded closing solo from JP and general groove is totally engaging and the song's best moment, even if it is a bit of a rip-off of the solo from Pink Floyd's Another Brick In The Wall Part 2.

HYMN OF A THOUSAND VOICES / OUR NEW WORLD

HOATV, another album dark horse for me is a great track, which does a good job after 2 hours of music of giving listeners a new mood and melodies with its folky first half complete with playful fiddle and tinkling mandolin before shifting to a more choral/symphonic second half. I prefer the first half out of the two but they both work in unison really well.
Our New World will probably go down in time as a DT all-time classic and perhaps their most commercial-sounding song since Pull Me Under.
I think the power of these two songs back-to-back will be better felt live with the audience hopefully encouraged to clap in the appropriate places during the first half of HOATV to arm swaying in the second half. In ONW the band and audience alike will let loose and have a party. It should work really well to bring the show to nearly the end.


In terms of least favourite / worst, for me it has to go to:

LOSING FAYTHE / WHISPERS ON THE WIND

Losing Faythe has the worst album moment for me and it is NOT musical - the crying.
At least I am assuming it is supposed to be crying as when it first comes on it sounds like laughing. I think when portraying this key moment in the story someone got their wires crossed.
I really like the acoustic first part of LF and wished that the entire song would have just kept to that mood rather than shift to a symphonic section. I love all the symphonic themes on the album but this is the only one that felt really reduntant to me and spoils the impact of later songs, including the title track.
Whispers On The Wind is by far the weakest song on the album and the only one I would agree to call a filler, at least musically. The melody is the least memorable too. At least it isn't long! 

What are your thoughts?

[BlobVanDam]

It would be between Dystopian Overture > The Gift of Music, and Act of Faythe > Three Days.

[KevShmev]

A Life Left Behind & Ravenskill

[V_R11]

Dystopian Overture/The Gift of Music

[CDrice]

The Lord Nafaryus/A Savior in the Square combo has been one favorite since I first heard the album. I think that 2285 Entr'acte/Moment of Betrayal is also pretty good.

[Mladen]

Way too many choices...

Dystopian overture/The Gift of music
Act of Faythe/Three days
The X aspect/A New beginning
Moment of betrayal/Heaven's cove
The Walking shadow/My last farewell

[fadetoblackdude7]

Ravenskill/Chosen

[mc7]

A Life Left Behind & Ravenskill

Ah, good choice! This would be another one on my list, If I'd included it. Ravenskill might be my favourite song on the album, aside from maybe A New Beginning. Really powerful!

[Rickharris1011]

My favorites:

Dystopian Overture/Gift of Music - as good or better than overture/strange deja vu which were always so good together (including BTFW - a highlight of that album for me)

Walking Shadow/Last Farewell - they flow nicely and together feels like 1 more epic manic song.

2285/Moment of Betrayal - completely revitalized my love of MoB (which I overplayed before the release)

Chosen/A Tempting Offer - just two songs I really like

Three Days/Hovering Sojourn - Because Three Days is awesome and I needed a second song after it for the thread 

[BFRedrocks]

A SAVIOR IN THE SQUARE / WHEN YOUR TIME HAS COME

Definitely this ^^^

[pretorios]

Heaven's Cove and Begin Again.

[MirrorMask]

Hard to pick, it must be A Saviour in the Square / When your Time has Come.

But the whole run from the beginning until Three Days included is damn impressive.

[Progmetty]

A tie between Better Life/Nafaryus and Saviour/Time.

[Dream Team]

A Life Left Behind & Ravenskill

[Scorpion]

Probably Moment of Betrayal and Heaven's Cove.

I also really, really like Our New World, but Hymn of a Thousand Voices, while still pretty good, isn't quite as good as to elevate that pair of songs to the height of MoB/HC.

[Prog Snob]

Your Mama and Your Mama (Reprise)

[ariich]

A Life Left Behind & Ravenskill

[Outcrier]

The X Aspect/A New Beginning.

[Rodni Demental]

The first ones that came to mind for me have already been mentioned quite a few time:
A Savior in the Square / When Your Time Has Come
The X Aspect / A New Beginning

I also quite like The Walking Shadow / My Last Farewell. Pretty epic combo.