Dream Theater Top 100 countdown - 2024 Version! (#01 Up!)

[WardySI]

Of these I only ranked Wither #38

A rather beautiful song!

[Animal]

Never Enough - NR

I liked this one back in the day. I didn't know Muse but everyone was talking about how Never Enough was a Muse rip-off so I checked them out. Long story short, now I have Never Enough to thank for making me a Muse fan but I can't appreciate this song any more - it just feels fake.

Wither - NR

DT ballads are a mixed bag. This one is not as bad as The Answer Lies Within but still feels rather generic - a ballad by numbers.

The Gift of Music - 71

When I first heard TAC say that TGOM was the everything DT was about distilled into 4 minutes, I thought he was either being sarcastic or in a dire need of a therapist. But now I kind of feel that way too. I gave TA a lot of spins for this countdown and became a big fan of this album.

[twosuitsluke]

OK, so this thing has really started, and the hot takes are there right from the get go! I think I need to buckle up and prepare myself for a lot of my favourite songs to be ranked real low (or not at all!).

My ranking so far


13. Wither
20. Never Enough
140. The Gift of Music

Let's get into it.

Wither, I knew, never had a chance of landing in the top 50, but it shocks me it's this low. I know a lot of people give it a lukewarm response, and are not fans of the theme of the song. What saves it for me is the guitar solo. I really love it and it really elevates the whole thing for me. I think the other big factor is that a big fan of that era of the band, and the run from Octavarium to Black Clouds.

Never Enough was also pretty high for me. I really love Octavarium and all of the songs from the album landed in my top 40. I definitely rank the album as a whole pretty consistent and I didn't see any of the songs as particularly weak.

The Gift of Music was left off my list and I find it wild that it's collectively ranked above the other two. I think shocked pikach face is going to standard for me with this countdown!

Bring on the next three.

[Evermind]

OK, so this thing has really started, and the hot takes are there right from the get go! I think I need to buckle up and prepare myself for a lot of my favourite songs to be ranked real low (or not at all!).

My ranking so far


13. Wither
20. Never Enough
140. The Gift of Music

Let's get into it.

Wither, I knew, never had a chance of landing in the top 50, but it shocks me it's this low. I know a lot of people give it a lukewarm response, and are not fans of the theme of the song. What saves it for me is the guitar solo. I really love it and it really elevates the whole thing for me. I think the other big factor is that a big fan of that era of the band, and the run from Octavarium to Black Clouds.

Never Enough was also pretty high for me. I really love Octavarium and all of the songs from the album landed in my top 40. I definitely rank the album as a whole pretty consistent and I didn't see any of the songs as particularly weak.

The Gift of Music was left off my list and I find it wild that it's collectively ranked above the other two. I think shocked pikach face is going to standard for me with this countdown!

Bring on the next three.

Is Wither your favourite DT ballad? #13 seems crazy high for me but I've got a few similar picks on my list.

[wolfking]

Luke putting Wither so high on his list are the kind of hot takes I'm looking forward to most from this countdown.

[jingle.boy]

OK, so this thing has really started, and the hot takes are there right from the get go! I think I need to buckle up and prepare myself for a lot of my favourite songs to be ranked real low (or not at all!).

Conversely, for the songs that made your list, I also suspect expect A) you to be the one to have the highest rank for several most of the songs from 50-100, and B) you will have a the most NR's.   

[MustActFastToCoverUp]

I had Never Enough on 62 and TGOM on 75, Wither not ranked.
I expected TGOM to be a bit higher on the list, it's my highest ranked TA-track (of 6).

[Podaar]

100. Never Enough - Not ranked. I don't hate it.

99. Wither - I had this at 81. Good song, good guitar solo, decent lyrics. 10 years ago I would have ranked it higher.

98. The Gift Of Music - 64. A well crafted kickoff to The Astonishing...an album I just don't have time for anymore.

[Zydar]

 

[Wim Kruithof]

Interesting pg1067, curious to see what the songs turn out to be. My top 10 's filled with:

- Images & Words: 1
- Awake: 1
- Six Degrees: 1
- Octavarium: 1
- Systematic Chaos: 2
- Black Clouds: 1
- Dream Theater: 1
- A View from the Top: 1

- non album: 1

[Puppies_On_Acid]

OK, so this thing has really started, and the hot takes are there right from the get go! I think I need to buckle up and prepare myself for a lot of my favourite songs to be ranked real low (or not at all!).

Conversely, for the songs that made your list, I also suspect expect A) you to be the one to have the highest rank for several most of the songs from 50-100, and B) you will have a the most NR's.   

I think Stadler would like a word.

[jingle.boy]

OK, so this thing has really started, and the hot takes are there right from the get go! I think I need to buckle up and prepare myself for a lot of my favourite songs to be ranked real low (or not at all!).

Conversely, for the songs that made your list, I also suspect expect A) you to be the one to have the highest rank for several most of the songs from 50-100, and B) you will have a the most NR's.   

I think Stadler would like a word.

I'll put my chips on Luke.

[mariner]

The Gift of Music was 57.  One of my favorites from The Astonishing.

Never Enough was 67.  One of my lowest-ranked from a top 3 album for me.

Wither was NR.  I like it... just not enough to get it into the top 100.

[twosuitsluke]

OK, so this thing has really started, and the hot takes are there right from the get go! I think I need to buckle up and prepare myself for a lot of my favourite songs to be ranked real low (or not at all!).

My ranking so far


13. Wither
20. Never Enough
140. The Gift of Music

Let's get into it.

Wither, I knew, never had a chance of landing in the top 50, but it shocks me it's this low. I know a lot of people give it a lukewarm response, and are not fans of the theme of the song. What saves it for me is the guitar solo. I really love it and it really elevates the whole thing for me. I think the other big factor is that a big fan of that era of the band, and the run from Octavarium to Black Clouds.

Never Enough was also pretty high for me. I really love Octavarium and all of the songs from the album landed in my top 40. I definitely rank the album as a whole pretty consistent and I didn't see any of the songs as particularly weak.

The Gift of Music was left off my list and I find it wild that it's collectively ranked above the other two. I think shocked pikach face is going to standard for me with this countdown!

Bring on the next three.

Is Wither your favourite DT ballad? #13 seems crazy high for me but I've got a few similar picks on my list.

It's actually not my highest ranking ballad, there are two above it.

Luke putting Wither so high on his list are the kind of hot takes I'm looking forward to most from this countdown.

It's what we're all here for. I'm just shocked by how wrong you all are!

OK, so this thing has really started, and the hot takes are there right from the get go! I think I need to buckle up and prepare myself for a lot of my favourite songs to be ranked real low (or not at all!).

Conversely, for the songs that made your list, I also suspect expect A) you to be the one to have the highest rank for several most of the songs from 50-100, and B) you will have a the most NR's.   

I think Stadler would like a word.

Right?! Wait, am I Stadler now? This is an unexpected turn.

[geeeemo]

Never Enough. 100. Not ranked. I have never enjoyed this song. A rarity for DT.

Wither. 99. Not ranked. It's a nice song, but I like other DT songs more. Ballads are not my go-to's typically.

The Gift of Music. 98. I have 10 TA songs in my top 100, but this one didnt make it. It gets better as it goes, and is important in setting the story. I like it better when I watch the video. James looks cool.

[ReaperKK]

#97-95 brought to you today by my hangover . Just a heads up the user list of people submitted is no longer sorted by point total, it's a bit too much work to organize it that way, sorry Jingle!

97. Vacant
Highest Finish: 15 (Evermind)
Number of Lists appeared on: 36 (Adami, Animal, bosk1, CanuckChum, Cool Chris, Dave_Manchester, Dittomist, energythief, Evermind, hefdaddy42, Indiscipline, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, Lethean, lightningbolt, MirrorMask, MoraWintersoul, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, NoFred, OpenYourEyes311, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, ReaPsTA, Revenge319, romdrums, The Realm, Vmadera00, wolfking, Zydar)

Just missed my list but I really loved this song on ToT. It fit the tone of the album perfectly.

96. Afterlife
Highest Finish: 20 (OpenYourEyes311)
Number of Lists appeared on: 41 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, Ben_Jamin, CharlesPL, Cool Chris, Dave_Manchester, Dream Team, Evermind, Fonzie, Jamesman42, jammindude, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, lucasembarbosa, mariner, Metro, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, porcacultor, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, TAC, The Realm, Trav86, Vmadera00, WardySI, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

Afterlife really grew on me over the years, enough so that it made my list.

95. Forsaken
Highest Finish: 21 (energythief)
Number of Lists appeared on: 42 (Animal, Awaken, bosk1, CanuckChum, Cool Chris, Dave_Manchester, Dittomist, DTwwbwMP, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, geeeemo, Jamesman42, jeff_kinsley, jonny108, JPZealot, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, lightningbolt, mariner, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, MustActFastToCoverUp, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, Setlist Scotty, Stadler, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Trav86, twosuitsluke, WardySI, weirdo, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

Personally this song ranked 25 for me. I'm kind of shocked it placed so low. It's a killer track, great riff and is a perfect example of DT doing nice, short, songs.

[Jamesman42]

100. Never Enough (17th) I don't get how this is at 100. This song has many cool parts, especially the instrumental break.
99. Wither (66th) Solid song, when it hits, it's great but it doesn't always warrant a listen.
98. The Gift Of Music (92nd) It's alright. Past entry 82 on my list is stuff that just had to be ranked.
97. Vacant (70th) This song is so awesome on its own and how it leads into SoC
96. Afterlife (98th) See: The Gift of Music
95. Forsaken (87th) It's alright, live is good.

[HOF]

Afterlife is one DT song that has grown on me more and more over the years. The version on Score is awesome.

Vacant is fine. Forsaken is forsaken.

[jammindude]

Vacant - 85
Afterlife - 57
Forsaken - DNR

Vacant is SOOO GORGEOUS!!! The only thing that kept it a bit lower down the list is that it feels more like an intro than a proper individual song.  I've never heard them play them together, and that's a shame. Every time I hear the live versions they've played separately, it always sounded like something was missing.

Afterlife has always been a top shelf song for me. It was one of the songs that was played fairly regularly on the IAW tour, and so I heard JLB do it a lot and I've always loved his rendition. But the original is a standout.

Forsaken is the lamest lead single they've ever done. Mostly bland song from mostly subpar album.

[Setlist Scotty]

97. Vacant A dark somber ballad that is OK, but not good enough to make my top 100.

96. Afterlife The one song on WDaDU that I have never been able to get into, and therefore the only song from WDaDU not to make my top 100.

95. Forsaken The first song on SC that really caught my ear when I got the album. It's catchy ear candy although not of the same depth and quality of a lot of DT's other material. It ended up at 47 on my list.

[Zydar]

Wow, all three are around the same grouping in my ranks

Vacant (76) - A beautiful song, and a nice breather from the onslaught that is ToT.

Afterlife (80) - I've always liked this one, the Score version is my favourite over the album version though (sorry Charlie). That JR and JP solo section is jawdropping.

Forsaken (78) - Nothing much to say, really. A nice track from SC.

[Indiscipline]

Vacant: 45. Beautiful and gut-wrenching, and my favourite James' performance as Singer, not just vocalist.

Afterlife: Didn't make the cut. Too formulaic for what I look for in DT.

Forsaken: Didn't make the cut. Too formulaic for what I look for in DT.

[Dream Team]

Vacant didn't make it at 128; and Forsaken was #117.

But yeah, Afterlife is a great example of a short DT song that still manages to hit a lot of marks. Love the drumming and riffs and of course that awesome solo section + unison. James SLAYS it on Score. Had it at #31.

31 Afterlife
54 Wither
81 The Gift of Music

Missed the top 100: Never Enough, Vacant, Forsaken

[Revenge319]

Vacant - My ranking: #93 (+4)
Vacant is beautiful. James did great with his lyrics and vocal performance, and the piano and cello create a deep sense of sadness. I feel a little bad ranking songs like this on the lower end of the scale, I feel like I should've ranked this one a little higher even though I know there's so much tough competition.

Afterlife - My ranking: #142 (-7)
A bottom 10 Dream Theater song for me... which means it's an alright song. Really, the only problem with this song is that aside from the chorus and the first and last 3 seconds, I don't remember anything about this song. What I do remember is good, though.

Forsaken - My ranking: #131 (-4)
I rarely ever listen to Forsaken, but when I do, it's enjoyable. Lots of better Dream Theater songs out there, but still good. Nice to see it's gotten a better reputation recently, too; a few years ago it seemed like the consensus was that Forsaken was one of the worst DT songs ever made, which I don't really understand.


63. The Gift of Music
89. Never Enough
90. Wither
93. Vacant
--------------------------
131. Forsaken
142. Afterlife

[Mladen]

Vacant just missed the cut for me. It's a lovely song. Looking back on my list and some of the songs that did make it, I should have put it in.

Afterlife was my #39. I'm stunned it ended up this low. Not only is the studio version perfectly fine, but the versions with James that are out there are stellar, especially the Score rendition.

Forsaken was my #98. It's a good, catchy tune.

[Jamesman42]

Afterlife was my #39. I'm stunned it ended up this low. Not only is the studio version perfectly fine, but the versions with James that are out there are stellar, especially the Score rendition.

That is true, he really elevates the song. That's why I had it in my 100.

[ReaperKK]

One interesting thing when I was doing my own rankings was how much more I enjoyed WDADU.

[mariner]

Forsaken was #56 for me.  The two "singles" from SC were my favorites (Constant Motion being the other).   Lyrics are a bit silly.

Afterlife is #68 and I also love the James version on Score.  (Maybe because I got to see it in person!!!).

Vacant did not make my list, but I found to be a neat song.

[twosuitsluke]

I'm honestly loving this and giddy over the thought of it going on for a good while. I only had one out of these three in my top 100, and it should come as no surprise that it's the one from Systematic Chaos.

My ranking so far

13. Wither
20. Never Enough
49. Forsaken

109. Vacant
113. Afterlife
140. The Gift of Music



Vacant and Afterlife both just missed my list, and are also ranked closely together, so I'm not too far off the general consensus. I don't really have anything to say about either, other than this. Ruslan, you ranking Vacant so high is as wild to me as Wither was to you it just feels too much like an interlude I guess. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it just lowers my ranking of it.

Forsaken I really like though. My ranking is based almost wholly on Petrucci's guitarwork. The riffs, leads and solos literally make the song. I don't think the lyrics or performances by other members are particularly bad or good, just pretty solid. It's also mainly to do with Systematic Chaos being the first new DT release that came out after I became a fan.

[MirrorMask]

Was away on vacation, missed this thing starting! love the way the results are presented 

I'm glad Wither and Forsalen at the very least made the cut. I'm also pleasantly surprised that I'm NOT the one who ranked them higher 

Never Enough was 96 for me. Decent song but it's too much derivative.

Wither was 28. Excellent ballad.

The Gift of Music was 70. Surprised I have it so low, but hey, I trusted the system.

Forsaken was 29, amazing song and one of their best shorter and to the point ones.

Afterlife didn't make my cut.

[CharlesPL]

Vacant - none
Afterlife - 46
Forsaken - none

[SwedishGoose]

Oh I have Forsaken a little bit higher than the mediun.
Nice enough song and one of few that rated from Systematic Chaos.
Vacant and Afterlife did not make it for me though.

89 Forsaken (95)
91. The Gift of Music (98)
94. Never Enough (100)



Not rated
Wither (99), Vacant (97), Afterlife (98)

[Evermind]

I'll be here to defend Vacant in ~30 minutes. Incredible song. #15 is a hot take, I know.

[Stadler]

OK, so this thing has really started, and the hot takes are there right from the get go! I think I need to buckle up and prepare myself for a lot of my favourite songs to be ranked real low (or not at all!).

My ranking so far


13. Wither
20. Never Enough
140. The Gift of Music

Let's get into it.

Wither, I knew, never had a chance of landing in the top 50, but it shocks me it's this low. I know a lot of people give it a lukewarm response, and are not fans of the theme of the song. What saves it for me is the guitar solo. I really love it and it really elevates the whole thing for me. I think the other big factor is that a big fan of that era of the band, and the run from Octavarium to Black Clouds.

Never Enough was also pretty high for me. I really love Octavarium and all of the songs from the album landed in my top 40. I definitely rank the album as a whole pretty consistent and I didn't see any of the songs as particularly weak.

The Gift of Music was left off my list and I find it wild that it's collectively ranked above the other two. I think shocked pikach face is going to standard for me with this countdown!

Bring on the next three.

Is Wither your favourite DT ballad? #13 seems crazy high for me but I've got a few similar picks on my list.

It's actually not my highest ranking ballad, there are two above it.

Luke putting Wither so high on his list are the kind of hot takes I'm looking forward to most from this countdown.

It's what we're all here for. I'm just shocked by how wrong you all are!

OK, so this thing has really started, and the hot takes are there right from the get go! I think I need to buckle up and prepare myself for a lot of my favourite songs to be ranked real low (or not at all!).

Conversely, for the songs that made your list, I also suspect expect A) you to be the one to have the highest rank for several most of the songs from 50-100, and B) you will have a the most NR's.   

I think Stadler would like a word.

Right?! Wait, am I Stadler now? This is an unexpected turn.

Embrace it, Luke, it's like a warm bath. 

[Stadler]

145. Vacant
138. Wither
123. Never Enough
121. Afterlife
59.  The Gift of Music
44.  Forsaken