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

[MirrorMask]

So far there are 13 songs in the list that didn't make mine. I'm trying to realistically determine which ones will be left out, and I think it's only logical to start from the bottom of my list and seeing which songs didn't come out yet.

There are some songs I'm confident will be there, I ranked low more than an epic or songs I know are well received from the fanbase. But my estimate is that anything  in my list (that is not an epic or an obvious fan favorite) below 74 is toast and won't definitively make the list.

Next ones that I will realize they most likely won't make it are 74, 69 and 67. I still think the highest ranking song that will be left out is my 36, followed by a 40 as well from the same album.

[jingle.boy]

I had Lost Not Forgotten at #11.
My 2nd highest rated Mangini tune.  I think this song is amazing. It pulls out some emotion in some of the parts too. The playing is amazing and it's exactly how I like my Dream Theater.

I could have sworn you've made posts where you mention you don't need DT for them to be 'heavy', that they are at their best in the more TA sounding range?

[Stadler]

154. S2N
145. Vacant
143. Honor Thy Father
138. Wither
135. Only A Matter Of Time
124. Through Her Eyes
123. Never Enough
121. Afterlife
120. A Fortune In Lies
105. Sleeping Giant
104. Surrender To Reason
----
97.  Awaken The Master
96.  Behind The Veil
85.  Constant Motion
80.  The Enemy Inside
76.  The Shattered Fortress
59.  The Gift of Music
54.  Answering The Call
52.  Lost Not Forgotten
51.  Fall Into The Light
46.  A New Beginning
44.  Forsaken
41.  The Looking Glass
36.  New Millenium
33.  Transcending Time
31.  The Best Of Times
28.  Our New World
23.  I Walk Beside You
14.  To Live Forever
5.    This Is The Life

Not going to comment on every song, but...
- I Walk Beside You:  I LOVE this song.  Heartfelt, beautiful.  I never quite understood the "U2" references (same with To Live Forever).  I know the BAND said it - so it must be gospel - but that the band was INSPIRED by it doesn't mean that it SOUNDS LIKE IT.  I'm a huge U2 fan, seen them live too many times to count, and frankly, I don't see it.  In any event, this is a GREAT song on a GREAT album.
- The Best Of Times: I think Dave said it best, but to add (slightly) to that, it's the emotional expression.  That's why I love art in general and music specifically; you get these honest, if imperfect, expressions.  Think "Ohio" by CSN&Y.  Is that a "great" song?  No.  Is it an "HONEST" song? Most certainly.
- To Live Forever: I prefer the first version to the second, but another great song and another "headscratching" U2 reference. Don't hear a lot of U2 here, but whatever.
- Answering The Call: They aren't related, not at all, but anyone else read this as an unintended reply to "The Call"?   

[ReaperKK]

More updates!

70. The Dark Eternal Night
Highest Finish: 6 (ReaperKK)
Number of Lists appeared on: 43 (Adami, Awaken, axeman90210, bosk1, devieira73, Dittomist, DTwwbwMP, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, lightningbolt, mariner, Metro, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, NoFred, OpenYourEyes311, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, porcacultor, ReaperKK, Revenge319, romdrums, TAC, Trav86, twosuitsluke, Vmadera00, weirdo, wolfking, Zydar)

There is so much to like about this song. The only strike against it would be the lyrics but really compared to other DT songs it's not even that bad. The whole song rocks from start to finish. I hope I get to see it live sometime.

69. The Alien
Highest Finish: 16 (TAC)
Number of Lists appeared on: 45 (Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, bosk1, CanuckChum, Dave_Manchester, devieira73, DragonAttack, Dream Team, energythief, Fonzie, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, Lethean, lucasembarbosa, mariner, Metro, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, NoFred, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, ReaPsTA, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, WardySI, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

I like it but it never really did anything for me, just sort of a forgettable track.

68. The Killing Hand
Highest Finish: 1 (Animal)
Number of Lists appeared on: 45 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, bosk1, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, devieira73, DragonAttack, Dream Team, DTwwbwMP, Evermind, Fonzie, Indiscipline, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, lucasembarbosa, Metro, MirrorMask, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, porcacultor, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, Revenge319, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, Wim Kruithof)

Liked this song from the beginning and it only grew on me more and more as time went on. JM really stands out to me on this song.

[Awaken]

A whole lot of catching up to do . . . .


Final Rank - Song - My Rank
79 - The Shattered Fortress - my #51
78 - A Fortune in Lies - my #50
77 - The best of times - my #43 - I listen to DT because of JP, everything else is absolutely wonderful but JP has always been the attraction for me.  And this song features some great JP playing.
76 - To live forever - my #80
75 - Answering the Call  - my #75 - Spot on, though I heard this in the gym this am and thought it was higher on my list, love this one
74 - Through her eyes  - my #55
73 - Lost not Forgotten  - my #85
72 - Fall into the light  - my #78
71 - Honor thy father  - my #67 - Also got this one in the gym today, and did not like it as much as I did when ranking (wtf?)
70 - The dark eternal night - my #66
69 - The Alien - my #71 - I've heard this song so many times and oddly, I'm not bored w it.  Banger tune, this one.
68 - The Killing Hand   - my #57

[jingle.boy]

TDEN ... Not ranked.  I find there to be no redeeming qualities to this song.  From the vocal distortion, to the riffs, to the continuum outro, it's a big miss on every level for me.

The Alien... Not ranked.

The Killing Hand ... And here I thought my #16 placement might be highest, but Animal crushed that.  Great song, enhanced with many of the live versions adding 'Another Hand'.  Even still, the studio version with Charlie on the mic makes this a worthy Top 20 song (imo).

[MirrorMask]

The Dark Eternal Night and The Alien didn't rank for me.

The Alien because I ranked 100 other songs higher, TDEN because it blows and it's everything I dislike about DT, and has possibly the cheesiest and cringiest lyrics ever from them.

It's not total "garbage", I must admit the riff is somehow cool and when they played it live, it kinda had its punch, but the ultra cheesy lyrics "we have to show we're metal, here's monsters and mummies and grawls roar" bring it down. It being one of the many songs with a copy and paste solo section that lasts the entire time it took them to write it, 5 minutes, doesn't help either.

The Killing Hand, now we're talking a different story. The Live at the Marquee version is a masterpiece. Congrats Animal for having at number 1. I have it at 62 and now I probably realize I should have ranked it even higher, but hey, the system made the list, it got my top 3 right, so I  trusted it. Amazing songs through and through anyway. Could have placed it at least around the 50th mark.

[jingle.boy]

TDEN because it blows and it's everything I dislike about DT, and has possibly the cheesiest and cringiest lyrics ever from them.

It's not total "garbage", I must admit the riff is somehow cool and when they played it live, it kinda had its punch, but the ultra cheesy lyrics "we have to show we're metal, here's monsters and mummies and grawls roar" bring it down. It being one of the many songs with a copy and paste solo section that lasts the entire time it took them to write it, 5 minutes, doesn't help either.

To rage on TDEN a bit more, imo it's the most egregious demonstration of instrumental wankery - the mid section, and the outro.  Just being flashy instrumentalists for the sake of being flashy.

[Stadler]

157. The Dark Eternal Night
154. S2N
150. The Killing Hand
145. Vacant
143. Honor Thy Father
138. Wither
135. Only A Matter Of Time
124. Through Her Eyes
123. Never Enough
122. The Alien
121. Afterlife
120. A Fortune In Lies
105. Sleeping Giant
104. Surrender To Reason
----
97.  Awaken The Master
96.  Behind The Veil
85.  Constant Motion
80.  The Enemy Inside
76.  The Shattered Fortress
59.  The Gift of Music
54.  Answering The Call
52.  Lost Not Forgotten
51.  Fall Into The Light
46.  A New Beginning
44.  Forsaken
41.  The Looking Glass
36.  New Millenium
33.  Transcending Time
31.  The Best Of Times
28.  Our New World
23.  I Walk Beside You
14.  To Live Forever
5.    This Is The Life

A whole lotta "NOT RANKED" for me today.  None of these are particularly good songs as far as I am concerned.

[Deadeye21]

Dark Eternal - If I'd submitted my list on time, I would be the highest ranked, as this is my number 5. I absolutely love this song. You never forget your first DT opener, and this was mine.

Alien - This fell down to 119. I really don't have a huge appreciation for View overall.

Killing Hand - This was my 86, great song and a huge nod to who they would become.

[Sycsa]

That TDEN riff at the end is totally like this though.

[ReaperKK]

TDEN because it blows and it's everything I dislike about DT, and has possibly the cheesiest and cringiest lyrics ever from them.

It's not total "garbage", I must admit the riff is somehow cool and when they played it live, it kinda had its punch, but the ultra cheesy lyrics "we have to show we're metal, here's monsters and mummies and grawls roar" bring it down. It being one of the many songs with a copy and paste solo section that lasts the entire time it took them to write it, 5 minutes, doesn't help either.

To rage on TDEN a bit more, imo it's the most egregious demonstration of instrumental wankery - the mid section, and the outro.  Just being flashy instrumentalists for the sake of being flashy.

Man TDEN is getting a pounding here . I've personally grown pretty tired of the solo trade off section in many DT songs but it really works in TDEN IMO. I think there are many more examples of instrumental wankery (see "Endless Sacrifice")

[jingle.boy]

TDEN because it blows and it's everything I dislike about DT, and has possibly the cheesiest and cringiest lyrics ever from them.

It's not total "garbage", I must admit the riff is somehow cool and when they played it live, it kinda had its punch, but the ultra cheesy lyrics "we have to show we're metal, here's monsters and mummies and grawls roar" bring it down. It being one of the many songs with a copy and paste solo section that lasts the entire time it took them to write it, 5 minutes, doesn't help either.

To rage on TDEN a bit more, imo it's the most egregious demonstration of instrumental wankery - the mid section, and the outro.  Just being flashy instrumentalists for the sake of being flashy.

Man TDEN is getting a pounding here . I've personally grown pretty tired of the solo trade off section in many DT songs but it really works in TDEN IMO. I think there are many more examples of instrumental wankery (see "Endless Sacrifice")

Oh, there are LOTS of examples of horrible instrumental wankery - I just hear TDEN as being one of the worst.  Also, feel free to rag back on me when we get to ES, and my rating of it. 

[Wim Kruithof]

The Alien is - to me - the ultimate Mangini-pearl he contributed to the band. That time signature from the get go is badass. Ofcourse he delivered lyrics for Room 137 as well, but can't call that something to be exited about.

I can't imagine anyone would not have The Killing Hand in their top 100... easily the best Dominici-song, although I like the Marquee-version even more.

Being in the 60's now, I start to 'worry' some stand-out songs are not going to make it in the end...

My own 100:

095: I Walk Beside You     #80 -15
094: S2n     #94 spot on
093: Never Enough     #100 +7
090: The Alien     #69 - 21
089: Only a Matter of Time     #82 -7
088: Surrender to Reason     #83t -5
087: Forsaken     #95 +8
086: Through Her Eyes     #74 -12
084: Constant Motion     #86 +2
083: Fall Into the Light     #72 -11
082: The Best of Times     #77 -5
078: Behind the Veil     #89 +11
077: Afterlife     #96 +19
068: The Enemy Inside     #83t +15
060: A Fortune in Lies     #78 +18
054: The Looking Glass     #92 +38
050: Wither     #99 +49
048: Transcending Time     #90 +42
042: The Killing Hand     #68 +26
041: Sleeping Giant     #85 +44
040: Answering the Call     #75 +45
029: Awaken the Master     #81 +52
027: Honor Thy Father     #71 +44
016: The Shattered Fortress     #79 +63

not rankend: #9 The Gift of Music / Vacant / Our New World / A New Beginning / This Is the Life / New Millennium / To Live Forever / Lost Not Forgotten / The Dark Eternal Night

ReaperKK you're doing a great job, thanks for this wonderful thread. Can't wait till the 2026-version (with #16 involved) drops...

[HOF]

Not going to comment on every song, but...
- I Walk Beside You:  I LOVE this song.  Heartfelt, beautiful.  I never quite understood the "U2" references (same with To Live Forever).  I know the BAND said it - so it must be gospel - but that the band was INSPIRED by it doesn't mean that it SOUNDS LIKE IT.  I'm a huge U2 fan, seen them live too many times to count, and frankly, I don't see it.  In any event, this is a GREAT song on a GREAT album.

- To Live Forever: I prefer the first version to the second, but another great song and another "headscratching" U2 reference. Don't hear a lot of U2 here, but whatever.

Regarding I Walk Beside You and U2, I think it's mostly in the chorus and how James sings it, but it is more of a modern U2 sound (think some of the Atomic Bomb stuff like City of Blinding Lights or Yahweh). It's also got a bit of a "when Coldplay sounds like U2 vibe" to it.

To Live Forever is only sort of U2-ish in the sense that JP uses a delay (I think?) in places.

[ReaperKK]

TDEN because it blows and it's everything I dislike about DT, and has possibly the cheesiest and cringiest lyrics ever from them.

It's not total "garbage", I must admit the riff is somehow cool and when they played it live, it kinda had its punch, but the ultra cheesy lyrics "we have to show we're metal, here's monsters and mummies and grawls roar" bring it down. It being one of the many songs with a copy and paste solo section that lasts the entire time it took them to write it, 5 minutes, doesn't help either.

To rage on TDEN a bit more, imo it's the most egregious demonstration of instrumental wankery - the mid section, and the outro.  Just being flashy instrumentalists for the sake of being flashy.

Man TDEN is getting a pounding here . I've personally grown pretty tired of the solo trade off section in many DT songs but it really works in TDEN IMO. I think there are many more examples of instrumental wankery (see "Endless Sacrifice")

Oh, there are LOTS of examples of horrible instrumental wankery - I just hear TDEN as being one of the worst.  Also, feel free to rag back on me when we get to ES, and my rating of it. 

Just checked your list, I think I need a drink...

ReaperKK you're doing a great job, thanks for this wonderful thread. Can't wait till the 2025-version (with #16 involved) drops...

Thank you! hopefully by next go around I'll have a better system set up

[HOF]

I have never liked The Killing Hand. TDEN is one of those one and done DT tracks for me.

The Alien I've listened to a few times and there are parts of it I find pretty cool (the solo and instrumental section are great), and others are a bit forgettable. 

[Deadeye21]

ReaperKK you're doing a great job, thanks for this wonderful thread. Can't wait till the 2026-version (with #16 involved) drops...

Wait, do we only these every two years? Merde. Can we go again?

[MirrorMask]

Being in the 60's now, I start to 'worry' some stand-out songs are not going to make it in the end...

Well it's math, every song that is not in your list but in the official one, requires one song of your list to go.

And it's only logical that the songs that you ranked lower in your list won't make it.

I've already calculated how many songs of mine are basically certain to not be in the official list.

[jingle.boy]

Oh, there are LOTS of examples of horrible instrumental wankery - I just hear TDEN as being one of the worst.  Also, feel free to rag back on me when we get to ES, and my rating of it. 

Just checked your list, I think I need a drink...

The same drink I'm having for TDEN being #6 on your list!!   

[Wim Kruithof]

Being in the 60's now, I start to 'worry' some stand-out songs are not going to make it in the end...

Well it's math, every song that is not in your list but in the official one, requires one song of your list to go.

And it's only logical that the songs that you ranked lower in your list won't make it.

I've already calculated how many songs of mine are basically certain to not be in the official list.

I know, but although I might be mostly in the middle in the fanbase, I do have some extraordinary (or weird) bricks in my wall, so some songs I ranked pretty high might still not make the overall list, like Another Won or Another Hand - The Killing Hand. And that would be a disaster.

[SwedishGoose]

The Dark Eternal Night did not rank for me. It's not bad just not what I want out of DT.
The Alien got to place 75. Definiteley not my favorite from View but a fine tune.
The Killing Hand could possibly have ranked had I listened and not rated from memory. But it's hard for me to see beyond the production.

My ranking so far

28 Through Her Eyes  (74)
32 Awaken the Master (81)
33 Sleeping Giant (85)
37 Our New World (93)
45 To Live Forever (76)
50 Answering the Call (75)
59 Transcending Time (90)
65 The Looking Glass (92)
75 The Alien (69)
81 Behind the Veil (89)
87 Surrender To Reason (83)
89 Forsaken (95)
91. The Gift of Music (98)
94. Never Enough (100)
100 Honor Thy Father (71)



Not rated
Wither (99), Vacant (97), Afterlife (96), S2N (94), A New Beginning (91), This is the Life (88), New Millennium (87), Constant Motion (86), The Enemy Inside (84), Only a Matter of Time (82), I Walk Beside You (80), The Shattered Fortress (79), A Fortune In Lies (78), The Best Of Times (78), Lost Not Forgotten (73), Fall Into the Light (72), The Dark Eternal Night (70), The Killing Hand (68)

Rated: 15
Not rated: 18

[Evermind]

70. The Dark Eternal Night
Highest Finish: 6 (ReaperKK)

69. The Alien
Highest Finish: 16 (TAC)

Now I know how I look like an utter lunatic having Vacant on 15. These takes are ridiculous to me.

The Dark Eternal Night - #97 - only because I had to add a few more songs to get to the Top 100. The riff is pretty good.

The Alien - not ranked - does absolutely nothing for me. In fact it was a huge turn-off when I listened to AVFTTOTW the first time.

The Killing Hand - #85 - one of the few WDADU tracks that made my list. This song is pretty good and I could've ranked it a few spots higher.

[Zydar]

70. The Dark Eternal Night - ranked #78 in the previous countdown, highest ranker then was devieira73 at #15

I had it at #70, so spot on. Nothing much to complain about really, I don't have a problem with the lyrics since they went for this comic book lyrical theme on SC (Forsaken, ITPOE, this one) anyway.

69. The Alien - (-)

This ranked #93 for me, one of the few memorable moments on the latest album. Impressive that they got the Grammy for this one.

68. The Killing Hand - ranked #48 in the previous countdown, highest ranker then was TAC at #4

This missed my Top 100. It has never interested me, sadly.

[Mladen]

The Dark eternal night was my #89. It's ridiculous but also very entertaining. I love the riffs and the chorus, but that instrumental section is what gets me going the most.

The Alien was my #37. The best song on the last album and also one of my favorites in the Mangini era. Just brilliant.

I didn't rank The Killing hand. It's kind of overrated because it's so messy and angular. They hadn't cracked the code yet.

[Revenge319]

Briefly catching up on what I've missed...

10. The Best of Times (-7)
18. The Shattered Fortress (+6)
24. The Dark Eternal Night (+9)
35. Constant Motion (+29)
37. A New Beginning (-7)
40. Sleeping Giant
46. Fall Into The Light (-10)
58. S2N (+1)
59. The Enemy Inside (-10)
61. Awaken the Master
63. The Gift of Music
71. Transcending Time
78. The Killing Hand (-37)
84. This is the Life (-12)
87. A Fortune in Lies (+18)
88. I Walk Beside You (+31)
89. Never Enough
90. Wither
93. Vacant (+4)
94. Through Her Eyes (-13)
100. Our New World (+3)
----------------------------------
105. Answering the Call
109. The Alien
122. Lost Not Forgotten (-9)
123. Behind the Veil (-2)
130. The Looking Glass (+1)
131. Forsaken (-4)
139. Only a Matter of Time (-10)
142. Afterlife (-7)
147. Surrender to Reason (-10)
148. New Millennium (-8)
149. Honor Thy Father (-7)
----------------------------------
Unranked: To Live Forever

[lightningbolt]

The Dark Eternal Night - #15 - Loved this song from the first time I watched the studio music video.  Kick ass riff and the instrumental section is fun (although, the outro instrumental section does kinda goes on forever).  Lyrics are a bit goofy, but it is about a pharaoh coming back from the dead to terrorize people.  So, it would be difficult to be anything else with that subject matter.  I enjoy the vocal delivery/effects.  Something different, but not in a bad way for me.

I did think it was a weird opener for the 2017 tour.

The Alien - UR - I forced myself to listen to it enough after it was released to go from "oy vey" to "meh."  That makes it my "favorite" from View at this point.  I'm happy they won a Grammy, but they have so many songs that are better than this one.

The Killing Hand - UR - Not my thing at all.

[jammindude]

The Dark Eternal Night - 47

This is the only song from SC that made my list at all. The only thing on the album that sounded inspired to me. (Well, ITPOE1 is excellent is well, but ITPOE2 completely ruins it).  It's hard for me to fathom anyone ragging on the lyrics to TDEN and then giving the "dark master" section a pass.  In fact, while I admit that TDEN is not Shakespeare, it's actually the *least* cringy lyrics on that entire album.

The Alien - 66

Fantastic album opener. Still spin this one. View was such a strong album. I really glad they ended the MM era on a high note.

The Killing Hand - 28

My 2nd highest from WDADU, but I don't think my #1 will make the list at all since it seems to be universally panned for reasons I have yet to comprehend.

[devieira73]

Listening to The Best of Times again, it is really good, but I stand to my opinion that the song should begin at that "Rush part" (I know I'm almost alone on that). It would benefit the overall flow of the song. Also I think the main theme, while really beautiful, was repeated so many times in the song (2 times in the slow intro, with violin and acoustic guitar, in the instrumental section with the keyboards, at the ending guitar solo, a couple more times), that takes out its impact IMO. I didn't rank the song, but I think it really deserved to be around #80.

I would highlight the live versions of The Shattered  Fortress from Breaking the 4th Wall (didn't rank it, it's only my 4th favorite song from the suite) and Through Her Eyes from Live Scenes (my# 100), with that intro with Theresa Thompson.

Lost Not Forgotten (my #15) is my 2nd fave Mangini era song. It IS that good!

TDEN (my # 23) and The Alien (my# 24) are heavy killer songs, all their instrumental sections are amazing! I must say that the drumming on  The Alien is one of the most impressive things Mangini did on DT. Incredible!

The Killing Hand (my #82) is really cool and I must say that acoustic intro from the studio version maybe is my favorite acoustic guitar played by JP.

[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.
94. S2N (NR) Honestly just not familiar enough with this song yet.
93. Our New World (NR) See: S2N
92. The Looking Glass (54th) This is one of the better tracks off of DT12. Great chorus, surprised it is this low.
91. A New Beginning (NR) Couldn't tell you what album it's from.
90. Transcending Time I really don't like DT12 View at this time, with about 5 listens since returning to the forum last year. But this song stuck out and was good enough to make the list.
89. Behind The Veil (NR) See: A New Beginning
88. This Is The Life (33rd) This song is very underrated. It has a huge atmosphere to it and a great buildup to that final chorus.
87. New Millennium (NR) Not much of a fan of FII, and this song was always skippable to me.
86. Constant Motion (35th) Sometimes you need a straightforward song, DT does it great here, and the instrumental section with the bass and piano is cool as hell.
85. Sleeping Giant (NR)
84. The Enemy Inside (36th) Great, straightforward song, and ranks right next to Constant Motion.
83. Surrender To Reason (64th) This was a mistake to place it at 64th, but by the time I was ranking stuff, I didn't care past a certain point. Relistening now and it's alright, should actually be in the 90s or off my list, so an oversight on my part.
82. Only A Matter Of Time (97th) Not bad, something had to be here.
81. Awaken The Master (NR)
80. I Walk Beside You (43rd) What a great song, when DT does more uplifting/major key stuff, it's really great, usually. Feels very underrated to me. This song has layers to it musically, stuff that feels more subtle than usual. Also fun to play on the bass.
79. The Shattered Fortress (22nd) A few clunky transitions aside, amazing song. Only TGP is the better song in the 12-step suite. And of course, that ending "I am RESPONSIBLE!"
78. A Fortune In Lies (86th) Pretty good song, chorus can stuck in your head. Charlie does a fantastic job, though the live version with JLB is stellar.
77. The Best Of Times (62nd) The intro and body of the song are a few minutes too long. The feel of the song is good, though, and that outro solo is top tier.
76. To Live Forever (NR) I do not remember this song.
75. Answering The Call (NR) Don't know it well enough.
74. Through Her Eyes (NR) It's alright, has a couple of nice moments. Maybe could have made my top 100 but not mad about it.
73. Lost Not Forgotten (75th) It's pretty okay. Some cool energy in the chorus.
72. Fall Into The Light (NR)
71. Honor Thy Father (78th) I enjoy this but is far and away the worst song on TOT as well.
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70. The Dark Eternal Night (26th) WTF why is this song so low? Don't take it seriously. I did when it first came out and then realized that this is supposed to be a fun song. I love playing the intro riff on the keyboard.
69. The Alien (NR) I do know this song, and it's meh. Maybe more time would move it up.
68. The Killing Hand (96th) In my top 100 for "the killing haaaaaaaand"

[jingle.boy]

I would highlight the live versions ...  Through Her Eyes from Live Scenes (my# 100), with that intro with Theresa Thompson.

  I did!!!

74. Through Her Eyes - 77 for me... Like Ale said, it's very important to the flow of SFAM.  You may not like it on it's own, but take it out of the album, and it would be a very strange transition between BTL and Home.  Now, if I'm considering the dual track live (JP/Theresa solo AND THE), that could very well be Top 25.  Inasmuch as L@B elevates Hollow years, LSFNY elevates this song.

70. The Dark Eternal Night (26th) WTF why is this song so low? Don't take it seriously.

Trust me, I don't! 

[Jamesman42]

Bro, you don't like that intro? It's the best part.

[jingle.boy]

Bro, you don't like that intro? It's the best part.

I think I vomit in my ears a little every time I hear it.  IIRC, this was their first Roadrunner release, yes?  To me, it screamed "LISTEN TO US, WE'RE HEAVY, WE'RE HIP, AND WE CAN WRITE BR00TAL RIFFS!!" 

[Jamesman42]

Haha, but they pulled it off well!

[jingle.boy]

Haha, but they pulled it off well!

I'm glad you and others like it.  Sincerely.