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

[Animal]

I noticed it's three entries already that all the songs listed are in someone's top 10. Should we assume that it's gonna be this way until the top position? that if songs around the 40th mark are already in someone's top ten, it's only logical and mathematical that songs that ranked even higher are in someone's top 10 as well?

Not a logical necessity, but extremely likely (I'd say 99%+, but this is just a gut estimation, without trying to compute the actual probabilities).

[Fonzie]

The passage from 2:20 in OLT is my favourite verse on the album. Wonderful vocal melody. Lush.

I find PS  a bit dull these days. In the lower half of the album. But I'm one of the few who really like FII, so that's not as harsh as some might think.

WSS is a pretty good track on a pretty good album.

We're in that phase now where I don't have to scratch my head when a slightly less familiar song gets mentioned. This countdown has been a great excuse to reacquaint myself with some of the latter day catalog.

[Animal]

Wait for Sleep is gorgeous and has always been a favorite moment on I&W. Also one of the few songs I've ever learned properly on piano. Really nice piece that links up nicely with Learning to Live.

Cool. I'm planning to do the same. I've done it on guitar but I couldn't handle playing that irregular pattern and singing at the same time.

[Lonk]

I noticed it's three entries already that all the songs listed are in someone's top 10. Should we assume that it's gonna be this way until the top position? that if songs around the 40th mark are already in someone's top ten, it's only logical and mathematical that songs that ranked even higher are in someone's top 10 as well?

Not a logical necessity, but extremely likely (I'd say 99%+, but this is just a gut estimation, without trying to compute the actual probabilities).

I think you are right.

The last ranked song to not make someone's top 10 was Outcry at #58. So it should be safe to assume that everything that is still left on the board will be in someone's top 10, specially as we are so close to the top 40.

[pg1067]

In the previous update there were two ties, after Mladen noticed that he was ranked higher than he submitted I got his list and went back and checked it out. I fixed the mistake there and updated the rank, the only difference it made was rank Nightmare slightly lower. Apologies!

I edited my album rankings based on this.

46. One Last Time

44t. Peruvian Skies

44t. Wait For Sleep

I didn't think much about One Last Time - as a stand-alone song - when SFAM was first released, but over the years it's become much more prominent for me.  Sadly, we got no footage of JM playing the fretless bass on LSFNY.  I had OLT at #42, so pretty close to the consensus.  It finished at #65 in the prior countdown, so this is a big leap of 19 places.

I'm really surprised to see Peruvian Skies.  I had actually thought there might only be one song left that I didn't rank.  This song does squat for me.  It finished at #61 in the prior countdown, so another big leap of 17 places.

Wait for Sleep goes hand in hand with Vacant and The Silent Man as nice transitional pieces.  I had it at #78, and 44 seems pretty high (but not nearly as high as the #32 spot where it finished in the last countdown).



List                                                    Not Ranked         
100  This Dying Soul (47T)                  Never Enough (100), The Gift of Music (98), Our New World (93), A New Beginning (91), New Millennium (87), Sleeping Giant (85), Awaken the Master (81), The Best of Times (77), To Live Forever (75T)
99  I Walk Beside You (80)                  Answering the Call (75T), Lost Not Forgotten (73), Fall into the Light (72), Honor Thy Father (71), Raise the Knife (65), Peruvian Skies (44T)
98
97  This Is the Life (88)
96
95
94
93
92  The Ministry of Lost Souls (61)
91
90
89
88
87
86  Lie (47T)
85
84  Forsaken (95)
83
82
81
80
79  Vacant (97)
78  Wait for Sleep (44T)
77  The Silent Man (66)
76
75  A Fortune in Lies (78)
74
73  A Nightmare to Remember (50)
72
71
70
69
68  The Shattered Fortress (79)
67  The Dark Eternal Night (70)
66  Pale Blue Dot (62)
65  Transcending Time (90)
64
63
62
61  Beneath the Surface (64)
60  Hell's Kitchen (57)
59  Afterlife (96)
58
57  Surrender to Reason (83T)
56
55  The Alien (69)
54
53  The Bigger Picture (60)
52
51
50
49
48  A View from the Top of the World (49)
47
46  Behind the Veil (89)
45
44  On the Backs of Angels (56)
43  Ytse Jam (67)
42  One Last Time (46)
41  Through Her Eyes (74)
40
39  The Enemy Inside (83T)
38  Hollow Years (59)
37
36
35
34
33  Outcry (33)
32
31  The Looking Glass (92)
30
29
28  S2N (94)
27  Wither (99)
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19  Sacrificed Sons (63)
18  Constant Motion (86) (high ranker)
17  Only a Matter of Time (82)
16
15  The Killing Hand (68)
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

[lightningbolt]

A big catchup update for me:

64.   Beneath The Surface - 93 - Something a little different and I love the solo section.

63.   Sacrificed Sons - 63 - I hit one right on the nose

62.   Pale Blue Dot - 32 - One of my favorites from the Mangini era.  I still wear the PBD/Voyager themed tour t-shirt frequently

61.   The Ministry Of Lost Souls - 51 - The buildup when James starts singing after the instrumental section to when the full band kicks in gets me everytime.  This has dropped off a bit for me over the past few years, but I still enjoy it.

60.   The Bigger Picture - 80 - Decent tune.

59.   Hollow Years - 35 - Early favorite of mine when I first became a fan (Budokan).  I don't think the album version is quite as good, but it is still great.

58.   Outcry - 48 - I get a vivid picture in my head of people revolting against oppression/etc... when the chorus hits during this tune.  The band must have done something right

57.   Hell's Kitchen - 54 - Beautiful!

56.   On The Backs Of Angels - 47 - I was not a fan when this was released as their first Mangini/post Portnoy song.  It eventually started to click for me, but didn't become a favorite until I saw them play it live.

55.   Panic Attack - 46 - One of the songs that got me into DT back in 2005. 

54.   These Walls - 74 - I really like the chorus for this song.  The rest is alright.

53.   The Great Debate - UR - Have never been able to get into this one.

52.   Barstool Warrior - 97 - Early favorite from DOT, but has dropped off significantly since 2019.

51.   Caught In A Web - 60 - This was higher for me a decade ago.  Still enjoy it.

49t.  A View From The Top Of The World - UR - I've really tried, but this is my least favorite "epic" by DT.  Maybe one day it will "click" for me.

49t.  A Nightmare To Remember - 29 - Hell yeah for the most part, but I wish they would have chopped down the long, meandering instrumental section and nixed the Day after day/growl part, but it is still great.

47t.  Lie - 45 - Sweet rocker.

47t.  This Dying Soul - 25 - Even sweeter rocker.  This song has grown on me significantly over the years.

46.   One Last Time - 38 - Love the chorus.  Scenes is my favorite DT album, so all of the tunes rate highly for me.

44t.  Peruvian Skies - 96 - Decent, but not a favorite.

44t.  Wait For Sleep - 30 - Lovely, shorter song.  Wish we had more from DT in this territory. 

[pg1067]

So...at this point, my prediction is that we'll see no more songs from WDADU, TA and View.

None of the 3 remaining WDADU songs made the last countdown.

The highest ranked TA song on the last countdown was A New Beginning at #68, and it was #91 in this countdown.

View is a bit of an unknown since it wasn't part of the last countdown, but I have a hard time imagining the one remaining song being the highest ranked on the album.

ReaperKK, care to comment?   

[Evermind]

One Last Time - #30 - I think I might have ranked it too high but in context of SFAM it's just perfect. The chorus is fantastic.

Peruvian Skies - #56 - fairly cool song, one of the stronger tracks on FII.

Wait for Sleep - #17 - absolutely brilliant. I don't consider this one a transitional track either, I think it's a small masterpiece on its own. Beautiful as gossamer threads with raindrops twinkling in the sun as the new day rolls in.

Wait For Sleep (13) I have loved this one since the first time I heard IaW.

Highest Finish: 4 (WardySI)

[Dream Team]

Got some catching up to do . . . bunch of misses this time for a change. CIAW & Lie suffer from "Mr Hyde" version of Kevin Moore. Don't like the Pink Floyd/Metallica mashup of PS. TW didn't miss by much. OLT is an underrated gem so very glad to see if finish high.

  5 Only a Matter of Time
  6 The Killing Hand
  9 The Great Debate
11 Outcry
16 One Last Time
20 Lost Not Forgotten
22 A View From the Top of the World
24 This is the Life
25 Beneath the Surface
26 A New Beginning
28 Fall Into the Light
30 The Best of Times
31 Afterlife
35 S2N
38 Constant Motion
39 Behind the Veil
40 The Enemy Inside
41 Pale Blue Dot
48 A Fortune in Lies
52 Barstool Warrior
51 Our New World
54 Wither
55 The Alien
57 Surrender to Reason
58 Raise the Knife
61 I Walk Beside You
63 Awaken the Master
64 The Looking Glass
65 Wait for Sleep
66 The Bigger Picture
67 A Nightmare to Remember
68 Sleeping Giant
70 The Ministry of Lost Souls
75 Panic Attack
76 Transcending Time
78 Ytse Jam
79 Sacrificed Sons
81 The Gift of Music
84 Answering the Call
95 On the Backs of Angels
97 The Shattered Fortress

Missed the top 100: Never Enough, Vacant, Forsaken, New Millennium, Through Her Eyes, To Live Forever, Honor thy Father, The Dark Eternal Night, The Silent Man, Hollow Years, Hell's Kitchen, These Walls, Caught in a Web (ugh), Lie, This Dying Soul, Peruvian Skies

Highest Ranker Of: Only a Matter of Time, Outcry

[nobloodyname]

Peruvian Skies is one I go back and forth on. Part of me feels it's too derivative of Rush/Pink Floyd/Metallica, and part of me just doesn't love it musically. I do think it's a strong lyric though, and I've always really liked the drumming on it. Ultimately, I favor other stuff from the FII sessions that got left off the album, but I think it's a decent track.

I've always felt this way, too. Surprised it's ranked so highly. Thought it might not even make the 100.

[HOF]

Wait for Sleep is gorgeous and has always been a favorite moment on I&W. Also one of the few songs I've ever learned properly on piano. Really nice piece that links up nicely with Learning to Live.

Cool. I'm planning to do the same. I've done it on guitar but I couldn't handle playing that irregular pattern and singing at the same time.

It's really tricky and while I've still got it more or less committed to muscle memory 20+ years later, I have a hard time putting the left and right hand together in some places these days. I try to make a point to hammer it out every once in a while so I don't just forget it. I lost the music I learned it on a while back and I'm not sure if that was an exact transcription or if it was loosely arranged, so I'm not sure I could play it if I got new music (it's been a long time since I've attempted to read piano sheet music!).

[ReaperKK]

ReaperKK, care to comment?   

I could comment...but I won't

One of my favorite things about doing these countdowns is seeing all the predictions.

[SwedishGoose]

I predict that my three highest ranked without making the cut will be my number 26, 29 and 30.

[Wim Kruithof]

I had AVFTTOTW at number 30.  This surprised me where it ended up but I've been loving this song more and more.  When I started to warm to some of the new album, it was this song I kept coming back to.  It took so long to grow but it's worthy of it's ranking.  I think everything about it is just excellent and I love the twist of the outro, very classy.

wolfking you loving the View-epic, I'm so glad. Often you drop some pretty rough opinions on tracks here and there, but what I really respect is that you keep on going back to tracks, to see if they age well (The Astonishing breakdown for example). And then you're the first to admit it took some time but (in some cases) pieces have grown. That - combined with you being skilled AF yourself on Petrucci's Ibanez - make me read your posts with very much interest.

095: I Walk Beside You     15
094: S2n     spot on
093: Never Enough     7
091: Caught In a Web     40
090: The Alien     21
089: Only a Matter of Time     7
088: Surrender to Reason     5
087: Forsaken     8
086: Through Her Eyes     12
085: The Silent Man     19
084: Constant Motion     2
083: Fall Into the Light     11
082: The Best of Times     5
080: Wait for Sleep     36
079: On the Backs of Angels     23
078: Behind the Veil     11
077: Afterlife     19
076: Hollow Years     17
074: Sacrified Sons     9
068: The Enemy Inside     15
067: Pale Blue Dot     3
062: Peruvian Skies     18
060: A Fortune in Lies     18
059: Hell's Kitchen     2
056: A Nightmare to Remember     6
054: The Looking Glass     38
053: Raise the Knife     12
050: Wither     49
048: Transcending Time     42
046: Barstool Warrior     6
044: Ytse Jam     23
042: The Killing Hand     26
041: Sleeping Giant     44
040: Answering the Call     45
037: The Bigger Picture     23
029: Awaken the Master     52
027: Honor Thy Father     44
025: Lie     22
024: One Last Time     22
018: Outcry     47
017: Beneath the Surface     49
016: The Shattered Fortress     63
014: This Dying Soul     33
010: The Ministry of Lost Souls     51
007: A View From the Top of the World     42

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

I have made my fair share of wrong predictions (like the one about how, by the time we hit the Top 50, this thread was going to get longer than MP 's return thread) but I think you are beating me handily here in that regard. IMO, Invisible Monster is about as likely to make the Top 100 as You Not Me.

Haha, well, each day proves you're probably right. Ranked Invisible Monster as #97 myself... and me really loving their new album, I follow it's got banned.

[MirrorMask]

So...at this point, my prediction is that we'll see no more songs from WDADU, TA and View.

None of the 3 remaining WDADU songs made the last countdown.

The highest ranked TA song on the last countdown was A New Beginning at #68, and it was #91 in this countdown.

View is a bit of an unknown since it wasn't part of the last countdown, but I have a hard time imagining the one remaining song being the highest ranked on the album.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

Some other relatively tame prediction: the entirety of Images and Words will be featured, and so every song from Scenes from a Memory which isn't Regression or Through My Words. Awake might as well feature all songs but I have doubts about Space Dye Vest and 6:00. Six Degrees might feature all of disc 1 except Disappear.

[Lonk]

I predict that my three highest ranked without making the cut will be my number 26, 29 and 30.

Interesting, I checked my list and I believe all my top50 will make the final list. But #52 is guarantee that it will not make the cut.

[Evermind]

Some other relatively tame prediction: the entirety of Images and Words will be featured, and so every song from Scenes from a Memory which isn't Regression or Through My Words. Awake might as well feature all songs but I have doubts about Space Dye Vest and 6:00. Six Degrees might feature all of disc 1 except Disappear.

Still holding out hope for Space Dye Vest.

[nobloodyname]

I would be amazed if neither of those tracks made it. 6:00 has an iconic intro while Space Dye Vest appears to be treated as the holy grail of DT songs by a large chunk of the fanbase.

[Wim Kruithof]

Some other relatively tame prediction: the entirety of Images and Words will be featured, and so every song from Scenes from a Memory which isn't Regression or Through My Words. Awake might as well feature all songs but I have doubts about Space Dye Vest and 6:00. Six Degrees might feature all of disc 1 except Disappear.

Still holding out hope for Space Dye Vest.

Me too, I love Space-Dye Vest and it might be a favorite of mine, next to Scarred and Voices.

[Stadler]

You know what has struck me in this countdown?   For all the "musicianship!" and "18/7 time signatures!" and "metal vocals!", how many songs in their catalogue are just simply beautiful.  BEAUTIFUL.   "Wait For Sleep" is, to me, a beautiful song.  As is "Peruvian Skies".  As is "Beneath The Surface".  As is "This Is The Life".   There are too many bands I truly love, and yet I can't really pinpoint a song that the first word I think of is "beautiful". 

[hefdaddy42]

You know what has struck me in this countdown?   For all the "musicianship!" and "18/7 time signatures!" and "metal vocals!", how many songs in their catalogue are just simply beautiful.  BEAUTIFUL.   "Wait For Sleep" is, to me, a beautiful song.  As is "Peruvian Skies".  As is "Beneath The Surface".  As is "This Is The Life".   There are too many bands I truly love, and yet I can't really pinpoint a song that the first word I think of is "beautiful".

[Indiscipline]

One Last Time: 43. A Night at the Theater of Dreams.

Peruvian Skies: 54. The perfect dose of DT metal.

Wait for Sleep: 61. A delight. I have already "proven" elsewhere this song is the Rosetta Stone for I&W.


The Score so far:

21 - A New Beginning
27 - The Best of Times
28 - Outcry
33 - Surrender to Reason
36 - This Is the Life
38 - Hell's Kitchen
43 - One Last Time
45 - Vacant
46 - The Gift of Music
47 - Beneath the Surface
48 - The Silent Man
54 - Peruvian Skies
56 - The Bigger Picture
61 - Wait for Sleep
65 - Pale Blue Dot
68 - Our New World
71 - Behind the Veil
72 - The Looking Glass
78 - Lie
79 - Hollow Years
87 - Ytse Jam
89 - Through Her Eyes
90 - Lost Not Forgotten
92 - The Killing Hand
95 - Barstool Warrior
96 - Fall Into the Light
97 - A Fortune in Lies

Not Ranked: 30

You know what has struck me in this countdown?   For all the "musicianship!" and "18/7 time signatures!" and "metal vocals!", how many songs in their catalogue are just simply beautiful.  BEAUTIFUL.   "Wait For Sleep" is, to me, a beautiful song.  As is "Peruvian Skies".  As is "Beneath The Surface".  As is "This Is The Life".   There are too many bands I truly love, and yet I can't really pinpoint a song that the first word I think of is "beautiful". 

Amen.

With DT sometimes it's easy to not see the beautiful trees for the intricate forest.

[Jamesman42]

49t. A View From The Top Of The World (NR) I gave this song 5 chances and I was never impressed. I do intend to give it more chances, maybe it'll click one day.
49t. A Nightmare To Remember (68th) Much of this song is pretty good, and then Beautiful Agony is many tiers above it. It's too long, though.
47t. Lie (72nd) Really cool song, maybe should be higher for me, and the instrumental rocks.
47t. This Dying Soul (34th) The moment that riff hits and the band comes in...come on! So good! Lots to like, a great part of the 12SS.
46. One Last Time (74th) Yeah, not a SFAM fan. I do plan to give it a spin to see if it finally clicks. Maybe!
44t. Peruvian Skies (95th) Meh, it's aight.
44t. Wait For Sleep (37th) Just beautiful, I still remember the first time hearing it. Really impressed then and just as much now.

[HOF]

I would be amazed if neither of those tracks made it. 6:00 has an iconic intro while Space Dye Vest appears to be treated as the holy grail of DT songs by a large chunk of the fanbase.

I believe 6:00 was lower ranked in the last countdown, and I had it at number 1 (I didn't submit a list this time though). So it may have just gotten shafted!

[HOF]

You know what has struck me in this countdown?   For all the "musicianship!" and "18/7 time signatures!" and "metal vocals!", how many songs in their catalogue are just simply beautiful.  BEAUTIFUL.   "Wait For Sleep" is, to me, a beautiful song.  As is "Peruvian Skies".  As is "Beneath The Surface".  As is "This Is The Life".   There are too many bands I truly love, and yet I can't really pinpoint a song that the first word I think of is "beautiful".

Wait For Sleep is also fairly complex and interesting compositionally though. I'm always kind of in awe of how KM came up with all of the different chords and counterpoint and stuff. It's not so technical that a clumsy player like me can't pull it off with lots of practice, but the writing seems really sophisticated to me.   

[MoraWintersoul]

Kevin Moore is a pretty sophisticated guy.

[devieira73]

I can't believe I forgot to include One Last Time on my list! 3 minutes of pure greatness.

Peruvian Skies (my # 50) I have the opportinty see it live in Rio de Janeiro almost 2 weeks before the album was released (along with Burning My Soul, Just Let Me Breathe and Lines in the Sand). It already was one of my favorites from the then upcoming album.

Wait For Sleep (my # 99) is pure Kevin Moore's magic. In DT's case, I must admit that I have a bit of prejudice in ranking higher short ballads, but this song is amazingly beautiful.

[The Realm]

One Last Time - finally a song that cracked my top 20, I ranked this at 14. Just love the album and this song always had a bit of a magical quality to me.

Peruvian Skies - well this is a shock to me. My experience on this forum is a complete lack of love for FII so at this stage of the countdown I didn't expect this song to make it. I ranked this 53.

Wait For Sleep - just a really beautiful song. I thought this one might be higher and am surprised it is the first song from the album that we get. My rank 21.

[pg1067]

ReaperKK, care to comment?   

I could comment...but I won't

One of my favorite things about doing these countdowns is seeing all the predictions.

That's fair.

That being the case, I'm going to predict that I know the 43 songs that remain (078(1)285421121010).  It's just a matter of what order.

[wolfking]

OLT came in at 73.  Lovely piece and a nice breather after what came before it.

PS came in at 72.  Probably should have been a little lower, but it's always a nice listen.

WFS came in at 41.  In time this grew into a beautiful piece in its own right.  I always treated it early on as the preface for LTL but in isolation, it's still fucking amazing.



List                                                        Not Ranked         
100                                                    The Gift of Music
99 The Best of Times                          A New Beginning
98 Constant Motion                             New Millenium
97                                                     Sleeping Giant
96 A Fortune in Lies                            Awaken the Master
95 The Alien                                       To Live Forever
94 Our New World                               The Killing Hand
93 This is the Life                                Ytse Jam
92                                                      The Silent Man
91 Hollow Years                                   Raise the Knife
90 Sacrificed Sons                               Beneath the Surface
89 Only A Matter of Time
88 Vacant
87
86 Through Her Eyes
85
84
83
82 Transcending Time
81
80
79 Pale Blue Dot
78 Wither
77
76
75 The Ministry of Lost Souls
74 The Enemy Inside
73 One Last Time
72 Peruvian Skies
71 Forsaken
70 Lost Not Forgotten
69
68
67 S2N
66 Fall Into the Light
65
64 The Looking Glass
63 Panic Attack
62
61 On the Backs of Angels
60 
59
58 Afterlife
57 Caught In A Web
56
55
54 The Great Debate
53 A Nightmare to Remember
52
51 Answering the Call
50
49
48 The Shattered Fortress
47
46
45
44 The Dark Eternal Night
43
42 Never Enough
41 Wait For Sleep
40
39
38
37 The Bigger Picture
36 Outcry
35 
34 Lie
33
32 I Walk Beside You
31
30 A View From the Top of the World
29 Surrender to Reason
28 Bartsool Warrior
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20 Behind the Veil
19 Honor Thy Father
18
17
16
15
14
13 These Walls
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2 This Dying Soul.
1

[TAC]

46. One Last Time
Highest Finish: 8 (SwedishGoose)
Number of Lists appeared on: 57 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, Ben_Jamin, bosk1, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, Cool Chris, Dave_Manchester, Dittomist, DragonAttack, Dream Team, DTwwbwMP, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, Indiscipline, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, Lethean, lightningbolt, lucasembarbosa, mariner, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, nobloodyname, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, porcacultor, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, romdrums, Stadler, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Toro, twosuitsluke, Vmadera00, weirdo, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

44t. Peruvian Skies
Highest Finish: 8 (Vmadera00)
Number of Lists appeared on: 59 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, bosk1, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, Cool Chris, Dave_Manchester, devieira73, Dittomist, DTwwbwMP, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, Indiscipline, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, jingle.boy, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, Lethean, lightningbolt, lucasembarbosa, mariner, Metro, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, NoFred, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, PixelDream, Podaar, porcacultor, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, Stadler, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, twosuitsluke, Vmadera00, WardySI, weirdo, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

44t. Wait For Sleep
Highest Finish: 4 (WardySI)
Number of Lists appeared on: 59 (Adami, Animal, axeman90210, Ben_Jamin, bosk1, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, Cool Chris, devieira73, Dittomist, DragonAttack, Dream Team, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, Indiscipline, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, Lethean, lightningbolt, mariner, Metro, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, NoFred, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, Revenge319, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, Stadler, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, twosuitsluke, Vmadera00, WardySI, weirdo, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

I had One Last Time at #70.
I like this and was really glad to see it live as part of the '09 tour.

I had Peruvian Skies at #33.
I have always loved Peruvian Skies and is part of my 3 song FII EP.

I had Wait For Sleep at #58.
Really nice piece.




List                                                    Not Ranked         
100                                                      Wither
99                                                        Vacant
98                                                        Our New World
97                                                        The Looking Glass
96                                                        Transcending Time
95  Lie                                                  Behind The Veil
94                                                        New Millenium   
93  Caught In A Web                              Constant Motion
92                                                        The Shattered Fortress
91                                                        To Live Forever
90  Forsaken                                         Answering The Call
89                                                        Honor Thy Father
88                                                        The Silent Man
87                                                        Hell's Kitchen
86                                                        The Great Debate
85  Pale Blue Dot
84
83
82
81
80  Awaken The Master
79  On The Backs Of Angels
78
77  A Nightmare To Remember
76  S2N
75  These Walls
74  Afterlife
73  This Is The Life
72
71
70  One Last Time
69  Surrender Of Reason
68
67
66
65  Sacrificed Sons
64  Beneath The Surface
63  Through Her Eyes
62  The Bigger Picture
61  I Walk Beside You
60  Never Enough
59  A New Beginning
58  Wait For Sleep
57
56
55
54  Barstool Warrior
53
52
51
50
49
48
47
46
45
44  Panic Attack
43
42  The Ministry Of Lost Souls
41  Sleeping Giant
40
39  A View From The Top Of The World
38
37  Fall Into The Light
36
35  The Gift Of Music
34
33  Peruvian Skies
32
31  Ytse Jam
30
29
28  The Enemy Inside
27
26  Only A Matter Of Time
25
24  Raise The Knife
23  Hollow Years
22  The Dark Eternal Night
21  Outcry
20  This Dying Soul
19
18  A Fortune In Lies
17
16  The Alien
15
14  The Best Of Times
13
12
11  Lost Not Forgotten.
10
9
8
7
6
5
4  The Killing Hand
3
2
1




42 -15

[porcacultor]

49t. A View From The Top Of The World (#99) I do dig this! Especially the secret agent latter part.

49t. A Nightmare To Remember (#98) Whaddaya know, it neighbored the View title track for me as well! I can't resist the "spooooky" intro, and do enjoy the main riff, the beautiful agony part... It might be too long for its own good (seems like a producer who would've suggested excising Beautiful Agony and turning it into a new song was nowhere to be found).

47t. Lie (#84) Definitely should've ranked higher, but it made my 100 when others I do enjoy didn't, so again, what a band. Would've automatically ranked higher if I could hear (and rank) Kevin Moore's vocal demo (I'm a sucker for his vocals).

47t. This Dying Soul (#58) A track that spoke more to 13-year-old Luis than it does to 32-year-old Luis, but it'll never stop making me happy (and rawwk).

46. One Last Time (#35) When I saw them in 2010, I was excited that they did Dance of Eternity, but when they did THIS one in full? Hell yeah.

44t. Peruvian Skies (#85) Unlike TDS, I started enjoying this one more as I grew older. Great writing!

44t. Wait For Sleep (NR) What a travesty that I didn't rank it, but alas. I figured it'd be safe in the hands of other voters  . Very beautiful, though the reprise in Learning to Live is definitely where it's at for me (though it wouldn't hit the same way if the prequel wasn't there, so I guess I just didn't give it its due).

[Cool Chris]

Disregard, I found Kev's thread.

I was sweating my #3 making the list. It is popular but has many detractors as well and won't make at least a few lists, but it did well last time around, I feel like my top 40 is largely in line with the rest of the forum here, except for one song that should rank high that wasn't on my list at all.

[Animal]

So...at this point, my prediction is that we'll see no more songs from WDADU, TA and View.

None of the 3 remaining WDADU songs made the last countdown.

The highest ranked TA song on the last countdown was A New Beginning at #68, and it was #91 in this countdown.

View is a bit of an unknown since it wasn't part of the last countdown, but I have a hard time imagining the one remaining song being the highest ranked on the album.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

Some other relatively tame prediction: the entirety of Images and Words will be featured, and so every song from Scenes from a Memory which isn't Regression or Through My Words. Awake might as well feature all songs but I have doubts about Space Dye Vest and 6:00. Six Degrees might feature all of disc 1 except Disappear.

(To add to Reapers amusement) I am basically certain that Awake, IaW and 6Degrees will be featured in their entirety. While Space Dye Vest will be left out from quite a few lists, it will rank extremely high on many (I have it in my Top 10 and I'd bet my ass I am not the highest ranker). I'm guessing it will be the 3rd or 4th most popular Awake song. And I agree with the prediction about Scenes - everything except the two "small" tracks will make the cut handily.
    Actually, by now, I dare to say I am sure what the remaining 43 songs are. The trend I am seeing it this countdown is even stronger preference of the "golden era" (1993-2005, even though your mileage might vary in this regard)— MM era songs are dropping and Awake or ToT songs already ranking a lot higher than before. Which also shows that redoing this countdown was a worthwhile enterprise. Kudos to you, Reaper.

[CanuckChum]

50. A Nightmare to Remember (9). I thought it would be a toss-up on whether or not I was the highest ranker for this. Expecting it to be the only song I ranked the highest aside from my #1. Starting off, a gothic-sounding intro leads into some nice heavier verses. While the MP vocal section later on is pretty rightfully criticized, I really like the lyrics on this song. Especially during the next section which I usually just call "Beautiful Agony." It is one of my favourite things they have ever done. Wonderful vocals from James over some beautiful melodies. The chorus is just perfect. As for my thoughts on the MP vocal section....... it's ok, I actually like what's going on underneath the vocals. The vocals are not great, but it hardly ruins the song for me. It is less than a minute long in the grand scheme of things. The heavier style returns for the final section, and it finishes with the lovely piano line from the very beginning. This a great song, along with Count they do the heavy lifting for my enjoyment of Black Clouds.

49. A View from the Top of the World (18). Probably their least immediate epic, but every time I listen to this I enjoy it more. Could definitely see it in my top 10 in the future. They slowly set the atmosphere during the intro, then JP's guitar melody comes in shortly past 2.5 minutes and it is wonderful. After the first chorus which I enjoy, there is a really nice groove from JM which continues into the second verse. The middle section "Rapture of the Deep" is my favourite part of the song, featuring Jordan's Geoshred cello. This whole section which continues into the verses is just beautiful. All capped off by an excellent JP solo. The final section brings back the energy with an excellent instrumental section. The last couple minutes are not my favourite part, but it is a satisfying enough ending. Overall, I think this is an epic worthy of capping off this era of the band.

47t. Lie (Unranked). This would probably be in my top 110, I appreciate it as one of their first heavier songs.
47t. This Dying Soul (58). Some of the vocal sections do not work for me that much, but fortunately the main riff and instrumental sections are solid. Memorable chorus as well.
46. One Last Time (60). Takes a little bit to pick up, but I'm ok with that because of how the first part is reprised in Finally Free. Really, you can't go wrong with anything from Scenes.
44t. Peruvian Skies (51). The heavier stuff towards the end is nice, but I enjoy the more moody beginning section the most.
44t. Wait for Sleep (82). This is just a beautiful ballad. I would say that I wish it was longer but maybe it's better as is.