This is my biggest divergence from the consensus by a wide margin. I have it 12th, please don't hurt me
It's not like I hate any of the songs, I've just never been able to connect with the album in the same way so many others have.
Where the album suffers for me is that it only has one song that I think is really great - The Glass Prison (and I probably don't even like that quite as much as I used to). Having a few really strong songs tends to elevate an album in my rankings - even if there are a few clunkers - compared to one where all the songs are at least decent, but there's only one real standout.
15. When Dream and Day Unite
14. Black Clouds and Silver Linings
13. Falling Into Infinity
12.
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence11. Dream Theater
10. The Astonishing
9. Systematic Chaos
8. A View from the Top of the World
7. Distance Over Time
6. Awake
5. Octavarium
4.
3. A Dramatic Turn of Events
2. Train of Thought
1.
As mentioned, TGP is my favourite, a cracking way to start the album and the 12 step suite. Such great energy and just pure
Another song that's well overdue a return to the live set. The Great Debate and Blind Faith are next in my rankings, I remember really like the former when I was first getting in to the band, but countless other songs from the discography eventually overtook it. The latter feels like one I should really love, but for some reason I don't.
Disappear is a lovely, touching song. It's never going to be one of my favourites, but it's a shame they only ever played it live a couple of times. Misunderstood is my least-favourite from the first disc, it's certainly an interesting track, but it just goes on for too long.
I like the concept of disc 2 and it has some really good section, but like with the album as a whole, I've never fully connected with it. About to Crash (Reprise) is probably my favourite part.
In writing about all these albums - especially the lower ranked ones - I've felt like I'm being harsh on most of them and that they could probably be higher up my list and that's the case again here. But of course, you can't move everything up a spot or two or you'll be back where you started!