The album cover isn't showing for me - if I open the link to it separately, Firefox gives me a security warning for some reason.
Anyway, it's my number 4, but is still a prog-metal masterpiece. A similarly important album in their career to I&W, following the issues with the previous album and having a new member again, but it couldn't have worked out much better. Speaking of which, I love the sounds Jordan uses on this album.
It's definitely a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. I wouldn't have any of the songs as among my all-time favourites, but as a whole package, it's just fabulous and it doesn't have any weak songs either. Had just a couple of the tracks been in say, my top 20, then it'd probably be my number 2 album.
15. When Dream and Day Unite
14. Black Clouds and Silver Linings
13. Falling Into Infinity
12. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
11. 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.
Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory3. A Dramatic Turn of Events
2. Train of Thought
1. Images and Words
I've never been totally sure what my favourite track on the album is, I'd probably say Fatal Tragedy these days, though for a while it was Beyond This Life (The Budokan version is especially awesome). Home and Finally Free are next, a little ahead of the rest of the pack.
The album's so consistent though, there isn't much to separate the rest. Strange Deja Vu is great, the instrumentals are great and so are the mellower tracks. Just a wonderfully crafted album from start to finish.
Thanks to Kev for organising this and to everyone for sending in their lists and posting their thoughts