Soooo many...
The opening to 6:00. I was addicted to that sweet, sweet percussion for aaaages, I vaguely recollect almost being thrown out of a nightclub when myself and my friend kept drumming it out on the tables by some really arsey bouncers... said friend still remembers to text me at 6am every Christmas Day with 'six o clock on a christmas morning!' because he's just that awesome.
5:23 in The Shattered Fortress... that riff is ridiculously awesome, I really didn't see it coming when I first heard it... and 9:20 to the end, that build up to the climax, easily one of the best parts of the entire Suite. I know a lot of you guys don't like this song much, or don't rate it in comparison to The Glass Prison but I thought it was an incredible end to an incredible set of songs (though Repentance is easily the weakest in the Suite/album to me)
In The Count of Tuscany, 7:19 - 7:20 is beautiful in between 'to pray to him by candlelight' and 'then peering through the glass' or whatever it is, mmmm. The actual chorus, again it was a really unexpected moment, I kinda didn't expect something so (and I mean this in the BEST possible way because I love it) obvious and cliche to come outta that song (basing this on the predictable chord progressions, time signature etc.) but wow, is it powerful! Absolutely perfect. And the solo... especially 7:21, those two notes, just melt me in the most amazing way. I was going to write an indepth analysis of this song for a section of my dissertation but then didn't have enough space
only realised once I'd mapped out the whole thing on paper but that was hella fun.
Leading upto 9:54 in Trial of Tears and the vocals which follow, give me goosebumps every single time.
2:53 in Another Day and the solo... holy crap. The guitar tone is stunning, the vibrato is soooo perfectly executed, the little run at 3:12, the whole thing is delicious.
LaBrie's vocals at the beginning of Take the Time... he sings SO amazingly, the 'I think it's time for a CHAYYYYEEEEEAAAANNNNGGGEEEE' is bloody electric and an incredible start to a fantastic song.
The whole of Learning to Live, and very very predictably, the woahs, the F freakin' sharp and the solo straight after, there are really no words to describe how incredible this whole song is, and how glad I am that THAT is the climax of the album. When I saw the whole CD played through a couple of years ago and LaBrie actually hit the F#, then the solo, the entire auditorium collectively j*zzed in their pants. One of the most spine tingling moments of my life... Having watched that back on YouTube he wasn't exactly perfect but the fact he hit it instead of dropping down like on the Live Scenes from New York DVD was amazing, I was so prepared for disappointment and instead got what I've wanted ever since I got into Images and Words... to see that moment live. It was beautiful, so so beautiful. I reckon even if I ever get married or have kids it'll be difficult to place those events over that moment
I know Portnoy has said he hates the fact he had triggered drums on that album, but I've always loved the sound of the snare on Images and Words. Not sure why, maybe because it's distinctive, but it just sounds gorgeous to me.
The instrumental in Sacrificed Sons from that dirty bass at 4:15 onwards, especially on Score. Probably in the top three tastiest slices of DT instrumental work. I lurrrve the piano playing around 5:24 onwards, clearly the part at 7:00 - 7:51, I can't listen and not mentally picture Portnoy stood up at his kit playing really hard. And while I can pretty much take or leave the actual song either side of the instrumental section, I really enjoy the off the beat music under the vocal re entry after it. I have literally sat and had tears streaming down my face in awe and love from watching this song on Score.
It's difficult to express just how much I love about 80% of SFAM probably more than anything or anyone else in my life, but honorable specific mentions go to:
- The entirety of Overture 1928. Seriously. Fuck. Me.
- The entirety of Strange Deja Vu. 'I just can't help myself, I feel like iIm going out of my head... tear my heart into two, I'm not the one the sleeper thought he knew!' and 2:39 GUITAR OMG and the whatever the hell they are (pinch harmonics I'm guessing) leading into the riff, and the entire rest of it.
- Through My Words. Just beautiful, gorgeous piano tone, stunning singing, so satisfying to sit and play despite its brevity.
- Fatal Tragedy. I had the biggest love obsession with this song for a couple of years, almost COMPLETELY down to the instrumental section, it really really rocks, really holy crapping hard. I LOVE the drumming at 4:13, the 4:40 solo, and it sounds really stupidly specific but I really get off on the run at 4:50 - 4:53. And of course 6:00 - end, it's easier to hear on the live DVD but the bass jumping octaves sounds really awesome.
- Beyond This Life. Instrumental section. F.T.W. I love all of it. I love the sweep picking at 8.00. I love the dirty, straight up rockin' riffs. And then 8:17 in 17/8 (or whatever it's split into, was it 9/8 and 8/8 or 4/4?) It's such an awesome riff, the kick drum emphasis works brilliantly, the keyboard solo is kinda strange and 80s elevator music to me but it works, for a bit it sounds kinda like the guitar/keys don't gel at all, but it continues until the most awesome resolution at 9:07, mmmmm yes! I love 8:44 - 8:54 where the cymbal or whatever it is is on the down beat then the shift at 8:54 to off the beat. 9:23 with the key/guitar synch is sexy as hell too, 9:41 solo runnnnnn is incredible and yeah... the song is full of amazingness.
Home. The whole thing.
The Spirit Carries On. Didn't really think much to it on CD for the first couple of years I listened to it, then I got the Scenes DVD and on there it is mindblowing, like truly, truly mindblowing, first time I've ever sat and cried to a piece of music when I haven't already been down about something. The unexpected addition of Theresa voicing Victoria, her stunning, stunning voice, the 'pleaseeee never fucking let your memory of me disappear', and then the BEST GODAMN SOLO I'VE HEARD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. Even hearing the crowd go wild when she sings 'here' does it for me. But yeah, the solo, hands down greatest solo in the world. And Petrucci's performance of it on the DVD is ... well, my heart is pounding just listening to it. I love 3:49 and the stuff Portnoy does differently to on the CD version (I think it's 6/8 percussion or something on the CD but really briefly 4/4 along with the guitar notes on the live version or whatever.. not so ace at time signatures)... I love when something is done differently like that and it stands out, and it really makes so much difference. The gospel singers are cheesy but powerfully moving, Theresa's vocals under LaBrie's delivery are stunning... the whole thing makes me incredible happy.
In the Presence of Enemies Part 1, is incredible throughout, but 1:41 is awesome, the first time that kinda idea occurs throughout the music. Drumming at 6:27
the whole of it basically.
Forsaken, I adore the 2:09 (and everywhere else it happens) guitar rhythms and the three notes at the end of each kinda phrase... sound pinchy but probably not. I actually think this is an awesome song, DT showing that they can write short, poppy, radio-friendly songs and still do it amazingly well. And the solo is great. And the descent of the strings at 4:56 through to the end (three times or something) is lovely.
Constant Motion isn't a favourite song overall but the drumming at 4:04 is pretty sweet. Always annoys me when they play the radio edit in clubs and we're just gearing up for some serious air keyboard/guitaring
The Dark Eternal Night... just wanted to say that at around 2:53, the chorus, I WAY prefer the drumming Portnoy does on the 'making of' DVD to what's actually on the CD, though the CD work isn't bad at all, but whenever I listen I do kinda substitue that in my mind. Not an omg moment though.
In the Presence of Enemies Part 2... can't really fault any of this, the song overall is definitely in my top 5 or 10 DT songs, it's utterly epic, wipes the floor with Octavarium for me, and probably with A Change of Seasons too now I've had long enough to absorb it and figure out which I love more. 6:03 the 'HEY' or 'HEIL' or whatever they are onwards is seriously some of DT's absolute best writing, I utterly fucking LOVE the music under the vocals and ESPECIALLY the music inbetween the singings... I even love the lyrics in all their cheesiness 'my cup overflows with my enemy's bloood', metallll
and yeah, the entire song.
5:43 solo note in As I Am.
This Dying Soul, I still adore about the first half of this song though the entirety has lost some of its sparkle for me, especially 10:05 to the end, seems really unecessary and like it's thoughtlessly tacked on. But the intro is to die for... the second DT song I ever loved. The 0:42 end of the bar kick drums, and 0:45 the kick kick snare kick are amazing.
Most of Endless Sacrifice, but especially the instrumental section, predictably 8:30 onwards, honestly makes my hair stand on end, the dirty crunchy 8:50 riff... the whole thing really
2:03 in Stream of Consciousness keys, and the guitar repetition straight after, 3:30 drums are sooooo sexy then the offbeat um.. not sure what that is called, but yeah at 3:20 and bass at 3:36 and ESPECIALLY piano at 3:40, and holllly shit 3:50 face melting solo
In The Name of God 9:08 - 9:15 and the ascending piano chords straight after, 10:05 riff and pinch harmonics, the screaming under the vocals at around 7:27 and the 7:15 electronic fill which seems to swell up and fill some kind of mental soundspace... amazing, amazing song.
Afterlife 4:28 and the run upto it is pretty damn gorgeous too.
/RANT
OVERKILL much?
There are almost infinitely more but that'll do... they're one of those bands where I find something new to adore with every single listen
Topic: DT moments that made you.... (Read 10420 times)
