Lucien's Top 30

[Scorpion]

THE LYRICS ARE CHEESIER THAN POWERWOLF.

THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE

[Elite]

17. The Count of Tuscany
16. The Dance of Eternity

Vleeeh.

[Nearmyth]

I love the wankery on Outcry, personally

[Lucien]

14. In the Name of God- I have yet to really find something I dislike about this song, except maybe the lyrics. The chorus is extremely catchy, Jordan's backing stuff is great, James has a really nice performance (including the screams at 7:17). However, this is definitely not a song I would play to an unsuspecting person I'm trying to get into DT. The wankery of this song fits well, so it's not very off-putting.

13. Voices- When I first heard this song, I HATED it. Mostly because of the "thought disorder" section. I didn't listen to it for a long time. Then maybe a month ago, I listened to it again. 1:09 hits, and I wonder why I didn't like it. Then "LIKE A SCREAM BUT SORT OF SILENT" hits, and I'm fixed on it.

12. Stream of Consciousness- It starts off in a similar fashion to In the Name of God, and I would almost say the structure of the two songs are fairly similar in general. The riffs in the beginning seem simple, and they are, which is surprising for an 11 minute progressive instrumental. The bass deserves special mention in this song, whenever it is actually audible. OH MY GOD THE SOLO. Period. Most people say that things go downhill after the solo, but I disagree. I enjoy basically all of this song.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

13. Voices- When I first heard this song, I HATED

Accidentally the whole thing?

[Lucien]

13. Voices- When I first heard this song, I HATED

Accidentally the whole thing?

I pressed tab then spacebar. Caused it to post. It's finished now and the mistake shall never be spoken of again

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

But it remains forever in my quote.


Actually, the only one I really agree with is Voices. I know this is sacrilege, but I don't really care for In The Name Of God. And I believe I've said before I'm not big on SOC....

Anyway, I'm expecting either Octavarium or Six Degrees (the songs) to make appearances on this list.

[Lucien]

Well, I count SDOIT as a single song.

The other songs... Well, I'm not a big fan of TGP or TGD.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

I also count Six Degrees as one song (seeing as I only ever listen to the live version).

The Great Debate is awesome, though.

Actually, so is The Glass Prison.

[Ruba]

Voices is a grower, definately, but with patience, it'll start shining. Love SOC too.

[425]

In the Name of God is brilliant and probably placed perfectly.

Voices isn't one of my favorites for some reason, but it's still a very good song. And I would actually say that "Thought disorder" is one of the best parts.

Stream of Consciousness is also good and one of my favorite DT instrumentals, but I wouldn't put it this high.

And… I have really no idea what to predict for your top 11. Maybe because yours is only a top 30 list so I've had less time to learn your tastes than on most lists, but I'm really just uncertain where your list will go next. Definitely interested to see, though.

[Lucien]

Let's see... Numbers you'll most likely be very surprised at...


1
5
6
9

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

lucien. why u no update



         


             why

[Lucien]

lucien. why u no update



         


             why

I'm actually doing it right now. I write them while listening to them.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

I find this acceptable.

[Lucien]

11. Bridges in the Sky- One of my favorites from ADTOE. Here, I find my brother in my room, singing the chorus with me. It starts off on a delicious metal note (after the strange beginning with the Agnus Dei keyboard patch), then the lyrics appear. The atmosphere of the lyrics just feel really dark, and I enjoy them immensely. The first chorus hits, and then ends before it finishes, and the song basically starts over. Verse 2, feels a bit darker, then the chorus hits in ALL ITS GLORY. Then the wankery happens, and it fits wonderfully. I'm surprised the guitar solo almost never gets mentioned, but I feel it should get one right here. Then the keyboard solo happens, then another guitar solo, then keyboard and guitar unison, then the chorus in all its glory again. Then, we have a great, heavy exit from the song.

10. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence- Oh... I just feel like this is going to be a long writeup...
Overture: A bit less structured than Overture 1928 (HERE'S ITS HONORABLE MENTION HERE), but overall a great way to combine all the themes of the parts.
ATC: 2nd most listened to part of the song. I have quite a few bipolar friends, so this song kind of just makes sense. I like how the girl has some kind of advisor/boyfriend/father figure watching over her in this. The melody is generally catchy, the chorus is definitely catchy, a great part.
WIMH: Short, sweet, heavy, and delicious. I love the usage of military themes (I LOVE them) to further portray the atmosphere of the thoughts of a person with PTSD.
TTTSTA: Most listened part. Waging a war inside my- BOOM, HEAVY, SUPER FAST. TEI reminds of this a bit, now that I think of it. Time signatures all over the place, mostly 6/8 and 7/8. The lyrics are so ANGRY. The chorus with James' falsetto is creepy as hell. As a synesthete, the mental images I get listening to this song are pretty intense.
GK: From super heavy to... ballad section? I found that a bit strange. James rules in this section, so I'm not going to go to hard on the band for the progression of the song. Jordan also has a great performance during this song.
SS: From the ballad section to super-clear acoustics, and keyboards all over the place. Since this song is about a child with autism (my brother is high-powered autistic), I can relate to it. This is about as poppy as the entire album gets, but it's a good poppy section.
ATCR: Those introductory guitars, that piano, I forget the name of the genre. Anyways, other than that introduction, I like this part. It is a great reprise, and James does even better here than in the first part of it.
LT/GF: A lighter part of the song, it even seems a bit sad, as a person close to one with multiple personality disorder would feel very sad if she became friends, and the next day the person doesn't even know them anymore. This is the "epic" section of the song. Can I use power metal as a description (it's completely wrong, I know) the keyboards feel really nice, and James, during the Grand Finale, is amazing.

Now, if I were to reorder the parts of the song, it would go like this:
Overture, GK, SS, LT, ATC (both parts), WIMH, TTTSTA, GF

9. In the Presence of Enemies, Part 2- Heretic: THAT DELICIOUS BASS. THOSE VOCALS. THOSE KEYBOARDS. Yet, for some reason, I don't listen to this part very often. In fact, even though I love this part, I generally skip to 6:17, at the beginning of Slaughter of the Damned.: This is my favorite part of ANY song to listen to while angry. It just FEELS so great. The chorus of this part has an excellent melody. 2nd verse, different lyrics, then the 2nd chorus, then 8:50. OH MY GOD THAT BUILDUP. Then the ultimate height of the song IT'S TIME FOR YOUR RECKONING. The guitar, keyboard, and drums right after it at The Reckoning: feel so aggressive for the first 2 seconds, then it's just a bunch of wankery until 13:13, which is one of my favorite instrumental endings. 13:43 has my favorite bass + keyboard section. Then the lyrics come back, and the song ends on a great note.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

I would not place Bridges In The Sky so high, but you have earned my favor for your ranking if Six Degrees and In The Presence Of Enemies.
 

Also, it's awesome that your brother's into DT. I've been trying to get mine to listen to them with limited results.

[Lucien]

We were both raised on Rush, so yeah. If you have children, listen to the music you would want them to listen to. ENCOURAGE PROG.

[425]

Three excellent choices, all of which deserve their place. Bridges In the Sky has that brilliant chorus and is just overall fantastic. Six Degrees is unwieldy to listen to as a single song due to its length but makes up for it by being 42 minutes of all killer no filler. Though I'm happy with the order just the way it is.

And then ITPOE2. I'm not sure why you would combine SDOIT and split ITPOE, though, since both are one song. Anyway, Part I is better but Part II is still quite good. Unfortunately, I think The Reckoning brings the song and particularly Part II down. I could see myself putting ITPOE this high as a whole song and maybe Part I nearly this high if I was forced to split them, but I don't think Part II on its own is this good. Still, aside from nitpicking about the split, good choice.

[Lucien]

I would not place Bridges In The Sky so high, but you have earned my favor for your ranking if Six Degrees and In The Presence Of Enemies.
 

Also, it's awesome that your brother's into DT. I've been trying to get mine to listen to them with limited results.

That emoticon....

8 on each side of the throne, they bow 5 times. NUGGETZ.

Three excellent choices, all of which deserve their place. Bridges In the Sky has that brilliant chorus and is just overall fantastic. Six Degrees is unwieldy to listen to as a single song due to its length but makes up for it by being 42 minutes of all killer no filler. Though I'm happy with the order just the way it is.

And then ITPOE2. I'm not sure why you would combine SDOIT and split ITPOE, though, since both are one song. Anyway, Part I is better but Part II is still quite good. Unfortunately, I think The Reckoning brings the song and particularly Part II down. I could see myself putting ITPOE this high as a whole song and maybe Part I nearly this high if I was forced to split them, but I don't think Part II on its own is this good. Still, aside from nitpicking about the split, good choice.

Eh, I don't really know why I didn't combine ITPOE1 and 2, only for the simple reason that I almost never listen to Part 1. However, I generally listen to all of SDOIT in one sitting.

[425]

Eh, I don't really know why I didn't combine ITPOE1 and 2, only for the simple reason that I almost never listen to Part 1. However, I generally listen to all of SDOIT in one sitting.

 

B… b… but… redemption
















Redemption for you manatee!

[Nearmyth]

Aww yeah this list just got even more interesting  for the better at that. I don't disagree with any of those placements, ITPOE, SDOIT, and Bridges, they're all great songs imo!

[Lucien]

Will update tomorrow. It's a bit late after stargazing (meteor shower)

[Joshin U]

[Lucien]

8. Finally Free- An amazing ending to an amazing album. Listening to it now, almost all the vocals are REALLY catchy (this feeling... inside me...). There is so much yet so little to speak of this song. *struggle* *two shots fired* "Open your eyes Victoria". The first time I heard the song, and it got to that part, I was like WTF WAS THAT. This was before I knew the plot of the entire album (searching random songs on Youtube does that to you). This song is just so great.

7. The Miracle and the Sleeper- Oh, Crumbling Metropolis... That was your working title. If the band hadn't called you Metropolis Pt. 1 just because of your working title, we wouldn't have Scenes From a Memory. Instrumental excellence floods the song. The lyrics are cryptic, but not so much if you know what the lyrics are actually about (the story of Romulus and Remus, who shared a mind). Death, Deceit, and Love. At 4:16 of the song, we are introduced to one of the craziest instrumental sections in Dream Theater's history. After the instrumental section (WITH A BASS SOLO), we are indulged in some of James' best work. AND THE THIRD IS LOVE... LOVE IS THE DANCE OF ETERNITY...

6. The Spirit Carries On- My personal favorite, and what I consider the best, of Scenes From a Memory. It starts off as a ballad, and slowly builds up on acoustic guitars. The drums come in, and James becomes louder, more optimism. I may never prove what I know to be true, but I still have to try. If I die tomorrow... Then it stops being a ballad, and James turns into a female. Never let your memory of me disappear... Long guitar solo... SAFE IN THE LIGHT THAT SURROUNDS ME.. This is probably the most heartfelt lyric James has sung. IF I DIE TOMORROW, I'D BE ALRIGHT, BECAUSE I BELIEVE, THAT AFTER WE'RE GOOOONNNE, THE SPIRIT CARRIES OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON.

[iamtheeviltwin]

Love TSCO.  Probably my favorite Dream Theater song.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

I really love Metropolis and The Spirit Carries On. Finally Free is all right, but it's not one of my favorite, plus the samples are just obnoxious.

[Lucien]

2 of my top 5 will probably make you go WHAAAAAT?

[Nearmyth]

Finally Free is awesome, great to see some recognition, and TSCO has one of my favorite JP guitar solos. Metropolis is great of course

 

2 of my top 5 will probably make you go WHAAAAAT?

the suspense!

[425]

Honestly, I'd only put one of those nearly this high, and it's the obvious one. The Spirit Carries On is fantastic, though, and Finally Free is good if a little overrated IMO.

Wow, so two shockers in the top five? I suppose it's time to make my predictions:

Breaking All Illusions
Learning to Live
Scarred
Sacrificed Sons
The Ministry of Lost Souls

[Lucien]

Just note that my #1 is my FAVORITE. You will be VERY surprised.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Regression. I'm callin' it.

[Ruba]

ITPOE is a one song. You heretic!

Anyway, love to see Finally Free this high. It's too damn underrated.

[Lucien]

5. Learning to Live- The first few seconds kind of kept me from listening to this song for a while, but after hearing how high this song was on most people's lists, I tried it a few times and really enjoyed it. It starts off with a great proggy introduction, filled with a bunch of different riffs and time signatures. 1:13, bass dominates the song, and the lyrics begin. John Myung's lyrics are among my favorite. James obviously does a marvelous job in this song. 2:42 has to be one of my favorite choruses. Here before me is my soul, I'm learning to live. The music changes and the verse changes. I'm now starting to realize John Myung is probably the lyricist in the band. More instrumental parts. 4:12, more amazing lyrics, James does AMAZING. Kindness BEAUTY AND TRUUUUTTHH! Here is the REAL instrumental section. 5:31 deserves mention as one of the coolest parts. 6:58. You know what I'm talking about. Legendary. 8:11 has the Wait For Sleep reprise, and Kevin sounds even more like a classical composer. GREAT instrumental stuff until 9:34, where James goes from amazing to AWESOME. Then BASSSSSSSSSSS. Afterwards, we get guitars that sound like the beginning of Pull Me Under. After that, we have my favorite instrumental part in the entire song, with backing choir (John Petrucci is doing backing vocals?) until the end of the song.

4. Trial of Tears- I already liked this song the instant I started it. Falling Into Infinity has a reputation of very clear bass,  and a very clear sound in general. The mix leaves nothing out. The introduction is amazing, and sets the mood of the entire song, something not many other Dream Theater epics can attest to. The introduction ends, and the delicious bass and guitar work together to form a cool smoothie of awesome. The lyrics start and James holds the end of some of the words to stress them. Did I mention he is an amazing singer? The chorus hits, and sets the mood for this part of the song. Lyrics continue, and the song turns into a story. Chorus hits again, and the name of the song is heard and held. Instrumental section! James yells the lyrics out, and they really fit the song. Not much better than the man you haaaaattttteee!!! Here's the REAL instrumental section. I like this song because there really isn't much wankery in the instrumental section. Most of the playing is actually pretty modest. They managed to make an instrumental section that fits the song. 8:11, DAT BASS. The mood of the instrumental changes, but not once in the entire song does and part feel out of place. 8:41, I'm hearing Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin. That CAN'T be a coincidence. Silly Derek. The keyboard solo is still pretty great though. It lasts for a while, and then we hear acoustic guitars and wind. James starts singing, and John Myung's lyrics are again shown to be amazing. Nothing but ashes... Still awake, bringing change... A silent prayer, thrown away... Nowhere to turn, I look for a way back home.... The first chorus hits again, and the mood of the song is brought backwards, until the end of the song, ending where it began.

[Joshin U]

No surprises here, both fantastic songs