Elite's Top X DT Songs v2: Top 20 LEAST favourite DT songs (Finished!)

[Tom Bombadil]

Agree with repentance. If it was a 4 minute song it would be pretty good. 11 minutes? No thanks.

[Ruba]

I agree with ITNOG, though I wouldn't place that as low.

TALW, on the other hand, is pretty good and Repentance...  .

[Onno]

Repentance is good, but I don't really mind seeing it this low.

[Nearmyth]

I feel like I'm the only person who doesn't mind the length of Repentance, I love the song. It might be because I'm into the melancholic side of music, and the last 3 minutes of PT like harmonies and keys rock to me. The first 4-5 minutes is really good too of course

However, it is repetitive, can't deny that. I understand the hate it gets, though it does bother me being this low.

[?]

I love melancholic music too, but unfortunately that doesn't prevent me from thinking the second half of Repentance is a snoozefest.

[RMGadelha]

I really, really like JP's solo on Repentance, But that's the only thing on the song that I like. I also have to mention that Mikael Åkerfeldt singing it makes the song A LOT better to me.

[Onno]

I feel like I'm the only person who doesn't mind the length of Repentance, I love the song. It might be because I'm into the melancholic side of music, and the last 3 minutes of PT like harmonies and keys rock to me. The first 4-5 minutes is really good too of course

However, it is repetitive, can't deny that. I understand the hate it gets, though it does bother me being this low.

It is a bit repetitive, but I don't really mind it being that long.

[Meatrose]

I love melancholic music too, but unfortunately that doesn't prevent me from thinking the second half of Repentance is a snoozefest.

^This, pretty much.

[jayvee3]

Agree with repentance. If it was a 4 minute song it would be pretty good. 11 minutes? No thanks.

^^^ This for me too. Repentance was the first song from memory, where I was like "Righto, lets just get this whole AAA thing over with.."

[Eldomm]

Agree with repentance. If it was a 4 minute song it would be pretty good. 11 minutes? No thanks.

^^^ This for me too. Repentance was the first song from memory, where I was like "Righto, lets just get this whole AAA thing over with.."

this!

[Nearmyth]

I love melancholic music too, but unfortunately that doesn't prevent me from thinking the second half of Repentance is a snoozefest.

I think in some cases I can agree. I remember on my first listen it was pretty great, but now it's a little tiresome.

[(nothing)]

The Count of Tuscany is a top 5 song for me I think, ITNOG I think is in my top 25 as it stands, I Walk Beside You is in the top 50. I'd probably put Prophets of War in my bottom 20 as well. I'm indifferent towards Never Enough, ANTR, New Millenium, Take Away My Pain. The Dance of Eternity is pretty much plain wankery but I enjoy it. BMUBMD is my least favorite song on ADTOE by a long shot but it's not bad, but it's probably not in my bottom 20.

Tbh probably half of WDADU would be in my bottom 20, it's just not my cup of tea at all, this album... 

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Repentance is amazing. It's a top 25 DT song for me.

[adastra]

BORING
bor·ing adjective \ˈbȯr-iŋ\

Definition of BORING
: causing boredom : tiresome
: Dream Theater - Repentance

[Ruba]

I feel like I'm the only person who doesn't mind the length of Repentance, I love the song. It might be because I'm into the melancholic side of music, and the last 3 minutes of PT like harmonies and keys rock to me. The first 4-5 minutes is really good too of course

However, it is repetitive, can't deny that. I understand the hate it gets, though it does bother me being this low.

 

I don't mind repetitive music, as long as the parts repeated are good.

[Elite]

I can't really commit to this for long enough, so I'm just going to finish it over the course of two more updates. First I'll post #6 to #4 and then tomorrow I'll end it with #3 to #1.

Okay, let's go ahead:

6. The Best of Times

By now everybody knows Black Clouds & Silver Linings is my least favourite Dream Theater album and with 4 songs in the top 20, the album has the questionable lead in this top 20 least favourite Dream Theater songs. While I fully understand the intention of The Best of Times and why it was written, it probably would have been better if this song was kept off the record, only to be played to MP's dad. Like Take Away My Pain, this song is far too loaded with vivid imagery (which seems pretty random at points, though I'm ABSOLUTELY sure they mean a lot to Mike Portnoy) and way too much emotional load. People often cite this song for s remarkable guitar solo, but I can't really seem to find much enjoyment there either. John Petrucci's guitar sound is way too 'polished', for lack of a better word, in order to properly bring across what it probably wants to do, if you catch my meaning. Yes, his playing is good, but it's far too long and too focused on repeating and changing a simple line over and over again. Once more, I do appreciate the meaning of this song, but I don't really find it enjoyable in any sense.

5. Just Let Me Breathe

Falling Into Infinity is an album of insane heights at certain points, but also some very low lows. Just Let Me Breathe falls into that latter category and we're getting to the songs I genuinely dislike here. Primarily, the lyrics are a great example of terrible bashing and the deliverance of them is completely uninteresting, but the music providing the background for them isn't remarkable in any way either. The solo section sounds and seems rushed and forced, not really finding its way into the song and overall the whole sound of the song is not something we're used to from Dream Theater. It sounds muddy, a little angry, but most of all it sounds generic and the repetitive monotonicity of the song certainly isn't something that keeps me interested. How the hell this one ended up on Falling into Infinity and some fantastic songs from the Demos didn't, I'll never understand.

4. Panic Attack

But Octavarium is also not my favourite Dream Theater album and would probably land just right in second-to-last place and with 4 songs from Octavarium on this list, that position is justified from a pessimistic viewpoint. Although this song in particular might be a surprise to some, I don't really see how anyone could exclude this one on their lists of least favourite Dream Theater songs. Like I said on Just Let Me Breathe, we're getting into the territory of songs that I really dislike. While the first 15 songs in this list were still mildly okay for me, the closer we get to #1, the more aversion I have towards the song and it's here when I start really disliking the music. Panic Attack, front to back, is pretty atrocious to me. The intro riff is too generic and boring, the vocal lines (or more like how they sound) are a complete rip-off of Muse once again and the whole instrumental section does nothing to satisfy me, being mindless wankery over repeating, boring riffs. There's nothing to like about this song for me, I'm sorry. This is the first time I'm really bashing a song without being constructive, I think, but that's the way it is I guess.

---

Top 3 shouldn't be too hard to figure out by now, if you look into what has been posted before. Here's a full recap of #20 through #4:

20. Through Her Eyes
19. Prophets of War
18. New Millennium
17. Build Me Up, Break Me Down
16. The Count of Tuscany
15. Never Enough
14. Take Away My Pain
13. The Dance of Eternity
12. A Nightmare to Remember
11. The Shattered Fortress
10. I Walk Beside You
9. In The Name of God
8. The Answer Lies Within
7. Repentance
6. The Best of Times
5. Just Let Me Breathe
4. Panic Attack
3.
2.
1.

[aXygnus]

I think we're polar opposites, TBOT would be in my top 20 for sure, maybe even top 10.

[Zydar]

Yeah, it's a great song for sure. Not really Top 10 for me though.

[Tom Bombadil]

I don't have any problem with these songs being here. Only one I would have higher is TBOT.

[Bolsters]

I actually like Panic Attack, though it did take me a couple of years to warm up to it. I can get behind seeing the other two on a least favourite list though.

[Viking of the Sagas]

I liked Panic Attack from the beginning, though I only rarely listen to it. It's catchy and sounds good, but I tend to forget about copying Muse. Doesn't really add to my well-being there.

The other songs I do kind of agree with. Boring except for a couple of cool parts, in some places no cool parts at all.

I'd place Wither at top 3 though. Only thing I found really, really interesting about was this

[Elite]

I'd place Wither at top 3 though. Only thing I found really, really interesting about was this

Gangnam Wither is cool, yes! But Wither was at #36 in my top 50 songs, so no, it won't be in the top 3 ;p

[Viking of the Sagas]

top 3 in the context of this list. So 3 least favorite.

[425]

Just Let Me Breathe definitely deserves this spot. The Best of Times... Probably also deserves it; I have nothing against the lyrics but there seem to be too few musical ideas for the length.

But Panic Attack? That's a good song! IMO, it is a clinic on how to make an excellent heavy and progressive piece of music.

And now you're going to kill me by putting both CM and AROP in the bottom 3, aren't you?

[senecadawg2]

Panic Attack and JLMB are probably both bottom 5 songs for me too. 

[Whatsername]

Panic Attack? That's a good song! IMO, it is a clinic on how to make an excellent heavy and progressive piece of music.

This. It's in my top 50.

[?]

I wouldn't put those three as low, but I am pretty indifferent towards them.

[Elite]

And now you're going to kill me by putting both CM and AROP in the bottom 3, aren't you?

Hey, Constant Motion is cool.

[mikeyd23]

I wouldn't put Panic Attack on my list, I really do like that song! But TBOT and JLMB are definitely weaker songs, so I would agree with those. Interesting list so far, I look forward to the completion of it!

[Nearmyth]

I think Panic Attack is a good song, but kind of "meh" at the same time.

I really like The Best of Times, sure it's a sensitive subject but I tend to rate music on more of a musical aspect. How it morphs from upbeat and headbangingly rocking to dramatic, melancholic, and downright depressing is neat to me. I find it to be nice songwriting to be honest. I think the solo is a littllleee overrated (three minutes of the songs main themes and arpeggios, woohoo?) but I like it a lot either way.

And then Just Let Me Breathe is... Bad? I'm indifferent towards it, but it'll probably never see the light of day in any of my lists...

Very excited to see the next 3! 

[425]

And now you're going to kill me by putting both CM and AROP in the bottom 3, aren't you?

Hey, Constant Motion is cool.

 

That's really the one I cared about; if you put AROP I'll disagree but not be scandalized. But yeah, Constant Motion is way cool; it's fun, energetic and catchy.

[Lucien]

You Not Me, A Rite of Passage, something from WDADU

[Elite]

Alright, the big finish! Let's end this thing once and for all:

3. Honor Thy Father

To be completely honest, I didn't even know what this song sounded like anymore, so I had to relisten it and doing that reminded me exactly of why I don't like it in the slightest. My main problem here are with the riffs probably made to sound 'heavy' and while they are, they drag on for far too long and then back down for the lyrics, which I think are pretty terrible. Actually, I don't really know how to word my dislike to this song. Sometimes you just have an unexplainable dislike for a song and that's the case with this song. I don't really find anything interesting about this song and that's partly because it sounds a bit.. dull? James's screams here and there are pretty cool though, but then there's the 'crooked step' with a completely random instrumental section taken out of nowhere with the completely random samples over them. I can't stand that part for some reason, again since it drags on for far too long without ever getting interesting in any way. I hoped I could have worded my dislike a little better here, but apparently I can't. Again, it's a song that's dragging far too long on too little material and it doesn't really a climax, but floats around without going anywhere. My least favourite from Train of Thought.

2. A Rite of Passage

And here's song number 5 from Black Clouds & Silver Linings. Oh boy, where do I start on this one? A Rite of Passage has a tendency to turn up more often on least favourite lists, so I'm sure the forum can back me up on this one, but once again, it's something unexplainable that happens. Did DT move away too much from 'being Dream Theater' on this song, or what is it? The verses are pretty boring in particular (with James sounding especially terrible and the voices in the background completely making a mess of everything) and while the chorus has a nice sing-along quality to it, it doesn't really feel finished and is forced upon you instead. Once more Dream Theater tries to make a song that would appeal to 'mainstream' music and loses its roots on it. But then there's the completely wacky bridge and solo section that doesn't make ANY sense whatsoever. In particular the transition back to the chorus at the end seems very, very forced. I didn't like this song when it came out, I didn't like it in context of the album (go figure, if almost the whole album is in this list..), I didn't like it when I heard it live and I still don't like it today. More DT fans are on my side here, but I can't really explain why again, without simply saying 'it's dreadful'. But yeah, I think it is anyway.

1. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence

And here we have it, the biggest surprise of all; my least favourite Dream Theater song. It's probably a surprise to many that I have SDOIT here and while Six Degrees contains many great sections, but ultimately, as a whole, it doesn't make sense. The concept is nice and the diversity is great, but the transitions are forced, the Overture is bland and one of their worst tracks ever and the Grand Final doesn't really pack a punch at all. Where DT really knew how to end an epic on A Change of Seasons or Octavarium, the listener is left wanting more here. All the parts in between range from 'good' to 'very good', but I can't help but feel that Dream Theater forcibly tried to link all of this music simply for the sake of creating a long song. It would have been better off if the individual tracks were expanded upon to make different songs. In a sense I'm very thankful for them splitting this 'song' into different tracks, so I can listen to the different parts as I please, but as a whole, it simply doesn't hold any ground.

--

Thanks for following and see you around, if I'm not killed by some insane fan before that

[Whatsername]

.....

 

[fibreoptix]

I bought it.