npiazza91's Top 50 Dream Theater Songs

Started by npiazza91, June 26, 2014, 06:08:13 PM

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Crow

This one's kind of grown on me a little and might be top 50 by now, but I doubt I'd have it anywhere near this high  either.

npiazza91

#3: Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence- I think this song flows perfectly.  It's 42 minutes, but doesn't feel like it.  My favorite parts are About to Crash, About to Crash Reprise and Solitary Shell.  This song is amazing all the way through and really feels more like an experience than an actual song.

Outcrier

Quote from: npiazza91 on July 08, 2014, 10:44:27 AM
#3: Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence- I think this song flows perfectly.  It's 42 minutes, but doesn't feel like it.  My favorite parts are About to Crash, About to Crash Reprise and Solitary Shell.  This song is amazing all the way through and really feels more like an experience than an actual song.

SDOIT is my 3º as well, with the same favorite parts :hifive:

Evermind

I so wholeheartedly agreed with your placement of TITL in Top 10 (I had it at #7) that I didn't see SDOIT coming. Can't agree with this choice, sadly. :)
Quote from: Train of Naught on May 28, 2020, 10:57:25 PMThis first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.

Crow

SDOIT is just too disjointed and bloated for me to enjoy it. I like some of the pieces but the whole is less than the sum of its parts here.

npiazza91

Sorry I'm late...busy day today.

#2: Octavarium- This song is basically the pinnacle of DT's song writing.  It's a masterpiece.  As you can see, there is one more song I like better than this one.  Whether it's actually a better written song...I'm not sure.  But all I know is that Octavarium is one of the best songs I've ever heard, period.  Almost every single section of this song is phenomenal.  The ONLY THING I would change is the intro, which goes on far too long, I usually just skip it.  But that doesn't stop this song from beging amazing.  The story it tells, the symbolism, the metaphors...it's so amazing.  I can talk about this song all day, because I get goosebumps on practically every section.  This song is well deserving of the #2 spot, and I can guarantee that it will always have my respect, no matter what age or what other bands I listen to down the road.  Truly a masterpiece.

ThatOneGuy2112

Six Degrees is fantastic, as is Octavarium. :metal

But come on, that intro is absolutely gorgeous. It might be too obvious of a Pink Floyd nod, but something about it sounds so magical and I think it lasts the perfect amount of time; it doesn't last so long that you're sick of it but not so short you're hungry for seconds.

Crow

For me the closest 8VM has to skippable parts is, well, most of medicate and a big chunk of the full circle instrumental. The intro is great. Never really can complain about seeing this one high up, it's one of their better epics.

npiazza91

Quote from: ThatOneGuy2112 on July 09, 2014, 10:01:02 PM
Six Degrees is fantastic, as is Octavarium. :metal

But come on, that intro is absolutely gorgeous. It might be too obvious of a Pink Floyd nod, but something about it sounds so magical and I think it lasts the perfect amount of time; it doesn't last so long that you're sick of it but not so short you're hungry for seconds.

I disagree.  The intro is about 4 and a half minutes...which is the length of an average song.  It wouldn't be so bad if there were actually notes being played.  I would say that the one amazing thing about it is that you wait for the song tp start up and when that first note hits...it feels like heaven.

ThatOneGuy2112

Quote from: npiazza91 on July 10, 2014, 04:33:20 AM
Quote from: ThatOneGuy2112 on July 09, 2014, 10:01:02 PM
Six Degrees is fantastic, as is Octavarium. :metal

But come on, that intro is absolutely gorgeous. It might be too obvious of a Pink Floyd nod, but something about it sounds so magical and I think it lasts the perfect amount of time; it doesn't last so long that you're sick of it but not so short you're hungry for seconds.

I disagree.  The intro is about 4 and a half minutes...which is the length of an average song.  It wouldn't be so bad if there were actually notes being played.  I would say that the one amazing thing about it is that you wait for the song tp start up and when that first note hits...it feels like heaven.

I guess you're not too into ambient music then. :biggrin:

We're talking about a band that's made 20+ epics in the past. 4 and a half minutes is pretty short for them and while, sure, one can argue that it's still too long, it's a different experience when actually listening to it. It honestly doesn't even feel like 4 minutes, and I think that's part of the beauty to it.

Evermind

Octavarium just wouldn't be the same without intro. I'd rather have Medicate part trimmed down, the intro is perfect the way it is.
Quote from: Train of Naught on May 28, 2020, 10:57:25 PMThis first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.

Sir Walrus Cauliflower

I personally wouldn't want any section of the song trimmed up. I always thought it was paced very well. The intro really sets the tone for the song, and everything just builds from there.
Local authority on over-intellectualizing.

Nearmyth

Medicate is my favorite part. The reprise of the main theme with great vocals by labrie :hefdaddy I also agree that 8V is perfect as it is and doesn't need to be trimmed down

npiazza91

Ok so here we have it the number one song...which I will post tomorrow.  Let's see if anyone can guess it.

425

I've not been commenting for a while but I'm still following. Octavarium is a great choice. Can you do a recap of everything you've posted so far in one post? It'll make it easier to guess because I will be able to quickly reference a list to know if you've already named something or not.

son_ov_hades

If Metropolis isn't number 1 you have bad taste.  :P

npiazza91

#50: The Dark Eternal Night
#49: I Walk Beside You
#48: Innocence Faded
#47: Another Day
#46: Repentance
#45: Learning to Live
#44: The Spirit Carries On
#43: Constant Motion
#42: The Best of Times
#41: The Shattered Fortress
#40: Wither
#39: As I Am
#38: Erotomania
#37: Behind The Veil
#36: Through Her Eyes
#35: Beneath The Surface
#34: Panic Attack
#33: The Enemy Inside
#32: Sacrificed Sons
#31: Under A Glass Moon
#30: Fatal Tragedy
#29: Outcry
#28: On The Backs of Angels
#27: Misunderstood
#26: Take The Time
#25: Scarred
#24: A Rite of Passage
#23: The Bigger Picture
#22: Space Dye Vest
#21: Finally Free
#20: The Dance of Eternity
#19: Never Enough
#18: The Root of All Evil
#17: One Last Time
#16: The Glass Prison
#15: The Count of Tuscany
#14: Bridges in the Sky
#13: The Mirror
#12: This Dying Soul
#11: Surrounded
#10: Strange Deja Vu
#9: Hollow Years
#8: Endless Sacrifice
#7:  Blind Faith
#6: In The Name Of God
#5: Voices
#4: This Is The Life
#3: Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
#2: Octavarium

ThatOneGuy2112

Quote from: son_ov_hades on July 10, 2014, 05:17:46 PM
If Metropolis isn't number 1 you have bad taste.  :P

Quote from: npiazza91 on July 04, 2014, 03:57:02 PM
Quote from: ThatOneGuy2112 on July 04, 2014, 12:15:06 PM
Well you better make damn sure Metropolis Pt. 1 makes an appearance.  :P


Well...you may be disappointed

There's your confirmation for the latter half of your statement. :lol

Either way, my bets are on ACOS.

Sir Walrus Cauliflower

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it's "A Nightmare To Remember".

A very interesting list so far. Some choices I definately wouldn't have seen coming.
Local authority on over-intellectualizing.

425

I'm going to guess that you and I are best friends and say Breaking All Illusions.

Crow

you not me
build me up break me down
raw dog

npiazza91

Ok, so here it is...my number one song DT has ever done.

#1: A Nightmare to Remember-  Before I tell you what I think of this song, first I have a few things to say.  I listen to DT a lot these days, so my list is constantly changing.  There are two songs I regret 100% not putting on this list.  "Breaking All Illusions" and "The Great Debate".  I always shunned TGD because the beginning always bored me to death.  However, I've been listening to it more and more recently and the song is actually really good after the long intro.  The chorus is amazing and this song probably would be in my top 30 if I was to make another list.  BAI I kind of neglected as well, because the album as a whole took a really long time to sink in and BAI was just the song that most recently grew on me in the last week or so.  It really is a great song and would actually probably be in my top 20 if I made another list.

Anyway, now that that is out of the way, I will get to ANTR.  This song is pretty much perfect in my eyes.  It's not overly long and I have just enough time to listen to the entire thing on my way to and from work.  The intro slowly builds in and the thing I love about this song is that it actually gets better the farther into the song it gets.  The chorus is better than the verse, the second verse is better than the chorus, the second chorus is better, then the "Lying on the table" part is the best so far.  The best part of the song is easily the "beautiful agony" part, easily my favorite section in ANY DT song, period.  It's so beautiful, in such a morbid way.  So full of despair, such emotion is put into the vocals.  I have to give a shout out here to both Labrie and Petrucci, because they make this part what it is.  The rest of the band does great here as well, but especially those two.  The solo is, of course, phenomenal.  Everything about this song is amazing, and I think it will always be my number one DT song.  Octavarium is pretty much on par with this song, but I feel like it's not my song, since I feel like it's everyone's favorite.  With ANTR, I can say that it is my song that nobody can take away from me.  You'd be hard pressed to find ANTR as anyone else's number one song, and with the uniqueness, comes a special feeling.  Either way, I'm excited to here what you guys think, and if ANTR IS your number one song, I'd love to hear what you like about it as well.

son_ov_hades

Terrible song imo, it made my top 5 worst Dream Theater songs.  :lol But this was one of the most unique lists I've seen, so props for that!

Sir Walrus Cauliflower

#93
There's no way I would put it at #1. However, I guessed correctly, which makes me happy.

It might make my top 50, but it feels bloated and the lyrical content is sort of unfitting for as dramatic as the song makes it out to be. It seems it should be about a war, or serial killer, not a wedding and a car crash. It does have some great riffs and the drum part is fun as hell to play, but I don't think it holds up to the quality of a lot of other DT material. The  "Over and over, scene by scene" section definitely takes away from how seriously I can take the song. Overall, I enjoy it, but I don't see it beating out many other songs from their catalog.

Interesting list, though. It's certainly unique, and there are a lot more surprises than some lists have.

Edit: Serial killer, not cereal
Local authority on over-intellectualizing.


Sir Walrus Cauliflower

Local authority on over-intellectualizing.

ThatOneGuy2112

Honestly I can't be sure if ANTR would even break my top 50. It has some parts that are actually pretty cool and the riffs are great, and then parts that are almost cringe-worthy and I just can't take them seriously, especially for the subject matter that it tries to convey. I'm in love with the Beautiful Agony section, but not fond of the idea of it having to be shoe-horned into a wildly inconsistent song. It's not bad, but on the whole, somewhat average for DT.

Real interesting and unique list. Though Metropolis' absence on here is somethin' else. :P

425

Top ten for me. But I still am disappointed by the absence of Breaking All Illusions.

npiazza91

Quote from: 425 on July 12, 2014, 08:14:10 AM
Top ten for me. But I still am disappointed by the absence of Breaking All Illusions.

I mentioned BAI and TGD in my ANTR post.  Check it out.

Nearmyth

Wow great pick! I don't get the hate for this song, only cringe-worthy part is the portnoy growls. But everything else about this song is orgasm :metal
I think the meandering serves its purpose and the song works as a journey and an experience. I may be slightly biased though, because this is one of the songs I first listened to that got me into DT and a lot of the prog scene haha. :tup