Personally, I think the fact that Octavarium flies by so quickly is one of the reasons I don't really enjoy it as much as other epics. The song builds itself up so much & hearing some of these sections, you could tell just how epic they were hoping the song to be. I'll admit, Someone Like Him gives me chills every time (even the needlessly extended opening to an extent), every time I get to the screaming in Intervals, I'm like "...holy shit...
", & I don't think there can be a possibly be a more climatic & satisfying closer to a song than Razor's Edge (& if there is, I haven't heard it), but when you get down to it, that's just the opening & closing of the song. The actual meat of the production is only limited to two sections (i.e. Medicate & Full Circle), & these sections are really only decent, not just in comparison, but even if they were in another better epic, they'd probably be the weakest link of it & would weigh its new song down as a result. Medicate is an extremely light, calm section that (while I'd understand the appeal) doesn't really do much for me, while Full Circle feels like a wannabe/filler track based on other songs off the album. My point is, Octavaium doesn't really give itself enough room to flourish because it goes by so quickly, because it's leaving you in suspense for what's happening next so much that it doesn't really follow up on it a lot of the time.
Also, if I may join in on the ranking:
1. A Change Of Seasons
2. A Mind Beside Itself (it's one song damnit)
3. In The Presence Of Enemies
4. The Count Of Tuscany
5. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
6. Octavarium
7. Illumination Theory
Also again, to the guy above me, TMoLS is 14:57, so