Does nobody rate The Answer Lies Within ? I know i've ranked it quite low above but only because I love the album so much that I actually prefer the other songs..
But The Answer Lies Within & I Walk Beside You are two of my favourite Dream Theater " ballads".
I'll take them over Along For The Ride ANY DAY of the week...
I've liked TALW since I first heard. Hasn't stood the test of time in terms of replay value but it's great to listen as part of the whole album still. It was actually one of the first ballad songs I really got into from DT. I also love AFTR though, possibly a bit more.
I also love the instrumental section. My biggest issue with it is that the instrumental section doesn't belong in the song. You can't throw a progressive section like that into a song about one of the worst things to happen to the United States. It takes away from the entire mood. That said, it's still a great song.
Interesting, I think the instrumental section is one of the best parts. But, most people that say it doesn't fit, don't normally say they still love it lol. Now regarding whether it's out of place or not, I find a lot of these crazy instrumental sections are almost musical metaphors for some of the content or themes within the songs. They sort of go all chaotic and crazy which sometimes sets the mood quite well with songs like;
Sacrificed Sons, Outcry and Lost Not Forgotten. Other songs that I feel have attempted to tell a story or evoke a mood through the music;
Dance of Eternity, Stream of Consciousness, A Nightmare to Remember, The Dark Eternal Night, The Count of Tuscany come to mind. This phenomenon might also be quite prominent on When Dream and Day Unite too.
I love everything about it. To me, it's like a mini Octavarium. It has a slow build up where the first half is like a ballad, then it gets heavy leading right into the ending. Being a huge thrash metal fan, that part from 7:50 to 8:23 is just awesome. It seems like I don't hear about it on here much, it seems to get pushed under the radar. What do you think about this song and do you agree that it's underrated?
Yeah that Riff is one of my favourites. I love syncopated riffs like that (See Honor Thy Father and Scarred). The whole thing really is an amazing piece of music. Build-up can feel a bit slow on multiple listens though. But I feel the ties to the subject matter and all those preconceptions hold it back from standing out above the rest of these sort of 'mini epics' IMO.