SFAM ----> DT 12 Ranked and Reviewed

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Number 10: Overture 1928

We can see the Overture makes its way at number 10. It is basically an instrumental, a transition that happens as Nicholas finally meets Victoria once more. Rudess is faintly heard at the beginning, then slowly Petrucci, Myung, and Portnoy fades in, just like the Dance of Eternity. The only reason that this is in tenth place is that all the rest of the songs pack more content and that shouldn't be surprising, since it's an instrumental. The Dance of Eternity is a whole new story. 

Petrucci begins riffing as that is the main spotlight for a few seconds. After that, we can hear Rudess come in with his strings as Petrucci switches to picking the strings. Portnoy's toms can be heard also, as the rest of the band sans Rudess must lighten the tone of the instrument to switch Rudess' style. After Rudess carries on for a bit, the riffing comes back in. After the riffing, we can see Rudess leading with his synth as Petrucci riffs. And man, I really love Rudess' synth sound. Rudess gets a solo, then fades as Petrucci also comes in with a solo of his own. Rudess is supporting Petrucci with his grand piano.

After Petrucci's solo, Rudess comes in again, but with his strings, not his synth. Petrucci comes in once more and plays a really familiar tune. *ahem*One Last Time*ahem.* Petrucci and Rudess go at it for a while until the riffing is prominent once more, than Rudess' synth comes back in with his strings and then they riff some more. After riffing, the next song starts, but hold it! We're not going there yet!

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Number 9: One Last Time

It was really hard deciding between this or Strange Deja Vu, but One Last Time won it. Err, I'm not sure "won" would be the correct word. 

I just feel like Strange Deja Vu was a much more stronger song than One Last Time. But, I am not discrediting One Last Time in anyway. Every piece of the song fits into this album and does well supporting. One Last Time was the first song I've heard from Metropolis part 2, back when I didn't even know it was a story album. One Last Time's ending was also climatic and I really enjoyed the suspense as the whole song ended with a bang.

The band finishes riffing from a previous technical instrumental as Rudess' piano, Myung, and Portnoy are the only ones present. Rudess plays a similar tune to that of Overture 1928. After Rudess' solo, he fades of to a string as Labrie comes in with his vocals. Petrucci comes in also with a light riff.

It doesn`t make any sense
This tragic ending
In spite of the evidence
There`s something still missing
Heard some of the rumours told
A taste of one`s wealth
Did Victoria wound his soul?
Did she bid him farewell?

We can see that Nicholas realizes that something is wrong. He reads the papers and knows about Victoria's tragic death, but he feels like that is not the whole strong. He claims this story doesn't make any sense and with the evidence, this story is still puzzling to him. Nicholas overhears some rumors about a taste of ones' wealth and that is when he starts questioning what happened. Nicholas wonders if he wounded the man's soul by cheating on him or just straight out dumped him.

One last time
We`ll lay down today
One last time
Until we fade away
One last time
We`ll lay down today
One last time
We slowly fade away

I absolutely love Labrie here at the chorus. He sings in a tenor and it is just absolutely beautiful. Though, I'm not sure if the "One Last Time," is by a woman because it sounds so feminine, but I'm guessing that it is just Labrie. Victoria talks about her death. The other man, who committed suicide and Victoria, falls, one last time. They die as they slowly and surely fade away. Fade away as in maybe decompose? Anyways, the chorus is absolutely beautiful and I love it.

After this, there is a mini break as Myung gets the stage. Petrucci gets a nice little solo after Portnoy's fills. The solo is short, but you can feel the pain of Victoria as the highlight comes up.

Here I am inside his home
It holds the many clues
To my suspicions
And as I`m standing here right now
I`m finally shown what I have always known
Coincidence I can`t believe
As my childhood dreams slowly come true

Ok, ok, everytime I listen to this, I get excited. I mean, come on! Labrie sounds frantic as the song is so fast paced. Rudess does perfect with his strings as he matches Labrie's tones. Nicholas finally reaches the Bayne's house and he feels like the house holds many clues. As Nicholas is standing at the home, all his memories he has had comes true. It brings back life and the dreams he had during his childhood is suddenly right there, visible.

After this part, Petrucci's electric comes in for a while, as Labrie starts once more.

Are these her memories
Awakened through my eyes
This house has brought back to life
An open door
I walk on through
Into his bedroom
Feeling as cold as outside
The walls disappear
To some woman who's screaming
A man pleads forgiveness
His words I cannot hear

Climax part 2. Nicholas is feeling his dreams and memory come to life. As he stands at the Bayne's house, visions start flooding in. As Nicholas walks into the bedroom, he feels really cold as his vision starts zooming in to Victoria who is screaming at some man, and in turn, the man is begging for her forgiveness as the words are muffled. The song fades out as Rudess plays a mysterious jingle that really brings shivers down my spine and really sets the mood.

Nice! This song would be way higher if it was much longer, detailing more about the mysterious encounter with Victoria and the mysterious man, but this song is perfect how it is right now!

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Number 8: Strange Deja Vu

Clocking at this list at number eight is Strange Deja Vu! Strange Deja Vu sets the scene for the story. When I first listened to Regression, I was still confused about the direction of how the story will go, then came Strange Deja Vu. It does really well detailing Nicholas' journey to meet Victoria and Labrie does really well also every part of this song! This song comes right after Overture and you might be confused of when Overture ends and when Strange Deja Vu starts. That happened to me a lot of times, but hey, who cares? Anyways, let us get started with this piece shall we?

After Petrucci's riffing, Labrie enters immediately without any hesitation as Petrucci riffs in the background.

Subconscious strange sensation
Unconscious relaxation
What a pleasant nightmare
And I can`t wait to get there again
Every time I close my eyes
There`s another vivid surprise
Another whole life waiting
Chapters unfinished, fading
Closer now - Slowly coming into view
I've arrived - Blinding sunshine beaming through

This song was written by Mike Portnoy and I fall in love with his style of writing. We can feel how Nicholas feels during his journey. He describes his journey as strange, but relaxing. He also uses an oxymoron to describe how it felt. He feels like that it's a nightmare because it is strange and it's his first time, but he thinks the nightmare is pleasant as there isn't a lot of screaming and convulsing. There is just relaxation. Every time he closes his eyes, something new seems to happen. He feels new, surprising memories bursting forth as new life waits him. The chapters that are not finished yet, seems to be completing itself. As he travels subconsciously, the can see something coming into view. The light grows stronger and stronger until he arrives. What does he see when he arrives? Sunshine.

There`s a house I`m drawn into
Familiar settings, nothing new
There`s a pathway leading there
With a haunting chill in the air
There`s a room at the top of the stairs
Every night I`m drawn up there
There`s a girl in the mirror
Her face is getting clearer
Young child won`t you tell me why I`m here?

We can see that almost every sentence begins with a "There's a......" Nicholas keeps on seeing Victoria in her dreams and he comes upon the house that he has always been seeing. As he approaches the house, I can basically seeing him yawning in boredom as he has already seen all of them, hence the wording, "Familiar setting." He also sees a path leading to the house, but as he approaches, he feels like something is very wrong. He feels a chill in the air that can be only described as haunting. He visualizes the house now as he sees a room at the top of the stairs. Every night, maybe in his dreams, he feels drawn to the house and as he goes upstairs, he feels a girl in the mirror, as if she is signaling to him. Maybe she wants to tell him something as her face starts getting clearer and clearer. He finally asks Victoria why he's here.

In her eyes - I sense a story never told
Behind the disguise - There`s something tearing
At her soul

This part leads up to the chorus and if you listen carefully, you can hear Mike Portnoy echoing Labrie. As he looks deep into her eyes, he finds a story that is waiting to be told, but has been never told. She might have seemed happy then, but in all honesty, in all that happiness or contentedness, he knows that she feels pained and there is something behind the veil, behind the disguise that is eating her up inside.

Tonight I`ve been searching for it
A feeling that`s deep inside m
Tonight I`ve been searching for
The one that nobody knows
Trying to break free
I just can`t help myself
I`m feeling like I`m going out of my head
Tears my heart into two
I`m not the one the sleeper thought he knew

Ok, who doesn't fall in love with that part? Answer truthfully ;P
I just love Labrie's use of his tenor as he sings this part. He portrays Victoria really well and it just warms my heart every time I listen to this part. This is the absolute highlight of this song and this gave the edge over One Last Time. With Rudess' strings backing Labrie up, this sounds like a totally masterpiece. Props to Rudess' strings. Victoria confesses that she feels like hell and it breaks her heart. Something happened and she hints at two lovers with "Tears my heart into two."

After this magnificent piece, Petrucci begins riffing and Nicholas/James comes back in strongly as he carries this song, fast paced.

Back on my feet again
Eyes open to real world
Metropolis surrounds me
The mirror`s shattered the girl
Why is this other life
Haunting me everyday
I`d break through the other side
If only I`d find the way

Nicholas is back on his feet, ready to go. His eyes opened again as he see's the city surrounding him. The mirror holding the image of Victoria is shattered. Nicholas thinks to himself about his life. He wonders why his real life is haunting him everyday in his dreams. He realizes that like the mirror that shattered, he himself must break through the other side of his life, the only solution to find his way, to find his life. Labrie basically screams the last part as it seals his determination, with Portnoy's vocals backing him up randomly.

Something`s awfully familiar
The feeling`s so hard to shake
Could I have lived in that other world
It`s a link that I`m destined to make
I`m still searching but I don`t know what for
The missing key to unlock my mind`s door

Something seems really familiar to Nicholas, hence the title, "Strange Deja Vu." He feels like the answer is at the tip of his tongue, but he just can't get it right. The feeling that gets to him everyday is really hard to ignore, but it is extremely vague. He begins questioning about his life and he makes sure that he will do everything to find out. He begins searching for something, but he is not sure what that something is. He comes to the conclusion that that something is the key, in which he will unlock all mysteries.

Today I am searching for it
A feeling that won`t go away
Today I am searching for it
The one that I only know
Trying to break free
I just can`t help myself
I`m feeling like I`m going out of my head
Tears my soul into two
I`m not the one I thought I always knew

The character now is not Victoria, but is Nicholas, so James uses his regular voice. He basically repeats what Victoria says. The mystery and the tragedy tears his heart into two.

I just can`t help myself
I`m feeling like I`m going out of my head
Uncanny, strange Deja Vu
But I don`t mind - I hope to find the truth

Amen! He feels strange all over again and he feels like he is going really crazy, but that aside, he is determined to find the truth and he will do whatever! That's the Nicholas I know. This song concludes after this. I love this song very much, especially Rudess' strings and Labrie's tenor.

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Number 7: Through Her Eyes

Through her eyes clocks at number seven on this list. This basically marks the half of the album and after this, the album goes to its best. The next six songs all contain the powerful element of making Metropolis Part 2, the best of best. Let us not stray from topic and let's go immediately to Through Her Eyes. This beautiful ballad starts off with Victoria humming ever so sweetly as Rudess' string is present in the background. Petrucci's electric can also be heard from time to time to match Victoria. After a while, Portnoy comes in lightly, then Rudess with his piano. Labrie begins as Victoria, his voice pained.

She never really had a chance
On that fateful moonlight night
Sacrificed without a fight
A victim of her circumstances

Labrie's voice is really calm and beautiful here. We can get into the story much more as Nicholas details what happened to Victoria. Victoria never stood a chance that night. It was as if her death was fated. She was sacrificed, she died, all because of her circumstance. We can truly see how haunting it is and how sad the mood has shifted from the previous song. Nicholas seems absolutely saddened and his voice tells it.

Now that I`ve become aware
And I`ve exposed this tragedy
A sadness grows inside of me
It all seems so unfair
I`m learning all about my life
By looking through her eyes

Nicholas is fully aware of this tragedy and he has exposed it to the world. As he thinks about the tragedy and all its details, he is saddened. The sadness grows and grows. Did you every think something was so unfair? Imagine if someone who cheated, was rude to people, took shortcuts, did many stunts that could get him killed, didn't study at all, slacked off, etc, became more famous and popular than you who didn't cheat, was nice to everyone, took no shortcuts, took responsibility, etc? That is exactly how Nicholas feels about Victoria's tragedy. By looking through Victoria's eyes, he is learning about Victoria's life which is important, but he also learns about his own life. Petrucci comes in with his lead electric and plays bits and parts until Labrie comes in again.

Just beyond the churchyard gates
Where the grass is overgrown
I saw the writing on her stone
I felt like I would suffocate
In loving memory of our child
So innocent, eyes open wide
I felt so empty as I cried
Like part of me had died

This song truly gets more and more tragic. I admit that I tear up a bit after listening to this tragic piece. We can see Nicholas going beyond a churchyard gate, which is basically a cemetery. He goes to Victoria's grave and looks at what was written in it. Again, great description by Petrucci. He didn't have to include the grass being overgrown, but he did, and that did a lot. What Nicholas found written on Victoria's stone truly horrified and broke him down. The stone said: "In loving memory of our child. So innocent, eyes open wide." Imagine looking at your kid who has died, who was innocent, looking with eyes open wide. It must have truly be tragic for Victoria's parents and Nicholas felt the same as he broke down crying, feeling like a part of him has died.

And as her image
Wandered through my head
I wept just like a baby
As I lay awake in bed
And I know what it`s like
To lose someone you love
And this felt just the same

We can see that Nicholas pictures Victoria in his head. Imagine picturing your dead family or close friend, eyes wide open, dead, looking at you. As Nicholas did that, he lost all control as he weeps like a baby, lying awake in bed. Props to Nicholas for admitting how much he cried. Not a lot of people can do that and I like how he adds "Like a baby," in the end. Nicholas understands how it feels like to lose someone you dearly love and that felt the same, when Victoria died. Wow, talk about an extremely strong connection.

She wasn`t given any choice
Desperation stole her voice
I`ve been given so much more in life
I`ve got a son, I`ve got a wife
I had to suffer one last time
To grieve for her and say goodbye
Relieve the anguish of my past
To find out who I was at last
The door has opened wide
I`m turning with the tide
Looking through her eyes

And that is the most epic finisher I have ever heard in my entire life. Nicholas goes on about Victoria's life. He claims that Victoria had no chance to speak. When something happened that led to her murder, Victoria couldn't speak out, instead, she was too desperate and that stole her voice, claiming her life. Nicholas now realizes how much blessing he has. He has a son and a wife, but Victoria didn't. Just by the sentence, you can infer that her death may have been done by a relationship. Nicholas himself had to suffer, by looking through Victoria's eyes to find out who he was and to relieve the anguish, but he finally did. The answer has opened and he is now turning with the tide and all that was possible by looking through Victoria's eyes.

Petrucci again plays with his electric guitar, but this time, Labrie hums along and the ending fades out and finishes. It is a really beautiful ending and closes the beautiful song. This concludes the middle and low tier of this album, and now, begins the top tier. The next six songs has a lot of content packed to it and I will see you next time with it. Hope you enjoyed it!

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Number 6: The Dance of Eternity

And at number six is The Dance of Eternity. This six minute song is the start of a new breakthrough. This is Dream Theater's most technical most instrumental, but sadly, it falls just on the border. This instrumental is most known for its odd time signatures and how much it jumps from one signature to another. This instrumental doesn't stick to me as much and I find Hell's Kitchen and Erotomania to be even better than this instrumental, but it is still an awesome display of skill by Rudess, Portnoy, Myung...basically all the members of the band. The introduction contains pieces that switch through your right and left ear. Then, the bass comes in as the drums and guitar fade in, riffing. Does this introduction sound similar to any introduction? After a bit, Portnoy and Petrucci bang their respective instruments, well in Petrucci's case, riffs, as an explosion happens and this song has officially began.

Rudess is the most noticeable band member that plays this piece. After Rudess, attention shifts towards Petrucci as Rudess backs him up. After Petrucci's part, Rudess mimics Petrucci, then takes the show with his lead synth, which changes to a regular piano as the band falls silent for a while. After Rudess' part, Myung plays a note, as Rudess follow suit. Rudess comes in again with his synth as Petrucci riffs in the back. After that, Petrucci's riff is prominent with Portnoy and Myung as the whole band comes in once more. After a mini jam session, Petrucci hits his drums three times as Rudess plays an epic jingle. At this point, I can't help but dance. It really is a fun display of Rudess' skill. After, Petrucci comes in with his lead as he and Rudess jam it out until.....John Myung!

The bass solo you hear next is similar to Metropolis Part 1's solo, but it has a more mesh of notes that gets played. Portnoy then bangs on his snare as Petrucci riffs. After Petrucci's riffs, the whole band gets on fire and the most impressive display of instrument right now is Portnoy as he is just banging on his drums. After that, the whole band sans Portnoy plays a succession of notes together. Rudess' instrument is the heard, then Petrucci's and Myung's. Rudess fades out as Petrucci takes the stage. Petrucci gets a solo with the others backing him up as he switches to a riff soon. After all that, the song comes to an end and One Last Time begins. Not bad!

The only reason why I find this instrumental to be memorable is because of the insane time signature changes. I'm sure you guys do to. Still, this overall is a really good instrumental and possibly it is one of the easiest instrumentals to learn on the guitar.

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Number 5: The Spirit Carries On

Highlights: "Move on, be brave. Don't weep at my grave, because I'm no longer here. But please never let
your memories of me disappear."
Petrucci's solo and Labrie's voice. Victoria's vocals and the chorus.

Lowlights: At the beginning, Labrie's voice for a while.

My fifth favorite song from Scenes from a Memory would be The Spirit Carries On. I know that people claim that this song should be higher than number five, but I would like to disagree. First of all, I think this song is a tad overrated. Go ahead, judge me, but I think that is the truth. It is a beautiful ballad, no doubt about it. Labrie's voice is really beautiful, of course. Petrucci makes his guitar cry, yes. This song is overall awesome, but I find the next four songs to have more appeal to me. No way am I making fun of Spirit as this song is still number five, but it is not in my top twenty five of my overall favorite Dream Theater songs. Now, enough of my rambling, let us delve deep into this song.

In the beginning, the only present is Labrie and Rudess. When Labrie songs, I basically feel that he might cry very soon. The introduction should sooth a lot of you. After the drama from the last few songs, the album mellows down. Myung's bass enters after a while and the only present is Labrie, Myung, and Rudess.

Where did we come from?
Why are we here?
Where do we go when we die?
What lies beyond
And what lay before?
Is anything certain in life?
They say "Life is too short"
"The here and the now"
And "You're only given one shot"
But could there be more
Have I lived before
Or could this be all that we've got?

Nicholas questions about life. He is wondering where we come from and where we go when we die. Obviously we come from our mother's womb, but the real question Nicholas is asking is: "Where did humanity come from? Where do they go when they die?" Of course there can be a lot of controversy out of this question such as: "We come from apes." "God created us." "We are reincarnated when we die." "We go to heaven and hell." For the sake of keeping peace, I would not like to go into detail about that. Nicholas is just questioning about what happened before life and after death. People have come up with a popular phrase that goes by: "YOLO," meaning, you only live once. That is what Nicholas is talking about and he wonders if there is actually more than one life ahead of us.

If I die tomorrow
I'd be alright
Because I believe
That after we're gone
The spirit carries on

And here is the beautiful chorus. Nicholas is basically saying that if he dies tomorrow, or any day, he will be fine because he knows that after he dies, there will be another life. His spirit will carry on to another life. I think that this chorus hints about Nicholas' death because he indeed does die. This chorus is absolutely beautiful and shows us how strong of a person Nicholas is. After the chorus, Petrucci comes in with his acoustic and Portnoy hits his ride occasionally. After that, Portnoy has a mini fill as the whole band is there for the next verse.

I used to be frightened of dying
I used to think death was the end
But that was before
I'm not scared anymore
I know that my soul will transcend
I may never find all the answers
I may never understand why
I may never prove
What I know to be true
But I know that I still have to try[/i]

Nicholas tells us about his experiences with death. He admits that he was first scared of dying and once he was dead, he thought that it would be over. He now explains that, that thinking was before everything. Right now, he isn't scared about death anymore as his spirit will carry on. He goes on to say that throughout his life, he may never find the answer to the questions (what happened to Victoria), or never understand why (encounter with Victoria), or prove what he knows to be true (Victoria's death). Although he may not prove any of those, he knows that he still has to try. The chorus comes in once again, then comes the bridge.

"Move on, be brave
Don't weep at my grave
Because I'm no longer here
But please never let
Your memories of me disappear"

And that is the highlight of this entire song. Victoria is speaking to Nicholas and she has to say some really beautiful words to him. Victoria is basically saying to not forget her. She tells Nicholas to stop crying and move on with his life. That is very good advice for someone who has lost a loved one through death's grasp. They'd want you to move on, but cherish their memories in their heart. After the beautiful bridge, comes a beautiful solo by Petrucci. First, Petrucci plays a heart felt solo. He doesn't do anything flashy and does a straight solo just like The Best of Times, but don't compare The Best of Times to this song. Petrucci's solo gets more and more intense with each passing second until you can hear him shredding like there is no tomorrow. After the shred, nostalgia.

Safe in the light that surrounds me
Free of the fear and the pain
My questioning mind
Has help me to find
The meaning in my life again
Victoria's real
I finally feel
At peace with the girl in my dreams
And now that I'm here
It's perfectly clear
I found out what all of this means

Does nostalgia pierce your very soul? It does to me. The words that were heard at the very beginning of this album, comes in once again. Victoria and chorus makes this really shine through. I love listening to this part over and over. The other vocals backing up Labrie almost brings tears to my eyes because of the sheer beauty of it. Then, the chorus comes in once more. After the chorus, Petrucci, Victoria, and the chorus of voices take the stage. This song slowly fades out with Victoria, Myung, and Rudess, and comes the final song.

Wow. This song is really beautiful and this definitely helps shape the album. I love this song a lot, and sadly, I had to place this song at number six. I am sure you can guess what the next song will be.

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Number 4: Fatal Tragedy

Now, at number four, here is Fatal Tragedy. We are getting close to the end guys! Thank you for sticking with me until the end! After this album, we shall have the ranking of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence! But, Fatal Tragedy is better than Spirit for these reasons: 1) I feel like this song packs more content to the story and offers more meat than The Spirit Carries On. 2) This song stood out to me much more than Spirit. 3)The lyrics are more well written to me. Now, instead of bashing Spirit, let us just begin with this song, shall we?

Alone at night
I feel so strange
I need to find
All the answers to my dreams
When I sleep at night
I hear the cries
What does this mean?

Don't be confused! I'm sure you DT veterans already know this, but I'm saying this because I thought Through My Words kept on going until the end of this part. The beginning is only Labrie and Rudess. Rudess offers a haunting tone as Labrie sing-whispers this verse. This talks about Nicholas. As he sits alone at night, he feels very strange. He is drawn to the dreams sent by Victoria and every time he sleeps, he hears cries and he can't help wonder what it is.

I shut the door and traveled to another home
I met an older man, he seemed to be alone
I felt that I could trust him
He talked to me that night:
"Lad did you know a girl was murdered here?"
"This fatal tragedy was talked about for years"
Victoria`s gone forever
Only memories remain
She passed away
She was so young

The band comes in immediately and Nicholas talks to us about his encounter with an old man. He exits his house and shuts the door, traveling to another home. There, he meets an older man who was alone. If it were me, I would avoid that old man altogether, but Nicholas goes and talks to him, because he feels like he could trust him. They have a conversation together with the man talking about Victoria's death. She passed away and was gone forever, the only thing being alive was her memories. And, this song was written by Myung. This is one of the only songs by Myung that doesn't have a deep meaning. Well obviously, the story of Victoria goes in deeper, but that is not what I mean. Listen to LTL, ToT, and Shadows, then this song.

Without love
Without truth
There can be no turning back
Without faith
Without hope
There can be no peace of mind

Here is the chorus and it is absolutely beautiful. Nicholas lists four important aspects of life: love, truth, faith, and hope. Without these, there can't be turning back and there can be no peace of mind. This chorus is really simple, but it speaks out a lot. After the chorus, Rudess and Petrucci has a mini duet, followed by Portnoy pounding on his snare drum.

As the night went on
I started to find my way
I learned about a tragedy
A mystery still today
I tried to get more answers
But he said, "You`re on your own"
Then he turned away and left me
As I stand there all alone
He said, "You`ll know the truth
As your future days unfold"

As the night went on, Nicholas started to find his way and asked for more answers about the mysterious death of Victoria. Unfortunately, the man says that he is alone and that the man can't help him anymore. On that happy note, the man turns away and left as Nicholas sits alone. Thankfully, the old man does not stop there. He turns back and says that he will know the truth as life goes on and on, living Nicholas puzzled. After, the chorus comes in once again.

After the chorus is the highlight of this entire song: the instrumental section. This instrumental section is why I put Fatal over Spirit and I stand by that. Portnoy starts the instrumental with his pounding snare then Petrucci riffs alone as the band comes in. After the riffing, comes Rudess and Portnoy's snare. Rudess takes the stage for a bit more then Petrucci comes in with a sexy solo. After some shredding, Rudess comes in. The solo is played in a way that it is positioned so that Rudess' synth could flow directly after Petrucci's solo without any pause. Rudess himself also plays a nice synth solo as the band suddenly stops. After that, all the band comes in and they are on fire. They play like there is no tomorrow until the solo ends and.....

"Now it`s time to see how you died. Remember that death is not the end but only a transition."

The hypnotherapist speaks once more with Rudess on the piano, then the song immediately transitions to Beyond this Life.

I feel like this was an extremely well written song by Myung. This for me sets the actual mood for the entire album. Although the past songs were really good, this is the real kick in the head. I enjoy this song very much and never get bored of listening to this song as it is really catchy and fun. Now, onto the big three of Metropolis part 2!

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Number 3: Home

Yay! We are at the big three! Remember that this is all my opinion and it might differ from all of us! Anyways, I feel like Home rightfully deserves the number three spot. People claim that this song is the magnum opus, but, I feel like this is just like Spirit. It is a bit overrated. Sure, it has a really catchy chorus and almost everything about this song is perfect, but the quality of this song just does not match up to the quality of Finally Free and Beyond this Life. Don't worry though, I still love this song to death, even if the errr, intercourse scene makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. Anyways, let's get on with the song!

The introduction to this song, I like very much. It starts off really light, but it builds up. At the beginning, we can only hear Petrucci with his acoustic guitar. We can also hear various sounds of people? We can hear bits of Portnoy throughout this instrumental section. Rudess also becomes prominent and so does Myung, entering at around 1:04. Portnoy then comes in with his ride, snare and kick as Rudess takes the stage. Does the sound Rudess plays sound like an Egyptian instrument? Dunno where I got that from. The introduction to Home has begun. Petrucci has a mini solo as he transitions to a riff and the beginning of the song starts!

[Sleeper:]
Shine-lake of fire
Lines take me higher
My mind drips desire
Confined and overtired
Living this charade
Is getting me nowhere
I can`t shake this charade
The city`s cold blood calls me home
Home it`s what I long for
Back home where I belong

Nostalgia hits me like a wave once again. Where can we remember: "Shine-lake of fire." Why yes, it is from Metropolis Part 1! This is in the perspective of the Sleeper, who is Julian.  When he sees Victoria, he is filled with lust. The city's cold blood calls him home, the place he longs for, the place he belongs. Portnoy backs up Labrie as he sings. During this verse, basically, we are drawn to the story of Julian and his fateful meeting with Victoria. The meeting forever changes his life. After the first verse, the first variation of the chorus comes in.

The city - it calls to me
Decadent scenes from my memory
Sorrow - eternity
My demons are coming to drown me
Help - I`m falling, I`m crawling
I can`t keep away from its clutch
Can`t have it, this habit
It`s calling me back to my home

Basically, the chorus talks about how the home is calling Julian home once more. He claims that his sinful scenes from his memory calls to him. The sinful scenes also brings sorrow for all eternity and he also says that the demons are coming to drown him. This could be because of his lust for Victoria, as lust is a deadly sin. When he see's Victoria, it is making him stumble and crawl, but he can't help himself away from Victoria. This lust is calling him back to his home and lust is basically like a habit to him. Isn't the chorus really beautiful? And, this is just the first variation of the chorus, more of this is more to come! After, the introduction solo Petrucci had is played once more as we switch perspectives.

[Miracle:]
I remember the first time she came to me
Poured her soul out all night and cried
I remember I was told there`s a new love that`s born
For each one that has died

Here is Edward, the other love of Victoria. After the heartbreak between Julian and Victoria, she sought comfort from Edward. Edward recalls what happened. As Victoria comes to Victoria, she pours her heart out and lets out the anguish of the heartbreak as she begins crying. What girl wouldn't cry because of their breakup between a boy that she loved very much? This also shows us more about Victoria's personality. We can see that she is an emotional frail girl. There are girls who cry after breakups and girls who move on. Personally, I would be the one crying after a breakup. Mike Portnoy nicely adds her personality in that verse. Oh and isn't that voice so beautiful? Labrie basically speaks that verse softly. Edward tells Victoria that after each love that has gone wrong, there is a new love, basically hinting at the relationship between Edward and Victoria.

I never thought that I
Could carry on with this life
But I can`t resist myself
No matter how hard I try

Now, we can see the lust that Edward has had. There is a frail, helpless girl right in front of him, and his lust overcomes him. He tries hard to overcome, but the feeling of lust is just too powerful.

Living their other life
Is getting them nowhere
I`ll make her my wife
Her sweet temptations calls me home
Home it`s what I long for
My home where she belongs

We can see Edward controlled by lust. Before, Edward did good at soothing Victoria and he did everything within his power to help, but as lust overcomes him, his personality changes. He turns a bit more aggressive, claiming that he will make Victoria his wife. He adds that her temptation overpowers him and calls him home, to Victoria. He longs for home, and he decides that Victoria belongs to his home. Absolutely a beautiful shift in perspective as we can see the story of two brothers and their relationship with Victoria. As Edward takes on Victoria, conflict and tension grows.

Her ecstasy - means so much to me
Even deceiving my own blood
Victoria watches and thoughtfully smiles
She`s taking me to my home
Help - he`s my brother, but I love her
I can`t keep away from her touch
Deception, dishonor
It`s calling me back to my home

Here is the second variation of the chorus, this time in Edward's point of view. Victoria's ecstasy deceives the Bayne's family. Something about this chorus makes me wonder. Was this part of Victoria's plan? Victoria is a beautiful girl, no doubt and maybe by looking frail, but tempting, she would catch the attention of Edward. I don't think that it was an accident that Edward and Victoria got into a relationship. She was playing both Edward and Julian and line: "Victoria thoughtfully watches and smiles." kind of adds to the point. We can see that Edward is in conflict, claiming that Julian is his brother and doing this might taint their relationship, but....she is just too dang irresistible, so, what does he do with her?

Next is a section in which we find out something more about the Bayne's and Victoria herself. Out in the distance, we can hear someone in the casino. After that, we hear a girl moaning. At first, I was weirded out by this and by the end of this section, I was er, practically blushing. I turned so red that my friends thought that I was running out of oxygen. After research, I realized that Julian was in the casino, unaware of an intercourse Edward and Victoria were having. Very beautiful. I meant the realization of what happened, not the moaning noises......

Anyways, Rudess has a synth solo as Petrucci riffs. After Rudess' solo, Petrucci has a solo of his own, Petrucci's being a bit more agressive. After his solo, he builds up and then the transition to the chorus comes in, the third and final variation of the chorus, in Nicholas' perspective. By the way, I love Petrucci's solo here as it is really intense and is good for headbanging.

[N:]
Her story - it holds the key
Unlocking dreams from my memory
Solving this mystery
Is everything that is a part of me
Help - regression, obsession
I can`t keep away from her touch
Leave no doubt, to find out
It`s calling me back to my home

Here is Nicholas with the realization of what had happened. Beautifully worded, Nicholas says that Victoria's story holds the key that unlocked every thing that happened to him (Victoria's encounter to her tragic death). He realizes that he was born and destined to solve this mystery. Nicholas also says that he can't keep away from Victoria's touch, but that isn't put in a lustful way. That is said in more of a "I have to find about her story. I would do anything." The mystery of the story calls Nicholas back to his home. What a beautiful ending!

Petrucci's introduction solo is played once more and at the end of it, there is a whole new instrumental. Rudess and Portnoy start it off as Petrucci comes in also. Try headbanging to the beginning of that. Most might utterly fail because of that 7/8 time signature. Holy crud, listening to this instrumental section makes me really addicted. After this instrumental section, the song ends and the familiar instrumental, The Dance of Eternity begins.

Everyone, that was the journey of home. That was really beautiful wasn't it? Now, we come to the final two songs of this magnificent album. See you guys later!

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Number 2: Beyond this Life

Coming at number two is another long song, Beyond this Life! It was written by John Petrucci and details the death of Victoria. The reason why this song is at number two is because of the instrumental section 3/4 of the way. I will go more into detail at that part. Anyways, this song had transitioned from Fatal Tragedy and has an introduction by Petrucci. We can hear the guitar from our right ear and after that, the full band comes in aggressively and this song begins....

Headline: "Murder, young girl killed
Desperate shooting at Echoe`s hill
Dreadful ending, killer died
Evidently suicide"
A witness heard a horrifying sound
He ran to find a woman dead and
Lying on the ground

Here is what the newspaper says. This song is very straightforward and just by reading the lyrics, it should be really obvious. A young girl was killed at Echoe's hill by a gunshot. The newspaper claims that the killer of Victoria also died, evidently suicide. A witness, whom we have no clue at this point runs towards to the sound and what does he find? He finds a dead woman on the ground with a gunshot wound, bleeding. What happened to Victoria?

Standing by her was a man
Nervous, shaking, gun in hand
Witness says he tried to help
But he`d turned the weapon on himself
His body fell across that poor young girl
After shouting out in vain
The witness ran to call for assistance
A sad close to a broken love affair

This verse delves in more deeper into the story. There was a man standing next to Victoria who was shaking and nervous, a gun in his hand. The witness claims that he tried to run over and stop the shooter, but unfortunately, the shooter turned the gun to himself and shot himself. He dies and he falls on the poor young girl. The witness tries shouting, but realizes that it was all vain so he runs for assistance. What did he sit next to? He sat next to a broken love affair.

She wanted love forever
But he had another plan
He fell into an evil way
She had to let him down
She said "I can`t love a wayward man"
She may have found a reason to forgive
If he had only tried to change
Was their fatal meeting prearranged?

This is a whole new part of the story. The story claims that she wanted love forever, but the man who shot Victoria had another plan. He did something evil, something so vulgar that Victoria herself had to break up with the man, claiming that she couldn't love a wayward. The next two sentences are all if conditions. She might have forgiven him for a reason. If that man had tried to change from his evil way, would their relationship be alright? Victoria and the man's meeting is confirmed to be fatal and prearranged.

Had a violent struggle taken place?
There was every sign that lead there
Witness found a switchblade on the ground
Was the victim unaware?
They continued to investigate
They found a note in the killer`s pocket
It could have been a suicide letter
Maybe he had lost her love
I feel there`s only one thing left to do
I'd sooner take my life away than live with losing you

This is the absolute highlight of the song as Labrie basically screams this part. Nicholas himself asks a lot of questions. Did a violent struggle take place? To prove that, the clues to support that were ever where. There was a switchblade on the ground. What for? Was Victoria unaware? The answer to the question, is consuming them, so they set out to investigate. A major clue they found was a note in the killer's pocket and it was a suicide letter. Maybe Victoria grew tired of the shooter's love and cheated on him. He feels there is only one thing left to do: Kill himself, before losing the love of Victoria. But, why was Victoria killed also?

What follows this is an instrumental section. The first part, I'm not against at all. Petrucci riffs and it gets stronger until Rudess gets a synth solo. Nothing wrong with that! It is really catchy. After Rudess' synth, Petrucci's riffing, Myung's bassline, and Portnoy's drums are only heard. After that, Petrucci himself has a solo himself then goes back to the riffing. Alright, nothing wrong with that. But then, the problem comes. Sometimes, I think Dream Theater has unnecessary solo parts and it just ruins the whole mood of the song. When Rudess' solo comes in once more, that just defeats the song. Now, I have nothing against Rudess' playing as he makes it sound catchy, but it ruins the vibe of the whole song, which I had been enjoying. That is the only reason why it falls to Finally Free. Finally, Petrucci and Rudess have a duet as for the finale, Petrucci makes his guitar cry. After that, they go into a short instrumental section with no instrument leading the instrumental. After that, Labrie comes in one last time and the song ends.

I love this song very much and if the instrumental had been cut a bit, it would have made this the perfect candidate for the best Dream Theater song, but unfortunately, it isn't. Just because I say this, does not mean that I dislike this song. Heck, I love this song very much, but not all songs are perfect, nor fits everyone's taste. I am just stating my opinion.

And now, we will go to the best SFAM song, coming right up!

[Vandalism]

I guess its just a testament to the diversity of the DT fanbase that for me the instrumental section of BTL is the favourite part in the whole album!

JR for a change is playing something much more interesting than his usual blues scale wankery.

But the issue that you point out becomes quite obvious to me in other songs most notably ITPOE Pt. 2.

On a side note, other keyboard players in the genre roll out awesome solos without doing as much as JR does (8VM and the BTL parts being the exceptions for me). The latest example for me would be the Legend solo by Pinnella. To be fair, no one matches him with his piano playing!

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

I guess its just a testament to the diversity of the DT fanbase that for me the instrumental section of BTL is the favourite part in the whole album!

JR for a change is playing something much more interesting than his usual blues scale wankery.

But the issue that you point out becomes quite obvious to me in other songs most notably ITPOE Pt. 2.

On a side note, other keyboard players in the genre roll out awesome solos without doing as much as JR does (8VM and the BTL parts being the exceptions for me). The latest example for me would be the Legend solo by Pinnella. To be fair, no one matches him with his piano playing!

Well said! I am pleased to be in a forum with likes, dislikes and diversity! I'm glad to know your honest opinion about BTL and wow, for the whole album?!

Yeah, Jordan is a really interesting character who changed Dream Theater a lot.

ITPOE part 2? Really? I thought that was actually perfect for The Reckoning! Honestly though, I think Endless Sacrifice and Blind Faith were those two other songs that could be cut down shorter. Hmm, dunno!

Like to hear from you soon again!

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Number 1: Finally Free

Everyone, here is Finally Free. Finally Free is my number one favorite song written by Dream Theater for SFAM. This marvelous song contains the finale of the whole story and Portnoy's best drum solo ever! This song has a place to me in my heart, especially the ending. During this whole album, I am at a trance like state and once Nicholas' scream is heard, I too am awakened from this beautiful, but tragic journey through our Scenes from a Memory. Put on your seat belt everyone, it is about to be epic.

[Hypnotist:]
You are once again surrounded by a brilliant white light.
Allow the light to lead you away from your past and into this lifetime.
As the light dissipates you will slowly fade back into
consciousness, remembering all you have learned.
When I tell you to open your eyes you will return to the present,
Feeling peaceful and refresh.
Open your eyes Nicholas.

Here is the hypnotist speaking to Nicholas. Nicholas has learned everything about Victoria, Edward, and Julian. We can see that Nicholas is surrounded by a brilliant white light and he follows the light that leads him away from the past, into the present. Nicholas finally awakens as the light dissipates and he soon remembers everything he has learned, and receives his consciousness back. As the hypnotherapist commands Nicholas to open his eyes, he does and the song begins.

[Miracle:]
Friday evening
The blood still on my hands
To think that she would leave me now
For that ungrateful man
Sole survivor
No witness to the crime
I must act fast to cover up
I think that there`s still time
He`d seem hopeless and lost with this note
They`ll buy into the words that I wrote
This feeling
Inside me
Finally found my love
I`ve finally broke free
No longer
Torn in two
I`d take my own life before losing you

When I heard this verse the first time, I was in shock and awe. Edward tells about the blood of Victoria and Julian that is in his hands. He is shocked that Victoria would think of leaving him for Julian. He wants to cover up the whole story and thinks that there is some time left. We can see that Edward wrote the suicide note and placed it on Julian and the papers bought it. How clever of Edward..... Edward also has finally broken free and he is no longer torn in two. He would kill himself, before losing Victoria. Does that mean after all this, he too commited suicide? The ominous note stops there as we shift perspectives.

[Victoria:]
Feeling good this Friday afternoon
I ran into Julian
Said we'd get together soon
He`s always had my heart
He needs to know
I`ll break free of the Miracle
It`s time for him to go
This feeling
Inside me
Finally found my love
I`ve finally broke free
No longer
Torn in two
He`d kill his brother if he only knew
Their love renewed
They`d rendezvous
In a pathway out of view
They thought no one knew
Then came a shot out of the night

Victoria is obviously pleased and in a happy state. She ran into Julian once more and they mended their relationship together. Victoria admits that she liked Julian way better than Edward. Victoria claims that she will break away from Edward to get with Julian once more. She also has a concern. If Edward finds out...Julian will be dead. We also learn that Julian and Victoria's love was renewed once more and they'd rendezvoused, or met together secretly somewhere. They thought that no one knew of their gathering, but Edward knew and then comes their death.

We can see the sounds of glass cracking as Edward approaches the two couples, who are shocked. We hear Julian groaning in pain and I'm guessing that Edward is beating the crap out of him. After a while, we hear a gunshot and Julian goes down. Victoria is horrified as she starts screaming. An ominous voice: "Open your eyes, Victoria," is heard as another gunshot is heard and then she falls dead.

[Sleeper:]
One last time
We'll lay down today
One last time
Until we fade away
One last time
We'll lay down today
One last time
We fade away

Here is a piece from the song One Last Time, and this talks about Julian and Victoria's death. They are dead and as they fall to the ground, they lay down together one last time, as they will soon fade away or decompose, until nothing of their body is left. After, Petrucci has a solo similar to the Overture 1928 and Rudess' introduction to One Last Time.

As their bodies lie still
And the ending draws near
Spirits rise through the air
All their fears disappear
It all becomes clear
A blinding light comes into view
An old soul exchanged for a new
Familiar voice comes shining through

Julian and Victoria are dead and as their bodies are lying still, and as the story closes, spirits, possibly their spirits rise through the air and their fear of death disappears. Everything dawns on to them and it becomes clear as a blinding light engulfs them, an old soul exchanged for new, and they hear a very familiar voice coming through.

[Nicholas:]
This feeling
Inside me
Finally found my life
I`m finally free
No longer
Torn in two
I learned about my life by living through you
This feeling
Inside me
Finally found my life
I've finally broke free
No longer
Torn in two
Living my own life by learning from you
We`ll meet again my friend
Someday soon

Nicholas is relieved that he found out about everything that had happened. He learned about his life, by living through Victoria. Nicholas, like Edward has finally broken free, although he was torn in two during the process. I think Nicholas is foreshadowing his death because he tells Victoria that they will meet each other very soon. Isn't this such a beauiful conclusion? The beauty is added with Mike Portnoy's solo. First, it starts off simple with him starting off with his ride and snare, then adding fills. Petrucci, Rudess, and Myung are riffing, backing him up. As the time passes and passes, Portnoy adds more pizzazz to his solo and we can all start headbanging. I really feel that this is the perfect part to enjoy this whole story. The band starts fading through one ear to another as finally, the band stops and we can hear a news report.

After the news report, we can hear footsteps, a door opening and closing, and wine being poured. Nicholas has returned home and starts watching the news when.....
"Open you eyes Nicholas!"
After, we hear Nicholas scream and the whole song turns to static. What was that? That was the epic closure of an epic album and I feel that it deserves a lot of credit. I love this song so much! This song has a place in my heart and I have love for it!

Well, there it is! Here is my ranking of SFAM with a review to each song. Next, we will go off to Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence! See you there!

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence

Album Ranking: 6th place out of 12 albums.

Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence is the sixth full-length studio album by progressive band Dream Theater, released as a double-disc album on January 29, 2002 through Elektra Records. Excluding the A Change of Seasons EP, it is the first Dream Theater album to feature a title track.

This song has six songs: The Glass Prison, Blind Faith, Misunderstood, The Great Debate, Disappear, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence.

This list may spark some controversy so once more I'd like to warn you: This is all MY opinion. My tastes and your tastes will obviously differ so please don't slam me. Thank you!! <3

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Number 6: Misunderstood
Lyrics by John Petrucci
Highlights: Lyrics are haunting, mysterious, and I love it!
Lowlights: Solo at the end, Portnoy's drum introduction
Lyrics: 7/10
Instrumental: 5/10
Instruments including voice: 8/10
Opinion: 4/10
Catchiness: 7/10
Total Score: 31/50

Clocking at number six is Misunderstood. I don't know, this song doesn't speak to me like the other songs. The lyrics are well written and I see no flaws with Labrie, but there are some parts to the song that just make me lose my love for this song. I get bored of this song real easily and sometimes, I just skip this song altogether. Now, let's begin analyzing this song.

The introduction to this song is Petrucci with his acoustic guitar. After an acoustic guitar solo, we hear Rudess, Labrie comes in.

Waiting
In the calm of desolation
Wanting to break
From this circle of confusion
Sleeping
In the depths of isolation
Trying to wake
From this daydream of illusion

We can see that the main character is waiting in the calm of emptiness, of destruction. He is honestly confused of what is going on around him. He is sleeping, isolated. He is trying to wake up from this illusion of life he is living. At this point of the song, we do not know what the illusion is. We do not know why he is sleeping alone, why he is in the calm of desolation. We can be living in an illusion if we are deluded from the truth, so that must be the case. Then, comes the chorus which explains what is happening to the main character.

How can I feel abandoned even when the world surrounds me
How can I bite the hand that feeds the strangers all around me
How can I know so many
Never really knowing anyone
If I seem superhuman
I have been
Misunderstood

During this chorus, we can hear a tambourine of sorts and a cello? Ah, we realize what the illusion is now! First, we know that the world is surrounding him so he must be a hero of sorts. Maybe the main character is a role model or a famous celebrity. He uses an extremely popular quote: "Don't bite the hand that feeds."  We can see that people are claiming that he is superhuman. Now, superhuman does not mean they can fly or they have superpowers. It can be because they do something really extraordinary, things people have never seen before, and they claim that the person is superhuman. That is the illusion the main character is facing. He may be called a superhero, but he claims that he is not.

After, we can see Portnoy's introduction. We can hear him play bits and pieces of his drums and that part just irks me for someone reason. I felt that it would flow much more smoothly if we can in with a ride then slowly came in, as he does with other albums. After his bit, Labrie sings the next verse, with Portnoy playing his hi hat and his snare, and he throws in a kick.

It challenges the essence of my soul
And leaves me in a state of disconnection
As I navigate the maze of self control
Playing a lion being led to a cage
I turn from a thief to a beggar
From a god to God save me

Now, this verse can seem confusing to the eye when first read, but if you look deeper and to it, you can find the whole meaning of this verse like a puzzle piece. The thought of being called superhuman challenges the essence of his soul. Our soul is immortal, as it is an essence of us, but even if it may be immortal, it is in no way supernatural. Yes, it is supernatural by the fact that the soul is immortal, but it is not supernatural by the fact that it will change our lives forever. Our soul is immaterial, meaning that it has no direct play of our earthly lives. When we die, that is when our soul rises, but as we live, it is intangible. Soul has no direct correlation with the way we are living now. We also see that the main character is in a state of disconnection. He wanders the maze of self control and he describes how it feels like. A lion being led to a cage has no choice, but to follow the person to the cage. If the lion decides to attack anyone, it will be killed. He is like a lion, wandering the maze, following his leaders as they guide him into the cage. He turns from someone bad, but might have a decent life, to someone who has nothing left, but to beg. He pleads God to save him. After, the chorus comes in once again.

Next is an instrumental section, which I have no problem with. Rudess comes in with a kind of a distortion synth as Petrucci riffs. Then, Petrucci enters with his own guitar solo. This instrumental section, I absolutely have no problem with as it fits to the song with the mysterious vibe. After his solo, Labrie enters.

Playing a lion being led to a cage
I turn from surreal to seclusion
From love to disdain
From belief to delusion
From a thief to a beggar
From a god to God save me

Does this part seem familiar? He is once again described as a lion being led to a cage. He turns from bizarre, to all alone. We can see that the qualities he had, that were good, turns bad. Love turns to comptempt. Belief turns to misconception. A thief turns to a beggar. And a God to a god. The chorus is played again, and then comes the reason why I'm not so hot on this song.

After Petrucci's riff, we can see Rudess' distorted synth with Petrucci's riff. This part is really interesting. It is said that Petrucci played a guitar solo, reversed it, played the reversed version, then reversed it again. Really mind boggling if you ask me. Rudess' piano can be heard at the left then right ear as it alternates. After a while, Petrucci's reversed guitar solo can be heard and it is all a mesh. As the solo goes on, it just feels very strange to listen to it. His solo sounds messy and we see the effects of a reversed reversed guitar solo. The whole band sans Petrucci fades, then comes back as the song ends there.

I wince everytime I hear that part of the instrumental and that is one of the main reasons I skip over this song. I still love the beginning of the song and the lyrics, but the mesh at the end is what kills it for me.

[Train of Naught]

Finally Free: Great song that I really, really used to underappreciate, something about that outro just hooked me, and giving it more listens the whole song turns out to be a masterpiece  Favorite SFAM song very closely followed by Home.


Misunderstood: Actually nearly my favorite aswell, but I guess I can't be mad about the ranking, an album consisting of only 6 songs, which are IMO all really up there. According to your writeup you don't quite feel the same way, but I like that you see through the problems you have with this song and manage to enjoy the better half of it.

[pcs90]

MP's drum intro in Misunderstood annoys me too. It sounds very out of place. I chopped that part out on my copy, so after the first chorus it goes directly into the second verse. I also shortened the ending instrumental by cutting out the last half or so of it where it gets really unpleasant. Now it's one of my favorite songs on the album.

[jakepriest]

MP's drum intro in Misunderstood annoys me too. It sounds very out of place. I chopped that part out on my copy, so after the first chorus it goes directly into the second verse.

That's the best part of the song 

[KevShmev]

Misunderstood is still, to me, the best song on 6DOIT. Everything about it is awesome. 

Oh, and I am pretty sure that is not an acoustic guitar at the beginning, but an electric guitar played very cleanly by JP.  Just saying...

[pcs90]

That's the best part of the song 

Not for me, entirely because MP's playing is distracting. There's a really cool atmosphere that everyone else is creating and then that ruins it IMO.

[Train of Naught]

MP's drum intro in Misunderstood annoys me too. It sounds very out of place. I chopped that part out on my copy, so after the first chorus it goes directly into the second verse.

That's the best part of the song 

Let's just repeat this until you agree with us

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Yeah, I agree with some of you. I mean, I love Misunderstood, don't get me wrong, it's just that the two major flaws I've listed just bugs me a lot.

[KevShmev]

Misunderstood has no flaw, minor or major.

When Portnoy first comes in, those fills, and the way they echo, are awesome and just add to the atmosphere.

The ending section, I get why some do not like it, but I think it is very clever.  The way the band fades out and then fades back in with that heavy breathing is pretty freaking awesome.

Best song on 6DOIT. 

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Number 5: The Great Debate
Lyrics by Petrucci

Ah! At number five, here is the Great Debate. This song has to be one of the most interesting songs I've ever heard. This song is about stem cell research and that stem cell research posed a lot of question for debate. Basically there are two sides, the left wing liberalists and the right wing conservatives. The conservatives are for this idea while the liberalists are totally against it. Personally, I don't have any say on this. Both ideas sound really convincing and I dunno. What are your opinion about stem cells? In the beginning, we can see the band lightly playing as some sampling is heard....

But, before we go in, I will focus more on ranking the song than going in depth because I'm sure it's pretty obvious if you guys read the lyrics. We can see that the band gets more complex as the sampling progresses on and on and finally, in an explosion, the last sentence ends and we can hear from our right speakers, the conservatives, and from the left, the liberalists.

What if someone said
Promise lies ahead
Hopes are high in certain scientific circles
Life won't have to end
You could walk again
What if someone said
Problems lie ahead
They've uncovered something highly controversial
The right to life is strong
Can't you see it's wrong

We can see the two sides of the arguments much more clearly. One talks about the promises. The hopes are very high and life won't have to end! People who can't walk can walk again! How fortunate! Maybe this thing isn't so bad after all, but then we see the problems that lie ahead. We realize that stem cells are something controversial and it talks about right about life...that doesn't sound to great. Who is right? Opinions are really strong and explosive, let's see what happens next.

Humankind has reached a turning point
Poised for conflict at ground zero
Ready for a war
Do we look to our unearthly guide
Or to white coat heroes
Searching for a cure

And the chorus. I love the chorus very much. And, I'm sure a lot of you know about the song's name change. But just to stay safe, I will explain it. The song was originally titled "Conflict at Ground Zero," but after 9/11, the band hurriedly changed the title of this song. The white coat hero is obviously a scientist. The two sides are basically set for war. To picture this clearly, the conservatives can be the Union and the liberalists can be the confederates and they are ready to fight.

Turn to the light
Don't be frightened of the shadows it creates
Turn to the light
Turning away would be a terrible mistake

Now when I graduate, that will be my quote, I'll be sure of it. The light is a marvelous thing and it certainly appeals to me more than darkness, but light creates a shadow, a member of the darkness. We must not shy away from it, but we must embrace it.

So far, I have no problem with the song yet. The sampling provides a nice backdrop and gives you a mood of what the song will be about. Nothing at this point makes me cringe or wince at the lightest and that is so far so good.

Are you justified
Are you justified
Are you justified
Justified in taking
Life to save life
Life to save life
Taking life to save life

Oh man, I could listen to this part all the time. Mike's vocals provide a nice support to Labrie and we can see that this issue is very controversial and heavy. This is emphasized by Labrie's tone. He is basically yelling to everyone: "Are you justified in taking life to save life?!" This is another huge controversy. Would you support taking lives to save life? I sure as heck wouldn't. After, Petrucci's sick riff takes control as the next verse starts, his riffs continuing on and on.

This embryonic clay
Wrapped in fierce debate
Would be thrown away
Or otherwise discarded
Some of us believe
It may hold the key
To treatment of disease
And secrets highly guarded

The embryonic clay, or the stem cell is wrapped in a fierce debate by two sides.  One side says to throw it away because there is no need to take life to save life, while the others believe that the clay may hold the key. The key to what? The key to treating disease and other secrets. The way Petrucci puts highly guarded on there is pretty clever, because with the clay, we might able to do something that the scientists didn't want us to know. And that could be another reason of the people who don't support embryonic stem cells. Who knows? After, the chorus is played again, then the bridge.

We're reaching
But have we gone too far
Harvesting existence
Only to destroy
Carelessly together
We are sliding
Someone else's future
Four days frozen still
Someone else's fate
We are deciding
Miracle potential
Sanctity of life
Faced against each other
We're divided

This talks about the two sides: the supporters and the ones against this. The whole world is realizing that this issue is tearing people apart. This is issue can possibly decide the future of others, but it is causing a huge controversy and it is summed up in the last sentence. Only two words, but it speaks a lot: "We're divided." This embryonic clay has a potential to create a miracle, but tampers with our sacred life.

Should we push the boundaries
Or should we condemn
Moral guilt and science
Have collided
Turn to the light
We defy our own mortality these days
Turn to the light
Pay attention to the questions we have raised

The first two sentences give a question: "Should we go far with the research and use the embryonic clay or should we condemn it and ban it altogether. Moral guilt has collided with science (saving life vs morality of life). Petrucci's sick riff plays as "Turn to light," is sung once more. What comes after this is an instrumental. Rudess plays a very sick synth solo and he goes really high, then there is a pause with Myung and Portnoy hammering, then comes Petrucci's solo. I absolutely love this solo to death. I feel like this is an awesome solo and it speaks a lot to me. Petrucci shreds in this solo, then he has a duet with Rudess. After that, is the part I like the most. All the band is playing a similar note and I feel like this is one of the highest note Myung has ever hit and after, there is a mesh of notes, but the not the bad kind. What follows is Petrucci's riffs and some more sampling. In the beginning, the band builds up, but this time, as the sampling goes on, the band gets lighter and lighter. After the sampling, Rudess finishes off the song for us as it fades.

This song is really nice and it speaks to me a lot. The reason this song is only number five is because the other four songs relate to me the most and they just are better either in length, feels, instrumentals, etc. This whole album is a masterpiece and choosing this song at number five was really hard for me.

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Number 4: The Glass Prison
Lyrics by Mike Portnoy

This might be one of the most controversial placement in this list. I love the Glass Prison, don't get me wrong, but compared to the next three songs, I have to place this on the fourth spot. The other songs are way above there for me, and I am happy with the Glass Prison's placement. This is the first suite in the twelve step suite and talks about Mike's problem with alcoholism. The static that ends SFAM plays as we can hear a bell. We hear Petrucci come in as the static fades. After Petrucci, the rest of the band comes in with a bang. An extremely catchy tune with Rudess at the lead plays. After, Petrucci's sick riff comes in and so does Myung's tight baseline. This is a nice heavy introduction that plays, then oh my God. Petrucci's arpeggio's come in and man, I love it to death. After that, it's followed by more riffs as Portnoy starts.

[I. REFLECTION]
Cunning, Baffling, Powerful
Been beaten to a pulp
Vigorous, Irresistable
Sick and tired and laid low
Dominating, Invincible
Black-out, loss of control
Overwhelming, Unquenchable
I'm powerless, have to let go

Portnoy sings lines 1, 3, 5, and 7 as Labrie sings the even lines. Labrie can only be heard in one speaker as Portnoy is heard on both ears. We can see that Portnoy is basically a slave to alcohol. The addiction is cunning, baffling, and powerful. Portnoy is beaten to a pulp. He is sick and tired by the dominating personality of addiction. Basically, this talks about Portnoy's addiction seemingly controlling him. He wants to be freed from it, but it is extremely hard. Then, it's transitioned to the next verse as Labrie sings all.

I can't escape it
It leaves me frail and worn
Can no longer take it
Senses tattered and torn
Hopeless surrender
Obsession's got me beat
Losing the will to live
Admitting complete defeat

Portnoy can't escape the addiction as it has made him frail and worn. He is scattered and torn and beat and even loses the will to live! Portnoy admits complete defeat to the addiction and this is the main problem. He can't escape the grasp of alcohol. What can he do? Perhaps the next verse can give shed us some light and talk about how he will overcome the problem.

Fatal Descent
Spinning around
I've gone too far
To turn back round
Desperate attempt
Stop the progression
At any length
Lift this obsession

I really love this part! Rudess plays a really nice jingle of some sorts as Labrie's voice can be heard in one speaker to another. Really fun! But unfortunately, this verse doesn't get optimistic. Quite the opposite in fact. Portnoy is falling down, spinning around. He tries to dig himself out of this hole, but is unable to. He tries to stop the progression of falling down and he tries to lift the obsession. Does he succeed?

Crawling to my glass prison
A place where no one knows
My secret lonely world begins
So much safer here
A place where I can go
To forget about my daily sins
Life here in my glass prison
A place I once called home
Fall in nocturnal bliss again
Chasing a long lost friend
I no longer can control
Just waiting for this hopelessness to end

Portnoy seeks refuge in his glass prison. The prison he is in, no one really knows about it, besides himself. Ironically, this prison is his "home." I can almost guarantee that he stays in his prison to drink himself and fall back into this hole once more. This is backed up by: "Waiting for this hopelessness to end." He hopes that death will take him and that his his hopelessness will forever end. Poor man.

After this, we can hear a really familiar tune by Rudess and another catchy one! We also hear sirens as the transition to phase two begins. It begins with a bang and a sick Petrucci riff! We can also hear like a DJ kinda sound and a staticky sound.

[II. RESTORATION]
Run - fast from the wreckage of the past
A shattered glass prison wall behind me
Fight - past walking through the ashes
A distant oasis before me
Cry - desperate crawling on my knees
Begging God to please stop the insanity
Help me - I'm trying to believe
Stop wallowing in my own self pity

Portnoy starts off as Labrie follows. A chanting of hey's can be heard. We can see that Portnoy's home is shattered as he starts running off. He can't take it anymore. While running, he fights, waking through the ages. He is now tired as he begins crying to God to stop this insanity. He then realizes that he has to stop wallowing in his self pity and he has to believe. Sometimes, we need a push, we need something big to help us to overcome a problem.

"We've been waiting for you my friend
The writing's been on the wall
All it takes is a little faith
You know you're the same as us all"
Help me - I can't break out this prison all alone
Save me - I'm drowning and I'm hopeless on my own
Heal me - I can't restore my sanity alone
Enter the door
Desperate
Fighting no more
Help me restore
To my sanity
At this temple of hope

Portnoy hears voices of people telling him that all he needs is faith. Portnoy decides to work together, instead of working alone. He pleads to be helped, claiming that he can't break out of the prison. He pleads to be saved, because he is drowning and he needs someone to help rescue him. He pleads to be healed as he can't restore his sanity alone. The voice guides him. They tell him to enter the door and don't fight. Portnoy agrees and desperate, he enters the door. He doesn't fight anymore and relies on the voice to help guide him and to restore his sanity.

I need to learn
Teach me how
Sorrow to burn
Help me return
To humanity
I'll be fearless and thorough
To enter this temple of hope

He pleads to be taught. He wants to burn the sorrow he is currently holding and he wants to be returned to humanity. The voice can't do all that stuff for him so Portnoy himself agrees to fearless and thorough. He will enter this temple of hope.

Believe
Transcend the pain
Living the life
Humility
Opened my eyes
This new odyssey
Of rigorous honesty
Serenity
I never knew
Soundness of mind
Helped me to find
Courage to change
All the things that I can

YES! YES! YES! We can see finally some light being shed off of this. He believes and slowly, his pain is being transcended.  He lives the life of humility and that life opened his eyes of this new rigorous journey. By taking this journey, he comprehends serenity and it dawns on his life. The soundness of his mind helped him to find the courage to change. He changed because he can change! All he needs is faith and the will to change and that is exactly what happened! Huzzah!

"We'll help you perform this miracle
But you must set your past free
You dug the hole, but you can't bury your soul
Open your mind and you'll see"
Help me - I can't break out this prison all alone
Save me - I'm drowning and I'm hopeless on my own
Heal me - I can't restore my sanity alone

The voice comes in once more and sheds more light to Portnoy. The voices will help him to perform the miracle, but in the end, it will be Portnoy himself who decides the fate. He dug his own hole, but just because he did that, doesn't mean that all is lost. He can still get him out of this hole. All he has to have is an open mind. He once pleads to be helped, saved, and healed.

After that, is an instrumental section. Oh goody! Petrucci starts off with a riff, then comes in with a powerful solo. What an aggressive way to start of this instrumental! Then comes Rudess, much more softer as he uses a synth that sounds heavenly. Then Petrucci's aggressive solo comes in once more. After that, it is Rudess once more, who uses his synth softly. He then has a quick duet with Petrucci and the mesh of guitar and the synth is oh my God...... I  it. Then, it's Rudess and Myung having a duet, then Rudess uses a darker synth as Petrucci is riffing. Then, another duet with Myung. After comes his darker synth combined with Petrucci's dark riff. After that, it is the Revelation.

[III. REVELATION]
Way off in the distance I saw a door
I tried to open
I tried forcing with all of my will and still
The door wouldn't open
Unable to trust in my faith
I turned and walked away
I looked around, felt a chill in the air
Took my will and turned it over

We can see that he sees a door in the distance. He tries forcing it open with his will, but it won't open! He is saddened and gives up. He turns and walks away, but feels a cold chill in the air. He took his will, went back to the door as he turned it open.

The glass prison which once held me is gone
A long lost fortress
Armed only with liberty
And the key of my willingness
Fell down on my knees and prayed
"Thy will be done"
I turned around, saw a light shining through
The door was wide open

As he opens the door, the prison is gone. He is free from his prison! There lies the fortress and his only tool is liberty and the key of his willingness. He drops down on his knees and prays. As he turns around, he sees a bright light shining through and the door has finally opened! He is free! In the end, we hear the sound of glass breaking and the song ends there.

Wow, isn't that an amazing way to end the song! I love this song very much and the reason it is number 3 is that there are three better songs that stick to my heart. The only complaint I have about this song is the Portnoy vocals. I am not going to lie, his gruff voice sometimes makes the song feel very weird. The only problem was when he spoke bits and pieces and Labrie sang the other. That is my one and only complaint about this song.

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Number 3: Blind Faith
Lyrics by James Labrie

Clocking at number 3 might be another controversial placement to this list. At three, we have Blind Faith. The mood for this song is unsettling, in a very good way! Rudess is the first one in with this song as Petrucci soon follows with Portnoy and Myung. The introduction brings us to the right mood. It puts me in a really tranquil state and when Labrie comes in, I am swept away by his voice.

Hear me, speaking
Asking why I even bother
Tell me, how you
Live from day to day
Take your time and look around
Is this utopia you've found

Isn't this beautiful? Labrie's voice is very enchanting as well as the rest of the band. The lyrics for this song confuse me. For other songs, I had no problem interpreting it my way, but for this, reading it over and over again, I just can't seem to grasp it. But you know what? I don't even care! This song is so good, that I don't even have to understand the lyrics to know this song! I feel like Labrie is a very talented song writer and if he wrote more songs, who knows? After the last word, Rudess plays his piano, then the enchanting mood settles once again.

Sick of all of this
The suffering and we just carry on
Isn't it time we care and lose the hate
Understand our fears
But we do all that we can
Justify the means to an end
Sorry you must excuse me
I've painted my own Mona Lisa
She's fixed everything
Now I'm spoiled beyond my wildest dreams

Ok, who doesn't like this part?! I love it very much and this is the total highlight of this song. The part that gets to me the most is "Sorry you must excuse me.......my wildest dreams." The way Labrie sings this is just amazing. I give credit to the band also because they are there to back Labrie up and make this verse the perfect verse. My personal favorite. After this, it goes to the chorus.

Blind Faith we have in you
Invisible
Which direction do we choose
Predictable

And, still no flaws with the song at all! The chorus too is very catchy and draws anyone into this song. After the chorus, there is a mini instrumental break.

Take the streets, the beaten path
Our system works for whom I ask
Yeah I have it all
The bigger house
An iron fence to keep you out
When did we all let you down
So come Messiah show us how how
Our human spirit drowns
Don't think you hear me now
No sign of you around
What is it you hope to see

This verse gets darker as we hear Petrucci's amazing rift. "When did we all let you down.....What is it you hope to see," is another highlight of the song and is really similar to the first highlight of this song. It just draws me in and I can't help but to dance lightly to it. After, the chorus is played once more. After the chorus, the bridge is immediately played.

And still life pushes on
With or without you
We've got to carry on
Our will, will guide us to
A place where we belong
Know there lies the truth
I am the believer who gives purpose on to you

Life is still continuing. Just because you are gone, doesn't mean life will stop. When someone dies, we have to carry on with our will. Our will will be the one guiding us. It will guide us to the place we belong and therein lies the truth. "I am the believer who gives purpose on to you," is really cleverly said by Labrie. After the bridge is an instrumental section and the quality drops a bit for it and there lies a flaw for me. Petrucci leads with a riff, then he has a solo. No problem with that. Myung plays the riff Petrucci first plays as Petrucci solo's it out. After Petrucci's solo, he riffs as Rudess is the next one with his own. He switches to his grand piano and plays out a piece. Again, no problem there. I feel like this is a fine quality work of Rudess. He is the only one present during his grand piano solo. He then changes into his chorus as Petrucci riffs out in the background. Again, nothing wrong. It brings me joy, then the flaw comes. Rudess changes to his synth and it is just all of a sudden. I am awoken from this trance because it is so random. If they had excluded this, I would have been happier, but hey, this is my own opinion, and we have our own taste. Besides that, he changes back to his regular synth which I absolutely adore and I fall back into a trance. Then, there is the Rudess/Petrucci solo, then it transitions to the chorus perfectly. After, Labrie finishes it off.

I don't think we let you down
So come Messiah show us how how
Throw us a pure lifeline
I hope that you hear me
Too proud to be around
There's more to us than we see now
Blind Faith we have in you
Invisible
Which direction do we choose
Predictable
Self ignorance, abuse
Desirable
Cause you've done all you can do
Incredible

Wow, that was amazing. The whole band is in at this point with Rudess throwing in some nice effects in the background. This would be the highlight, instrumental wise of this whole song and that catchiness grows tenfold. I love this part very much. After, the band fades to the trance like instrumental from near the beginning as the whole music fades.

Wow, wow, wow. I just listened to a masterpiece. Even if they had excluded the Rudess solo which I thought was a bit unnecessary, this would still be at the third place, because nothing could beat the next two songs. The next song speaks to me the strongest and basically, that song is my future husband. The best song should be pretty obvious.....See you next time!

[pcs90]

Aw, come on, that whole Rudess section is great! I'm guessing the section you don't like is the organ solo? That probably is my least favorite section, but that's not saying much because I love all of it. To me, this song is flawless. I also want to note that MP's drum parts on this song, unlike several other places on this album (and others) are very musical and aren't random or over the top for the sake of it.

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Aw, come on, that whole Rudess section is great! I'm guessing the section you don't like is the organ solo? That probably is my least favorite section, but that's not saying much because I love all of it. To me, this song is flawless. I also want to note that MP's drum parts on this song, unlike several other places on this album (and others) are very musical and aren't random or over the top for the sake of it.

Oh yeah, only the organ! The rest were great! You know, we think very alike on some songs! And yeah, can't believe I forgot to mention about Portnoy○

[pcs90]

Oh yeah, only the organ! The rest were great! You know, we think very alike on some songs!

Well, on this album anyway! If I remember correctly a lot of your favorites are their heavier songs, which are usually lower on the list for me with a few exceptions. But I don't care much for heavier / angrier songs in general regardless of band.
I'll admit the organ solo did take me a while to really apreciate. It may sound a little weird at first, but it is pretty melodic and not just pointless runs (like what most of the TOT instrumental sections sound like to me). BF is my favorite track on this album (yes, even above SDOIT).

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Oh yeah! That's fine though! But there are some non heavy songs that I love! And you'd put faith over 6doit? How come???
And yeah, I guess Ill get used to it over time. It just sounds pretty weird right now.

[pcs90]

Oh yeah! That's fine though! But there are some non heavy songs that I love! And you'd put faith over 6doit? How come???

Because SDOIT, as amazing as it is, has sections I'm not really a fan of. For some reason I've never really liked TTTSTA or GK (besides the instrumentals, those are great) and WIMH, because of its length, almost seems like an afterthought to the others. So basically the sections MP wrote lyrics for just seem not as good I guess. Other than that it's about perfect, but like I said before BF has no flaws IMO, while SDOIT has parts I skip over. SDOIT is equal to Misunderstood for me, because both are amazing other than a few short sections and it's really hard to pick one over the other for second place.

[DragonAttack]

I read a few lines of each of these posts, but wanted to check in on 'Debate':  it's the archconservative right wing who vehemently opposes stem cell research.    Many of what remains of the moderates are for it.

And IMHO, it's DT's worst ever (especially with the taped news reports).  'C'mon everybody, let's sing about stem cells!'  Wish I could come across an instrumental version.

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Oh yeah! That's fine though! But there are some non heavy songs that I love! And you'd put faith over 6doit? How come???

Because SDOIT, as amazing as it is, has sections I'm not really a fan of. For some reason I've never really liked TTTSTA or GK (besides the instrumentals, those are great) and WIMH, because of its length, almost seems like an afterthought to the others. So basically the sections MP wrote lyrics for just seem not as good I guess. Other than that it's about perfect, but like I said before BF has no flaws IMO, while SDOIT has parts I skip over. SDOIT is equal to Misunderstood for me, because both are amazing other than a few short sections and it's really hard to pick one over the other for second place.

Hmm, now that you say that...that has got my brain working. You know, what you said made me change my list. I have a new favorite now. Wow, I never knew song favorites can change so quickly. Next one, coming right up!

I read a few lines of each of these posts, but wanted to check in on 'Debate':  it's the archconservative right wing who vehemently opposes stem cell research.    Many of what remains of the moderates are for it.

And IMHO, it's DT's worst ever (especially with the taped news reports).  'C'mon everybody, let's sing about stem cells!'  Wish I could come an instrumental version.

Wow, you think it's the worst? Don't you think it's pretty harsh for a pretty good song? Wow! It's good to hear another opinion on this song and I totally respect it and I guess where you are coming from!

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Number 2: Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Lyrics by John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy

And, clocking at number two is the epic, SDOIT! Six Degrees is a really nice song for me and I enjoy it very much, especially the ending, but there are some iffy parts for me that PCS made me realize and that was enough to just give Disappear an edge for this song. I still do think SDOIT is a really nice, amazing, and long song and I can kill time really fast by listening to this. Unfortunately, the Overture doesn't strike to me well and I will get more to that right now!

[I. OVERTURE]
[instrumental]

Ah, at the beginning is the Overture, written by Jordan Rudess. He is our main man throughout this overture an he doesn't disappear. The overture is the longest sub song for this song, but it is an instrumental. For me, time seems to slow down and I feel like the Overture is longer than it is supposed to be. Rudess comes in as Portnoy and the rest of the band follows. Right off the bat, Rudess plays music that feels like it will fit in a video game. Portnoy does a great job with his drums and I am totally hooked. After Rudess' intro, he takes a much softer tone as we can hear Petrucci lightly, supporting Rudess. I love how Petrucci plays throughout this entire overture as he tries his best to support and match Jordan. Rudess takes the stage for the next bit as Portnoy casually hits his ride. After that, we here an aggressive tune with Petrucci's riff. The band took pieces of instruments they liked from the overture to create the song. We basically heard War Inside My Head. After the WIMH bit, we hear the bit from TTTSTA as Petrucci times his riffs with Portnoy's kick. After, Rudess takes the stage by himself as we can hear an occasional Portnoy crash. Now, I will stop with describing the music and go on with my opinion on the Overture. At the beginning, I don't think it is a problem at all, but at the 6:00 mark, I feel like it has been dragging on too long and I just want to get started! The overture displays a nice skill of Rudess and has a calm and sometimes a somewhat tense atmosphere.

[II. ABOUT TO CRASH]

After the overture, About to Crash starts and I love this song a lot. I feel like this is one of the only songs where I don't have a problem at all with either the lyrics, instrumental, etc. It is about a teenage girl who has bipolar disease. We can see that her thoughts are on overdrive and she feels like she wants to fly. We can first see that she was raised as a perfect teenage girl, loved by others, at a small mid western town. One day, she woke up to find herself out of her mind. I also love Rudess' piano work. It is so soothing and enchanting. See, Rudess is not all speed! The instrumental section is also really nice and flows well. First, Petrucci has a guitar solo with Rudess playing the piano. The solo itself isn't too long or too short and fits perfectly. Petrucci slows down with his solo as the song itself loses a little speed. Words wouldn't be able to describe the entire solo. Give it a listen if you want to or have time to. Rudess ends with a little jingle, then....

[III. WAR INSIDE MY HEAD]

Petrucci, Rudess, and Portnoy starts off with a frantic beat. This is the shortest subsong for this song, clocking at just over two minutes. Labrie enters and sings about a soldier having post-traumatic stress disorder. Portnoy backs up with his vocals and I feel like that is a killer to it. Just let Labrie sing, please. Anyways, nothing wrong with the lyrics and the length itself, I don't mind it at all. This is a little nice piece, except Portnoy's vocals. Oh, and I love Petrucci's riffs! Portnoy sings the last bit, but can't finish as the next song comes on.....

[IV. THE TEST THAT STUMPED THEM ALL]

Man, things got intense! The whole band is on fire for the introduction as Rudess and Petrucci have a duet for a while. After the introduction, Labrie comes in and sings about a person who has schizophrenia. Another sick Petrucci riff and Labrie sings really aggressively. What I love about this song is Portnoy's drums and Petrucci's killer riff. Portnoy pounds on his snare aggressively with Petrucci's riff. The one's who sing the doctor's part is also pretty funny, especially the high pitched one. That isn't too bad actually. Also, this song houses a curse word. The man tries therapy and counseling, but they don't provide any clue. After, another killer Portnoy snare and Petrucci riff. After that, more voices, then another Portnoy snare moment. How often will I be saying that? XD. Anyways, Petrucci's solo is next and I like it! Then the introduction is played once more, then a killer Portnoy snare/toms fill. After that, Rudess plays his own solo. I have no problem with that also. After Rudess, the introduction plays once more as Petrucci riffs, backed by Rudess, then another killer Portnoy snare. After that, is what I find the problem to be. The similar Petrucci/Rudess duet is here and I felt like they could have ended just before that. I find that last bit to be unneccessary. I mean, seriously, it's basically the same riff, except that Rudess plays a bit louder. After that part, the band builds up as they end in an explosion. Now that is more like it! The song then fades away.

[V. GOODNIGHT KISS]

Ah, here is a nice ballad! We can hear sounds of Portnoy's daughter and wife in the background. I think that part is really cute. Labrie then starts singing. The only problem I have with this song are the lyrics. The only problem is this part: "I'm so lonely without baby's love. I want you to know I'd die for one more moment. I'm just a poor girl, afraid of this cruel world, taken away from it all." It just feels very awkward as Labrie sings it. And this song basically talks about post partum depression. This would be my exact reaction if my baby died. Besides that part, the rest is just golden. The instrumental? Probably one of the best bits of this song! Rudess and Petrucci have a really nice solo, then Petrucci takes the stage and he blows me away. God, God, God, a feel like a little part of me dies at this part. The solo is just beautiful and haunting as we hear a voice of a woman crying and wailing over her dead baby and the doctors laughing manically. At then end is Portnoy's kick as we transition....

[VI. SOLITARY SHELL]

We can hear Petrucci's acoustic starting us off with Rudess. The synth he uses absolutely woo's me. The whole song is fantastic as it talks about a man with Asperger's. We can see that he was perfectly fine, except that he lives in his own solitary shell, away from others. Also, he is a Monday morning lunatic. After the catchy chorus, Portnoy has a sweet fill as Rudess' synth comes in once again. Grah! I love that synth very much. Then, the instrumental, which I love!!!! First Rudess starts as Petrucci riffs. Portnoy times his drums with Petrucci's riff then my absolute favorite part of this entire song!! Petrucci plays an acoustic with Rudess on his piano. The chemistry between the two instruments are just so epic! I would listen to this part over and over again. I  it, words unable to describe. Then Rudess himself has a nice piano solo. After, a little more instrumental, then.......

[VII. ABOUT TO CRASH (REPRISE)]

Yes, yes! I love this part to death! Petrucci starts with the introduction as the rest of the band comes in, with Rudess coming in really flashy. We can see the girl as an adult. The chorus is similar to the original and it is still very catchy. Also, Petrucci's epic riff comes back again! And guess what else? Rudess has a nice keyboard solo! A nice instrumental takes over the stage and I love it. The theme to War Inside my Head plays again, as the song ends and the final track comes into play.

[VIII. LOSING TIME/GRAND FINALE]

We see that Losing Time talks about a girl with dissociative identity disorder. We can see After that is the my most lyrically favorite part of this song!  he song ends with a Grand Finale, that rounds the whole piece and advises the listener to be more understanding of the people who carry these and similar afflictions, and to accept them as they should be. Listen to that! So many people commit suicide because of the bullying of a mental disorder. For me, I try my best to treat others with respect, but when I meet a mentally ill person, I can sometimes understand why they are being shunned. I never got the wake up call until a close friend of mine committed suicide because of the teasing. I could have helped her...I could have. I-I'm sorry guys. I'm going to end it here. I love this song, but Disappear speaks more to me.

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Number 1: Disappear
Lyrics by James Labrie

And here it finally is! :') Possibly, my most favorite song because it breaks my heart every time I listen to it. If I am in a really good mood and I listen to this song, my good mood gets killed. This is a good song in which I could turn depressed and just start crying uncontrollably while listening to the song and after the song. I know I am going to cry while writing this so I'm going to keep it as short, but concise as possible. The introduction to this song is very mysterious and spooky and it gives you the real depressing vibe. Jordan Rudess does really well with this mood, it's almost unsettling. After Rudess, Petrucci plays the acoustic as Jordan plays his piano and Labrie comes in with a depressed tone.

Why, tell me the reasons why
Try, still I don't understand
Will I ever feel this again
Blue sky, I'll meet you in the end
Free them, free the memories of you
Free me, and rest 'til I'm with you
A day like today
My whole world has been changed
Nothing you say
Will help ease my pain

We can feel the pain in Labrie's voice as he sings this verse. Death is a really serious issue. I am a big sucker for it and when I find that someone close to me has taken by death, I just weep. Just listening to this song makes me depressed and I can feel the tears forming as I think about someone I loved who was deceived. The last three sentences get to me a lot and I just love bathing in this beautiful agony. As we grieve for someone who we have lost, we can feel like our life is over. I understand that feeling very well as I have lost the will to live many times and my family was the only reason why I'm not with my Maker up above. As Labrie sings the last sentences, we can only hear Rudess as the song fades. Is it over? Nope, not yet. Heck, the depressing part hasn't even come yet. The piano introduction once plays again as Portnoy also comes in.


Turn, I'll turn this slowly round
Burn, burn to feel alive again
She, she'd want me to move on
See me, this place I still belong
Give chase, to find more than I have found
And face, this time now on my own
Days disappear
And my world keeps changing
I feel you here
And it keeps me sane[/i]

Isn't this just beautiful? What is the point of grieving for the dead? I remember a close friend telling me that I have to move on. I can't let this death affect me and she has a point. Although it is really hard, we must eventually move on. The deceased will still remain in our memories. The last two sentences bring me closer to tears and it takes all my willpower not to start bawling like a baby. As "Days disapear," begins, we can hear Petrucci on our right ear, his guitar making yowling noises. The part after gets to me everytime...no matter how much I listen to it.

So I'm moving on
I'll never forget
As you lay there and watched me
Accepting the end
I knew you were scared
You were strong I was trying
I gave you my hand
I said it's okay letting go time to leave here
And I'll carry on
The best that I can without you here beside me
Let him come take you home

Sorry guys. I'm crying like heck right now. My vision is really blurred. I mean, seriously. If this part doesn't touch you at all, you have no soul. It is just so heartbreaking and....gosh. The character is moving on from the death of his loved one. The lover was dying and she lay down, watching him. She was really scared, but they took each other's hands. The lover is now dead as the main character vows to carry on and he will try his best to live his life without her. After, the introduction plays once more as the song fades to a finish.

The only reason why this song is number one is because it relates to me the most. I had someone very close to me that passed away and this song did nothing, but bring me miserable comfort and it just speaks out to me really loudly. I love this song very much.

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Train of Thought

Train of Thought is the seventh studio album by progressive band Dream Theater, released on November 11, 2003 through Elektra Records.

Inspired by the audience response to Dream Theater's heavier songs while on tour, in the "Chaos in Progress" documentary, Portnoy says that they wanted Train of Thought to be a "balls to the wall" album with heavier, darker riffing, exposing them to a number of new metal fans. The album was written in three weeks. It was engineered by Doug Oberkircher and mixed by Kevin Shirley.Most of the album was played in concert for the Live at Budokan DVD. All songs from it have been played live to date.

Songs: As I Am, This Dying Soul, Endless Sacrifice, Honor Thy Father, Vacant, Stream of Consciousness, In the Name of God.