The battle of the Mangini era singles. All four of these songs were the first main single on each of the last four albums. How would you rank all four of them?
For me, I actually really do like all four of them. They're all pretty "standard" as far as DT's sound goes. They all play it fairly safe overall. Here's how I'd rank them.
1. On the Backs of Angels- This is a song that I don't think too much of until I go back and listen to it, and I always love it even more every time. It's such a simple song (by DT standards) but it's executed so damn well. Every member of the band is on point here, the song sounds great and it's just a very well executed song all around. No real complaints here to be honest. This song probably makes my top 30 or 40.
2. The Enemy Inside- I love the verses, I love the chorus, I LOVE the bridge, James' vocals sound fantastic there. I don't have too many complaints with this one other than the fact that I think it could have used more of an instrumental section, and the way it ends is kind of "meh". But yeah, great song. It MIGHT make my top 50, but I'm not sure.
3. Untethered Angel- I really like this single a lot. It took me a little while to appreciate it, because at first I was like "meh...more of the same". But this song actually has a fantastic instrumental section. I really like the chorus a lot, but I don't care for the verses too much, it sounds a bit too much like Outcry (which did it much better imo). But my biggest complaint with this song is that James' vocals sound a bit too low, like he's far away. Once you notice it that's all you think about. So yeah, great song, great single, I just wish the production was a bit better.
4. The Gift of Music- This song's biggest flaw is that the chorus only appears once, and after the solo section it never comes back to either the chorus or the verse. The song just kind of meanders a bit to the end and it leaves me wanting more. I feel like this song could have done with another minute or two, because honestly it's a great sounding song. It just feels like it ends prematurely. I really love that chorus a lot.