I’ve never heard Raise the Knife or Three Days before so I won’t mention those. I’m gonna rank the others though.
13. Lines in the Sand- One of my least favorite DT songs. There’s literally no hook here that sounds appealing in any way. I can’t stand the chorus at all and the rest of the song doesn’t do much for me. Every time I see so much praise for this song I’m like “why? What am I not seeing?”
12. Pull Me Under- Meh, this ones ok. If this was a 5 minute song it would be much better, but for how “commercial” it sounds it goes on for WAY too long. I get bored. Every section feels so unnaturally stretched out. Imagine if Forsaken was turned into an 8 minute song. That’s how I feel here.
11. Beyond This Life- This one is a mixed bag for me. I LOVE the chorus and I think labrie’s vocal melodies really bring the emotion, but I don’t like that riff at all, the one that opens the song. It feels awkward, almost kinda thrashy, but it just doesn’t fit the song. I always get turned off by that.
10. The Count of Tuscany- I love it...for like the first 10 minutes. Then it starts to drag on and on. I get that people see this song as an “experience” and I understand why, especially with that calm middle section, but for me it just doesn’t work as a whole. Octavarium works 100% for me as a 20+ minute song. Imo this one just doesn’t pull it off the same way. But like I said, I love the first 10 minutes or so.
9. The Dark Eternal Night- This one is hard for me to rank. It’s so odd amongst their discography. The verses sound like...Slipknot for some reason, but...it kinda works? I think? I absolutely love that chorus though, it has a great melody and it’s just Dream Theater at their best. The instrumental section is a ton of fun as well, and I think it’s better than it deserves to be in a song like this.
8. Barstool Warrior- Above average for me. This song mostly works, but I find it a bit hard to catch the melody at time especially in the chorus. Not much to say here, this is a very good song.
7. Finally Free- Ok now we’re getting into “great” territory. We’re at the 4/5 stars songs now. I love this song, especially as a finale to the story on the album. I do think it’s a bit long at times, and as a whole it just...doesn’t FULLY work, I do get a bit bored, but overall it’s a very satisfying ending and I don’t really have much to complain about.
6. Surrounded- Maybe an unpopular opinion but this is my favourite song in their entire discography up until “Voices” on Awake. Yes, this is my favorite song on Images and Words. For what it sets out to do, this song is pretty much perfect. This MIGHT be my favourite short song they’ve ever done. We’re still not at 5/5 though.
5. Scarred- Love this song. Not QUITE as good as Voices, but it’s still fantastic. Not much else to say, this song is dark, it’s hard, and it slays.
4. Blind Faith- Were at 4.5/5 here. This song is SO CLOSE to top tier...but I do think it meanders a bit just slightly in the middle section. But the atmosphere, the unison, the melodies, this is one of the most beautiful songs they’ve ever done. I can’t get enough of it.
3. The Root of All Evil- The most “Megadeth” song they’ve ever done, and Megadeth is my favourite band of all time just edging out DT, so naturally this one is gonna be high up there. This is one of the most kickass songs they’ve ever done. It’s not too long, it’s not too short, it hits that perfect sweet spot in the middle there. I love the verses, I love the chorus, I love the riffs, I love the vocal melodies, and it has a fantastic (and very underrated) solo section. It sounds so evil.
2. Bridges in the Sky- Ok, now we’re in 5/5 territory. This song is pretty much perfect to me and it definitely makes my top 10. It has probably my favourite chorus of all time by any band, ever. It feels like you’re ascending to a higher level, it’s so powerful, but at the same time it’s so calming and pure. The verses and pre chorus are also amazing. Top tier song.
1. In the Name of God- It was so close. This is a top 5 DT song right here. This is, in my opinion, one of the most tightly written 15 minute song I e ever heard. It all just...flows. The riffs are some of the most badass in their entire discography, the chorus is infectious, the lyrics are amazing, and yes I absolutely love the solo sections. The shredding is NASTY. Then they come back to the beginning and wrap it all up with an epic, almost choir type ending. Pretty much perfect to me.