I view the song as someone who is not just climbing a mountain, but also going through the steps of preparing, taking on the challenge, and then reaching the top looking across the vast horizon of the world.
It starts with the person wanting to seek a new ambition and determined to take on the new challenge, even if the danger is real and they may fail. Just like a surfer seeks the crest of the biggest wave.
The next section is that person fighting his mentality causing him to doubt himself. But, they're lured by the madness, addicted to the pain to be up there among the so-called elite that have took on such a challenge. Taking chances, even though you may die, over and over again not giving up or accepting defeat.
Rapture of The Deep, I take to mean that moment when they actually do set out to take on the mountain. After all the talk about their ambitions, they set out and the music perfectly enhances that unknown fringe you are walking on. The music sets the emotion and tone for the person taking on the challenge as it's unsure whether they will come out of it alive, will they succeed or fail..."The beauty and the danger, and the yearning to explore always keeps me coming back for more." The guitar solo here at the end makes me think of that person reaching the bottom of the mountain, or the surfer seeing the waves heighten. When the drum lead comes in with the heavy riffs, it's the rock climber placing his hand on that first cornerstone, the surfer standing on their board as the wave grows in size. The trade-off solo's gives me a sense of them being the danger of the falling rocks, the gliding on the wave tunnel, the moment you feel the wind on the edge of the sky, knowing full on it could be your last moment, that is the beauty and the danger.
The Driving Force, is that moment when they do reach the heights of the challenge. The Pinnacle of the mountain, the crest of the biggest wave. That moment when one accomplished the challenge, is on top of the world, looking down upon it. Ending on the main theme of the song..."Self-belief will build a life of legacy." Which is to challenge the mountain, and break the barriers preventing you from achieving greatness.
I see the reprising intro as the next new challenge.
So after my small quick analysis of the song, i'd rank it...
Octavarium
A View From The Top Of The World
In The Presence of Enemies
The Count of Tuscany
A Change of Seasons
Illumination Theory
Now this doesn't mean I don't like the bottom songs. I enjoy all of these epics. I just prefer the messages and themes, and how they relate to the music itself of Octavarium more so than Illumination Theory.
And to me, the journey, the grand theme/message, and the relationship of the musical tones to the journey and theme are how I define an "Epic"....and there are many shorter length songs I would consider epic.