Dream Theater Top 100 countdown - 2024 Version! (#01 Up!)

[TAC]

Sump pumps- East Coast thing
Pee Chees- West Coast thing.

[pg1067]

82. Only A Matter Of Time

81. Awaken The Master

80. I Walk Beside You

I thought I might be the high ranker for OAMOT at #17.  I have loved this song since the first time I heard it at my first DT show in November 1992.  My friends and I hadn't heard WDADU before the show, so it was completely new.  We referred to it as "the pirate song" because we thought the keyboard intro had a pirate-y feel to it.  My #2 WDADU song.  OAMOT ranked at #75 in the prior countdown, so this is a slight drop.

Awaken the Master didn't rank.  Ditto my comments about Sleeping Giant.

I Walk Beside You just snuck in at #99.  It's an ok song, but this is one of those places where the grand concept of Octavarium interfered with the song quality.  Even on the album, the chorus sounds strained.  I might like it better if they'd written it in G or A instead of B.  IWBY ranked at #93 in the prior countdown, so this is a decent jump for the song.



List                                                    Not Ranked         
100                                                   Never Enough (100), The Gift of Music (98), Our New World (93), A New Beginning (91), New Millennium (87), Sleeping Giant (85), Awaken the Master (81)
99  I Walk Beside You (80)
98
97  This Is the Life (88)
96
95
94
93
92
91
90
89
88
87
86
85
84  Forsaken (95)
83
82
81
80
79  Vacant (97)
78
77
76
75
74
73
72
71
70
69
68
67
66
65  Transcending Time (90)
64
63
62
61
60
59  Afterlife (96)
58
57  Surrender to Reason (83)
56
55
54
53
52
51
50
49
48
47
46  Behind the Veil (89)
45
44
43
42
41
40
39  The Enemy Inside (84)
38
37
36
35
34
33
32
31  The Looking Glass (92)
30
29
28  S2N (94)
27  Wither (99)
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18  Constant Motion (86)
17  Only a Matter of Time (82)
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

[SwedishGoose]

Only a Matter of Time did not rank for me. With a better singer and production it might have stood a chance. Only one from WDADU ranked and it's not this one...
Awaken the Master is my highest ranked from AWFTTOTW. Don't know why I love it so much...  the riffs, the piano, the solo, the chorus. Lot's of great bits to this little gem...
I Walk Beside You did not rank. Had I listened and not ranked from memory it might have snuck in at the bottom?


My ranking so far

32 Awaken the Master (81)
33 Sleeping Giant (85)
37 Our New World (93)
59 Transcending Time (90)
65 The Looking Glass (92)
81 Behind the Veil (89)
87 Surrender To Reason (83)
89 Forsaken (95)
91. The Gift of Music (98)
94. Never Enough (100)



Not rated
Wither (99), Vacant (97), Afterlife (96), S2N (94), A New Beginning (91), This is the Life (88), New Millennium (87), Constant Motion (86), The Enemy Inside (84), Only a Matter of Time (82), I Walk Beside You (80)

[hefdaddy42]

Sump pumps- East Coast thing
Pee Chees- West Coast thing.

Wrong thread?

[pg1067]

Constant Motion - DNR

People criticize New Millennium for the lyrics and then let this dreck slide? “Forevermore…into the night…blistering”? Really??? I think I wrote that on my Pee-Chee when I was in middle school!  Ok riff, but otherwise forgettable song from a forgettable album.

  I love your habit of taking something that is pretty awesome, and just quoting it with no explanation and saying something like, "Really???"  As if that somehow makes a case for it somehow NOT being pretty awesome.    You silly man. 

 

By the way, I don't think lyrics are the problem with New Millennium (although the "tide is turning baby" line is laughable).  It's musically obnoxious and disjointed.  The intro sounds cool at the start, but it just kind of meanders and never goes anywhere.  Same with the stick part.  I'm listening now, and by the 90 second mark, I really want the song to be over, although at least they've found a rhythm.  The singing starts, and I'm starting to wonder...is this really the same band that released songs like Metropolis and Scarred?  Three minutes in, and it sounds like they're trying to be way too grungy.  One side comment - when I got this album, I wasn't aware of James's food poisoning issue, which I'm sure affected a lot of the vocals on FII.  Just shy of the three minute mark...what the heck is this spoken word stuff?  Nothing melodically memorable and we're 4 1/2 minutes in.  Five minutes in and...ugh...over three minutes to go.  Kind of a cool little riff, but now we're back to this directionless stick part with some weird key patches and jazz guitar.  The cool riff comes in again, but everything else being played with it is just...IDK...it does nothing for me.  Only a minute to go, mercifully.  Now a groove section?  Come on, wrap it up.  Ok...last chorus.  Pretty weak way to end the song.  Oh...finally...just let me breathe!  Wait...never mind....

Also, Pee-Chees were rad!

[Awaken]

Only a matter of time   - my #54, loved this one since spin 1 of WDADU
awaken the master - my #65
I walk beside you - not rated

[bosk1]

81. Awaken The Master - Somewhere high in the bottom quartile, as I recall.  It's a good song, and seeing it live helped me appreciate it.  But while some went ape over the appearance of the JP8 on this song, the riffing often just sounds like a muddy mess to me.  Still a lot of good things going on that makes it a fun listen, but I don't love it as much as many do.  This ranking feels about right to me.

Revisiting this a few minutes after listening to the song, and I have to add this:  Whenever I think of the song when I'm not listening to it, I think of the intro with the really muddy 8-string riffing, and I tend to base my rankings off of that.  But later into the song when it really gets going, it is a really, really great song, and I tend to forget that.  So what I'm saying is, I think my ranking of this one is actually really off base from where I should rank it. 

[twosuitsluke]

So what I'm saying is, I think my ranking of this one is actually really off base from where I should rank it.

Yea, this is how I feel about Awaken the Master too.

[HOF]

Constant Motion - DNR

People criticize New Millennium for the lyrics and then let this dreck slide? “Forevermore…into the night…blistering”? Really??? I think I wrote that on my Pee-Chee when I was in middle school!  Ok riff, but otherwise forgettable song from a forgettable album.

  I love your habit of taking something that is pretty awesome, and just quoting it with no explanation and saying something like, "Really???"  As if that somehow makes a case for it somehow NOT being pretty awesome.    You silly man. 

 

By the way, I don't think lyrics are the problem with New Millennium (although the "tide is turning baby" line is laughable).  It's musically obnoxious and disjointed.  The intro sounds cool at the start, but it just kind of meanders and never goes anywhere.  Same with the stick part.  I'm listening now, and by the 90 second mark, I really want the song to be over, although at least they've found a rhythm.  The singing starts, and I'm starting to wonder...is this really the same band that released songs like Metropolis and Scarred?  Three minutes in, and it sounds like they're trying to be way too grungy.  One side comment - when I got this album, I wasn't aware of James's food poisoning issue, which I'm sure affected a lot of the vocals on FII.  Just shy of the three minute mark...what the heck is this spoken word stuff?  Nothing melodically memorable and we're 4 1/2 minutes in.  Five minutes in and...ugh...over three minutes to go.  Kind of a cool little riff, but now we're back to this directionless stick part with some weird key patches and jazz guitar.  The cool riff comes in again, but everything else being played with it is just...IDK...it does nothing for me.  Only a minute to go, mercifully.  Now a groove section?  Come on, wrap it up.  Ok...last chorus.  Pretty weak way to end the song.  Oh...finally...just let me breathe!  Wait...never mind....

Also, Pee-Chees were rad!

I think the parts where the band are just grooving are awesome. The intro/chorus and instrumental section in particular. The problem with the verses is they bring the song to a dead stop and kill the momentum. The second verse especially really just saps the momentum from the song.

[jammindude]

Constant Motion - DNR

People criticize New Millennium for the lyrics and then let this dreck slide? “Forevermore…into the night…blistering”? Really??? I think I wrote that on my Pee-Chee when I was in middle school!  Ok riff, but otherwise forgettable song from a forgettable album.

  I love your habit of taking something that is pretty awesome, and just quoting it with no explanation and saying something like, "Really???"  As if that somehow makes a case for it somehow NOT being pretty awesome.    You silly man. 

It’s just that I DID write things just like that when I was 12-14 years old and I thought they were SO AWESOME, and now when I look back it just looks like absolute juvenile dreck, and I start to understand why James Hetfield notoriously hates the lyrics for Whiplash.  It just strikes that same chord with me. And if it were on their first album or the Majesty demos it would be totally understandable. But it was their 9th album, so it hit a bit different.

[hefdaddy42]

You're right, those lyrics are terrible.

[Evermind]

Only a Matter of Time - not ranked - I don't have much of WDADU on my list to be honest.

Awaken the Master - not ranked - this song is one of the reasons I don't want to revisit AVFTTOTW at all. This and Invisible Monster are the ones I just want to skip.

I Walk Beside You - #73 - I don't mind this song, even though it's my least favourite from 8VM. Well, I really like the album.

[MirrorMask]

Only a Matter of Time was my 53. Great song and an excellent closure to the debut album.

Awaken the Master did not make my cut. Generic metal song.

I Walk Beside You.... I'm glad that it made the cut to begin with, also I'm not even the highest ranker, I thought I could be with my 48th placement! lovely little song, yeah it's too much U2 but who cares, it's short, uplifting and catchy, I always loved this song.

[JiM-Xtreme]

82. Only A Matter Of Time - love this one, glad it made the list. It ended up quite a bit higher for me though, 36!

81. Awaken The Master - another one I really like, 61. Love the absurdly heavy tone of the 8 string and that main riff. I also really like the second verse, the quieter one with the cool bass groove.

80. I Walk Beside You - um, not sure what this song is doing here. It's one of the most un-DT-like songs they've ever written. I mean it's perfectly pleasant to listen to but nothing to get excited about.

[Jamesman42]

100. Never Enough (17th) I don't get how this is at 100. This song has many cool parts, especially the instrumental break.
99. Wither (66th) Solid song, when it hits, it's great but it doesn't always warrant a listen.
98. The Gift Of Music (92nd) It's alright. Past entry 82 on my list is stuff that just had to be ranked.
97. Vacant (70th) This song is so awesome on its own and how it leads into SoC
96. Afterlife (98th) See: The Gift of Music
95. Forsaken (87th) It's alright, live is good.
94. S2N (NR) Honestly just not familiar enough with this song yet.
93. Our New World (NR) See: S2N
92. The Looking Glass (54th) This is one of the better tracks off of DT12. Great chorus, surprised it is this low.
91. A New Beginning (NR) Couldn't tell you what album it's from.
90. Transcending Time I really don't like DT12 View at this time, with about 5 listens since returning to the forum last year. But this song stuck out and was good enough to make the list.
89. Behind The Veil (NR) See: A New Beginning
88. This Is The Life (33rd) This song is very underrated. It has a huge atmosphere to it and a great buildup to that final chorus.
87. New Millennium (NR) Not much of a fan of FII, and this song was always skippable to me.
86. Constant Motion (35th) Sometimes you need a straightforward song, DT does it great here, and the instrumental section with the bass and piano is cool as hell.
85. Sleeping Giant (NR)
84. The Enemy Inside (36th) Great, straightforward song, and ranks right next to Constant Motion.
83. Surrender To Reason (64th) This was a mistake to place it at 64th, but by the time I was ranking stuff, I didn't care past a certain point. Relistening now and it's alright, should actually be in the 90s or off my list, so an oversight on my part.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
82. Only A Matter Of Time (97th) Not bad, something had to be here.
81. Awaken The Master (NR)
80. I Walk Beside You (43rd) What a great song, when DT does more uplifting/major key stuff, it's really great, usually. Feels very underrated to me. This song has layers to it musically, stuff that feels more subtle than usual. Also fun to play on the bass.

[The Realm]

Only a Matter of Time - my rank 89. A good song but this is the lowest of my ranked When Dream and Day Unite songs.

Awaken the Master - my rank 94. Just got this one in, a good song but I don't return to it.

I Walk Beside You - a bit shocked this one made the cut. Unranked for me.

[pg1067]

I start to understand why James Hetfield notoriously hates the lyrics for Whiplash.

Why do I get the feeling that '80s James Hetfield would think 21st century James Hetfield is a real d-bag?

[TAC]

I start to understand why James Hetfield notoriously hates the lyrics for Whiplash.

Why do I get the feeling that '80s James Hetfield would think 21st century James Hetfield is a real d-bag?

 

[jammindude]

I start to understand why James Hetfield notoriously hates the lyrics for Whiplash.

Why do I get the feeling that '80s James Hetfield would think 21st century James Hetfield is a real d-bag?

 

Well, to be fair, 80s me would think now me was a D-bag. But the twist is that 80s me was a stupid twat. 

[wolfking]

I ranked OAMOT at 89.  One of the better songs for me on the debut.

ATM did not rank.  The first minute is cool but like Sleeping Giant, this is another one I simply don't understand the love for.  I find it boring and unmemorable.

IWBY came in at number 32.  Love this song.  Always thought it was a perfect representation of the style.  Loved it from the start and still do.



List                                                        Not Ranked         
100                                                    The Gift of Music
99                                                      A New Beginning
98 Constant Motion                             New Millenium
97                                                     Sleeping Giant
96                                                     Awaken the Master
95
94 Our New World
93 This is the Life
92
91
90
89 Only A Matter of Time
88 Vacant
87
86
85
84
83
82 Transcending Time
81
80
79
78 Wither
77
76
75
74 The Enemy Inside
73
72
71 Forsaken
70
69
68
67 S2N
66
65
64 The Looking Glass
63
62
61
60 
59
58 Afterlife
57
56
55
54
53
52
51
50
49
48
47
46
45
44
43
42 Never Enough
41
40
39
38
37
36
35 
34
33
32 I Walk Beside You
31
30
29 Surrender to Reason
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20 Behind the Veil
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

[TAC]

82. Only A Matter Of Time
Highest Finish: 5 (Dream Team)
Number of Lists appeared on: 39 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, Ben_Jamin, bosk1, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, DragonAttack, Dream Team, DTwwbwMP, hefdaddy42, Jamesman42, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, lightningbolt, lucasembarbosa, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, porcacultor, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, TAC, The Realm, Trav86, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

81. Awaken The Master
Highest Finish: 12 (Metro)
Number of Lists appeared on: 42 (Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, Ben_Jamin, bosk1, CanuckChum, Cool Chris, Dave_Manchester, devieira73, Dream Team, DTwwbwMP, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jonny108, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, Lethean, lucasembarbosa, mariner, Metro, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, Peter Mc, Podaar, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, Revenge319, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, Stadler, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, Vmadera00, WardySI, Wim Kruithof)

80. I Walk Beside You
Highest Finish: 19 (OpenYourEyes311)
Number of Lists appeared on: 47 (Adami, axeman90210, Ben_Jamin, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, Dave_Manchester, devieira73, DragonAttack, Dream Team, DTwwbwMP, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, hefdaddy42, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, jingle.boy, jonny108, JPZealot, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, lightningbolt, lucasembarbosa, mariner, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, nobloodyname, NoFred, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, porcacultor, Revenge319, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, Stadler, TAC, Trav86, twosuitsluke, WardySI, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

I had Only A Matter Of Time at #26.

I think this is a great song. It stood out to me on those early I&W shows.

I had Awaken The Master at #80.

I like it well enough. 80 seems a bit high I think but that's what the ranker spit out.

I had I Walk Beside You at #61.

I didn't appreciate this song at first, but that all changed when I saw them play it live in 2006. So much energy.


List                                                    Not Ranked         
100                                                      Wither
99                                                        Vacant
98                                                        Our New World
97                                                        The Looking Glass
96                                                        Transcending Time
95                                                        Behind The Veil
94                                                        New Milenium   
93                                                        Constant Motion
92
91
90  Forsaken
89
88
87
86
85
84
83
82
81
80  Awaken The Master
79
78
77
76  S2N
75
74  Afterlife
73  This Is The Life
72
71
70
69  Surrender Of Reason
68
67
66
65
64
63
62
61  I Walk Beside You
60  Never Enough
59  A New Beginning
58
57
56
55
54
53
52
51
50
49
48
47
46
45
44
43
42
41  Sleeping Giant
40
39
38
37
36
35  The Gift Of Music
34
33
32
31
30
29
28  The Enemy Inside
27
26  Only A Matter Of Time
25
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

[axeman90210]

Only A Matter of Time- Not rated. I really have a hard time getting into most of the material from WDaDU. I probably should give this one another shot though.

Awaken the Master- I had this a bit higher, up at #54. We'd been waiting for JP to get his hands on an 8 string for years and his first outing with one did not disappoint. Chunky riffs and some good vocal melodies from JLB make this my favorite from View.

I Walk Beside You- I'm pretty close to the consensus on this one, it was #88 on my list. A little bit sappy/cheesy, but a fun change of pace from DT.

[jingle.boy]

80. I Walk Beside You
I'm right there with you... 32.  This was always one of my favorite tunes from 8vm.  Sure, the U2 love is painfully obvious, and the religiousness of the lyrics can turn some off, but on the whole, I think this is a very good song that would've had immense commercial appeal in some alternate universe.

IWBY came in at number 32.  Love this song.  Always thought it was a perfect representation of the style.  Loved it from the start and still do.

[wolfking]

80. I Walk Beside You
I'm right there with you... 32.  This was always one of my favorite tunes from 8vm.  Sure, the U2 love is painfully obvious, and the religiousness of the lyrics can turn some off, but on the whole, I think this is a very good song that would've had immense commercial appeal in some alternate universe.

IWBY came in at number 32.  Love this song.  Always thought it was a perfect representation of the style.  Loved it from the start and still do.

Nice, missed that! 

I have actually never thought of the lyrics in a religious context.  From the start I always thought it was just about it in the sense of trying to help your partner/spouse or even close friend through a tough time.  Maybe that's just the way I interpreted it at the time.  It has some nostalgia for me in that sense.

[jingle.boy]

The lyrics always, always, always remind me of the Footprints in the Sand poem.

[wolfking]

The lyrics always, always, always remind me of the Footprints in the Sand poem.

I have no idea what that is, I'll have to google it later.

[jingle.boy]

The lyrics always, always, always remind me of the Footprints in the Sand poem.

I have no idea what that is, I'll have to google it later.

[wolfking]

No surprise I don't know that.

On the other hand, Footsteps in the Sand by LORD is a killer song! 

[porcacultor]

82. Only A Matter Of Time

81. Awaken The Master

80. I Walk Beside You

OAMOT made it to 60 in mine. What a lovely, fun track. Love the Fish-style wordy lyrics too.

AtM did not rank for me. It's a nice track, but I haven't been called back to it that often.

IWBY made it to 25. One of my favorite 8vm cuts.

[Cool Chris]

90.   Transcending Time 37
89.   Behind The Veil 71
88.   This Is The Life 82 Not a bad song, but the only weak spot on ADToE.
87.   New Millennium NR A definite "What the heck is this?" moment upon my first listen. "What happened to the band that released I&W and Awake?" This song never better with time.
86.   Constant Motion NR Bottom of the barrel song. Nothing redeeming here.
85.   Sleeping Giant 61
83t.  The Enemy Inside 76
83t.  Surrender To Reason 67
82.   Only A Matter Of Time NR First heard this on the Budokan DVD. Thought it was good, though not an upper level song. Time has been good to it, and while I never prefer any WDaDU version over a performance with James, this one might be the closest.
81.   Awaken The Master 63
80.   I Walk Beside You NR

[lightningbolt]

Where I stand so far:

100. Never Enough - UR - Don't care for it.
99.   Wither - 65 - My enjoyment of this song increased quite a bit when I learned it is about writer's block, something I've often had to deal with in my career.  It seems to capture that feeling when you're stuck or have lost your muse and are trying to get going again.
98.   The Gift of Music - 53 - This song got me really excited for TA when it came out.  Too bad the rest of the album mostly didn't live up to it.
97.   Vacant - 100 - This one is ok..., it is pretty interchangeable with several other songs on my list/just barely off of it.
96.   Afterlife - UR
95.   Forsaken - 27 - When I started lurking at DTF, I was surprised to see several people don't care for this song.  I've always enjoyed it as a relatively straightforward rocker. 
94.   S2N - UR - The intro is cool, but the rest of it doesn't do much for me.
93.   Our New World - 89
92.   The Looking Glass - 99
91.   A New Beginning - UR
90.   Transcending Time - UR
89.   Behind The Veil - 91
88.   This Is The Life - UR
87.   New Millennium - UR
86.   Constant Motion - 50 - This song would have been UR 5 years ago, but I now really enjoy it.  It'll never be one of DT's crown jewel songs, but I find it solid.
85.   Sleeping Giant - UR
83t.  The Enemy Inside - 64 - Decent rocker.
83t.  Surrender To Reason - 58 - Has remained a favorite from S/T since it was released.  I thought it would be a bit higher on the group's list, but that may be because it is often discussed as one never played live.
82.   Only A Matter Of Time - 81 - This one would be in my top 50 if the studio version was sung by JLB.  I suspect WDADU would have done better on my list if that was the case.
81.   Awaken The Master - UR
80.   I Walk Beside You - 98

[CanuckChum]

82. Only a Matter of Time (91). Keyboard sections from KM are the highlight here.
81. Awaken the Master (14). While the title track may eventually surpass it, this is currently my favourite track from View. Nice and heavy, but not compromising anything such as the vocals. The piano adds a nice texture to the riffs. Killer intro as well.
80. I Walk Beside You (84). Lightweight, but enjoyable. Very interesting contrast between the verses and chorus.

[Wim Kruithof]

Overall I am pretty much an average fan so to speak, when it comes to ranking songs. Although I adore The Astonishing, Black Clouds (all song include my list) and A View (all songs include my list) much more then a lot of you in here. Awaken the Master is my 2nd highest View-ranking and this song feels so Awake-influenced. Together with Answering the Call they stand out to me as metal-Dream Theater on latest album.

My own 100:

095: I Walk Beside You
094: S2n
093: Never Enough
089: Only a Matter of Time
088: Surrender to Reason
087: Forsaken
084: Constant Motion
078: Behind the Veil
077: Afterlife
068: The Enemy Inside
054: The Looking Glass
050: Wither
048: Transcending Time
041: Sleeping Giant
029: Awaken the Master

not rankend: #6 The Gift of Music / Vacant / Our New World / A New Beginning / This Is the Life / New Millennium

[Wim Kruithof]

The lyrics always, always, always remind me of the Footprints in the Sand poem.

Which, as a christian, is a really beautiful thing to me.

[WardySI]

Only the two today.

Awaken The Master #77
I Walk Beside You #31

So yes count me in digging I Walk Beside You.  I assumed I would've had this in my Top25 but there you go.  The fact it was such a departure at the time was the very reason I loved it on first spin!