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

[devieira73]

I would highlight the live versions ...  Through Her Eyes from Live Scenes (my# 100), with that intro with Theresa Thompson.

  I did!!!

74. Through Her Eyes - 77 for me... Like Ale said, it's very important to the flow of SFAM.  You may not like it on it's own, but take it out of the album, and it would be a very strange transition between BTL and Home.  Now, if I'm considering the dual track live (JP/Theresa solo AND THE), that could very well be Top 25.  Inasmuch as L@B elevates Hollow years, LSFNY elevates this song.

So... in fact, I second that

[Animal]

The Dark Eternal Night - (NR)  Not the kind of DT I like.

The Alien (94)  A solid song from a solid album but it could win only few direct comparisons in the ranker.

The Killing Hand (1)  I knew this would be one of odd choices for n. 1. But I definitely didn't expect it to be the lowest ranking n. 1 song (if we exclude n.1s that are outside the collective Top 100). The Killing Hand is one of my Top 6 DT songs, which I consider S++tier (the other 5 are much more ordinary choices). Any of them could have been my n. 1, but TKH got the nod in the end. The main reason is that this is probably the most vocal/singing-centric DT song (excluding the ballads). I love how, once the vocal melody has started, the song slowly progresses without any sharp breaks or distinctive sections, but also without repetitions, choruses etc. I feelcompletely drawn into the story, even though I have little idea what it is about. It just grabs me and won't let go.
   As for the versions, JingleBoy has already said it. So I'll just add that when ranking, I am thinking of my ideal version, one that somehow manages to combine the album version acoustic intro with Another Hand, and the vocals that are mix of the 1992 bootleg version (James had the best tone then) with some of the Marquee version (the screams).

[energythief]

Rank - Song Name (My Ranking)
100. Never Enough - my 59
99.   Wither - my 92
98.   The Gift Of Music (No ranking)
97.   Vacant - my 29
96.   Afterlife (No ranking)
95.   Forsaken - my 21 - I was the high vote for this one!
94.   S2N (No ranking)
93.   Our New World (No ranking)
92.   The Looking Glass - my 83
91.   A New Beginning (No ranking)
90.   Transcending Time (No ranking)
89.   Behind The Veil (No ranking)
88.   This Is The Life - my 82
87.   New Millennium - my 16
86.   Constant Motion - my 84


Latest Batch
85.   Sleeping Giant (No ranking)
83t.  The Enemy Inside (No ranking)
83t.  Surrender To Reason - my 67
82.   Only A Matter Of Time  (No ranking)
81.   Awaken The Master (No ranking)
80.   I Walk Beside You - my 35
79.   The Shattered Fortress - my 100
78.   A Fortune In Lies (No ranking)
77.   The Best Of Times - my 96
76.   To Live Forever - my 85
75.   Answering The Call (No ranking)
74.   Through Her Eyes - my 50
73.   Lost Not Forgotten - my 15
72.   Fall Into The Light (No ranking)
71.   Honor Thy Father - my 69
70.   The Dark Eternal Night (No ranking)
69.   The Alien - my 86
68.   The Killing Hand  (No ranking)


Of the latest batch:

• 9 songs below #100 for me
• #100  (The Shattered Fortress) has reared it's weak head
• I think I forgot to rank Fall Into the Light as I like it more than a number of the songs at the bottom of my list. C'est la vie.
• Based on the general sentiment in the forum, I was surprised to not be the highest vote for LNF

[Dream Team]

  5 Only a Matter of Time
  6 The Killing Hand
20 Lost Not Forgotten
24 This is the Life
26 A New Beginning
28 Fall Into the Light
30 The Best of Times
31 Afterlife
35 S2N
38 Constant Motion
39 Behind the Veil
40 The Enemy Inside
48 A Fortune in Lies
51 Our New World
54 Wither
55 The Alien
57 Surrender to Reason
61 I Walk Beside You
63 Awaken the Master
64 The Looking Glass
68 Sleeping Giant
76 Transcending Time
81 The Gift of Music
84 Answering the Call
97 The Shattered Fortress

Missed the top 100: Never Enough, Vacant, Forsaken, New Millennium, Through Her Eyes, To Live Forever, Honor thy Father, The Dark Eternal Night
Highest Ranker Of: Only a Matter of Time

Jingle and MirrorMask and Stads you are correct that TDEN blows chunks, I didn't even enter it into the ranker. Now as far as TKH goes, I had it #6 but a couple other dudes bested that. The Alien is a cool song but didn't need to be as long as it was.

[TAC]

70. The Dark Eternal Night
Highest Finish: 6 (ReaperKK)
Number of Lists appeared on: 43 (Adami, Awaken, axeman90210, bosk1, devieira73, Dittomist, DTwwbwMP, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, lightningbolt, mariner, Metro, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, NoFred, OpenYourEyes311, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, porcacultor, ReaperKK, Revenge319, romdrums, TAC, Trav86, twosuitsluke, Vmadera00, weirdo, wolfking, Zydar)

69. The Alien
Highest Finish: 16 (TAC)
Number of Lists appeared on: 45 (Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, bosk1, CanuckChum, Dave_Manchester, devieira73, DragonAttack, Dream Team, energythief, Fonzie, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, Lethean, lucasembarbosa, mariner, Metro, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, NoFred, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, ReaPsTA, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, WardySI, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

68. The Killing Hand
Highest Finish: 1 (Animal)
Number of Lists appeared on: 45 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, bosk1, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, devieira73, DragonAttack, Dream Team, DTwwbwMP, Evermind, Fonzie, Indiscipline, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, lucasembarbosa, Metro, MirrorMask, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, porcacultor, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, Revenge319, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, Wim Kruithof)

Wow, three of my favorite DT tracks!


I had The Dark Eternal Night at #22.
It's campy and all, but holy shit does it smoke when it gets going.

I had The Alien at #16.
I think this is one of their best songs. I do. Great instrumentally and melodically.

I had The Killing Hand at #4
Has been a favorite of mine since Day 1.



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                                                        The Shattered Fortress
91                                                        To Live Forever
90  Forsaken                                         Answering The Call
89                                                        Honor Thy Father
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  Through Her Eyes
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  Fall Into The Light
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  The Dark Eternal Night
21
20
19
18  A Fortune In Lies
17
16  The Alien
15
14  The Best Of Times
13
12
11  Lost Not Forgotten.
10
9
8
7
6
5
4  The Killing Hand
3
2
1

[MirrorMask]

I was looking ahead and thinking of my top 10, and how many songs I could be top ranker for.

Number 1 and 2 are fairly traditional choices, I won't be the only one with my number 1, and many will have my 2 at top song.
Number 3... I could be the highest ranker, maybe there are other silent lovers of that song.
Number 4 I'm totally expecting to be the highest ranker.
Number 5... no way it's not someone's top 3 or favorite song period.
From number 6 to number 9... it's anyone's guess, I could be the highest ranker for some, for all, or for none of them.
Number 10 is like number 5: no way several people do not have this song way higher, and possibly at number 1.

[twosuitsluke]

Only one of the three today, but The Dark Eternal Night is my second highest ranked so far.

The Alien and The Killing Hand both missed the cut, but I'm pretty sure they were both in my original top 100. Either way, they're OK, but ultimately nothing special for me. The Alien is a really nice heavy track that should really strike a chord with me, based on other songs in a similar vein that I enjoy. But again, it's just unfamiliarity that scuppers it's chances.

The Dark Eternal Night though, ho boy! Plenty of people with something to say about the lyrics, but I couldn't even tell you many of the lyrics, my ears are too preoccupied! Love the riffs, love the whole instrumental section, this was one of the songs that sold Systematic Chaos (and ultimately the band in general) to me. Just fucking great stuff.

Bro, you don't like that intro? It's the best part.

I think I vomit in my ears a little every time I hear it.  IIRC, this was their first Roadrunner release, yes?  To me, it screamed "LISTEN TO US, WE'RE HEAVY, WE'RE HIP, AND WE CAN WRITE BR00TAL RIFFS!!"

Wait, are you talking about Train of Thought? These are my thoughts on most of the album, to be honest. The Dark Eternal Night is infinitely better than any song on ToT.


My ranking so far:

13. Wither
18. The Dark Eternal Night
20. Never Enough
27. The Best of Times
29. Constant Motion
30. A New Beginning
31. The Shattered Fortress
35. The Enemy Inside
36. I Walk Beside You
44. Through Her Eyes
45. The Looking Glass
49. Forsaken
55. Behind the Veil
62. Surrender to Reason
64. Fall Into the Light
73. Honor Thy Father
80. To Live Forever
83. This is the Life
84. Lost Not Forgotten
86. Our New World
100. New Millennium

Not ranked:

109. Vacant
112. Only a Matter of Time
113. Afterlife
114. A Fortune in Lies
115. The Killing Hand
119. Sleeping Giant
121. Awaken the Master
122. Answering the Call
123. Transcending Time
124. The Alien
125. S2N
140. The Gift of Music

[Indiscipline]

The Dark Eternal Night: didn't make the cut, despite a couple of minutes of prog bliss and a grimy outro ad lib.

The Alien: didn't make the cut. Flirting with self-plagiarism.

The Killing Hand: 92. DT at its 80est.

The Score so far:

21 - A New Beginning
27 - The Best of Times
33 - Surrender to Reason
36 - This Is the Life
45 - Vacant
46 - The Gift of Music
68 - Our New World
71 - Behind the Veil
72 - The Looking Glass
89 - Through Her Eyes
90 - Lost Not Forgotten
92 - The Killing Hand
96 - Fall Into the Light
97 - A Fortune in Lies

Not Ranked: 19

[CharlesPL]

The Dark Eternal Night - none
The Alien - none
The Killing Hand - 18

[jingle.boy]

Bro, you don't like that intro? It's the best part.

I think I vomit in my ears a little every time I hear it.  IIRC, this was their first Roadrunner release, yes?  To me, it screamed "LISTEN TO US, WE'RE HEAVY, WE'RE HIP, AND WE CAN WRITE BR00TAL RIFFS!!"

Wait, are you talking about Train of Thought? These are my thoughts on most of the album, to be honest. The Dark Eternal Night is infinitely better than any song on ToT.

Ha!  TASTES^TM!!!

But presumably we've got at least four 4 more songs (potentially all 5) to come from ToT, I know which side of the TASTES^TM I'm on 

P.S.  TDEN also screamed "WE'RE HIP - WE HAVE GROWLS (as long as we apply this distortion effect to James voice)"

[The Realm]

The Dark Eternal Night - this is a strange song. I didn't rank it but I have probably really enjoyed it at times and other times can get onboard the 'it blows chunks' point of view. So I guess when I did the ranker I was thinking blows chunks.

The Alien - really like the music in this song, enough to rank it 81.

The Killing Hand - looking at my list, I should have ranked this higher. It made it to 69 for me (just missed the consensus!) but it is better than that.

Currently I have 24 ranked, 9 unranked.

[energythief]

In other thoughts - how did The Alien win them the Grammy? Was it a matter of "I guess it's time for DT to get a win for something"?

[porcacultor]

73. Lost not Forgotten (92) -  I really dig the imagery suggested by the lyrics and music. Kind of Prince of Persia-esque, in a way.

72. Fall into the Light (NR) - The absence of a chorus (which I didn't realize until this topic) makes it suffer. Unlike Constant Motion, which to me is Metallica made better ( ), this one reminds me of the less exciting aspects of late-period Metallica. It's an earnest song, though, so it's not like I'm happy about not digging it.

71. Honor Thy Father (28) - ToT was one of the two albums I first got by the band (the other being Awake, which will explain the ridiculously high rankings most of that album got in my list). At the time, I was a 13-year-old with a taste for both metal and hip hop, so James' rapping was always a plus, not a minus. Very tasty instrumentals (John Myung really, REALLY owns things in the chorus), great sample-based part... And it's my second-favorite in ToT! It helps that MP is so earnest in the lyrics too (though I can't say I understand 100% of the subject matter, barring it being about his stepfather issue). It might've been my favorite song of all time in my early teens too! Not to mention at school, we had an assignment at English class to prepare a "listen to the words and fill in the blanks" exercise... and I subjected my colleagues and teacher to this 10-minute monstrosity. No regrets! But I get why the others were baffled at my song choice 

70. The Dark Eternal Night (23) - BLACK. FOR-CES! Yep, a big one for me. They could keep this song in every setlist for all I care. Ending's so good, they had to do it again for S2N (another personal favorite).

69. The Alien (NR) - Not my cup of tea. Glad it got them a Grammy, though.

68. The Killing Hand (47) - Epic. Fantastic.

[HOF]

In other thoughts - how did The Alien win them the Grammy? Was it a matter of "I guess it's time for DT to get a win for something"?

That's what I'd imagine.

[pg1067]

70. The Dark Eternal Night

69. The Alien

68. The Killing Hand

I had TDEN at #67.  I wasn't a huge fan originally, but I changed my view mostly after seeing it live on the I&W&B tour.  It's not great, but it's fun.  It came in at #78 in the prior countdown.

I had The Alien at #55, and I'm honestly not sure how it got that high.  I guess it was a product of the hurried manner in which I put my list together.  I like it well enough, but it should have been about 20 spots lower.  Oh well.

The Killing Hand is my favorite song from WDADU.  I had it at #15 and thought I might be high ranker, but you can't beat a #1.  It's a great song, but the Live at the Marquee recording puts it into the elite level of DT songs.  I'm disappointed that it's this low in the countdown, especially since it finished at #48 in the prior countdown.



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), The Best of Times (77), To Live Forever (75T)
99  I Walk Beside You (80)                  Answering the Call (75T), Lost Not Forgotten (73), Fall into the Light (72), Honor Thy Father (71)
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  A Fortune in Lies (78)
74
73
72
71
70
69
68  The Shattered Fortress (79)
67  The Dark Eternal Night (70)
66
65  Transcending Time (90)
64
63
62
61
60
59  Afterlife (96)
58
57  Surrender to Reason (83T)
56
55  The Alien (69)
54
53
52
51
50
49
48
47
46  Behind the Veil (89)
45
44
43
42
41  Through Her Eyes (74)
40
39  The Enemy Inside (83T)
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) (high ranker)
17  Only a Matter of Time (82)
16
15  The Killing Hand (68)
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

[Ben_Jamin]

I am way, way behind on this so I will just list these songs and show where they ranked in my rankings.

100. Never Enough - (Did Not Rank)
99.   Wither - (Did Not Rank)
98.   The Gift Of Music - (#54)
97.   Vacant - (Did Not Rank)
96.   Afterlife - (#91)
95.   Forsaken - (Did Not Rank)
94.   S2N - (#73)
93.   Our New World - (Did Not Rank)
92.   The Looking Glass - (Did Not Rank)
91.   A New Beginning - (#97)
90.   Transcending Time - (Did Not Rank) (Although, I do really enjoy this song)
89.   Behind The Veil - (#67)
88.   This Is The Life - (#49)
87.   New Millennium - (Did Not Rank)
86.   Constant Motion - (Did Not Rank)
85.   Sleeping Giant - (Did Not Rank)
83t.  The Enemy Inside - (Did Not Rank) (I really enjoy the energy of this song a lot)
83t.  Surrender To Reason - (#74)
82.   Only A Matter Of Time - (#42)
81.   Awaken The Master - (#13)
80.   I Walk Beside You - (#64)
79.   The Shattered Fortress - (#35)
78.   A Fortune In Lies - (#89)
77.   The Best Of Times - (#50)
76.   To Live Forever - (#76) (So glad I was fortunate to see this on the I&W&B tour)
75.   Answering The Call - (#11)
74.   Through Her Eyes - (#34)
73.   Lost Not Forgotten - (Did Not Rank)
72.   Fall Into The Light - (#48)
71.   Honor Thy Father - (#99)
70.   The Dark Eternal Night - (Did Not Rank)
69.   The Alien - (Did Not Rank)
68.   The Killing Hand - (Did Not Rank)

[wolfking]

TDEN came in at number 44 for me.  It certainly is getting a lot of hate but it's a fun, enjoyable song.  The breakdown riff at the end is cool as fuck if you ask me.

The Alien actually made my list at 95.  I was so disappointed when this song was released, truthfully, I never really took to it but as I started to slightly warm to the new album, this became more enjoyable.

TKH I didn't rank it.  It's fine, I'm just not a big fan of the debut album.



List                                                        Not Ranked         
100                                                    The Gift of Music
99 The Best of Times                          A New Beginning
98 Constant Motion                             New Millenium
97                                                     Sleeping Giant
96 A Fortune in Lies                            Awaken the Master
95 The Alien                                       To Live Forever
94 Our New World                               The Killing Hand
93 This is the Life
92
91
90
89 Only A Matter of Time
88 Vacant
87
86 Through Her Eyes
85
84
83
82 Transcending Time
81
80
79
78 Wither
77
76
75
74 The Enemy Inside
73
72
71 Forsaken
70 Lost Not Forgotten
69
68
67 S2N
66 Fall Into the Light
65
64 The Looking Glass
63
62
61
60 
59
58 Afterlife
57
56
55
54
53
52
51 Answering the Call
50
49
48 The Shattered Fortress
47
46
45
44 The Dark Eternal Night
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 Honor Thy Father
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

[Cool Chris]

The Dark Eternal Night is awful. There is nothing redeeming about it whatsoever.

It is the Magnolia of DT songs.

[jingle.boy]

The Dark Eternal Night is awful. There is nothing redeeming about it whatsoever.

It is the Magnolia of DT songs.

The HOA President of volunteer jobs!

[NoFred]

The Dark Eternal Night is awful. There is nothing redeeming about it whatsoever.

It is the Magnolia of DT songs.

Quite the accomplishment given Honor Thy Father exists… While TDEN might have nothing redeeming it’s got the oomph and direction that lots of SC has, and BCSL doesn’t. I didn’t rank it highly here, but when the album was released I was all in.

Probably you and lots of others saw in TDEN the warning signs that they didn’t have much left to say, creativity speaking.

[CanuckChum]

70. The Dark Eternal Night (Unranked). Like Constant Motion, some interesting instrumental ideas are dampened by the vocal sections. Although, I like this one slightly more.
69. The Alien (28). This was an early highlight from the album. The intro is the most memorable part, it was a bold move to start the album off with something like that. But it works so well for me. This is the song I am always going to associate most strongly with MM, his blistering drumming in the intro and really all throughout is just wonderful. The other instrumentals are also great, both after the second chorus, and the outro.
68. The Killing Hand (93). I respect this song a lot since it laid the groundwork for their longer songs in the future. For a first crack at a more complex longer track, it is pretty decent. I find it somewhat disjointed, but there are enough parts that I like such as the first section.

[Podaar]

70. The Dark Eternal Night - 68 for me. Fun time at the creature feature. Bring you pop-corn and drink!

69. The Alien - 59. Wasn't keen on it when the album dropped, but it's grown into a favorite.

68. The Killing Hand - Not rated.

[ReaperKK]

The gotta go back to work update

67. Ytse Jam
Highest Finish: 8 (porcacultor)
Number of Lists appeared on: 48 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, Ben_Jamin, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, Cool Chris, Dave_Manchester, devieira73, DragonAttack, Dream Team, DTwwbwMP, Fonzie, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, Indiscipline, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, KevShmev, lightningbolt, lucasembarbosa, mariner, Metro, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, OpenYourEyes311, pg1067, Podaar, porcacultor, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, Revenge319, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Trav86, twosuitsluke, weirdo, Wim Kruithof, Zydar)

I have a big soft spot for Ytse Jam, it's how I discovered the band. I remember downloading the drum solo from Kazaa at 144p which led me to check out their newest album at the time, Six Degrees. I think it's a great instrumental and I hope they bring it back live sometime.

66. The Silent Man
Highest Finish: 12 (Evermind)
Number of Lists appeared on: 50 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, CharlesPL, Cool Chris, Dittomist, DTwwbwMP, energythief, Evermind, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, Indiscipline, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, Lethean, lightningbolt, mariner, Metro, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, NoFred, OpenYourEyes311, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, Revenge319, romdrums, Stadler, SwedishGoose, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, WardySI, weirdo, Wim Kruithof, Zydar)

I'm not sure I'd call this a ballad but it's one of the better ballad-y type songs from DT. I wish they did more straight ahead acoustic tracks, it really can real give a breath of fresh air, especially in the chug era they are in now. 

65. Raise The Knife
Highest Finish: 13 (Adami)
Number of Lists appeared on: 45 (Adami, axeman90210, Ben_Jamin, bosk1, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, Cool Chris, devieira73, DragonAttack, Dream Team, DTwwbwMP, hefdaddy42, Jamesman42, jammindude, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, Lethean, lightningbolt, lucasembarbosa, Metro, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, nobloodyname, NoFred, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, PixelDream, porcacultor, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, Stadler, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, WardySI, Wim Kruithof)

Another unofficial track (not including Score). Probably one of the best lyrical contributions from MP. A really good tune.

[Mladen]

Ytse Jam was my #94. I forgot that I ranked it. It's a legendary instrumental and a really good track, but needless to say it, they surpassed it with many other instrumentals.

The Silent man was my #50. If I remember correctly, there were nine other Awake songs in my top fifty. That basically tells how much I love that album.

Raise the knife was my #48. That's a fantastic song that I really wish made it onto Falling into infinity. I still feel like the songs that ended up on the album are weaker than the songs what were excluded. Thank God for the Score version.

[MirrorMask]

67. Ytse Jam

Nothing wrong with this song, but since I'm a sucker for vocals, basically all instrumentals suffered in my list. Ytse Jam didn't rank for me.

66. The Silent Man

An absolute masterpiece, Evermind beat me to the best ranker race since it was my #17. It's simple, it's atmospheric, and I consider it a full song and not just a coda to Voices. Fantastic showcase of their ability to put emotions into music, rather than just showing off like some casual listeners accuse them of.

65. Raise The Knife

I was already starting to consider this gone. Nice to see it as such a respectable position! it was my 72 so I actually ranked it lower, as always with these middle range positions, I could have put it easily in the top 60. The Score version is phenomenal.

[jingle.boy]

3/3 for me today.

Ytse Jam ... 18 for me.  This completes the 'big 3' for me off of WDADU (along with AFIL and TKH).  I know they're not sequential on the album, but man if they had been .  Amazingly, there is a version of the studio release on some compilation up on Spotify (titled "Prog Rock for Rookies"  )

The Silent Man ... 68.  Great way to finish the trilogy.  Seems I pretty much am aligned with the consensus.

Raise the Knife ... 36.  Thank God for the Score version indeed!  IMO, one of the highlights of the first set.

[porcacultor]

67. Ytse Jam

Cracked my top 10 at #8! A very, very precious track for me. Used to play it on bass with my music school band (can't remember if we ever played it live at the end-of-year recital or if it was just in the rehearsal space, but it was ALWAYS fun).

66. The Silent Man

Did not rank for me, which doesn't do the song justice. But such is the deal with ranking. Short and sweet!

65. Raise The Knife

Landed at 74 for me. Groovy!

[Stadler]

157. The Dark Eternal Night
154. S2N
150. The Killing Hand
145. Vacant
143. Honor Thy Father
142. Ytsejam
138. Wither
135. Only A Matter Of Time
124. Through Her Eyes
123. Never Enough
122. The Alien
121. Afterlife
120. A Fortune In Lies
105. Sleeping Giant
104. Surrender To Reason
----
97.  Awaken The Master
96.  Behind The Veil
85.  Constant Motion
80.  The Enemy Inside
76.  The Shattered Fortress
67.  The Silent Man
59.  The Gift of Music
54.  Answering The Call
52.  Lost Not Forgotten
51.  Fall Into The Light
46.  A New Beginning
44.  Forsaken
41.  The Looking Glass
36.  New Millenium
33.  Transcending Time
31.  The Best Of Times
28.  Our New World
25.  Raise The Knife
23.  I Walk Beside You
14.  To Live Forever
5.    This Is The Life


The big winner here is "Raise The Knife"; I love that song and while I wasn't the highest ranker, I did make sure it had a prominent place on my list.

[MirrorMask]

My list so far.

I did the ranking three times: the first with the entire list presented, with everything the band has ever done. The second after trimming "the fat" (live jams, Majesty demos, Nomac tracks etc...). For the third and final ranking, which I submitted as it is with just a couple of manual changes here and there, I considered only the song that at least once, in the two previous rankings, came within the 100th position (no need to rank once again songs I don't like and I know anyway won't crack the top 100 no matter what), so my "final" list includes 129 songs. At the bottom I put the ones not ranked, where there isn't a number, it means they scored too low the first two times and I didn't bother to include them in the third ranking.


17 The Silent Man (66) +49
23 Through Her Eyes (73) +50
28 Wither (99) +71
29 Forsaken (95) +66
48 I Walk Beside You (80) +32
53 Only a Matter of Time (82) +29
58 Behind the Veil (89) +31
62 The Killing Hand (68) +6
68 A Fortune in Lies (78) +10
70 The Gift of Music (98) +28
72 Raise The Knife (65) -7
78 The Best of Times (77) -1
83 Transcending Time (90) +7
86 Vacant (97) +11
87 The Shattered Fortress (79) -8
89 Fall Into The Light (72) -17
96 Never Enough (100) +4
97 Answering the Call (76) -21
99 The Enemy Inside (83) -16
100 S2N (94) -6
==========================
NR Afterlife (96)
123 Our New World (93) -30
NR The Looking Glass (92)
NR A New Beginning (91)
110 This is the Life (88) -22
102 New Millennium (87) -15
NR Constant Motion (86)
NR Sleeping Giant (85)
115 Surrender to Reason (84) -31
NR Awaken the Master (81)
NR To Live Forever (76)
NR Lost not Forgotten (73)
NR Honor Thy Father (71)
NR The Dark Eternal Night (70)
107 The Alien (69) -38
117 Ytse Jam (67) -50


My top 5 ranking songs that already came out are all amongst the "easiest" ones from DT, what a soft poser I am 

[HOF]

YtseJam is ok but it always felt a bit repetitive and like the band finding their footing in terms of how to write an instrumental piece. May prefer the OiaLT version to the studio version.

The Silent Man is great, have always loved it. Really nice showcase for James, and a nice acoustic performance by JP.

Raise the Knife is tremendous and should have been on FII probably. I agree, it’s one of MP’s better lyrics. The arrangement maybe could have done with some cleaning up, but they still killed it on Score. Love that performance.

[Lonk]

73. Lost Not Forgotten
Highest Finish: 10 (mariner)
Number of Lists appeared on: 47

72. Fall Into The Light
Highest Finish: 11 (DragonAttack)
Number of Lists appeared on: 50

71. Honor Thy Father
Highest Finish: 10 (nobloodyname)
Number of Lists appeared on: 46

70. The Dark Eternal Night
Highest Finish: 6 (ReaperKK)
Number of Lists appeared on: 43

69. The Alien
Highest Finish: 16 (TAC)
Number of Lists appeared on: 45

68. The Killing Hand
Highest Finish: 1 (Animal)
Number of Lists appeared on: 45

67. Ytse Jam
Highest Finish: 8 (porcacultor)
Number of Lists appeared on: 48

66. The Silent Man
Highest Finish: 12 (Evermind)
Number of Lists appeared on: 50

65. Raise The Knife
Highest Finish: 13 (Adami)
Number of Lists appeared on: 45

Catching up:

73.   Lost Not Forgotten: #39. Great track on a great album. While the intro goes on for about 30 seconds too long, the rest of the track is great.

72.   Fall Into The Light: #NR. This fall in the same category as Transcending Time, just never clicked with me. It's a fine song, but nothing special about it.

71.   Honor Thy Father #68. This is a fine song. Probably should've landed lower but I think is fine.

70.   The Dark Eternal Night: #86. Another song that probably should've landed lower. It's an ok song, with a great riff. But the improvised solo is less than inspiring.

69.   The Alien: #NR. In my opinion, the worst song from the MM Era, not counting the NOMAC tracks.

68.   The Killing Hand: #NR. This is a song that probably suffers from "I don't know it that well". I like it, but I guess I should spend more time with it.

67.   Ytse Jam: #NR. This was my go to instrumental track when I first discovered the band, but it has dropped off a lot.

66.   The Silent Man: #NR. It's a nice track, but there are more than 100 other better songs.

65.   Raise The Knife: #NR. See response to TKH.

[lightningbolt]

Ytse Jam - 61 - Fun instrumental.  When I was new to DT, I recall listening to "Instrumedley" on Budokan for the first time and loving it when they transitioned to the Ytse Jam section.  That was before I realized Ytse Jam was a separate instrumental from the rest of that medley. 

The Silent Man - 55 - I wish DT would do more stuff like this.  That pre solo instrumental bridge is sweet.  I also love the short guitar solo and that little wood (guitar?) pop/knock during it.

Raise the Knife -56 - Good stuff.  Should have made the album.

[SwedishGoose]

Ytse Jam, the only song from the debut that ranked for me was the instrumental at 88. Figures..... not the biggest fan of CD or the production. Cool, short instrumental but they would go on to greater things.
The Silent Man, my highest ranking so far at 19. A beautiful heartfelt acoustic song, a wonderful break in Awake. Not my highest ranked song from Awake though.
Raise the Knife did not rank for me. I think I only have it on the Score DVD so I almost never hear it.

My ranking so far

19 The Silent Man (66)
28 Through Her Eyes  (74)
32 Awaken the Master (81)
33 Sleeping Giant (85)
37 Our New World (93)
45 To Live Forever (76)
50 Answering the Call (75)
59 Transcending Time (90)
65 The Looking Glass (92)
75 The Alien (69)
81 Behind the Veil (89)
87 Surrender To Reason (83)
88 Ytse Jam (67)
89 Forsaken (95)
91. The Gift of Music (98)
94. Never Enough (100)
100 Honor Thy Father (71)



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), The Shattered Fortress (79), A Fortune In Lies (78), The Best Of Times (78), Lost Not Forgotten (73), Fall Into the Light (72), The Dark Eternal Night (70), The Killing Hand (68), Raise The Knife (65)

Rated: 17
Not rated: 19

[Indiscipline]

Ytse Jam: 87. Beautiful fun, complex yet never self-indulgent.

The Silent Man: 48. Deep and simple at the same time. The last chorus one octave up in Live Scenes is a Top 3 James moment.

Raising the Knife: didn't make the cut. A side of DT I can't appreciate much.


The Score so far:

21 - A New Beginning
27 - The Best of Times
33 - Surrender to Reason
36 - This Is the Life
45 - Vacant
46 - The Gift of Music
48 - The Silent Man
68 - Our New World
71 - Behind the Veil
72 - The Looking Glass
87 - Ytse Jam
89 - Through Her Eyes
90 - Lost Not Forgotten
92 - The Killing Hand
96 - Fall Into the Light
97 - A Fortune in Lies

Not Ranked: 20

[jingle.boy]

Raising the Knife: didn't make the cut. A side of DT I can't appreciate much.

You mean, the bitter side? 
Or the ironic side.