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

[ReaperKK]

49t. A Nightmare To Remember
Highest Finish: 8 (Mladen)

There is some sort of a mix up here, man. I had A Nightmare to remember at #17. I did still rank it pretty high up, I do love it. It was the first new Dream Theater song that I heard after becoming a fan and I remember that I had to lie down once I first listened to it. It was exhausting. 

A View and Lie didn't make it, but This dying soul was my #20. The entire song is spectacular, but that outro is their second best outro ever, only coming behind the ending solo in The Ministry of lost souls

pm sent!

[pg1067]

49t. A View From The Top Of The World

49t. A Nightmare To Remember

47t. Lie

47t. This Dying Soul

I had View at #48.  It's solid, but it hasn't yet crept into the upper echelon of DT "epics."

Nightmare came in at #73.  It's a really good 9-minute song.  Unfortunately, it's nearly twice that long.

Lie came in at #86.  It's ok and certainly better than its predecessor on the album.  I'm really surprised to see it this high.

TDS barely squeaked into my top 100 at #100.  It's just ok.



List                                                    Not Ranked         
100  This Dying Soul (47T)                  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), Raise the Knife (65)
98
97  This Is the Life (88)
96
95
94
93
92  The Ministry of Lost Souls (61)
91
90
89
88
87
86  Lie (47T)
85
84  Forsaken (95)
83
82
81
80
79  Vacant (97)
78
77  The Silent Man (66)
76
75  A Fortune in Lies (78)
74
73  A Nightmare to Remember (49T)
72
71
70
69
68  The Shattered Fortress (79)
67  The Dark Eternal Night (70)
66  Pale Blue Dot (62)
65  Transcending Time (90)
64
63
62
61  Beneath the Surface (64)
60  Hell's Kitchen (57)
59  Afterlife (96)
58
57  Surrender to Reason (83T)
56
55  The Alien (69)
54
53  The Bigger Picture (60)
52
51
50
49
48  A View from the Top of the World (49T)
47
46  Behind the Veil (89)
45
44  On the Backs of Angels (56)
43  Ytse Jam (67)
42
41  Through Her Eyes (74)
40
39  The Enemy Inside (83T)
38  Hollow Years (59)
37
36
35
34
33  Outcry (33)
32
31  The Looking Glass (92)
30
29
28  S2N (94)
27  Wither (99)
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19  Sacrificed Sons (63)
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

[pg1067]

Ok...since I didn't do this over the weekend...

55. Panic Attack - came in at #45 in the last countdown (-10)

54. These Walls - came in at #41 in the last countdown (-13)

53. The Great Debate - came in at #46 in the last countdown (-7)

52. Barstool Warrior - came in at #39 in the last countdown (-13)

51. Caught in a Web - came in at #63 in the last countdown (+12)

49T. A Nightmare to Remember - came in at #55 in the last countdown (+6)

47T. Lie - came in at #59T in the last countdown (+12)

47T. This Dying Soul - came in at #51 in the last countdown (+4)

(View is not included since it wasn't part of the last countdown)

[pg1067]

THE SCORE SO FAR
(The World Is Still Upside Down Edition)

1. A Dramatic Turn of Events (5 songs, 166 points):  This Is the Life (88), Lost Not Forgotten (73), Beneath the Surface (64), Outcry (58), On the Backs of Angels (56)

2. A View from the Top of the World (6 songs, 157 points):  Transcending Time (90), Sleeping Giant (85), Awaken the Master (81), Answering the Call (75), The Alien (69), A View from the Top of the World (49) I suspect we may have seen the last entry from this album.

3. Octavarium (5 songs, 153 points):  Never Enough (100), I Walk Beside You (80), Sacrificed Sons (63), Panic Attack (55), These Walls (54)

4. Awake (3 songs, 139 points):  The Silent Man (66), Caught in a Web (51), Lie (47T)

5. Distance over Time (4 songs, 124 points):  S2N (94), Fall into the Light (72), Pale Blue Dot (62), Barstool Warrior (52)

6. When Dream and Day Unite (5 songs, 114 points):  Afterlife (96), Only a Matter of Time (82), A Fortune in Lies (78), The Killing Hand (68), Ytse Jam (67) - I suspect we may have seen the last entry from this album since none of the three remaining songs from this album made the last countdown.

7. Falling into Infinity (3 songs, 100 points):  New Millennium (87), Hollow Years (59), Hell’s Kitchen (57)

8. Black Clouds & Silver Linings (4 songs, 99 points):  Wither (99), The Shattered Fortress (79), The Best of Times (77), A Nightmare to Remember (50)

9. Dream Theater (5 songs, 98 points):  The Looking Glass (92), Behind the Veil (89), The Enemy Inside (83T), Surrender to Reason (83T), The Bigger Picture (60)

10. Systematic Chaos (4 songs, 92 points):  Forsaken (95), Constant Motion (86), The Dark Eternal Night (70), The Ministry of Lost Souls (61)

11. Train of Thought (3 songs, 88 points):  Vacant (97), Honor Thy Father (71), This Dying Soul (47T)

12. Other (2 songs, 61 points):  To Live Forever (76), Raise the Knife (65) I expect we'll see no more non-album tracks for quite a while.

13. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (1 song, 48 points):  The Great Debate (53)

14. Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1 song, 27 points):  Through Her Eyes (74)

15. The Astonishing (3 songs, 21 points):  The Gift of Music (98), Our New World (93), A New Beginning (91) Maybe one more coming from this album?

16. Images and Words (0 songs)

[Wim Kruithof]

As I mentioned earlier, A View From the Top of the World was one of the hardest pieces for me to rank. I kept on swiping the track up and down, never higher than the #7 where it landed, but multiple times a little lower. In the end I decided a helicopter-view decision. I love Dream Theater far the most due to their wonderful, wonderful constructed epics. Therefore I ranked them (the ones I consider to be an epic) first, followed by the ranking machine. This one is considered lowest by me, but that's partly because In the Presence of Enemies has aged so well... Seeing A View live definitely improved my love for the piece.

This Dying Soul is an absolute masterpiece, which has the Metallica-riff style (which I love), but non of that band is able to stand aside Dream Theater, when it comes to musicianship. As follow up to The Glass Prison the song is first class brilliant.

095: I Walk Beside You     15
094: S2n     spot on
093: Never Enough     7
091: Caught In a Web     40
090: The Alien     21
089: Only a Matter of Time     7
088: Surrender to Reason     5
087: Forsaken     8
086: Through Her Eyes     12
085: The Silent Man     19
084: Constant Motion     2
083: Fall Into the Light     11
082: The Best of Times     5
079: On the Backs of Angels     23
078: Behind the Veil     11
077: Afterlife     19
076: Hollow Years     17
074: Sacrified Sons     9
068: The Enemy Inside     15
067: Pale Blue Dot     3
060: A Fortune in Lies     18
059: Hell's Kitchen     2
056: A Nightmare to Remember     7
054: The Looking Glass     38
053: Raise the Knife     12
050: Wither     49
048: Transcending Time     42
046: Barstool Warrior     6
044: Ytse Jam     23
042: The Killing Hand     26
041: Sleeping Giant     44
040: Answering the Call     45
037: The Bigger Picture     23
029: Awaken the Master     52
027: Honor Thy Father     44
025: Lie     22
018: Outcry     47
017: Beneath the Surface     49
016: The Shattered Fortress     63
014: This Dying Soul     33
010: The Ministry of Lost Souls     51
007: A View From the Top of the World     42

not rankend: 9 The Gift of Music / Vacant / Our New World / A New Beginning / This Is the Life / New Millennium / To Live Forever / Lost Not Forgotten / The Dark Eternal Night

[Wim Kruithof]

THE SCORE SO FAR
(The World Is Still Upside Down Edition)

2. A View from the Top of the World (6 songs, 157 points):  Transcending Time (90), Sleeping Giant (85), Awaken the Master (81), Answering the Call (75), The Alien (69), A View from the Top of the World (49T) I suspect we may have seen the last entry from this album.

I'll used to think Invisible Monster is the easiest piece to digest, so I really do believe that one's still to come. Several pages back I said that I pressumed all A View songs would make the list. Still looks that way to me (although it would surprise a little if Invisible Monster hit the 30's).

[pg1067]

Interestingly, other than the 6 songs from View (so far), only one song (Wither) made the top 100 that didn't make it last time, and I doubt any other songs will make it since that would involve a jump of 55+ spots.

So far, the biggest jump has been Through Her Eyes (#94 in the prior countdown, #74 this time), and the biggest drop has been Fall into the Light (#43 in the prior countdown, #72 this time).

[Wim Kruithof]

I really like your data-droppings pg1067.

[CharlesPL]

view - none
nightmare - none
lie - 14
Soul - 87

[Indiscipline]

A View from the Top of the World: didn't make the cut. Long rather than epic, tropey rather than progressive.

A Nightmare to Remember: didn't make the cut. Beautiful agony amidst regular agony.

Lie: 78. Powerful rocker with a bunch of really original bits in it.

This Dying Soul: didn't make the cut. Too much of a not so great thing.


The Score so far:

21 - A New Beginning
27 - The Best of Times
28 - Outcry
33 - Surrender to Reason
36 - This Is the Life
38 - Hell's Kitchen
45 - Vacant
46 - The Gift of Music
47 - Beneath the Surface
48 - The Silent Man
56 - The Bigger Picture
65 - Pale Blue Dot
68 - Our New World
71 - Behind the Veil
72 - The Looking Glass
78 - Lie
79 - Hollow Years
87 - Ytse Jam
89 - Through Her Eyes
90 - Lost Not Forgotten
92 - The Killing Hand
95 - Barstool Warrior
96 - Fall Into the Light
97 - A Fortune in Lies

Not Ranked: 30

[The Realm]

A View From The Top of the World - I ranked this 82. I have mixed feeling on this song but enough good ones to get it in the top 100. I also agree with pg that this will most likely be the last song we see from this album.

A Nightmare to Remember - never liked this song much upon album release. Loved it when I saw it live and also loved it during those new drummer auditions (although that wasn't the whole song we were seeing) but for some reason it made me like it more.....probably a bit long..my rank 74.

Lie - A great heavy tune which probably hasn't aged that great but still have to give it credit for how much I loved it in the 90s. My rank 38.

The Dying Soul - So much to love in this song, some really great music that really hits the spot for me like most of the album does. I know this style isn't for everyone but I do love some great heavy DT. My rank 36.

Still 10 unranked. And on a side note, can't wait to see Indiscipline's full list - 30 songs unranked so far!

[jammindude]

A View from the Top of the World - 58

Decent epic. Not quite as good as the others, but a worthy entry

A Nightmare to Remember - 56

Pretty close to View’s ranking. This is probably the best post-8V pre-MM song they did.

Lie - DNR

The only dud from Awake. Almost ruins the otherwise amazing Mirror.  How this got to be the lead single from the album, I’ll never know.

This Dying Soul - 76

This seems too low. I’m disappointed in myself for letting this slip so far down my list. Really all of the first 3 entries in the 12SS should be in my top 50, so this was an oversight.

[Jamesman42]

I will not carry 50-100 through the rest of this thread.

49t. A View From The Top Of The World (NR) I gave this song 5 chances and I was never impressed. I do intend to give it more chances, maybe it'll click one day.
49t. A Nightmare To Remember (68th) Much of this song is pretty good, and then Beautiful Agony is many tiers above it. It's too long, though.
47t. Lie (72nd) Really cool song, maybe should be higher for me, and the instrumental rocks.
47t. This Dying Soul (34th) The moment that riff hits and the band comes in...come on! So good! Lots to like, a great part of the 12SS.

[TAC]

49t. A View From The Top Of The World
Highest Finish: 4 (ReaperKK)
Number of Lists appeared on: 53 (Animal, Awaken, Ben_Jamin, bosk1, CanuckChum, Cool Chris, Dave_Manchester, devieira73, DragonAttack, Dream Team, Fonzie, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, Lethean, lucasembarbosa, mariner, Metro, MirrorMask, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, NoFred, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, porcacultor, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, Revenge319, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, Stadler, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, twosuitsluke, Vmadera00, WardySI, weirdo, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

49t. A Nightmare To Remember
Highest Finish: 8 (Mladen)
Number of Lists appeared on: 58 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, Ben_Jamin, bosk1, CanuckChum, devieira73, Dittomist, DragonAttack, Dream Team, DTwwbwMP, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, geeeemo, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, lightningbolt, lucasembarbosa, mariner, Metro, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, NoFred, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, porcacultor, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, Revenge319, Setlist Scotty, Stadler, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, twosuitsluke, Vmadera00, weirdo, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

47t. Lie
Highest Finish: 9 (ReaPsTA, WardySI)
Number of Lists appeared on: 56 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, bosk1, CharlesPL, Cool Chris, Dave_Manchester, devieira73, Dittomist, DragonAttack, DTwwbwMP, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, geeeemo, Indiscipline, Jamesman42, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, Lethean, lightningbolt, lucasembarbosa, mariner, Metro, MirrorMask, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, NoFred, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, porcacultor, ReaPsTA, Revenge319, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, Stadler, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, twosuitsluke, Vmadera00, WardySI, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

47t. This Dying Soul
Highest Finish: 1 (Dave_Manchester)
Number of Lists appeared on: 53 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, bosk1, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, Dave_Manchester, devieira73, Dittomist, DTwwbwMP, energythief, Evermind, hefdaddy42, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, jonny108, JPZealot, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, lightningbolt, lucasembarbosa, mariner, Metro, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, NoFred, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, porcacultor, ReaperKK, Revenge319, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, Stadler, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, twosuitsluke, Vmadera00, weirdo, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

I had A View From The Top Of The World at #39.
This is a really great tune. It's very easy on the ears, and man that outro live was 

I had A Nightmare To Remember at #77.
I feel like this song is about 4 minutes too long. The outro is never ending. But besides that, I like the rest of it.

I had Lie at #95.
At least I can say that Lie > The Mirror.

I had This Dying Soul at #20.
Great and heavy and progressive tune. It all works for me.



List                                                    Not Ranked         
100                                                      Wither
99                                                        Vacant
98                                                        Our New World
97                                                        The Looking Glass
96                                                        Transcending Time
95  Lie                                                  Behind The Veil
94                                                        New Millenium   
93  Caught In A Web                              Constant Motion
92                                                        The Shattered Fortress
91                                                        To Live Forever
90  Forsaken                                         Answering The Call
89                                                        Honor Thy Father
88                                                        The Silent Man
87                                                        Hell's Kitchen
86                                                        The Great Debate
85  Pale Blue Dot
84
83
82
81
80  Awaken The Master
79  On The Backs Of Angels
78
77  A Nightmare To Remember
76  S2N
75  These Walls
74  Afterlife
73  This Is The Life
72
71
70
69  Surrender Of Reason
68
67
66
65  Sacrificed Sons
64  Beneath The Surface
63  Through Her Eyes
62  The Bigger Picture
61  I Walk Beside You
60  Never Enough
59  A New Beginning
58
57
56
55
54  Barstool Warrior
53
52
51
50
49
48
47
46
45
44  Panic Attack
43
42  The Ministry Of Lost Souls
41  Sleeping Giant
40
39  A View From The Top Of The World
38
37  Fall Into The Light
36
35  The Gift Of Music
34
33
32
31  Ytse Jam
30
29
28  The Enemy Inside
27
26  Only A Matter Of Time
25
24  Raise The Knife
23  Hollow Years
22  The Dark Eternal Night
21  Outcry
20  This Dying Soul
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




39 -15

[Dave_Manchester]

Catching up...

1. This Dying Soul
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12. Outcry
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21. The Great Debate
22. The Shattered Fortress
23. Answering The Call
24.
25.
26.
27. Awaken The Master
28.
29.
30.
31.
32. Forsaken
33. A View From The Top Of The World
34.
35.
36. Beneath The Surface
37.
38.
39.
40.
41. The Best of Times
42. On The Backs of Angels
43.
44.
45.
46. Panic Attack
47. Lie
48.
49. The Alien
50.
51. Behind the Veil
52.
53. These Walls
54.
55. The Ministry of Lost Souls
56. Sleeping Giant
57. Fall Into The Light
58. Pale Blue Dot
59.
60. Sacrificed Sons
61. Honor Thy Father
62. New Millennium
63.
64. Barstool Warrior
65.
66. Hell's Kitchen
67.
68.
69. The Bigger Picture
70.
71. Transcending Time (my lowest ranked song from View)
72.
73. I Walk Beside You
74.
75. Never Enough
76. Hollow Years (#TeamBudokan by the way)
77.
78.
79. Caught In A Web
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86. Surrender To Reason
87.
88. Vacant (lowest ranked song from ToT)
89.
90.
91.
92. The Looking Glass
93. A Fortune In Lies
94. Ytse Jam
95. Afterlife
96.
97.
98. Constant Motion
99.
100. The Enemy Inside


Some comments:

Panic Attack is just the perfect marriage of music and lyrics, with those palpitating rhythms at the start and Labrie's quivery vocals in the "Run, try to hide" sections. The entire song feels like emotional overload.

I don't mind the Toolisms in The Great Debate, because I happen to love Tool (stop your sniggering at the back). The opening and the closing sections are a tad too long, and I think it could probably have used a better chorus than "LIFE TO SAVE LIFE", but again...they were going for a Tool vibe. Great instrumental section. Disc 1 of Six Degrees really is the band's finest hour in my opinion (we'll get to disc 2 in due course...)

A View From The Top Of The World...yeah, good long song. Despite the length it doesn't have the epic quality of their other very long songs, this one is basically just like the other tunes on View but twice longer. There are no transcendent moments, which all their other +20 minute songs have. Nothing spine-chilling. But it's 20 minutes of good riffs, good solos, nice melodies and an unexpected ending. Very happy to see 6 of View's 7 songs make the list (chap earlier said he thinks Invisible Monster will still make it - I love it but no chance). 

A Nightmare To Remember didn't make my list. It's one of those DT songs where I feel there's a fantastic 7 or 8 minute song somewhere inside it (looking at you too, Ministry of Lost Souls). As it is, it's just too messy for me, and the Opeth homage during the "everyone survived" denouement sits awkwardly with me.

Lie. That outro. 'nuff said. JP's tone on the Awake album was incredible.

This Dying Soul. My #1. I went with nostalgia in the end. Train of Thought was the first album to come out when I was a huge fan of the band and it blew me away. To this day I still name it as my favourite metal album. I'm actually not much of a metal guy but something about that album really affected me. For me This Dying Soul is the best representation of what Dream Theater do that no other band is capable of doing. It thrilled me then and it still does now. If Honor Thy Father had been closer to the demo version (the "expecting everyone to bow and kiss your feet" section is taken at a more leisurely pace and it think it sounds a lot better that way), I'd name ToT as a basically flawless album.

[devieira73]

A View From The Top Of The World (my #38) is really great, but there are better DT epics.

It has its flaws, but the best parts of A Nightmare To Remember (my # 14) more than make up for it, making it truly excellent. I love the live version with Mangini.

This Dying Soul (my #90) is also my third favorite part of the suite. Has DT ever made a heavier and more intense piece of music than this?!

Lie (my #57) is really killer and that outro is amazing!

[wolfking]

I had AVFTTOTW at number 30.  This surprised me where it ended up but I've been loving this song more and more.  When I started to warm to some of the new album, it was this song I kept coming back to.  It took so long to grow but it's worthy of it's ranking.  I think everything about it is just excellent and I love the twist of the outro, very classy.

ANTR came in at 53.  Always been an enjoyable song.  The beautiful agony section is amazing and I love the whole metal vibe of it.  The MP part is awful though.  If they got Arkefeldt to do this section like they were thinking, it could have escalated the song into elite territory for me.

Lie.  34 for me.  Probably a bit high but this one always stuck with me.  I found it catchy and James' strange delivery kept growing on me too.  Cool, heavy shit with a 90's flavour.

TDS last time we did this came in at number 1.  This time, it came in at number 2.  I still wonder if it losing the top spot was the right thing but what's done is done.  It's amazing in every facet.  Heavy, ripping and the last minute is epic fucking DT at its best.  Really fun song to play too. 


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                                Ytse Jam
92                                                      The Silent Man
91 Hollow Years                                   Raise the Knife
90 Sacrificed Sons                               Beneath the Surface
89 Only A Matter of Time
88 Vacant
87
86 Through Her Eyes
85
84
83
82 Transcending Time
81
80
79 Pale Blue Dot
78 Wither
77
76
75 The Ministry of Lost Souls
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 Panic Attack
62
61 On the Backs of Angels
60 
59
58 Afterlife
57 Caught In A Web
56
55
54 The Great Debate
53 A Nightmare to Remember
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 The Bigger Picture
36 Outcry
35 
34 Lie
33
32 I Walk Beside You
31
30 A View From the Top of the World
29 Surrender to Reason
28 Bartsool Warrior
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20 Behind the Veil
19 Honor Thy Father
18
17
16
15
14
13 These Walls
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2 This Dying Soul.
1

[wolfking]

This Dying Soul. My #1. I went with nostalgia in the end. Train of Thought was the first album to come out when I was a huge fan of the band and it blew me away. To this day I still name it as my favourite metal album. I'm actually not much of a metal guy but something about that album really affected me. For me This Dying Soul is the best representation of what Dream Theater do that no other band is capable of doing. It thrilled me then and it still does now. If Honor Thy Father had been closer to the demo version (the "expecting everyone to bow and kiss your feet" section is taken at a more leisurely pace and it think it sounds a lot better that way), I'd name ToT as a basically flawless album.

Did you submit a list last countdown mate and if so where did you rank this song?  I can't remember if I was the only one that had it in the top spot.

[Dave_Manchester]

^^ No, I missed the first DT countdown. This is my first time submitting a list.

[wolfking]

^^ No, I missed the first DT countdown. This is my first time submitting a list.

Ah yes, thought that might be the case.  I was sure I was the only one that had it in the top spot.  It's good to see someone give it as much love as I do. 

[twosuitsluke]

Got a bit of catching up to do it seems, life has been kicking my ass...

First up is Outcry. This song gets the award for being closest to make my top 100, whilst not, as it came in at #101. This is definitely a really cool song, but I think it may be a little overlong which ultimately hurt it in the rankings.

Hell's Kitchen was closely ranked, but also didn't make it at #104. This song isn't bad but I find it a little meandering and as someone who isn't a fan of FII, this did well to rank this high.

On The Backs of Angels DID make my top 100, at a very respectable #56. This was one of the big climbers from ADToE during this whole process and one I've come away with a much greater appreciation of. That intro with the choir is just epic as shit and the song just stays consistently great throughout.

Panic Attack is one of my highest ranked yet, at #16. Holy shit, that intro, I freaking love it. I don't often pay attention to lyrics in a lot of songs but these ones do stand out a bit more. Everything about this song rocks, but the pounding riff/drum combo is my favourite thing

These Walls also starts with a beast of a riff and then the keys coming in, just fucking godly. The verses pake in comparison to the chorus in this song. The instrumentation going on is just so damn good. Those choruses alone are pretty much enough to seal this.

On to The Great Debate. I had this at #65. I thinks this songs subject matter, for me, kinda helps and hinders it at the same time. I love the questions it brings up and find the whole debate very interesting, but it feels slightly less of a song because of it. It feels to me like a mini documentary in song form. I'm also not the biggest fan of the album, so #65 is about right for me.

Barstool Warrior was at #82, and even though it's a pretty decent song it baffles me that it's higher than some of the songs we've already seen.

I don't mind Caught In a Web too much, but it still only landed at #91. Musically it is pretty cool but as catchy as the chorus is, I also find it kind of annoying.

If there's one thing I know, it is that DT epics generally rank in the higher side with me. A View from the Top of the World was the highest ranking song from the album of the same name, and I had it at #77.

A Nightmare To Remember is my highest ranked so far, just shy of my top 10, at #11. Yea, I love BC&SL and I love pretty much everything about this song. There are so many good bits but the "Hopelessly drifting, bathing in beautiful agony..." part is one of my all time favourite DT moments. This should be higher, but I guess Mike's vocals kinda ruined it's chances there.

Lie has some really cool bits alongside so not so cool bits. That's all I've got... #75

Finally, This Dying Soul was my #76 pick. Another ToT song that I can appreciate as being pretty decent yet never have the desire to listen to (basically how I feel about the whole album).

Think that's everything for now.


My ranking so far:

11. A Nightmare To Remember
13. Wither
16. Panic Attack
18. The Dark Eternal Night
20. Never Enough
21. The Ministry of Lost Souls
23. Sacrificed Sons
27. The Best of Times
28. These Walls
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
56. On the Backs of Angels
57. The Bigger Picture
62. Surrender to Reason
64. Fall Into the Light
65. The Great Debate
69. Ytse Jam
73. Honor Thy Father
75. Lie
76. This Dying Soul
77. A View from the Top of the World
80. To Live Forever
82. Barstool Warrior
83. This is the Life
84. Lost Not Forgotten
86. Our New World
91. Caught In a Web
93. Hollow Years
96. Beneath the Surface
99. Pale Blue Dot
100. New Millennium

Not ranked:

101. Outcry
104. Hell's Kitchen
109. Vacant
110. The Silent Man
111. Raise The Knife
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

[ReaperKK]

In the previous update there were two ties, after Mladen noticed that he was ranked higher than he submitted I got his list and went back and checked it out. I fixed the mistake there and updated the rank, the only difference it made was rank Nightmare slightly lower. Apologies!

With that we have another tie today!

46. One Last Time
Highest Finish: 8 (SwedishGoose)
Number of Lists appeared on: 57 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, Ben_Jamin, bosk1, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, Cool Chris, Dave_Manchester, Dittomist, DragonAttack, Dream Team, DTwwbwMP, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, Indiscipline, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, Lethean, lightningbolt, lucasembarbosa, mariner, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, nobloodyname, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, Podaar, porcacultor, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, romdrums, Stadler, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Toro, twosuitsluke, Vmadera00, weirdo, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

I'm a big fan of One Last Time.

44t. Peruvian Skies
Highest Finish: 8 (Vmadera00)
Number of Lists appeared on: 59 (Adami, Animal, Awaken, axeman90210, bosk1, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, Cool Chris, Dave_Manchester, devieira73, Dittomist, DTwwbwMP, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, Indiscipline, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, jingle.boy, jonny108, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, Lethean, lightningbolt, lucasembarbosa, mariner, Metro, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, NoFred, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, PixelDream, Podaar, porcacultor, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, Stadler, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, twosuitsluke, Vmadera00, WardySI, weirdo, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

Fantastic tune from a fantastic record.

44t. Wait For Sleep
Highest Finish: 4 (WardySI)
Number of Lists appeared on: 59 (Adami, Animal, axeman90210, Ben_Jamin, bosk1, CanuckChum, CharlesPL, Cool Chris, devieira73, Dittomist, DragonAttack, Dream Team, energythief, Evermind, Fonzie, geeeemo, hefdaddy42, Indiscipline, Jamesman42, jammindude, jeff_kinsley, JiM-Xtreme, jingle.boy, JPZealot, KevShmev, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, Lethean, lightningbolt, mariner, Metro, MirrorMask, Mladen, MoraWintersoul, Mosh, MustActFastToCoverUp, nobloodyname, NoFred, OpenYourEyes311, Peter Mc, pg1067, PixelDream, ReaperKK, ReaPsTA, Revenge319, romdrums, Setlist Scotty, Stadler, SwedishGoose, TAC, The Realm, Toro, Trav86, twosuitsluke, Vmadera00, WardySI, weirdo, Wim Kruithof, wolfking, Zydar)

A beautiful song. It's the perfect length and is the perfect lead into Learning to Live.

[Animal]

THE SCORE SO FAR
(The World Is Still Upside Down Edition)

2. A View from the Top of the World (6 songs, 157 points):  Transcending Time (90), Sleeping Giant (85), Awaken the Master (81), Answering the Call (75), The Alien (69), A View from the Top of the World (49T) I suspect we may have seen the last entry from this album.

I'll used to think Invisible Monster is the easiest piece to digest, so I really do believe that one's still to come. Several pages back I said that I pressumed all A View songs would make the list. Still looks that way to me (although it would surprise a little if Invisible Monster hit the 30's).

I have made my fair share of wrong predictions (like the one about how, by the time we hit the Top 50, this thread was going to get longer than MP 's return thread) but I think you are beating me handily here in that regard. IMO, Invisible Monster is about as likely to make the Top 100 as You Not Me.

[MirrorMask]

I had One Last Time at 55, 9 positions lower.

Probably the only song on Scenes from a Memory that works better in the context of the album, anyway, it's still a great song with many wonderful melodies.

Peruvian Skies almost cracked my top 20 - it ended up at 21, fantastic song and I love the Floyd / Metallica inserts live. On any other day it could probably rank a bit lower but who cares, it's a great song and one of the best on Falling Into Infinity.

Wait for Sleep is a jewel and a masterpiece, a big legacy left from Kevin More. I don't consider it an intro or an interlude, but a wonderful song on its own and a masterpiece in a masterpiece album.

Having said that, competition is so tough so it ended up at 34, 10 positions higher.

[hefdaddy42]

46 One Last Time - Pretty close to the consensus.  I had this one at # 41.  Just a really nice composition, and a wonderful part of SFAM.

44t Peruvian Skies - This is weird.  I have this one at # 74, which seems wrong to me; it feels like I like it better than that lol.  One of my favorites from Falling Into Infinity.

44t Wait For Sleep - Again, pretty close to the consensus.  I have it at # 42.  Beautiful, haunting, and tasteful.

[Animal]

One Last Time (52) Like so many SFAM songs, it is a bit handicapped in one-to-one comparisons, but for me, it always punched way above its short length (again, like may SFAM songs do).

Peruvian Skies (82) Far from the most interesting or original DT song, still quite solid compared to a good chunk of FII (and nowhere near as good as the only two A tier DT songs on that album).

Wait For Sleep (13) I have loved this one since the first time I heard IaW. A little transitional piece, but the one I have always liked even better than the song it transitions to. Actually, looking at my list now, it's my highest ranked IaW song.

[Lonk]

46. One Last Time
Highest Finish: 8 (SwedishGoose)
Number of Lists appeared on: 57

44t. Peruvian Skies
Highest Finish: 8 (Vmadera00)
Number of Lists appeared on: 59

44t. Wait For Sleep
Highest Finish: 4 (WardySI)
Number of Lists appeared on: 59

One Last Time: #32 Really fun little track, and I love the call back to this in the closing track of the album.

Peruvian Skies: #8 Yeah, this track is just great. It has a little bit of everything I love about Dream Theater in under 7 minutes.

Wait for Sleep: #73 This should've been higher on my list. Really love this tune.

[SwedishGoose]

One Last Time, such a short sweet beautiful song. Didn't think I would be the highest ranker for anything else than my number 1 but this at 8 was highest too. How can that be? Beautiful piano  great guitar, wonderful bass and great vocal melodies.
Peruvian Skies ranked at 86 for me. Great song that could have possibly jumped up a little bit if I had listened before ranking.
Wait for Sleep ranked at 27 for me. Fantastic short song..... piano and vocals give me goose bumps.




My ranking so far

8 One Last Time (46)
19 The Silent Man (66)
21 Caught In a Web (51)
27 Wait For Sleep (44t)
28 Through Her Eyes  (74)
32 Awaken the Master (81)
33 Sleeping Giant (85)
37 Our New World (93)
41 A View from the Top of the World (49t)
44 The Great Debate (53)
45 To Live Forever (76)
47 Lie (47t)
50 Answering the Call (75)
54 Beneath the Surface (64)
57 Pale Blue Dot (62)
59 Transcending Time (90)
64 Sacrificed Sons (63)
65 The Looking Glass (92)
66 Hollow Years (59)
75 The Alien (69)
77 A Nightmare To Remember (49t)
81 Behind the Veil (89)
86 Peruvian Skies (44t)
87 Surrender To Reason (83)
88 Ytse Jam (67)
89 Forsaken (95)
91. The Gift of Music (98)
94. Never Enough (100)
99 These Walls (54)
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), The Ministry of Lost Souls (61), The Bigger Picture (60), Outcry (58),  Hell's Kitchen (57), On The Backs Of Angels (56), Panic Attack (55), Barstool Warrior (52), This Dying Soul (47t)

Rated: 30
Not rated: 27

[Stadler]

157. The Dark Eternal Night
155. Hell's Kitchen
154. S2N
150. The Killing Hand
145. Vacant
143. Honor Thy Father
142. Ytsejam
139. Panic Attack
138. Wither
135. Only A Matter Of Time
132. Barstool Warrior
124. Through Her Eyes
123. Never Enough
122. The Alien
121. Afterlife
120. A Fortune In Lies
109. Outcry
105. Sleeping Giant
104. Surrender To Reason
----
97.  Awaken The Master
96.  Behind The Veil
95.  The Great Debate
90.  On The Backs Of Angels
85.  Constant Motion
84.  Beneath The Surface
82.  Peruvian Skies
80.  The Enemy Inside
78.  Hollow Years
76.  The Shattered Fortress
73.  Lie
68.  A Nightmare To Remember
67.  The Silent Man
61.  These Walls
59.  The Gift of Music
57.  The Bigger Picture
56.  One Last Time
55.  Pale Blue Dot
54.  Answering The Call
52.  Lost Not Forgotten
51.  Fall Into The Light
46.  A New Beginning
44.  Forsaken
43.  A View From The Top Of The World
41.  The Looking Glass
40.  The Ministry Of Lost Souls
36.  New Millenium
34.  Wait For Sleep
33.  Transcending Time
31.  The Best Of Times
28.  Our New World
25.  Raise The Knife
23.  I Walk Beside You
21.  Sacrificed Sons
19.  Caught In A Web
14.  To Live Forever
7.    This Dying Soul
5.    This Is The Life

[MirrorMask]

I noticed it's three entries already that all the songs listed are in someone's top 10. Should we assume that it's gonna be this way until the top position? that if songs around the 40th mark are already in someone's top ten, it's only logical and mathematical that songs that ranked even higher are in someone's top 10 as well?

[Mladen]

One last time was my #56. This is one of their best ballads, without a doubt. That last minute is just majestic and one of the highlights of their performance when I saw them play the entire album in 2020.

Peruvian skies was my #9. I assume I was its 2nd highest voter. Needless to say, I love everything about this song and I'm glad it cracked the top fifty.

Wait for sleep was my #52. Another amazing tune. Nothing to add to everything that was said about it over the years.

[CharlesPL]

One Last Time - 50
Peruvian Skies - 38
Wait For Sleep - 25

[Zydar]

One Last Time - As much as I love SFAM, this one has never been a standout track. It's still damn fine though. #54 for me.

Peruvian Skies - "Poor Vanessa". An early favourite from when I got into the album. The live version with a touch of Enter Sandman was pretty cool. #40

Wait For Sleep - Amazingly beautiful. If I could play the piano, that's a song I'd love to be able to play. I had it at #12.

[HOF]

I really like One Last Time, though I think of it more as a segway than a stand alone song.

Peruvian Skies is one I go back and forth on. Part of me feels it’s too derivative of Rush/Pink Floyd/Metallica, and part of me just doesn’t love it musically. I do think it’s a strong lyric though, and I’ve always really liked the drumming on it. Ultimately, I favor other stuff from the FII sessions that got left off the album, but I think it’s a decent track.

Wait for Sleep is gorgeous and has always been a favorite moment on I&W. Also one of the few songs I’ve ever learned properly on piano. Really nice piece that links up nicely with Learning to Live.

[DragonAttack]

52.  Barstool Warrior (#50) I treat this as a Side One album ending track.  Fits like a glove.
51.   Caught In A Web (#82)
50.   A Nightmare To Remember (#99) the agony is beautiful, other great moments, but there’s too many flaws throughout
49.   A View From The Top Of The World (#83) fifteen minutes might have been better.
47t.  Lie (#91) I happen to prefer the 45 version
47t.  This Dying Soul (NR) we are such a diverse group! 😉
46.   One Last Time (#28) Pavlovian bump.  Can’t listen to ‘Dance of Eternity’ without hearing this and the next song.
44t.  Peruvian Skies (NR) * my second oversight.  Would have been in the 80s.  Otherwise, it would have been the first listed song to gather sixty votes.
44t.  Wait For Sleep (#17) another Pavlovian bump. Just gotta listen to the next song!

40/57 **

Oh, and thanks to all the musicians on this thread for their various comments.