MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
It's a well-known fact that John Myung has written the lyrics to all of Dream Theater's instrumentals.
DREAM THEATER SURVIVOR 2016: Results -> A Change Of Seasons wins!
- Thread starter Night Prowler
- Start date
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Finally Free + the entire middle portion of SC, which is...fucking terrible.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
The worst? Definitely not. Repentance and Prophets of War are far worse on this album, so is Dark Eternal Night. But Enemies, Forsaken, and Ministry are far better.
Saapanael
Ancient Mariner
I just based that off the amount of votes. Constant Motion and Prophets of War are the songs most voted for.
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
There is no bad song on Systematic Chaos. Only awesomeness and beauty. I will explain that in my progressively longer mega-post that now does not only have to contain 8, but SC as well, so I wonder if it's going to be finished in due time.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Systematic Chaos is mostly bad, with two great songs (one broken up stupidly). Portnoy's drive to "sound cool" really killed the subtlety the band had built up with 8.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Very true. Just wish he'd write some less obvious lyrics again. 
Alright lets get this over with.
SC is my least favorite DT album (yes, even worse than the debut) and the only one I'd consider bad. As I mentioned earlier, I think this really suffered from the band going in with no real direction beforehand and just doing whatever. That works for a lot of bands (see Maiden) but not really DT. Their best albums are the ones that had some sort of concept or theme from the beginning. People like to blame MP for this album (or MP fanboys like to defend it shamelessly), which is completely inaccurate. I'd go even further in saying that this album could've used more MP input, because his lyrics are the best on the album and his musical contributions are some of the better things on here. This is totally a JP album. From the weird fantasy lyrics to the riff driven generic Metal songs. I get why people think MP is behind it all, he puts himself in the forefront and filmed the documentary, but the devil is in the details. Watching the documentary it feels like JP is the only one who really feels all that enthusiastic about any of the album. JR and Myung don't really participate in the documentary and JLB says it's the most fun he's had since Awake but he never says much beyond that. MP seems enthusiastic about the band, his drum parts, ITPOE, and the songs he wrote lyrics to, but besides that he doesn't really go that much into the album specifically. JP has a lot to say about the actual music and lyrics on the album. I love Petrucci, he is my favorite guitarist, and his mark is all over this album in a bad way.
And in retrospect, the DT sound that began with this album didn't end until The Astonishing.
I actually only actively dislike a few songs on here. There are two crippling problems with the album as a whole though
1: DT songs are so long and there are so few songs on a DT album that one or two songs can really ruin the whole experience. BC&SL is an even better example of this, but we'll get to that later.
2: Even though there are some songs I enjoy in context of the album, as a whole the sound of this album is not what I want from DT and I never go out of my way to listen to any of these songs. The Dark Eternal Night is a great example of this. I don't really have any qualms with that song but at the same time it's not one I love.
Edit: So when I'm being positive about certain songs, that's really only in context of this album. It's like Glam Metal or Nu Metal I guess. I can enjoy it for what it is if I have to listen to it, but I'm never going to do so voluntarily (some exceptions for glam metal tho).
The other problem is the production. I get major fatigue listening to this album. It's too loud. Even Repentance, which is supposed to be mellow, has no dynamics.
ITPOE Part 1 - Actually a really good start to the album. I like that they started this with an extended instrumental. No other DT album really has that, usually they start off with something a bit more vocally driven or atmospheric. Even the start of the song really signifies something different, so that's positive at least. I don't really have anything bad to say about part 1, my only complaints are those that are really complaints about the whole album (production too loud, lyrics too literal, JLB doesn't sound that good). As a song, it's definitely one of the better moments on the album. I don't really think breaking it up was a great idea though. I get that they didn't want to follow up Octavarium so soon, but it's really different enough that they could've justified keeping it as one piece. That said, it's nice having just Part 1 when I don't feel like hearing the whole piece, which I'm rarely in the mood for. And I guess having the album bookended by a two part song is kinda cool. So it does work OK and we have live versions of the song played as one.
Forsaken - This song is so wrong for DT. My only explanation for this is that they signed to Roadrunner and felt obligated to write some generic Metal song as a single. It doesn't have any of the traits that I enjoy in a DT song. I don't mind when they do something different, I actually welcome it, but this was a major misstep. There isn't even anything to say about it really. It's just bland. It's the Applebee's of Dream Theater music. And JP was reading Twilight when he wrote the lyrics. It gets a vote.
Constant Motion - Love this song. I actually heard it for the first time in the Rock Band video game. It was my first taste of 00's DT and I actually really liked it. It's what a modern Metal DT should sound like. Lots of cool polyrhythms and crazy vocal effects. I love the bit that ends with "RANDOM THOUGHTS OF NEAT DISORDER" or whatever the lyric is there. Everything is so chaotic but still organized. Systematic Chaos. This song captures that perfectly and I wish more of the album was like it. It's also why I think it's inaccurate to blame the album on MP. In the documentary he said he had ideas for what this album could be but held his tongue on them. They probably could've used more of his direction on this. His lyrics are way better than JP's on this album and this whole song slays. MP's drumming is incredible on this. Also both JP and JR have fantastic solos. Best song on the album.
The Dark Eternal Night - Lyrics are cheesy in a fun way, I don't mind them. This is a song I need to be in the right mood for. Relative to everything else on the album it's one of the better songs, but not the sort of song I'd go out of my way for and tends to be a bathroom break song on the live albums. This is also a good example of a totally inappropriate song for JLB. They have to make his vocals completely unintelligible at times just to make them work for this song. The stuff without the distortion isn't very good either.
I really dig the instrumental section though. It's a progressive metal blend that you don't hear much in a DT song. Has a very classic DT vibe. Love the jazz/ragtime bits. The riffs are a lot of fun to play on guitar too. I can see why they like playing this live so much. One of those songs that's more fun to play than to listen to I suppose.
But like I said, I enjoy it if I'm in the right mood and it's a bright spot on an otherwise dull album.
Repentance - Funny story about this song. I vividly remember listening to this album for the first time. This was one of my first few DT albums, so they were still very much a new band for me. I think this was my 3rd album after Awake and I&W. Anyway, I remember listening to the album and being pretty meh on it up until Repentance, where I hit peak boredom. I think I got halfway through the song before I couldn't take anymore, stopped the whole album, and switched it to The Chemical Wedding (idk, it's what I wanted to listen to instead). I put this album away permanently for a long time after that. I don't think I finally managed to get through it in full until I had heard everything else. It left a very poor taste in my mouth and is still the only DT album I couldn't get through the first time. That said, it's also important to remember that I was still new to prog so long albums/songs were something I was still learning to sit through. I was still developing an attention span.
The song has grown on me though. JP's solo is beautiful and there are some nice melodies. I really like the chorus and how the whole thing recalls This Dying Soul.
I wish there were a bit more dynamics, it's still so loud despite being mellow. The part after the apologies with the vocal harmonies should be a huge epic climax to the song, but it doesn't happen because there was no crescendo. Everything just stays at one dynamic.
It's a production issue, but it spoils the song.
The length is a bit much, though it works in context of the suite and the album. After 30 minutes of really heavy music, it makes sense to have 10 minutes of something soft (kinda). Not much use for the song outside of that though. I won't vote for it now, but if it survives this round I probably will next time.
Prophets of War - I don't really hate this song. DT do generic Muse ripoff better than generic Metal song, so it's better than Forsaken from that angle. The chorus isn't bad. But yea, pretty generic and not the sort of song I want to hear from DT. Once again, MP contributes something really cool to this song. The Queen harmonies in the second verse are so cool. The rap, on the other hand, is not. But since the lyrics are entirely credited to JLB, I assume that was his idea.
This is the sort of thing where DT could really use an outside producer like Kevin Shirley to tell them when they're going off the deep end. This song isn't bad, but it really should've been left off the album.
It gets a vote.
It's also at this point that the production really starts to get to me. EVERYTHING IS SO LOUD. I'm going to need some tylenol and a nap after listening to this. I really think that's the major reason I can rarely bring myself to listen to the album.
The Ministry Of Lost Souls - Here it is. The worst DT song. The beginning isn't horrible, but the song starts to overstay its welcome really quickly. I really dislike the chorus and the JLB vocal harmonies. It's all just so plodding and tired. It's like the band couldn't tell if they were writing a 90s power ballad or a dirge. And again the buildups are fucking stupid because there's no dynamics. It's like putting chocolate syrup on chocolate ice cream. You're just being silly at that point.
It just plods on and on and on. Just when I think it's almost over, there's a new bridge or something. And it's all so dull and generic.
So once the Trial of Boredom that is the first seven minutes of the song ends we get the most out of place, self indulgent instrumental section in the DT catalog. It comes completely out of nowhere and it's somehow even more boring than the actual song. Generic riff after generic riff after generic keyboard solo after more generic riffs after generic unison (ok the unison isn't that bad). Meh. Honestly it sounds like they had a leftover part from ITPOE and just stuck it in the middle of this.
Then back to plodding.
The biggest problem is that it's so long. At almost 15 minutes it's one of the longest songs in the DT catalog and there's hardly anything salvageable in it. At least songs like Burning My Soul end quickly.
"It's almost over now"... JP knew.
I do have one positive: The ending where JP layers all those guitars. That was really cool.
The song is overblown, overlong, self indulgent, everything people who hate DT criticize them for. It's like they went on the internet, read the trolls comments and said "lets live up to that for once". I also get the impression that the band themselves were hardly enthusiastic about it, considering how little they played it live and how they barely talk about it in the documentary.
I might be voting for it.
ITPOE Part 2 -
Splitting ITPOE is a double edged sword here. On one hand, at least they can say they didn't end the album with the mess that is TMOLS. On the other hand, I'm so done with this album at this point that I don't want anymore. But we have 16 minutes to go. But it was a serious issue when I was getting into this album, TMOSL was so bad that the aftertaste ruined my early impressions of ITPOE 2. It took listening to the two parts together a few times to get more into it.
Anyway, on to the song. It starts off really strongly. They definitely chose a good place to break it up. Love how it builds up and there's a slight hint of dynamics in there. The build to that big evil riff is awesome. DARK MASTER WITHIN. It's cheesy but in a fun way. Good stuff.
Getting into the 12/8 thing starts promising but I'm not big on the gang vocals. The song starts to dip in quality here. I love the whole "one man rises up" business though. I can't tell if they were being serious with this but I have a lot of fun with the lyrics.
The instrumental section is cool, not the best they've done but mostly enjoyable. A bit over long though and the solos are meh, like most of the solos on the album.
Love the reprise of the main theme from the Moog, but it takes a bit too long to get back to JLB for me. He really nails that ending once he finally comes in though. The ending is great, regardless. Love the big chord they end on. That's a minor chord with a major 7 on top. An underused but effective chord.
As a whole, I really appreciate that they did something different for this song, instead of rewriting an older epic. And they continue to do that today. It gives the 20+ minute epics purpose. ITPOE is easily the weakest of those and is uneven in the 2nd part, but overall pretty good. Starts off awesome and finishes pretty strongly with some fat in the middle. Still not sure how I feel about them breaking it up. It works in favor of the superior 1st part, but I feel it didn't really help my enjoyment of the 2nd part. Both because I'm so exhausted at this point and also it just isn't as good. When I listen to it as one part I don't really compare the two parts and I just enjoy it as a whole. Maybe would've been better as a 15 min song.
It really leaves me conflicted on how to vote though. Part 1 is really awesome and Part 2 starts off fine but tapers off a bit. I'll leave it for now I guess, because I really do love the first 12 minutes or so.
So overall, ITPOE 1 and Constant Motion are good. Take or leave (or bury away to never be heard again) the rest.
Ranking:
Constant Motion
ITPOE 1
Dark Eternal Night
ITPOE 2
Repentance
Prophets
Forsaken
TMOLS
SC is my least favorite DT album (yes, even worse than the debut) and the only one I'd consider bad. As I mentioned earlier, I think this really suffered from the band going in with no real direction beforehand and just doing whatever. That works for a lot of bands (see Maiden) but not really DT. Their best albums are the ones that had some sort of concept or theme from the beginning. People like to blame MP for this album (or MP fanboys like to defend it shamelessly), which is completely inaccurate. I'd go even further in saying that this album could've used more MP input, because his lyrics are the best on the album and his musical contributions are some of the better things on here. This is totally a JP album. From the weird fantasy lyrics to the riff driven generic Metal songs. I get why people think MP is behind it all, he puts himself in the forefront and filmed the documentary, but the devil is in the details. Watching the documentary it feels like JP is the only one who really feels all that enthusiastic about any of the album. JR and Myung don't really participate in the documentary and JLB says it's the most fun he's had since Awake but he never says much beyond that. MP seems enthusiastic about the band, his drum parts, ITPOE, and the songs he wrote lyrics to, but besides that he doesn't really go that much into the album specifically. JP has a lot to say about the actual music and lyrics on the album. I love Petrucci, he is my favorite guitarist, and his mark is all over this album in a bad way.
And in retrospect, the DT sound that began with this album didn't end until The Astonishing.
I actually only actively dislike a few songs on here. There are two crippling problems with the album as a whole though
1: DT songs are so long and there are so few songs on a DT album that one or two songs can really ruin the whole experience. BC&SL is an even better example of this, but we'll get to that later.
2: Even though there are some songs I enjoy in context of the album, as a whole the sound of this album is not what I want from DT and I never go out of my way to listen to any of these songs. The Dark Eternal Night is a great example of this. I don't really have any qualms with that song but at the same time it's not one I love.
Edit: So when I'm being positive about certain songs, that's really only in context of this album. It's like Glam Metal or Nu Metal I guess. I can enjoy it for what it is if I have to listen to it, but I'm never going to do so voluntarily (some exceptions for glam metal tho).
The other problem is the production. I get major fatigue listening to this album. It's too loud. Even Repentance, which is supposed to be mellow, has no dynamics.
ITPOE Part 1 - Actually a really good start to the album. I like that they started this with an extended instrumental. No other DT album really has that, usually they start off with something a bit more vocally driven or atmospheric. Even the start of the song really signifies something different, so that's positive at least. I don't really have anything bad to say about part 1, my only complaints are those that are really complaints about the whole album (production too loud, lyrics too literal, JLB doesn't sound that good). As a song, it's definitely one of the better moments on the album. I don't really think breaking it up was a great idea though. I get that they didn't want to follow up Octavarium so soon, but it's really different enough that they could've justified keeping it as one piece. That said, it's nice having just Part 1 when I don't feel like hearing the whole piece, which I'm rarely in the mood for. And I guess having the album bookended by a two part song is kinda cool. So it does work OK and we have live versions of the song played as one.
Forsaken - This song is so wrong for DT. My only explanation for this is that they signed to Roadrunner and felt obligated to write some generic Metal song as a single. It doesn't have any of the traits that I enjoy in a DT song. I don't mind when they do something different, I actually welcome it, but this was a major misstep. There isn't even anything to say about it really. It's just bland. It's the Applebee's of Dream Theater music. And JP was reading Twilight when he wrote the lyrics. It gets a vote.
Constant Motion - Love this song. I actually heard it for the first time in the Rock Band video game. It was my first taste of 00's DT and I actually really liked it. It's what a modern Metal DT should sound like. Lots of cool polyrhythms and crazy vocal effects. I love the bit that ends with "RANDOM THOUGHTS OF NEAT DISORDER" or whatever the lyric is there. Everything is so chaotic but still organized. Systematic Chaos. This song captures that perfectly and I wish more of the album was like it. It's also why I think it's inaccurate to blame the album on MP. In the documentary he said he had ideas for what this album could be but held his tongue on them. They probably could've used more of his direction on this. His lyrics are way better than JP's on this album and this whole song slays. MP's drumming is incredible on this. Also both JP and JR have fantastic solos. Best song on the album.
The Dark Eternal Night - Lyrics are cheesy in a fun way, I don't mind them. This is a song I need to be in the right mood for. Relative to everything else on the album it's one of the better songs, but not the sort of song I'd go out of my way for and tends to be a bathroom break song on the live albums. This is also a good example of a totally inappropriate song for JLB. They have to make his vocals completely unintelligible at times just to make them work for this song. The stuff without the distortion isn't very good either.
I really dig the instrumental section though. It's a progressive metal blend that you don't hear much in a DT song. Has a very classic DT vibe. Love the jazz/ragtime bits. The riffs are a lot of fun to play on guitar too. I can see why they like playing this live so much. One of those songs that's more fun to play than to listen to I suppose.
But like I said, I enjoy it if I'm in the right mood and it's a bright spot on an otherwise dull album.Repentance - Funny story about this song. I vividly remember listening to this album for the first time. This was one of my first few DT albums, so they were still very much a new band for me. I think this was my 3rd album after Awake and I&W. Anyway, I remember listening to the album and being pretty meh on it up until Repentance, where I hit peak boredom. I think I got halfway through the song before I couldn't take anymore, stopped the whole album, and switched it to The Chemical Wedding (idk, it's what I wanted to listen to instead). I put this album away permanently for a long time after that. I don't think I finally managed to get through it in full until I had heard everything else. It left a very poor taste in my mouth and is still the only DT album I couldn't get through the first time. That said, it's also important to remember that I was still new to prog so long albums/songs were something I was still learning to sit through. I was still developing an attention span.
The song has grown on me though. JP's solo is beautiful and there are some nice melodies. I really like the chorus and how the whole thing recalls This Dying Soul.
I wish there were a bit more dynamics, it's still so loud despite being mellow. The part after the apologies with the vocal harmonies should be a huge epic climax to the song, but it doesn't happen because there was no crescendo. Everything just stays at one dynamic.
It's a production issue, but it spoils the song.
The length is a bit much, though it works in context of the suite and the album. After 30 minutes of really heavy music, it makes sense to have 10 minutes of something soft (kinda). Not much use for the song outside of that though. I won't vote for it now, but if it survives this round I probably will next time.
Prophets of War - I don't really hate this song. DT do generic Muse ripoff better than generic Metal song, so it's better than Forsaken from that angle. The chorus isn't bad. But yea, pretty generic and not the sort of song I want to hear from DT. Once again, MP contributes something really cool to this song. The Queen harmonies in the second verse are so cool. The rap, on the other hand, is not. But since the lyrics are entirely credited to JLB, I assume that was his idea.
This is the sort of thing where DT could really use an outside producer like Kevin Shirley to tell them when they're going off the deep end. This song isn't bad, but it really should've been left off the album.
It gets a vote.
It's also at this point that the production really starts to get to me. EVERYTHING IS SO LOUD. I'm going to need some tylenol and a nap after listening to this. I really think that's the major reason I can rarely bring myself to listen to the album.
The Ministry Of Lost Souls - Here it is. The worst DT song. The beginning isn't horrible, but the song starts to overstay its welcome really quickly. I really dislike the chorus and the JLB vocal harmonies. It's all just so plodding and tired. It's like the band couldn't tell if they were writing a 90s power ballad or a dirge. And again the buildups are fucking stupid because there's no dynamics. It's like putting chocolate syrup on chocolate ice cream. You're just being silly at that point.
It just plods on and on and on. Just when I think it's almost over, there's a new bridge or something. And it's all so dull and generic.
So once the Trial of Boredom that is the first seven minutes of the song ends we get the most out of place, self indulgent instrumental section in the DT catalog. It comes completely out of nowhere and it's somehow even more boring than the actual song. Generic riff after generic riff after generic keyboard solo after more generic riffs after generic unison (ok the unison isn't that bad). Meh. Honestly it sounds like they had a leftover part from ITPOE and just stuck it in the middle of this.
Then back to plodding.
The biggest problem is that it's so long. At almost 15 minutes it's one of the longest songs in the DT catalog and there's hardly anything salvageable in it. At least songs like Burning My Soul end quickly.
"It's almost over now"... JP knew.
I do have one positive: The ending where JP layers all those guitars. That was really cool.
The song is overblown, overlong, self indulgent, everything people who hate DT criticize them for. It's like they went on the internet, read the trolls comments and said "lets live up to that for once". I also get the impression that the band themselves were hardly enthusiastic about it, considering how little they played it live and how they barely talk about it in the documentary.
I might be voting for it.
ITPOE Part 2 -
Splitting ITPOE is a double edged sword here. On one hand, at least they can say they didn't end the album with the mess that is TMOLS. On the other hand, I'm so done with this album at this point that I don't want anymore. But we have 16 minutes to go. But it was a serious issue when I was getting into this album, TMOSL was so bad that the aftertaste ruined my early impressions of ITPOE 2. It took listening to the two parts together a few times to get more into it.
Anyway, on to the song. It starts off really strongly. They definitely chose a good place to break it up. Love how it builds up and there's a slight hint of dynamics in there. The build to that big evil riff is awesome. DARK MASTER WITHIN. It's cheesy but in a fun way. Good stuff.
Getting into the 12/8 thing starts promising but I'm not big on the gang vocals. The song starts to dip in quality here. I love the whole "one man rises up" business though. I can't tell if they were being serious with this but I have a lot of fun with the lyrics.
The instrumental section is cool, not the best they've done but mostly enjoyable. A bit over long though and the solos are meh, like most of the solos on the album.
Love the reprise of the main theme from the Moog, but it takes a bit too long to get back to JLB for me. He really nails that ending once he finally comes in though. The ending is great, regardless. Love the big chord they end on. That's a minor chord with a major 7 on top. An underused but effective chord.
As a whole, I really appreciate that they did something different for this song, instead of rewriting an older epic. And they continue to do that today. It gives the 20+ minute epics purpose. ITPOE is easily the weakest of those and is uneven in the 2nd part, but overall pretty good. Starts off awesome and finishes pretty strongly with some fat in the middle. Still not sure how I feel about them breaking it up. It works in favor of the superior 1st part, but I feel it didn't really help my enjoyment of the 2nd part. Both because I'm so exhausted at this point and also it just isn't as good. When I listen to it as one part I don't really compare the two parts and I just enjoy it as a whole. Maybe would've been better as a 15 min song.
It really leaves me conflicted on how to vote though. Part 1 is really awesome and Part 2 starts off fine but tapers off a bit. I'll leave it for now I guess, because I really do love the first 12 minutes or so.
So overall, ITPOE 1 and Constant Motion are good. Take or leave (or bury away to never be heard again) the rest.
Ranking:
Constant Motion
ITPOE 1
Dark Eternal Night
ITPOE 2
Repentance
Prophets
Forsaken
TMOLS
Last edited:
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Production and inspiration are the problems here.
Production-wise, everything is at the same level and the mixing is just plain weird. The whole album feels disconnected, but the vocal mixing is the worst. Why in the living hell are the backing vocals so loud? Why can I hear Portnoy/Petrucci so much louder than LaBrie on every single song - Constant Motion, TDEN, Prophets of War (that spoken part is so damn loud!)?! Why?! Not only are they mixed poorly, they aren't anchored. It feels like amateur mixing, like the vocals aren't part of the same recording.
As for inspiration, it's either a lack thereof or simply the wrong inspiration. I do like Ministry and ITPOE, but even they have their issues that make them feel forced.
Production-wise, everything is at the same level and the mixing is just plain weird. The whole album feels disconnected, but the vocal mixing is the worst. Why in the living hell are the backing vocals so loud? Why can I hear Portnoy/Petrucci so much louder than LaBrie on every single song - Constant Motion, TDEN, Prophets of War (that spoken part is so damn loud!)?! Why?! Not only are they mixed poorly, they aren't anchored. It feels like amateur mixing, like the vocals aren't part of the same recording.
As for inspiration, it's either a lack thereof or simply the wrong inspiration. I do like Ministry and ITPOE, but even they have their issues that make them feel forced.
Lampwick 43
Barstool Warrior
I actually quite like Systematic Chaos. It's not the best album, but it's far from the worst. I'll take it over at least 2 of the 4 albums that come after it. (I'm not quite sure if I like it more than Black Clouds or not..)
To start with, In the Presence of Enemies Pt I is up there among the best of Dream Theater. Part II might be a slight step down, but the song is still really awesome as a whole.
Forsaken and Constant Motion don't do a whole lot for me. When listening to this album, they are the only songs that stood out right away to me as songs I will absolutely vote for.
The Dark Eternal Night is probably Dream Theater's heaviest song. The vocals leave a lot to be desired, but the music just rocks so hard. I've always liked this song more than I probably should, so I'm hoping it can stick around for a bit.
Repentance is another song I enjoy quite a bit. It works well in the context of the Suite, and I find it still holds up well on its own. Better than The Root of All Evil, at least.
Prophets of War was a lot better than I remember it being. I still ended up giving it a vote, but it wasn't easy.
The Ministry of Lost Souls is a song I don't listen to that much, but that really needs to change! I find the whole thing enjoyable, and it's really surprising to me that the song is nearly 15 minutes long. It doesn't feel anywhere close to that length for me, and that's definitely a good thing.
Finally Free, Forsaken, Constant Motion, Prophets of War are the votes for this round.
To start with, In the Presence of Enemies Pt I is up there among the best of Dream Theater. Part II might be a slight step down, but the song is still really awesome as a whole.
Forsaken and Constant Motion don't do a whole lot for me. When listening to this album, they are the only songs that stood out right away to me as songs I will absolutely vote for.
The Dark Eternal Night is probably Dream Theater's heaviest song. The vocals leave a lot to be desired, but the music just rocks so hard. I've always liked this song more than I probably should, so I'm hoping it can stick around for a bit.
Repentance is another song I enjoy quite a bit. It works well in the context of the Suite, and I find it still holds up well on its own. Better than The Root of All Evil, at least.
Prophets of War was a lot better than I remember it being. I still ended up giving it a vote, but it wasn't easy.
The Ministry of Lost Souls is a song I don't listen to that much, but that really needs to change! I find the whole thing enjoyable, and it's really surprising to me that the song is nearly 15 minutes long. It doesn't feel anywhere close to that length for me, and that's definitely a good thing.
Finally Free, Forsaken, Constant Motion, Prophets of War are the votes for this round.
Dance.
Honor Thy Father and Stream have some OK parts but other 3 songs are way more consistent.
In The Presence Of Enemies - First half of Part 1 is great, the second half is underwhelming. First half of Part 2 is epic as fuck. Did they ever play this song with an orchestra? Because they should. However, second half has too much mindless wanking. Perfect edit of this song would be first 4-5 minutes of Part 1, followed by first 7-8 minutes before the solo of Part 2, then post-solo section till the end of Part 2.
Forsaken - I enjoy this one. It's relatively simple for DT but I like it for what it is.
Constant Motion - Verses are shameless Metallica worship. I don't understand this band's obsession with Metallica.
The Dark Eternal Night - One of rare DT-wankfest songs I enjoy. 2nd best song on the album IMO.
Repentance - So boring. Spoken word section is quite cringey. Ending is OK but drags on for too long. Some parts also sound recycled from a previous song. DT nerds probably know which one
Prophets Of War - My favorite from this album... Of course it has the most votes. Fuck you guys
I don't mind the Muse worship at the beginning, although I wouldn't have connected it to them if I hadn't read Mosh's post tbh Main riff is great and the chorus is cool too. How this has more votes than Repentance I just don't know.
The Ministry Of Lost Souls - Beginning and ending have some solid moments but they drag on for too long. Solo section is a wankfest. Still, far from their worst, you're overreacting @Mosh
Honor Thy Father and Stream have some OK parts but other 3 songs are way more consistent.
In The Presence Of Enemies - First half of Part 1 is great, the second half is underwhelming. First half of Part 2 is epic as fuck. Did they ever play this song with an orchestra? Because they should. However, second half has too much mindless wanking. Perfect edit of this song would be first 4-5 minutes of Part 1, followed by first 7-8 minutes before the solo of Part 2, then post-solo section till the end of Part 2.
Forsaken - I enjoy this one. It's relatively simple for DT but I like it for what it is.
Constant Motion - Verses are shameless Metallica worship. I don't understand this band's obsession with Metallica.
The Dark Eternal Night - One of rare DT-wankfest songs I enjoy. 2nd best song on the album IMO.
Repentance - So boring. Spoken word section is quite cringey. Ending is OK but drags on for too long. Some parts also sound recycled from a previous song. DT nerds probably know which one
Prophets Of War - My favorite from this album... Of course it has the most votes. Fuck you guys
I don't mind the Muse worship at the beginning, although I wouldn't have connected it to them if I hadn't read Mosh's post tbh Main riff is great and the chorus is cool too. How this has more votes than Repentance I just don't know.The Ministry Of Lost Souls - Beginning and ending have some solid moments but they drag on for too long. Solo section is a wankfest. Still, far from their worst, you're overreacting @Mosh
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
Okay, I missed my chance to write a comment only on 8um, so I only voted in the last round and I’ll do both in this post now. But be prepared - this is gonna be a long read, so make sure you’re comfortable and have a glass of some tasty wine at hand. 
Octavarium
“Sailing on the seven seize the day tripper diem's ready
Jack the ripper Owens Wilson Phillips and my supper's ready
Lucy in the sky with diamond Dave's not here I come to save the
Day for nightmare cinema show me the way to get back home again”
My relationship with Octavarium is a rather complicated one, apart from the fact I’m quite sure the album’s being criminally underrated nowadays, and that’s not very nice. I get it, in a way, I really do. I understand that the approach they’ve decided to take here might not be appreciated by the fans in general. First of all, the songs are more simplistic, “poppier” and radio friendly. Okay, that’s enough to get you the wrath of both progheads and metalheads alike. Not helping the fact might be that the short songs and the epic are very different in this approach, as if almost aiming for different audiences, so I imagine it might be actually pretty common for someone to like the title track, for example, and not to like the rest of the album (I imagine Symph X’s Odyssey might have a similar problem in that regard).
But then there’s also the fact that some of the songs have been channeling other bands quite mercilessly, or at least much more than used to be the rule. Still, it would be somewhat unwise and shallow to call the band copycats, but I’ll get to that in a moment. Let’s look at the beast at hand.
I would like to say The Root of All Evil starts where This Dying Soul Ended, however it does not. Probably because of the fact the song must fit this concept album of sorts (I still categorically refuse to differentiate between the “concept” albums and the “thematic” albums), when you listen to the 12 Step Suite as a whole, this song immediately brings you out of it, if only because of the intro/outro. That’s really too bad, however if we forget about listening to the 12SS on its own and consider only the album, it’s actually quite clever - the intro reminds you very vaguely of TDS (that first riff after that synth sound) and then crashes into the main riff, whereas the outro uses the Medicate theme and fades into the chirping sounds welcoming TALW. Looking at it from this point of view, this part of the 12SS suffers the most from the fact which album it comes from, however that doesn’t mean the song is anything less than amazing. The aforementioned main riff might not be as great as the main riffs of both TGP and TDS, however it really fits this new, streamlined, simpler and poppier approach. It also really fits the song itself. Root gives you this feel of… airiness, after the oppressive previous parts of the suite. It is a breath of fresh air in the middle, and a very appreciated one at that. It’s also the only part of the suite (if I’m not mistaken) to use one chorus for different sub-parts of itself.
That said, Ready is supposed to represent the step where you summarise everything and realise that your own actions have all been in vain, because you keep returning to that same spot you tried to leave, like, five steps ago. The acknowledgement that your own capabilities are not enough to fight… you. You know that and you go through it once (twice, thrice) again and in the end you come to the conclusion that you are definitely and once and for all ready to get rid of that. That this all suite might have been about steps, but now you know you are able and about to make the next step, probably the most important one. This all is reflected in the chorus, which is really just beautiful and caught me right away. It gets repeated again at the end of Remove, as it really fits both parts at ease.
Remove is, not to use my own words, about “humbly asking God to remove our shortcomings”, in this case, our addictions or other compulsive behaviour. As Portnoy keeps using the “prison” metaphor, this part gets and excellent repeat of the Release theme, recontextualised, in a way. And I love it dearly.
Taken together, Root might not be the best part of the 12 Step Suite (I’m not quite sure which one might be, however) and it might be the shortest, but that does not stop me from thinking of it very highly. Not only because of the themes, like I said above, it also represents the album it comes from very well, in the context of the suite. I really don’t mind it’s simpler than both of the previous parts (again, “simplicity” being a major meta-theme of this album), I just think it’s a great way to open the album.
The Answer Lies Within is neither Evanescence nor Coldplay (funny enough, I heard the Evanescence accusations regarding both this song and Forsaken), it’s just a beautiful piano ballad with a chamber section. If anything, the lyrics might be a bit preachy, but the song itself is one of the most gentle and humane moments in the discography. Along with Hollow Years, Wither and Chosen, this is one of my favourite DT ballads, actually.
These Walls is probably the worst song off 8um as a whole. The electricity is too damn high and the whole track sounds mostly like this modern radio rock (I’m not sure what band does it remind me of, but there definitely is one) Though the catchiness of the pre-chorus/chorus, the cute solo and the line about LaBrie losing his lipsticks still make it a welcome addition to the pantheon. But not too welcome.
The ticking clock introduces us to I Walk Beside You - people say it’s a bad U2 track, however it’s not really that similar. That last chorus is pretty epic, now isn’t it? A cute poppy song, nothing groundbreaking, but hard to dislike. Cute melody, “airy” atmosphere… There was a time I suspected it was my favourite song off the album along with Panic Attack, but let’s not get into that. I might have a hard time explaining myself now… FP
Panic Attack… whoo, talk about underrated. Who doesn’t like the intro, huh? (the idea later being stolen by Symph X for Domination :-D ) Call me biased (because I actually had panic attacks, so what), but the heaviness and the Musish bridge make an interesting combination - the whole song is mostly being about pressure/relief (just like a panic attack episode itself) and again - sorry for repeating myself that much - but it’s catchy as ten fucks. How can you dislike that instrumental part? Okay, I get people dislike Jordan's solo, but how about that Trucci solo at 5:20 followed by that cool harmony part? Probably the most underrated song on this generally underrated album.
I’ve already written about Never Enough, so let’s Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V (actually, cmd+C/cmd+V for us Apple suckers, but that’s hardly relevant):
I would like to stress once again the importance of the unison - it just might be one of my favourite instrumental moments on the whole album. Like I’ve said above, shame the production does not do it justice. That said, this song still is among the weaker ones here and in another circumstances it would get my vote. In fact, I will probably vote against it the very next time - if it’s going to be still present - but not this time around, oh no no no. It’s way to underrated for me to merrily join the public execution.
Sacrificed Sons is probably the best precursor to TMOLS. It’s also a ballad, somewhat pathetic in itself, broken apart by the heavy section which actually works to make it a better and a more interesting song. I for one do not care about the lyrics (by the way, wasn’t 2005 kind of too late to make any kind of commentary on 9/11?), but the song itself brings out serious emotions in me. It’s placement might make me enjoy it less, since it’s rather late in the album and the exhaustion might be starting to kick in and I’m already anticipating Octavarium… but still, even on this album, I consider it a hidden gem. Because when I force my mind to pay attention, I find pure joy there. For the structure etc. see below for the Ministry (which is ultimately superior, I’m sad to say).
And finally, the title track. I don’t know what could I say about it what hasn’t been already said before, but even with the Pinkfloydgsh intro section (completely unnecessary), it gets my thumb up. The first half might not let you know how great is this going to be (though both parts - especially Medicate - are awesome), but beginning with the instrumental section -> Full Circle (meaningless lyrics, but kicks ass) -> the final climax ("Trapped-in-side-this-oc-ta-va-ri-uuuuuum") is a perfect buildup, surpassed by ITPOE on the next album, but still great all the same. The whole song is very epic and majestic and it's hard to find any cons. Maybe the Floyd intro. Maybe.
All in all, although I have never felt it was actually possible to name (Octavarium) as my favourite album, or even in my Top 3-5, it still holds a very special place in my heart and it’s my secret, personal #1 - an album nobody likes that much it seems, yet it brings me many great feelings etc. And (no), it definitely isn’t just because the fact it was one of the first DT albums my wife started to discover some time ago, so we have a certain specific connection to this album - just as with SC (being my first serious-fan-DT-album and all), it’s just a single helping factor, but the reasons really lie elsewhere. This album, for reasons partly known and partly unknown, really kickstarts my heart. There’s something pure, airy and beautiful about it and as a one-off experiment I have nothing to complain about. And the concept feel is something that wouldn’t repeat since (yes, not even with TA) and discovering the nuggets (like the keys of the songs etc.) and appreciating the weird-ass negative tracks (that gibbering horror before Sacrificed Sons!) was a joy and as a whole it was probably the last time the band had genuine fun in the studio, IMHO.
Systematic Chaos
“I once thought it better to regret
Things that I have done than haven't
Sometimes you've got to be wrong
And learn the hard way
And just when you're through hanging on
You're saved”
I never, never, never understood why this album has the bad reputation it does, and even after reading tons of various opinions throughout the web, I just can’t even begin to imagine relating to the feelings of the naysayers. To me, those people must be listening to the album wrongly, or they’re full of prejudice or… I don’t know. What I hear is an amazing, beautiful, STAGGERING album, combining pretty much all the good sides of DT (progressive/catchy/metal) and leaving the listener exhausted, yes, but exhausted by the sheer awesomeness of the album as it is.
You could (and probably will) say that my judgement is clouded, for Systematic was the first album I actually awaited and listened to as a fan, but that’s definitely not the only reason. I won’t deny it might be a factor in the final decision of my #1 album, for example (because it might be one of the tiniest reasons why I might love SDOIT less), but this definitely isn’t a pure fanboy wank. I am honestly and completely sure this album is beyond great and everyone should listen to it at least a few times.
Look at the album cover. In fact, look at the title and the album cover. For all the Metropolis talk before, this is an album that should have been called Metropolis. It’s hectic and fast, nervous even, connecting many speedways in an unexpected and chaotic manner, yet beautiful with all the shimmering glass of the skyscrapers and a few haunting, romantic dark alleys for you to discover and explore. The colour of the cover, actually, is very important to me, because this album itself sounds to me very sunset/orange/golden/sepia-like. This is actually probably my “sunset” album, if you pardon one more romantic nonsense from my keyboard.
If we take a look at the songs themselves, the very first thing that greets us is a beautiful unison, already welcoming us to this new and hectic world. That’s the beginning of In the Presence of Enemies, the best epic song DT ever did. Now, I have seen people complaining about the fact it is divided in two parts… in a way I might agree, but this “sandwich” structure is more uncommon, it breaks the song down (so it’s easier to stomach even for those who don’t listen to Transatlantic that often) and it copies the idea of Shine on You Crazy Diamond in a very cool way (indeed! Even that intro to that second part, with the wind and bass and creepy, pulsating atmosphere is very similar!), the first part being the long instrumental prelude and a comparatively short, catchy, vocal section with the second part being the less known and more forgotten, but ultimately no less beautiful part of the whole masterpiece. That intro unison is quite cool and I love how the first instrumental part (Prelude) builds up to it again in the end… and how the buildup repeats again near the very end. I like the almost radio-poppy second part. I like that main theme (later repeated on that synth/Moog/whatever) But most of all I love the Heretic part. From the truly atmospheric beginning (those eerie shimmering sounds) with the base pulse, from the first lines (“Welcome, tired pilgrim…”) to that amazing bridge (“Angels fall - all for you - heretic”) that again serves as a buildup before the ultimate Dark Master theme… first all three are slow, quiet and subtle, but then they repeat with much increased intensity. That part, that one buildup, might be one of my favourite moments in the whole DT discography, laugh at me if you will. It kind of reminds me of that Discovery part of 2112 (from “What can this strange device mean” to the chorus) - a perfect buildup from atmosphere to awesome. I have read people complaining about the whole “Dark Master” matter, I don’t know why. This very part of the song makes me jump up from my chair and sit on the edge of my seat, to be a clichéd hack. But really, this is only one of the highlights.
As far as Forsaken is concerned, I kind of understand the hate - it’s very radio oriented and it’s vampire influenced… but then again, so what? If all radio songs sounded this way, I’d be a happy man. This might actually be my favourite “poppy” song by them, from the intro piano to the soaring chorus. So Petrucci was watching/expecting True Blood. It’s funny, you know? That “lips” a cappella part, that whisper “forsaken”… yes, it’s cheesy, but blessed are the cheesemakers, aren’t they?
Constant Motion gets a lot of flak for being a Metallica rip-off, but I for once don’t hear it. Or at least not as much as with As I Am, for example. The riff is much more complicated than anything ever thought up by Hetfield and the structure doesn’t fit as well. The call/answer structure is very well used and the chorus is really hard to get out of your head. I could play this song again and again. And how about the instrumental part? That “quirky” section from around the 4th minute, then the soaring Trucci solo, then the chaos and then some furious finger-combusting by Jordan (sometimes bordering on dissonant, but we Zappa lovers won’t be afraid of that, right?) “Insane random thoughts of neat disorder”, indeed.
The Dark Eternal Night, however, might be the single most underrated track in the history of the band. Just one thing, when the main riff repeats and Portnoy follows it with the bass drum… you don’t like that? Like, really? His drum work is great, the riffing is great, the lyrics are funny (long live Lovecraft). That “call and response” instrumental part is really something, even the “honky tonk part” (and even the “masturbating monkey from around 4:50 onwards) - I never understood why so many people hate it. That main riff… oh, wow. That verse and the riff is definitely something to bro-walk to :-D Also that crazyass Petrucci solo is hard not to like. This song used to be in my Top 5 - it ain’t anymore, but I’m still sad to see how many people hate it.
Repentance is the only calm part of the Twelve Step suite… and probably one of the most unique moments not only on this album, but also in the band’s discography as a whole. The first part (Regret) extends and even quotes TDS for a moment, before becoming this dark, gloomy, haunting and mysterious tune, even Opethian at moments, with beautiful lyrics and even beauty-fuller complicated riff that’s repeated after the each even line. Then the majestic and tear inducing solo. Oh fuck.
The second part, Restitution, is actually full of spoken word, apologies and making amends. The tone shifts to a more “regular” prog sound, I guess. In case you wanted to know who says what, here’s a summary:
Some of these are very specific, some of these are rather vague, however I believe all of the above are indeed heartfelt and I also find it to be a very cool idea. Portnoy said something along the lines he did not want it to be only about him, so he asked all those people to participate (incl. some others who declined), and I think that was a good idea. I understand it’s still spoken word in music and that it can thus irritate some listeners, but I never had any problems with that (my biggest complaint is probably the funny ultra-deep voice Portnoy uses here) and I also always enjoyed those aaahs near the end - very Pink Floydish touch, IMHO.
I get how some people might find it rather overlong, but if only for the obvious desire to be completely different for once I believe it deserves your respect. It’s also kind of a breather on this album.
Prophets is another forgotten/unjustly hated song. I get many people don’t like Muse, but hey - I don’t too! Yet this song is really good. You can’t deny the catchiness, you can’t deny it’s one of the shortest songs here and most of all you cannot deny the riff in the chorus! You just can’t! If Muse sounded like this, I would be a fan. Maybe I will be one day, who knows. With me loving Prophets, Panic Attack and even Never Enough…
But Ministry… Oh, Ministry. It’s Sacrificed Sons made even better. I mean, the main balladic section is just so beautiful and heart-wrenching, from the majestic intro to the unusually strong chorus. But as I’ve said before at Endless Sacrifice - take away the “wankery, non fitting part” and you have just a great ballad. With the opportunity to travel somewhere else, to have some “chug” and watch the band stray away, jam, experiment etc. and then return back, the final repeats of the chorus become all the more epic and amazing. Especially with that solo. I even called my Spotify profile theministeroflostsouls or something along that lines, so you get how beautiful this song is to me. And then the wind (Pink Floyd’s WYWH again) and we’re back at ITPOE, which I’ve written about above.
Also, all things said, I can’t help but to feel this really is a Petrucci album through and through. The guy really shines here, whether in riffing or in solos and usually even the detractors admit his stuff here’s really cool. And in the words of a forgotten, yet beautiful Beatles track, “yes, it is”. Each time I put this album on, I see the glimmering skyscrapers. I see the twilight/sunset. I feel this indescribable atmosphere of heavy metal, complexity, chaos, decay … but one that is excruciatingly human and catchy in the end. And I feel I might cry. Because the album is so beautiful and so few people think so. Oh, well.
In the previous round I voted against none of the 8 tracks, however with Systematic joining the game, I would have voted against These Walls, if they were not already eliminated beforehand. Thus I vote against the following: Home, Finally Free, Honor (how did this one come this far?
)
EDIT: In the end I decided to shorten it a bit - to make it still readable for at least some of the members
Octavarium
“Sailing on the seven seize the day tripper diem's ready
Jack the ripper Owens Wilson Phillips and my supper's ready
Lucy in the sky with diamond Dave's not here I come to save the
Day for nightmare cinema show me the way to get back home again”
My relationship with Octavarium is a rather complicated one, apart from the fact I’m quite sure the album’s being criminally underrated nowadays, and that’s not very nice. I get it, in a way, I really do. I understand that the approach they’ve decided to take here might not be appreciated by the fans in general. First of all, the songs are more simplistic, “poppier” and radio friendly. Okay, that’s enough to get you the wrath of both progheads and metalheads alike. Not helping the fact might be that the short songs and the epic are very different in this approach, as if almost aiming for different audiences, so I imagine it might be actually pretty common for someone to like the title track, for example, and not to like the rest of the album (I imagine Symph X’s Odyssey might have a similar problem in that regard).
But then there’s also the fact that some of the songs have been channeling other bands quite mercilessly, or at least much more than used to be the rule. Still, it would be somewhat unwise and shallow to call the band copycats, but I’ll get to that in a moment. Let’s look at the beast at hand.
I would like to say The Root of All Evil starts where This Dying Soul Ended, however it does not. Probably because of the fact the song must fit this concept album of sorts (I still categorically refuse to differentiate between the “concept” albums and the “thematic” albums), when you listen to the 12 Step Suite as a whole, this song immediately brings you out of it, if only because of the intro/outro. That’s really too bad, however if we forget about listening to the 12SS on its own and consider only the album, it’s actually quite clever - the intro reminds you very vaguely of TDS (that first riff after that synth sound) and then crashes into the main riff, whereas the outro uses the Medicate theme and fades into the chirping sounds welcoming TALW. Looking at it from this point of view, this part of the 12SS suffers the most from the fact which album it comes from, however that doesn’t mean the song is anything less than amazing. The aforementioned main riff might not be as great as the main riffs of both TGP and TDS, however it really fits this new, streamlined, simpler and poppier approach. It also really fits the song itself. Root gives you this feel of… airiness, after the oppressive previous parts of the suite. It is a breath of fresh air in the middle, and a very appreciated one at that. It’s also the only part of the suite (if I’m not mistaken) to use one chorus for different sub-parts of itself.
That said, Ready is supposed to represent the step where you summarise everything and realise that your own actions have all been in vain, because you keep returning to that same spot you tried to leave, like, five steps ago. The acknowledgement that your own capabilities are not enough to fight… you. You know that and you go through it once (twice, thrice) again and in the end you come to the conclusion that you are definitely and once and for all ready to get rid of that. That this all suite might have been about steps, but now you know you are able and about to make the next step, probably the most important one. This all is reflected in the chorus, which is really just beautiful and caught me right away. It gets repeated again at the end of Remove, as it really fits both parts at ease.
Remove is, not to use my own words, about “humbly asking God to remove our shortcomings”, in this case, our addictions or other compulsive behaviour. As Portnoy keeps using the “prison” metaphor, this part gets and excellent repeat of the Release theme, recontextualised, in a way. And I love it dearly.
Taken together, Root might not be the best part of the 12 Step Suite (I’m not quite sure which one might be, however) and it might be the shortest, but that does not stop me from thinking of it very highly. Not only because of the themes, like I said above, it also represents the album it comes from very well, in the context of the suite. I really don’t mind it’s simpler than both of the previous parts (again, “simplicity” being a major meta-theme of this album), I just think it’s a great way to open the album.
The Answer Lies Within is neither Evanescence nor Coldplay (funny enough, I heard the Evanescence accusations regarding both this song and Forsaken), it’s just a beautiful piano ballad with a chamber section. If anything, the lyrics might be a bit preachy, but the song itself is one of the most gentle and humane moments in the discography. Along with Hollow Years, Wither and Chosen, this is one of my favourite DT ballads, actually.
These Walls is probably the worst song off 8um as a whole. The electricity is too damn high and the whole track sounds mostly like this modern radio rock (I’m not sure what band does it remind me of, but there definitely is one) Though the catchiness of the pre-chorus/chorus, the cute solo and the line about LaBrie losing his lipsticks still make it a welcome addition to the pantheon. But not too welcome.
The ticking clock introduces us to I Walk Beside You - people say it’s a bad U2 track, however it’s not really that similar. That last chorus is pretty epic, now isn’t it? A cute poppy song, nothing groundbreaking, but hard to dislike. Cute melody, “airy” atmosphere… There was a time I suspected it was my favourite song off the album along with Panic Attack, but let’s not get into that. I might have a hard time explaining myself now… FP
Panic Attack… whoo, talk about underrated. Who doesn’t like the intro, huh? (the idea later being stolen by Symph X for Domination :-D ) Call me biased (because I actually had panic attacks, so what), but the heaviness and the Musish bridge make an interesting combination - the whole song is mostly being about pressure/relief (just like a panic attack episode itself) and again - sorry for repeating myself that much - but it’s catchy as ten fucks. How can you dislike that instrumental part? Okay, I get people dislike Jordan's solo, but how about that Trucci solo at 5:20 followed by that cool harmony part? Probably the most underrated song on this generally underrated album.
I’ve already written about Never Enough, so let’s Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V (actually, cmd+C/cmd+V for us Apple suckers, but that’s hardly relevant):
I would like to stress once again the importance of the unison - it just might be one of my favourite instrumental moments on the whole album. Like I’ve said above, shame the production does not do it justice. That said, this song still is among the weaker ones here and in another circumstances it would get my vote. In fact, I will probably vote against it the very next time - if it’s going to be still present - but not this time around, oh no no no. It’s way to underrated for me to merrily join the public execution.
Sacrificed Sons is probably the best precursor to TMOLS. It’s also a ballad, somewhat pathetic in itself, broken apart by the heavy section which actually works to make it a better and a more interesting song. I for one do not care about the lyrics (by the way, wasn’t 2005 kind of too late to make any kind of commentary on 9/11?), but the song itself brings out serious emotions in me. It’s placement might make me enjoy it less, since it’s rather late in the album and the exhaustion might be starting to kick in and I’m already anticipating Octavarium… but still, even on this album, I consider it a hidden gem. Because when I force my mind to pay attention, I find pure joy there. For the structure etc. see below for the Ministry (which is ultimately superior, I’m sad to say).
And finally, the title track. I don’t know what could I say about it what hasn’t been already said before, but even with the Pinkfloydgsh intro section (completely unnecessary), it gets my thumb up. The first half might not let you know how great is this going to be (though both parts - especially Medicate - are awesome), but beginning with the instrumental section -> Full Circle (meaningless lyrics, but kicks ass) -> the final climax ("Trapped-in-side-this-oc-ta-va-ri-uuuuuum") is a perfect buildup, surpassed by ITPOE on the next album, but still great all the same. The whole song is very epic and majestic and it's hard to find any cons. Maybe the Floyd intro. Maybe.
All in all, although I have never felt it was actually possible to name (Octavarium) as my favourite album, or even in my Top 3-5, it still holds a very special place in my heart and it’s my secret, personal #1 - an album nobody likes that much it seems, yet it brings me many great feelings etc. And (no), it definitely isn’t just because the fact it was one of the first DT albums my wife started to discover some time ago, so we have a certain specific connection to this album - just as with SC (being my first serious-fan-DT-album and all), it’s just a single helping factor, but the reasons really lie elsewhere. This album, for reasons partly known and partly unknown, really kickstarts my heart. There’s something pure, airy and beautiful about it and as a one-off experiment I have nothing to complain about. And the concept feel is something that wouldn’t repeat since (yes, not even with TA) and discovering the nuggets (like the keys of the songs etc.) and appreciating the weird-ass negative tracks (that gibbering horror before Sacrificed Sons!) was a joy and as a whole it was probably the last time the band had genuine fun in the studio, IMHO.
Systematic Chaos
“I once thought it better to regret
Things that I have done than haven't
Sometimes you've got to be wrong
And learn the hard way
And just when you're through hanging on
You're saved”
I never, never, never understood why this album has the bad reputation it does, and even after reading tons of various opinions throughout the web, I just can’t even begin to imagine relating to the feelings of the naysayers. To me, those people must be listening to the album wrongly, or they’re full of prejudice or… I don’t know. What I hear is an amazing, beautiful, STAGGERING album, combining pretty much all the good sides of DT (progressive/catchy/metal) and leaving the listener exhausted, yes, but exhausted by the sheer awesomeness of the album as it is.
You could (and probably will) say that my judgement is clouded, for Systematic was the first album I actually awaited and listened to as a fan, but that’s definitely not the only reason. I won’t deny it might be a factor in the final decision of my #1 album, for example (because it might be one of the tiniest reasons why I might love SDOIT less), but this definitely isn’t a pure fanboy wank. I am honestly and completely sure this album is beyond great and everyone should listen to it at least a few times.
Look at the album cover. In fact, look at the title and the album cover. For all the Metropolis talk before, this is an album that should have been called Metropolis. It’s hectic and fast, nervous even, connecting many speedways in an unexpected and chaotic manner, yet beautiful with all the shimmering glass of the skyscrapers and a few haunting, romantic dark alleys for you to discover and explore. The colour of the cover, actually, is very important to me, because this album itself sounds to me very sunset/orange/golden/sepia-like. This is actually probably my “sunset” album, if you pardon one more romantic nonsense from my keyboard.
If we take a look at the songs themselves, the very first thing that greets us is a beautiful unison, already welcoming us to this new and hectic world. That’s the beginning of In the Presence of Enemies, the best epic song DT ever did. Now, I have seen people complaining about the fact it is divided in two parts… in a way I might agree, but this “sandwich” structure is more uncommon, it breaks the song down (so it’s easier to stomach even for those who don’t listen to Transatlantic that often) and it copies the idea of Shine on You Crazy Diamond in a very cool way (indeed! Even that intro to that second part, with the wind and bass and creepy, pulsating atmosphere is very similar!), the first part being the long instrumental prelude and a comparatively short, catchy, vocal section with the second part being the less known and more forgotten, but ultimately no less beautiful part of the whole masterpiece. That intro unison is quite cool and I love how the first instrumental part (Prelude) builds up to it again in the end… and how the buildup repeats again near the very end. I like the almost radio-poppy second part. I like that main theme (later repeated on that synth/Moog/whatever) But most of all I love the Heretic part. From the truly atmospheric beginning (those eerie shimmering sounds) with the base pulse, from the first lines (“Welcome, tired pilgrim…”) to that amazing bridge (“Angels fall - all for you - heretic”) that again serves as a buildup before the ultimate Dark Master theme… first all three are slow, quiet and subtle, but then they repeat with much increased intensity. That part, that one buildup, might be one of my favourite moments in the whole DT discography, laugh at me if you will. It kind of reminds me of that Discovery part of 2112 (from “What can this strange device mean” to the chorus) - a perfect buildup from atmosphere to awesome. I have read people complaining about the whole “Dark Master” matter, I don’t know why. This very part of the song makes me jump up from my chair and sit on the edge of my seat, to be a clichéd hack. But really, this is only one of the highlights.
As far as Forsaken is concerned, I kind of understand the hate - it’s very radio oriented and it’s vampire influenced… but then again, so what? If all radio songs sounded this way, I’d be a happy man. This might actually be my favourite “poppy” song by them, from the intro piano to the soaring chorus. So Petrucci was watching/expecting True Blood. It’s funny, you know? That “lips” a cappella part, that whisper “forsaken”… yes, it’s cheesy, but blessed are the cheesemakers, aren’t they?
Constant Motion gets a lot of flak for being a Metallica rip-off, but I for once don’t hear it. Or at least not as much as with As I Am, for example. The riff is much more complicated than anything ever thought up by Hetfield and the structure doesn’t fit as well. The call/answer structure is very well used and the chorus is really hard to get out of your head. I could play this song again and again. And how about the instrumental part? That “quirky” section from around the 4th minute, then the soaring Trucci solo, then the chaos and then some furious finger-combusting by Jordan (sometimes bordering on dissonant, but we Zappa lovers won’t be afraid of that, right?) “Insane random thoughts of neat disorder”, indeed.
The Dark Eternal Night, however, might be the single most underrated track in the history of the band. Just one thing, when the main riff repeats and Portnoy follows it with the bass drum… you don’t like that? Like, really? His drum work is great, the riffing is great, the lyrics are funny (long live Lovecraft). That “call and response” instrumental part is really something, even the “honky tonk part” (and even the “masturbating monkey from around 4:50 onwards) - I never understood why so many people hate it. That main riff… oh, wow. That verse and the riff is definitely something to bro-walk to :-D Also that crazyass Petrucci solo is hard not to like. This song used to be in my Top 5 - it ain’t anymore, but I’m still sad to see how many people hate it.
Repentance is the only calm part of the Twelve Step suite… and probably one of the most unique moments not only on this album, but also in the band’s discography as a whole. The first part (Regret) extends and even quotes TDS for a moment, before becoming this dark, gloomy, haunting and mysterious tune, even Opethian at moments, with beautiful lyrics and even beauty-fuller complicated riff that’s repeated after the each even line. Then the majestic and tear inducing solo. Oh fuck.
The second part, Restitution, is actually full of spoken word, apologies and making amends. The tone shifts to a more “regular” prog sound, I guess. In case you wanted to know who says what, here’s a summary:
Some of these are very specific, some of these are rather vague, however I believe all of the above are indeed heartfelt and I also find it to be a very cool idea. Portnoy said something along the lines he did not want it to be only about him, so he asked all those people to participate (incl. some others who declined), and I think that was a good idea. I understand it’s still spoken word in music and that it can thus irritate some listeners, but I never had any problems with that (my biggest complaint is probably the funny ultra-deep voice Portnoy uses here) and I also always enjoyed those aaahs near the end - very Pink Floydish touch, IMHO.
I get how some people might find it rather overlong, but if only for the obvious desire to be completely different for once I believe it deserves your respect. It’s also kind of a breather on this album.
Prophets is another forgotten/unjustly hated song. I get many people don’t like Muse, but hey - I don’t too! Yet this song is really good. You can’t deny the catchiness, you can’t deny it’s one of the shortest songs here and most of all you cannot deny the riff in the chorus! You just can’t! If Muse sounded like this, I would be a fan. Maybe I will be one day, who knows. With me loving Prophets, Panic Attack and even Never Enough…
But Ministry… Oh, Ministry. It’s Sacrificed Sons made even better. I mean, the main balladic section is just so beautiful and heart-wrenching, from the majestic intro to the unusually strong chorus. But as I’ve said before at Endless Sacrifice - take away the “wankery, non fitting part” and you have just a great ballad. With the opportunity to travel somewhere else, to have some “chug” and watch the band stray away, jam, experiment etc. and then return back, the final repeats of the chorus become all the more epic and amazing. Especially with that solo. I even called my Spotify profile theministeroflostsouls or something along that lines, so you get how beautiful this song is to me. And then the wind (Pink Floyd’s WYWH again) and we’re back at ITPOE, which I’ve written about above.
Also, all things said, I can’t help but to feel this really is a Petrucci album through and through. The guy really shines here, whether in riffing or in solos and usually even the detractors admit his stuff here’s really cool. And in the words of a forgotten, yet beautiful Beatles track, “yes, it is”. Each time I put this album on, I see the glimmering skyscrapers. I see the twilight/sunset. I feel this indescribable atmosphere of heavy metal, complexity, chaos, decay … but one that is excruciatingly human and catchy in the end. And I feel I might cry. Because the album is so beautiful and so few people think so. Oh, well.
In the previous round I voted against none of the 8 tracks, however with Systematic joining the game, I would have voted against These Walls, if they were not already eliminated beforehand. Thus I vote against the following: Home, Finally Free, Honor (how did this one come this far?
)EDIT: In the end I decided to shorten it a bit - to make it still readable for at least some of the members
I have to say, ITPOE is one of those songs that I don't put on often but I always enjoy it a little more every time I listen to it. It's a cool song.
Totally agreed on Constant Motion, I hear Metallica in like two riffs and that's it. It's way more interesting and exciting than anything Metallica has done in 25 years.
Well that's the thing. I never said I had a problem with them going in that direction, the problem is that the result is really boring. I also don't really care about the cheesy lyrics.
Totally agreed on Constant Motion, I hear Metallica in like two riffs and that's it. It's way more interesting and exciting than anything Metallica has done in 25 years.
