Beauty is a Funny Thing

So I'm listening to Dream Theater's newest album, Black Clouds & Silver Linings while I work at my dad's office, and the most amazing thing happens: I'm overwhelmed with joy. If you know me at all, then you know that Dream Theater is one of my all-time favorite bands, constantly shifting between the 1 and 2 spot. Well, with the ending guitar solo on "The Best of Times" alone, they're back at number 1. I just about broke down in tears it's so beautiful. I don't think a song has done that to me in a long long time, and certainly not a recent Dream Theater song.

I can barely even type this as I listen to it for the tenth time in a row. I don't want it to end.

Sweet Lord, I'm a sucker for epic, sweeping guitar solos, but this one can't even be described. It's as if John Petrucci invaded my dreams and found everything I like about music and said, "Here you are, my son, I wrote this just for you."

This is starting to sound kind of gay now that I think of it, so here's a list of my Top Ten Favorite Dream Theater Songs of all Time.

10) "The Best of Times" - Black Clouds and Silver Linings

This probably sounds hypocritical because of the huge orgasm I just had for this song, but that's mostly just the solo. The rest of the song is only halfway amazing.






9) "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence

This 42 minute song is all about different mental disorders and what the people that have them experience on a daily basis. What I love about this song is that they use several musical themes in each segment that seem to accurately portray a mood, and also, they refer back to these themes in later segment. The solo on the "Goodnight Kiss" segment is especially heart-wrenching, but the best part has to be the Finale, when the band bursts into a triumphantly hopeful chorus, kind of as if to say, "This stuff sucks, but it's all gonna be OK."


8) "Sacrificed Sons" - Octavarium

Full Orchestra - 'Nuff said.










7) "Octavarium" - Octavarium

This song is fantastic. Dream Theater puts everything they're fans love about them into this song, then they add a flute solo. Wow! Parts of this song sound like they could be the soundtrack to a spaghetti western, other parts sound like video game, others are almost fully orchestral. Also, for the second time in his career, James LaBrie hits the high F#5. Wow! Again!



6) "Voices" - Awake

John Myung does some really cool shit with the bass guitar on this song, Petrucci busts out a face-melting solo near the end, and Portnoy as always is doing a bunch of stuff that makes no sense to me whatsoever, but sounds badass. Pretty decent lyrics in this one, which is rare for a DT song in my opinion.




5) "The Glass Prison" - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence

Portnoy's first installment in the "Twelve-Step Suite", a sweeping four song epic about his bout with alcoholism sets the stage for the remaining three songs. Some of the best heavy stuff that DT does, hands down. You can head bang to this one! Parts of it are actually in 4/4 time!




4) "The Mirror" - Awake

Switching between time signatures is no joke, but Portnoy and the gang do it so flawlessly you'll swear they aren't doing anything at all. It's kind of a precursor to the "Twelve-Step Suite", as it also deals with Portnoy's alcoholism, but their aren't any real thematic ties to it. This song is heavy, my friend.




3) "Surrounded" - Images and Words

Songs about Ivory Towers are awesome.










2) "Learning to Live" - Images and Words

Here's the other song where LaBrie hits that F#5. Listen to it and you'll know why he only does this every ten years.








1) "The Entire Fucking Album" - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory

The whole thing is a time-travelling, mind-switching, psychic murder mystery. Do I really need to tell you how awesome this fucking thing is! It's an album with a goddamn twist ending!