From Dream Theater's Facebook



So what is your favorite DT closing epic so far? Mine is Octavarium. I love the way that song tied together the theme of the album, the little easter eggs in terms of leitmotif and the nods to their influences. It felt like a full statement of who the band was at that point in time and is seriously one of their best songs. Wish they played it more.

Six Degrees or View from the Top.

In the Name of God.
It's one of their best songs overall.

1) Count Of Tuscany, which may be my fav DT song
2) Octavarium

I’d flip them, but basically this.

Mike Portnoy must still really hate Falling Into Infinity to not have “Trial Of Tears” at 13:07 not included in this list.

Not including “Scarred” and “Breaking All Illusions” due to “Space Dye Vest” and “Beneath The Surface” seems like a matter of technicality.

Finally Free, and it's not even close.

Also, LOL at them include a Change Of Seasons as "closing track". It's the first song on an "EP", which is actually as long as an album.

Octavarium, most definitely.

That said, Trial of Tears is such an underrated song and they need to get over their FII hate.
it's raining on the streets of New York City, raining deep in heaven is such an evocative refrain for some reason.

Epic tracks serve their long-winded ways so I'm looking forward to their next one.

Probably Octavarium followed by In the Name of God. I also really like In the Presence of Enemies (both parts) despite the rest of the album being kind of weak.

Meanwhile I find The Count of Tuscany really overrated and meandering, plus the lyrics are comically bad.

It's included on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C5Eca4JJZPu/?img_index=1

Learning to Live, but then again, I think Images and Words is a masterpiece and their best album by a long stretch. I also believe Learning to Live is an amazing album closer.

Octavarium is the best song they ever penned. I overdid Dream Theater years ago, so they're rarely in regular rotation anymore, but I still spin Octavarium fairly frequently.

I'd probably put In the Name of God next (one of my favourites overall), then Finally Free. I think the whole run of Scenes from a Memory to Octavarium was their strongest and was a pretty streak for a band that was pushing 20 years old at the time.

I like the love Trial of Tears is getting. I always liked that one. Falling Into Infinity isn't the worst album, but I get why the band might not like it. Some of those songs got massacred by the label; their demo versions were much better. Trial is one of the ones that held up in my opinion.

If you include live closers, I'd probably throw in Schmedley Wilcox for composition (too bad about James' vocals) and the 1993 New York Official Bootleg version of Learning to Live. I feel like the band is meant to be listened to live because they let the songs breath and tinker with them. But James' off nights have been a weak link. The pre-food poisoning shows in the early 1990s were solid though, and his vocals are sometimes even better than the album. That New York boitleg is unreal.

I also wonder if Portnoy returning means we get a full live rendition of the AA Suite?

I’ve always had a soft spot for In The Presence of Enemies, probably their most overtly *metal* epic imo. Finally Free is also pretty great for that narrative resolution

Nostalgia and very specific personal reasons at play here, but A Change Of Seasons is a masterpiece.

Learning to Live, Finally Free and In the Presence of Enemies probably my favourites. Octavarium gets up there but only in its second half.