Best Synth solos in Dreamtheater's songs

One of the greatest debates that I have been fighting internally for the past 3-4 years is :

Which is better?
Sleeping for 10 hours straight, or in a 6 + 3 + 1 format?
Still haven't found an answer to that.

The other greatest debate has been on the topic of discussion,

For the first half of last half decade or so, I was the ignorant amateurish pianist/keyboardist caught in the headlights of Jordan Rudess's incredibly, head-messing-ly, insanely fast and freakish solos. After listening to DT for a few more years, I am proud to say that I have stepped out of those headlights. I am back to my comfortable designation of an amateur keyboardist. After a lot of deliberation, I have come to sort of a conclusive ranking of the best solos on the synth in DT songs.

No. 5 - Endless Sacrifice
Articulation is the key word in this solo. This solo is not near the fastest which Rudess has played. In contrast to the insane speeds that Petrucci blazes in the song (4 billion beats per sec. ), the synth solos, take their time in developing the awesomeness that Rudess wants to inflict upon the listener. The seconds seem very weighted and slow in the synth solo. There are very few random sketches across 4 octaves which are so common in his solos. He spends more effort on the pitch wheel in this song than common. The build up within the solo is awesome, backed by a teeth crunching riff which just jacks up your hormones to insane levels.

The best part - 6:47 - 6:54

No. 4 - Octavarium
Epic and beauty are the key words for this solo. The solo goes on and on, and you don't even realize its been over a minute and a half of continuous blend of heavenly moog that he glides and roller skates through. Of course, that would would have to be the curviest and most impossible skating route in the world (like a Klein bottle version). I think he was on absynthe and 16 hours of yoga straight when he came up with this solo.

The best part - 12:47 - 12:57

No. 3 - Shattered Fortress
Power, thrash, goosebumpy, slick, transformative and a ton of other words come to mind when I listen to this solo. There are two reasons for that. One, because it is so #@$@%@%@^$%^ long, and the other because, it never gets boring once during that assualt. It isn't the consistently paced Octavarium solo that this reminds you of. It reminds you of a dark wizard with control of your brain cells, and all your nerve endings. A dark, evil, extremely talented wizard who will destroy you with elusive but real pleasure. The song has three perfectly structured climaxes which take you unaware, and leave you feeling like you jumped off a cliff, or just cleared the earth at 11.2 km/s, or launched urself against the moon's low gravity. Note that the build up to the solo is perhaps the best build up I've heard off DT. This is a lucid display of how well the band works together, and how the other intruments are so important in the solos. During the solo as well, the climax moments would be nothing without the accompanying change in the awesome riff changes that Petrucci engineers backed up with alternating, pitch changing thrashes by Portnoy on (as far as I am concerned) unclassified brass, bronze and nickel plates. Absolutely brilliant stuff!!!

The best part's' - 5:24 - 5:34; 6:05 - 6:20; 6:40 - 6:50

No. 2 - Burning my Soul
Spearing, thrash, testosteronic, and simply the most kickass synth solo in DT's songs. Imagine riding the fastest bike in the world in a desert, with a wake of sand about 20 feet high behind you, and you being able to switch between the driver's seat and observing yourself from an isometric point of view. If you can, this solo will be playing in your head. The solo starts with a tirade of repeating notes, which combined with the riff blow my mind away. The riff plays an important part in this solo. It is basic. Just like hunger. It is so basic, so thrasy, and yet so clean, that you cannot believe that no one else thought of that riff before this song. The sound of this solo is also a little different from the common synth solo sound that Rudess normally seems to use. That's because it's been played by Derek Shernian. With just the one album to his credit (with DT i.e.) (they do not count Change of Seasons as an album) I'd say he's definitely made his mark. His lead sound has more of an enclosed within a studio or a supressed sound. This makes the solo all the more dark, under-doggish and makes you feel like the king of an underground race in which everyone drives a superbike. I wish I can come up with one of these within a few of my lives.

Best part - The whole solo

And No. 1 - Take the Time
Perfection. That is the only word for this solo. I'd have to run experiments on human hearing, perception and the effect of music on people throughout history to be able to engineer a mastered solo like this one. Kevin Moore stole the show even before Rudess showed up in the band. When you listen to this solo, you realize why Rudess is so freakingly good at what he does. He had to be, to be able to replace that!.... Take the time is a perfect example of how solos can be turned into stories. The song is in my view one of the ordinary-ish songs of DT. However, e solo transcends all normal-ity and mediocrity. It is preceded in the song by one of the freakish and fluidic (an adjective I use to describe faster than you can count, changing time signature sequences in DT songs) instrumental sections which we recognize and love. (Listen to Metropolis Part 1 - for best fluidic part ever; also Dance of Eternity - for a composite collection of several fluids gathered together in a cave and grooving with a man-bear-pig) Then from 4:50 - 5:18 the band makes you stumble through a surprising turn of notes and beats, which is akin to stumbling down stairs with out-of-beat pauses at some steps. Suddenly, you rush down the stairs, and within a couple of seconds you are in this wide open space, where everything is light speed, and Kevin Moore is in the center making his keyboard cry. The solo is consistent, inspiring, uplifting, beautiful, kick-ass, climactic, never ending, and a thrill ride on a roller coaster with all the surprises you wanted in your life but never got. It is simply awesome.

Best part - Almost a crime to pick only one section out, but this is TOO good: 5:30 - 5:42