Dream Theater are good for what they are, and what they are is a stepping stone into prog. To be fair, they have some great albums (WDADU, I&W, and Awake), but once Kevin Moore left, it's been a steady decline, leaving nothing but scattered moments.
These bands are, in a way, the 'next step.' They represent the meat of prog, in albums that showcase the range of the genre.

1.Anekdoten - Vemod

2.Arcane - Known / Learned

3.Arena - Contagion

4.Beardfish - Sleeping In Traffic: Part Two

5.Communic - Waves Of Visual Decay

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Some albums are really good. Many of these are good all the way around. And, in many cases, there is a single song that stands out, sometimes it's the last song on the album. This is a list of those songs.

For a more in depth look at this, I've codified each into a given category:
Type 1 - 'The long song at the end.' Often the title track. These have a tendency to be most well written and dynamic pieces on the album.

1.!T.O.O.H.! - Order And Punishment (Řád A Trest)

2.Abigail Williams - Becoming

3.Agalloch - The Mantle

4.Amon Amarth - Versus The World

5.Anekdoten - Vemod

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This is a list of bands featuring some of the best guitar work. This covers overall writing, riffs, grooves, and whatnot.
It isn't really in any particular order.

1.Edge Of Sanity - Crimson

2.Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

3.Leprous - Tall Poppy Syndrome

4.The Project Hate MCMXCIX - Hate, Dominate, Congregate, Eliminate

5.Animals As Leaders - Animals As Leaders

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Some easy stuff, some different. Mostly prog.
Things after 10 aren't really in any order

1.Edge Of Sanity - Crimson

2.Orphaned Land - Mabool

3.Pain Of Salvation - Remedy Lane

4.Opeth - Still Life

5.Agalloch - The Mantle

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