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Which songs from the past 4 Dream Theater studio albums form a theme when played sequentially? ANSWER

Answer 

1. The Glass Prison - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
2. This Dying Soul - Train of Thought
3. The Root of All Evil - Octavarium
4. Repentance - Systematic Chaos

If you have an MP3 player or other digital music recording/playback technology, you should queue up and play these songs in order so that you can fully appreciate how these songs fit together. In total, these songs run over 43 minutes. When the series is complete there will be enough music to form the basis for a stand-alone album...Following is a brief overview of each song and it's place in the twelve-step program:

The Glass Prisonis the first track from Dream Theater's 2-CD album disk Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002) and is about the first three of the famous 12 Steps program created by Bill Wilson. The lyrics were written by the band's drummer, Mike Portnoy, about his experience with alcoholism, which is a deeply private issue for Mike that he graciously shares through his music. It is usually argued that "The Glass Prison" is one of the most aggressive and heavy tracks the band had ever released to that date. It runs 13:52. This album covers the first three of the 12 steps:

• We admitted we were powerless over alcohol--that our lives had become unmanageable. 
• Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 
• Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

This Dying Soulis a song off of Dream Theater's seventh studio album, Train of Thought. It is a continuation of Mike Portnoy's Alcoholics Anonymous suite, and features Steps 4 and 5.

• Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 
• Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

The Root of All Evil is the first song of the eighth Dream Theater studio album, Octavarium. It is the third installment in the Alcoholics Anonymous suite, written by Mike Portnoy. Specifically, it covers the 6th and 7th steps of the 12-step AA program. 

• Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 
• Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

Repentance covers steps 8 and 9.

• Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 
• Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.