Listened to DT12 after a quite some time and these are my impressions:

[Lax]

I do prefer ADTOE to DT12, but it's because of mixed feelings.
I love half of the album because it's well composed and really liked from the first listen, and the strings in the IT touched me, and even more in the live.
I disliked some predictable radio vibe I felt here and there, I don't want DT to make efforts for the masses

Soundwise, I agree it could be way better, and some choices are unexplainable for me, like towards the end JP does irrititating screeching sounds while playing that force me to lower the volume :/

[erwinrafael]

That is the best I've seen describe the song.

It's even more interesting if you take into account the mirroring u-shaped structure of the song, but I think some are already tired of me sharing this over and over again. 

         DARK                       LIGHT
Crescendo drum roll    Decrescendo drum roll
            v                                 ^
Slow majestic intro      Slow majestic ending
Paradox of the              References to light in
Black Light                     paradoxical lyrics
            v                                 ^
Rocking riff                     Rocking riff
            v                                 ^
Harsh reality                   Harsh reality
Questions                          Answers
            v                                 ^
Nothingness >journey > enlightenment

TCOT is usually used as a comparison, but it's not comparable because TCOT is a linear narrative. IT is not linear, it is more comparable to SDOIT in structure.

[bosk1]

TCOT is usually used as a comparison, but it's not comparable because TCOT is a linear narrative. IT is not linear, it is more comparable to SDOIT in structure.

Lyrically and thematically, I agree that TCOT is not a good comparison.  But in terms of big picture musical structure, the comparison is easy to see.  And I think it is especially easy to latch onto the musical similarities given that these are the only two big epics that feature an uncharacteristic extended soft/ambient section smack in the middle.

[erwinrafael]

They also did that soft section in the middle thing with the Goodnight Kiss section in SDOIT. The transition is actually similarly jarring coming from TTTSTA.

[Implode]

SDOIT is a bit different to me because it feels more like suite or group of individual and independent songs kind of flowing into each other. I suppose the same could be said for Octavarium too for many.

[BlobVanDam]

Aside from the blatantly copied intro/outro drum fills, I don't see any notable similarity between IT and SDOIT. IT and TCOT are a natural comparison, as far as the DT epics go, at least. It's a bit more difficult to share structural similarites with a 19+ minute song than it is for a 4 minute pop/rock song.

[Scar]

Since we are on the boat of their self titled album......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYFsSBs23G8

Pretty fun as heck if I do say so myself. Randomly autoplayed after I finished listening to Enigma Machine.

[erwinrafael]

Aside from the blatantly copied intro/outro drum fills, I don't see any notable similarity between IT and SDOIT.

It's not just the drum fills. The exception is in the Solitary Shell part.

SDOIT pattern:

drum roll > majestic (overture) > rock (ATC) > heavy (WIMH/TTTSTA) > slow, brooding (GK) > acoustic (SS) > rock (ATC-R) > majestic (LT/GF) > drum roll

IT pattern:

drum roll > majestic (paradox of black light) > rock (riffing) > heavy (LDK) > slow, brooding (TEC) > heavy (TPOT) > rock (riffing) > majestic (STP) > drum roll

[BlobVanDam]

SDOIT is similar to IT in the same way people argue that Outcry was like Metropolis. Even boiling down a 42 minute / 19 minute song to 7 main vague descriptions of sections it's a bit of a stretch.


However, looking at the rough structure of TCOT/IT, I came up with this-

TCOT
introduction of main theme in slower section > heavier instrumental section > heavy verse > chorus > instrumental noodly > different heavy verse section > chorus > instrumental > soft/ambient section > slower tempo epic finale vocal section at end > epic guitar solo outro

IT
introduction of main theme in slower section > heavier instrumental section > heavy verse > chorus > instrumental noodly > different heavy verse section > chorus > instrumental > soft/ambient section > heavier vocal section > instrumental section > slower tempo epic finale vocal section at end > epic guitar solo

Is it a perfect comparison? Of course not. But there are actually a lot of similarities in structure, especially before the middle breaks. And while there are also admittedly some contrivances in my classifications, they're much less vague contrivances than yours!