You correctly identified BC&SL as their worst. Nice job.
Yay! Someone agreed with me! I discuss on the video how, for me, that album was something of a "final straw". I had been growing increasingly dissatisfied with a lot of DT's post SFAM releases and that one just cemented in my mind that the band had run out of ideas and was largely just regurgitating already worn out ideas. I totally understood why MP asked the band for a sabbatical.
Actually, MP leaving is what the band needed at that point, not a sabbatical. They immediately made one of their greatest albums afterward.
Yes totally agree. Coming out of SC and then BCSL, you hear the sharp contrast that ADTOE offered. They had a lot to prove at that point...and given the abrupt line up change they do once again. It is a high bar for DT16. If the timing is just right for MP to return then let's all hear exactly why that is the case. In terms of legacy I think we are at a pivotal moment in the band's history.
I don't think they're planning on calling it quits any time soon, but it could make sense to view a big lineup change as the final chapter, if you will. If DT16 is not significantly better than View I will be very disappointed.
And last edit here, but I get why fans want MP back for live performances, but it is hard for me to imagine how this change makes the next studio album better. It certainly
can (I am open to it) but on its face going from MM to MP doesn't make me think 'yeah, I see how this directly contributes to a better DT album going forward.'