For fans here who enjoy 01011001, did you come into the band around the time of that album's release? For me, I found them around the time The Human Equation came out, and then worked my way back through the previous albums and loved them ALL (yes, even Actual Fantasy).
I got into them between
The Theory of Everything and
The Source.
01011001 is in my top 3 with THE and
The Source. Those three albums just seem to me to be much more consistent than the others. Yes, Connect the Dots and Web of Lies aren't great, but they're a pretty small part of the album.
On the issue of lyrics, I have to say, I think relatively little of Arjen's skill as a lyricist. It may be a little weird when speaking about an artist who almost exclusively writes very rock-opera-esque concept albums, but I'm here almost entirely for the music alone. I think his dialogue is often awkward, and, in particular, inappropriately slangy ("Do it right, do it right, we ain't got all night," "Oh no, I thought you knew that I am so much cooler"). His stories range from clichéd but decent (THE, TTOE) to fairly aimless (UM, 01) to ridiculous (ITEC). The thing that sticks out to me from what he's said about his background as a writer is that he says he has never read a book. And honestly, I think that really shows in his writing.
I don't mean to totally trash the guy. I like a whole lot of his music. He's working in a second language. And he has his strong lyrical moments, usually when he's writing more abstract topics (Beneath the Waves, And the Druids Turn to Stone). But overall I just do not think that lyrics are his strong suit.