My copy has that too albeit I've =never paid it that much mind because it doesn't really get in the way of the album too terribly much. If I wasn't so lazy I suppose I could go cut the silence off the end of the track in audacity and you probably could do the same if you really wanted to, so.
Anyways the real reason I checked and found this thread was to talk about Volition because my thoughts on in are definitely in order enough by now.
Clarity I liked a lot at first but kind of have grown tired of it, it's not a bad song though.
Drumhead Trial has a lot of energy I love to bits, the main "riff" that starts off the song is one of my favorites on the album too. Also that solo trade-off section <3 Really I just love everything about this song, probably my 3rd favorite on the album.
Tilting Against Windmills has a lot of parts I like and some I'm just meh on, but overall it's a rather enjoyable track.
Without Prejudice... dunno why but I always feel Rody's singing isn't very dynamic here, especially the "so drape yourself..." part until the tempo change. But the entire slower section at the end is godly and I like the music in this song a lot even if the vocals irk me a little.
Yellow Teeth is great too, and in stark contrast to the previous track the vocals are probably the main selling point of it for me, though really there's nothing I can say negative about this one either.
Plato's Tripartite I like as a whole, but the entire tempo-change-out-of-nowhere section just feels tacked on, like it's only there because this is about their simplest song otherwise... but I think it should've stayed that way. They needed something there, but what they put there wasn't right. Oh also the rest of the song is pretty wonderful though, I'm a sucker for 6/8 though.
A Life Embossed has a lot of riffs I like and the entire ending section is a great moment but the song feels like it drags on a bit for me. Could've been trimmed a bit and made a much more enjoyable track.
Mist is just so energetic and powerful that I can't help but love it, even if the lyrics I can only connect with a little. It's just such a passionate song and that really sells it for me. Also helps that the piano/guitar duet at the end foreshadows Skies a little which is always a good thing to do, yes.
Underbite I only really have one negative thing to say about, and that's that it might be a bit *too* tongue-in-cheek at times. But a very fun song as a whole regardless.
Animal Bones is just... not memorable aside from the Sequoia Throne reprise, at least I can't find it to be such. It's not bad at all but it doesn't really do anything interesting for me.
On the other hand Skies is the best song on the album by a good margin and easily the band's best song since I have tried to find something to nitpick at to no avail. It's just... flawlessly brilliant. I still haven't gotten over how great this song is yet.
The album as a whole I'd probably rank about the same as or just above Kezia, Scurrilous is still probably my favorite release but Volition is pretty damn good regardless.
Also song rankings because, because.
Skies
Mist
Drumhead Trial
Yellow Teeth
Underbite
Plato's Tripartite
Tilting Against Windmills
A Life Embossed
Without Prejudice
Clarity
Animal Bones
Do like all the songs though, so that's 2 albums in a row with no songs I dislike.