That whole line of thought reminds me that one of the reasons I love Haken is because they have that ability to be so "feel good", "positive", and "uplifting". (quotes because they tend to be relative and subjective terms)
You know how some people are getting a little sick and tired of *all* comic book movies having to go for that "dark and gritty" feel? I've started to feel the same way about progressive rock. When I first discovered Dream Theater, my immediate draw was side 1 of IAW. Balls and chunk, were followed by the beautiful Another Day, then the rather cheerful Take the Time, and even Surrounded seemed to have a very happy main riff before going into the slightly moodier Metropolis. But the point is that I was really elated to hear a band that didn't have to be so dark and depressing all the time.
It's the same with Haken. My first exposure was The Mountain, and other than Spock's Beard, I don't think I had heard a progressive metal album who's message was so positive and upbuilding in a very long time. Even in the points where the music sounds dark, the message is a continuous "no matter what happens, no matter how bleak things are, you have to overcome and adapt and keep going. You may even get in your own way sometimes. Your own ego may trip you up. But you can learn from that, become more humble and adaptable, and get back up and keep going."
As I went through the rest of their catalog, I was blown away by the musical puzzle box of each piece of art (pun intended) but I am a bit put off by darker lyrical themes of Visions (even though I think it is musically one of their best). And this is probably the reason why I love Affinity so much...because it has a bit of both, and definitely ends on one of the most positive high notes of their career.
With Vector/Virus, I feel like they've gone back to the extremely dark and gritty story approach like what Visions had. But it's musically so strong that they get away with it. I just hope we can get back to the nice balance of dark and happy, because when I'm listening to an entire album, I prefer some dynamics to the mood rather than just maintaining one constant "feel" throughout the entire piece.