Yeah, exactly. Although I didn't mention it, that is another huge factor. The Blackened section hits, and I am confused about how I am supposed to react to it. And then we get to the extreme wankery that, unlike the vast majority of DT "wankery," just doesn't feel very interesting to me, and when those two factors combine in such close proximity in the same song, I am left a bit wanting.
I think the Blackened section is supposed to have a manic kind of energy to it.
The first part of the song is reflective. It's about MP's past, and the experience of looking at it with sober eyes (literally and metaphorically for the first time). The end of it is making the decision to face that. Lots of soaring, resolute classical melodies and spacey guitars.
The second part is called Release because it's about taking all the stuff in the Reflections of Reality section and letting it go. It's obvious from lines like "Your fearless admissions will help expel your destructive obsessions."
I think what's trying to be communicated emotionally through the music is that this is a highly elevated, intense experience. It's more than a little crazy.
From an idea standpoint, I get it and think it's cool, but it's the execution that leaves me cold.
There's a moment in the making of ToT video where MP's listening to JLB's vocals during the second part. He says something like "This sounds like Dave Mustaine meets Satan." I'm not saying you should take yourself too seriously, but I'm not sure it's a good thing if you're laughing at your own work either. If MP's not buying it, why should we?
Also, it just doesn't really have any momentum to it. The keyboards get more ghostly, but that's really about it. I actually like the ending unison a lot (it's technically insane and very musical), but the keyboard and guitar solos don't really build off the stuff before it, and they don't really help me get to the unison.
I hope this comes across as dry and academic as it's meant to - It just doesn't go far enough. It does what it's supposed to do. But it doesn't go all the way.
Finally, I don't think the Blackened thing was intentional. Whenever DT borrows from influences, they put their own twist on it. Even The Looking Glass is so overtly influenced by Limelight that you can't accuse them of trying to hide it. I have no idea why they would use the riff from Blackened on purpose. It probably just slipped in.