It's been nice to read everyone's opinions here, and I have to say, it seems pretty positive for most. I think DT definitely hit this one out of the park. I've really been enjoying this album a lot, and I think I might like it more than DT12. I think we all know why The Astonishing failed to capture the fans' attention world-wide - the acronym did not have "DT" in the title (we've got ADTOE, DT12, and now D/T).
All joking aside, this album has some TASTY instrumental performances across the board, and it's nice to hear JMX come out and shine, especially in S2N (which would make a killer show-opener). Vocally speaking, there are some good moments here and there, but it's all still taking time to sink in, but I've caught myself humming the chorus to UA here and there (though it was the first single, so that probably helps it).
BW, AWE and PBD are definite stand-out tracks, and I would love to see them play all three live. I have a feeling, however, that only about half of the album will get played live on this leg of the tour. I remember reading that the band was considering rotating setlists again, so they may swap a few new songs on A/B nights like Rush has done in the past. I could see BW and S2N swapping spots as they are similar lengths. Same with AWE and PBD.
As fun as "Viper King" is, I'm not sure if it'll get played, at least at first, but it IS a great track, and I like it's placement as a bonus track, though it definitely could fit in the middle of the album and still feel at home.
And lastly, the one (new) song I hadn't mentioned yet, "Out Of Reach", is probably one of the band's shortest, but it's got a lot of power, and that guitar solo in the first half is magical. This is a really great ballad, and I'd love to see them pull this one out live this year (since they typically only play new ballads on that album's tour, and rarely bring them back unless they're for an anniversary).
Overall, this is a great return to form for the band as a whole, and I hope the numbers for the live shows prove just how strong this album is and that fans will come out in droves to see them play the new material in addition to SFAM!
-Marc.