The fact that they are different is something I like about them.
For example, Lines in the Sand features rhythms and bass lines closer to funk than to prog, which is enormously tasty, and not visited by the band otherwise except in Take the Time. Meanwhile, Trial of Tears is airy and open, with plenty of room to breathe.
Another big plus is the lyrics. Both songs feature some of the best lyrics in DT's entire oeuvre.
you seem to like FII quite a bit (and I wouldn't blame anyone for it, I've always thought that FII is only liked by some select few people, I might be wrong though) and I think they wanted to go for these polar opposites on the album.
Having been around these forums a LONG time, I can confidently state that, at least as represented on the DT-related forums since 2001 or so, the consensus on FII is basically: one of the weaker DT albums, but still a good album overall with some absolute classics. I don't think it is accurate to say it is liked by a select few people (although probably only a select few would rank it highly in the DT discography).
I don't remember exactly where Hef ranks FII, but I seem to recall that it is kind of similar to me. And I can tell you that for me, I rank it near the bottom of the DT discography, but still consider it a very good album. It has some absolutely fantastic songs (the two that are the subject of this thread, along with TAMP), some very good ones (Peruvian Skies, NM), some decent ones (Anna Lee, JLMB), and some that I don't care for at all (the rest). I know Hef's individual song ratings would vary from mine, but I think the overall result would be about the same.
For me, FII has zero "absolute classics," four really good songs (Hollow Years, Hell's Kitchen, Anna Lee and Trial of Tears), one good song (YNM), a bunch of lackluster stuff, and a bottom-5 DT song (New Millennium).
FII seems to have, for lack of a better term, a "hipster vibe" -- both in terms of its sound and in terms of the opinions expressed by those who like it. Not sure if that makes sense or if I could elaborate on it.
Reading this is making me wanna rank the songs lol. See for me, I think DT does a fantastic job with emotion, and it can really turn an otherwise weak song into a great one. FII is a weird album to me in that I think the average length songs are some of the best they’ve ever done, but a few of them are also some of the worst songs they’ve ever done, and the epics are some of my least favorite epics in their discography. It’s why I made this thread actually. The album is very all over the place for me. Anyway, here’s my ranking.
1. Peruvian Skies
2. New Millennium
3. Take Away My Pain
4. Hollow Years
5. Anna Lee
6. Lines in the Sand
7. You Not Me
8. Trial of Tears
9. Burning My Soul
10. Hell’s Kitchen
11. Just Let Me Breathe
The first five are high level DT for me, all amazing songs. Peruvian Skies has one of the best buildups in any DT song, with a nice soothing first few minutes, and then just smacks you in the face with some of the most badass riffs they’ve ever done. I’m a huge thrash fan as well as prog, so this song resonates with me in every way. This is up there with The Mirror for me.
New Millennium has such a great vibe, it feels like I’m on the beach, it’s so breezy, but also has this quirky vibe that I really like a lot. It’s such an awkward song, but it all works for me. I love its weirdness.
#3-5 can be interchangeable, I love them all equally, they bring the emotions in such a perfect way. From there there’s a big drop off. Like I said, i do like LitS, but I don’t love it, it’s still a weaker epic to me.
You Not Me has the worst chorus I’ve ever heard in my life, but I absolutely love that grunge riff, especially after the first chorus, it’s so Alice in Chains. And I dig the bass and drums in the verses. If it didn’t have such a terrible chorus it would be near the top of the album for me. I already covered TOT, I don’t really get the love for it. I know I’m gonna get crucified for putting YNM above it lol, but hey...opinions.
The last three...are rough, to say the least. Burning My Soul is just a complete mess. Not only does it have an annoying chorus, but James completely loses his shit as the song goes on, and it’s very unappealing. Eventually he screams the name of the song so loud and his voice kinda cracks, I was like wtf was that, chill out dude. But it does have cool riffs so it’s not all bad. Hell’s Kitchen is just forgettable to me, it feels more like an intro to LitS. And JLMB is...not good. It sounds like some late 90s / early 2000s hipster metal that would be on a Burnout soundtrack (I loved those games).