Agreed, still easily the best MM era and a top 5 for the band. Breaking All Illusions is a quintessential DT track and the album contains the best ballads they’ve ever done (or at the very least since Kevin Moore left). Jordan is arguably the star of the album and his playing compliments the band more consistently here than anywhere else in his time with the band.
The songs are deep, complex, and inventive. The album has a lot for the listener to sink their teeth into without being overlong or overbearing.
With the exception of the limp drum sounds I’ve actually come to appreciate the dry, “raw” production/ compared to the squeaky clean sound of day Astonishing, for example.