In regards to TPE1, this is the one album that emotionally affected me above all others. It was the right confluence of musical style(s), intensity, subject matter, and structure that was exactly what I needed to hear at that point in my life. I even bought the Japanese import at almost twice the price because it was released a few days earlier, and the cd store I went to had a huge import section. It was definitely a huge and cathartic help through some serious depression. Only Learning to Live comes to close to affecting me in the same way.
That being said, listening to it now about ten years later - there are some flaws. I still love it, but the title track goes on about a verse too long before heading into the two softer, middle sections. I have a similar issue with King of Loss. It almost feels as if DG had more lyrics than the song structure could contain, and chose to over-inflate the songs in a couple of places rather than edit the lyrics.
As far as DG's ego, he certainly does seem to hold a rather high opinion of himself (based on the interviews I've read). I was fortunate enough to have a bit of an email exchange with him after OHbtCL was released. They weren't very big at that point as their fan base grew significantly with TPE1, and it was pretty damn easy to find his address and email him. For the duration of that exchange he was extremely pleasant and polite, even going so far as to ask my suggestions for a set list.