DT12 is in my top 3 too. The top 3 weakest DT albums. I'd only put WDADU lower.
Would you pick DT12 or the second half of Awake?
DT12 easily.
I don't really dislike DT12, I just find it the most unremarkable of all their albums, no real high points at all except for the orchestral break the band didn't play on.
If I were comparing Awake as a whole to DT12 though, easily Awake. While things always get bogged down by my dislike of the tail end, everything up to and including The Mirror ranges from great to excellent.