I realized I've been a guest on these forums for too long, and there's no better time to change that!
So, my thoughts on the album:
FAS - Does its job. Sounds cool. Not much else.
Grade: B
TEI - I liked it when I first heard it as a single, and in the context of the whole album, I see why it's the single. At least to me, it sounds the most like "modern DT," whereas many other songs are now being coined "DT 2.0." It is also one of the more catchy songs, which is weird because of its heaviness.
Grade: A
TLG - I get why people like it, but I've never been a fan of vocal-driven songs. I guess that's why I like DT. The guitar solo section is indeed nice, though.
Grade: B-
EM - Didn't quite "get" this song on first listen, but now I'm hooked on it. The main riff sounds like what Lay Down Your Life by Transatlantic should have been, albeit a bit more complex. Oh, and I'll say it: the drum solo surpasses any solo or fill I've heard from Portnoy. I'm still a big fan of both Mikes.
Grade: A
TBP - Probably favorite chorus of the album. This is one of two songs, the other being STR, that are still blurry in my head. That will change quickly enough.
Grade: B+
BTV - If there's one part of this album that made me go
, it's the riff before the first verse of this song. Was upset that it didn't come back much. Definitely my favorite of the track 5-7 block. I call it that because of they do blend together mentally.
Grade: A-
STR - The ending, from Restless Angels on, is great. Not a big fan of Dream Theater's Rush side, although I am a fan of Rush. Weird how that works.
Grade: B
AFTR - Least favorite track of the album. I just feel that every other song has something that I can look at and say, "That was cool." Not this song.
Grade: D
IT - The best way to approach this song is to imagine that each section represents a different emotion. Yes, it's disjointed, but the fact that each section is so different is what makes them work together. Yes? No? Ok, I'll just say my favorite parts.
-The "Live, Die, Kill" riff. So groovy.
-The oft mentioned orchestra section.
-The high F from LaBrie
-The Easter Egg
Grade: A++ (For reference, I have 10-15 DT songs I would give this grade to. Also, less than a third of their songs fall in the C or D range)
Overall, this album ranks middle of the road for me, although my DT album rankings are excruciatingly weird. I see the love, and I see the criticisms. To me, there are some definite highs, and some lows, but neither highs nor lows are as extreme as I've seen from DT. Definitely a change from ADTOE, and although I prefer ADTOE to DT12, the change works.