A couple of other observations (besides how good the album is):
1. I think this may be the best collection of lyrics for DT. All of lyrics are about mature topics (unlike SC for example) and there are no bothersome moments (like Count of Tuscany). TBP and IT have some of the best lyrical moments DT has ever written.
2. This is the best JLB has sounded in decades. The band gave to him some of the strongest melodies they've ever written. His voice fits every one of these songs. Even on the heavier side of the album on Behind the Veil, JLB sounds perfectly suitable. His vocal on the first verse-- an extremely important part of this song-- is exactly what he should have done. Stylistically he sounds on point. The irony in this is that both he and the song sound "heavier" in this moment, than in all those prior DT songs in which the band tried to force it through other effects and/or backup singing-- see TDEN and ANTR. I feel similarly about his vocal entrance in IT. I have been relieved to feel that the heavier moments of DT no longer feel awkward to me and I attribute that to better lyrics, and a smarter use of JLB's abilities and sound.
3. I assume this is pretty clear, but this two album stretch is totally different drumming from anything we've previously experienced in DT. In my opinion, it's also some of the most musical. People tend to focus only on MM's technical ability, which is obviously at a world-class level. But he also possesses outstanding musicianship and knows where and when to use those chops-- An example is two songs that command a totally different feels such as TBP vs. EM. You could also look at the different parts of IT and hear the same thing. The last part of the song was clearly written for the vocalist to shine. In this part, MM (as well as the other instruments) keeps it very straightforward. It makes the vocalist and the song sound better as opposed to taking a million fills before it's the right time. MM just "gets it." I think one of the reasons why DT12 has elevated the band to a new height as songwriters is because of this addition to the rhythm section of the band. DT has simply never before had this level of drumming.
A lot of things I did not like about albums such as SC-- poor musical choices in the vocal department that actually hurt rather than helped the song (TDEN), silly lyrics, etc-- were not an issue on DT12. The band has shown that they have grown significantly as musicians and songwriters since then, and have put out a far more mature and complete album. There is not one song I dislike here. Where other albums had 3 or 4 songs I hated, this song's worst track, AFTR, is still listenable. The other thing I loved was that, as different as this album is, there was never a moment when I forgot what band I was listening to. In the past, the band had these outlier songs that completely deviated from the DT core sound in favor of a different band's core sound. I allude to The Answer Lies Within, I Walk Beside You, Prophets of War, BMUBMD, which I believe were utter failures. On DT12, however, even the hat tips to other bands felt totally comfortable and unforced. For example, even though TLG is undeniably a Rush influenced song, there was always something in there that made it a DT song—whether it be the drumming, the clean guitar part just before the chorus, the JP solo, etc. Furthermore that Rush influence has always been at the core of the band and very well blended into its signature sound. I never felt “this song is not DT.” This album does not sound like any of the previous albums to me, but it contains all of the DT signature elements that I've loved from the beginning, perfectly blended into a superior collection of songs.
If I had to say one thing I didn't like, it would be the that some of the songs feel as if they are cut short for the sake of curbing the song length. ATFR, TLG and TBP come to mind. It's pretty minor I suppose, but I did feel that these songs could have used even an extra :15 minutes to breathe.
For the band to put out these past 2 albums 25 years into their careers is incredible. A lot of bands start to lose motivation or stop growing as writers and musicians, or take a totally different turn only to try to return to their sound later and realize the magic is gone. After Black Clouds came out, I thought that DT was probably not going to be a band I listened to much anymore; the past 3 albums had been duds. But this really feels like the new beginning for the band that they've been talking about in their promos. I can't wait for the new tour.