I've been taking it slow with this one. I'm sure I've made some preliminary statements about my opinions on some of the songs, but only now do I feel like I know the album well enough to really talk about it.
For me, this is the most consistently good album in a long time. It holds my attention all the way through and there are no songs I would really consider to be lackluster.
I do think this and ADTOE are in a new style that is distinct from that of other albums due to the absence of Mike Portnoy. There are certainly some things I miss about MP: his experimentation with other style of music and his vocals, to name the main two. But in a lot of ways, Dream Theater's compositions have improved since his departure and he's certainly been adequately replaced by Mike Mangini. So I'm not exactly a member of the "bring back teh Pornty" club but I'm also not in the "MP was ruining DT" club either.
One thing I remember saying very early on in my listening to this album is that I wasn't too sure about the fact that all of the songs on the album are dominated by distorted guitars. This is definitely the most of a full-on onslaught that a DT album has been since
Train of Thought, and may be even more of one than that album (since Vacant breaks ToT up right in the middle, but the break of IT comes very close to the end of the album. I do greatly enjoy this album but it's definitely one of DT's heaviest albums and so is not suitable for as many situations as an album like
Images and Words,
Octavarium, or even the much-hated
Systematic Chaos.
95% of you have probably stopped reading by now so I'll just move along to a brief track-by-track.
False Awakening Suite - This is a good opener, but it doesn't really catch my ear as well as the rest of the tracks. Maybe it will in time, but it's probably my least favorite on the album at this early stage.
The Enemy Inside - Very good song. I love how it encompasses both the prog DT and the metal DT. Wacky instrumental stuff courtesy of Jordan is always good.
The Looking Glass - One of my least favorites early on, but still a very good song. I really am not complaining about the ending or a Rush "ripoff"or anything, it's just a solid short DT song with a catchy chorus (I love how our favorite prog band writes so many catchy vocal melodies).
Enigma Machine - An early favorite for me, actually. Fun and crazy instrumental fun (yes I realize I used fun as an adjective to describe fun. get over it). Probably my second or third favorite DT instrumental.
The Bigger Picture - My favorite on the album right now. So huge and so beautiful.
James and Jordan. That ending… Chills.
Behind the Veil - Another of the good ones. Great diversity within one track, and another fantastic chorus. Love it.
Surrender to Reason - This one is good but hasn't wowed me yet. The intro feels the tiniest bit disjointed, but it's made up for by restless angels.
Along for the Ride - I first heard this as part of the album and was surprised that so many people seemed to dislike it when they released it as a single. Great chorus (again!) and I love that tasty solo.
Illumination Theory - I'm really not sure how to feel about this one yet. Epics usually take a while to make me love them; I usually dislike them at first and grow to love them over time. That happened with ACOS, 8VM and TCOT. But I will say that it has some seriously excellent parts, like the moment right out of the orchestral section with Myung and Mangini being Myungini.
Rankings (everyone skipped to this part anyway):
1. The Bigger Picture
2. Illumination Theory (very tentative)
3. Behind the Veil
4. Enigma Machine
5. Along for the Ride
6. The Enemy Inside
7. Surrender to Reason
8. The Looking Glass
9. False Awakening Suite
Verdict: While I still somewhat miss MP's presence on this album, this is the best album Dream Theater has released in a long time. If it stands the test of time, it could be my third favorite after Images and Scenes.