Having had several listens to this point, this album is very much a Rock Opera and not something I can compare to a 'concept album.' Calling it a concept invokes comparison to SFAM and Operation Mindcrime etc. Do that and this album fails miserably. I love the freshness of style in several places, and I applaud any band that does what it wants, but this is the hardest material to enjoy for me personally. This album sounds like the cast and crew of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and members of Symphony X had an ugly lovechild. There are painfully cheesy sections scattered across what sounds like a longwinded ballad. To care about the story I have to care about the songs, and sadly I can't connect to it. Perhaps it will grow in some sections, but for now "Moment of Betrayal" is the only 'song' I enjoy. Looking forward to the next album so I can put this one behind. I hope I like it more live since I already have tickets, but whatever this is just isn't my thing. It's cool that so many here are enjoying it though. A band like DT can't be summed up in a single album or style really so opinions will always be heavily divided. I joined these forums when Mangini joined the band (I am a longtime fan of his), but the last 2 albums really have me missing the Portnoy era of 2003-2009. There is less of a song focus and more of a technical focus that felt more balanced in the past.