Okay, I'll just sit here for a while writing a track by track opinion, while I re-listen to the record (this has to be my fourth or fifth listen-through, without counting the single songs)
Descent Of The NOMACS I'm always fond of great intros. This is one of them, I love the overall vibe of it and the creepy sound effect that build tension.
Dystopian Overture I really like this overture, but I feel it lacks a bit of identity. Overture 1928 was a strong song, and it did not just present themes from the album, but it did something on its own. But still, I like the structure, and I dig every single part of it.
The Gift Of Music Well, I've always liked this song a lot since it came out. It sounds fresh for DT, and happy, a vibe they seem to have forgotten for a bit. I love the instrumental section and the choir section. Shivers each time.
The Answer Nice little tune. I like how clean it all sounds. It's a very light hearted song that makes me feel quite good.
A Better Life One of the best tracks of the whole thing. It manages both to be badass and quite touching.
Lord Nafaryus Dang. Halfway insane, halfway badass. I really love the "I've heard the whispering of revolution" part. A great introduction to the villain.
A Savior In The Square Another standout. Incredible songwriting going on here. Some of the best stuff since Octavarium. I wish it was longer
When Your Time Has Come While a normal pop-rock song, this is incredibly refreshing. I really like the chorus and the outro feels really epic. The synth melody reminds me of some old school italian prog vibes.
Act Of Faythe Good enough track, nothing special. I find that the main theme is used in much better ways in other songs. But I like the intro and the outro, they make this piece somewhat deep. The negative thing is that it could be a skip-track since the track after is a monster.
Three Days Jesus. This is amazingly great. Heavy riffs, ragtime, jazz, blast beats... and James is on fire! One of the best tracks!
The Hovering Sojourn I think that out of all the NOMACS tracks, this is the one that represents best the idea of shitty electronic music with no real rhythm or melody.
Brother, Can You Hear Me? At first I kind of cringed at this song. But now, it's one of my favorites to listen to; it's epic to the core, and the part when the melody gets reprised is incredible. Very heart warming and hymn-sounding piece.
A Life Left Behind The intro sounds to me like a less electric version of Breaking All Illusions. This is another awesome track that is capable of turning a simple ballad into something much more creative and fun.
Ravenskill Among the greatest songs in the whole album. From the atmospheric beautiful intro, to the badass riff, and one of the best performances by James in all his career... this is an incredible semi-ballad. Wow.
Chosen This part of the album is basically ballad after ballad but I don't freaking care. This is another charming piece, with tons of amazing and emotional melodies.
A Tempting Offer Yet another incredible song. It starts out all creepy and it gives me chills, especially thanks to James' portrayal of a pedophile-ish Daryus, then it gets all epic but still badass. Lots of shivers and headbanging in this one.
Digital Discord This shit is eerie man. That huge sound at the beginning is creepy as hell.
The X Aspect I could've done without another song about the betrayal, but this is a great track - quite dramatic. The Brother Can You Hear Me bagpipe part is incredibly dramatic in tone and gives depth to the story arch.
A New Beginning Fun track! Happy 7/4 verses with a badass reprise of Lord Nafaryus as a chorus. I also love the instrumental part and that solo groove is cool.
The Road To Revolution Excellent closing track for act 1! It takes all the cool themes and includes them to give a sum up of the story so far. I really love it. Also, DAT high note at the end.
Okay, that was Act 1. Time to take a piss or something, then I'll get on to act 2.