James LaBrie is very good at evoking that empathy, really channeling some pathos with his lyrics (and his performance of those lyrics too, if you ask me), so yeah, I certainly agree.
But I have to say, I absolutely loved the lyrics for Viper King as well. It's, of course, much simpler, but it captures the fun groove of the song perfectly, and honestly, it's also very refreshing. I mean, Dream Theater has covered all sorts of topics in the past, real and fictional, but it's usually darker or more serious, or just something personal, which is good, I have no problem with that. I just find it so fun and refreshing that he decided to write the lyrics about the joy of driving a car. It's so simple, and yet, DT has never done that. In fact, I don't remember the last time anyone has done that, and it's a real shame, because as a subject matter, it used to be a staple of Rock music.
So yeah, as far as I'm concerned, The Viper King is Dream Theater's own Highway Star, and I think it's really awesome, and lyrically, it's all thanks to James.