I wonder if there's an age gap, i.e. younger fans find it fresh and interesting while older fans find it too derivative of other works?
But I can see it working the other way as well, older fans appreciating the props and younger fans not getting the references?
Regardless, it's a top 5-10 song for me.
For the bolded, it could be that it's not as much as not getting the classic songs references as it is not really caring about those references. For me, as a younger fan, I'm like, "Yeah, that's cool that they devoted a section to that, but I don't know if it fits the song or if I really care about that as much as those that likes those "nuggets" and stuff."
Octavarium is a good song and an important song for the DT lore, but I wouldn't want to say it's one of my faves or something I want to listen to too often. If I wanted to listen to a DT epic, I would prefer Illumination Theory or even The Count of Tuscany (wacky lyrics and "LET ME INTRODUCE, MY BROTHER" aside) or if it counts, I would just listen to the entire A Mind Beside Itself trilogy.