Sometimes I think we get too caught up in rankings, so something new that comes out either has to be "the greatest thing they've ever done" or "rubbish".
This is one of my favorite bands, and I was looking forward to a new release. What they released is something that works for me, and I relish it. "Good", "very good", "great", "masterpiece", I don't know man, time will tell. I just know that I like it a lot.
I totally agree with this. There are maybe three or four albums that are just at the top, no matter what. They’ll probably never be beat because of nostalgia. Everything else is pretty much on the same level.
The nostalgia aspect is far too often ignored. We can talk about taste, but the fact is we will never forget the first few times a band resonated with us. For me, Images and Words, Scenes From a Memory, and Octavarium will most likely never be topped, as those were the first three albums that I head by Dream Theater, and all three, especially SFaM and 8vm, changed my life in different ways.
Another example I can give is with my favorite roller coaster, which, despite me having been on many coasters that are considered better, including one in the same park, but my favorite was the first one that made me fall in love with roller coasters, so no other ride will probably ever top it.
I can almost guarantee you, ask anyone what their favorite album is, it was probably one of the first ones they heard by a band or artist.