i enjoyed this as a musician, the playing is stellar, great riffs, the production is top notch. but as a listener it didn't do too much, the songs just didn't seem to flow naturally, and the symphonic parts were way overdone, sometimes it just seemed like they were put in because they could be. i'd love to see the band tighten up the song structure until they're ready for the epic pieces. i don't know that i'll ever listen to this album again but i look forward to hearing what the band does next!