My take/opinion on the latest DT album. Absolutely ass-kicking and brilliant.
If you all read the interviews, forums, seen the videos, blah... blah... You wouldn't be surprised to hear an album like this one after Octavarium.
Even before, they all admitted that, Yes! Some of their songs sounds a lot like this band and/or that band. Glass Prison for example is an obvious influence from Pantera. The Answer Lies Within inspired from Coldplay. I Walk Beside You from U2. The Great Debate from Tool. They're not ashamed about it because they are also a great fan of these bands. MP quoted once that "Hey! This sounds like Black Sabbath meets The Beach Boys" but they also put a twist of their own on to these songs.
Train of Thought is a conscious effort on their part to really make a heavy album after their Iron Maiden tribute album. After that they touch on their prog/pop side and the result is the Octavarium album.
IMO with their latest album they perfectly balanced their prog/metal and prog/pop songwriting skills because of it's modern sound, heaviness, the almost-never-ending prog solos, the epics, etc.
All in all. They are really progressing as a band with each album they make. Not sticking only to a one style of prog which is for me is what DT is all about.