Strictly in the sense of a better "album," I agree that ATYCLB is better then HTDAAB.
I went probaby a year without listening to ATYCLB, but a few months ago I threw it in the cd player again and listened. I'd forgotten just how good it was probably due to how criminally underrated it is on this site. The thing that puts atyclb over htdaab is that, like all good albums, it has a common linkage, theme, atmosphere...ect between the songs. The only one that doesn't really fit with ATYCLB's theme of mortality and back to the basics with the important things is Elevation.
My main criticism of HTDAAB is that it seems to me like simply a collection of songs rather than a cohesive album. I love every single song on the album, but where is the link --thematically and atmospheric-- between the songs? It's just not there. You have the God rocking songs (Yahweh, All Because of You), the innocence/naivity songs (COBL, OOTS), the political songs (LAPOE and Crumbs), the Bobby Hewson songs (Sometimes You can't make it and One Step Closer), then the songs that don't really fit any of these themes in Vertigo, MD and AMAAW. The real problem with HTDAAB is that it simply lacks focus IMO. Like I already said, it seems to me like more of a collection of songs than an album. I think that having so many different producers is the reason why the album isn't that consistent song to song.