So I am enjoying browsing through this thread as a running dissection of what is seeming to be one of the most overwrought and painful albums of all time.
The thing is, though, it's getting pretty good critical reviews wherever I look.
My problem with the album is simply this: It would be my favorite of theirs since the 90s if it WEREN'T SO STUPIDLY LONG. There's no reason for it. Even 90 minutes would've been acceptable.
I enjoyed so much about it. I had a very, very good time listening to it.
But it's repetitive, has musical interludes that add nothing, and a few really painfully bad songs.
And most importantly, it's a concept album, so there's not a lot of individual track replay value. And look, I'm not ever going to sit through this whole thing again.
So I'm pissed at it for being better than decent, but being too long and wanky to ever realistically be something I'll return to.
Plus, the story sucks, and that's too bad, because I've always held the story in
Metropolis II to be pretty damn incredible, so I expect better.