I think MoI is actually 'softer' than MND - it just lacks that oomph, that power that MND had. I can easily say Survive has all the elements of Power Quest I wanted to hear on Master of Illusion, whereas MoI lacked them except for Cemetery Gates and the title track, but even those lack the bombast of Strikeforce, Children of the Dream, etc. Like on Civilized? - the verses just fall flat for me. The choruses don't have that majestic power that blows your hair back like MND did.
Really, I might just be playing the part of a keyboard snob, but I guess I just missed all the string-laden choruses and speed. Not to say MoI is a bad album... it's just below the others in my opinion! Going by the samples and the entire song of Survive, though, I don't think that'll be the case for Blood Alliance.