Well, seeing as this seems to have become a discussion of DWoT as well as TiO, I'll give my opinions on both.
The former is certainly cool, and has some mind-blowingly excellent parts... but even though I enjoy it as a whole, I can't say the bulk of it truly speaks to me.
Of Sins and Shadows: Very good song for rocking out, both in all seriousness (guitar at beginning!) and ironically (verses, and especially the backing chorus-like vocals, hehe). And I haven't been overexposed to it!
But while it's great at what it does, I tend to prefer more thought-provoking music, and thus it lacks real staying power with me. 7.5/10
Sea of Lies: Another song that rocks really freaking well, and the bass-iness (especially when contrasted with the guitar solo about half-way through) is a very nice touch in that regard. I've also managed to avoid overexposure like with Of Sins and Shadows, and the slightly more mellow, introspective part gives it emotional depth, which is pretty lacking in that song. Cool stuff! 8.5/10
Out of the Ashes: A nice feel-good rocker (heightened by kind of ironic, classical-influenced rocking). The chorus in particular is great, and I like the lyrics... they're empowering. But I don't often listen to it, for the same reason as for Of Sins and Shadows. 7/10
The Accolade: Excellent song. It has a good atmosphere and builds a story well, a huge plus in my book, and something that is almost completely absent in the previous three songs. The emotional depth definitely has a greater presence than in the previous three as well (although not as much as some other SX songs). The only qualm I really have is that the synths aren't all that great, and they're too exposed in some parts. 9/10
Pharaoh: My favorite part of this song is the quiet, outer-spacy part, followed by the angry part -- very nice for a little variety. I also quite like the keyboard solo part. The chorus is pretty good, and the verses are decent. Solid song, although it seems largely meant to rock and it doesn't really do that well enough. 7/10
Eyes of Medusa: Quite rockin' despite its slower pace. I am a big fan of the main riff (and the riffs in general, I guess) -- especially when it just *rips* through the quiet part near the end.
I also really like the contrast between guitar and the tinkly sounds (at the beginning). The melody of the verses is really nice, and while the chorus isn't the best, I've gotten used to it and I do like the end of it (to behold the sight...). Definitely seems like an underrated song. 8.5/10
The Witching Hour: Meh. My least favorite SX song off this album, and one of my least favorites at all, actually. Not a *bad* song, but it never really caught my interest, not in small part due to the mediocre-at-best chorus melody. Still, kind of worth listening to on occasion, I guess. 6/10
The Divine Wings of Tragedy: Fantastic song! Favorite off the album, and it's not really that close. There are probably too many things to list that I like about it, but highlights include: Russell layered on top of himself in medieval-like four-part harmony, metal-ified Mars from the Planets (oh yeaaaah), and that last section (Paradise Regained, I think it's called?) -- SO GOOD. But it's pretty much awesome all the way through (to varying degrees, at least). In summary, though: I love it for how progressive, immersive, and musically interesting it is. 10/10
Candlelight Fantasia: And my favorite song of DWoT is followed by my second favorite to end it! It speaks to me more than any of the others, even the title track. True beauty is to be found here, and it is especially introspective and thought-provoking. The part right after the first chorus isn't quite as good as the rest, but no matter, really. 9.5/10
...This is taking a while! I will review TiO after dinner.
