A few late impressions... haven't checked the noticeboard for a while...
My first thought after putting on the new album for the first time: Mmhh... another straight rock album? BDAW was so great because it was different, new, different sounds, different rhythms...
Second thought: Whow! Angry planet: intense, aggressive, magic, an instant classic. Happy to be here: beautiful, and yes, wonderful reminder of NBTS. Devil's bargain: great. Sunrise: kind of simple and positive, and at the same time strangely haunting.
Replace any BDAW songs with any of these? No way! Different albums, different kinds of songs, different moods. Both great.
Was thinking about other albums that came out shortly after the big famous masterpieces: Impurity, Eight, this one... I've always liked those... Really like this one too.
And the live songs: I've always thought the BDAW songs sound quite different live than on the album. It's great to have both versions.