Silverchair
Diorama

i cannot disagree with your opinion, but personally i would give the album 4/5, because i think the songs are so well written. The thing is with this album - you have to go in with an open mind, shutting out the thoughts of past silverchair. In comparison with such songs as the anthemic freak, you hear vrey little similarity. Personally, i think of this as a great bonus. There are many records containing songs of a similar sound to that of freak and other old silverchair classics - i feel i'd fail to find songs such as "Across the night" as they have their own stamp. For me the downfall in this album is simply the fact that it is clear that some songs are there just to please old fans, the most notable song being "One Way Mule" which couldn't be more out of place, and completely disrupts the album with it's slow wanna-be-powerful rock sound, that just does not make an impact.
From a musician's point of view this album is an incredible/nightmare thing, it features in parts lavish orchestration, and contains timing changes in ways i've never seen silverchair explore before, and the transitions between the melancholic minor vibes of old and the new major uplifting sounds exist throughout each single song. When i heard this album, i was scared, scared in a simple naieve way that hardly any would 'get' this record, as i didn't - and i was trying very hard. But after searching through, i found a great record that i think i will listen to for some time yet, as it is a very rewarding album so far - but time will tell.
After typing in this little box i've struggled to check my English, but hopefully you'll gather some idea of my positive appreciation of an album like this. Personally i think this band just get better (apart from the notable exception of freak show) with each album now, as they progress in the way bands should.
As a stepping stone to go from, i think fans of Neon Ballroom tracks such as Emotion Sickness will be the ones that'll really appreciate this. If freak is all you saw good in silverchair, then i advise you to steer clear, as your negative comments will do no good.
thanks for your time........ and ignore the fact that 90% of this post is shit that i probably don't quite mean..

stop attacking Coldplay. It justs gets boring. Listen to A Rush Of The Blood To Head and then you'll shut up.

personally i love the way silverchair have put in different tracks, one way mule is such a cool song and does not make it any less passionate or 'deep' as the others. the orchestral tracks show us that the band can undoubtedly work with more diverse elements of music and in my opinion the guitar at the end of world upon ur shoulders is nothing short of fantastic. silverchair continue to improve but its not about looking at previous albums and saying oh yeah diorama is way better cause that doesnt do the other albums justice as each of them are individual and fantastic in their own right