I cannot comment on the surround mix (yet) but I've listened to the stereo version of the album a few times. It's not bad, it definitely has its cool moments, but the days of the brilliant Images and Words and Scenes from a Memory appear to be over for good.
In the Presence of Enemies part I is a promising start. The the vocal melodies are a bit lame, but the song is very enjoyable and leaves you wanting more.
Forsaken. The lame melody problem intensifies. Not an atrocious song, but t doesn't manage to keep you interested very long, mostly due to LaBrie's inability to convey nuances or emotions in his vocals (at least on this song). We've heard all of this before and this copy has nothing to elevate it above the hundreds of others.
Constant Motion. This is where it goes really wrong. This song is obviously made to showcase the band's technical proficiency and progginess, but IMHO that's not enough to make it good.
The Dark Eternal Night picks up on Constant Motion and takes it one step further. First, the shouted vocals just don't work. They sound horrible and amateurish. Then, while some technical parts are really cool, others are just plain wankery that goes on for way too long. The worst part is that the song doesn't seem to have a "drive" you can hang on to, which means that if you're not into pointless technical showoff you'll be bored to tears real quick.
Repentance gives you time to breathe. I agree, there's definitely a Porcupine Tree-influence to parts of this song, which is probably why I like it better than the others. I approve. It's not as good as PT, obviously, but it's quite decent.
Prophets of War. Oh hey it's MUSE again! Oh hey they must have heard Pain of Salvation's Disco Queen! (excellent song by the way, everyone should hear it. Go on, download it. Or buy the album. And be sure to listen to the lyrics or you'll be missing the point completely.) It's not quite as blatant as the MUSE ripoff on Octavarium, though, as they did a much better job integrating the MUSE-sound into their own style this time. In the end, this song is probably the best on the album. Thumbs up.
The Ministry of Lost Souls starts off with your standard bombastic synth line and quickly softens down to a single guitar. This sets the tone for the song: epic and modest. Yes, both. There's some more pointless soloing around the eight-minute mark, but it's over quick. Decent song, though maybe a bit too long for its own good.
In the Presence of Enemies part II. Is it just me or does the beginning sound a lot like Pink Floyd's Goodbye Cruel World? I wonder if it's intentional. Anyway, as expected, this song is the bombastic epic that concludes the album. The whole Dark Master theme is a bit silly (I'm referring to the musical theme, not the conceptual theme) and they do the whole shouting business again at some point, though it's less horrible than in TDEN. Another unbearable and way too long part of wankery starting from the 10-minute mark... This song could have been much, much better.
Systematic Chaos is a definitive step forward in terms of quality when compared to Octavarium, but it's still inconsistent. Cut out Forsaken, Constant Motion, The Dark Eternal Night and In the Presence of Enemies part II (that's, like, half of the album) and you have an album worth an 8, if not a 9. With said songs, though, the album plummets to a 6 or a 7. I won't vote since I haven't heard the surround mix and since I want to give it a second chance. I can't give it my recommendation, though.