"If it's not your band, it's a little like signing up for a stint in the military," he says with chuckle. "Your orders appear in the mail; you're ordered to Des Moines."
I liked that. My guess is that's how he views the HotE tour. Also, I was surprised to learn he was in the army.

I wish he would give an in depth interview now. There are lots of small parts of video and written interviews with him and he seems to have a detachment and perspective that make them worthwhile. I'd trust his accounts over any of the other former and current band members.

BTW, Felder does mention the estrangement in his book, but with quite a different spin.