I also need to get into the discussion about Shanks' production.
Yes, it's a wall of sound. Yes, a different, lets say "clearer" production would upgrade the arrangements.
But a good song is a good song, no matter how the production turned out.
So to me it's a ridiculous excuse to make bad songs better. It's not Jon's shitty vocals, it's not the lack of inspiration, it's not the lack of a tight band working on the songs. Nooo, it's the production.
And besides that I think most of you don't even have an ear for production-issues - me included. It's just one person once said something that sounded so professional and understanding so a lot of other guys think to know what's going on and hearing every nuance of every production move taken.