by doing this, they're reducing the range to a very small (pinching thumb and pointer finger together) bit. You might as well go back to cassette tapes.

Completely agreed.

Funny thing is, I've heard recent albums (arguably in different genres than Rush, though) which subscribe to the "louder is better" mentality, but they really sound great.

For instance, the new Sheryl Crow album is probably the one with the most "perceived loudness" in my whole collection, yet it production and mastering are fantastic. Everything is crisp and clear, and I can hear individual instruments clearly.

Being a guitarist and having done a little bit of mixing work myself, I think I know what's going on in the mix of Vapor Trails. There are problems in the main mix that have been compounded by the mastering. A lot of it is the choices they've made in the guitar and bass arrangements, and how the vocals are being mixed. I know why they've made those choices, I just happen to disagree with them.