I guess I'll weigh in on this whole conversation. I can't say I've ever felt "fatigued" by Neal's works very much, though I will say that around the time of Lifeline/T2/Momentum, he did start sounding like his ideas were running on E, and things started feeling very same-y to me. Lifeline was OK at the time of release, but has aged poorly to my eyes (and I think Neal realizes that as well, as he's not gone back to that material save for a couple songs here and there). Testimony 2 is just another extension of Testimony, and while it is good, is pretty typical for Neal. And Momentum just happens to be the one album that, while I really enjoy, I probably don't find myself going back to - I'd rather listen to either album on each side of it (T2 and TGE).
When he finally formed the NMB and incorporated Bill's and Eric's ideas and performances into the studio work, Neal's ideas seemed refreshed, and I REALLY enjoyed TGE when it came out. It felt like Neal had a shot in the arm, and the ball kept rolling with TSOAD, so I have high hopes for TGA when it comes out next year. I look forward to hearing more collaborations with every band member!
As for his other works, with Transatlantic, I will echo the sentiments that Kaleidoscope does feel like it treads familiar ground, and that's OK for me - the first two TA albums are spectacular, so going over similar ground doesn't diminish Kaleidoscope for me, but it doesn't make it better - it's just simply good, a solid 4/5 or so. And while some might feel it is "formulaic", I find myself really enjoying the input from Roine, Pete, Mike, and even Daniel on this one, and it's pretty refreshing at times, especially parts of the epics and "Black As The Sky". In the years since its release, I've often found myself going back to it at random intervals because it feels easy to get into, whereas I feel compelled to listen to ALL of "The Whirlwind" once I start it. With Kaleidoscope, I can put on an epic or two, or just spin the shorter songs and feel like I got a good dose of Transatlantic that is still fresh to me, whereas listening to SMPT:e and BAF, while amazing, are both still a bit overplayed to my ears, so I tend to give them a rest every now and then.
While we're discussing TA...
BAF > TW > SMPT:e > K
-Marc.