I think it has everything to do with people that are used to and enjoy prog bands more than most people. YOU are a prog fan bosk1. You love Neal Morse, you love Transatlantic. That is prog, is it not?
I'm not saying you (or whoever else) is incapable of making the distinction on it all (same way with me, I am more of a straight forward hard rock and metal fan, so it is akin to me saying I can't make the distinction between prog and the elements within prog that make it cool, which I can).
But what I am saying is that people get used to hearing things in the music that they like, and when something new is presented to them, their ear automatically attunes itself to want that. And that is what I think many folks that are criticizing AB III are doing, particularly on this forum, where there are a greater number of prog fans.
For me, I do the opposite. At first I search for the killer riff and great melody. If I don't find it, it makes it harder to listen and appreciate something. Case in point for me is Porcupine Tree. Love PT now. But it took me a LONG time to really get there, because I was listening for elements from them that aren't what they are about.
AB isn't (to this point) about experimenting with song structures. Period. Maybe one day they will, but right now, they aren't.
And hey, just like I think Systematic Chaos, Octavarium and BCSL are really crappy records overall, for various reasons, anyone can think the same of AB III. I just happen to be an uber fan of the band, and of this record in particular and I'm glad to see the band getting props from most of the media and most of the listeners. Feels good to be a hardcore fan of a band that is actually getting some noteworthy attention.
And frankly, I think lyrically the album has a great theme/concept to it that draws me in as a listener. Love Myles' singing and listening to him tell his story is captivating set against a great hard rock/metal background. Everything I dig in music is on the record, which is why I am so high on it.
And to be clear, none of my criticism of the album's critics is personal. Not at all. I just love the record, and don't really hear what some of you complaining about it are complaining about....because it doesn't sound samey at all to me, except for song structure, and that is what AB does. Has since its first album.