With ADTOE (which was less compressed than BC&SL, which was less compressed than SC), I think it was less giving in to the loudness war, and more just not really thinking of that when going into the mixing/mastering process.
That said, it is a bit frustrating that a band like DT don't place more importance on dynamic mixing and mastering.
With Clockwork Angels, Geddy straight up said in an interview that they 'compromised' on the sound quality, which is frustrating, because there's no way a band like Rush would need to compromise on something like that, and they seem very aware of the dangers of overcompression post-Vapor Trails.