What I find appalling in this forum now is how so many just put their opinion down as fact. It's all subjective people. What I like and you don't doesn't mean I'm right and your wrong or the other way around. Too many people come on this board and get all up in arms about how they feel about this album. It's nice to get your feelings off your chests, but remember this is a FAN site, and if you post a negative thread there will be a lot of other fans who will fight you tooth and nail here.
I don't appreciate the posters who come here and call those who love this album "sheep" or "blind followers" that is disrespectful and inflammatory. If you do post in such a manner, don't be surprised when other users hammer you for your opinion. My guess (it's only a guess) is that most of the negative posters are fans who came around during the AB/Zooropa/Pop era. That makes you long time fans, but that is not the "definitive" U2 era. There is no "definitive" era. All eras of U2 mean something different to each listener.
While I've been a fan since the early 80's I have enjoyed each era that U2 has taken me through. I rank AB as my favorite U2 album (what a punch in the mouth at the time), but Zooropa and Pop left me a little. I'll be honest I like a classic guitar sound, and the new album gives me that and more. But I love parts of Zooropa and Pop as much as I love songs from UF/JT and AB.
Too each his own. I have no problem if some or a lot of people don't like this album, I am enjoying it without shame.