As a person who loves MTM, loves even more how this new album is shaping up to sound, and does not like this album cover, I can tell you that it being different from past LP has nothing to do with it. At least for me.
It's just ultra plain. It's a boring cover. But as I posted earlier, who the hell cares about the album cover.
And I do agree that an album cover you dislike shouldn't change your opinion on the band.