Yeah, people associate them with that and it sucks. That's why bands suck once they become popular--people associate them with a certain sound and they get uninspired and have to bend to fit that mold.
Listen to some of their old stuff:
This one might be my favorite, ever. It's slow in the beginning, so you kind of have to bare with it. Basically at about 1:30 it starts letting go and then BOOM in one second the song fucking loses it and becomes completely awesome. A bunch of layers, high-pitched guitar, what sounds like Isaac Brock in the background shouting over and over again and it all blends very well.
This one is much more mellow and there's build-up that lasts for more than five seconds. The vocal parts do get a bit boring but once you get past the second (or third, I forget) verse it's all outstanding, so it's kind of like "Freebird" in that respect.
There is a definite "shit's about to get real" part in this song, though, it's about 3:15 when the high-pitched guitar comes in for a sneak preview, and then gets fuckin' comfortable.
I should be a shitty music critic.