Then I am at a loss to understand. I took the second album to the store today to listen to it on their Stanton turntable. Even with the background noise and the low-end equipment, the same defects were immediately audible. They acknowledged that the noise was too excessive for a brand new album and gave me full credit.
Raul and Atmasphere, have you actually listened to the album closely without any distractions? I find it hard to believe that I had bad luck with two different copies in a row. The defects were way too pronounced to be just a coincidence. I don't mind clicks and pops such as when you get a used record, but this was just a straight out unlistenable record.
I intend to obtain a copy released for the European market to put this to rest.
Thank you all who tried to help and offered their feedback.