Interesting.

I agree with all the mechanics OP lists being individually used a lot. And that is exactly why I like the new normal raids so much: They genuinely feel difficult.

Which is cool. If you're not an "organized raider", you should still have easier (dungeons) and tougher (normal raids) content. This being the most difficult content for non-organized raiders, it makes sense they're far far less forgiving than dungeons or EX would be, and they deliver. At the same time however they always have a lot of time going from one mechanic to the next, which allows the raid to re-rezz and re-heal, plus making a mistake does not usualy kill you right away like in past raids, instead you get that bleed the healers have to heal through.

It's a neat balance. It's more difficult than past normal raids, but it also feels great as the "capstone" content for a non-organized raider.