OK
It’s not so much the early game is dead. It’s received a lot of attention with massively improved dungeons, in-combat changes benefitting early game players most, and events like Seasonal chars + missions accessible even to early game players. There’s never been a better time to start playing. The problem is not enough people are starting, compared to when it was a Flash game available on many sites.
Your other points are even less valid. Almost all game music sucks, and even the best gets repetitive after a while. Do as I do and mute it, play your own music or listen to sports radio.
As for items I really welcome the many new items. They both give you many more options for the classes you like, and give you incentive to play classes you don’t, to try out items for them. More generally they keep the game fresh and interesting so there’s always some item or set you’ve not got yet and want to try. With a handful of exceptions nothing’s been replaced, the old items are all still available.