MABB v6.6.6

Talk about K's production and sound here. This particular topic seems to be muddling up other threads. I'll start.

Guitars are buried a bit in the mix, but with a bit of EQ tweaking on the headphones, it's not too bad.

TamPron wrote:This particular topic seems to be muddling up other threads.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Here are my major gripes:

1. Guitar tone: overall they are overcooked with a kind of phase distortion probably from over EQ'ing and consequently sound buried and unclear. There's no life in the mids which is imperative to Trey's sound. On FB I had posted a demonstration of messing with Piles mp3 subtly and was able to open the guitar sound up a bit and put movement back into them.

2. Vocals: you know, some of those reviewers want to talk about "the sound is fine, it sounds like MA" but are failing to recognize that the vocals have a lispy quality as it stands now. Instrument sounds aside, I don't quite get how this technical issue got passed everybody and approved.

3. Guitar level: I am listing this separately, but correcting the guitar tone would probably fix the apparent perceived level.

I am keeping the possibility open that the true wave files will sound somewhat differently. For example, MP3 filtering can interfere with high frequencies compromising the vocal integrity, not just in tone but technical correctness! Waiting on pre-ordered CD.

It leaked? I dont see it anywhere

no leak. Preemptive opinions based on song Piles

Oh ok

I think some of you shouldn't get your leather assless chaps in a bunch until the actual recording comes out.

Shredlord wrote:I think some of you shouldn't get your leather assless chaps in a bunch until the actual recording comes out.

boring.

I think they tried to hard to make it BrOOtal. It is very hard to make out what the guitars are doing. Which is a shame...
THe lisp thing is not that apperent in all the songs but it is there and once you focus on it you cannot un-hear it. I do think it is the most agressive performance tucker did on a MA release.
Overall i like it though but it was a grower. I think i rate it above H and G. I was never that into G for some reason. And while i like H i always felt it was a little incoherent.

So you've heard the entire record?

Wtf

genuinely am surprised at yall being so in to morbid angel

Yeah. Considering we are on the Van Halen board and everything. Strange indeed

Nick wrote:

Nah,it's not that bad..

From the Metal Stream review: "The production is quite crisp with each element of the sound appropriately coming to the fore as needed."

Shredlord wrote:From the Metal Stream review: "The production is quite crisp with each element of the sound appropriately coming to the fore as needed."

I trust my ears more.

Shredlord wrote:From the Metal Stream review: "The production is quite crisp with each element of the sound appropriately coming to the fore as needed."

"From the Metal Stream review: "The production is quite crisp with each element of the sound appropriately coming to the fore as needed

I mean, all matters of taste aside, to use a word like "crisp" to describe a mix that can be empirically and analytically verified as anything but (which doesn't confirm it being good or bad mind you) demonstrates that most of these "reviewers" have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to sonics.

So, how many of you naysayers own the actual recording?

Shredlord wrote:So, how many of you naysayers own the actual recording?

To quote myself:
"I am keeping the possibility open that the true wave files will sound somewhat differently. For example, MP3 filtering can interfere with high frequencies compromising the vocal integrity, not just in tone but technical correctness! Waiting on pre-ordered CD."

Dude I hope this would be the case! So 2 distinct possibitlies that would give us a different sounding higher quality files:

1. Actual Redbook files from the CD that I am patiently waiting for, arriving week of Dec 1.
2.Then there's the added possibility that perhaps a different production level mp3 was used for promo..right, it can happen.

In my professional opinion and heart of hearts, it won't sound that different. The Piles promo was a straight Mp3 render of the final master wave, Trey even uploaded a better one and apart from a slightly, tad better open top end, it was basically the same. Not to mention, we aren't dealing with 8-bit audio with total degraded SRate and poor conversions. So the CD quality wave most likely won't sound different enough to remedy the issues. UNLESS there was a total and complete different production master that we have yet to hear. I'm leaving these possibilities open, and of course welcome them if it is so!!

Shredlord wrote:So, how many of you naysayers own the actual recording?

As the reviews are coming in more and more it is logical people might have heard it, isn't it? So far i heard it plenty of times to form a good opinion on it. And i will spend a lot of cash on it after dec. 1st. I like it.

The whole album sounds like "Piles". If you read Beany's review, that one is pretty close to the mark in my opinion. The album is aggressive with the drums and vocals in the forefront of the mix. Especially in the fast parts the intricacies of the guitars are hard to make out. I do like the gnarly sound of the bass. Overall i feel it takes some real effort hearing all the details just like on HE's Fury&Flames.

How the fuck do you have the record?

jorsh wrote:How the fuck do you have the record?

Probably press stuff like other reviewers have received it.

Uni777 wrote:Overall i feel it takes some real effort hearing all the details just like on HE's Fury&Flames.

Man that kinda sucks and now i think about it, "Piles" does sound like that album. FaF was good but it took a very long time to grow on me initially.

Taurean Mixing wrote:UNLESS there was a total and complete different production master that we have yet to hear.

That would be a hell of a way to mess with leakers.

Abzu wrote:

Taurean Mixing wrote:UNLESS there was a total and complete different production master that we have yet to hear.

That would be a hell of a way to mess with leakers.

That would scramble my paradigms

Seems unlogical though.. to give reviewers a bad mix to review

Uni777 wrote:

Abzu wrote:

Taurean Mixing wrote:UNLESS there was a total and complete different production master that we have yet to hear.

That would be a hell of a way to mess with leakers.

That would scramble my paradigms

Seems unlogical though.. to give reviewers a bad mix to review

Yeah, that's a good point.

With how these songs sound, I'm perfectly willing to forgive the mix, though I wish it were different. I wish there were more gas giant-y lavas and whatnot. All in all, though, I am glad MA is back to form, I love Steve's performance, and we were long overdue for an aggressive riff fest. I can't wait for my vinyl to get here on the 1st. We'll see if it stands the test of time, now.

So far all of the tracks that I've heard sound like they're in 7-string Bb tuning. Does anyone know if the whole album tuned like that or is it like the old Tucker stuff with a mixture of 6-string E-flat and & 7-string Bb throughout the different songs?

I listened to 2 tracks on the way to work on my headphones. Really liked the guitar tone and the mix overall, better than the sample from a month ago. Bear in mind, this was the 160k leak, compressed to shit again through my google play stream.

So I have high hopes over how this will sound on physical media.

HAHA! D.E.A.D. has such a fucking crazy riff in the verses. Awesome stuff!

god fucking dammit Steve Tucker sounds fucking amazing!!!

Listening now for the second time and sound wise I'm already used to the guitars. Sometimes it's hard to make up what is being played but I'm listening on my studio monitors now on a normal volume and it's alright. The only thing that I find lacking is weight in the snare and toms. Because the kicks are so heavy they unbalance the snare drum and sometimes the toms as well. They sound a bit thin and lack depth. Personally I always love snaredrums with balls. I guess it's also a style thing... especially in the fast doublebass parts and blastbeats the snare just sounds weak even though I know it's not being played weak at all. Scotty is a beast.

Anyways, songwriting-wise I'm still getting into it slowly. Some songs have great moments and great solo's. I really love Steve's performance and the bassguitar sound is neat. But overall I'm not connecting with the material very much yet. I guess that's also a side-effect of streaming the album.

I gotta say one thing. Some of Trey's solos have a super cool gritty texture and I actually like some of the weird solos in the background creating a very cool texture under the riffs. I don't know what effect it is but it's as if the guitar sound is breaking up and crumbling away.

iamgoat wrote:god fucking dammit Steve Tucker sounds fucking amazing!!!

Steve did an amazing job delivering his vocal performance. I like the mix of Gateways articulation but monster-like still like Formulas.

I just popped in the CD track in my comparison session and sad to say it isn't vastly different sound wise, or different enough to mitigate the previously mentioned sonic issues.
And unfortunately that lisp quality still haunts the vocal track.

I'm used to the production after several listens. Doesn't bother me one bit.

Ya shouldnt have to get "used to" a production though lol
I dont like the hardness and phase distortion, it bothers my ears.

Yeah i feel the same. I like it very much though. As the fanboy that i am i ordered the Digi and the LP version and i will probably get the singles box too.

I wish it was easier to hear all the guitar intricacies. It would be interesting to hear how your remaster would make the guitars more cleary audible.

I know what jorsh means. I'm focussing more on the songwriting and lyrics now. With every record the sound was always something new. Every MA album sounds different but everyone knows it's them. I get that feeling with this record too and I didn't feel that way with Illud. That album doesn't sound like Morbid Angel to me.

Anyways, I've said what I wanted to say about the mix of K and I'm leaving it at that.

Personally, I've kinda outgrown death metal TBH so maybe that's why I don't enjoy this as much as some of you.

Yeah i get that. And as i have been listening to it daily for about a month now i do listen to it as is. Same as with a band like Portal which is also a pretty dense sound to get into.
Though as Trey was a huge inspiration riffing wise some more clarity whould have been cool. Still, i dig this a lot more than G and H.

Uni777 wrote:Yeah i get that. And as i have been listening to it daily for about a month now i do listen to it as is. Same as with a band like Portal which is also a pretty dense sound to get into.
Though as Trey was a huge inspiration riffing wise some more clarity whould have been cool. Still, i dig this a lot more than G and H.

G has a special place in my heart. I love that album so much. F is my all time favorite as everyone knows but that's all so personal.
I like H too but this album sounds more cohesive than H. The sound of K is also better IMO.

Portal is cool but a bit too much of the same. I like dissonant weird stuff like Deathspell Omega and Ulcerate (although I get bored with Ulcerate quicker because of the vocals, the guitarplaying is out of this world though). Challenging music is what I have always loved and in the death and black metal genres there are bands that push that limit of compositions, musicianship and sound (Oranssi Pazuzu). I just don't feel that MA falls into that category for me anymore.

iamgoat wrote: Challenging music is what I have always loved and in the death and black metal genres there are bands that push that limit of compositions, musicianship and sound (Oranssi Pazuzu).

Open another topic and let us know. I'd be very interested in such bands.

i am digging this production, i think the muddy style fits the lava / sludge quite well

i can see where the audiophiles and guitar-playing fellows are coming from, but, since guitars are not my particular jam, i am unbothered by those fellows' complaints

on a related note, i have no idea who is playing drums in morbid angel anymore, but he's doing a rock solid job to these ears

horse dealies wrote:i have no idea who is playing drums in morbid angel anymore, but he's doing a rock solid job to these ears

http://youtu.be/rqjfQnXIeoQ

one of those recent interviews trey said Fuller is a 1-foot blaster and doesn't do the 2 foot blast, what he called the "duck-walk."
But this video shows 2 foot blast. I don't know, maybe he's playing differently in MA.

Trey talked about this when I hung out with him briefly, he basically made Scott learn to do 1 footers. I'm paraphrasing here but he said something along the lines of " You better play Pete's beats right, or he'll shoot you in the head", in reference to telling Scott he needed to do single foot blasts.

TamPron wrote:Trey talked about this when I hung out with him briefly, he basically made Scott learn to do 1 footers. I'm paraphrasing here but he said something along the lines of " You better play Pete's beats right, or he'll shoot you in the head", in reference to telling Scott he needed to do single foot blasts.

LOL ok cool, thanks

My verdict: some great moments, I prefer Steve's songs and I think the songwriting on G (and even H) is much better. Even if you don't like the sound of Gateways, the songs are very well written and the solo's have a lot of depth and emotion. I don't experience all that with K. The only thing I absolutely love is Steve's vocal performance.

For me, it's not an album I'll go back to often.

iamgoat wrote:My verdict: some great moments, I prefer Steve's songs and I think the songwriting on G (and even H) is much better. Even if you don't like the sound of Gateways, the songs are very well written and the solo's have a lot of depth and emotion. I don't experience all that with K. The only thing I absolutely love is Steve's vocal performance.

For me, it's not an album I'll go back to often.

I don't know which songs are Steve's, but I generally agree with you. The sort of swing vibe some of the riffs have (e.g. the opening riff of the album) is what I appreciate most about the guitar work, and in general I think Steve really outdid himself with the vocals.

It's a solid body of work and I do enjoy it, but in a vacuum nothing about it gets me particularly excited.

Yes such swingy riffs that Trey writes are very original in death metal. That's true.