vipervick
500+ Head-Fier
Am I the only one who doesn't care about dynamic range? Most of my listening happens on my Harley-Davidson commuting to and from work. I can't hear the quiet parts.
Lets Talk Metal
- Thread starter ZackP
- Start date
-
- Tags
- shadowaffiliate
Am I the only one who doesn't care about dynamic range? Most of my listening happens on my Harley-Davidson commuting to and from work. I can't hear the quiet parts.
sludgeogre
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2014
- Posts
- 834
- Likes
- 251
I care about it when I feel like the music could benefit from it. There are certain genres and artists that I think don't really benefit from huge DR numbers because it tends to make the mix sound too congested. SubRosa and bands like that compress the hell out of the violins and other instruments because they walk all over the rest of the band.
There was a lot of argument here about Fallujah's last release. They have some insanely low DR tracks, but I still love them. I think it's a great record. Do I wish that there was a little more dynamics on a few tracks? Sure, that would be nice, but I don't blame them too much because they are playing to an audience which 99% listens to the music in the car or on crappy iPhone earbuds. Giving hugely dynamic tracks to those people, with the kind of music that Fallujah plays, would be pointless, they'd never hear half of the record. Then there are the thrash fans that actually hate dynamic range. If it isn't loud as hell, they don't want to hear it.
I could go on about pros and cons for DR for days and days. In the end, I have very resolving gear so I'll take extra DR any time I can get it, but I understand why some artists choose to compress their music more. As long as there is no clipping, I'm good.
Redcarmoose
Headphoneus Supremus
Interesting how I have actually been the victim of highly publicized "low DR placebo" .
This occurs if you would have enjoyed the recording more not knowing the DR beforehand. Fallujah had their scores widely known before album release. Another byproduct of the too much Information Age.IMO
Later if your brain is told something is bad ( even if it is kinda bad) you view it in such a way, it manipulates your original possible ideas.
I like to know by listening. I hear a compressed /hot master file
, still I tell myself, it may not be that bad, and try to enjoy the music?
Redcarmoose
Headphoneus Supremus
Grave
Out Of Respect For The Dead
https://m.soundcloud.com/centurymedia/grave-redeemed-through-hate
If you had a 18 year old nephew asking about death metal, you would hand him an early Grave CD. Swedish Death Metal has a special sound. Amazingly you don't need that much of an education on the subject to grasp it. The real difference today is the small word right before the word Death Metal. Today there is Technical Death, The Florida Sound and our Swedish sound, and that's it. So not only is Grave one of the early originators, they have kept their sound like proud old carpenter skills and build our classic metal house the same way today.
The point I'm making is you could also hand that nephew Grave's 2015 release Out Of Respect For The Dead and it would serve the same purpose educationally. The nephew is going to be fine. The issue here is just our attitude. Part of us (the jaded part) still can't believe a band like Grave could come out with an album of Swedish Death Metal in 1991 and still reproduce one today 24 years later exactly the same? Hence the magic here.
In a music scene where trends change every year Grave is that timeless hole in the ground somehow left alone by progress and change? It's contents are preserved out of respect for the dead. A timeless experience upon visitation for the first time or 24 years later.
Ola Lingren is the sole original founding member left over from the bands origins in 1988. His guitar and vocals form this whole consistency and classical quality. He has not changed. Really the only change here is us. Yep?
We went out into the world and heard a bunch more music. Our minds became sophisticated and entitled. We lost something along the way but luckily we can find it again here with this release.
First off we don't need any expensive equipment to listen to this. We just need a little of that childlike open mindedness here. We are about re-experiencing the same influences as 1991. Sabbath, Slayer and Punk Rock, that very special over-the-top guitar sound which put these bands and Sweden on the extreme metal map in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The Swedish Sunlight Studio sound is tell-tale and special. Nothing can even begin to start without THAT guitar sound. Hence this is the first notes we hear on the album, Out Of Respect For The Dead, the introductory guitar. And just like the music itself the song expands and becomes alive around the guitar. The perfect lesson once more for our nephew. This stuff is not complicated but it has rules and values that have to be adhered to or all is lost. Death Metal Carpenter Skills.
I purposely choose my ATH-M 50 headphones for this review. I wanted the sonic equivalent of the blue-collar working mans sound. Still you could play this disk on an expensive snobby stereo used for high-brow classical music and the music would be the same. This album refuses to be anything other than what it is. Don't even try to change this stuff. That grave is still going to be there, your going to be gone, that grave is still going to be there. Laughing, waiting, with all the time in the universe. Reminding us of our human mortality and simple momentary existence. Our frailty or power affect us nothing in this situation. For there is one certain thing. You all know what it is.
8 out of a possible 10 points
There is a smirk on Mr. Lingren's face. I don't need to be in the recording studio to see it. The smirk is traveling down to his fingers and affecting the guitar strings. I can hear it clearly. He is still enjoying this stuff. He knows the rules here, he wrote em a while back and he's sticking to em. Things must be done just a certain way, that's the craft of it all. Here, listen it goes like this. This music has a sick grin, the reapers grin. He likes his job........I'm talking about Ola.
We will be a little surprised that we don't find any of this boring? It's that same walk in the park, we are all used to. There is nothing new here, everything's the same, perfectly the same. Your reading this because you want to know if it's a good CD or not. You already read the review score but your reading on. There is way too much meaningless writing on-line. I'm not going to fill this page with a song by song synopsis of the CD. A synopsis is pointless as we already know what this sounds like. You have questions about the smaller points maybe?
The Sunlight studios guitar sound? The Stockholm guitar sound? At one point in history Sunlight Studios was the only place to get your axe to sound this way. Entombed, Dismember and Grave all recorded our seminal Swedish albums there, and only there. The secret formula was the pedals and amps on 10 and that single studio. Again despite innovation there are consistencies at work here.
Out Of Respect For The Dead
Still even sticking to our tried and true sound canvas, the album here shows production quality with how the tracks are panned. It is all you can do besides change recording levels? We are entertained by simple recording tricks like panning and individual instrument placement. These back to basic qualities are welcome in a world of extreme complication and change. We are again reminded of the power of simplicity and the creativity which can be controlled with a simple set of variables. If stuff still works, there is no reason for change. Of course if you saw the mountain of gear used to record this record you would note how I'm using oversimplification, and I am. Even though our latest release is not recorded at Sunlight, here is a photograph showing there was much more equipment in use besides just guitar amps.
This picture of Sunlight studios shows that in reality this music has a ton of technology going on.
Truthfully speaking Grave has changed a little. The first two albums were and are slightly different. Some believe they have added groove. Their tempos always change and there is a question as to which tempo is the best for the band. To help finish-up this review in style I had a good excuse to pull out my (2002) Back From The Grave CD.
http://www.carnagedeathmetal.de/carnage/oldschool/studios/SunlightStudio.html
Pulling out the old CDs is as much reference for the music as the listener. Back From the Grave (2002) was also one of the last recording Grave would record in Sunlight Studios going on to Soulless Studios in Sweden for recording needs.
Some people have actually complained that Back From The Grave has very little personality and all sounds the same. So this is kinda a competition of two CDs inside a review.
Edit:
I have to say that Grave's 2002 effort "Back From The Grave" is really a little boring. Our new recording out-does it on a bunch of levels. The new Grave release being instantly more fun to listen to. I really am amazed how much better of an overall record this new album is.
I could hear why some listeners thought Grave was a little boring playing slow sections back in 2002. The amazing part is our new release finds Grave in better form at all tempos. Just a new invigorated force in 2015?
Out Of Respect For The Dead
https://m.soundcloud.com/centurymedia/grave-redeemed-through-hate
If you had a 18 year old nephew asking about death metal, you would hand him an early Grave CD. Swedish Death Metal has a special sound. Amazingly you don't need that much of an education on the subject to grasp it. The real difference today is the small word right before the word Death Metal. Today there is Technical Death, The Florida Sound and our Swedish sound, and that's it. So not only is Grave one of the early originators, they have kept their sound like proud old carpenter skills and build our classic metal house the same way today.
The point I'm making is you could also hand that nephew Grave's 2015 release Out Of Respect For The Dead and it would serve the same purpose educationally. The nephew is going to be fine. The issue here is just our attitude. Part of us (the jaded part) still can't believe a band like Grave could come out with an album of Swedish Death Metal in 1991 and still reproduce one today 24 years later exactly the same? Hence the magic here.
In a music scene where trends change every year Grave is that timeless hole in the ground somehow left alone by progress and change? It's contents are preserved out of respect for the dead. A timeless experience upon visitation for the first time or 24 years later.
Ola Lingren is the sole original founding member left over from the bands origins in 1988. His guitar and vocals form this whole consistency and classical quality. He has not changed. Really the only change here is us. Yep?
We went out into the world and heard a bunch more music. Our minds became sophisticated and entitled. We lost something along the way but luckily we can find it again here with this release.
First off we don't need any expensive equipment to listen to this. We just need a little of that childlike open mindedness here. We are about re-experiencing the same influences as 1991. Sabbath, Slayer and Punk Rock, that very special over-the-top guitar sound which put these bands and Sweden on the extreme metal map in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The Swedish Sunlight Studio sound is tell-tale and special. Nothing can even begin to start without THAT guitar sound. Hence this is the first notes we hear on the album, Out Of Respect For The Dead, the introductory guitar. And just like the music itself the song expands and becomes alive around the guitar. The perfect lesson once more for our nephew. This stuff is not complicated but it has rules and values that have to be adhered to or all is lost. Death Metal Carpenter Skills.
I purposely choose my ATH-M 50 headphones for this review. I wanted the sonic equivalent of the blue-collar working mans sound. Still you could play this disk on an expensive snobby stereo used for high-brow classical music and the music would be the same. This album refuses to be anything other than what it is. Don't even try to change this stuff. That grave is still going to be there, your going to be gone, that grave is still going to be there. Laughing, waiting, with all the time in the universe. Reminding us of our human mortality and simple momentary existence. Our frailty or power affect us nothing in this situation. For there is one certain thing. You all know what it is.
8 out of a possible 10 points
There is a smirk on Mr. Lingren's face. I don't need to be in the recording studio to see it. The smirk is traveling down to his fingers and affecting the guitar strings. I can hear it clearly. He is still enjoying this stuff. He knows the rules here, he wrote em a while back and he's sticking to em. Things must be done just a certain way, that's the craft of it all. Here, listen it goes like this. This music has a sick grin, the reapers grin. He likes his job........I'm talking about Ola.
We will be a little surprised that we don't find any of this boring? It's that same walk in the park, we are all used to. There is nothing new here, everything's the same, perfectly the same. Your reading this because you want to know if it's a good CD or not. You already read the review score but your reading on. There is way too much meaningless writing on-line. I'm not going to fill this page with a song by song synopsis of the CD. A synopsis is pointless as we already know what this sounds like. You have questions about the smaller points maybe?
The Sunlight studios guitar sound? The Stockholm guitar sound? At one point in history Sunlight Studios was the only place to get your axe to sound this way. Entombed, Dismember and Grave all recorded our seminal Swedish albums there, and only there. The secret formula was the pedals and amps on 10 and that single studio. Again despite innovation there are consistencies at work here.
Out Of Respect For The Dead
Still even sticking to our tried and true sound canvas, the album here shows production quality with how the tracks are panned. It is all you can do besides change recording levels? We are entertained by simple recording tricks like panning and individual instrument placement. These back to basic qualities are welcome in a world of extreme complication and change. We are again reminded of the power of simplicity and the creativity which can be controlled with a simple set of variables. If stuff still works, there is no reason for change. Of course if you saw the mountain of gear used to record this record you would note how I'm using oversimplification, and I am. Even though our latest release is not recorded at Sunlight, here is a photograph showing there was much more equipment in use besides just guitar amps.
This picture of Sunlight studios shows that in reality this music has a ton of technology going on.
Truthfully speaking Grave has changed a little. The first two albums were and are slightly different. Some believe they have added groove. Their tempos always change and there is a question as to which tempo is the best for the band. To help finish-up this review in style I had a good excuse to pull out my (2002) Back From The Grave CD.
http://www.carnagedeathmetal.de/carnage/oldschool/studios/SunlightStudio.html
Pulling out the old CDs is as much reference for the music as the listener. Back From the Grave (2002) was also one of the last recording Grave would record in Sunlight Studios going on to Soulless Studios in Sweden for recording needs.
Some people have actually complained that Back From The Grave has very little personality and all sounds the same. So this is kinda a competition of two CDs inside a review.
Edit:
I have to say that Grave's 2002 effort "Back From The Grave" is really a little boring. Our new recording out-does it on a bunch of levels. The new Grave release being instantly more fun to listen to. I really am amazed how much better of an overall record this new album is.
I could hear why some listeners thought Grave was a little boring playing slow sections back in 2002. The amazing part is our new release finds Grave in better form at all tempos. Just a new invigorated force in 2015?
Music Alchemist
Pokémon trainer of headphones
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2013
- Posts
- 20,092
- Likes
- 2,305
Modern classic.
Rockin_Zombie
500+ Head-Fier
I never liked the Nevermore vocal for some reason, he sounds...boring.
Music Alchemist
Pokémon trainer of headphones
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2013
- Posts
- 20,092
- Likes
- 2,305
Most of the metal I listen to doesn't have sung vocals. I'm actually listening to Evergrey's In Search Of Truth now, though. For me, that album is a masterpiece.
Redcarmoose
Headphoneus Supremus
For so many "This Godless Endeavor" was the 2005 album of the year. Andy Sneap production didn't hurt either?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq8bxFOswNs
Music Alchemist
Pokémon trainer of headphones
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2013
- Posts
- 20,092
- Likes
- 2,305
I have (er, had?) that album too. Haven't heard it in years, actually.
Dark Tranquillity, Soilwork, Arch Enemy, and Nightrage all released great albums in 2005. Ah, the memories...I played DT's Character countless times in my car back then.
Redcarmoose
Headphoneus Supremus
Yes, I did buy the Character CD, or course Arch Enemy but l'll have to check out the Nightrage and Soilwork?
It IS hard to believe it was 10 years ago. I think you will find the Nevermore does not age at all and sounds amazing now. I also like Obsidian Conspiracy which I'm guessing their next album was? Still not quite as good in my book.
wrathzombie
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2011
- Posts
- 1,683
- Likes
- 138
This is good.
markm1
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2013
- Posts
- 2,812
- Likes
- 285
Funny, as I came late, very late to the table of extreme metal at about age 39 or 40! And, it was sometime between 2003-5....not that I'm losing my memory-ha,ha-but you know how it can be a slippery slope between taking that first drink and being full in. Anyway, thinking back on the ten years or so I've added extreme metal to my listening-you are making me think how 2005 to my ears now at least seemed like a strong year in metal. I remember buying Mastodon's Levitahon in 04 which you could argue may or may not be extreme metal -but was the closest they got (that I've heard anyway) and loving it at the time. And, then exploring some more.
But, 2005-extreme and clean metal-on a google serach-Kamelot-Nevermore-The Godless Endeaver, DQ-Character (big fan of that one), The Black Halo (one of my few favorite power metal albums-gorgeous album that really transcends the narrow genre for me), Moonsorrow-Verisakeet, Opeth's awesome Ghost Reveries, Primordial-The Gathering Wilderness, Porcupine Tree Deadwing-OK that's a cheat, DSO-Kenose, Akercocke-Words that Go Unspoken (man, I loved that album), YOB-The Unreal Never Lived, Pelican-The Fire in Our Throats will Beckon (their masterwork IMO), Nile-Annihilation of the Wicked, Boris-Pink, Spiritual Beggars-Demons, Acid King-III, Earth-Hex, High on Fire-Blessed Black Wings, Reverend Bizarre-Crush the Insects, Ulver-Blood Inside, Gamma Ray-Majestic (guilty pleasure-not a great album)
Crap! Maybe it's just my taste, but I think 2005 was a great year in metal. And, of course I only listened to a fraction of what actually came out.
Music Alchemist
Pokémon trainer of headphones
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2013
- Posts
- 20,092
- Likes
- 2,305
Redcarmoose
Headphoneus Supremus
Purchased above albums is 2005 except the Kreator which I obtained later. I think 2005 was one of the best years in metal history.
Seriously I think that no one knew how great the year was until later. We were just living in the moment and thinking it was a regular year.
Ask me about any of the above. I am intimately familiar with em!!!!!
Anyone here who has not heard that Candlemass self-titled is missing out. Perfect production and writing skills. 10/10
Redcarmoose
Headphoneus Supremus
This 2005 High On Fire was great too. Much of the Black Metal releases are a little harder to locate for 2005? Still it was also a great year for that genre too.
Users who are viewing this thread
