It doesn't really bother me, because I think what Devin does with compression is within the limits of what good compression is meant to do for heavier music, and he has enough good judgment to never go beyond that limit of good taste before things go to ****. He's done plenty of much softer music (even ambient and country!) during his career so it's not as if he doesn't know the difference, which means it's an artistic choice when he does go heavy on the compression. For the wall-of-sound effect there's really no better alternative. But if you don't like that sound then yeah, it can get tiring after a song or two.
I've been keeping up with his latest updates on his Youtube channel, where he shares his life on the road during the tour and during the making of the new album. The dude lives a very healthy lifestyle and the rest of the band does too--they eat healthy, exercise, and seem like a bunch of nice guys. None of that rockstar macho posturing and ridiculous hedonistic ******** that I hate.
I like Devin - don't get me wrong - but only in small doses, because his music is so intense and concentrated, it's like a ristretto
Also there is a point I wanted to touch for a long time in this thread:
Sometimes great music can do harm, and you have to put it away for a while... At least this is true in my case. For example I like a lot bands like Opeth (early too but mostly later albums), Steven Wilson, Porcupine Tree, Leprous. Musically and technically they are outstanding. But they are soo depressing, and sometimes live me with such a bad state of mind, that I have to put them away, although I like what I hear A LOT. It is such a contradictory and weird feeling I get, that at a certain point I have to stop. It really is like a drug. For me this started with Marillion (Fish period), back in the day, I liked that music so much but at some point I had to stop listening to it, and I never played those albums again for a very long time.
Sometimes I'm on a quest of finding good music that is not depressing, and you know what? It's so god damn hard! It is hard to find good music that isn't depressing
Even Dark Side Of The Moon is fckin' depressing. Every time I listen to "Time" I get depressed.
I absolutely love Genesis with Peter Gabriel - Nursery Crime, Foxtrot, Selling England... albums. But that feeling that I'm left with after... I have to compensate with some Prodigy or Rammstein or Iron Maiden.
What you posted above : Octavision and Snarky Puppy are indeed excellent and NOT depressing! Maybe fusion is the answer
Apart for the red Audio Technicas that they wear, which I hate
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