Appreciation thread: Daylight Dies - Dismantling Devotion

[Behind]

I just want to say that this album is fucking amazing. It has become one of my favourites ever. Its production, writing... Everything seems to sit so perfectly in the mix. The acoustic passages are sublime and it has this kind of ambiance that reminds me to Icon or Draconian Times from Paradise Lost, one of my favourite bands.

I love how the songs develop and they aren't predictable at all. Outstanding vocals. They are very emotional yet very aggressive without overcompensating or overdoing it. It captures this strange dark romanticism that only the best ones achieve. One of the best albums in the genre definitely. A masterpiece IMHO.

The only cons I've found is its title. It doesn't dismantle devotion, but creates it by how great the album is.

 

[JeffTD]

They're probably one of the most overlooked and underrated bands in the genre (although the genre is kind of underrated/overlooked as a whole) and everyone in the band except for Egan is a great person.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

 

[Mago]

I only have A Frail Becoming, and it's one of my favorite CDs in the car. Love the production as well, every bit of that album is awesome.
Bogren mixing stuff recorded like that -> instant win.

And yeah, that Egan guy

 

[egan.]

Thanks dudes. If there are any questions regarding the production I'll do my best to remember what I did.

 

[JeffTD]

Realistically, Dismantling Devotion had such an impact on teenage me that in 2007 I hounded down Egan for details on the guitar tone. It really is a gorgeous, incredible sounding album and everything after has been more of the same. Anyone who's remotely a fan of Opeth, Katatonia, Swallow the Sun, Insomnium, or Paradise Lost should check them out.

 

[jamvanman]

I also love A Frail Becoming, just a great album. Will check out Dismantling Devotion for sure.

 

[abt]

Hell yes! I love how meaty their guitars are. I also must agree that that Egan guy's character is dubious at best.


Kidding of course, he's quiet rad and has helped me on this forum many a time.

 

[Behind]

Thanks dudes. If there are any questions regarding the production I'll do my best to remember what I did.

I was doing some research and it seems to be mixed by Bogren even if this doesn't seem to me like a typical Bogren's mix. I think it's because the material was so well recorded that I believe this is one of his best works. He even recorded some of the lastests Paradise Lost records and it doesn't sound as good as Dismantling Devotion. Good job sir!

 

[ArsMemoria]

Man, I saw these guys pop up here and there for a while, but never really looked into them. I'm blown away, especially at the production.

 

[LeSedna]

Okay, how did I miss these guys ? I'm loving every single link from this thread.

EDIT : lies that bind is amazing. Even the video, for some reason, it's just a pseudo-live video, but I just love it.

 

[egan.]

I was doing some research and it seems to be mixed by Bogren even if this doesn't seem to me like a typical Bogren's mix. I think it's because the material was so well recorded that I believe this is one of his best works. He even recorded some of the lastests Paradise Lost records and it doesn't sound as good as Dismantling Devotion. Good job sir!

Thanks. Jens has mixed 3 records for us but dismantling was done before the Opeth record had hit the streets so we'd really only heard his mixes for bloodbath and viva emptiness but Anders Nystrom spoke highly of him. Anyway, he worked with us a bunch and really went above and beyond (long hours,recalls,etc). Dismantling is the only record we had mastered at the Cutting Room. All 3 of the Jens mixed records were recorded mostly at my house or our rehearsal space and there is no reamping so that's probably where I show through a bit but Jens' impacted simply can't be overstated.

 

[ArsMemoria]

Any info on the drums, Egan? For the album being recorded in a house or rehearsal space, I'm really digging the sound you guys got. That and the acoustic guitar someone mentioned above.

 

[JeffTD]

Any info on the drums, Egan? For the album being recorded in a house or rehearsal space, I'm really digging the sound you guys got. That and the acoustic guitar someone mentioned above.

I'm not Egan but the drums were largely recorded in other studios, as were the acoustic guitars. Vox/bass/electric guitars (as he stated, no reamps) were still at home/rehearsal spaces. There was a really good thread on the drum tracking of A Frail Becoming when it was being tracked - I'll see if I can find it when my internet isn't being dogshit.

 

[egan.]

Yeah. Drums for DD and LttL were done in the same studio in our old rehearsal complex. I can get specific later but basically 602 on kick, 57/i5 on snare, 421s on toms and a ton of cymbal mics/overs. Everything went to a trident console.
AFB was done in a different space. E22s on toms and snare, 602 on kick, a ton of cymbal mics and m149's on overs. We used a bunch of different pres.

 

[ArsMemoria]

Not sure if it's the one you're thinking of, but I found a thread with a lot of the guitar information which I'm floored at.

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/andy-sneap/276550-ot-daylight-dies-production.html#post5774737

That guitar tone is badass. I've been wanting to try the Fredman technique, but with an e906 at the 45 degree instead of a second 57. Awesome to hear that someone else achieved this with a similar mic and the result is just as awesome.

 

[Flow Of Time]

Holy shit, that is awesome! Never listened to them before, but I already love them after checking out the songs linked here

 

[egan.]

Here are drum tracking pics from each of the last three records:

Dismantling Devotion:

602-kick, 57, snare, 421-racks, re20-floor, sm81-hat, 414-ride, 451s - crashes, and tlm103 OH's
Lost to the Living:

Only major change from DD was my fascination with under-micing at that point. All of the cymbal spots were from underneath to get some isolation from the shells and the high hats.
602-kick, 57, snare, 421-racks, re20-floor, mk012-hat, 414-ride, 451s - crashes, SM81-OHs, and u87-mono room.

A Frail Becoming:

Totally different studio and setup but the same sonor kit.
e602 kick-in, some charter oak - kick out, snare e22s/i5, snare b- c42, toms- e22s, hat-c42, crashes-schoeps, ride-schoeps, OH-m149, room stereo-coles, room mono - 617.

 

[JeffTD]

First picture really explains how Jens got such a wide spread on the splashes despite them being next to eachother; he must have hard-panned (or close to) those 451 spots!

 

[xplanet2112]

Yeah I love this album, massive fan of it, and picked up on it not long after it came out so imagine my surprise when I saw a member was on this forum! I thought I best not be all fan boy about it ha ha...

Anyways I think everything about this album is perfect, such amazing chord changes that just make the emotion guts fall out of you for all to see! That clean part in 'A Dream Resigned' that starts at the 5 minute mark and goes on to that heavy part basically makes my ears cum buckets!!

You guys should be F'king massive, no two ways about it.