Black metal mix feels a bit boxy

[Russtopher]

Trying to work on this track, any feedback is welcome. The band wants more of a black metal mix (ie delays, reverbs) than drier modern style.

Live drums augmented with some samples (kicks are completely triggered), guitars are single tracked on each side, 6505 and x30 (used the DIs from the guitarist with the Line 6 amp), bass is blended DI and mic'd Ampeg amp, vocals are all through a 57.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2056550/GreatHeathenArmy3-17.mp3

Updated mix - http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2056550/GreatHeathenArmy3-18.mp3

Any and all feedback is welcomed!

 

[fsgdjv]

I think the drums (or maybe just the snare) could be a bit lower if it's supposed to sound like black metal. Some of the snare fills sound really mechanical aswell, if you can do something about it. I feel like the guitars on the left and right side aren't glued together either. I don't know if you have a stereo compressor on the guitar bus but that can help making different sounds sound like one big sound if you see what I mean. Or try adding some reverb on the guitars (I honestly can't tell if there is any right now, but I'd try some more, but then again it might make it worse). If that doesn't work for the guitar to make them sound more of a whole I'd try just copying the tracks, adding some distortion and make them a bit uglier and pan those versions in a bit and have them really low just so it doesn't sound like two really separated sources in the panorama. Or something to make them sound more as a package and not two separate guitar tracks.

Those are my initial impressions, hope it makes some sense.

 

[Russtopher]

Thanks for the feedback, it's appreciated.

I'll try some compression on the guitar buss, right now it's just HP/LP with a dip around 2k to let the vocals through. The guitars are going to two separate reverbs panned opposite, so I'll raise those a tiny bit as well.

I'll bring down the sample underneath the snare to see if that helps the volume/feel level there.

 

[Headof75]

Without listening - black metal is supposed to be boxy. Don't ask me why and don't listen to Dimmu. I'm thinking Gorgoroth, Enslaved, Immortal.
Epic music, horrible tones.

Now that I've listened - this doesn't sound too far away from what I would think of as a black metal mix. A bit more drum verb perhaps so that clonk becomes clooooong.
Don't really like the bass tone much either but it doesn't sound horribly out of place.

 

[Russtopher]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Here's an updated mix - some gentle compression on the guitar bus with a little more reverb to smooth things out, and more of a room verb on the drums. I also lowered the blend on the snare sample.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2056550/GreatHeathenArmy3-18.mp3

 

[MetalAaron]

That actually sounds really good man. I wonder if they'd get that black metal sound if that drummer would de-tune his snare a bit. I'm almost certain.