bland, over-produced sound in modern metal

[Inso]

Lately I have been noticing a trend in a lot of new metal albums I listen too. Basically I find the production job to be incredibly boring, so lifeless and lacking any sort of real identity.

Everything is clear and audible, but it sounds very hollow, like the instrument sounds just exist in a vacuum rather than having any sort of feeling or expression.

Case in point, Accept's 'Blood of the Nations'. I picked it up recently on the back of hearing a couple of tracks on a live video . So I get the album today and while listening to it I can't help but feel something is very wrong.

Two videos:



Studio version of 'No Shelter'

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4lPZokCHGM&list=FL32EKF1047XCAEk6giaoBlw&index=3[/ame]

Live recording of the same song (jump to 14:45)

I think the second, live recording sounds a hell of a lot better.

Andy Sneap seems to have done a terrible job on this album to my ears. Sure it is listenable i suppose, but very much detracts from the music.

I keep noticing that recordings of old albums that sounds so much more ALIVE, even if the individual instruments are not as clear. It is really irritating me how a great deal of new metal(and many other genres too) albums sound. It is the same with most remasters of old albums, completely ruin the original recording. I almost feel that bands should just get in and play the damn thing through live and record it straight up for release rather than having a so-called incredible 'producer' come in and screw it up. Does anyone agree with me? Am I going mad?

 

[Pyro Stick]

I find this to be the case with many of Nuclear Blast's releases.

 

[0Marty]

I totally agree. I've been listening to a lot of new thrash metal bands lately, and I liked them, but I felt like there is something missing. I didn't know what is it, but i found out when i was listening to Hell Awaits - i miss the old recording. It's good that metal music has good sound, but i feel like there is no identity of bands, because they all wanna sound "clear". I fucking miss the old albums atmosphere and energy...

 

[Onder]

New Suffocation. Modern deathcore production and a photoshop cover. Sucks.

 

[realshows]

i don't want to generalize but yes, a lot of modern production sucks. Way too pro-tools and mixed with the intent of it being listened to as mp3. Another huge issue is making everything loud... check this out

 

[Westsiyeed]

Agree.
One of the many reasons why I love Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson's releases for example - great production with no artificial loudness.

 

[Inso]

I've heard about that 'loudness war' thing, there was a video comparing the original mixes of Iron Maiden songs with the remastered versions and showing the difference.

I just feel it takes all of the originality out of music when it is all produced to sound this same bland, unexciting way.

I also listen to most of my music on CDs through a decent separate CD player / amp combo rather than mp3 so maybe this means I notice it more.

It seems an odd paradox to spend a lot of time and effort with complex computer programs producing the album for it to sound worse than an untouched live recording.

 

[Eligos]

Are we talking about wall-of-sound production here or is that something different?

 

[Inso]

That is perhaps one part of the problem, yes.

 

[M-KD2]

For me firstly it's all about the songs. Are they good or bad? I listen to a lot of boots and play a lot of stuff on my iPod, so clearly I'm not looking for perfect sound.

However, for studio recordings, I think the production really does depend on the type of music. Andy's work with Accept is excellent, but would it have been better if it was more 'organic'? Tricky to say for me because the older Accept which I also love had a different singer as well as a different production style.

When it comes down to it, I think the best production depends on the type of music. Sticking with Andy Sneap, I love his style with more technical stuff like Nevermore and also the thrashy side like Testament and Exodus where my personal preference is for sharpness and hearing what is going on. Possibly more straight ahead metal like Maiden or Sabbath may benefit from a looser production style.

Anyway, to restate my first point, no production, remixing, repackaging, or overdubbing is going to rescue crap music!

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

I can only imagine what Fleshgod and Hour of Penance would sound like if recorded in 96...

 

[Dak]

Certain genres benefit from crystal clear production. The more technical, the greater the benefit. However, nothing benefits from the loudness wars (and that is not the same thing as the "Wall of sound"). There's a difference between losing depth to loudness and the type of production that Devin Townsend does.

The less technical and more raw the genre (such as thrash, BM, or OSDM), the more it benefits from complementary raw production, in respective degrees.

 

[Mort Divine]

Andy Sneap is an awful producer.

 

[ArneZ]

I can only imagine what Fleshgod and Hour of Penance would sound like if recorded in 96...

Haha, it would have sounded VERY different. I dont give many fucks about lo-fi or crystal clear production as long as the music is a fist in the face. But thrash metal ALWAYS sounds better raw...

 

[Inso]

Anyway, to restate my first point, no production, remixing, repackaging, or overdubbing is going to rescue crap music!

Definitely agree, I would never try to argue that.

However, shitty production can detract quite significantly from the enjoyment of listening to an album.

The accept album in the OP is still great don't get me wrong, but would have sounded far better if it were recorded in 1993 I feel. It is a strange paradox how recording technology has moved on so much yet albums are sounding worse. Why? WHYYHYHYYY?!?!?!

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Blood of the Nations sounds way better than the shit Accept was releasing around 1993. Sneap has a cookie-cutter sound, yeah, but it works well enough for me for the most part. On the subject of thrash, I don't think I'd have Tempo of the Damned any other way.

 

[EffigyForgotten]

I can only imagine what Fleshgod and Hour of Penance would sound like if recorded in 96...

Like poo

 

[EffigyForgotten]

Blood of the Nations sounds way better than the shit Accept was releasing around 1993. Sneap has a cookie-cutter sound, yeah, but it works well enough for me for the most part. On the subject of thrash, I don't think I'd have Tempo of the Damned any other way.

Yeah ill take Exodus sound the past 10 years over anything else they've done, so much more power.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

I didn't say that. Bonded By Blood is the best-everything when it comes to Exodus, but obviously that kind of sound wouldn't have worked two decades later with Tempo's songs and Zetro's vocals.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

Everything from Exodus outside of BBB is borderline garbage.

Both Souza and Dukes are fucking horrible.