i need some guinea pigs
- Thread starter baldyboy
- Start date
JonnyD
Chef Metal
excellent reviews from both of you gentlemen,i thank you.
to be honest,i wasnt sure whether it would be everybodys thing.both of you seemed to genuinely like it,which makes me very glad.i'll just have to wait and see what bryant and drillsergeant have to say about it all now.....
while its v.unlikely that we will ever get the chance to play the states,it goes without saying that if we do,you boys get aaa passes and a share of the whores,booze n drugs(if there are any!),if you can make it.believe me,if we get any dates in the u.s i'll be posting it here and telling you all.
jonnyd-i've already said thanks to greeno for his hard work in listening to it all.the same thanks extends to you too.i really appreciate that you took the time to listen(in quite some depth too!)to the album.your a pal jonnyd.
do you think the swine would like to give it his attention?if you want to,you can burn him one.i'd love to see him shoot me down in flames!!!lol.
to be honest,i wasnt sure whether it would be everybodys thing.both of you seemed to genuinely like it,which makes me very glad.i'll just have to wait and see what bryant and drillsergeant have to say about it all now.....
while its v.unlikely that we will ever get the chance to play the states,it goes without saying that if we do,you boys get aaa passes and a share of the whores,booze n drugs(if there are any!),if you can make it.believe me,if we get any dates in the u.s i'll be posting it here and telling you all.
jonnyd-i've already said thanks to greeno for his hard work in listening to it all.the same thanks extends to you too.i really appreciate that you took the time to listen(in quite some depth too!)to the album.your a pal jonnyd.
do you think the swine would like to give it his attention?if you want to,you can burn him one.i'd love to see him shoot me down in flames!!!lol.
The saYer
thrashermetaller
after those reviews I'd want a copy, but I can't receive mail at my house.anyways, congrats! ,impressing the judges in this site is probably the biggest challenge.
thanks saYer,thats one reason why i chose this site to ask for opinions,the boys seem to be well clued up on things and have good opinions.and i'm not just saying that cause they said they liked my band!
i post on a few different metal sites,but this was the only one,and this old school part the only section,that i contemplated asking for people to listen to the album.mainly because everyone here seems rather level headed and knows thier stuff.
shame you cant have mail at your place saYer,i would have gladly posted you one of the 4 track promo's i've got lying around.havnt got any albums left at the mo.
just waiting for drillsergeant and bryant to rip it up now!
i post on a few different metal sites,but this was the only one,and this old school part the only section,that i contemplated asking for people to listen to the album.mainly because everyone here seems rather level headed and knows thier stuff.
shame you cant have mail at your place saYer,i would have gladly posted you one of the 4 track promo's i've got lying around.havnt got any albums left at the mo.
just waiting for drillsergeant and bryant to rip it up now!
JonnyD
Chef Metal
baldyboy said:
I will get Sixx a copy Asap
I must say after 5 days of owning the cd its great it hasnt left the player yet cept to go to work with me, I wouldnt say its so unlikely that you guys will hit the states its more unlikely that you guys *Wont* Make it .....you guys have it... and when I say it I mean it the thing all musicians strive for *IT* you guys have all the right parts and all the right tools to make it BIG (ok enough of insane Fan boy) so yeah if you need anyhelp from me let me know ... and when you guys do tour the states if ya need a good Road Dog I'm your man I'm willing to go anywhere at anytime and I will lug anything and you wouldnt even have to pay me Just give me a lil food a corner to sleep in and maybe a Bitch one and a while anyways sorry bout that I had to get it out
DrillSergeant
Member
Hey baldyboy, your disc was in the mail today. (Spinning it this very moment.) I'm sorry I have to start with some bad news. Obviously the upper CD slipped back and forth while transported which resulted in an few scratches. Track 2 doesn't play correctly and has a few silent gaps. That's not a big problem as I can download that one from your homepage. I just hope that there won't be no more.
Anyway, I won't give you a detailed review before I've listened to it a few times. Might take until Saturday or Sunday as I am pretty busy this week. But what I can already tell for sure is that you guys mean business! Don't worry, so far (track 8) I haven't found any reason to trash you (and no more scratches).
Anyway, I won't give you a detailed review before I've listened to it a few times. Might take until Saturday or Sunday as I am pretty busy this week. But what I can already tell for sure is that you guys mean business! Don't worry, so far (track 8) I haven't found any reason to trash you (and no more scratches).
still more great response!
firstly-jonnyd.glad to hear that you've been playin it without me makin you!thats very good news for me.you guys were a real test for me as to how the music would be viewed in the states,and so far its gone v.well indeed.and i can honestly say that if we do get to the states to tour,and your still interested,then the jobs yours!-whichever job you want.if you feel up to it,you could be the sound man-sounds like you know the album pretty well already!
drillsergeant-sorry about the discs gettin scratched out to you,and dont worry if you havnt got the time to deal with it until the weekend,its not a pressure thing,i just wanted opinions from you boys,theres no deadline!
if you've got to track 8 with no reason to trash us,i should be safe.enjoy the 'bane cd too.its a fun listen.
bryant-where are ya fella?
firstly-jonnyd.glad to hear that you've been playin it without me makin you!thats very good news for me.you guys were a real test for me as to how the music would be viewed in the states,and so far its gone v.well indeed.and i can honestly say that if we do get to the states to tour,and your still interested,then the jobs yours!-whichever job you want.if you feel up to it,you could be the sound man-sounds like you know the album pretty well already!
drillsergeant-sorry about the discs gettin scratched out to you,and dont worry if you havnt got the time to deal with it until the weekend,its not a pressure thing,i just wanted opinions from you boys,theres no deadline!
if you've got to track 8 with no reason to trash us,i should be safe.enjoy the 'bane cd too.its a fun listen.
bryant-where are ya fella?
JonnyD
Chef Metal
baldyboy said:
Cool,Great Well I will do whatever I can on my end to help get you guys over here
hmmmmm Sound guy , Sounds good! I almost know the album by heart already, If its cool I'm gonna send ya an email with some Ideas and what not to try and help get the Panic Cell Name known over here! .... Never Give up,Never Surrender!Every couple of months or so Bryant Just disapears nobody knows where he goes!?!
Bryant
Mr. Sleepy
Baldyboy, I am sorry I was late to reply. I have only listened to about half of it, so I will only touch on it and give just a limited review, but after some listens, I will give a full review:
First off, like everyone else, I was very impressed with the recording quality. Ya'll and the studio ya'll used pretty much know what is going on. The only things I didn't like about the recording/production was the snare tuning/miking (snare sounds flat) and the harmony vocals seemed off-key at times. The guitars sound great as do most of the vocals, bass and the rest of the drums.
Don't take these knocks the wrong way. In one of my posts or e-mails I think I stated I was very big on production, and for only those two things to stick out to me is fantastic. I don't want you to think I am being too picky as many signed bands have much worse over-all sound than this and I give them hell in reviews.
Over-all sound is easy to rate on first listen, but everything else will take some time, so I will write more later. Anyway, you should be pretty proud of this effort from what I have heard so far. I can tell you that I have paid for a shit-load of CDs that aren't as good as this one.
Bryant
First off, like everyone else, I was very impressed with the recording quality. Ya'll and the studio ya'll used pretty much know what is going on. The only things I didn't like about the recording/production was the snare tuning/miking (snare sounds flat) and the harmony vocals seemed off-key at times. The guitars sound great as do most of the vocals, bass and the rest of the drums.
Don't take these knocks the wrong way. In one of my posts or e-mails I think I stated I was very big on production, and for only those two things to stick out to me is fantastic. I don't want you to think I am being too picky as many signed bands have much worse over-all sound than this and I give them hell in reviews.
Over-all sound is easy to rate on first listen, but everything else will take some time, so I will write more later. Anyway, you should be pretty proud of this effort from what I have heard so far. I can tell you that I have paid for a shit-load of CDs that aren't as good as this one.
Bryant
great start bryant,thank you very much.i really just needed to know that you got the cd ok.please,take your time,listen to it fully and write your review when you want,i'm not in a real hurry.i'm just pleased you all took the time to do it.
jonnyd-feel free to e-mail me with ideas,cause at the mo,apart from something greeno said he could help me with,i havnt got a fuckin clue how i'm gonna get our record into the states!i'll try pretty much anything to do it-i feel that the music we're playing would go down quite well over there-the reaction from you boys suggests it would anyway.you are the biggest music market in the world too-that counts for something as well.
jonnyd-feel free to e-mail me with ideas,cause at the mo,apart from something greeno said he could help me with,i havnt got a fuckin clue how i'm gonna get our record into the states!i'll try pretty much anything to do it-i feel that the music we're playing would go down quite well over there-the reaction from you boys suggests it would anyway.you are the biggest music market in the world too-that counts for something as well.
JonnyD
Chef Metal
baldyboy said:
Ok cool I will get it written today and hopefully sent later tonight I will also have a few Questions for you in that email ...... I have a hell of alot of faith in what you guys are doing it sounds great yadda yadda yadda
I have been able to Identify with alot of your songs Who writes the Lyrics? They kinda just touch on some things I'v been through recently And yes I think you Boys have a very good VERY GOOD chance in the statesi'll wait for your e-mail,whatever ideas you have will be greatfully recieved!
i wrote most of the lyrics on the album,but we all have input in ideas etc-no one person really claims most of the credit,we are all friends so it becomes a band collaboration.i think 6 of the sets were written by me solely,the other four by the rest of the boys.its like harmony vocals and vocal lines,our drummer lee and kelly,one of the guitarists,make up quite a lot of that stuff-takes a lot of pressure off me!
i'll try and awnser any questions you have as well as i can.if its technical muso stuff though i might have to refer it to one of the others!
i wrote most of the lyrics on the album,but we all have input in ideas etc-no one person really claims most of the credit,we are all friends so it becomes a band collaboration.i think 6 of the sets were written by me solely,the other four by the rest of the boys.its like harmony vocals and vocal lines,our drummer lee and kelly,one of the guitarists,make up quite a lot of that stuff-takes a lot of pressure off me!
i'll try and awnser any questions you have as well as i can.if its technical muso stuff though i might have to refer it to one of the others!
Hi Gang,
I'm newly registered to the board, and thought this should be my first post.... since I heard your disc at Greeno's last night over a few beers.
Fisrt off let me say that I'm not really the into metal nearly as far as Greeno, or as far as the rest of the people here I'm sure. I'm actually more of a "power pop / hardcore punk" kind of a guy, but I grew up listening to quite a bit of metal, and still dabble in it around the edges. So keep in mind that this review is coming from some "wimpy power pop new wave punk rock mod geek"
Here's my take on the disc... Fisrt off - It Kicked Complete Arse!!!! I was extremely impressed with the production, taking into consideration that you're calling this a "demo". It sounded superbly EQed, and even sounded like it had been mastered, which is what really seems to separate a "demo" from a "pro recording" in my book.
I definately agree with Greeno's ideas that you have indeed mixed "old school metal" with a "newer" sound (which I also am not a fan of), but the newer sound was not overwhelming enough that it didn't make me interested. Being a musician myself, I was impressed with the playing as well!
As Greeno and I listened, I stated that it kind of reminded me of early Testament mixed with some newer sound that I couldn't quite pin down. I'm not sure if you're a Testament fan or not, but this is meant as a compliment. I heard a bit of "early" Chuck Billy in your voice, which is then when Greeno brought up that you sounded a bit like John Bush to him. Either way.... you and your band have got it going on, and I can't even conceive why you haven't been signed yet!!!
Great work!!!!
PS - I also saw your video, and this was equally impressive. Especially reading above what the cost was for shooting it! That mohawk rocked!!! Punks & Skins Forever!!! Oiy!!!
PSS - I'll be burning this disc from Greeno... hope this isn't copyright infringement.LOL
I'm newly registered to the board, and thought this should be my first post.... since I heard your disc at Greeno's last night over a few beers.
Fisrt off let me say that I'm not really the into metal nearly as far as Greeno, or as far as the rest of the people here I'm sure. I'm actually more of a "power pop / hardcore punk" kind of a guy, but I grew up listening to quite a bit of metal, and still dabble in it around the edges. So keep in mind that this review is coming from some "wimpy power pop new wave punk rock mod geek"
Here's my take on the disc... Fisrt off - It Kicked Complete Arse!!!! I was extremely impressed with the production, taking into consideration that you're calling this a "demo". It sounded superbly EQed, and even sounded like it had been mastered, which is what really seems to separate a "demo" from a "pro recording" in my book.
I definately agree with Greeno's ideas that you have indeed mixed "old school metal" with a "newer" sound (which I also am not a fan of), but the newer sound was not overwhelming enough that it didn't make me interested. Being a musician myself, I was impressed with the playing as well!
As Greeno and I listened, I stated that it kind of reminded me of early Testament mixed with some newer sound that I couldn't quite pin down. I'm not sure if you're a Testament fan or not, but this is meant as a compliment. I heard a bit of "early" Chuck Billy in your voice, which is then when Greeno brought up that you sounded a bit like John Bush to him. Either way.... you and your band have got it going on, and I can't even conceive why you haven't been signed yet!!!
Great work!!!!
PS - I also saw your video, and this was equally impressive. Especially reading above what the cost was for shooting it! That mohawk rocked!!! Punks & Skins Forever!!! Oiy!!!
PSS - I'll be burning this disc from Greeno... hope this isn't copyright infringement.LOL
Wicked Child
DYNO-MITE!
this is so cool,i didnt expect so much positive stuff.
plan13-you were right about it being mastered,we did do that after mixing to finish it off.its not really a dem as such-its gonna be released in the uk and europe on 23rd febuary.its just the states thats gonna be a bit trickier,cause the company we work with do basically nothing there.one of the reasons i sent it to the boys was to get the opinion of guys who listen to metal over in the states,and so far its worked superbly.
the whole chuck billy thing is a huge compliment,and totally undeserved.the guys a god,with me not worthy to lick his shoes vocally!just been listening to the gathering and the guy is just awsome.
we were lucky with the video because a very old friend of mine works in the movie biz,so he managed to get loads of stuff organised for nothing-including a crew of his friends,who were fuckin awsome-real actual pro's.we're going to shoot some stuff next weekend for one of the other songs on the album.you wouldnt believe how much it costs normally to do stuff like that.the estimated cost of that away from here vid if we had to pay full whack for it was around $20,000!the man saved me a fortune-sadly the band have to fund everything themselves.ho hum.
the mohawk is basically cause its the only hair i have left-punk or what!
funnily enough i posted the copyright thing the other day-so you are indeed infringing it-what was your address again?lol!
plan13-you were right about it being mastered,we did do that after mixing to finish it off.its not really a dem as such-its gonna be released in the uk and europe on 23rd febuary.its just the states thats gonna be a bit trickier,cause the company we work with do basically nothing there.one of the reasons i sent it to the boys was to get the opinion of guys who listen to metal over in the states,and so far its worked superbly.
the whole chuck billy thing is a huge compliment,and totally undeserved.the guys a god,with me not worthy to lick his shoes vocally!just been listening to the gathering and the guy is just awsome.
we were lucky with the video because a very old friend of mine works in the movie biz,so he managed to get loads of stuff organised for nothing-including a crew of his friends,who were fuckin awsome-real actual pro's.we're going to shoot some stuff next weekend for one of the other songs on the album.you wouldnt believe how much it costs normally to do stuff like that.the estimated cost of that away from here vid if we had to pay full whack for it was around $20,000!the man saved me a fortune-sadly the band have to fund everything themselves.ho hum.
the mohawk is basically cause its the only hair i have left-punk or what!
funnily enough i posted the copyright thing the other day-so you are indeed infringing it-what was your address again?lol!
no worries greeno-soon as you get something either way let me know,i'm v.v.keen to do it-oo,er.you know what i mean.nice to see your playing it to people who pop round-keep it up fella,good work!
DrillSergeant
Member
Okay, baldyboy here we go:
Let me start with a few words about myself. I am definitely not someone whos really part of the scene. Ive hardly been to any concerts at all and I nearly dont have any friend who shares my musical preferences. Neither do I play an instrument myself nor do I know anything about recordings, productions and all this technical mumbo-jumbo. All I can do is giving you my honest view as a dedicated fan of Metal music. And by doing so I can sum up my complete review with these three words: You guys rock! I have to admit, that I was a bit worried about what to say if I had found your stuff boring or so. But I can honestly say that my worries were totally unnecessary. You guys mean business and you certainly know how to prove that!
One of the first impressions that came to my mind was that I can hear a strong Alice In Chains vibe in your music and even more in your voice. Soundgarden as well. Say, do you guys do covers of those bands live? You should think about that cause your voice has a similar intensity to it that can seriously haunt you even hours after youve turned off your CD-Player. What I like even more about it is the fact that despite having that similarity you dont need to whine to create that atmosphere. Thats the way to do it IMO: strong and powerful vocals that still have the ability to summon a specific atmosphere. Same with the music! You guys know how to create a powerful drive and groove. I know, these are properties often used to describe Nu Metal but thats really not what I mean. Hey, Master Of Puppets has both of them but still isnt Nu, right? All I want to say by that is that your songs have balls. They simply rock! And realizing that you cant stand still while listening to them is a good sign after all, isnt it?
As for the sound Im as surprised as all the rest of the bunch were. Just as with your songs one can hear your influences but still you never sound dated. Its powerful and clear at the same time with one word: flawless. What more can you ask for? Its hard to believe that you have worked with a small budget. Fuck, you should send a copy of your disc to Metalli-Lars to show him what he should have done with St Anger! Same with the video. There are plenty of them which cannot compete with yours but are actually big budget productions. Btw I think, Away From Here was a good choice. Speaking of personal faves I like the songs Damn Self Pity, Away From Here, Save Me, Bitter Part Of Me and The End the most. Simply great tunes! So why the hell are you always so negative about yourself?
Okay, that was the good news. But as I promised I will give you a review as honest as possible. So here are the few bad things I found:
1. I didnt like Alive that much. I would consider that one as a typical B side kind of song. I know, one cannot always write hits and you surely do your best. But thats exactly what I mean. I just have to listen to the rest of the CD and I know that you can do better.
2. In my humble opinion the volume of the cymbals is too low. Im not talking about the crashes. But every time when the drummer hits the bell of a cymbal or creates another clean ping sound they are almost not audible on your first listen. Im just a layman as I mentioned before but you should really think about getting some louder hardware or turn up the volume in the mixing.
3. I agree with Greeno on not putting The End at the end of the disc. I understand the pun but as it is the fastest song it would work great in between somewhere to shake things up even a bit more.
Please dont overrate my criticism as these are really just minor problems. Im only trying to be of help and nothing is perfect, right? You can take my word for it that I really like the album. Its not the kind of stuff I usually listen to but its really that good that it made me break with my usual habits. No kidding, Ive listened to it even without you making me to do so. So dont worry baldyboy youve got what it takes to mess with the boys in business. Well done!
Let me start with a few words about myself. I am definitely not someone whos really part of the scene. Ive hardly been to any concerts at all and I nearly dont have any friend who shares my musical preferences. Neither do I play an instrument myself nor do I know anything about recordings, productions and all this technical mumbo-jumbo. All I can do is giving you my honest view as a dedicated fan of Metal music. And by doing so I can sum up my complete review with these three words: You guys rock! I have to admit, that I was a bit worried about what to say if I had found your stuff boring or so. But I can honestly say that my worries were totally unnecessary. You guys mean business and you certainly know how to prove that!
One of the first impressions that came to my mind was that I can hear a strong Alice In Chains vibe in your music and even more in your voice. Soundgarden as well. Say, do you guys do covers of those bands live? You should think about that cause your voice has a similar intensity to it that can seriously haunt you even hours after youve turned off your CD-Player. What I like even more about it is the fact that despite having that similarity you dont need to whine to create that atmosphere. Thats the way to do it IMO: strong and powerful vocals that still have the ability to summon a specific atmosphere. Same with the music! You guys know how to create a powerful drive and groove. I know, these are properties often used to describe Nu Metal but thats really not what I mean. Hey, Master Of Puppets has both of them but still isnt Nu, right? All I want to say by that is that your songs have balls. They simply rock! And realizing that you cant stand still while listening to them is a good sign after all, isnt it?
As for the sound Im as surprised as all the rest of the bunch were. Just as with your songs one can hear your influences but still you never sound dated. Its powerful and clear at the same time with one word: flawless. What more can you ask for? Its hard to believe that you have worked with a small budget. Fuck, you should send a copy of your disc to Metalli-Lars to show him what he should have done with St Anger! Same with the video. There are plenty of them which cannot compete with yours but are actually big budget productions. Btw I think, Away From Here was a good choice. Speaking of personal faves I like the songs Damn Self Pity, Away From Here, Save Me, Bitter Part Of Me and The End the most. Simply great tunes! So why the hell are you always so negative about yourself?
Okay, that was the good news. But as I promised I will give you a review as honest as possible. So here are the few bad things I found:
1. I didnt like Alive that much. I would consider that one as a typical B side kind of song. I know, one cannot always write hits and you surely do your best. But thats exactly what I mean. I just have to listen to the rest of the CD and I know that you can do better.
2. In my humble opinion the volume of the cymbals is too low. Im not talking about the crashes. But every time when the drummer hits the bell of a cymbal or creates another clean ping sound they are almost not audible on your first listen. Im just a layman as I mentioned before but you should really think about getting some louder hardware or turn up the volume in the mixing.
3. I agree with Greeno on not putting The End at the end of the disc. I understand the pun but as it is the fastest song it would work great in between somewhere to shake things up even a bit more.
Please dont overrate my criticism as these are really just minor problems. Im only trying to be of help and nothing is perfect, right? You can take my word for it that I really like the album. Its not the kind of stuff I usually listen to but its really that good that it made me break with my usual habits. No kidding, Ive listened to it even without you making me to do so. So dont worry baldyboy youve got what it takes to mess with the boys in business. Well done!
thanks drillsergeant,another great review-i'm feeling more and more confident about the stuff all the time.
you were bang on with some of your assessments-particularly of alive.out of all the songs we wrote for the album,that was the one we agree was the least inspiring.some of the riffing is ok,and the chorus works fairly well,but overall its my least fave track on the album and the first one to get dropped from the live set.
as for my vocals-you are way too kind.you mention mine in the same sentances as chris cornell and layne staley-two of the greatest singers who ever lived(or still do in chris's case).i only wish i could sing like either of those guys.they are total masters and both probably my fave singers-maybe why i sound a bit like them in places,they are a real influence.its the tone of their voices which i would most like to emulate.cornells in particular.he really has the best voice in rock.layne's use of wicked backing vocal harmonies is also something i love-i gather this is much to do with jerry cantrell as well though-cant leave him out of that.
budget wise,i think we spent the same on the album as metallica spent on takeaway pizzas during their 13 month stint.the video was just luck in the fact that i have a very good friend who organised it for next to fuck all.
both you and greeno are probably right about the end not being where it is,but we all had to agree a running order and thats how it came out!i look on it as something like block by machine head.a really pacy nasty song to end the album on a good note.
thanks again drillsergeant for spending the time to review the album for me,and posting your opinions on the board.i'm glad you liked it.cheerz fella
you were bang on with some of your assessments-particularly of alive.out of all the songs we wrote for the album,that was the one we agree was the least inspiring.some of the riffing is ok,and the chorus works fairly well,but overall its my least fave track on the album and the first one to get dropped from the live set.
as for my vocals-you are way too kind.you mention mine in the same sentances as chris cornell and layne staley-two of the greatest singers who ever lived(or still do in chris's case).i only wish i could sing like either of those guys.they are total masters and both probably my fave singers-maybe why i sound a bit like them in places,they are a real influence.its the tone of their voices which i would most like to emulate.cornells in particular.he really has the best voice in rock.layne's use of wicked backing vocal harmonies is also something i love-i gather this is much to do with jerry cantrell as well though-cant leave him out of that.
budget wise,i think we spent the same on the album as metallica spent on takeaway pizzas during their 13 month stint.the video was just luck in the fact that i have a very good friend who organised it for next to fuck all.
both you and greeno are probably right about the end not being where it is,but we all had to agree a running order and thats how it came out!i look on it as something like block by machine head.a really pacy nasty song to end the album on a good note.
thanks again drillsergeant for spending the time to review the album for me,and posting your opinions on the board.i'm glad you liked it.cheerz fella
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