Jester Slave
Narcissist
Well, a year passed and you make it sound a bigger deal than it is. SC is the first one in tier C, Foregone is the last one in tier B, so as of right now, they kinda switched places compared to a year ago. I don't even disagree with that comment of mine: Cynosure and In the Dark are prime chorus-baiters, and Dialogue and Foregone pt 2. feel unfinished. The singles are pretty good however, and I also dig the intro, pure light and end the transmission. If I was feeling moody, I may want to switch them around again, but right now I'm sticking with this. If my SC pick is still ~2 tiers higher than everyone else's, then it should still give me fanboy points.I genuinely think you're the only person I've come across who has such a massive issue with TJR's production. Like, enough to knock it down multiple tiers. I never see this opinion anywhere else. Personally I think TJR's production is spot on for the folky, melancholic, dystopian vibe the album is going for. I don't really understand the Whoracle comment either. It's generally accepted that Whoracle's production isn't the best - even Jesper has admitted that. It's kind of thick rather than crisp, although again it doesn't bother me enough to knock it down any tiers. I'm fine with both albums how they are.
Lunar Strain I can understand knocking down a tier or two for production. TJR though? I don't really see the logic, considering it's an issue very few people have ever expressed about the album, whereas many people note that Lunar's production is poor. I'm also curious as to how Reroute, which I love but has one of the worst IF mixes ever, gets into S tier with production seemingly completely ignored, whilst TJR gets obliterated for it.
I agree that there's a slight improvement on Whoracle compared to TJR, but no way has he found his niche at that point. He still has zero technique, as any live shows from around the time Whoracle was recorded will attest to. It was only really in 1998 and starting in studio on Colony that he found the voice people would truly recognise him for (unique higher pitched scream/rasp). Whoracle he's still trying to be "Swedish death metal vocalist", on Colony he's really becoming Anders as most would know him going forward.
Not sure how somebody who likes metal can dislike Clayman's production, but okay. From memory I think you're more into Static-X (RIP dude with crazy hair), NIN, etc than metal, so maybe that's understandable.
In terms of every instrument having breathing room... in some ways, yeah, but Clayman is ultimately a guitar-led and driven album in every respect. Bass plays no real part in dictating the pace or direction of the music, and the vocals have no influence musically at all. It's just layered over the top, essentially. Drumming on Clayman is cool, though, I will give ye that - and Daniel sounds great on that record. He did Leinad proud.
It would be pretty decent for us, maybe, who have heavily criticised it. Not for you, who has staunchly defended it. I seriously can't believe you went from this in September:
To now putting Foregone AHEAD of SC in your rankings, lmao. Album with no imagination or complete songs is now B tier. Bro, what is going on? How did an album full of "that chorus" or "that riff" become better than basically half of the band's entire discography to you? Do you think IF have just had quite a shitty career generally, or have you discovered some hidden wisdom which means Foregone has become an epic between September and now?
As for TJR, it just sounds old. I can't really explain it well. Listen to a track from TJR then one from The Halo Effect's debut record. You don't have any questions about which of these tracks are modern ones. I don't quite get that feeling with Whoracle. No, it does not sound like a record made in the 2020s, but TJR reminds me of the shitty days of having to listen cassette quality songs. The guitars in particular sound like they've been recorded during queen Victoria's reign. Jokes aside, if you told me that Whoracle was recorded 10 years after TJR I would believe it in a heartbeat.
Clayman sounds too cushiony for me. Kind of the opposite of Colony, which is a penetrating sonic assault on my ears, that I can just absolutely not stand. The guitar is penetrating and it feels like everything is almost mixed to the same loudness. Yes, CC is also very aggressive but it doesn't really have grand compositions like on Colony or Clayman, so it doesn't feel like 8 different things being mushed together. CC is like "check out this dope-ass riff, anyway, he's Anders screaming his lungs out to the melody, bye".