Yup, I agree. Have you read their studio diary thing on their site though? I can kind of see why this album sounds rushed and not mixed very well. It seems they ran into ALL sorts of tech problems, and frustrations. After reading that, at least I know there's a legitimate reason for why I thought they didn't put out a solid album. I read it and was like "Oh... so THAT's why this one didn't sound so good." Oh well, every band runs into that sorta thing.
The vocals on the new album blow. Many of the screaming parts sound so forced, it's as if Mikael's vocal chords are straining. Especially on the higher notes. And the clean singing is buried in the mix. Can't hear it well enough.
Definitely not Fredrick Nordstrom's finest work. I don't think it's Fred's fault though, from what I read in those session notes, it sounded as if Fred was trying to salvage what was already an abortion of an album. I guess in that respect, they did good.
I
DO think they did just a phenomenal job on the lead guitar tone. It sounds really soulful and sings beautifully. There's some GREAT lead guitar lines in there. But unfortunately, those shining moments are few and far between.
Steve Wilson is a GOD when it comes to production work, and I hope he'll have more input in Damnation.
As for the repetitiveness? Repetitiveness can be used effectively when it's used to create a soundscape or mood. Deliverance IMO doesn't do that. I think that's what they were going for, but I don't think they hit the mark. God, that riff at the end of Deliverance gets SOOOO old. It should've been clipped.
I'm a fan of LONG songs (hell, that's why we're all here right?), but I think some songs on Deliverance are just long for the sake of being long. There's not a single note I thought was redundant or out of place on Blackwater Park or Still Life, they're all relevant; but there's parts of Deliverance that are just totally redundant and unnecessary.
Oh well, 'nuff of my ranting.