What's the "dark memories" Mike talks of when recording Deliverance?

[batmura]

Okay, I keep hearing this a lot lately. What exactly went so wrong during the recording of Deliverance (or was it both Deliverance and Damnation)? I was rather stunned when I read Mike dislikes BTPISIO because of the dark memories he has recording it.

Someone give me a synopsis please. I personally think BTPISIO is one of their best on that disc.

 

[daimonion]

Basically the equipment in the chosen studio sucked and kept breaking down. And the producer didn't take the recordings too seriously it seemed. And because of that they also had very little time to do it, cause they had to fix everything all the time while recording.

 

[batmura]

And the producer didn't take the recordings too seriously it seemed.

Who? Steven Wilson? Or are you talking about the mixing engineer? I think Andy Sneap mixed it, right?

 

[Tepheron]

If I remember correctly, they had not rehearsed all the tracks before the studio recording as well... I think that was the main reason Mikael thought of "By the Pain I See in Others" as a dark memory.

 

[magnum_valentino]

Thats an interesting point youve raised, who was the producer before Steve Wilson took over?

I also noticed that their are a couple of minor, MINOR timing flaws on Lopez' drumming on a few tracks, particularly Wreath, which I attributed to the trouble they had recording and what I imagine would have been a reluctance to re-record with so little time available.

 

[batmura]

Thats an interesting point youve raised, who was the producer before Steve Wilson took over?

Fredrik Nordstrom produced Still Life with the band. He also mixed it if memory serves right.

 

[Arjen W.]

I think the band did the better part of the production, Wilson's part was mostly about helping with leads and vocals, I believe.

 

[marquisdesade]

I remember seeing a 5-part interview of Mikael where he says why Deliverance/Damnation was so hard. He admits Deliverance wasn't as good as he wanted but Damnation was. Ah, here it is:

(part 4; also check out end of part 3).

 

[billyneverdies]

Go read about it on the session diaries on the main page. It's a good read.

 

[magnum_valentino]

So Fredrik was producing D & D when they were in the shite studio then??

 

[Sad Madrigal]

Probably the death of Mike's grandmother....

 

[batmura]

So Fredrik was producing D & D when they were in the shite studio then??

Nope that was some other dude. When the band couldn't take it anymore, they asked Fredrik whether they could use his studio to finish the album.

 

[serenity_painted_death27]

Mikael's gandmother died during or shortly before the recording sessions as well. Apparently there were times where the band were so stressed and under pressure that they were considering calling it a day.

But yeah, read the studio diaries, very interesting and informative.

 

[blood8815]

Its in the Lamentations documentary

"We were about to break up" I think mike said on it

 

[Vivören]

On Lamentations Peter said they recorded parts of Still Life in that shit studio, but Nacksving isn't mention in the booklet. What gives?

 

[i aint play this]

ttytt no matter the situation Mike always says that everything around him is dark

 

[Detric]

rofl

 

[Deathamphetamine1313]

Basically they went into Nacksving studios with a very unprofessional producer and very obsolete equipment. Mike said that the equipment would always break down on them, that tracks would just disappear, and Lopez says that the guy would switch the mics out. Another thing was that they didn't rehearse, and that (if i remember correctly) Mike did a good majority of the writing of the songs in the studio. On top of that, Mike's grandmama died. Steven Wilson took over the project and saved their asses.

 

[DarkGift]

and Lopez says that the guy would switch the mics out.

"you give me a mic from the 60's, I see what you're doin'! and he was like 'uuuh' "

 

[Katabasis]

"you give me a mic from the 60's, I see what you're doin'! and he was like 'uuuh' "

Hahaha! Awesome quote.