Why do most Dan Swano fans dislike the Godsend CDs?

batmura

Sea of Tranquility
Nov 1, 2001
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www.seaoftranquility.org
Just because they know Dan didn't have a hand in the songwriting or is it because they feel the music on the Godsend stuff is really different to everything else Dan has done before? All these years I've been listening to Dan (I started with EOS, then Moontower, then Nightingale, then Odyssey, then Star One and recently acquired copies of the two Unicorn discs directly from Dan the man himself), I heard lots of bad things about the Godsend stuff. So, I must admit I was a bit reluctant to check them out. Finally I got a hold of those two discs. I've been playing A Wayfarer's Tears a lot lately. The disc has been in my player for two days non-stop and being a big fan of old school doom metal, needless to say Dan's deep voice, I have to say I am rather surprised. Well, sure the music is different from what we heard on EOS, PTM or Nightingale or Moontower or whatever. And yes you can tell that Dan didn't have much say in the songwriting, but I have to give credit to the guys that wrote and performed the music so well. Somehow the heavy, sludgy and DOOMY guitar riffs drip with old Sabbath, Cathedral, Pentagram, Trouble, St Vitus, and even Candlemass riffs. The music is fresh too. I really like the guitarist's approach.

Dan's vocals are amazing. I feel bad that I had to miss out on this all these years. This is pure old school doom, a genre that I tend to love when I'm in the mood, and proves once again how versatile Dan can be if he wants to. When I look back and think of all the different projects/bands Dan has been in, I can hardly think of other musicians that are able to provide their fans with all kinds of different music. Guess that is the sole reason why Dan has fans from all ranges of music, from death metal to prog rock to doom metal to weird experimental shit. And he pulls them all off very well. He's quickly becoming one of my all-time favourite singers of all times!

Now back to the topic, what do you think of the Godsends discs with Dan handling the vocal duties? If you're one of those people that don't like it, what is it exactly you dislike? The lyrics? Production? Vocal performance? Songwriting?

Before I post this, I once again have to vote for a full-length Odyssey disc where we can hear Dan's clean vocals with an agressive edge. :)

NP: Godsend - A Wayfarer's Tears
 
I have nothing against Dan's vocal performances on both Godsend albums; it's just that I find the music to be very boring and unspectacular, largely because Dan had no part in the songwriting. I dunno...I don't DISLIKE either album, per se, but they just kinda sat there when I owned them.
 
I like the Godsend albums Dan sings on. The other one I havn´t heard. But it is probably 10 years ago I heard the first album since i dont own it. I liked it back then. I think that was the first album I heard where Dan sing with clean voice.