My new band...HEAVY,need outside opinions

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Analytical Man

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Here is my new band Slave Trance... new song called Hear Me Now. My old band Emotional Flatline broke up...and this was spawned. Anyway i need to have as many people hear this and give me as much feedback as possible. Mix comments, songwriting, performance, you name it...pick it apart and tell me if you love it, if you hate it...I need this to really be the best stuff i ever do because it is going to get my band 4 slots for national acts...big ones...so i don't want to go into this half assed. The music is kinda heavy, and sludgy, sorta updated, but kinda brutal i guess. I don't know..but any comments on any detail of this are welcome. Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to listen and help out. It is entitled Hear Me Now.

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=2111&alid=-1
 
Nice. My kind'a music :) The guitars sound good and the drums sound good, but turn up the overhead a little and get more "CRASH" in them. There was a few spots where you seemed to get a little of time with the rest of the band and not bad at all. Did you and the band record all at one time? How did you record the drums? Oh! and i LLOOVVEEDD THe SCREAMING vocals.

Zeke
 
Thanks

Thanks Zeke! The drums i put down to a click track, and then each band member layed thier respective parts down individually. The drums were done using 2 overhead mics, and triggers for the drums from my Tama set. I tried to mix in a bit more of the acoustic drums with the triggers to liven it up a bit. The entire recording was done really quick basically to see what we can do with the song. Yeah TJ is with this band from my old band Emotional Flatline...he can definately scream with the best of em. Thanks for the in put...anybody else. And Zeke by the way you get a killer acoustic drum sound...i got some mellow stuff i plan to record soon too...my band is just heavy, but i do my individual thing with all sorts of styles...oh no i am rambling. Later dude
 
hmmm

I'm listening to it again on some decent cans. The perc in the into i like. the bd i don't. Not at all. Outside of sounding slightly weak, the timing seems slightly off on the longer runs. Timing just sounds 'off' to me. Good tone on the strings. I guess my primary thought is that there it isn't BAD, its just not 'great'.

Maybe its that I can only really hear 4 or so notes total in the strings? Again, its not bad, just boring...to ME.
 
Thanks, keep the comments coming. I know the timing is a bit funky...my first time drumming with actual other people in a band situation. I know i can do it better. What do you think the bass drum is lacking or in need of. The riffs i can't change, i din't write them. Thanks again
 
hey, A-man, this is good, not my type of music, but very good sounding.

The guitars are nice and big, but I think you can even take it a step further if they were more in your face or punchy, and more seperation between l/r ch to achieve that "wall of sound", I mean, they already sound big, but I would like to hear them even Bigger:)

Can't hear the bass, is there one? I keep thinking the kick sticks out too much, maybe it's because the bass can't be heard too well.

More stereo panning on the drums may help the whole mix to sound bigger. But they really sound pretty good already tho. I just feel this mix is a little empty except for the rhythm guitars.

Hope this helps, keep up the good work, man!

Al
 
oh, more thing, I think this tune would benifit from some dynamic cuz right now this song sounds a little too consistent.

Al
 
Thanks A1A2, i agree that the song could be more dynamic. I only had the guitarist track the guits 2 times panned10 and 2, i think i will have to have him do 4-6 like i do on my own personal songs i record. Overheads i can pan out more as well. Thanks...this is all very helpful, anymore is welcome!!!
 
If this came about quickly, since a reformation in the group, you did a hell of a job. most of the small issues you are already aware of. I think the drums need to come out more on the high end, kick is ok, jus no bass support between it and snare. the guitars are melding a lot, but that might be what you want, i`d like more separation and maybe give some more tonal taste difference. I`m not up on that kind of vocals but i`d like to hear it a little crispier. Punchy tune...
 
man this kicks major butt shaun.
i love the guitar they shred big time. i dont hear a huge problem with the drums and i think you did a great job it takes alot of nerve to go from guitars to drums like you did and hey bro this rips big time. sounds good and tight. cant wait to hear more from you guys, this vocalist rips big time is this the same guy from emotional flatline? thanks for sharing bro talk to you later.
the flash
 
Brutal comments here they come:

I won't comment on the mix "sound" because I have no experience in this.

Drums: Same "double skip on the bass drum" move over and over. No original riffs or patterns. Timing is just plain off, however it does seem to get better in the later part of the song. Bass and drums need to be tighter to make this thing groove.

Vocals: Just plain suck. Sorry, screaming vocals like this won't give you anything long term to build on. Think about getting a singer who can sing and add melody to a tune. Screaming is ok once in a while for an effect, but this kind of screaming gets really boring after a while. Hey, if you're looking for a quick piece of the current screamer's pie this might score you a few gigs, but seriously consider adding a singer that sings.

Guitars: Actually sound decent, could be wider by doubling or quading the parts, but this sounds like something you could produce live with 1 or 2 guitar players.

Song Structure: Boring as can be. Seriously, this song could be put together in a matter of minutes and it shows. It's like one of you said "hey check out this riff" and someone then said, let's scream for 3 minutes and call it a song. Why not consider an intro, verse, chorus, break, and even an ending? DYNAMICS!

There is some talent here though, my advice would be to take that talent and mold it into something more melodic. Right now you sound JUST LIKE any other garage band in their teens or early 20's. Strive for something different.

But then again, what the hell do I know, I'm sitting here listening to this at 3:00 in the morning. L8r....
 
shit homeuser , so blunt....?

Hah, yeah i see his point its the same riff....repeated. I like that guitar sound thou. I disagree with the option to "getting a singer who can sing and add melody to a tune. " Thats not needed, screw that, unless you wanna be played on the radio. The vocal do sound like phil A.
 
Thanks for listening

Hey thanks for the comments again. Brutal honesty is good.

Toki...thanks for the comments. Drums i am still working on to get exactly how i want them. Vocals, and guitar aren't really my department in this band so i don't have much say, i can only give mere suggestions on that. I will try and punch it up also.

Flash...Thanks, this is TJ...the old "screamer" for Emotional Flatline. Thanks for the encouragement. Hopping on drums after playing guitar in bands for so long is a little awkward but it'll sit better with me as i get more practice at it i think.

Homeuser...Thanks for the comments. I agree about the constant screaming thing, definately needs melody every now and then. And i agree that this isn't the type of long term thing that you can have success with. Most bands in this style....IIIIIFFFFF they go anywhere it lasts a few years, maybe 5. I am not so worried about that. I was planning on quitting my old band EF, to do my own personal shit...which has melody, in some of it. But this just kinda happened. I just want to see where it takes us. I know the timing is shot in a few places. the big ones are 40-60 mark. I kinda like dropouts in doublebass drumming...but i guess it is predictable since i do it everytime. Also the guitar riffs aren't mine. I don't usually write this way at all. Like i said earlier i can offer suggestions but i can't out right change parts. Thanks again...

Detuned6...Thanks for listening! Yeah TJ sounds like Phil, we get that alot. Glad you like the guitar sound. I agree that song is kinda menotanous, btu i didn't write the riffs. I am gonna show this thread to the band so they can see what people outside the band think. That way i don't come off like an ass...and we have another perspective. Thanks...keep it coming folks!!!!!!!!!
 
Not bad. . .

. . . actually I'd have to say that the drumming is better than "not bad," at least in terms of making a switch from guitar. Sure there are things to fix, but I think the job is passable. I mean, I can't imagine switching instruments like that. Not at all.

I won't repeat in detail what the others have already pointed out, but I agree with the comments about the bass drum and the seeming lack of bass guitar. The BD seems really bright and punchy, probably because it's so up front. Not that you want a dead sound, but to me it just has too much presence.

Maybe some EQ tweaking is in order to avoid the . . . And Justic For All curse of the missing bass. Not necessarily to the bass, either, but maybe the guitars, or both. More experienced folks here will be able to say for sure. Just out of curiosity, are both guitar tracks recorded with the exact same settings? If so, maybe change up the sound of one by playing with the amp tone and whatever effects you're running.

I have to confess that I'm not into the vocal style at all, but that's a personal preference. I'm sure there are lots of people who dig that (for whatever reason :D ). Someone mentioned Phil Anselmo, but I didn't hear that at all. Yeah, he yells with the best of 'em, but he has occasionally used melody quite effectively (think "Cemetery Gates"). Maybe your vocalist could draw on that approach and be more appealing to a wider group of listeners. BTW, I did like that ending little vocal shriek. Pretty cool. :cool:

Last thing: overall the song didn't really move me or grab me, mainly because there wasn't much variance from start to finish. Kinda like one long repeated riff, you know? Once in a while that approach works ("Cinammon Girl" is an arguable example), but here it doesn't, at least for me. Some dynamics, tempo changes, or even pauses/rests (not necessarily all of these, BTW) would be useful in breaking up the "string" of sameness.

I think this could be something pretty good if you and your group spend some more time on it. Hope these comments don't come off as being too harsh; just trying to give you some food for thought, dude.

Rock on!
 
...shit this heavy makes me feel old:D :( Nice recording AM. Im listening at work so i cant get too into mix, but it sounds good here. You know about the timing issues, that was really the only thing that "bugged" me. That singer of yours is great for this genre. ....do you guys do any Manilow?:D

cool stuff man, G
 
Keep it coming!!!

Hey thanks guys.

Guernica...thanks for the compliments.

Beaverbiscuit...i agree with everything you and almost everyone else has said. Keep it coming. This will all help me to aproach my new band with ideas to expand and get better. Thanks
 
Sounds nice and "KORN'y" good in your face instrument sound. Vox are killer. What mic are you using for vox?
 
I like all the other stuff I've heard from you but this one doesnt really go over that well.. I just dont like to vox.. and I like screaming vocals.. I like them when hes screaming high .. but the low growling sounds too processed and over compressed or something.. sounds like you faded out every word. Sounds too muddy and throaty.. which could be what you were going for..

I dont see anything wrong with the drums except the timing being off and a few out of place bass drum hits..

I cant hear a bass guitar either.
 
a bit off topic...

but just by watching how A-man takes the comments makes me wanna hear his next tune:) I'm sure it will be a good one. I wasn't expecting death metal people to be so open-minded and modest:eek:


Best luck, man

Al
 
Re: a bit off topic...

A1A2 said:
but just by watching how A-man takes the comments makes me wanna hear his next tune:) I'm sure it will be a good one. I wasn't expecting death metal people to be so open-minded and modest:eek:


Best luck, man

Al
Click to expand...
I agree. Probably helps that most of the folks who respond/critique in here don't bash needlessly. If I ever get my act together and post a tune here, I know that I can expect mostly objective help. . . so long as I don't let my ego blow my porch light out. ;)
 
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