As someone who only got into dgd after Tilian joined, I'll occasionally go back and give the old shit another shot. Unfortunately, Jon's parts are just so offputting. I don't love him even on the new stuff, but listening to Deathstar now and just... ugh
my first time seeing them was at a local church that used to host punk shows, about a month before death star officially released but everyone knew the songs because it had leaked online. so incredibly sweaty, got a picture with kurt afterwards that's been lost to the sands of time.
Yeah I think I saw them there in the first DBM era like 5 times. Best show was them opening for A Static Lullaby.
I can deal with him on DBM because I love the rest so much but he was the main reason I dipped out of Deathstar. Happiness doesn't have him at all and I honestly think Will does a better job.
I think Will on Happiness is better than Jon had been up to that point. Something shifted with Jon after DBM2, he has sounded way better since Acceptance Speech, and he's arguably the most exciting part about Synergy, IMO. I'm guessing it has to do with his screaming technique, but I don't understand that enough to comment on it.
I agree he has got a lot better and he's one of the best parts about Synergy. I haven't spent too much time with their newer stuff though just because I get tired of Tillian's voice pretty quickly.
mess on deathstar is acquired for sure but honestly his performance there ruled. his angry-ness on that album was unrivaled. the bridge/outro on buffalo, rock solid, people you know- all awesome. he even sings on uneasy hearts chorus. legendary.
It's one I want to go back to eventually, mainly because I want more Kurt DGD, but I wasn't a big fan when I first listened.
I personally think this band peaked on Deathstar and Happiness but I enjoy the Tilian records to a (much) lesser degree at least.. I never listen to the Jonny era but that’s cause he sucks and that material is overrated in my eyes anyways.
DBM is good, DBMII is good from everyone except Jonny, I rarely go back and listen to any of it and its 100% because Jonny is an awful person.
Mess is at his absolute peak in DBMII. I forget how good that record is aside from Jonny who’s literally sleepwalking through it cause he was on all kinds of shit lmao
i heard him sing on synergy and in secret band and it's weird because he can actually sing but just chooses not to.
the first saosin EP isnt better than the albums either - maybe that shitty middle one, but even then - its one of the most overrated pieces of music in the scene's history. honestly with how often fans in this line of music seem to prefer a shitty debut EP over the rest of their life's work idk why new bands even bother.
mess is fantastic on DBM, deathstar, and DBM2, but if you dont have the taste for the skramz/black metal style vocals he borders on you're probably not gonna dig it. acceptance speech on he is undoubtedly more controlled and far more interesting and varied, but the raw scrappy skramz shit he did back in the day hasnt lost its charm.
HOT TAKE RIGHT THERE. That EP slapped and continues to slap. I remember getting it my freshman year and being absolutely floooooored. Changed the type of music I was interested in overnight.
I read an interview with him quite a while back, don’t remember where, but I believe he talked about starting vocal lessons around the time Tilian joined because he wanted to improve. It definitely shows. That being said, his old vocals are definitely still fun for me.
eh idk, i still think translating the name is something special, but i agree with your general sentiment, it’s hard to break nostalgia. i feel like chorus in general is usually better about appreciating newer albums compared to the average scene fan
Is this a Saosin thread now? Sure. I have no nostalgic affection for TTN considering I somehow never ended up hearing it until after the second album came out and so can safely say it's easily better than both Cove albums. But to be fair, TTN could just be 15 minutes of static occasionally interspersed with audio from inside a slaughterhouse and it would still be better than ISOSG. That album really puts the "anal" in "banal". Get it? 'cause it's shit.
Nic might be in there but im also 100% sure Jon sings there because I can hear him hes done it live before too