Alright so I don't think I even knew their 2017 album (EP?) existed. This is really good? I think I like it better than Eternal Blue. I like how technical it is and Courtney is actually belting. Sorry for being uninformed, haha.
the fun fact about that EP is that when Courtney and Mike got married, instead of asking for gifts, they asked for money to finish the mixing and mastering instead. i like their other releases a bit better, but i really do love that EP.
I just appreciate that they continue to incorporate those creepy atmospheric elements from the singles EP into all of their stuff afterwards.
the Singles Collection is fantastic. each song on it was written to show off their versatility, and initially released separately in hopes of getting signed to a label. i think their songwriting from Rule of Nines onward (one of the songs that did get them signed) works a bit better since it's built around Courtney's voice, but the technical mastery on those first two EPs is really enjoyable, and i'm glad it's making its way back into their newer material (along with the creepy atmosphere as you said)
It honestly SOUNDS fantastic. I'm a little bit of a nitpicker when it comes to production, and I think this really sounds great. A little forward for the guitars and vocals take a backseat through passages, but Mike is shredding, so I'm cool with it.
yeah, i think Mike self-produced that record, and Dan Braunstein ended up mixing it (not contributing to production until Rule of Nines). their mentality back then (since it started out as just Courtney and Mike) was letting Mike be as technical as he wanted and have Courtney come in and add complementary vocal melodies. VERY instrument-forward, but impressive nonetheless. their old Patreon had a bunch of instrumental demos/unreleased material from the early days that highlight how creative he is.
Self-titled remains my favorite of theirs to this day. Really miss the more fun, less industrial guitar work on that album.
If someone told me a few years ago that I would be excited to hear a djenty / proggy metalcore album I wouldn't believe it. Soft Spine hasn't left my head in days.
I'm convinced there isn't a band better at writing catchy songs with no clean vocals. No Loss No Love and Soft Spine's choruses get stuck in my head all the time.
Courtney has mentioned that she takes a lot of inspiration from rap when writing vocals, so it's no surprise they can pull off structuring harsh vocals with the immediacy of genres like hip-hop and pop
They were really on one with Rotoscope. Mike's guitar tone in Sew Me Up is incredible. After listening to their old stuff and hearing how much he can shred (I assume he did this in IWABO as well, but they were never my cup of tea), I can appreciate how he seems to really only play what a song calls for, and doesn't "overplay" most of the time.
I'm so amped for this album I think I'm just gonna wait a week. Might cut myself off from the singles too.
They've been playing Fata live recently. It's heavy and pretty. Very Deftones-influenced. Sounds even more massive recorded.
this album has live drums this time instead of a MIDI track. the difference really does add to how massive it sounds.
It's crazy what a difference the addition of Josh made for them. I saw them as an opener during the Eternal Blue run and thought they were talented, but the songs didn't really stick with me. I go back and listen to that album now and I think it's perfectly fine, but it will never be something I gravitate toward frequently. I really loved The Fear of Fear and everything I've heard from this so far has me really excited.
I watched a live recording of their set in France and Josh does the entire vocal run after the chorus on Perfect Soul and he sounded amazing. So glad they're utilizing his vocal abilities.
I still can't tell fully on the recorded version if Josh or Courtney is doing the "Deafening, calling up, bury me" part. The "bury me" line has grit that sounds so much like Josh, but the other two sound more like Courtney.