After revisiting Ghost's Skeletá today after a longer break, I was left with very conflicting emotions.
On one hand, it confirmed my belief that this is genuinely one of the very best melodic metal albums of the last decade or so. On the other, it rekindled my frustration - perhaps even bitterness - towards Maiden.
Because, surprise, surprise: it's still perfectly possible to achieve great-sounding production nowadays.
And I'm not talking about the "sterile, robotic type" of production that people often criticize Andy Sneap and many modern metal albums for. The production on Skeletá is fantastic and, imo, perfectly capable of standing alongside the classic '80s Maiden albums in terms of clarity, warmth, and punch.
Steve's stubbornness is truly a double-edged sword. It's one of the traits that made Maiden what they are, but in the latter part of their career, there's been a bit too much rust on the edge that's being used.
My only hope now is Bruce's upcoming solo album. Knowing that he was at a Ghost concert, perhaps he came away with a few ideas - maybe even about songwriting and album production.
#ALBUMPRODUCTIONSTILLMATTERS