Listening to the new A7X.
It's new for them. I thought the last album was horrible and generic, they are taking more risks here and being experimental. I've always thought they had more potential than most of their peers. I also wonder if they've realized that their brand of metal isn't mainstream anymore so they might as well do whatever they want. Huge improvement over the last one, although I think my interest in this band is long gone. I was not impressed with the closing epic, it had its moments but it also meandered a lot. Good ending though.
Production was really bad. The recording hardly had any power and Shadows' vocals were often fighting against the music rather than complementing it. I think he is a good vocalist but the way he was mixed makes him sound tired and strained. Drums also lacked any real punch. I get the impression that they don't want the drums to stand out at all. It was the same on the last album. I get they want to honor their original drummer by not having someone take his place, but the music shouldn't suffer for that.
Overall, I was mostly impressed but didn't love it. Might give it more spins later.
