Saishu

So Dan Lancaster mixed The Insulated World, and looking thru his past works he’s also produced albums for One OK Rock, Blink-182, Crossfaith, Avril Lavigne, and Bring Me The Horizon. He also mixed the Ningen single, so I guess DEG wanted him to mix the entire album since he did such a GREAT JOB with Ningen. 

We almost never focus on a band’s look around here. This is just a rare but fun moment. 

Perfect example of how the sound of this album differs depending on how and what you’re using to listen to it is in Celebrate Empty Howls. On my earbuds, that tambourine/bell sound is hard to hear unless I lower the volume. In my car they’re prominent no matter where the volume is set. 
 
I think treble is the key here. Without it you end up getting a weird muddled mid-range mess. 

So Dan Lancaster mixed The Insulated World, and looking thru his past works he’s also produced albums for One OK Rock, Blink-182, Crossfaith, Avril Lavigne, and Bring Me The Horizon. He also mixed the Ningen single, so I guess DEG wanted him to mix the entire album since he did such a GREAT JOB with Ningen. 

Oh, yeah! My intention wasn’t to discredit the man’s work with such a sweeping generalization. He’s done some fantastic work in the past, but I’d say for nearly two decades now almost every Rick Rubin project is a wall of noise. Fuck, he even managed to make Billy Corgan’s recent acoustic solo album sound loud as hell. 
 
Blood Sugar Sex Magik sounds awesome. Californication does not. That was actually the first album where I noticed the loudness thing. 

Try turning the treble up a bit and the volume down. 
 
Honestly, it doesn’t sound great, but it doesn’t sound as bad as any rock album touched by Rick Rubin. Listen to the original mix of Metallica’s Death Magnetic for one of the worst example of brickwalling. 

Perfect example of how the sound of this album differs depending on how and what you’re using to listen to it is in Celebrate Empty Howls. On my earbuds, that tambourine/bell sound is hard to hear unless I lower the volume. In my car they’re prominent no matter where the volume is set. 
 
I think treble is the key here. Without it you end up getting a weird muddled mid-range mess. 

It doesn’t fit. I mean the end of Zetsuentai rolls nicely into the beginning of Ranunculus, but the song itself is so tonally different from everything else. Which I guess was the intention, but for the previous 12 tracks to all basically be “I WANT TO FUCKING DIE” and then suddenly here’s this Luna Sea shanty with Kyo exclaiming “I AM ALIVE”....  it sticks out more than Vanitas did on DSS. 

So Dan Lancaster mixed The Insulated World, and looking thru his past works he’s also produced albums for One OK Rock, Blink-182, Crossfaith, Avril Lavigne, and Bring Me The Horizon. He also mixed the Ningen single, so I guess DEG wanted him to mix the entire album since he did such a GREAT JOB with Ningen. 

Wait wait... know what “Values of Madness” reminds me of?
 
“The Cry Against Me” by Merry. 

Jesus Christ these lyrics are bleak as fuck, but then Ranunculus ends with “Scream alive, I am alive” so maybe he’s cool. 

Devote My Life in particular pulls no punches. Basically says it’s not his parents’ fault he’s miserable, but he shouldn’t have been born to begin with. I just... don’t understand why those lyrics are in a song so fucking chaotic and abrasive. 

Got it ten minutes ago!

Jesus Christ these lyrics are bleak as fuck, but then Ranunculus ends with “Scream alive, I am alive” so maybe he’s cool. 

Same here. 

I uh... dare I say this is the first time DEG has truly sounded heavy without sounding like they’re struggling? Like, seriously, that sludgy riff in Keigaku no Yoku is fucking HEAVY. 

I uh... dare I say this is the first time DEG has truly sounded heavy without sounding like they’re struggling? Like, seriously, that sludgy riff in Keigaku no Yoku is fucking HEAVY. 

What? Kanji ARE Chinese characters. 

What? Kanji ARE Chinese characters. 

What? Kanji ARE Chinese characters. 

Can i go one week on here without having to say the following again?
 
Turn on your location. I just wanna talk.
 
We not bout to disrespect one of holiest DIR EN GREY songs to date here

Wait wait... know what “Values of Madness” reminds me of?
 
“The Cry Against Me” by Merry. 

Seriously? 
 
I’m changing the track list for myself. Shifting some files around on my laptop isn’t going to alter the experience for anybody else. The original body of work is still out there for hundreds of thousands of people to enjoy, including myself. It’s just a fun little experiment. I did the same thing with Arche. 

Seriously? 
 
I’m changing the track list for myself. Shifting some files around on my laptop isn’t going to alter the experience for anybody else. The original body of work is still out there for hundreds of thousands of people to enjoy, including myself. It’s just a fun little experiment. I did the same thing with Arche. 

Keibetsu to Hajimari, you pleb! Turn in your fan card!