Search - Usurper :: Twilight Dominion

Neil Kernon must be stopped!!!

Nathan Marciniak | Port Washington, WI United States | 10/30/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"After seeing this record was produced by Neil Kernon my heart sank. Indeed, my fears were justified as this recording displays the incredibly weak, annoying sound he also inflicted upon Macabre. The difference is that I thought that WAS Macabre's sound, but now it's clear Neil is the one to blame. The guitars are pretty huge and crunchy, they are given the lion's share of the mix, but the drums...oh my the drums...why would anyone in their right mind make a drumkit sound like a cheap drum machine? There's no freaking CYMBALS on this dang record!!! Did someone forget to unmute some channels there or what? How do you get a drum sound this weak? It doesn't even sound like a guy is playing a kit. No bass, no body, no reverb - it's a tragedy.Usurper is a great old school metal band but to punish their music with this plastic-sounding recording is really sad. I bet this whole thing was recorded with Pro Tools. Metal needs big fat analog tape, it needs punchy bass warmth, not this cold, sterile, overly clean crap digital sound. I feel sorry for their drummer, as whatever he may or may not have played on here has been completely annihilated.Go listen to a real drumkit sometime. With no amplification. What you hear will sound nothing like the drivel Neil Kernon offers you on this disc. It's a real shame. Luckily Usurper's older material, while a bit rough, doesn't suffer from this horrid treatment."