Good news for Champ and I

[Champ]

Digital is so much easier to record on and you can do so much editing and polishing up to the point where you could sound like a completely different band. When we started recording with my engineer we actually told him we want the recording to sound raw like we recorded it analog. Of course for money purposes we punch in parts that could be cleaner instead of redoing the whole track and taking up time. But my bass tracks were laid down the hard way. I played straight through and at the very most, I just went back and cleaned up a part here and there. When I laid the guitar tracks down I did them like a fucking hack because I was writing parts on the spot and I recorded from part to part instead of going through the whole song. The songs with straight up distortion I ran right through however. Dave Mustaine is right that digital is the easy way out because analog just sounds so much tighter and real

[Naitch]

Its a good tool but if you hear Dragonforce recorded and then see them live (I caught them with Killswitch so its still on topic!) you know they relied way to heavily on that.

[Champ]

That's why I'm looking forward to Killswitch going analog because just from watching them live you know they're going to kill on that recording

[Naitch]

There are only a handful of bands I trust to sound good live these days. Killswitch, Tool, Chimera, Lamb of God, Black Label Society and a bunch of old bands that go on reunion tours like Beach Boys.

Speaking of Lamb of God, go pick up they're new album, its fucking sick bro. I know its been out like three hours or something but it might be the best metal album of the decade.

[Champ]

Actually that was pretty fuckin good! That's the kind of Hardcore band I like hearing. You can actually understand their guitar riffs and what the singer is saying, yet it still just destroys with raw heaviness

I've seen Tool live and they sound just like the record. They just lack a lot of stage charisma. The performances are a little more weird than anything

[Naitch]

Dude, the whole album is awesome. I'm by no means a huge Lamb of God fan but Wrath just won me over big time. Its like they just got better at everything. And they're are some sick guitar solos going on. Heres a fan vid made from what I thought was the best track on the album.



Tool isn't a concert, its an experience. Maynard has shown with APC that he does have a really good stage presence when he wants too.

[Champ]

That sucks, they took the video down already

As for Tool I know it's all staged shit. I heard that Maynard has great stage presence under the right circumstances. Tool literally is a "show". It's almost like a really weird show with naked people hanging upside down while 4 guys are performing really awesome music

[Naitch]

Man that does suck. Go buy the album then lol. I have it in my truck and I can't stop listening to it when I'm driving.

[Naitch]

Killswitch Engage have announced that their upcoming fourth album will be self-titled and released on June 30th. Killswitch Engage is produced by Brendan O'Brien with Killswitch guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz. Check out album artwork below.

Working track titles include "Reckoning," "The Forgotten," "Light in a Darkened World" (which they played live at the Revolver Golden Gods show) and "Starting Over." Vocalist Howard Jones notes, "It was time for us to step outside of our comfort zone and try something a little different with this record. It definitely still sounds like us, but we needed to be refreshed and take things a little further."

This is Killswitch Engage's second self-titled album. Jones says, "When we all couldn't agree on an album title, someone suggested we just keep it self-titled and we all pretty much agreed…gives it the feeling of a fresh new beginning."

The band is currently touring with Disturbed on the Music Is A Weapon IV tour, and will hit the main stage on the Rockstar Energy Mayhem festival tour this summer.

"We are excited and thrilled to share the stage this summer with Bullet For My Valentine, Slayer and Marilyn Manson," says Howard. "We hope to entertain and enjoy our time interacting with both old friends and new friends daily. Prepare yourself for laughs, riffs and the unexpected. We will do all we can to make you move, yell and ponder who made the mistake of letting us onstage. You have been warned. Oh, and watch new episodes of 'The Office'."

[Champ]

I'm excited about it. They get better and better every album. I like how they even went a little more melodic but still kept that brutal edge