IMO Akerfeldt's vocals are really nice but his death growls just sound weak to me. I haven't really listened to Ihsahn so I don't really have an opinion on him yet.

IMO Akerfeldt's vocals are really nice but his death growls just sound weak to me. I haven't really listened to Ihsahn so I don't really have an opinion on him yet.

Um... weak? This is just my opinion, man, but Mikael's growling is pretty much the epitome of brutal, while still remaining intelligible. Can't believe you actually think they're weak sounding, but to each and his own, I guess...

On Topic: Just wanted to say that I've been thinking about the comment Devin made (about all the guest vocalists adding 'textures' to Decon's vocal department), and I have to say, I'm really excited by the implications. I've never heard that many different, distinct, and great (IMO) voices harmonize together before, so the final product of their efforts together is something I'm really, really, really looking forward to hearing. Just Mikael's growls alone, for example, are ridiculously awesome sounding when they're multitracked (the ending of Wreath comes to mind, for me); so the idea of Dev, him, Ihsahn, Tommy, Joe and whoever else, all layered on top of each other at once...

Mike's vocals are weak?
Wow.

What I mean by weak is that the growls as far as I've heard feel a bit too refined. I like raw vocals like steeve hurde/luc lemay, Martin Van Drunen or the vocalist on Morbid Angel's Altar of Madness whose name I can't remember.


I think having these different vocalists will undoubtedly lead to something interesting.

Just like the falsetto screams of the metal singers from the 80's, the death metal growl has gotten to the point of being laughable, IMO. Way, way too many metal bands do it, and do it poorly. It's a common metal problem actually, and not just with vocals.

I'm really interested to hear how Dev uses these voices.

[swervedriver]

I am totally imagining Arjen Lucassen right now in his studio gnashing his teeth.

New thanks:

Thanks to Fredrik!!

Does this mean we get some of Meshuggah's Fredrik Thordendals guitar solo mastery?

Deconstruction will be the most epic thing since the invention of the word epic itself!

I'm probably gonna go Cornholio when it finally gets released.

simply amazed and speechless. just wow.

mikael is one of my favorites vocalists cuz he's so good at both screaming and singing. i wonder which will be utilized on decon, maybe both? hopefully there won't be tooooo much screaming on this record...

[The Dev]

Hey guys,

all the guest spots for the most parts are just in one song at a time and are not huge parts...

Trying to make a 'musical' without being totally cheesy requires different voices. There's no story though, it's not 'Operation Mindcrime' or anything, just 9 (looong) songs and a ton of layers and vibes, so having different folks and energies gives it color.

The people I have involved are friends and colleagues. I've had a lot of people offer, but really...I wanted to keep it to people I knew or have had a musical relationship with.

[The Dev]

Song order:

Praise The Lowered
Stand
Juular
Planet Of The Apes
Sumeria
The Mighty Masturbator
Cheeseburger
Pandemic
Poltergeist

"Praise the Lowered" is the most metal song title ever. Both Judas Priest and Iron Maiden are jealous right now.

Hey guys,

all the guest spots for the most parts are just in one song at a time and are not huge parts...

Trying to make a 'musical' without being totally cheesy requires different voices. There's no story though, it's not 'Operation Mindcrime' or anything, just 9 (looong) songs and a ton of layers and vibes, so having different folks and energies gives it color.

The people I have involved are friends and colleagues. I've had a lot of people offer, but really...I wanted to keep it to people I knew or have had a musical relationship with.

Alright, so I was a little off, but still... Decon seems to be shaping up to be like Zappa from hell. For whatever reason, I keep getting a Sheik Yerbouti vibe from all the comments about layers and vibes and textures, concerning the vocals. Obviously, Decon'll be x1000 heavier and more intense (and not nearly as light-hearted, I'd imagine) but still... many of the songs on that album have a ton of layered vocal work. And, I'm glad to hear it's not quite as complex as something like Operation Mindcrime - I'm all for a 'metal opera' of sorts, but there comes a point where the story kind of overshadows the music you're presenting, if it becomes too complex. IMO, that is.

On another note, song titles sound absolutely wicked; Praise the Lowered, Juular, The Mighty Masturbator, and Cheeseburger are all ones I'm really excited to hear. I mean, hell, I'm psyched out of my mind to hear the whole album, but those just sound particularly... intriguing...

[The Dev]

Trying to make a 'musical' without the sphincter tightening embarrassment that comes with trying to convey a story through music was the goal in some ways...

I like musicals for the emotional elements, but inevitably it turns into 10 minute songs about putting water in a bucket or something stupid just to tell a story with people dancing in the streets and exaggerated conversations set to random melodies. It's not really my thing... I want to make good songs and vibes that are kind of connected to a common end instead...that way I feel you can dig the songs without having to engage in some stupid story.

...and cheeseburgers aren't stupid... um...

anyways...