Oooh neat, Decon bonus track. I don't have iTunes on here, is there anyway I can listen to the preview?

Maybe 'Ho Krll' would've exceeded the total duration available on a modern CD? The album is about 70min after all.

I just hope iTunes doesn't have it listed as "Album Only" or that it does magically appear on all retail copies of the album.

Edit: It isn't even in my iTunes store yet. Poo

It is listed as "album only", but i don't know if this will change when it's released.

Maybe 'Ho Krll' would've exceeded the total duration available on a modern CD? The album is about 70min after all.

I just hope iTunes doesn't have it listed as "Album Only" or that it does magically appear on all retail copies of the album.

Edit: It isn't even in my iTunes store yet. Poo

Metallica's Load is 78:58 minutes long. Regardless, I sincerely hope this extra track (and on Ghost) are on the CDs as I'll be none too pleased. I suspect Devin knew the albums would leak and be played to death so as a treat to buyers kept the last track from reviewers and therefore from early leaks etc. Hope.

The songs are not on any album listing on any website selling the CD's, so I'm pretty sure they will be iTunes-only. Prepare to be none too pleased.

If I give Dev a fiver and a blank CD-R, surely I can bypass this...

The songs are not on any album listing on any website selling the CD's, so I'm pretty sure they will be iTunes-only. Prepare to be none too pleased.

I wouldn't judge it on any album listings or websites, unless they've actually verified the listings from the retail CDs which I'm doubtful they have yet. If the songs aren't on the CDs I pre-ordered I'll be rightly pissed off. However, I'm very confident Devin wouldn't have let that happen. Artists should be doing everything possible to encourage CD sales rather than making a downloaded album superior to physical product by including extra tracks. I wouldn't necessarily be picking on the Devin albums but I remember buying Ihsahn's album 'After' and there wasn't even lyrics printed on the inlay. And looking at the increasing shitness of album artwork even the artists seem to be giving up.

Well, considering the track listing was announced on the label's website http://www.insideoutmusic.com/newsdetai ... dCompany=8 I would think that it was the official CD track list. Other than the iTunes listing, there is no other source providing any info to suggest these two extra tracks will be on CD releases of Decon and Ghost. There really is no reason to believe otherwise. Extra songs appearing on iTunes exclusively is pretty common.

The songs are not on any album listing on any website selling the CD's, so I'm pretty sure they will be iTunes-only. Prepare to be none too pleased.

I wouldn't judge it on any album listings or websites, unless they've actually verified the listings from the retail CDs which I'm doubtful they have yet. If the songs aren't on the CDs I pre-ordered I'll be rightly pissed off. However, I'm very confident Devin wouldn't have let that happen. Artists should be doing everything possible to encourage CD sales rather than making a downloaded album superior to physical product by including extra tracks. I wouldn't necessarily be picking on the Devin albums but I remember buying Ihsahn's album 'After' and there wasn't even lyrics printed on the inlay. And looking at the increasing shitness of album artwork even the artists seem to be giving up.

Uh, dude... not to get all over your case (this is coming from who loves After/loves all of Ihsahn's work), but since when are artists supposed to provide lyrics for their work? Opeth's Watershed doesn't have any printed; After doesn't; even Addicted only has chunks of each song's throughout the album booklet. Granted, if you searched around the forums here, you could find the topic where Dev posted everything for each song off Addicted, but I digress. There's a such thing as letting the music speak for itself, I think. And, as far as Ho Krll being a download only track... so what if it is? It's not going to hurt sales if that's what it turns out to be; the same hardcore fans that've bought Dev's albums in physical form all along will continue to do so, without any needless 'extra incentives' to convince them further that a physical product is worth their money more than a download. I actually kind of dislike it, myself, when artists include bonus tracks on the same disc as an otherwise coherent album; it takes away from the flow of the record. Dev's saving up most of the bonus tracks for the DTP boxset anyways, because they're just that - bonus tracks. They're not part of the four main records; they're extras, leftovers. Doesn't mean they're bad tracks by any means (just look at Porcupine Tree... redefining the term 'b-side' with some seriously incredible leftover material) but that doesn't mean that, just because exist, Dev should be expected to include them on the main releases either.

...keep in mind, that's all my opinion, though.

[Octillus]

Not to mention the last tracks of both Decon and Ghost make some pretty obvious musical statements of the album ending. The abrupt Staaaaaaaand, and the way it transitions into Fly, for example, seems pretty clear to me. DEFINITELY As You Were having bits of A Monday at the end seems about as clear as the dude telling me it's the end himself.

With all of the bonus stuff you get with the CD pre-orders, I'm sure iTunes requested something a little extra for them so they can be sure to sell a few downloads, too. It's just business. You want people to sell your stuff, then there has got to be something extra in it for them. Some kind of assurance that they will sell some copies. This has gone on for decades. Look at all of the Japanese versions of albums with bonus tracks. Usually the artist has no real control over the matter. It's a business deal between management, labels, distributors, and retailers.

Sure, Devin can raise a stink about it, but why would he? It's more exposure for the music and more money to feed his family and to continue making music. It just amazes me that people freak out if an artist tries to make an extra buck or two. People get all offended. Nobody is trying to rip anyone off. If anything, you are getting an opportunity to get extra music beyond the normal CD. No one is forcing anyone to buy anything. You either think it is worth paying for, or you don't.

So, how many reprises are there?

I just noticed this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOHJ_jSQLO0&t=4m35s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybnwFnJET7E&t=4m21s

I never said anyone was "supposed" to provide lyrics (although is was a staple of metal albums for decades, as well as artwork with effort) but, unlike Addicted, Ihsahn or even Opeth aren't the most articulate vocalists due to their style. Besides Ihsahn said himself the lyrics on After 'weren't that important' and were like an afterthought which may explain his decision to trivialise them further by not including them on the inlay which I believe was a first. I'd be disappointed if the full lyrics of Decon weren't on the inlay given the nature of the vocals. But generally, sure if bands wish to provide less and less effort with physical CDs they're making the differences between illegal downloads and buying CDs less and less too (and even less so the differences between illegal and legal downloads). It's their choice, once they don't start then complaining about people not buying their CDs. I think the idea of physical music purchasers being disadvantaged is ridiculous. The reason Japanese albums have a history of bonus tracks is because the cost of albums (i.e. imports) to consumers was so high. Western CDs probably costs 2/3 times higher than they do for most other countries. This isn't that situation.

So on the one hand fans will want the song Ho Krll but on the other they don't want the flow of the album wreaked. Seems to be a catch 22. All I'm really saying is this wouldn't have arisen if only one version of the album was released although I understand this most likely has nothing to do with Devin himself.

It just amazes me that people freak out if an artist tries to make an extra buck or two. People get all offended.

Just to be clear; I never said or in anyway implied this - "people freak out if an artist tries to make an extra buck or two. People get all offended." Regarding the bonus tracks, you mightn't like, understand or agree with us but some of us fans are entitled to be annoyed. There's nothing unreasonable about that feeling in this situation i.e. if the tracks are only on itunes and especially if they remain 'album only'.

[The Dev]

Hey guys, a few things:

I don't really make any money from all these label sales. It happens, we all know it happens. I've got too much to do to make a stink out of it.

Ho Krll isn't on the album, no. Sorry if something like that pisses you off. I'm sure you could download it, it's not on the record because it's not mixed properly, and I didn't want it on the record. It's a b side.

Lyrics are included in the art for Decon, but not Ghost. But I'm hoping they spring for a lyric sheet with Ghost.

I will be selling some signed copies of each from HevyDevy that I can't really advertise, I'll put a link here for those interested. That goes straight to me, but between the label and Omerch etc...there's some armwrestling I think. I'll do it quietly and hope I don't get shit.

Been a fucking super weird period. More angry fans then I can remember in the past. Feeling a little confused, but getting ready to tour (Sonisphere in Poland in a few hours) and I'm hoping it will remind me why I do it. I'm hoping its a sign that things are getting more popular, I think it is... the more people that know, the more of a reaction to it you get I guess.

There has been a lot of support as well, I really appreciate it of course.

yaww!

Been a fucking super weird period. More angry fans then I can remember in the past. Feeling a little confused, but getting ready to tour (Sonisphere in Poland in a few hours) and I'm hoping it will remind me why I do it. I'm hoping its a sign that things are getting more popular, I think it is... the more people that know, the more of a reaction to it you get I guess.

Deconstruction is awesome! It's a mind-blowing album and I'm really grateful you gave that immense music to us, the fans.

Good luck with the tour... I'll be there next time you visit Montreal.