Animals As Leaders MEGATHREAD

[AugmentedFourth]

I don't know if I would compare AAL to Tigran Hamasyan...

I wouldn't either. Sorry if it sounded like I was trying to compare apples to apples but that was not my intention. The only similarity is that they both take time to appreciate.

 

[thearistocat]

Well I listened to the whole album once, but is anyone else waiting to get it to actually listen more? I want to save the songs for better quality playback than youtube, lol. It hasn't been easy...

 

[WildBroskiAppears]

What? When on the album does this ever happen? Never really noticed it going below standard five string range.

Physical Education sure sounds bastardly low when they let the groove "stand alone" around :42 in.

 

[anomynous]

Javier is now endorsed by Carvin

 

[bulb]

I find Physical Education really frustrating to listen to just because it doesn't really go any where. When that 'chorus' comes in for the last time, I was expecting it to be like the climax of the song but it just cuts off and fades out on a groove. It just feels really lazy.

Ka$cade is probably my favourite just for its consistency as a track. There isn't a dull moment in it.

I was a bit disappointed by the last two tracks. I think Misha got his hands on Nephele - the intro and outro riff sounds very Periphery-ish, which isn't a good thing here. It seems a bit tasteless.

Para Mexer is brilliant, for the first half at least - the kinda metal-y second-to-last section is a bit of a let-down.

But still, I really enjoyed it and I prefer it way more than Weightless, there's just quite a few things to pick at.

Actually Nephele was one of the few tracks that not only I didn't work on, but I believe is entirely Javier's too.
The songs I did were:
Ka$cade, Lippincott, Air Chrysalis, Another Year, Tooth and Claw, The Future That Awaited Me, and The Woven Web

Glad you dug Ka$cade, that was the first song Tosin and I did and brought back the same chemistry and dynamic that I felt during the first album, really stoked with how that song came out!

 

[spawnofthesith]

Actually Nephele was one of the few tracks that not only I didn't work on, but I believe is entirely Javier's too.
The songs I did were:
Ka$cade, Lippincott, Air Chrysalis, Another Year, Tooth and Claw, The Future That Awaited Me, and The Woven Web

Glad you dug Ka$cade, that was the first song Tosin and I did and brought back the same chemistry and dynamic that I felt during the first album, really stoked with how that song came out!

The Woven Web is sickeningly groovy/funky

 

[bulb]

The Woven Web is sickeningly groovy/funky

We spent quite a bit of time crafting that slap section. It took a lot of time to get just right, but it is one of my favorite moments on the album and I don't think I have ever heard anything quite like it before.

 

[TravisMontgomery]

Physical Education sure sounds bastardly low when they let the groove "stand alone" around :42 in.

Tosin mentioned something about the tuning at the clinic in Austin last weekend. I believe he said the lowest string is tuned to C#.

 

[thearistocat]

Actually Nephele was one of the few tracks that not only I didn't work on, but I believe is entirely Javier's too.
The songs I did were:
Ka$cade, Lippincott, Air Chrysalis, Another Year, Tooth and Claw, The Future That Awaited Me, and The Woven Web

Glad you dug Ka$cade, that was the first song Tosin and I did and brought back the same chemistry and dynamic that I felt during the first album, really stoked with how that song came out!

Well Another Year and The Woven Web I think are my two favorite so cyber-five

On a slightly unrelated note, wouldn't it be great if Periphery (nudge nudge wink wink) released a song with Tosin as guest and called it Tossin' a Boss In? I thought that was pretty clever

 

[WildBroskiAppears]

Tosin mentioned something about the tuning at the clinic in Austin last weekend. I believe he said the lowest string is tuned to C#.

I wonder...did Nollz go an octave lower on that one? AFAIK that would be inaudible, and produce more of a missing fundamental effect.

We spent quite a bit of time crafting that slap section. It took a lot of time to get just right, but it is one of my favorite moments on the album and I don't think I have ever heard anything quite like it before.

How long was spent getting that part tight during tracking? Also, would you care to give some examples of parts of the album that you tracked yourself?

 

[InfinityCollision]

Tosin mentioned something about the tuning at the clinic in Austin last weekend. I believe he said the lowest string is tuned to C#.

Yup, Physical Education is played on his Toone and uses the same tuning as New Eden. C#AEADGBE if memory serves, with the bottom two strings having two additional frets beyond the nut. This might also be why Javier's playing lead on that track - he doesn't have a baritone hybrid for the low parts.

I wonder...did Nollz go an octave lower on that one? AFAIK that would be inaudible, and produce more of a missing fundamental effect.

Most amps/cabs aren't getting you anywhere near that fundamental, let alone home audio equipment, so it'd be more like a missing octave harmonic effect I'm not hearing a C#0 there though. Not 100% sure since the quality isn't great and I'm listening via cheaper headphones right now, but I'd guess the bass is playing in the same octave any time they're down at C#1.

 

[bulb]

I wonder...did Nollz go an octave lower on that one? AFAIK that would be inaudible, and produce more of a missing fundamental effect.



How long was spent getting that part tight during tracking? Also, would you care to give some examples of parts of the album that you tracked yourself?

I only tracked parts on the pre-pro as we were writing and that was the main focus, but that section was super tricky! Nolly retracked everything with Tosin/Jav/Matt so that the takes could be super tight for the final product.

 

[Sebski]

Actually Nephele was one of the few tracks that not only I didn't work on, but I believe is entirely Javier's too.
The songs I did were:
Ka$cade, Lippincott, Air Chrysalis, Another Year, Tooth and Claw, The Future That Awaited Me, and The Woven Web

Glad you dug Ka$cade, that was the first song Tosin and I did and brought back the same chemistry and dynamic that I felt during the first album, really stoked with how that song came out!

Well fair play mate, cheers for clearing that up! Another Year, Tooth and Claw and The Woven Web are quality tracks.

I'm a bit disappointed with Javier in which case. After seeing all his solo youtube videos and Mestis, I was expecting something in the same vein.

 

[Svava]

Tosin mentioned something about the tuning at the clinic in Austin last weekend. I believe he said the lowest string is tuned to C#.

YEP!

Which, on the drive back, we rationalized to be the C# below the C# on the 7th "B" string.

Which would be C# 1.


Played on his Rick Toone 8 string... which if anyone here hasn't seen it, is not a guitar, but rather is a tree with some strings on it that resembles some elven weapon of yore that you might find in the World of Warcraft.


Pretty sure he had a richter scale in his rig for tuning....

 

[bulb]

Well fair play mate, cheers for clearing that up! Another Year, Tooth and Claw and The Woven Web are quality tracks.

I'm a bit disappointed with Javier in which case. After seeing all his solo youtube videos and Mestis, I was expecting something in the same vein.

I guess that just comes down to taste, I think Javier killed it on his tracks and his contribution to the album!

 

[Svava]

I guess that just comes down to taste, I think Javier killed it on his tracks and his contribution to the album!

I love AAL and am determined to see them live in 30 years when Javier's hair has turned white.

For that is as close as I fear I shall ever come to seeing Santa Klaus djent


At any rate the album is amazing and AAL and Periphery were both awesome at the clinic last week xD

 

[Skyblue]

The more I listen to the album the more I love it. THAT SLAPPING PART IN WOVEN WEB.

 

[TheHereticSlade]

That sick groove in The Woven Web is just bass right ? Or is Tosin also using his thumb slap technique ?

Man I can't wait to see them live !

 

[jmeezle]

That sick groove in The Woven Web is just bass right ? Or is Tosin also using his thumb slap technique ?

Man I can't wait to see them live !

Almost it's certain it's Tosin at first and then the bass kicks in when the rest of the band joins. I can certainly hear bass on that riff toward the end of the song.

 

[Sebski]

I guess that just comes down to taste, I think Javier killed it on his tracks and his contribution to the album!

Oh of course, it's entirely personal preference. I'm just always interested to know how individual my opinion is. And don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Javier's writing and always wanted more material from him, Nephele just wasn't for me.