Yeah, I recall people complaining that he would tune down his floor toms to the same frequency as the kicks to make it sound fasterI just went wtf, that doesn't make any sense...
I always thought their rhythm guitars sounded a bit sloppy though (but now when I listen to All Hope Is Gone I don't notice it anymore, I used to think Gematria sounded sloppy right of the bat...), up to this latest album anyway which is just tight throughout (I didn't really listen .5). I know they're good guitarists, so I just assumed they got a little lazy in the studio.
I really like that the guitars sound like people playing guitars. Funny thing with Metallica records, those old Pantera records as well, there is a raw quality to the best recordings where the talent of the players really shines through. But if you have a listen to Far Beyond Driven, actually there's some pretty ropey stuff in there at points! It just works cos the vibe of the people comes through hard. I only lump these three together because they're legendary, but Morbid Angel, too, a lotta guitar heroes, it's the human quality we really appreciate. On the new one, there's a bit where the rhythm guitar is solo'd and the sheer aggression of the playing is sick.
I believe they recorded the new tracks live in the studio, as a core anyway, and often preferred the non-click takes. Perhaps the performance is what they were going for. That's what the band says.
