lynch. new EP "FIERCE-EP" release

Absolutely ZERO.EFFORT

Not expecting anything else better to come with the rest of the tracks.

Interestingly enough, I am pleased. One of the few songs from them that I liked since their best of in 2014

I think lynch has the worst mixing of any major visual band of all time. I said it. They have almost no listenable albums from a mixing/production standpoint (inferiority complex? christ…)

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wait actual question, what about that album’s mix don’t you like?

ofc it’s 100% subjective but i always have that one as a go-to of my favourite mixed albums - Mirrors in particular is like the EXACT way i want every kick drum to sound (pure woomy, no click, but solidly pitched, short and articulate)
i like challenging myself to identify what exactly changed, but i know Gallows mix falls completely flat for me and kills my interest in the album, despite the songwriting being pretty similar.

not asking to argue or anything, i don’t mind different people different favs lol
But i know liking this album is one of my most unpopular vkei opinions - so everything i hear about why it’s disliked / less popular can only help me develop my ear for mixing & writing!

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Not emmny, but the mix on Inferiority Complex is extremely compressed and focused into (what sounds like to my ears) mostly mid frequencies. This results in a mix that sounds muddy, stuffy, and lacking impact. It depends on the song, but the lower frequencies like the bass and kick drums are mostly lost. “Inferiority Complex” is a good example of this. There are times where the bass stands out though in songs like “Frozen”.

Hazuki’s vocals, which usually sits above the instruments, is blended into everything else and its clarity is lost. The same goes for the guitars. Especially in loud and fast songs, they should shine through but it’s like a bit of edge has been taken off resulting in a dulled sound.

The drums got the shortest end of the stick I think. The cymbals sound thin and harsh, the kick gets drowned out, and the snare sounds muted. In general, they sound like they’re playing out of my neighbor’s damp garage.

You can compare the single and album versions of “Mirrors” to see a comparison. The single version is much better by contrast. You can feel the kick drums better, the guitars are clearer, and Hazuki’s voice is mixed so there’s more distinction than the other instruments.

I honestly felt their albums started sounding muddy starting with Shadows. As their music started evolving, something just changed. And it feels like they don’t care about this aspect of their music anymore. It does do injustice to genuinely good songs.

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I personally think their best sounding album is The Avoided Sun. The instruments are balanced well, there’s good dynamic range, and, most importantly, it sounds clean. Even the heavier tracks like “the universe” and “enemy”, despite using more distortion and being loud, have clarity and you can hear each part distinctly. Even when there are filters being used over the vocals like in songs like “prominence”, you can clearly make out Hazuki’s lines.

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To add, I actually like the compositions in Inferiority Complex. I think from a song writing aspect it’s underated. Not their best effort to me, but there are some great tracks and the album goes for a more fast approach in terms of riffs and rhythms. It’s just hard to listen to because of the mix. Guess you could say this is to me what Gallows is to you.

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I can’t argue that. Their early stuff I think is better. Once they went major though, it just went downhill. I swear, Inferiority Complex was mixed by an intern who got hired because they knew someone on the engineering team. It defies all logic when compared to anything in their catalog.

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this immediately makes sense for me, bc i know it’s something i like whether done by Kyo or Gackt or anyone else. But i can understand why it’s really unpopular lol

another interesting quote bc i get this comment a lot when i pull up what i call my favourite drum mixes! i need to better understand what this means… but i know when i think of my target drum recording/mixes, i list this album, Min Tid Skal Komme by Fluerety, the first album by KoRn, and ナイトメア’s 2003 indiez compilation. All four of these get called ‘like drums in a basement’ lmao - i need to look into what makes a basementy sound & how i can do it…

i know you’re saying what you don’t like about the album but this is extremelllyyyyy helpful info for me to hear - i completely agree, now that you say it - these are very warm/dull guitar tones for this type of music. i haven’t thought this consciously but now that you say it i can’t not see it, and is a huge key towards what makes this album different that makes me love it when i don’t have strong feelings towards most metalcore!
zero sarcasm / legit ty for pointing this out, it’ll be directly helpful to my work~

edit: this is also another really good point i glossed over at first - seems this is also a commonality w/ Diru’s The Insulated World, which i’m another avid defender of. I think in general the guitar tones of vkei trend mid-heavier than guitar tones of rock/punk/metal, and being primarily a guitarist myself this is what i listen most to from albums. Maybe you’re helping me realize there’s not an upper limit to how mid-heavy a mix i can appreciate!

But given everything else you say i’m surprised i completely agree with this lmao
this album sparkles and pops, esp the first two tracks there’s so much life to it, it’s a real ‘wakes you up’ kinda mix

maybe you can say despite how much i love garbage / intern mixed albums, i still love well mixed albums too lol

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I said it many times but the way Ryo trackmaker is mixing is always the same, whatever bands give him a song to mix. He got his formula (including the same snare, kick samples) that he will uses for every-band.

After saying this, I cannot listen very long to the songs he mixes because it sounds very overcompress, with no space for breathing, which gives an ear fatigue quite quickly. Everything is loud.

About the ’ Dull guitar tones ', if you listen to all his mixes, it’s mainly due to the fact that there a big mid scoop. In the mixing domain, people call it the smile EQ face : the curve create a smile. This technique can help to makes things loud and pleasant (if used with carefully).

photo : citygluemedia: Image

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That snare sound is rough

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It would be interesting if someone made a mix of all lynch choruses for the last 10 years, or say only the singles. Im sure it would all blend together as a real mind f*ck.

I just don’t know why or how they’ve gotten so…stale? I just wish they’d experiment more like in their early indie stuff. There’s many sounds in those first 2-3 years of the band that I just never hear from them anymore. The lynch. of today would never make a song like Above the Skin, y’know?

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The album is still growing on me but I think REBORN is the most I’ve seen them try and be diverse in awhile.

I’ma give Hazuki credit cuz he’s written a lot of my fav Lynch tracks as of late. But I do appreciate that the writing duties are being shared.

Id like to believe REBORN and now FIERCE is the continued step in the right direction.

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a fierce blaze sounds like their best song in ages

remains is v. nice too, it reminds me of slower songs from the avoided sun era (anemone, etc.)

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Is it mean to say that the choruses still all kind of blend together?
I think its the style Hazuki sings choruses that mind fks me.

I want Un Deux Trois without this run of the mill chorus.
YO WAZZUP in Excentric still cracks me
斑 sounds like a more funky Idol to me with a rehashed chorus from Angel Dust. Curious about it.
A Fierce Blaze… well, the name is not fitting at all (at least, judging by the chorus). Expected something more fierce, but Un Deux Trois fills that role much better.
Remains is nice, yeah. Somehow got Decays vibes. You can’t really go wrong with Yusuke.

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2 posts were split to a new topic: Lynch - FIERCE EP