Now for the other side of the coin of metal production, since everyone seems to have a soft spot for "keepin' it real." Be it intentional or just cause they were broke SOBs with no label support! I'm talking sounds bad, but you like it anyway kinda stuff. I'll start with: I think this one was intentionally poorly produced, but I think they pulled it off. I love the over-reverbed vox and the trebled out guitars on this one. I don't think I'd want any of my tunes to have this production though.
Yes, it was intended to be that way. Fenriz allegedly "created" the "true black metal sound"... I love that album. Burzum's "Filosofem" it's an exquisite record.
I don't know if its "underproduced" by the Solitude Aeturnus album "Downfall" is a favorite of mine that just sounds like absolute stepped-on dogshit If anyone has it and hasn't listened for a long time, break it out and please explain to me what the fuck happened to the sound on that disc ... some KILLER tunes on it and Rob Lowe's voice is amazing as always but damn, the sound quality is just total poop
Elvenfris by Lykathea Aflame very harsh sounding, sounds like they used little or no filters you know what, a lot of those Arsis productions could use some sprucing up too
Dir en grey - Vulgar & Withering to Death Great songs, one of my favourite bands, but the production on both is pretty messy. I don't own any of the older albums as I kinda haven't liked the songs I've heard, so I don't know if it's these two albums or all of the earlier stuff.
Dornenreich - Bitter ist's dem Tod zu dienen Sure wouldn't be the same if recorded with a Sneap approach. I guess that goes for alot of blackmetal and other atmospheric stuff. Cynic - Focus Can't stop listening to it, but concerning the production... I mean I believe it came out in the same year as Heartwork from Carcass!
Darkspace - Dark Space III My #2 top album of this year, and probably one of the worst productions I've heard. But it is intentional, and the songs probably wouldn't have half the feeling and mood if they were "well produced". Here's track 3: http://www.last.fm/music/Darkspace/_/Dark+3.13?autostart
Mar de grises - The Tatterdemalion Express The production is a lot different than most modern metal productions, don't know if it can be considered underproduced though. I reallly like the production, shitloads of reverb, especially on the snare lol http://www.myspace.com/mardegrises2 , to see saturn fall on their page
Most Acid Bath stuff Early Trouble ( before self-titled ) Definitely Cynics Focus Anacrusis ( although their 'sound' kinda is the way it's produced ) I'm sure there's plenty more but that's what comes to mind immediately.
Without doubt: Eucharist - A Velvet Creation (1993) Brilliant melodic yet gloomy swedish Death Metal with the thinnest production ever heard.
I want to throw the "PANZERFAUST" in the discussion. It sounds like recorded on a 4-track recorder, but the icy cold and evil atmosphere reaches me totally. So..Mission accomplished
cool, I haven't heard some of these...thanks for the recommendations! +1 on the whiplash's ticket to mayhem; some bad production in there, but great album. -1 on laaz rocket; the production on that one was great. they had some of the heaviest guitars this side of overkill's. I'm gonna toss in Obsession's "Scarred for Life." At times, it sounds like the whole mix is being sent through an overdrive pedal, but man does it rock.