Sometimes you just need to go with the flow.
The plan was for the second of these Loudness War Myths videos to be about listening in noisy environments - but the controversy over a brand new metal release made this week makes it the ideal time to tackle another myth entirely.
Namely:
This one gets trotted out with depressing regularity, even by people who should know better.
Metal and EDM are the most common styles that are supposed to only sound "right" if their level has been pushed up as hard as possible against digital's brick-wall ceiling.
So, is it true ?
I wrote about loudness in EDM and dance music quite recently, but just this week there's a fresh controversy in the news, after the review on the Angry Metal Guy website of the new Fallujah album, "The Flesh Prevails".
This was followed up by commentary on Metal-Fi.com, and suddenly this was the album everyone was talking about, even before it was released !
So - metal fans arguing passionately about the loudness of a new release - there's nothing new there, right ?
Maybe not, but this time there's an interesting twist in the tale.
I explain what that twist is in the video above, and demonstrate exactly what the fuss is about so you can hear it for yourself.
And along the way, we get to test the idea that metal "needs" that super-crushed, 'loudness war' sound in order to sound authentic. There are no prizes for guessing what my opinion is, but you can make your own mind up !
Take a listen and let me know what you think in the comments below...
