High on Fire and Kurt Ballou hot take.

Soundstorm

Soundstorm

Well-known member
I'm probably in the minority, but I so wish the guys would just move on from recording with Kurt Ballou. His production style just doesn't work with HoF's naturally grimy sound and doesn't do it any justice. I haven't thoroughly enjoyed any of their albums since he's been onboard (four now and counting), the way I did prior to the Ballou era. I have plenty of respect for Kurt and his accomplishments, I've just never seen his production style as a good fit for the band. Too compressed, overprocessed, slick, modern, digital sounding. Can we get another album with Jack Endino or Steve Albini??? I just want them to sound like themselves. Raw and nasty as hell. Anyone who's ever seen them live in a small club knows what I'm talking about. I think Steve Albini captured it really well with Blessed Black Wings. Jack Endino distilled it down to perfection with Death is this Communion. Kurt Ballou overprocessed the life out of it.
 
Spaceboy said:
I don’t see Kurt’s production as over processed by any means.
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I give you exhibit A:

This is a common example of what's known as BRICKWALLED audio.

Now compare it to this, exhibit B:

Lots more space and dynamics in the mix. All the instruments sound natural and punchy, unlike exhibit A where everything has this fizzy quality like it's run through a 10 deep plugin chain.

Now let's hear another Ballou production:
 
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Endino is/was the best sound imo - a step up from the more raw Albini, which was cool in it's own way.
I also did a re-listen to Snakes and Fidelman's work sounded better than I remembered it.
I think Ballou's work could sound better. I never really thought enough about why I didn't like his records with them as much.
But the brickwalling with minimal dynamics and lack of instrument spacing, as shown above, is definitely one of the reasons now that I can hear it A/B. It was not as apparent to me with casual listening before.
 
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I'm not familiar with this band, I am with Kurt, but the biggest differences between those clips posted strike me as intentional. Like the tone is fairly different, to the point that I think it's the EQ on the amp more than anything.

Funnily enough I had this same opinion with the band Blacklisted after they started recording with Kurt. Then they did an album without him and it made me realize it was a stylistic choice and not just Kurt's recording/mixing.
 
Drkorey said:
Endino is/was the best sound imo - a step up from the more raw Albini, which was cool in it's own way.
I also did a re-listen to Snakes and Fidelman's work sounded better than I remembered it.
I think Ballou's work could sound better. I never really thought enough about why I didn't like his records with them as much.
But the brickwalling with minimal dynamics and lack of instrument spacing, as shown above, is definitely one of the reasons now that I can hear it A/B. It was not as apparent to me with casual listening before.
Click to expand...
Definitely agree on Endino! His tones and his general style of production are top notch
 
I feel the same way about Neurosis sticking with Albini. They just lost an intensity but a lot of that was their writing too. Times of Grace is good but after that they went too soft and meandering for me. Albino has this distinctive drum sound, especially the snare, very roomy but it lacks on faster and sharper arrangements. Drums start sounding too distant.
 
Maybe Converge did so many photos in front of a brick wall in their early days, he psychologically can’t escape brick-walling a mix?
 
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