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That's a fair comment. This is why I wanted to hear from other fans of his in particular and not just the usual rabble of James "haters" ( I despise using that term, but it is what it is ).

@@gonzalocarreraromo This particular comment I find interesting. It raises a point that I never covered in the video. Crowd Uplift. Chile and indeed South American territories are notorious for having the best crowds at hard rock and metal shows when it comes to energy and participation. They're not shy. They sing, they chant and most importantly, they move a lot. Band's and in particular vocalists really respond to this, even subconsciously. Even when singers aren't totally healthy they often find something extra in response to the energy they get back from an audience.

@Masterlessmusic indeed, but my point is that they owe their success to us, the fans, but we also owe them a lot, so saying just retire because you don't sing well anymore is just out of logic IMO.

@@gonzalocarreraromo yeah, I get that. I wouldn't suggest that he Retires either. The question was whether he could still deliver and it seems when he's in the zone and we'll that he can deliver well enough for DT themselves to not be overly concerned about it if I had to guess based on the feedback. However there are definitely a lot of people expecting a level from him that have clearly been left disappointed. That's really evident in the comments here.

​@Masterlessmusic I know there's disappointment out there. In fact, I was disappointed myself when I watched some videos of the first gig in London. But you know, it's only an opinion. Cheers.

@gonzalocarreraromo also true. Cheers. Take care and thanks for visiting the channel.

I hear you man. I had My Arms Your Hearse cracked the other day accompanied by a glass of my favourite red, and damn, it was magnificent .

Yeah, he's definitely found a Rythm so to speak in subsequent shows as I suspected he would. Most people seem to be happy enough with how he's performed towards the end of that run before Christmas. In fact, probably from the third or fourth show people seemed quite a bit happier with how he was sounding.

Yes, I do know what you mean. I thought Night Terror was very formulaic. Although I did find A Broken Man to be a bit more musically expansive and indulgent. From what I understand the, A Broken Man is the better indicator of what the next record will sound like. MP and JP talked about why Night Terror sounds the way it does on Coffee with Ola. I think JP returning to 6 strings helps a bit as well because the constant low end of the 7s and 8s gets a bit much in the context of DT when it's been used for decades worth of records. 7 I don't mind so much but I find 8s a bit too muddy sounding.

Nah, I don't mind that it's outdated in that sense. We'll see what happens going forward from here with the band and it's direction. It may or may not be relevant in the future. It isn't just about the vocals as well. So, I might do a follow up but I think I'll leave this one up for the time being. I also need to actually get around to listening to that record in full so I get a better picture of things which I haven't had the opportunity to do yet. I liked the teaser plenty though.

🤣 Fair enough

Really good points about orchestra /choir Vs keyboards. Even with the mix, I think when they have choir especially ( orchestra alone isn't quite as bad for this issue on a record but live it is) or orchestra and choir, the band themselves get somewhat buried in the mix. The guitars loose attack and the keyboard details get lost and you can perceive some of the mid range of bass with less detail as well. I thought they did the mix with orchestra best on PEM. On Death Cult, it already sounded like the band had been a little over polished and smoothed out to squeeze everything in. For me personally I'd like the overall quality of something like the Puritanical record, but realised with just the band. So stripped back in terms of sheer volume of performances. I also agree about the vocals. He does really great things with inflection and just outright vocal chord control and sometimes it's really better to hear all of that without a distortion/ saturation or filter on it. I think when those things are used more sparingly they have better impact anyway.

Agreed! I really, really miss the keyboards.

@@laporteestouverte I'm sorry, so... , what... I'm supposed to just forget about the couple of decades of music before that? ... What a strange expectation to have of listeners . I accept everyone has their individual tastes and as such, their favourite records from an artist differ, but to come out and imply other people just aren't listening to it correctly (like it's their fault, they ain't doing it right) and therefore do not appreciate it fully is... Well, a load of crap really. Sorry. I just can't agree. Dimmu take risks from record to record. That's always going to result in division amongst the fans. I don't really blame them for doing that, that's their artistic choice. It's served them well in many respects. I do think they've drifted from the core of what Dimmu is known to be a little too much for most fan's taste, and personally I found that last record in particular to simply be, well, kind of lifeless. Without spark, without punch and lacking in dynamics. There's a good idea their for concept but it just doesn't sound like they pushed themselves to make it the best it could be to my ears. Its been a long time since I've listened to it though, and out of respect for your comment, I think I'll give it another go to see how it lands after all this time. Maybe I'll enjoy it more than last time. Despite disagreeing on that point, thanks for commenting and like I say, I respect your position regardless.

@@Masterlessmusic Didn't mean to say that people were listening to it wrong, sorry. What I meant is that if one expects it to sound like something one already knows, one could be thrown off initially by how different it sounds. But that doesn't mean it is bad, or that Dimmu lost their way like you were implying. I actually do find that it is their most well-written album, with everything flowing seamlessly from one part to another, some great melodies and dynamics. Sure, it is not as aggressive and extreme as some of their past work, such as Puritanical or Death Cult, but I do find the sound much more realized, epic, lush and beautiful! I like it much more than the Mustis-Vortex era. For some reason,I find myself really enjoying the songs here, really thought out and grandiose, without being cringe-inducing. It sounds really honest and adventurous, and Shagrath's voice sounds better than usual. I usually enjoy more orthodox and brutal outputs, but this hits a nice spot with me. Anyways, thanks for engaging, and I respect and understand why people would diagree with me, but that would just make them wrong ; P

@laporteestouverte 😂

Eonian is masterpiece

I have given Eonian several tries over the years, and every new listen leaves me more disappointed than the last.

Yes, sometimes when bands get a long break from their old material and then revisit it after a time, they are sometimes reminded of what was so special about it. I'd be over bloody moon if Vortex and Mustis actually returned to the band full time. That be quite something.

@@Compendyum while I agree with you that Barker's dismissal was a big blow to the sonic landscape of the band ( that man's a bloody awesome drummer), I wouldn't cite it as an instrumental factor in the overall trajectory of there artist direction. I think, and this is just my opinion of course that those two guys probably got too caught up in trying to out do themselves on each occasion (of entering writing and recording sessions) by constantly trying to "re-invent" themselves using different themes until they pulled the sound of the project too far from it's core sound, and until they themselves struggled for inspiration. I think a lot of this has to do with tasting and trying to hold onto some degree of commercial success. That's my take.

@@Masterlessmusic And I dont disagree. The more commercial success leading to a swerve to a softer sound (just like in Cradle Of Filth) it was what made Nick leave. I was shocked that Glader decided to stay, considering the bands they worked seamlessly as a duo. The further drop and obvious lower quality of the albums that followed led to the total band dismemberment, which for me was really a sad thing to happen, but many times, impossible to avoid.

I'm not sure Galder's departure is a bad thing for their songwriting, necessarily. He's been in the band for over twenty years but they've still become progressively worse. Maybe they new some fresh blood? I think Astennu leaving was a far bigger blow to the band creatively.

@@johnzackarias11 Well, I am. This only because him and Nick composed a lot of tabs together (if you'll go through Puritanical credits you will find that Nick also composed guitar tabs) and probably for that reason only, like they did in Old Mans Child. That provided a fine tune for they composing, nothing against the rest of the band.

@@Compendyum wouldn’t that make a stronger case for Nick’s departure being a bigger issue?

Yes, I was also very disappointed when it came to their departure.

Definitely big losses. Vortex was frequently the highlight of any song he was showcased in

There's always Borknagar

You mean they won't have form again? (Sorry just checking if I understand your comment correctly )

@Masterlessmusic Yes that's what I mean. They won't find their form in the studio bevause they don't have "it" anymore. It is a miracle if they manage to create something similar to what made them be Dimmu Borgir. Based of everything they've put out after 2005 - I'm afraid they have long lost it.

@moonloop6 yeah, I'm not getting my hopes up. However, I would like to see them succeed but I totally agree that the chances are not great. I don't think it's fair to expect peak form, but if they could get close to the spirit and intent, it could still be enjoyable and interesting to listen to . Mind you they're nearly 50 years old now. While it's not physically impossible at that age or anything like that, surely their perspective cannot be remotely the same as when they were in their 20s and 30s. I think that's probably a big factor.

@@Masterlessmusic I don't expect them to make anything close to their prime. They are middle aged have families and businesses. It's not only music anymore for them. I've always said that this band doesn't have to do anything to prove themselves to anyone and they certainly own nothing to the "metal community". Dimmu Borgir completely transfromed not only the BM scene but the whole extreme metal as a genre when they were in their mid 20's and 30's. Everyone in this scene owns everything for Dimmu Borgir. Edit: I do hope that their new stuff would be interesting and enjoyable. I really do.

@@JohnDoe-iv7yu I take you prefer the really early stuff then? I like good production (as in good recording and a really good mix, good performance and arrangements ) I just don't like how far they've moved from their Norwegian roots in terms of the writing itself. I don't mind some embellishment and I like good audio but that last record in particular felt pretty lifeless and the one before that felt kinda like it came off a manufacturing plant . Like cookie cutter Dimmu or something like that.

Yeah, he really is and a really nice guy. Always has time for people, old school and down to earth.

Yeah, it's gonna be weird without him. He's a very unique and organic sounding drummer and he's such a character.

Mmm nah... He's an integral part of DT, he is not the be all and end all. In fact without the core membership of Petrucci, Portnoy and Myung I don't think they'd have been as successful as they have been. That's no disrespect to James but, those three really handle the bulk of the writing, production and formed the overall vision for the band. That being said, every member has brought valuable contributions that have been essential. It's a very collaborative affair as that has always been the vision for how they write but the instrumentation always comes first. That's just how it is.

Just have Agnette guest sing again. Triple platinum.

I hope so as well. Even if it has a slightly different spin to it, there's those core elements of what defines them on those two records for sure. For me even up to Death Cult type stuff, and I'm generally pretty happy with that. The last record for me sounded, kinda lifeless compared to pre Death Cult stuff. It needs drama but it also needs a cold and dark maniacle ambience

Glad to hear that. Which show did they pick for the DVD?

@@MasterlessmusicParis, i was there and it was amazing

@bigfishafro6343, that's cool man. This makes me wonder if he's sometimes pulling a "James Hetfield". What I mean by that, is when they know they're being recorded, they really pull out their best performances. When they're just doing the average gig, they aren't willing to push themselves and maybe the O2 show was just opening night where there were many things just not coming together for him on the night. So like the average show is okay but not stellar (good for most fans ears) , and the O2 was on the extreme of not great, but Paris was maybe on the other extreme of everything being well hooked up in as far as the tour is concerned and the occasion of a live recording. So everyone is now ready to go for their "A Game".

@@Masterlessmusic tbf, he was hitting the notes well enough but in a huge stadium you don’t really get the most crisp sound because its so loud so it might not sound as good in the actual recording

@bigfishafro6343 pitch is pitch though. Doesn't matter how it's recorded because it's relative. I do understand that audio off a mobile isn't the most flattering though. Still, there's other audio from subsequent shows where it's clear he's performing better recorded in much the same manner.

The mirror from awake

Let me ask you this : Do you think it's a discipline thing. So what I mean by that is that he's fully capable of doing it but he simply isn't interested in pushing for perfection live, until maybe a situation where they know it's going to be filmed or something like that. I think James Hetfield went through a long period like this through the mid 90s until more recently really. Like recently especially on the 72 Seasons tour he seems more focused on his vocals live than he has been for a long time. Even on the record there was a noticeable difference. I wonder if it's the will to "fight" for a good performance that Labrie struggles with. Especially night after night on lengthy tours, it takes a certain hunger to push yourself that way. With instruments it's different I think because the muscle memory and the gear do a lot of the heavy lifting and you kind of just need to get your parts right at a minimum. Vocals I think can be more challenging mentally because of the physical exertion. What do you think? Devin Townsend springs to mind when asked how he does it with his vocals and he described it as "sheer force of will" as opposed to focusing on technique or some other "refined" approach. Though clearly he has technique.

I am certainly coming from an a “outside looking in” perspective, not being a singer or even a musician. I know, in the studio, is a much more controlled environment in every way, conditions are perfect! And he is not singing the entire album in one session. Live is a compromise between what you can control and what you can’t night after night. To me it has always seemed like he pushes himself live for a bit of an edgier take than on the album to maybe accentuate that it is a live performance, much like the rest of the band does with their respective instruments. I will say this, from the what I have listened to on TH-cam for this tour, sounds worse than he has on their live videos, most of which I own.

This is cope. Warmup should happen before you go on stage and play one of your fan favourites as an opener. If he gets better as the night goes on cool, but the opener SHOULD do you favors. It's the song that tells your audience whether or not they should feel good about the rest of the night.

No, they got worse and worse.