Well this was,
without a doubt, the most unusual recording experience so far, for both myself
and the group. Literally 2 days before we were scheduled to begin, William was
shipped off on a business trip, only to be run over by an unmanned-renegade
forklift while he was away. Miraculously, Will still managed to record his drum
parts just a weak or so later. Because of the change in production schedule,
band member availability was all askew; not once were all members present in the
studio together (usually 1 or 2), and 5 days of recording were spread out over
the course of 2 months.
Due to scheduling
conflicts, our bassist Cuinn found himself "waiting" (asleep on the
sofa) and recording during the mornings after working a "night shift"
(performing with a cover band 'til 3AM). The song maps and scratch tracks were
set up 2 days after the initial start date, but 2 weeks before any other work
was done. Both bass & rhythm guitar were recorded to click track prior to
drum track editing (drums sometimes muted); and it was 6 weeks before lead
guitars and vocals were added.
Another surprising
element was my personal equipment limitations. We've only recently begun to
incorporate midi instruments in our music; we used live keyboards for all
previous recordings. I have been implementing a learn-as-we-go approach, which
in two instances required that I go without playback and direct the
instrumentation in silence, guided only by a mental metronome & a memory of
the sequence. At another point in the process, a failure to anticipate
equipment needs had me driving all over Seminole and Clearwater for 2 hours
only to find that I could not acquire what was needed; putting that part of the
project on hold.
All that being
factual; what is also true is that Death Requisite has never allowed obstacles
to prevent us from achieving our goals. Thanks to some perseverance, diligence,
lots of flexibility, and faithful friends: "Second Death" (Prophets
of Doom, the other half) is not only becoming a reality, its shaping up to be
our best release to date.
Our friend and
Producer/Engineer Kelly Scott Nunn really showed up in big ways; not only in
loaning his talents and sharing his awesome studio (SoundSource Recordings),
but also by working with our schedule issues and making himself and his
professional resources available when we needed them. We have much respect and
lots of appreciation for Kelly, who never gave us any grief about our obstacles
and maintained a professional and positive "can-do" attitude throughout
the entire process.
Some other
highlights worth knowing: thanks to technology and equipment upgrades and
improvements, in the band and at the studio, the sound of "Second
Death" is sure to be amazing. The best drum tones we have ever had, 3 hot
LTD guitars, and some great amps are just a few of the offerings that help to
make this next release a brutal but delightful sonic assault. The music parts
are well thought out; the lyrics are very deliberate and
"in-your-face"; the vocals are delivered with passion; and the whole
project was pursued with intensity. Nearing completion, we are very pleased
with the results, and we hope you will be as well.
- Dave Requisite..
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