omg I can FINALLY hear this now!!!

woooo yeah bitch

Solid album, but I'm still not sold on Tillian's vocals. They're too high, overproduced, and lacking Jonny/Kurt's emotion.

Instrumentation, song-writing, and Jon Mess are on point tho

agreed 5/5

AOTD

why is tillian singing about rape

why don't more people sing about rape, is what i want to know

i really really like carve

Last album was classic, but I doubt this will come close. Clean vocals will probably be the biggest hurdle to get over.

Will be better than last album.

better than last album

album makes me wish I had my guitar with me. especially strawberry swisher pt 3.

This is really nice

hard

dance circa survive dance

One of the most consistent bands out there. Album does not disappoint.

goddamn mess is at his finest here

Protest the Hero now please

^^^^ this

Better than last album [3]

I'm a sucker for Mess. That guy is one of the best lyricists. Someone should get him a book deal or something.

Death of Robot With Human Hair is so fucking cringeworthy

How could anyone like this more than the last one

I like it, but I don't think I'll ever like it more than WISIRO, DBM, or DBMII.

I've always been a fan of Tilian, and I think his vocals fit in well...but they just don't do the layered vocals as much as JC and Mess used to...or the "back and forth" clean / unclean vocals. Now, more than ever...you have your Jon Mess parts and your Tilian Pearson parts. Each song is two different songs going back and forth. It isn't bad at all, just not ideal for me.

because swan mess and mingus

Holy damn this is so good

I don't mind the cleans so much in album context. Already like this way more than the DBMs.

sooooo much better than DBMII, The Jiggler is such an awesome song

dance circa survive dance [2] lol

I'm so ashamed I like this band and I have to be grouped in with you people

This is my first introduction to Dance Gavin Dance, so I have no opinion on this vocalist. Sounds fine to me.

His melodies are usually solid. The vox are really overproduced though, which is fine on some tracks
and really grating on others.

And yeah, it's definitely true that the tracks are really split into Mess and Tilian parts.

There's only one "L" in Tilian BTW.

Lots of interplay in Honey Revenge.

Protest the Hero now please [2]

Although the middle of Death of the Robot is terrible...

I just got to the middle of Death of the Robot... and boy is it awful.

yeah, the end of the title tracks is really fucking cheesy too IMO. The "I'm the one, I'm the one with
my hands around the gun. I am not afraid. I am not afraid" part too, not just the rapping.

Man I cannot get into the vocalist or the production on his vocals. It sounds really bad.

Self titled is the best DGD.

tilian definitely either has been forced or feels forced to sound a certain way here. The tracks also
seem to follow a formula a lot more than they do on some of their earlier work.

Still, it's definitely good. This is at least a 3 for me, but it might stay there.

i could listen to this if their vocals were in a lower register

After listening to this 20+ times, high, not high. I would have to say the guys are on top of their game on this CD. I was a little unsure of Tilian's vocals at first, and I loved him in Tides of Man. I eventually got use to the vocals however there are a few songs where the vocals are too calm for the havok going on in the background. This is the CD they should have done with Jonny Craig, it has a swagger to it ( I hate that word.), energy and raw attitude. I also noticed some of this CD sounds a lot like everytime I die's "Hot Damn" specifically DGD - Carve (first 40 seconds) vs ETID - Ebolarama..and yes I'm baked.

yes, yes you are.

I'm excited to listen, I felt like DBMII was a bit of a letdown, but I've had high hopes for this.

clean vocals suck ass, carve is a good song

the clean break towards the end of the closing track is the only place where tilian sounds like he's even remotely trying.

everyone should calm down about Tilian. dude has an amazing voice, it's not even that high pitched, and his voice is powerful as fuck, they probably didn't even mean to mix him so loud at points, he just posses a powerful, potent voice. plus, they recorded this themselves at their guitarist's (Josh Benton) studio. mad respect for that.
i'm very impressed, granted i still enjoy Happiness and deathstar the most, this is still amazing.
and i'd take Tilian over Jonny anyday.

I don't think people have an issue with his singing skills

It's just how it fits with the band that people are uncomfortable with

I prefer jonny over tillian personally; his voice is richer and more textured I feel like, with less reliance on production

Tilian fits perfectly well. The musicianship is nearly perfect and all the songs just feel so right. The only thing keeping this from being a 5 in my book is the production. Holy SHIT it's terrible. Keep in mind everyone, this is the first album DGD has done without Kris Crummet handling the production. Instead it was done by Matt Malpass who produced, engineered, and mixed the album, and my god did he do a shitty ass job. A lot of times throughout the album I cant even hear all the instruments clearly, just a wall of sound behind Tilian's voice. Jonny is good and all, and mybe im the only one, but holy FUCK i'm getting tired of hearing his voice. It's kind of annoying after awhile. Kurt was a better fit in my opinion, and honestly I think Tilian is by far the best vocalist for the band as he outshines both Kurt and Jonny on the tracks they originally sung for the band during live performances. I highly suggest all of you go see some videos of the band performing live on youtube with Tilian. His voice sounds so much better in the live version of Jesus H. Macy than the studio.

So yeah guys, there's my essay on my opinion. I'd like to wrap this up real fast but saying once more, FUCK YOU MATT MALPASS FOR FUCKING UP THE PRODUCTION OF THIS ALBUM. Album is still fucking superb though :3

''Keep in mind everyone, this is the first album DGD has done without Kris Crummet handling the production. Instead it
was done by Matt Malpass who produced, engineered, and mixed the album, and my god did he do a shitty ass job.''

This, so much. Would've been soooo much better if Crummett did it again.

Am I the only one who thinks the screamed vocals have always been mediocre and bland as hell?
The lyrics are fantastic but that dude is only capable of monotonous mids and it all blends together

in love with this album but I definitely agree about the production

shut up homer

Wow, Jon Mess is one of the most talented screamers dude, where do you get this shit.

I really do love this! You know tilian to me isn't what Kurt or jonny was, but he brings a new experience to the table. I'm kinda sick of Jonny jes become a bit overrated at this point & didn't impress me on DBMII. Kurts my favourite defiantly, but tilians high pitched whales are a nice counteract to the rest of the bands frantic playing. It sounds different from other records but none of them really sound the same, that's what makes them so good. I do wish tilian & mess interplayed a little more on this though, the songs would feel more cohesive. Jonny's soul & Kurt's funk will always be very relatable to DGD's sound, but tilians one man choir will help keep there sound fresh...until they get a new vocalist xD (you know they will).

I will never understand all the love for Jonny Craig. I have both LPs and the EP on which he was the vocalist, and it's just exhausting listening to them sometimes. People talk about his voice being "rich" or "emotional," but it's the same damn wail in every single track. And that's BORING. The Craig albums are savagable only because of Jon Mess and the musicianship of the guitarists, bassist, and drummer. I much prefer the albums with Kurt or even this new album. Without Craig's vocals unduly domineering the whole album, the rest of the band gets a chance to shine. The self-titled, Happiness, and this album show a band operating as more of a unit with both vocalists and the musicians getting equal opportunities to demonstrate their ability.

This album shows a band continuing to experiment and toy with their dynamic and sound, and that's nothing but commendable. To me, the only mistake in this album is allowing Will Swan another chance to rap on a DGD album.

lol

''Without Craig's vocals unduly domineering the whole album, the rest of the band gets a chance to shine.''

''and this album show a band operating as more of a unit with both vocalists and the musicians getting equal opportunities to demonstrate their ability.''

I can mostly hear drums and vocals, the rest is a muddy mixture of sounds with occasional guitar here and there. There's no bass most of the time.

Did Tillian ever go through puberty? Sounds like a 12 yr girl is singing on this album.

A couple of point, some of which someone mentioned already:

-Tilian sounds too whiny, in contrast to Craig and Kurt who had voices with more "depth", if you
will. Definitely the album's main flaw.

- Will Swan's rapping sounds WAY too forced this time around.

- Jon Mess, Matt Mingus and Will Swan (at guitar) still slay hard.

- Production is muddy at times, yeah.

- Tilian, as whiny as he may sound, still sings some pretty catchy parts.


That's a 3.5, by the way.

The vocals..........

Yeah Jon mess is amazing agreed

My opinion

- It's a DGD album

That's a 5, by the way

Production and vocals alone would drop this down to a 3

I can't hear you guys over Jesus H. Macy

yaknips packtrips

Mryrtmrnfoxxxy mryrtmrnboxxxy

The only reason the production doesn't kick it down to a 3 for me is because I can't help but love these guys. I don't know.

Well you sure made a valid point to back your opinion: "I can't help but love these guys. I don't know."

"'Without Craig's vocals unduly domineering the whole album, the rest of the band gets a chance to shine.'

'and this album show a band operating as more of a unit with both vocalists and the musicians getting equal opportunities to demonstrate their ability.'

I can mostly hear drums and vocals, the rest is a muddy mixture of sounds with occasional guitar here and there. There's no bass most of the time."

Way to take what I said out of context. I was referring to each album without Craig. Not necessarily this one specifically. Though, I still think there's more going on with the band in this record than in the Craig records. If you can't hear the guitar and bass, then I'm going to blame your ears.

You can barely hear any instruments over the incredibly gay vocals. The instrumentation was mixed so much lower than the vocals that it almost sounds like an afterthought.

i can hear the instruments fine lol are you poor or something

yeah if you can't hear the instruments it's just you, album sounds fine

Obviously they are exaggerating by saying they cant hear the the instruments, but sorry, this mix is
far from "fine". It's not the worst album mix I've ever heard, but it's pretty bad in all honesty.

reported

how dare you have a contrary opinion

I can hear the instruments perfectly as well, and also agree with vauxrock this sounds amazin while stoned

Production is pretty bad. Comparable to the production on "The Blackest Beautiful", which also ruined an otherwise great album.

this is awful

da,m u

I agree

Needs Jonny.

Needs more cowbell.

In all seriousness, I don't understand how so many people on this site rate albums so quickly. I mean, you really know how much you like an album after listening to it for a day or two? That's a skill I've yet to come close to obtaining.

great album!

"In all seriousness, I don't understand how so many people on this site rate albums so quickly. I mean, you really know how much you like an album after listening to it for a day or two? That's a skill I've yet to come close to obtaining."

For better or worse, I have a bad habit of initially rating based on my first impression and then later changing my rating once the album has cooled a little. Sometimes this means I slightly lower an album and sometimes albums get a slight boost.

The mix is pretty alright to me, not the best but far from the worst. Y'all need to listen to more raw shit on a regular basis.

Album is boss, I had reservations with Tilian and I still don't like his voice much, but the dude can write a melody like crazy.

so far I love the album after much listening these past two days. I really wish kris crummet did the production though :/

tilian has some pretty sweet parts that would sound far better with good production, but his part in doom & gloom is pretty sweet.

Guitar is way too low in the mix, and Tilian isn't a very good fit at all in my eyes. Definitely not as good as any previous records so far.

Pretty great songs but the singing is awful.

im a fan of eunuch vocals and overly catchy choruses so im digging this quite a bit. death of the robot... is borderline shit though

Don't get how anyone could not notice how poorly this is mixed. Listen to "Lemon Meringue Tie", then
something off this. Those guitar leads are so loud and such an awesome, important aspect of the track,
without dominating it or allowing the vox to dominate it.

The guitar leads in this are never as noticeable as they are on the earlier stuff, they're
consistently buried beneath the vox, which makes this album FAR too reliant on the vocals, which are
far worse than those on DBM.

The reason Kurt worked well, even if he wasn't as good as jonny, was because he didn't have to carry
the album by himself, which is kind of what it feels like Tilian and Mess have to do here.

Liking a lot more on second listen

I super agree about the mixing though, I think the guitar songwriting was a lot less inspired, the riffs aren't as good so they buried them in the mix

The mixing is the biggest flaw for sure fuck the guy they hired for this
Apparently Tilian fucking kills it live though so I'm okay with that

The reason Swan worked well, even if he wasn't as good as jonny, was because he didn't have to carry the album by himself, which is kind of what it feels like Tilian and Mess have to do here.

This is such a well-polished album, and the guitar hooks are stellar as usual.

@Trebor I'm glad you gave it a second listen. Its a lot better than a 2.5.

@rowan yep saw them live in December. Tilian is a monster live. Absolutely superfluous. Like one second you think he can't top what he just did then he just brings it to the next level. And his range is ridiculous. He'll do something in like Kurt Travis range and sound great then just amp it up to his signature sound the next verse. its crazy.

Whole album is phenomenal, fuck Johnny Craig.
Happiness 2.0
4.0
Requires more listens, so far the guitar isn't standing out like on Happiness
Carve slays

also

MAKE THIS MOTHERFUCKER GOLDENNNNN
Also, I'm demanding a meme saying 'make this motherfucker goldeen' followed by a picture of goldeen and Mess.

lol make it yourself

"you mean kurt? "

Lol sorry. Yes, I do.

"I super agree about the mixing though, I think the guitar songwriting was a lot less inspired, the riffs aren't as good so they buried them in the mix"

I think that whether or not they're less inspired, the album would've benefitted from them being higher in the mix. It's kind of hard for me to compare them with the previous albums just because of how buried they are.

i dont see it