Am I the only one who doesn't have a problem with the mixing/mastering?
I don't really have a problem either. The only thing is I wish the heavy fucking riffs were a little more clearer at times.
Yeah this is pretty much me. The production doesn't bother me too much, just gets a little muddy when they have too much going on in the mix. Overall though, it usually doesn't detract from my enjoyment of the album.
Oh yeah and of course rankings:
1. Blackbird
2. Fortress
3. The Last Hero
4. One Day Remains
5. AB III
That stated, I did mention this at the AB Nation Forums, and I might as well mention it here. If AB does make a 6th album, and they do somehow managed to not have Elvis as the producer, the same album problems people may have with The Last Hero will occur in AB VI. I'm calling it.
I agree with this. I think if AB got another producer for their next record, Mark will still layer down a wall of heavy guitars, Myles will still come in on top of that and add multiple effect layers, Myles will still layer his vocals, etc... I think fans need to realize that might be what the BAND wants in terms of sound now, and not just point the finger at Elvis. Maybe the band doesn't want to re-make ODR again, with one clean guitar, drums, bass, and one vocal line. Maybe that's not what inspires them as songwriters, and in the studio laying down tracks.
That all being said, the production has flaws, but at the root of the many layers, Elvis does some stuff really, really well. He gets a great big boomy drum sound and a great bass sound. He has a great ear for guitar tones as well. Now once all that stuff is stacked together, yeah, some nuance gets lost but that doesn't make Elvis bad or evil.