Comparing Demo Versions To Album Versions

Often the demo speaks louder because ideas remained at their core, instead of becoming infiltrated and confused with aesthetics, market positioning (including the market of popularity among the underground), label demands, technicalities, and other confusions.

Contrast these two, for example:

The former appears on the re-release of Far Away From The Sun.

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20 thoughts on “Comparing Demo Versions To Album Versions”

  1. Robert says:

    The demo sounds way better. Such raw sound! Especially the drums!

  2. Yellow shit says:

    Thy Kingdom Come demo by MA fucking kills the one on Blessed, hate the production on that stupid record. Demos should remain intact not becoming recycled shit.

    1. Birkenhain says:

      The drum sound on Blessed is especially abysmal

      1. I’m an elitist, not a purist. If they get the sound 80% right or less, I’m good. The point is the composition. Without that, no amount of production can help.

        1. Birkenhain says:

          I agree. Still, pointing out atrocious production doesn‘t make you less of an elitist. The drum sound won‘t take away my love for this album. After all, I‘m also quite fond of Folkloric Necro Metal and their drum department really needs no mention. Or maybe I just wanted to provoke your reaction, Brett. It‘s quite cloudy and windy in Southern Germany, the perfect ambience for a discussion with an outraged Brett Stevens, lamenting the opinions of young audiophiles (which I‘m really not). I wonder what Fenriz would have to say regarding this topic …

          1. Still, pointing out atrocious production doesn‘t make you less of an elitist.

            I don’t think it’s atrocious. Perhaps not optimum, in a laboratory sense. Does it actually detract from hearing the album? No one died from the low volume bass on …And Justice For All either.

            1. i love metal says:

              and i hate wimps

            2. Yellow Shit says:

              Low volume bass to none is sadly a common cancer. I personally can digest the lack of something, but the addition of something in a inferior or degenerate way really shits on my musical journey. We all know plastic production is just not right, but we tolerate it to a certain degree for the music itself. I would love to hear Blessed with the production work of Covenant, that would be majestic. And Justice sucks, bringing inferior art to the argument enjoyed by the herd is not a valid statement for this particular site. Either way cheers to you Mr. Stevens, we all agree you know your shit very well.

          2. Yellow Shit says:

            “Raw music—>raw production” that’s what he says and & agree.

            1. Yellow Shit says:

              I*

      2. Yellow Shit says:

        Wayne Hartsell did better than Sandoval.

  3. maelstrrom says:

    For the most part this is true but sometimes a band will have a more complete vision on a full-length. For example Amorphis ‘Privilege of Evil’ vs ‘The Karelian Isthmus’- the songs fit better in the context of a well crafted album than on the EP

  4. Awaken Questioning says:

    But are the ideas really clearer, or is it simply that you prefer one aesthetic over the other?

    1. Thewaters says:

      Sometimes there is an intangible quality that makes a difference.

      1. Auryan says:

        yeah its called being younger and also the internet ruined everything including porn

        1. Dingleberry says:

          You have some explaining to do.

          1. Auryan says:

            ok

  5. Kevin Luftwaffe says:

    Cynic 1991 demo compared to the utter Cher shitshow that was ‘Focus’.

    1. Obliteration Pact says:

      Focus is a travesty. Gordian Knot was much better.

  6. ignominious says:

    The demo version is clearly superior.

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