The Demo Review:

	There are currently 1 Reviews of this Demo. Average Rating: 3
Band Name: Youthcorpse Demo Title: Liberty Or Death Band Members: Tim LaLonde (Vocals & Guitar), Troy Mitchell (Drums), Chris Taylor (Bass). Location:Ferndale, MI Email for This Artist Official Web Site for This Artist Discuss on the Metal Judgment Web Board

Musashi's Review:
One thing about a well-mixed recording is that it sounds good in almost anything you play it in. Million dollar studios often take the rough mixes and play them in cheap boomboxes or out to their cars to hear what they sound like. Studio engineers understand that the end users don't generally have awesome stereos, they generally listen to their music on cheap radios, walkmen, computer speakers or in their cars. A good mix will sound good on all of these playback devices. So I often will listen to stuff on my computer to hear how the mix sounds and since I am a foot away from the speakers, I can really focus while I write these reviews. Liberty Or Death, the self-released CD from Youthcorpse, does not sound good coming out of my computer speakers. The CD sounds much better coming out of my stereo, but my stereo also makes it easier to hear the mistakes and other problems that are buried in the mix.
Despite many of the problems I am about to focus on, I like Youthcorpse. I think that they have a great looking logo and CD cover. (They do have a really boring looking website. I don't understand what's going on there). I like their well-written bio. Most importantly, I like some of their music. The music reminds me of Primus. It is at times hard and at times progressive, but always left of center and downright quirky. Yes, there are some very metal moments on Liberty Or Death, so I do not feel bad about reviewing it here. Overall, I have to say the music is fun and entertaining. The riffs and rhythms are novel and are not the tired metal clichés that are too often found in demos. The guitar solos are unexpectedly fast and exciting.
Each song on Liberty or Death sounds unique as compared to the other songs on the CD. However, I believe that Youthcorpse should have spent more time, money and effort on fewer songs. The main problem that strikes me within the first few seconds of putting this CD in my stereo is that these guys are really sloppy. In the opening drum fill to "Liberty Or Death" I hear some gliches that sound like the drummer accidentally hitting a microphone. He continually misses drums or hits his sticks together on drum fills throughout the CD. The CD continues with guitar parts and vocals that are out of tune. These problems must be worked out in pre-production.
Pre-production is that special time in a band's life when they decide what they are going to record and start to practice it. For a four song demo and band should usually have 5 or 6 songs that they want to practice. Then the band has to go in and play those songs over and over. The band has to record these rehearsals on a 4-track or on a cheap tape recorder. The band has to listen to the tapes over and over. You have to learn to hear all the mistakes before going into the studio. If the drummer keeps missing a fill, then you have to cut it out or practice it slowly a hundred times until he can play it up to speed. You have to have the guitar solos worked out. You have to be able sing all the parts in tune. You have to decide whether some parts are too long or too short. Sometimes you have to rewrite parts of songs until they work.
A good producer is crucial during pre-production because a fresh and objective set of ears can tell you that your intro is four bars too long and that the drummer comes out of the drum fills at a faster tempo and then slows down during the verses. At least, that's part of what a good producer does. Youthcorpse could stand to associate themselves with a good producer. They are a good band with a lot of interesting musical ideas. There are a lot of gems hidden in this CD and I think it deserves a listen. Hopefully for their next CD, they will focus their energies and hone their skills.

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