Evo za sve palice,citajte!
First of all: I've just returned from a pre-production I've made with Tom. So please don't beat the shit outta me for my long disappearance.
Yes, that f**king production could be found on the web. And it's that f**king first master we've let made in Berlin. We wasn't glad to hear it. NO! We've been - and especially me - pissed off. But there's nothing to do against it anyway.
We got a new master, but Tom is the only person in the universe who heard it until now. But he told me, that it sounds pretty cool... and I'll trust him. One of the first things I heard was a comment of Bernemann who told me that it really sounds like the 80ies original. He likes it the way it sounds and that's of course pretty cool to me.
Yes, we did some re-recordings on "Outbreak of evil". But we've just re-recorded some Bass and Guitars after I did some re-editing on the drums. Chris was in a really bad condition during the recordings and IMO he will never find his way back to his old one. It was a real mess for me to see how far everything gone with him in the past ten years. The new version - the one that will appear on the regular album - is more than one minute shorter.
Today I got a longer phonecall with Bernemann and he said to me: "Great man, it sounds like recorded in the 80ies. Not only mentioned to be, YOU DID IT!". And yes, that was the main goal. It should sound like in the 80ies, and IMO we realized it!
For everybody to now: Normally I produce projects like classical US-Power-Metal (like Savatage, Vicious Rumors, a.s.o.). With more tracks, with more difficulties. We've never planned a Andy-Sneap-High-Polished-Production. We've never planned to make mistakes like Destruction or Testament (which are one of my All-Time-Faves). No one ever will imagine the hell I've been put through with the recordings of Chirs drums' (we needed just 2 1/2 month...!!!!!). There are thousand tales to tell. And one day - I've led some kind of a diary - they will be told.
I'm glad to say, that Tom and Peppi let me really PRODUCE it, in that kind the word is pronounced.
Most of the effects or choirs are depending on Toms or my intention. Especially the choirs of "The sin of Sodom" which been completely done in my studio with some tracks of Toms' original tracks. I've made them, they liked it, we're releasing them. The same it was on "Witching Metal" (the leads have been played by me) or "Defloration".
Yes. Chris playing ain't the same since back in 1989. But we all have been aware of it. It was like his last will and testament. I doubt that anybody else in that f**king universe will ever record an album with him. Believe me: IT WAS LIKE HELL!!!!! There have never been a point to envy my work.
I've found very kind and true friends in Tom, Peppi, Bobby, Bernemann, Andy, Michael and all of the Sodom-family and Crew and it means a lot to me. I'm just hearing "Saw" and remember the faces of thousands of lucky fans in the audience of Wacken (YES, I was the f**k with the cowboy hat...). I'm proud of the new album, if it will sound like Tom and me mentioned to sound.