The Beginning of the Project

Usually I’d have no need or reason to write about a specific project, but this is something I really feel needs to be written about. This post covers the process of recording vocals for the most amazing album I have worked with and definitely one of the most amazing albums I have ever heard in my life.

In May 2022 I got approached by Stephen Jarrett. The initial message he sent me, was both confusing and promising. Confusing because he told me he is working with an album that has nuances of classical music, sludge, jazz, death/black metal and crust. At that point I had never heard any music that could combine these elements, successfully atleast. The promising part of the beginning of our conversation was that Stephen came out very professional and he clearly knew what he was doing and what he was looking for from a vocalist.

I got really excited about the project, but at that point of my career I had only a little content in my portfolio. I dug all possible demos, in-progress projects and old covers I could find, to provide Stephen more understanding of what I sound like and what I am capable of. I really wanted to get hired for this job, and I’m glad I sent him everything I had.

The Setback

In mid June 2022 Stephen had everything ready for me to start the work. He sent very very detailed instructions, including 100% accurate scratch vocal tracks, with notes on every nuance he found important.

I was in progress of rehearsing the songs, when on an ordinary day at my day job, I placed an 8kg defibrillator monitor in a bad posture, and something snapped in my lower back, dropping me on my knees next to my patient. I could barely walk. I ended that work shift and was hardly able to drive home. I got hospitalized soon after, and the verdict was one herniated disc, and one disc extrusion. At this point I could not walk anymore, let alone stand up straight. Needless to say, it was impossible to record vocals in that condition. Days and weeks went by and I still couldn’t stand straight. I was honest with Stephen about my situation and told him that the deadlines we agreed to, had to be postponed. I was really ashamed of the whole thing and felt really bad to ask for extending the delivery time several times. My worst fear was that he would find another vocalist to complete the album. Thankfully, Stephen was very understanding concerning my situation and patiently let me recover. The ONLY positive side of this misery, was that I truly had the time to rehearse the songs. There was so, so, SO much to memorize regarding shifts of mood, timings and fancy words pronunciations.

I won’t even begin to tell you about the stress this whole thing caused in my personal life, this is truly something I never want to experience again.

The Recording Sessions (finally)

A month later my back was at the condition where I could produce vocals with full power. The only problem was that my back got painful after around 20mins of recording so I was forced to take breaks quite often. On the other hand it was also good for my voice to rest every now and then. Usually when I get carried away with the music, I don’t take enough breaks.

The actual recording was executed with an MD421, as per the wishes of Stephen’s mix engineer. It’s an awesome mic with a possibility for a low cut too. The album had around 40-45mins worth of vocals (which is quite alot) and I was able to complete the main vocals in five separate sessions. The doubling vocals took another two sessions.

The biggest challenge in the process turned out to be the language. I am very fluent in my English, but Stephen’s texts were so sophisticated and full of words I had never heard before, that as a non-native speaker it took some time to practice pronunciations.

Also just checking the dictionary every now and then took some time, as I always want to understand what I’m singing about. That understanding ensures the delivery of the correct mood on track. Here’s a little excerpt of the lyrics I worked with:

interchangeable personae, cycling interminably

garrisoned within vital organs of the body politic

alighting only for forays of conscription

fulfilling sociological predestination

The decrepit and decadent proceeding hand-in-hand

With coronated, idealist youth; ahistorical narcissists

natural allies in the broadscale dissection 

of any shred of numinosity

For a native, this is probably a piece of cake, but for me.. not so much!

August 5th 2022 everything including some minor revisions was recorded. The challenge these recording sessions had given, was in it’s own level. This was sort of a baptism in fire, regarding what it is like to work with a massive, professional production. I was relieved that I got the work done after all the problems with my health. I couldn’t wait for to hear the final mix!

The Release

The wait was long. Very long. But also worth it. Very worth it. “PLEROMA” was released the 24th of June 2024. So it took nearly two years after the vocal recordings for me to hear the actual opus. And boy oh boy, what a fucking album it is!

If someone asked what kind of music it is, without listening to it, it would be extremely difficult to answer. It’s heavy as fuck, beautiful,sad, happy, groovy, steam train-like giant, with the lightness of a feather. Yeah, that makes no sense. My point is, the record has an AMAZING amount of styles and genres, not to even mention the use of various instruments, both acoustic and electric. Saying it like this, it might sound like a bunch of chaos. But it’s not, not even close. It’s a sophisticated and a very emotional album. I cannot recall the last time I actually teared up listening to music, until with this one.

The musical talent on the album is ridiculous. Not only the composing, but the playing itself is so accurate and tight, it’s easy to listen to, even on the virtuoso kind of parts.

The mixing was carried out by Matt Very of Very Tight Recordings. He did a phenomenal job with the album. I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like to mix. The number of elements and tracks is astonishing. Also the mix between various acoustic and electric instruments creates it’s own challenge. Everything sounds really natural, almost like you were listening in a live room with the performers.

I very strongly encourage everyone to listen to the album, and support the act by purchasing the music and merchandise (which they have a lot, every piece cooler than the other!). You can check the content HERE. To be honest, the sheer mass of the album is so huge, that it will probably take many spins before catching every amazing nuance on the album. I think by the time of writing this, I have listened to the album maybe four or five times and I still feel like I have more to discover.

I am SO proud to have been a part of this release. The only thing making me sad about it, is the fact that I will probably never get to take part in such a project again in my life. Unless, if there is something already cooking… 😉

Stay safe, stay metal! (or jazz, crust, classical, pop, whatever you prefer)