It’s been about a month now since my last post and as promised all the tracks are essentially written. So I’ve decided to keep things simple and easily manageable which is essential since I have a two year old running around me constantly , particularly during this lock down. All in all the record is gonna feature ten tracks.

So far there’s a nice balance between solid, in the pocket medium tempo tracks , faster tracks at the 180bpm mark and some nice melodic parts splashed here and there. No ballads really but then , they’re not really what I feel belong on a Masterless project.

I’ve also decided to go in a more direct writing direction. Less convoluted. Basically the idea is not to complicate things unnecessarily. I want to enjoy playing this material and for the listener to easily enjoy it as well. Too many metal acts have been pushing the technical boundaries for the last decade now, and it’s all becoming a bit stale from my perspective. That’s just my opinion and each to their own but to my ears , many of them sound the same and are not memorable in the slightest.

So this record is going to have some cool hooks on it, and the songs will be a little shorter. Around the six minute , six and half minute mark on average. I’m also aiming for leads that people can sing along with and enjoy as much as the rest of the song. Remember how good and memorable some solos were in in the 80’s and 90s ? Well it usually wasn’t the complicated stuff it was the riffy stuff. The bass will feature some complexity but that’s specific to the theme of the record, so it’ll easily justify itself . The drums and bass will play off each other a lot this time around.

So now phase two begins. Learning the skeletons by heart and jamming them a lot. When I do this I start to improvise here and there and that’s where the special good stuff emerges. Stuff like some of the more interesting lead lines, harmonies and solos. Although a few of those have already emerged on a few tracks.

After that I’ll begin working on the rhythm section more closely with a view to actually finalising the bass and drum parts.

Once that’s all done , it’ll then be time to start tracking with the amps and mics setup for the final tones. Then , fingers crossed live drum tracks. Vocals are always the very last thing I do before mix down and mastering.

A long way to go from here but one of the hardest steps is done and out of the way. So I’m pretty pleased with how things are going so far. I’ll probably post an update in another few weeks again. Until then , take it easy.