Metal Reviews

Whether it'd be Helloween, Gorgoroth, Manowar, Gorgoroth, or Exodus, re-recording a classic or highly esteemed album is always a news worthy occurrence. Whether it'd be for desiderata such as making more money, a retouch on their youthful opus, or just wanting to redo those old riffs, the reaction is either welcoming from newer fans who crave newer production to horror from the old schoolers who cherished the albums of their youth. What is the criterion by which you evaluate the effort, and with an impending Gorgoroth and other bands planning to rerecord how do you think the inevitable touch ups will compare with the past? You can also share your thoughts about past re-recordings, and even re-recordings of demo songs from past albums.

NM got confused.

I'm generally against complete re-recordings, never as good as the original - that Exodus one is a good example. A fairly fun distraction, but if you're used to the original it's just like a fairly competent cover in most cases. Re-recorded demo tracks can be interesting though, since they give an idea of what the tracks would have been like if they were done "properly" for an album.

Remasters, on the other hand, are often excellent, eg the Megadeth series, the two Sabbat classics, and so on.