Same, just bought it digitally yesterday. It's amazing. I love the cleaner sound. Now you can finally hear all the little details. Dustin's voice has aged like fine wine. I liked the original, but now it's perfect.
Awesome they did this, and they really pulled it off! I'm in the opinion that the tracks that benefit the most from this new recording are the ones which relied more on groove, or were just globally heavier. For example, Paper Tigers, Hoods on Peregrine, or The Abolition Of Man. Dustin raspier, rougher delivery, and the space between the instruments seems to work better for those songs On the other side, for the songs that were leaning more on the "alt pop punk" side of things (All That's Left, The Artist in the Ambulance), I think the old recordings still win. It's probably due to the style of those songs. They seemed to be a better fit for a bunch of 20 years old rocking out, full of adrenaline and stuff. In all cases, great release.
It's a little short, but nice to see them unafraid of being aggressive again. And Dustin's voice continues to age like the finest bourbon.
The new album is out today and it doesn't disappoint. Can't believe we got LP, Deftones & Thrice all within 12 months.
Heard a few of the tracks so far, and I really love the vibe they went with on this one! Dark and moody, subtle, smooth, yet heavier at times. First impression seems stronger than what I had with East, let's see how the rest is. Right? I still haven't fully processed the latest Deftones, yet this one is already available Each release of those artists in the last 15 years has been a big event for me, so to have two consecutive ones in less than 2 months is insane. Soundtrack for this autumn is ready.
Dark and moody is right. This thing is dripping with atmosphere and throws a couple knockout punches for good measure. That bridge on Undertow is something else. And I don't know if I've heard a more unsettling, foreboding interlude than Dusk. I will say, East was catchier and easier to toss songs into a daily rotation, which is ironic considering the jazzy influences. But as a full album experience, West is a masterpiece. Gonna have to spin these records back to back for the full journey - the hopeful sunrise of East and the somber sunset of West. Most importantly, these are easily the best lyrics the band has put out post-hiatus. To call Dustin a poet would be an understatement. EDIT: After listening to East/West back-to-back and giving some proper time to digest, West is vastly superior to East.