Are You Ready To Rock with Davis R. Hay of Sophist

Sophist, Hay (Left)

If you're looking for a band that's not really sure what they do, you might be interested in Sophist. Black Grind Necrosis is proudly emblazoned upon their BANDCAMP page. 

Why, if you click that link, you can even hear their latest record.

Check them out. Anybody who lives in Edmonton and has had to watch the Oilers routinely screw it all up for the pat 13 years deserves a look.

Right?

So, Live Records!

1. Every major band worth its salt has released a live album. Tell me about your favorite A list band's live record and your favorite underground live album.

I think for most people, the two bands I mention here will be considered relatively underground. The two I will mention are Suffocation "The Close of a Chapter: Live" & Primordial "All Empires Fall" (which is a DVD). 

These are two memorable live recordings for extreme metal. Suffocation brings the brutality from start to finish. I think it is one of Primordial's best-ever performances, you can really feel the raw passion. 

Their following live album was also good, but did not have such an impact on me.

2. Kiss, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, etc, all have released several live sets. Tell me about a band who's gotten you to purchase multiple live sets and why?

Primordial once again. 

They're one of my top 5 bands. Through their long career, they've consistently released great albums and you can always hear an immense passion in their music. 

It doesn't matter if it's a studio record or a live record, it always comes through.

3. Now, it's time to take a stand. Would you rather have an album like Kiss's Alive! where the tracks were doctored into perfection or would you rather have a Jimi Hendrix Live At Berkeley set where they just mixed and mastered the tapes?

I do not think the tracks should be edited for a live album. 

I think they should be mixed and mastered well, however. I don't want a stereo output recording from the mixing console. 

The multitrack should be recorded and then mixed and mastered.

4. In the early '90s, Anthrax released a live album called Live: The Island  Years. Due to reasons beyond Anthrax's control, this one just never felt right to me and I soon unloaded it. Tell me about one that disappointed you when it came out?

I think the closest thing I can mention here is a live video I saw on youtube this year of Carpathian Forest at Hellfest. 

Was not the band's fault. If I remember correctly the bass was mixed entirely to the left and the guitar was mixed entirely to the right. Sounded awfully thin.

5. What's the right length for a live album?  

45 mins - 1 hr 15 minutes is a pretty good window. Might make considerations for huge bands with massive catalogs and interesting live shows.