08-12-2016, 10:15 AM
Meshuggah box set turned up yesterday, wrong labels n' all. I guess they're not holding onto them to rectify the mistake after all!
The box itself is an impressive sight, though the 3D art means that it's a pain in the arse to store next to other records and boxsets. Rather than an inner/outer box approach, NB have produced a single box where the frame around the 3D art flips over to reveal the cavity in which the records are stored. I'm not overly keen on this "toploading" ingress/egress for the records, so I've tipped it on it's side on my Kallax (yes, it fits in Kallax with a couple of millimetres to spare!).
The cavity itself is quite spacious, to the point where NB have even slipped a copy of their latest catalogue into it alongside the records, book and slipmat. Once you've binned the catalogue, this means that there's a lot of room to get the records in and out. There's a balance to find between "too-tight" and "bouncing around", and NBs lack of QC has resulted in something of a "wizards sleeve" right here.
The slipmat is... a slipmat, meh. The hardback book is good quality, loads of photos from the relevant eras alongside the lyrics from each album. The records themselves are all in single jackets (even the 2LPs) with the new artwork on the front and tracklisting on the rear, with poly-lined black sleeves. Ultra-clear vinyl, very pretty, no noticeable warps.
How do they sound then? I've only listened to "Chaosphere" and "Destroy Erase Improve" so far. They're okay, not as flat as I was expecting from reproduced CD masters, but I'm still underwhelmed as I know they could sound so much more punchy with a proper master. I don't understand why they've produced 45rpm records when they've not bothered addressing the underlying factor that will result in a better audio experience.
The verdict then? You get what you pay for. I'd happily hand over twice (or thrice!) as much cash if they'd done proper vinyl masters. And whilst the book is very good quality, I feel that NB could've done better with this box by producing gatefold sleeves with the lyrics on them, or maybe inserts with the lyrics and original artwork. The book could've been a "potted history" of the band with photographs, rather than a glorified lyric sheet with a few footnotes. Overall this is very good value for money, and kudos must be given for developing new artwork on everything, but NB have done Meshuggah a bit of a disservice here by rushing out a half-arsed product.
The box itself is an impressive sight, though the 3D art means that it's a pain in the arse to store next to other records and boxsets. Rather than an inner/outer box approach, NB have produced a single box where the frame around the 3D art flips over to reveal the cavity in which the records are stored. I'm not overly keen on this "toploading" ingress/egress for the records, so I've tipped it on it's side on my Kallax (yes, it fits in Kallax with a couple of millimetres to spare!).
The cavity itself is quite spacious, to the point where NB have even slipped a copy of their latest catalogue into it alongside the records, book and slipmat. Once you've binned the catalogue, this means that there's a lot of room to get the records in and out. There's a balance to find between "too-tight" and "bouncing around", and NBs lack of QC has resulted in something of a "wizards sleeve" right here.
The slipmat is... a slipmat, meh. The hardback book is good quality, loads of photos from the relevant eras alongside the lyrics from each album. The records themselves are all in single jackets (even the 2LPs) with the new artwork on the front and tracklisting on the rear, with poly-lined black sleeves. Ultra-clear vinyl, very pretty, no noticeable warps.
How do they sound then? I've only listened to "Chaosphere" and "Destroy Erase Improve" so far. They're okay, not as flat as I was expecting from reproduced CD masters, but I'm still underwhelmed as I know they could sound so much more punchy with a proper master. I don't understand why they've produced 45rpm records when they've not bothered addressing the underlying factor that will result in a better audio experience.
The verdict then? You get what you pay for. I'd happily hand over twice (or thrice!) as much cash if they'd done proper vinyl masters. And whilst the book is very good quality, I feel that NB could've done better with this box by producing gatefold sleeves with the lyrics on them, or maybe inserts with the lyrics and original artwork. The book could've been a "potted history" of the band with photographs, rather than a glorified lyric sheet with a few footnotes. Overall this is very good value for money, and kudos must be given for developing new artwork on everything, but NB have done Meshuggah a bit of a disservice here by rushing out a half-arsed product.