Once Indaba started to go to shit, I migrated over to Kompoz. It was here that the seeds of what was to be a long-lasting collaborative relationship with Luke Lakeman were planted.
In early 2014, I came across a session started by Luke that was entitled "Death Metal" which, of course, caught my eye. I filed this, using my geek-based naming convention, as "Wasabi". Luke had posted the following MIDI file as a representation of his song idea.
Luke Lakeman's Original Guitar Pro
Something else that caught my attention about this particular tune was that Luke had started working with a guitarist, Josh Miller, and the preliminary leads that he had written were awesome. Here is the clip with Josh's leads:
Josh Miller's Preliminary Lead Work
This was also the project that I began experimenting with direct recording. I had been messing with Amplitube Metal and, after finding a preset that was close to a Dime-type tone, I was sold. At this time, I was recording through my Behringer mixer and actually using the analog input on my sound card.
As I was plugging away at the guitar tracking and finalizing the drum programming, Luke managed to secure a bass player, Steven Swift. While this was exciting, he then managed to find Aaron Cloutier, who would eventually become part of several future projects.
Aaron's Test Vocal Track
After adjusting the arrangement a bit more, I had to fill in the bass for the breakdown that we added. Here are Aaron's lyrics:
Born of pain Raised through repetition Practice the lie a thousand times Till it becomes reality
A new Identity This is the life I now believe Born of pain Raised through repetition
None more pure than I
No one can take from me the pain that cannot recede, My only destination here is DOWN DOWN DOWN DOWN Finding my way to feel the only thing left that is real, and now you can see
THIS PLACE INSIDE MY HEAD A POSITION WHERE YOU WERE NEVER MEANT TO BE THE TASTE OF AN OLD PAIN REFLECTIONS,, REVEALED THE SIDE YOU WERE NEVER MEANT TO SEE
I can feel the world's weight upon me promise to see the light of day If I can just escape this fate How much now can I take? Will it subside before I break? YOU WILL SEE THE WORLD AS YOU KNOW IT ALL COME CRASHING DOWN!!!
A deceiver worth his salt achieves his plan by mixing truth with error Fear and ignorance is the one key to my ascension So listen now And pledge your faith to me
Final Arrangement Mixdown
Luke and I were extremely pleased with the way the track had come out. However, even after all of this, he somehow managed to find Alen Frljak, who might very well be one of the best drummers I've ever heard. I truly believe that his drumming added an element to the song that brought it to the next level.
The link below is the completed track posted on Soundcloud: