NEVER PRODUCE YOUR OWN ALBUM! I'm going to say this loud and after listening to INTO THE UNKNOWN's "Breaking the Silence". I'm not going to back off from this statement. There are very few exceptions to this rule and even they had bad mixes sometimes. (METALLICA's "And Justice For All")

There are points where you can comprehend a little of what's going on, but the majority of the time it's just a mash of effects accented with a drum part that should be shackled and cut down. Yes, you have a snare and know how to use it, please refrain from showing us in every bar.

It's like a kid in a candy store. Bassist Rupert Withers also produced the album, and rather than start raw and add effects when needed, he seemed to crank everything up. Too much reverb on Lucie Hölzlová's voice, so many effects on the guitars it's impossible to tell what's what. Surprisingly he got the drum mix down, but like I already mentioned Mike Ballard has to learn the concept of moderation.

The final thing that irked me about this album was the lack of tempo communication; at one point (in the song "Are You Ready?") they weren't playing the same tempo at all, all slightly off and making the song impossible to listen to. This can be excused if it was live due to a new drummer, but not acceptable on a recording done in studio.

Time in the studio is not cheap, I understand that can cause you to rush and make rash decisions, but in the end maybe cut back on the number of songs you want and use that extra time to better refine the mix, and bring in an outside ear. It would help much more than you think. INTO THE UNKNOWN's "Breaking the Silence" should go back and repair the silence.Production  3