Let's Listen | The Mad Gear: Symphony of the Fight Revisited

twitch.tv/bonusstagevan

Five years after its initial release, The Mad Gear is rereleasing their second album, Symphony of the Fight. Featuring all-new mixes and complete overhauls of four of the tunes, Symphony of the Fight Revisited is bigger, badder, and louder than ever.

The decision to take a second look at this album came as I realized we were coming up on our ten year anniversary - The Mad Gear met for their first rehearsal in the Fall of 2014. That got me thinking about everything we’ve done since then, and all the noise (and friendships!) we’ve made over the past 10-ish years. 

From the outset, The Mad Gear was intended to have rough, dingy vibes. Mostly because this is just my aesthetic anyway - I love Steve Albini records (RIP). I love albums like Weezer’s Pinkerton that sound busted and blown-out, recordings that sound like they’re about to fall apart or explode. And, to me, that approach has always seemed a bit lacking in the VGM scene. Many acts opt for a very polished, often metal-inspired, sound. I’m not knocking that, but it’s just not my thing. My thing is sometimes just a bit more… rude.

So once I took over mixing duties for the band about 3 years ago, it was only natural to look back and wonder if some of our catalog could use a revamp. The original Symphony of the Fight mixes were strong, but I don’t think they were dialed into The Vibe™ as much as these new ones. This was also a means to get more experience as an audio engineer and mixer, and boy, did I get it. And all the self-loathing and second-guessing that goes along with it. As the kids say - if you know, you know.

So a couple of the tracks were simply remixed, others had rerecorded bass and drums, and four of the tunes were redone completely. On paper, it’s a bit of a messy and disorganized effort. But it came together and I’m proud of it.

As an aside, I’ll also say that I’m lucky to have found other guys, band members both past and present, that were willing to get a little sloppy with me. To paraphrase a line from Pulp Fiction, “I like the way they stink.”

So here and now, we present to you, Symphony of the Fight REVISITED. It is brash and loud, it is laden with horns and over-the-top bass tones, the guitars are angry, and it is absolute Drum Town, baby.

Here’s hoping your face goes into full Stank Mode at least once.

-Cameron aka Bruce Irons

Let's all listen and talk about the album on Twitch at 6:30pm PT. See you in chat!