Almost not bearable.

They said they wanted this album to sound more like their punk roots.  There is an album by Baroness that is similarly over-brick walled that is also a fantastic album other than very challenging production.  This is where DSP or equalizers may blunt that a bit - enjoy the music where and how it is...

Horrible. At least it's in Hi-rez  24/96  so you can clearly hear how bad it is.

I'm wondering if quality recordings went the way of manual transmissions in sports cars.  They're still out there but you have to look really hard to find one.  

More recordings of all quality levels out there than ever before and even more as time goes on. 

One might try broadening their genres if seeking "good" recordings.

To me a good recording is one that captures the essence of the music.  Recordings are productions, each unique.   Technical perfection is seldom the ultimate goal.....delivering the music in the most meaningful way is.  It’s a subjective determination that the producer’s make, taking the anticipated listening audience into consideration.     Much like what hifi system might sound best to someone.    It’s often not the one that achieves technical perfection best.

I have no expectation that recording quality of a Foo Fighters release would wow me technically, but I might still like it if the production overall works for the material provided. 

Dynamic range is one long time technical measure of a good recording but many modern recordings are mixed with limited dynamic range but may still sound "good" to me for other reasons.

THe problem with good recordings with good dynamic range is you need low ambient background noise to hear everything without having to crank up the volume.   So its not always the be all and end all, though it’s possible for a user to easily reduce dynamic range if desired using modern DSP.   You can also enhance dynamic range to some extent as well if desired. 

I used to have an analog dbx dynamic range enhancer.   Remember those?   

DSP is the ultimate tweak.   If you are not using it, you are probably missing out on things, hearing only what is served up to you, not what you really want to hear.

Food for thought.

Yeah that’s bad and sounds like it was recorded to be played over a boombox or in the car on AM radio.  I guess that’s the sound they were shooting for and they can have it as far as I’m concerned, but clearly we’re not the target market here.  Far cry from the band that not long ago bent over backwards to record an album direct to analog tape.  They’ve earned the right to do what they want I guess, but it seems like Porsche introducing a new car with a de tuned engine, thinner tires, and softer suspension to perform more like a car from the 60s.  Whatever.