Continued from previous post.

Around 8 in the morning, after a wonderful 24 hour mixing and rendering session, all of the tracks was finished, trimmed, rendered and triple checked for problems. It was done. I went for a walk to get a cup of coffee and some hot food to keep me going. Walking around the busy morning streets was a strange and surreal experience indeed. I was disconnected and hazy (more than usual), very exhausted and very happy and very finished, and around me everyone else was hurrying in the snow to start their work week. While my 3 years of work were just done. If there ever was a Monday morning worth living this was it.

So I got back to the studio, fixed any remaining comments from my tireless acolytes, we discussed some more details around sequencing and stuff, and around 10 I started the upload to the mastering studio, as scheduled. I started writing out mastering guides and information to the master engineer. This took a few hours, around 15 I was finally finished.

The upload was done, mastering instructions typed out, I had taken backup of everything, twice, to separate disks. I walked around the studio and gave every piece of gear a friendly touch and thanks. For long periods my gear is my only friends, the only ones I talk to, they keep working and doing their thing faithfully, and I am grateful for that.

With this album I have pushed everything to the extreme, including my body, own psyche, my social ife and all of my gear. I make huge demands, force equipment to perform operations they were never intended for and they have struggled, but always risen and met the challenge. They must not be forgotten.

I bought some beers to celebrate, went home, put the album on loud and collapsed in tears of exhaustive happiness. I slept for 18 hours, just getting up every few hours by alarm to see if everything was OK with the mastering guys.

It's weird. For me, the album is done now. The music is done, I can't do anything more, it is behind me. Done. I can't fix it any better. I so much would like everyone in the world to hear it right now. I can't. I must be clever and patient. For everyone else it is still in the future, and the job now is to make it known, get people to listen to it, build it up. If I am to survive I have to make this something to live off. There are mechanisms I must master to make the most of it.

I think the album will surprise people. I know it will, it is designed to surprise and please. It is VERY energetic and melodic, more than ever. I know people will love it, and I know people will hate it, I know it has to be like this.

I can't satisfy everybody, albeit this being every artists fundamental dream, to be loved and accepted by everyone. Nobody admits it, some  artists fights desperately or invisibly to pretend this isn't the case, me inclusive at times, but this is what everyone wants deep down. Unconditional respect and love. Layer as much you want on top of that, conceptualize it to hell, whatever, that is the core and the only reason for doing art. To reach and be respected. Knowing this fact and dealing with it is very important. Especially for me, now, with this album. It is not the most perfect art ever made, by all means, but it is a great album. The best I could do on the time I had. I think it is über fcuking brilliant.

Time will judge.