I've been thinking a lot recently about how much more I enjoy the tonal qualities of older albums (specifically guitar) and why modern metal just doesn't have the same feel. The best example I have of this is Metallica. Their first 4 albums have a fucking HUGE, KILLER tone that just fills a room and shakes the Earth. But now listening to Hardwired...it just felt so blah because the tone had no grit to it. This video helps explain what I mean:
Does anybody else feel this way? Is it a result of digital recording? Is it a result of using modelling amps and DAWs? I know some bands actually managed to keep the gritty tone, like Testament. Now I know this isn't a problem with like Black Metal etc, as keeping production to a minimum is a key point of the genre's sound... But does anyone else feel this way? Do others prefer modern metal guitar tone?