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I only titled the title as such because PF suggested it so nicely. So, thoughts? I don't like it. Matthew's vocie sounds much weaker than he did under Zack.

I thought he sounded fine, although this could be because I'm pretty apathetic about a lot of things. It doesn't bother me so much that Matthew has a new voice as it does that Zack had to leave because of his voice change (or at least, that's what we were told). I would have liked to have seen Matthew as a character grow up a bit—it's not like a voice crack means he's automatically a high schooler; he could have stayed in middle school and had a slightly lower voice. It might have been connected nicely to The Ties That Bind, since I feel pretty sure that part of this album will be about growing up and maturing in a culture that assails us. But alas, 'twas not meant to be.

Gunnar voice sounds a little too far off from Zack's for my taste. Doesn't bother me too much. I just think of new Matthew as a different character from old Matthew. Then it doesn't bother me.

I don't like Gunnar as Matthew.

I don't like Gunner as Mathew. He sounds too young to be Mathew, he sounds like he is 9 or 10 now.

I agree with truAIOfan mostly.
I mean he sounds more like Nelson to me, a little bit breathy and young. Really young.

I actually think they did a good job with Gunnar. He sounds sounds surprisingly like Zach, and do not hold it against the AIO team. Good job guys!

I did not mind Matthews new voice actor. I thought he sounded like him in some ways.

A little off topic, I have noticed Barrett's voice has changed a lot, and he was not in the latest album. I wonder if his actor will change as well. Plus Andy Pessoa will be 19 in October.

You know, I'm usually pretty critical of new voices, and it takes me a pretty long time to adjust, but I think the AIO team did what they had to do in this situation. Gunnar isn't a perfect match, but to be honest, he's quite a bit closer than I expected him to be. Some lines seem almost spot on. Some are a ways off. But I feel like as Gunnar ages he'll actually grow more into the voice, rather than if he was as old as Zack, thus leaving AIO in need of another replacement again soon.
Also, in Mission Unaccomplished (Zach's last episode) he sounds way older. In fact, I'd argue that Gunnar sounds more like the original Matthew than Zach does at this point. So yeah. My thoughts.

Actually, they had no choice. Also, Gunnar is OK.

I would argue that they did have a choice; they could have kept Zach on in spite of his voice change. (I think Gunnar sounds fine; I just take issue with replacing a perfectly good actor because the character is Not Allowed to Grow Up.)

I think it's too early to judge. Gunnar is obviously doing his best, and for that we can commend him, but he is still no Zach Callison. The thing that bugs me most is how they just booted Zach off the show the second they noticed his voice start to change. Keeping Jimmy on the show years ago despite his voice was one of the best decisions AIO has ever made. Imagine if Jimmy had been given a new voice. And since Matthew has almost assumed the role of the "new Jimmy", it feels like he should stay the same or be kicked off the show completely. I actually much prefer both Camilla and Olivia's new voices to the old ones, but I can't say the same for Matthew. Still, I think we should all try to give Gunnar a chance.

TigerShadow wrote:I would argue that they did have a choice; they could have kept Zach on in spite of his voice change. (I think Gunnar sounds fine; I just take issue with replacing a perfectly good actor because the character is Not Allowed to Grow Up.)

Yes, very true.

The first time I heard Mathew's new voice I thought that Zach Callison just had a cold or something because their voices sound so similar.

To be honest, I agree with Novatom. Their voices really aren't that different, Matthew just sounds a little younger.

I agree as well, and that's the problem. That's precisely what it sounds like: Matthew tired, with scratchy throat and stuffed up nose. I happen to prefer Matthew lively, with a clear throat and his nose mucus free.

Still, I am getting used to Gunnar somewhat already. He's a good actor, of course, AIO always finds great ones. He has his own strengths.

PS This is terrific title, isn't it? After last time, when we looked forward to 57 for months and it was one of the most talked of upcoming albums ever, we all complained about Camilla's new voice after the first episode. It was such a letdown, many of the posts were only about Michaela Dean and not liking her. (Ironically, everyone loves her now.)

And then when Matthew was getting a new voice of course I couldn't help thinking, and then when my fear came true I was not overjoyed. No! Not twice in row! You must be joking!

I think the only reason people (at least me) don't like the new Mathew is because we were used to Mathew's old voice and it will be an adjustment getting used to this unfamiliar voice.

The odd part is that, according to Zach's Wikipedia page, he is 17 years old, and so it follows that, unless he had a ridiculously delayed puberty, his voice should've started changing about 3 or 4 years ago, or around the time that he joined the show. I myself didn't really notice any signs of his voice deepening or cracking at any point in his far too brief tenure with AIO. Gunnar, as PF and Novatom pointed out, sounds as though his voice is right smack in the middle of changing. No offense to him if he ever decides to read this, but his voice is somewhat akin to a porcupine scratching his needles onto sandpaper... except with a heck of a lot less energy than this analogy would imply. I originally said that we should "give him a chance", and we should, but perhaps one full album is enough of a chance. He's not a terrible actor, and I could totally see him playing a completely different character, perhaps one whose personality would better suit his acting, but he's just not Matthew.

Isn't it odd how we've all come to defend Zach Callison as a beloved child actor after the fans' somewhat lukewarm reception to him back in 2010?

ArnoldtheRubberDucky wrote:The odd part is that, according to Zach's Wikipedia page, he is 17 years old, and so it follows that, unless he had a ridiculously delayed puberty, his voice should've started changing about 3 or 4 years ago, or around the time that he joined the show. I myself didn't really notice any signs of his voice deepening or cracking at any point in his far too brief tenure with AIO.

Well, to be fair, the recording for the shows is done about a year to a year and a half before the show actually airs; Matthew's vocal quality and Zach's don't necessarily match up between the time of recording and the time we first hear the show. Zach's voice could have been much deeper when "Big Trouble Under the Big Top" aired than it was when he actually recorded the episode.

I suppose you're right.

But honestly, would anyone actually mind a deeper voiced Matthew (since we're kind of getting that with Mr. Sizemore anyway)? I mean, when Jimmy's voice changed, I liked his new voice considerably better than his old one.