It’s 39 degrees Celsius here (100+ f) so yes, I have my air con on!
Overall, it’s sounding quite good. I think you are correct re the drums requiring the most attention. I found the drum section lacking a little in bite before the heavier chorus. To me, the initial fill (@37 second) indicated that there’d be a bit more bite in the drums but they didn’t have the snappiness I expected. Perhaps that is because the power and energy is coming in the chorus? I’d also point to the toms, as I felt they were a little dull and a touch loud too, poking out in those short sharp accents preceding the chorus.
I really like the vocal sound. There’s a good aggression but it is clear and steady across the board. You’ve balanced and spread the keys really well. I especially like the gated sound, it’s prominent but it makes the chorus have a good unsettling energy!
Bass sounds solid. It seems like it’s largely holding down the fort without doing anything too fancy, so you’ve got it doing its role well. There are a couple of notes in that 5 note/chord progression at the start of each chorus line that disappears a little, but it’s not huge either.
I really like how this is coming together. I can definitely see why there are some challenges with the mix as you have to balance a build up of energy whilst maintaining intensity and interest from the start. Good stuff!