Score: 8
"Solid, replayable, powerful, still a tad unorigina"
date: July 7, 2008
I've listened to this piece like 20 times in a row now and the fact that i'm not reaching to claw out somebodies eyes means that the song has a replay value of high significance. Kudos.
I really like what you did with those solo violins. They sound truly heartbreaking, like they want to scream, louder and louder. They want to let people know that something is wrong, and that they should know it.
The piano medley is just fantastic. The long decay/release alongside that great reverb really did the trick. Not surprised, you know the tricks, so complimenting you on a tactic you've mastered is useless.
The lack of woodwinds and/or choirs here is rather interesting. Personally I hear a very sad reverbed oboe playing with those solo violins. Perhaps playing the lower note of the two notes they play.
The low and mid area seem a bit weak in this mix. I know that sad songs tend to rely more on high treble then low rumbles to get the point across, but i'd still like to make a few suggestions.
A steady, thumping. A deep wagner drum every measure I think would add a lot more sadness.
A gentle choir chord throughout the piece would flesh out the middle and low end a good deal. Understandably this would change the vibe of the song significantly into something more military like perhaps, but coupled with an oboe, or perhaps a panflute *something of a more exotic nature*, you'd get a more fantasy oriented sadness, an empire crumbling kind of image.
Though more powerful then your other, I am still feeling a lack of originality here. Applying more interesting instruments to speak your story would add a great deal of different qualities which would help this aim I would believe.
Good stuff Arbiter, keep up the good fight, and keep em coming >:(!