This is a NGADM Round 1 Review.

-----

Good:
- Great intro (love that synth)!
- Super clean snaps, super bass.
- Great vocals.
- Awesome variety (3:09, 3:39)!
- Excellent use of 'Angels With Filthy Souls' (4:34). Loved that.

I have to say, this track has A LOT going for it. I would go as far to say that it's one of the more creative pieces that I've listened to throughout the NGADM. The intro is solid, and that synth that you bring in at 0:16 sounds wonderful. As stated above, you guys showcase some great vocals here. There were a few times that some notes were a tad flat, but otherwise nice work. I have to reiterate that I LOVED the 'Angels With Filthy Souls' plug -- especially the transition smooth at 4:40 with the gun layering effect.

What to consider:
- Some mixing issues -- ex: introduction of vocals could have been brought out in the mix.
- The 'record crackle' was a nice touch, but it overstays its welcome.
- I loved the variety in the latter half of the track, but a little more could be sprinkled around the first half of the track!

The record crackling was a cool addition, though I think it should have faded out far sooner than it did at 1:22. The first half of the track was really catchy, though compared to the energy and variety of the latter half of the track, it stands out as just a bit drab. Honestly though, it is still excellent!

Keep at it you guys! I always look forward to hearing what you cook up with your imaginations.

Score: 8/10

I like the atmospheric intro, as well as the pensive little synth that comes in at around :15. The vocals at :30 are really cool. They have this soulful vibe to them that compliments the mood here very well. The lyrics themselves are also quite enjoyable. The piece progresses pretty slowly, though. I’m not sure it needed to be quite this long. Obviously, the bass is very prominent in this piece, but it’s also the main thing going on for long sections of the piece instrumental-wise. I would’ve liked to see you do more with the instrumentals at times, especially during the verses. I did like the Spanish vocals you incorporated, though. Also, the melodies at 3:10 are really cool. You have a lot of quirky and fun instruments here. I like how you start adding some variety at 3:42, although at the same time that part lacked engaging content and got pretty repetitive after a while. I recognize that vocal sample at 4:05! I’m afraid it doesn’t really fit the groovy yet contemplative mood you have during the last 1.5 minutes of the piece. The vocals at 4:35 were comical, well-timed and edited. I will say that I expected you to at least return to some more prominent themes you had during the first 2/3 of the piece, though. 0:00 to 3:42 and 3:42 to 5:22 sound like 2 completely different songs! The glitchy industrial sounds at 5:07 also didn’t really compliment the mood you established earlier in the piece, especially since you tried to make it function as a coda in your piece. You have a lot of interesting ideas here, but I think you need to focus on concision. I would try fleshing out a couple of ideas more, rather than skimming the surface with several separate themes. The result is that this piece lacks coherence IMO. Still, I like the soundscape and the synths. Hope this review helped, and keep at it, man! ;)

7/10

This review was written for the Newgrounds Audio Death Match 2015.

Love this.

Fantastic production and lots of feeling. Gets pleasantly creative as well.

The rhythmic and atmospheric changes, as well as overall progression and vibe make for a really memorable song. Vocals are completely on point.

Man, that was a delightful little journey.

5/5 - Would drive on a rainy night while feeling fully cathartic to

God damn, fellas. You just shattered my hopes of progressing to the bracket rounds! Excellent sounds all throughout, particularly the bassist. The first half of the song had my head bobbing compulsively, and the last third got me drumming.

There are some mixing issues, particularly in terms of levels, and I get the impression that little to no EQ work was done. But the production still has an immersive, albeit amateurish feel to it.

Spectacular stuff. I won't be upset about losing this round.

This is very cool and ridiculously fun to listen to, guys! Just like johnfn mentioned before me, the mix does require some additional work, but man...it's already so good. With proper mixing this could be an ungodly powerhouse of a song! And that change up, wow--music to my ears! Both literally and metaphorically. This is the first ADM track this year to make me think to myself, "Did five and a half minutes really just go by?"

There are some crackly pops in the first 30 seconds of the song, and I'm not sure if they're meant to be intentional or not. Maybe a scratchy record in the background? If it's not actually purposeful, I would suggest cleaning it up. And if it is supposed to be there, I'd suggest coming up with some way to make it more obvious that it really is part of the song.

On a final note, do yourselves a big favor and trim the six seconds of dead air from the beginning of the song. I was actually beginning to think that my sound had cut out for some reason.

You know, I have to reiterate just how phenomenal that change up at 3:44 is! The transition that precedes it particularly nice. Those Home Alone audio clips from "Angels With Filthy Souls" (a parody of the 1938 film, "Angels with Dirty Faces") are incredibly fun and very well integrated with the music. I wish you the very best of luck!