The distorted vocals at the beginning are pretty cool, but a bit dry. I like the frantic drum beat at :21, but I think they need some more compression and other mixing effects to stay on top of the mix. The rhythmic content is pretty cool at :32, but the piece is also missing some bass frequencies, and the synth at :52 sounds seriously harsh in the mix. You could try filtering out some of the treble frequencies on it with an equalizer.

Above all, the piece is missing some harmonic depth, with some fairly repetitive arpeggios and rhythmic phrases, but not much in the way of dynamic melodic content or rich atmospheric textures. The sound design is cool, but it could also blend together a bit better with a little more reverb and some more careful equalization. I like the quirky mood and rhythmic content here a lot, though. Also, while the production quality holds up well, the mix is pretty quiet in general, especially the rhythm section (drums and bass).

The climactic section at 3:22 is a nice way to hit the piece home towards the end, although it didn’t offer much in the way of novel harmonic content. Also, there are some pretty abrupt transitions throughout this piece, namely at :52, 1:38, 1:48, 2:30, 3:01, and 3:22. That said, I like the mellow outro at 4:06.

Overall, a lot of the individual riffs and harmonic ideas here are really good. I just want to see the arrangement be a tad more smooth-flowing, and also to have some less grating sounds in the upper register. Softening up the mix, adding back some atmosphere with reverb and compression, and crafting some more gradual transitions could turn this piece into a serious banger. I’d encourage you to keep working on it - it has a lot of potential. Keep at it, ZRKA! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.25/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
6/10

Interesting pitch shift vocals in the intro. I think the higher pitch in the right could come down some to match the lower pitch ones. Appreciating the modulations there as we gradually increase in pitch.

I also really enjoy your writing and fast paced drums. What I find lacking however, is the snare and kick are not cutting through the mix well. The drums should be the loudest in the mix, meaning snare and kick respectively. Manually ducking the volume of bass and other instruments (or sidechain) will help a lot in this regard!

The metal drum section at 1:40 is a vibe! I really like that.

Your melodies are quite interesting and hectic. Nice work there.

One detraction is that the sub bass is loud, but it is not necessarily audible. I recommend taking it down a notch and doubling with a more audible bass instrument. You may even find something like CS Bass One (free) to do the job there.

Arrangement wise, I really think you are onto something. This was an experience to listen to despite issues of mix, including a bit of muddy reverb.

One additional thing, mastering compression would really help the volume of this track out. There are several free online mastering services if you do not have the money for plugins or time to get that down. Personally I like to use emastered for those situations (not a paid advertisement, definitely costs money)

Overall, enjoyed the piece a lot. Keep at it!

Thanks for coming out to NGADM!