I like the crisp percussion and heavy pads at the beginning. The guitars contrast nicely with the warm strings, and the busy beat keeps a sense of energy and urgency in the texture. The melodies at :47 are nice and dynamic, and overall the production quality holds up really well. The mini-breakdown at 1:52 is good for some structural contrast, and I appreciate the variations on the melody during the second refrain. The outro with the string pads was a good idea harmonically. The sound design here blends well together and complements the mood of the piece rather well, but doesn’t always sound authentic, and the outro lays that idea bare. At times throughout the piece, I wanted a bit more ebb-and-flow in the harmonic instruments, especially outside of the main melodic sections, as I feel like the drums were the main source of engagement there. Also, during the melodic sections, the string pads could’ve sounded a bit more distinct in the mix. That said, the rhythmic content here is really creative, and the melodies, instrumentation, and atmosphere of the piece are also enjoyable. Congratulations on your success in the NGUAC this year, TheTrester! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.25/10

Nice blending of metal and classical here. The composition is top. What I find myself wanting is a lot more rhythm guitar volume wise. They are hardly audible to me. However, it is not severely detracting from the mix to my ears. I just feel they are being treated like a cello, when the rhythm guitar is to drive the piece, and should be undergirded on choruses with a strong, centered bass.

Your writing is top notch and keeps me interested at every corner. Great choices in chords and inversions. Reverb could probably be pared down on any instruments holding out long notes in the background to give those guitars some space.

Fix the mix and this would be very close to a 10 for me. Wonderful work.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!