I didn't get to review this when I heard it for NGADM, and here you are again. Being as I have already scored it once and using the same rubric, nitpicking a second time would not be fair.

Suffice to say, my only critiques were, sonically, this sounds unmastered, and would benefit from compression to be radio ready. Vocals are catchy, so is writing. It actually does not sound angry at all. Disappointed, but not angry. Vocal performance could have just a tad more edge for the chorus, or on I get it. It sounds as if we are holding back a bit.

Guitar performance, great solo. Could have just a bit more stereo play in the left channel with that delay, perhaps wider chorus or a light tremolo pan. The delay backslap at the outro could pan harder left at a quieter volume.

Beyond that, real treat!

I’m in block J with you for the next round of NGADM 2023! I love the sound of this! This block of the competition is so interesting. I’m up against you, an indie rock producer, a guy who does ambient, and a jazzy fusion artist. But I do heavy metal fusion edm. This will be an interesting round! Good luck!

Edit: Guess they redid the blocks. Still though, good luck!

I like the heavy, echo-y percussion at the beginning and the way it fades out right as the vocals come in. The vocals are really smooth and expressive, but they also feel a tad bare - a little more reverb early on might’ve been welcome. That said, the emotional quality of that part is appealing, and when the heavier guitars that come in at :31 I really like the direction the piece is taking.

I was a little confused, however, when you switched up the texture again at :46. It seems like that part is supposed to be the refrain of the piece, but it’s also a big step back in terms of intensity. I also think that instead of using the echo effects at :46 and 1:01, you’d be better off holding out the note longer, as the echoes add an element of artificiality that seems to go against the raw and bare-bones approach to the vocal mixing up to that point.

The post-chorus at 1:16 seemed to be a tad uninspired, with a single chord taking up most of the mix. The echo-y, strummed chord at 1:31 and the more frantic, fingered guitar line at 1:46 also constitute a shake-up from the previous instrumental tracks. I’m starting to think you need to consolidate some of your ideas here and focus more on the cohesion of the track over creating variety.

I really like the extended solo at 2:32, although the drums get a little buried in the mix there. The third refrain at 3:08 has the pedal note and, later, the return of the fingered riff, which I think the first and second refrains might’ve also benefited from. You did a good job creating variety later in the piece here, especially with the more passionate vocal lines during the refrain, but I think that came at the expense of having a fairly disjointed structure earlier on.

Overall, there’s a lot to like with the compositional elements and sound design here. I think you tried to do a bit too much with the arrangement of the piece, but otherwise you’re approaching a professional quality with the production, vocals, and guitar recordings. Keep it up, Art! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
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

I think you did pretty well, Keep On Rockin!

Sounds great!