NGADM Review

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Atmospheric to the very core. I was blown away when I first heard this track. The introduction is solid in its approach, everything just melds together splendidly and you don't let up at any point throughout the entirety of the song. I loved 2:42 and onwards, everything sounds so mellow and then BAM 3:46 hits and you transition into that synth so nicely. However, my absolute favourite part is at 6:05 with that amazing solo work and that brilliant effect.../drool.

The drums sound just a tad too loud, specifically in the introduction of the track. I found it took emphasis off of the mainstay of this piece: the guitar. However, at times I hardly noticed this because everything blended excellently. At times, the rhythm sounded a bit exhausting, but you changed things up frequently so it wasn't a huge issue.

Fantastic track, keep it up Kor-Rune! You are an expert guitar player, that's for sure. :)

Score: 9.25/10

This is an NGADM Round 3 Review.

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What I liked:
-Really nice build in the beginning.
-Excellent work at 4:46 with the panning and effects.
-You demonstrate a mastery of guitar with your solo section, and it is both subtle and effective.
-I really love the big part at 5:44, but it feels like it's been compressed into not sounding much larger than the part before it.

What could have been better:
-I'm not sure the first section needed to repeat itself.
-I think the biggest complaint I have about this song is that you use the same chords, a lot, but you do so with enough variation to reconcile it. That said, I would have liked to have seen more variance in your chord choices.

I really liked this piece (though not as much as some of your other work), and as always masterfully produced. Excellent job!

Score: 9.1/10

- NGADM Round 3 Review -

So there are definitely some solid and not-so-solid parts in the track. The atmosphere is great, and provides a good background for most of the melodic work, as well as combine smoothly with the drums. However, some melodic sections sounded quite weak, and at times repetitive. And the piece as a *whole* felt generally...weakly constructed.

The best quality about this track is definitely its dreaminess. This really feels like it could play during a strange dream sequence, or even during a mystery story, which could help explain the changes in mood in the same setting.

Score: 9.4

NGADM Review:
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Now this is a fantastic submission. The atmosphere in this piece is just phenomenal. Great use of instruments, and pretty amazing composition. I was hooked until the end, and the mixing is clear and not muddy in the slightest. Great work!

A few slight issues though. Firstly, the rhythm was pretty much constant, which made it a bit pedantic next to your usual stuff. Don't get me wrong, it works pretty well as a rhythm, but I'd have liked for a bit of variety in the speed and pace of the piece. There was also a small issue with chords being repeated a bit too much, although this wasn't overly noticeable.

Overall, great piece, not your best, but definitely one of your better ones. Keep up the good work!

Score: 8.8/10

Hello.

The Good:
-That intro sounds so nice and peaceful. It feels really nice, particularly those first few guitar chords.
-Stacked 5/4 + 4/4 = 9/4. Sounds REALLY awesome, and it's funny that you managed to make the 4/4 part sound out-of-place rather than the 5/4 part.
-I'm loving your instruments, particularly the little synth lead. 3:48 is sexy as hell.
-After 4:36 I'm really liking the little guitar rhythms trailing off the end.
-That arpeggio at 6:06-0:10 is extraordinarily sexy. Similar for the ones at 6:18 and the harmonic phrases starting at 6:21.
-Piano riff at 6:41. Amg. So nice.
-I sense the Fruity Reeverb "Ambiance" preset being used after 6:41 on the panning guitar along with a light phaser. It sounds really sweet.

The Not-So-Good:
-I am not very happy with the two minutes and forty seconds of the same rhythm. The only time it really changes is at about 2:12, and then there's not much change for another ten or so seconds after that.
-Even after 2:42, the stacked meter is only cool for a little bit before it gets boring again. You can only push the same chords with ambient harmonies in the background so far. It's not as bad as the first two minutes though.
-Dat kick is causing some mixing issues at about 5:42 onward. Are you still in the habit of reverbing your kick? Might want to stop that. :c
-Transitions at about 4 minutes in and around 4:40 are both somewhat sloppy. 5:43 is a bit eh, the effect seems somewhat lacking of 'oomph'.
-After 6:41, the song is over. The ending really doesn't need to be dragged out for another minute, about half that time would be better.
-Okay, general compositional feedback - this doesn't really coalesce and have any particular theme. I could potentially see the section at 2:18 and the section at 3:48 being a theme and variation, but that's kinda a stretch. Beyond that the only theme I can hear is a rhythmic one, which is heard clearly in those little guitar trailings at 4:36. One theme does not a compositionally complete song make.

Overall: Score of 9.5/10. Yeah, I'm going through all that 'not-so-good' feedback, then turning around and giving this one of my highest scores. I honestly think this is one of the best pieces you've made, definitely the best one atmosphere-wise. If it were a bit more compositionally powerful, mixing issues were cleared up, and the transitions cleaned, all I'd have left are a few nitpicks which would be keeping it from a perfect score. Color me impressed. ...still though, I KNOW you can do better. Show us just how far you can push your skill.