this is giving off little nightmares vibes to me. love it.
Author Comments
"That same dream again.
It leaves me to wonder why I couldn't survive.
Even in the confines of my own mind.
It works against me.
Until I am no more." -HG
Although I haven’t submitted my usual amount of tracks this year, it has been my own personal tradition to write and submit a Halloween piece for Newgrounds. So I can’t stop now. It’s my first attempt to delve a little bit into the Industrial style. I grew up playing the first two Quake games, so the music has been a bit of nostalgia for me. My musical references are also the Industrial artists listed on the side, and the Death Slumber saga is my personal favorite.
I’m amazed to get the opportunity to hear such great music from many artists here while most of the world has no idea what they are missing. I would say that my passion is writing music, but I should say that my passion is exploring it.
If you’re not sure that the piano theme fits or not for Halloween, look up the Poltergeist theme. I've always been interested in the contrasting relationship between dissonance and harmony.
Inspirational art piece to go along with the sound:
http://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/robstanley/halloween-2016
Phonometrologist responds:
Happy to oblige. Thank you for commenting
Way to out-industrial me.
Butthole. :P
Phonometrologist responds:
lol no
You and Anchorwind create better industrial than I ever could. I'm actually quite unsatisfied for the little "industrial" section I was going for. It takes quite a different mode of thinking for me
I like the foreboding ambient theme, and how the atmosphere clears away in a subtle way right before the piano comes in at :22. You did a great job of bringing out emotion in this piece. I also like the gradual signs that something is "wrong." First, there's the bizarre pause at 1:09, as if the pianist had to stop and stare at the moving shadows following him, and then the stutter effect at 1:17 and the dark strings at 1:24. I think the transition at 1:47 could've used a bit more fleshing out, but the frantic "chase scene" through music immediately following was fantastic - full of drama. Also, excellent job with the gradual transition back into the tranquil section at 3:20. It's much more soothing in tone there, as if the pianist finally escapes on a boat destined for a safe passage on calm waters. The sound design and composition in this piece are simply top-notch. It definitely puts a story in my head. Excellent work, Phonometrologist! ^^
Phonometrologist responds:
Thank you very much again. Yes, I think the transition at 1:47 could be better fleshed out, and I know what I could do to make it so. I just tend not to dwell on a singular piece for very long while continuing on to the next. Even so, I thought abruptness of sections reflect more accurately a dream, but I also written the two parts separately while linking them together. The whole piece is a bit abrasive and sudden. I think it's interesting you find the repeated piano theme at the second half more soothing than the first as the second is downtuned. I suppose because of the context and the added melodic instrument. Regardless, I want to share with you the inspiration for the "bizarre Pause at 1:09." Chopin wrote this in in his second ballade at 3:30 in this video:
https://youtu.be/MsoUIBcl7iw?t=3m19s
In fact, the whole piece can be compared to a jarring dream as well with it's sudden shifts in tone.
Yep, I downloaded this. Didn't realize I was listed as inspiration until later. I came for your profile because I wanted to send you a personal message. Saw a familiar title and clicked it. Wasn't disappointed. Grinder has gotten a lot of mileage out of the Slumber line: his remixes, my remixes, your inspired pieces, and I'm sure there are others out there. /claps.
Anyway, onto your piece. The swelling up to the ~1:45 section made me smile quite a bit. I listened a number of times. It grabs you, and doesn't let go for a good minute or so. The nice, abrasive, ringing that yields back into soft keys was well done. In my terms - Mother Machine gave way to Phonometrologist at 3:12. I was smiling from ear to ear. The soft left hand rhythm that faded out and then came the pulsating static. A final reminder that I'm always here - even if I don't say much. Lurking in the deep.
A rare, true, 5 stars.
Phonometrologist responds:
It's good to see another enjoy the abrasive ringing as much as I do. In terms of the storyline, I was inspired by Heartgrinder's melodic dream. As for the industrial section, I kept listening to Mother Machine for the abrasive, machine-like rhythm. Obviously, it doesn't come even close, but it's my first attempt. I was so frustrated creating the middle section as it stretched me from my comfort zone. It truly does involve a different mindset to composing than from what I'm accustomed to doing in the first and last piano sections. The noises and ringing was, however, quite comfortable. The actual ringing transitions was my friend's viola scratching near the bridge, time-stretched, and then with a lot of reverb and delay-- an instrument that humans use to make something beautiful becoming quite distorted. A familiar theme?
Although this piece is inspired by a nightmare, this is a story of lucid dreaming regarding the heart of humanity. I am reminded by what an old friend once said about my music, "a melody that has no meaning, as it's a depiction of the loss thereof, in a way of silence. Silence is a golden state; it touches us in ways like looking in a mirror through our ears."
It's interesting to me that even if we seek silence and have it for a time, there will still be that abrasive reality that so many people are incessantly seeking to escape.
Credits & Info
Related Audio
You might also enjoy…
Phonometrologist 
Licensing Terms
You are free to copy, distribute and transmit this work under the following conditions:
- Attribution:
- You must give credit to the artist.
- Noncommercial:
- You may not use this work for commercial purposes. *
*You may not use this work without making specific arrangements with the artist UNLESS your work is a web-based game or animation, in which case you may use this freely.
