Oh man, I was just checking out the Round of 64 results (I'M LATE, I KNOW !) and I suddenly see : Phonometrologist - 962. Excuse me ?!

So I decided to check it out, because that's not a score you see everyday. Glad I came across this little piece of magic. I'm not gonna be able to get you a good review about your instrumental/sound choices, since I'm no composer (yet), but here are some of my thoughts nonetheless.

The andante felt like a pretty great start to the piece, it gave me that sort of happy yet fascinating/epic feeling, and it hit me right in the heart, because I used to play in orchestras and it really has that vibe to it. I also think it would make a great soundtrack to many genres of movies, but I can completely picture it (haha, get it ?) with a sudden opening on beautiful landscapes. If you don't understand what I mean, no big deal...

The second part really grabbed me in because of the atmosphere you set. I totally did not expect those guitars, but they blend in so well in my opinion. Once again, it could totally be a movie soundtrack (yeah I know, I say that a lot), and even though I know it's not what you based it off of, I can see it in fantasy/sci-fi movies taking place in space (maybe the recent Valerian movie makes my opinion biased...)

Final part surprised me once again, mostly by the sudden change in both tempo and atmosphere. Nevertheless, it sounds great. That's all I can say about it. Maybe it's the part I like the less, because it doesn't make me feel as many emotions as the first two, but that's personal, of course. Finally, I love how you ended the piece so calmly after such a fast-paced third part, and the kind of melancholic vibe to those last piano notes. A truly great end to an overall magnificent piece.

I'll just wrap it up by saying that I now see why it got such a high score at NGADM. Although I'm far from being as good as any of the contestants, I recognize a good piece when I see one, and today you're earning another 5 stars rating and a new fan.

A very thoughtful, inspired piece. You're quite talented at portraying emotions and textures. This is coming very near the ten mark for me, and I really have no useful critique to offer.

I like the dreamy strings and atmosphere at the beginning. The pause at :15 actually worked pretty well (usually I don’t like transitions that disrupt the flow of a piece). The melodies at :28 were beautiful. Excellent pacing and atmosphere throughout. The production quality is also really impressive. Glad I inspired the “lack of continuity” here so-to-speak - not exactly what I meant, but this piece is still rather impressive. I would’ve liked to see you wear down the first movement a little more - it just didn’t have quite as much shape at the end as I would’ve liked. The second movement is beautiful in its own way. The mood is just engrossing, and I love the synthetic elements that bleed in at around 3:30. Another surprise in the instrumentation at 4:28, but wow those melodies are beautiful. I appreciated how the 2nd movement flowed a bit better into the 3rd, even if the climax at 5:58 didn’t quite reach the level of energy at 5:59 on its own (is that hypocritical, given my request for breaks in continuity? Maybe…) I also thought the very ending was a little underwhelming and came on too suddenly. Overall, amazing work, of course. You’ve taken some huge risks here with the composition and sound design, and they paid off very well. Instant favorite and DL. I was thoroughly entertained throughout these 7 minutes. You being paired up with Garlagan was the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. XD  Keep up the great work, Phono! ;)

9.5/10

WHAT
this is just incredible Phono
so many flavours flawlessly put together
it's conveying intense emotions in an exquisite way
love the electronic elements/instruments, mostly the arp that accompanies the guitar solo. i think the guitar there gets a bit overshadowed by the synth that remains on the foreground which is the only thing i'm unsure whether it was intentional
my favourite part has to be the transition between Part II and Part III. Also, the latter adds a sort of sweet spice that stays present in the entire composition when you relisten
Amazing.

This is a masterpiece. You really have a talent for music and I'm so happy that it's appreciated so much. Listening to this piece takes me on an incredible journey but keeps me in suspense the whole time. It develops gorgeously. For some reason, it reminds me of 'Kingdom of Burmecia' from Final Fantasy 9 a whole lot in terms of the chord progression. Especially the middle to late section. If you don't know the track, have a listen!

Keep up the amaaaaazing work!