This one is so good! You are really one of the most talented composers over here and even more! Your production quality is really over the top... And you have two parts here which are both a single awesome track... It is really a shame that you were kicked out so early.... I also have tosmile each time when I hear the transition between both parts... I don´t know maybe you should have focused on one part and kept the other for the next round. Keep it up! You are really my most favorite composer here on NG!

I like the warm atmosphere at the beginning. The vocals are gorgeous. The progression is a little slow towards the beginning, but I like the tranquil piano that comes in at around the 1-minute mark. Nice use of phrasing at 1:35. You’re definitely giving the piece a strong sense of direction, and the synths that fade in at around 2:15 were an intriguing and quirky touch. The instrumentation takes another drastic turn at 3:35, and I like the vocals at 3:48 a lot - they’re very smooth and soulful. That said, I can’t help but be turned off a bit by the lack of cohesion of the piece. There are distinct sections, all with very distinct sound designs, that are only loosely connected. At 3:35, you appear to fade out the piano, only to fade in the guitar, almost as if this track is an album preview, playing short clips of several songs in turn. I don’t think that’s the effect you want the structuring to have on the listener. Despite the thematic similarities between the sections of the piece, I think you need a little more repetition to keep the listener grounded. I also thought that the vocals at 3:48 constituted the first example of a prominent melody in the piece, which is problematic. Furthermore, the panning on the guitar was a bit too off-center for my tastes. The guitar provides a clear pulse that gives the piece a lot of drive and, as such, I think it should be mostly front-and-center. That said, the production quality here is great overall. Despite my criticisms, there are a lot of strong attributes of this piece: the emotion and atmosphere, the mastering, the excellent blending of your instruments (especially during the first half of the piece). I’m a stickler for structuring, though, and it was hard for me to ignore the fact that this track sounds like at least 2 different pieces. I commend you for taking that risk, but it didn’t pay off for me, I’m afraid. Nice work nevertheless! I’m looking forward to hearing your future tracks. :)

8.25/10

As SnowTeddy already mentioned, I very much appreciate the fact that you're not afraid to go outside of your usual style (even though you've obviously experimented in other compositions too). You've also let this piece evolve over time, which makes for a very interesting structure. I took your advice in the description, and went into my first listen without any expectations whatsoever. That really helped my enjoyment, I'd say!

You're able to make the most out of your chord progressions, be it with suspense, arps, or just the way the melody flows.

I hope your risky move is appreciated by the judges, but we'll see! I personally enjoy where the piece ends up going. It's great that you've clearly put a lot of effort into composing this track too. Indeed, in your bracket (and preferably at all points and placements in the competition) every round ought to be treated as the last one.

This is a great listen. Keep up the marvelous work, and best of luck! This round will indeed be a tough one :)

I came back to Newgrounds, just to listen to the piece. That's how amazing it was. Ny worthless review probably don't do much beside the hype, and no word could describe the magnificent work here, so I will not say anything more but to congratulate you on breaking out of your comfort zone. Marvelous work.

This is quite a complex song, and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it :D

The third part, which is my favorite, really reminds me of the pop musician Kesha, particularly some of her tracks from Warrior. I'm curious about where your inspiration came from.