Default Kontakt drums? Not bad. I would probably recommend some freebies like X-Crash and Cymbalistic to flesh out your cymbals, or a paid library like Metal Factory Drums. There's also a few nice free kicks out there like Dark V2, and some snares like Saudade. If you want to hear all of the above, I use them on all my compositions of late. These drums, not to be rude, on metal, sound like childrens toys that someone else threw in the woods -- unless you haven't touched velocities between double hits, and then in that case I 100% understand and weep with you.

I'm also a Shreddage user -- great work on your leads. I actually want to know what tutorials you used, haha. Intonation wise sounding if not 100% real, at least very musical. Your lead writing sounds close to what a guitarist would want to play, I feel.

As for the mix, that's where the hair pulling comes in. I really want to hear a double tracked L and R rhythm throughout. Not having it sucks the power out of the mix I feel like. Compare 18 seconds to your choruses, where the way the solo and strings are mixed, and when it sounds like compression may have been applied, and the rhythm is just not there anymore, or sounds like it's been dropped in the left channel to make room for the strings like at 1:59, sucking all the power from the mix. I promise, the strings are high enough they will be heard -- more so if you cut off that gnarly ringing 250 hz and below that isn't needed to make them sit nice in the mix.

I would doubletrack your lead as well, panning up to maybe 35 percent left and right each, different heads and cabs, depending whether you're using shreddage's in the box or not -- if you are, take the shreddage FX off, pop on a head and cab of your choice on one of the instances, be sure to humanize, switch sample bank, etc. Bingo, nice double tracked lead. I'll sometimes throw delay from each into the channel the other plays on, or send both to the same reverb or delay on a send track.

Strings I would pan in more of a surround setup. But I realize here you were making space for lead. Just remember they most of the time are taking back seat in the mix, due to the nature of their sound. Listen to how bands like nightwish will mix their orchestral parts, maybe even Epica or Amberian Dawn.

And beyond that, where is the bass? I can't even really hear it I don't think.

Other than that though, fantastic listen. Really enjoyed it. Good work!

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!