Not bad, the second half REALLY strays from the beginning's theme, but the first half is amazing. Second half's not bad, but not really as good if you ask me, but that's probably a matter of personal taste. Not sure what the contest specs are but I have confidence you'll do well, being the legendary NG audio artist you are.
9/10, 5/5 ~WCCC
I have always enjoyed your unique intros. They have a nice harmony build, leaded with a well made and fitting happycore beat. The only thing I don't enjoy is that it's very sudden. I would like to see a progression into the style you have developed over these past few years. You use a lot of great instruments. I have a feeling they are preset instruments, since this song was made in 8 hours, but nevertheless, you sure know how to play them right!
Your breakdown into something darker after 2 minutes is a nice touch. I like the variety in this. Great transitions. Your good at orchestration work. Yet again, the only thing I don't really like all that much is that this track stays loud. It never really dies down. I would say add a nice, longer, slower, and quiter intro, then add a downtime with some chillout and engulfing sounds to take the listener on a whole nother' journey. Improvement is really needed in this category. Have some fun learning how to expand your ideas instead of hitting a hard style the entire time.
So this starts off as an uplifting trance song with a very standard chord progression and a very standard drum beat - those core elements are not very original at all (the chord progression in particular is becoming a bit of a joke), but the instrumentation and variation around the tried and true trance formula is what gives the first half of the song its charm and character. Despite the song having a bit of a thicker and richer mix than most of your collection, the simple orchestral instruments are still a dead giveaway :) Almost seamlessly, then, it transforms into a more dramatic, soundtrackesque and breakbeat-oriented piece that's more reminiscent of your previous submission. The instrumentation is mostly the same, but the playing style is more vigorous and the pizzicato and sampled drumbeats help making some variation.
I personally really liked this song structure and how you were able to create a big contrast despite the instrumentation not changing much. A bit different than the standard single-genre formula and I think that's a good thing.
The mix is fine too most of the time, loud and clear. The low mids are a bit dominant in the latter half perhaps. There aren't really any big issues here. Overall a mighty fine submission.
9.0/10
Would be perfect if it had more of that beautiful pad lead about 1/3 into the song. Only reason I listen to this song.
I love the pad lead!!!