I REALLY love the voice on this piece, awesome awesome work man, keep it up!
Reviews for "Underdogs Rise!"
MetalRenard responds:
Awh thanks dude! Means so much to read that!!! :D
Superb as usual :3 *high fives everyone"
MetalRenard responds:
*high fives*
<3
This is my favourite song out of all the finalists' -- I think you have the best shot to win, man. This is just quite awesome.
Cool synth intro. Love that burst of reverb to kick the song in gear. This track has a sort of dark quality to me that I'm really digging. It's not something I can place specifically, but I'm getting a great vibe from it all.
Great drums -- punchy and impactful. Cool guitar playing; it makes this track feel less like heavy metal and more like a metal "anthem", something to rally a crowd around (which seems to have been your intention, as I can see in the author comments).
Part at 0:29 is so mysteriously cool; nice buildup to the chorus.
The vocal harmonies on the word "rise" are wonderful. The intensity they bring keeps the flow going.
Guitar solo is sweet. Drum fills are kicking ass all over the place -- I can't keep track of 'em, bro!
I'm glad you did the vocals on this. It adds a more personal touch to it -- it makes the song more "yours" and therefore memorable. You've got a good voice.
Everything's well produced, and the theme tie-in with the contest is a nice bonus. Just realized that there's no bass guitar (at least I'm pretty sure). If I'm right, then you did a good job EQing whatever guitar tracks you have to give the illusion of a bass.
Don't have a problem with the length -- I think you got everything you needed to in there. It's catchy as hell, and it's going in my favourites. Congrats on making the final round -- good luck!
MetalRenard responds:
Awwwh yeah thanks man!
I used 6-7 different instruments/sounds in that intro, even cutting up the main lead guitar and reversing it. Also, I think the dark tone to the song came from the idea that we're struggling against a more powerful enemy who can crush us if they so choose. We have to always be careful!
It means a lot that you like my voice, that's the thing I've been focusing on the most since I started doing it seriously just this year. Nobody has said they didn't like my voice (actually, many said they liked it or were jealous!!!) which is a big deal to me. Considering I'm still a novice singer that means things can only get better! Next goal: Soaring high notes! Woo!
I consider this to be some of my best mixing/production to date so I'm glad you seem to agree. There is a bass guitar though, I played bass, guitar and sang, I just forgot to add the bass in the description. You can't get that kind of depth without a bass guitar I'm afraid. ^_^
Thanks a million Birdinator!!!
*Edit: Added the bass to the description!*
I love the combination of instruments, especially with the guitars and atmospheric fade-in. The sense of climax at the beginning and also through the verses was incredible. The lyrics and awesome, and I love the breathy yet powerful vocals. The solo at 1:52 was also pretty empowering, and overall I love the theme of underdogs and how well-integrated it is with the contest - very creative! The mixing is solid, and that riff at the beginning is really catchy and cool. Structurally, it's well-done, and overall it's very smooth-flowing. Nice work, MetalRenard! I can tell that you took a number of risks with this one, and I think they really paid off. That said, I think it couldn't have hurt to add some more instruments to it for increased intensity/variation, as you sort of stick to the guitar-bass-drums-vocals standard of modern rock throughout. It's also a bit short, and the effects of these potential other instruments might be better received if you extended this a bit. However, you have an excellent sense of harmony as well as melodic development. Despite it being relatively short, it feels structurally complete. Great work! I wish you success with your future projects my friend! ;D
9.25/10
MetalRenard responds:
Thanks for the lengthy review!
I'm glad you liked the song, it gets me worked up (in a good, adrenaline fuelled way) whenever I listen, but that's probably because I wrote it! :P
It's a shame you feel that way about the instruments, variation and song length. I did originally write my thoughts on that but I don't think it's worth disagreeing in a public place like a review. Don't worry, I won't PM you the stuff either, I'm not like that. :P
Honestly, I would have felt awkward if I'd won the contest, being a NGADM judge too, I guess you guys should have kicked me out at the start anyway. Haha
Thanks Mr Door!
Haha this is a very fun track.
The harpsichord with the guitar added that proggy vibe. Vocals were great. Only thing is you need a synth solo in there somewhere! Still felt complete though.
Loved it.
MetalRenard responds:
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts about my song, I appreciate it!
I'm glad you enjoyed the blend of sounds I used in the intro, I wanted an almost synthetic guitar sound for a change and I think it made it quite rich.
Cheers!