ChronoNomad's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[At The Seams ("Deathslab!" 's BOTB ENTRY)]

This track definitely has a very unique vibe, one that I'm not entirely sure I could pinpoint if I tried, and it's almost crazy how quickly those seven minutes go by. You guys held my attention from one end to the other, and oh my goodness those lead guitar licks are fire. The experience almost feels like an out of body one, the whole trip being so incredibly surreal; slipping from chaotic disharmony to harmony, and back again. I really enjoyed your use of panning effects, but even more impressive is the dynamic quality of the track, which is anything but a solid brick wall, and very much appreciated.

The lyrics are strange and wonderful in equal measure, vocalized beautifully despite some rather odd syntax from time to time. The percussion just plain fits all the way through, never detracting from the other instruments and vocals, but adding just the right amount of rhythm. During the verses about time, those ticking clock-like effects really bring the idea home.

Seriously, you guys just really brought the overall production quality to the table. I'm listening through for the third time already, and trying to absorb something different each time, but your mix is so full and rich that it's hard to merely focus on the individual layers. Beautifully mixed, mastered, and so fantastically bizarre. I'm not sure what else to say, but WOW. Keep the band together and make a career out of it. Seriously.

Score: 9.7/10

carboluka responds:

Wow, that's the best response we could've ever hoped for!

It's nice to hear that the transitions were not as jarring as I thought they would be, that the drums fit (those are real btw, thank god Dark is a mixing master) and the guitar solos were the right amount of wacky! I was worried that communication and artistic choices among us would greatly differ (especially after sketching the bare-bone track), but the way everyone managed to enhance the initial vision was amazing!

About the vocals, I was merely option B; we were on a tight deadline and Dark was already working on guitar and bass and was unable to write lyrics and sing on top of that: I'm unfortunately not a singer AND Italian 😭, so yeah, sorry about the synthax lol

But we're glad you managed to enjoy it and that you're still listening to it! That's dope 😎

[Dreams As Deep As Oblivion]

Some very interesting choices, stylistically-speaking. Every single guitar riff is luscious, and that detuned piano section during the break really fits your overall theme. That's the point where the lyrics really get a chance to shine, but they tend to be heavily overshadowed by the instrumentals. Speaking of the vocals, the bulk of them sounded like they were delivered by Andy Sirkis doing his Gollum voice. Not a bad thing necessarily, but I had to put that out there. Personally, I would have liked to see the vocals come out to play a bit more in the mix, even with the nigh unintelligable nature of them. That said, whatever you guys did to make your Metal screaming sound like that, it certainly fits the overarching theme.

Rich chugs and sweet leads coalesce into a harmonious foundation of Rock, and I am so here for it. I kind of fell in and out of love with the background choir, though. Probably because it was there in the background most of the time, kind of doing the same background-y thing. Switching things up with some dark melodic strings or something to shake off that feeling of sameness would have been nice. The percussion really kept up the sense of driving beat, but every time that machinegun kick started up I found myself wanting more variation to the beat. That said, all the other metallic touches and tom drum fills helped to round things out. The one place where I found that machinegun style kick actually fit like a glove was in the final section, and that whole part was my absolute favorite, classic fade-out and all. I feel like if you had saved that heavy-duty wall-to-wall kick attack just for the end, it would have had even greater impact. Very nice track. I dig the dark and gothic vibe. Well done.

Score: 8.6/10

LD-W responds:

Heya, thanks for the review!

This ended up as our 'Plan B' choice after Plan A wasn't quite working out how we hoped in the planning stages, but that's fine since this was all fun to do! Main influences for the style/direction come from 90's to early-00's Symphonic Black Metal such as Odium, Limbonic Art, late-90's Dimmu Borgir, early-2000's Ceremonial Castings, Obtain Enslavement, Diabolical Masquerade etc. Track took us around a week in the end to get it in within deadline and under the 6:30 time limit

The BM Vocal-style is always a risk to do in contests since it's not popular outside of other Black Metal enjoyers haha. The recordings for it in this contest were like how I used to do them all the way back in my teenage years: smashed up SM58, very raw performance done in 2 long takes with only abit of EQ + mid-band saturation, compression, subtle doubling and alot of reverb to finish it off. The cool thing is that anyone can do similar-vocals, it just takes several months of training yourself up to do it without causing any damage to your vocal chords. I started retraining earlier this year in prep for some albums I want to do next year, so the timing of this contest was pretty handy!

Did speak to Nahu and we're potentially keen on sticking with this project for a next-year proper release (either a 40-min album, or a 22-min EP). We may actually go a tad more raw to stay true to the original subgenre's sound and downgrade the drums, but yeah your notes on variation are definitely valid and that's something that we'd sort out for sure. Also gives me plenty of time to also sort out a proper hand-drawn logo + some album art which wasn't a 45-min rushed Blender sculpt haha

Any questions, feel free to DM me anytime!

[MM4 Sequel Wars Boss Theme]

Oh man, this is such a hot MegaMan nostalgia trip! As much as I've always loved the Blue Bomber's soundtrack, it's never had so much thrash and chug to drive the excitement home. The drum riffs have that flamin' hot galloping quality that RockMan (I had to call it that at least once, I mean come on) almost singlehandedly made famous. And then there's that awesome percussive slowdown that lets you ramp back into that sweet gallop. The tension stays pretty high at all times, but that rhythmic change lets it ease off just enough to draw you back in.

It's nice and short, like pretty much all MM tracks, so it's easily great for several listens in a row. I totally dig those Heavy Metal vibes, and your version makes the old-school goodness feel fresh and new. In my mind's eye, I was 100% head-banging.

ADR3-N responds:

If you check out the original prompt I was given, this is believe it or not a cover of a cover, almost one to one, excepting that I took quite a lot of liberties with turning a synth part into trumpets and doing wild modulations on everything.

Recreating this by ear was quite challenging, as hearing the percussion parts as a full drumset and not chip instruments is hard! And would you believe it, this was near my first introduction to Megaman music since I never got into the series before Megaman X command mission for the GameCube! As such it was a lot of fun to do, and a challenge to keep things interesting and dynamic throughout

[Because We Miss You]

It's like I'm the piano and you're playing on my heartstrings. Simply gorgeous, Lucid. At times it was reminiscent of Uematsu Nobuo of Final Fantasy fame, at others it was like Hisaishi Joe of Studio Ghibli, and yet it was always the epitome of your piano at the heart and soul of the piece.

A sad yet hopeful Requiem; the perfect way to immortalize your grandmother in music. Bravo.

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Ooh, hello! It has been a while since last time. I hope you are doing well!!

I can definitely hear the inspirations you mentioned. It's no surprise, as they both are amongst the ones who have influenced my style quite a bit! Thank you for your warm words <3

[Villavslutning]

This somehow reminds me of something that's just out of reach and threatens to bring tears to my eyes. How do you manage to play those piano keys while simultaneously plucking at the heartstrings? Being able to evoke an emotional response truly is the Holy Grail of musical accomplishment.

You instantly drew me in with that delicate intro, and kept me utterly enthralled throughout. I haven't been around much lately, but I am so glad that I didn't miss out on this. <3

LucidShadowDreamer responds:

Waaah, I thought I responded to this ages ago! So sorry for the delay D:

You have a way with words, mr. Thank you for listening to this song in particular, and sharing your thoughts.

I hope that 2022 brings you all kinds of interesting experiences and lovely memories.

[Longing]

Man, I really, really like this, and it absolutely reminds me of those amazing Your Lie in April feels. The main problem, to me at least, is that it has a highly compressed sort of sound. Between that and the heavy reverb, it gets incredibly muddy around the :50~:57 mark. Again, I adore the composition, but I can't help but find myself wishing for a crisper, less affected sound.

I also feel like the release on that final chord arrives too soon. It could have been drawn out a touch longer for greater impact, but maybe that's just a personal preference thing.

Oh, and next time remember to incorporate some melodica! Of course, that suggestion is purely referential in nature. Then again, for anyone who's seen the Anime, a bit of melodica at the end could be particularly emotional. :)

Everratic responds:

Thanks for the feedback! I agree with everything you said :) I wish I had a nice melodica!

[Underwater Bitz [Pixel Day 2021]]

Really into these different sections of the track, Teck. The vibe is smooth and chill one minute, then ramps into a hard-thumping banger, and there's something about it that feels awesomely reminiscent of the Metroid Prime soundtrack.

Love how you ease the rhythm back out at the end, but then you've got that whole sweep and fade thing going on. Smooth and effective. Really nice instrument layers throughout, and despite the fact that it's a whopping 7 minutes long, it doesn't really feel like it. Good stuff, Teck! Rock on.

Teckmo-X responds:

Ignore that Crying React, I'm actually not crying cuz I'm sad but because I'm touched by your kind words. The goal of this song was to give my listeners a taste of my own reality. I didn't know what I was doing, I had no clue where I was headed to begin with. This song was made in less than 24 hours. I know the song is long but it really gives off that feel good vibe but yet a calm nature of it's own. I've been working with electronic dance, dubstep, and synthwave music for the past half year. I feel like I've made progress. I'm not gonna lie to you. Everything I make is random, I have no real goal or plan to make things, they just happen. People tell me my songs have a story behind them. I think it's time I tell a story.

Thank you for such kind words. No really, it makes me feel good. It makes me feel like for once I did something right.

[8-Bit Drum Kit]

This is so funky and just plain fun to listen to! I can't sit still with those sweet 8-bit drums and retro VG effects being pumped into my head. And hey, you don't have to try and convince me that ChipHop is a thing—I've been a fan for years.

You knocked this whole thing out in just a couple of days? Color me impressed. It's a wild ride, and despite the fact that it's five minutes long, it sure doesn't feel like it! Always the hallmark of a great track. Love the custom avatar you whipped up for the occasion, too.

What if I told you that I've turned running with scissors into a contact sport...?

Quarl responds:

Honestly, two to three days is regular for a track I'm really into. The longer the work drags on the more likely I am to hate it by the time it's done. Plus, with 15 years of experience I've cooked up production shortcuts. I didn't want to write this in the description but I gutted my Paroxysm file for the instruments. More importantly, the crunchy drum kit is the same rhythm as the intro from Paroxysm but I routed a digital distortion unit through an Aux channel then automated some knob twiddling on Scream's parameter 2. Most the melodies were recorded live so if you get a good take you just chop the midi and copy/paste. Some of the instruments were largely unaffected from Paroxysm.

Music is no different from programming, coding, or animation. Recycled gold is still gold. Many coders will reuse code from game to game. See Bethesda reskin bears from Skyrim into Fallout. Disney animators get spotted tracing their own work from years prior. The Simpsons famously made fun of themselves for recycling backgrounds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbx31eWZ9vc

Also, what if I told you scissoring was already a contact sport? There's enough hentai on newgrounds to prove it but the activity is well older than the two of us :)

[Classic Overlord]

This is a very cool ride, man. Both frenetic and nostalgic. It's hard to keep track of all the classic Mega Man call-backs, but there's a whole heck of lot of Blue Bomber goodness going on. Dr. Wily and his robotic army are officially on notice. Well done!

Manderby responds:

Thanks a lot! I just can't think not of Mega Man when it comes to 8-Bit sound. So inspiring!

[Inktober #6 - Listerine]

You know this is what's up, bro!

When ADR3-N originally laid down these beats a couple of months ago, I thought to myself, 'Man, this track is just begging for a sweet wordsmith treatment by Cyberdevil.' And BAM! There you are, bringing the whole package up to collab level.

Thanks for making me feel weirdly prophetic. It simply had to be, and the rhymes are on point. An epic tag-team development, both of you. Stay frosty.

Cyberdevil responds:

Aw man, what are the odds! :D Fortunately too I didn't see that she'd written and recorded her own take on this already when I was skimming for beats, might not have gone with this particular one if I did...

This was awesome to read. You do have an alias befitting a prophetic persona too. One who wanders and discovers and brings forth new truths in this wonderful but wacky world...