ChronoNomad's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Pale Blue Dot]

The production value here is pretty spectacular. The mix is nice and tight, allowing the instruments and vocals to really support each other. The lyrics and overall vibe have a slightly angsty, existential quality. While no one else can really quite contend with the frightful talent of Ado, I can honestly say that this track felt kind of similar to me. It's just that well written and executed.

The vocal delivery is simply stellar. Lead guitar work thrashes hard, though it does feel a little dry when it comes in by itself at the beginning. Bass work and percussion do their job impeccably, really driving the rhythm home. What's most impressive is that it's just one person playing all these instruments and doing the mixing.

One small critique is the ride cymbal at the end that gets cut off abruptly. I feel like this could at least have been given a quick fade before the end.

All in all, this is a truly legit track. It rocks, and I'm here for it all day.

Score: 9.6/10

[KJörd - Space Valkyrie]

That initial lead-in is pretty lengthy without any changes. I kept expecting some percussion to kick in right around the next bend, so I ended up being kind of disappointed on that front. That was the point when I explored the song page a bit more and noticed the solo bassist tag.

I'm certainly less disappointed now, and the solo bass vibe is nice and grungy, but without at least some kind of percussion (I mean, anyone with rhythm can finagle some sort of drum-like sound) or guitar lead, it feels incomplete. Currently preparing to be lynched by bassists from around the world, but hey--that's my honest take. Just doing my job.

There's just one other problem here in the mix, and that's the constant hiss in the background. Probably a mic or technical issue, maybe due to having the input raised so high, but it's definitely a shame that that's in there. I won't ding you too much for that, but I hope you can get it cleaned up for future recordings.

That said, I believe that Newgrounds really needs more talented bassists. Submit some more tracks, and try to incorporate some new elements into your work...even if it's something as basic as a layer where you're playing a shaker or cajon drum. While this track is great from a bass perspective, it could have really benefited from at least some hi-hat action to drive the tempo. There are always drummers and guitarists looking for a good bassist to round out the mix.

Score: 5.7/10

Unitron2112 responds:

Thanks for the compliments and constructive suggestions! Hey no problem, I get the need of some drums/percussion, and I was originally planning on experimenting with some additional instruments like a drum machine, and maybe even guitar and vocals, but I didn't have the time by the time I had a song ready on bass for the Battle of the Bands. I'm definitely planning on doing that in the future though! With that said, personally I feel the bass can be its own percussion like on my other songs, which are in a completely different style I call harmonic rock and is composed to be solo bass, but for music like this I would definitely love to play with some drums!

I think I know what you're talking about with the hiss, haven't really noticed it much myself but that's probably because my computer audio has some light static (both speakers and headset) and I more notice just the general roughness of the mixing. However listening back to my original recording, I can definitely hear the difference unmixed (was actually debating on releasing it unmixed, but felt it was a little too muffled). This is the first time for me mixing anything with distortion, I've been experimenting a lot with finding the right ways to record and mix it. I felt like this was good enough for a first distortion heavy recording, but I've got some ideas of how to maybe improve the mixing. If you've got some recommendations of how to get a good clear sound I'd love to hear some! I've got a few different setup options I could go about it with.

Thanks, and I agree, the world can always use more bassists (and other musicians too)! I've got a lot more harmonic bass rock coming, and I'm definitely wanting to record some drums/percussion in the future and practice my guitar playing and layering audio for this and other styles, and even better if I can find a drummer to do some live drums or get a kit for myself. One of my main intentions for entering this was actually to hopefully find some other musicians that resonate and would want to collaborate. Oh, and thanks for the favorite too!

[burn yer bridges]

That's a lot of dead air at the beginning of your track there, mate. Regardless of time constraints, that is not the best first impression.

Hey, I generally dig your instrumental choices here. They sound good individually, but man...the timing issues are more than a little glaring. Regardless of time signature changes, it seems like you had a pretty rough time keeping up with the rhythm. It's like the drums, bass, and lead guitar just couldn't manage to mesh together consistently.

It's not all bad, though. In the final part that kicks off around the 3:27 mark, I was happily surprised to hear all your elements come together harmoniously. And that finale almost made my ears bleed, but in a good way. Yeah, the ending was really nice. Cheers!

Overall, it seems like time really got the better of you here. Hey, it happens. Still glad you took the time to make a track and join the BotB,man. Best of luck going forward!

Score: 6.7/10

jedlev responds:

Yeah, I don't know what happened and I had no time to fix it. Now I know to give myself some more time before I ship something out. I'm surprised I haven't deleted it already.

I figured everyone was going to pick up on the timing issues. I don't know how imperfect you're allowed to be with these sorts of things. You are right, I didn't give the drums or bass enough time so they're very underdeveloped. They also have no thought put into the EQ at all, so I can imagine they don't mesh all that well.

6.7 is exceedingly generous all things considered in my book, but I am thankful for your kind words and understanding. I want to give it another go and do things properly. If you have anymore words of advice I'm open to hear them.

[(SOTHC) What Is A Man Without Their Flesh?]

I was so engrossed in the unfolding dystopian melodrama that I didn't even notice how much time had elapsed until the end. And the 9.5-minute runtime isn't even the most amazing part, but it's still an impressive feat. When the music swallows all sense of time, I deem that a win.

Fortunately, I still have my flesh, though it is currently in a state of horripilation.

I'm struggling to come up with things to critique here, but if I really had to nitpick, I would say that the vocals could be a touch louder within the mix. Even so, I can hear and understand the words despite everything else going on. It's actually a real testament to your mixing ability that the instruments and percussion, despite how utterly dominating they are, don't completely wash out your vocals.

It's so heavy with rust and grit, blood and bone, and you could have gone hard for the full length of the track, but then you also give us this amazing break just after the four-minute mark. Mad freaking props for that, and your transitions feel so seamless. The lyrics themselves are appropriately dark and deep; a not-so-subtle and thought-provoking commentary on our world, or other worlds not dissimilar from our own.

Score: 9.8/10

LD-W responds:

Thanks for the review

Wasn't expecting a very high score for a demo piece, but I'll take it haha.
I've been preparing an updated-mix variation (alongside a new logo) to hit streaming services shortly, mainly targets some vocal mix updates (slightly more compressed, but louder and with some extra surgical DeEssing). I'll hold off of updating the entry here until the judging period is over etc.

The downtuned fretless-bass processed & acting as the main guitar really does alot of the heavy-lifting tbh. It's not done that often within the genre's (especially a fretless) and it's harder to work with compared to a regular bass, but the ability to smoothly legato-slide across the entire neck without any note-jumping gives such a satisfying result (especially when I really went wild with it in the 8:04 to 8:53 section).

I've had plenty of my metal contacts already begging me to do a full album under this style, I guess that's a lump of my schedule for next year booked up while I also finish off my Dark Ambient album at the same time!

[LocaGreñasRojas]

You guys were clearly having fun during the song, and that energy puts a smile on my face. While my Spanish isn't quite good enough to understand the entire song, the Skate Punk vibe shines through. I don't think I'll ever forget those harmonic bursts of "Quiero!"

The instrumentals in the track are really fun and frenetic, but they really take a backseat when compared to the loudness of the vocals, which is a shame. The playing is great, so I really feel like they should have been more balanced within the mix. The vocals themselves are also pretty good, and I love the use of male/female harmony throughout the song.

There are definitely some timing issues, and this becomes especially notable between the guitar and vocals around the 1:30 mark. Some other elements within the percussion sound a little loose, but it gets difficult to pin down the actual cause once the vocals outstrip the rhythm. It's also possible that I was just hearing some off-beat reverb effects or something.

This is a good song that's fun to listen to, but it's impossible to ignore the unbalanced mix and lack of proper timing. I'm also kind of on the fence when it comes to the introduction. It's fun to hear a little noodling and talking, but it also feels like unnecessary padding. Maybe something that's better suited for a Behind The Scenes type of cut rather than a track being submitted to a contest, but hey--it's your music! The journey is yours, and that's what artistic license is all about. QUIERO!

Score: 7.6/10

Jerossan7 responds:

Thanks for the feedback :)

[apple pie feat. Rosie Ultraviolett]

Okay, just to temper any expectations out of the gate, this is ultimately going to be a very mixed review. What I mean by that, quite simply, is that the instrumental side sounds great. On the other hand, while the lyrics themselves are perfectly fine, the delivery of the vocals starts out okay, but by 0:58 they're mostly flat and pretty much stay that way until the end. When the vocal layer sounds like it's actually in a different key than the music, well...that's not so good. To make matters worse, the lyrics supersede the instruments with their huge amounts of echoing reverb, so the mixing of these two elements could definitely be better.

Hopefully at this point you're not filled with quiet rage and prepared to slash the tires on my car. I'm just doing my job, and the last thing that I ever want to do is drive someone away from making more music in the future. Quite the opposite, in fact. I believe that effort and hard work in the name of improvement on is one of our finest human traits.

Singing. Is. Hard. Anyone who tells you differently is straight up lying, because even the chart toppers put in an absolute ton of work to get their vocals on point and maintain that level of professionalism. As a singer myself (and not exactly a chart-topping one), I know that quality can rise and fall with the simplest of things. Here's a free lesson about what to do before singing: avoid dairy products! Just imbibing and little bit of dairy can clog the vocal passages and create excess phlegm in your throat. Yeah, I know...it's gross. Hard cheeses are the only exception to the rule, so those are okay before singing. And if you've already consumed dairy, it can help to gargle with water and spit it out, a couple of times if needed.

While the instruments carry the day this time this time around, I believe in your potential. I really hope that you do, too. Keep compos(ed/ing)

Score: 6.9/10

RosieUV responds:

I had a cold when I was recording the vocals for it so trying to sing at the right pitches was harder but I appreciate the review (I didn't want to wait for it to pass as then it'll be too late). I basically made all the vocal stuff after the main track and went based on ear for the keys which I haven't really done before as usually I make the music bit myself after I've done all the vocal stuff. Still though, 6.9 is a good score in my eyes.

[Polfarer (Polar Explorer) - botb2024]

Your track really makes excellent use of dynamics, with a lot of cool stereo elements in the mix. Your decision to record to cassette then return to digital is an interesting approach, and while it does lend itself a sense of legitimacy to the Heavy Metal vibe, it also serves to muddy the sound. A lot.

There are a whole lot of great things going on in the mix, but the main issue is that they're hard to actually train the ear on because the sound is so saturated. And yet, I still feel like going cassette first manages to give the track a sense of nostalgia that it otherwise wouldn't have. That said, as a kid who grew up in the late 70's and early 80's, the cassette tapes that I listened to possessed higher fidelity than this, so that makes it difficult to wholly justify the extra effort and overall loss. But hey man, that's just my opinion. I both like it, and I don't...if that makes any sense at all. I'm just really missing those subtleties that would have shown through otherwise. I enjoy being able to pick out the individual layers and focus on those, which generally means I can listen more often and hear new things.

Suffice to say, this is a solid Black Metal track, and while yours was the first one I've listened to so far without lyrics, I don't miss them all that much. When the instruments can get the job done, what more do you need?

Score: 7.7/10

[FD - Resolute Flow]

You're taking me on a journey, and I am 100% here for it. Beautiful strains that tug at the soul.

My thoughts as I'm listening:

Yes, there are things that we need to let go of in order to keep going, just to be able to maintain our footing in this crazy life. Sometimes the uphill struggles are so visceral; so real that we can't even imagine cresting the next rise without unloading years' worth of baggage.

Even so, there are always the positive aspects that can stick with us, come what may. No meeting or parting is wholly good or evil, they just...are. Those experiences meld with who we are at the time and help us to become who we're meant to be. We live, we learn, we love, we lose; but the perpetual movement in a forward direction through all of that is what tempers our hearts and minds for what lies ahead.

ForgottenDawn responds:

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. 🙏

[Screed - Queering Cat Rescue]

This is a vibe.

That's it! That's my whole review. Goodnight, everyone.

...But seriously, I feel like the talent this year is so good, it's like early Christmas. The synergy here is fantastic, and this is a perfect example of how a group of artists can create something that would probably never come to pass as a solo act. I mean sure, there's usually someone who takes point, but through that collaboration a variety of thoughts and ideas can come to light and refine the vision. Of course, that kind of collaboration takes time and effort to grow into something that works, which is probably why so many one-offs tend to suffer. That said, cheers! You guys are definitely a band.

If I really have to find something to grouse about, I guess it would be how loose the vocals can be sometimes. Some of those notes just don't get quite where they're supposed to be, but honestly those slightly disharmonious moments are few and far between.

Oh, and that weird bit at the end, where the guy in the booth is talking...not really sure how I feel about that. It spoils the ending in a way, but it did make me laugh, so...meh.

Score: 9/10

P.S. The bit about "matching denim" is missing from the lyrics section. Just thought you should know.

UwUwizard responds:

Ah wow! Thanks so much for the review. Really appreciate the constructive criticism! The voice at the end is from our old bassist Mikey, we threw it in to give a bit of a human touch and because we thought it be nice if they were on the new record even though Kyle took over for bass for the most part. You raise a good point about it shifting the tone though, definitely something we'll keep in mind when mixing in future. Thanks for listening!

[Liberty Priced - Where Am I? - Botb2024]

First impression: A thoroughly trippy and chaotic ride with too much compression and reverb. Second impression: Yep, my first impression pretty much sums it up.

Dude, I can hardly understand those vocals, but you definitely put your all into the experience. The Punk vibes are legit, and while there's a ton of craziness in the mix, it just works. Instruments and percussion are on point for a headbanger's ball. I can't honestly say that I've heard many (or any?) songs with maniacal laughter, but even that fits the frenetic motif. And while the sound has been processed to hell and back, it still manages to kick ass.

I never really know what to expect from a competition, but this is beyond what I could have imagined. It scratches a truly bizarre itch that I didn't even knew I had.

Score: 8.9/10