ChronoNomad's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Mote Prime]

Oh my lord, this is eargasmic. So cool and chill for the first half, I just closed my eyes and got lost in the jam. You've described that alien, otherworldly feel so perfectly through music that it gave me shivers. Your percussion remains tight throughout, and the final quarter just plain rocks before slipping back into a chill and mysterious vibe for the outro.

The overall length of the piece is also impressive, especially considering that you did it all in just three days. You've just made seven and a half minutes pass by in an instant for me...twice. As a lover of all things piano, your ivory arpeggios from 6:41 to 6:45 were a very pleasant surprise. You're a force to be reckoned with, and it's easy to see how you took the top spot last year. Best of luck, man. Thanks for the ride.

Kor-Rune responds:

Thank you! I'm happy I could pull off a vibe I wanted for once, thanks for the review!

To be fair, I did kill myself and work on the track for about 12-13 hours per day I spent on it, so the project totaled around 35-40 hours of work. Glad you enjoyed it! Good luck this round!

[Bajo el sol, sobre las rocas]

Wow, this is a pretty unique fusion you've got going on here! I really dig the various cultural and ethnic juxtapositions, and I felt that your transitions were solid and quite fluid. You can certainly be forgiven for not incorporating Arabic, as well. I was just starting to feel like the melody from 1:50~ was getting a little too monotonous when you threw in a sweet percussive transition and switched gears, so that was some good timing.

I am admittedly a little disappointed in the rather sudden ending. I get what you're going for, but it feels like it needs a little extra something to really sell it. It could be as simple as a cymbal crash, but there are plenty of options. Well, that's just my opinion, anyway.

Excellent job, man! Just like you, I absolutely love that Peruvian guitar. Best of luck in Round 3!

InYourDreams responds:

Hey C-dog! :P
Thanks for the nice words ^_^... I wanted to experiment, but I think it could have been better... I still need to practice theory and my playing a little more... I used to do that, but now I only play and barf some music out of my sistem xD... this contest is really pushing me though.

I'm sorry I disappointed you with my ending... I think I know what went wrong there, but now it's to late to change it... maybe after the judging.

Good luck to you, too! :)

[Real Life Absurdities]

Did I somehow stumble back in time to my childhood? This reminds me (rather violently, in fact) of a time when I didn't have to get up early for work, but instead had to watch my favorite Saturday morning cartoons! It's crazy, frenetic, fun, and quite simply insane. I love it! Music rarely makes me suddenly burst out laughing, and this did, so huge props for that. I'm sure that I looked like a mental patient to everyone else around me, but I don't care. Bonus points for such a superlative level of absurdity. Hooray for the NGADM, and best of luck to you!

Wait--you know the coffee-making guy in the sombrero, too? It's a small world after all...

steampianist responds:

ah the joys of being in a stupefied state in front of the tv... i can relate :D

anyways thanks for listening and i cant believe this made you laugh
im guessing you appreciate slapstick! btw i loved this is not the end
maybe i can ask for some piano sheet? :)

and yes i know the guy in the sombrero he makes one kick ass coffee
though i think the coffee is decaf XD

[Shinjitsu]

I, for one, applaud your experimental NGADM entry, dj-Jo! That's a pretty ballsy decision in this contest, and for that very reason I've been avoiding things that exist way outside my comfort zone. I hope that taking the risk works out well for you!

Yes, shinjutsu means truth or reality. A good name for this Asian-influenced piece, I think; simple, yet effective. It is quite short, as you state in your Author Comments, but it also does feel complete. You could probably add more to the body of the music if you so desired, but the beginning and ending feel very appropriate. I kind of wanted that last note to just fade gently to nothingness, but that is merely a personal preference.

Some of the orchestral moments feel reminiscent of Joe Hisaishi of Studio Ghibli fame...especially your build-up and subsequent transition from :23 to the :30 mark. The amount of reverb felt somewhat superfluous, however; I would suggest possibly toning it down a little.

Overall, this is a truly excellent song! 4.5 stars, and that always translates to a vote of 5 from me. Congratulations on being the third person to submit in Round 3! Best of luck!

dj-Jo responds:

Ah, thank you very much (: I hope it works for me too haha

ohhh alrighty thanks for clearing that up :D
It doesn't fade out O: I didn't notice haha I might change it before the dead line.

:) I love his work!
Hmm, I check out the reverb before it's too late

Thanks a lot man! I wonder what Headphonez will conjure up :3

[Agnos]

This is really beautiful, Jordi. It's got that wistfully sad undercurrent, and the Greek lyrics are interwoven throughout the melody very well. I don't personally know much of the Greek language, but Kyrie is certainly familiar to me. Very nice timing on the lyrics and your harmonies at 2:34 are absolutely lovely! There are a lot of subtle nuances in the song, including the way you incorporated the stereo field into your background choir. My only real complaint is the the song ends too soon. :D

Good luck in Round 3, my friend.

etherealwinds responds:

You are always ever so pleasant. Good luck to you too Chronononoyes (not that you need it)!! It's sad that one of us has to leave the competition, but how symbolic that one of us will lose to the other. I'm excited for the results :)))

[LoveIsABattlefield cover]

I've always loved this song, and you've done an excellent job with this cover! It's a perennial favorite of mine on karaoke night. Your instrumentals are fantastic, though they do tend to drown out the lyrics a little too much. You sound good, though! Congratulations on finally putting a pin in this project. :D

Hopefully working on this has helped to inspire your Round 3 song in the NGADM! Best of luck!

InYourDreams responds:

Hey Chrono"Bro"mad :P!
Thanx! Yeah, I think it's better like this, cause my pronunciation is fucking awfull xD... I can't get rid of my accent in any other language I speak. It will hunt me forever...
But I dont care actually ^_^... it just bothers me when I wanna sing :(... cause I like to sing

And about Round 3... don't worry... I have something interesting in the works ;)

[In the end]

This is pretty great for something whipped up in the space of one afternoon/evening. That's quite an achievement as far as I'm concerned. I was feeling rather sad and introspective throughout much of the piece, but then you went and jazzed it all up at the end! Something tells me this was a rough ride, but there's an incredible sense of hope at its terminus. Love it.

I really hope that you'll be able to record and share the original collaborative project you've been working on with the world one of these days. I'm just really sorry that the experience didn't go more smoothly for you. Life really sucks sometimes, but you saw this through right to the end. Proud of you, man. Good luck, and keep right on being awesome. :)

BlazingDragon responds:

Thanks for the encouragement, man. It was admittedly pretty rough not being able to go with the original plan. I had musicians in mind and self-imposed deadlines written up. It just didn't come together in the end. Hopefully I'll be able to finish that piece one day.

Glad you liked this though. :)

[Cthulhu Surfaces]

Sweet cuppin' cakes--this is like thirty pounds of Awesome in a five pound bag! I mean R'lyeh. I can see why you chose Classical as the genre, but it's also intensely Cinematic, so I totally get what SoundChris is saying too. I particular enjoyed the creepy use of pizzicato during the deeply rumbling beginning and ending. Lots of really fun things are going on with the percussion throughout the entire orchestration, and the overall composition quality fairly blows me away. So many interwoven instruments and melodies...

Long story short, this is nothing short of astounding. What Chris said.

headphoamz responds:

Aw shucks Chrono - you're the best. Also, SWEET CUPPIN' CAKES, would that happen to be a Strong Bad reference? <3

[When a Good Man Goes to War ~P]

This is absolutely beautiful, Phyrnna. You've really brought your A-game to Round 2, and it was a pleasure to listen to. It still possesses your distinctive style, which will often sound a bit like Epic Battle Fantasy (occupational hazard, I suppose), but this also sounds decidedly different.

The Uilleann Pipes you have sound so fantastic they make me jealous, and your implementation most certainly did them justice. There's a real plethora of fun and interesting instruments here, and you've given them all a good home. In all honesty, there was just one thing that I didn't particularly care for, and that was the abruptly staccato guitar at about the 4:50 mark. It felt very sudden and oddly timed without some kind of lead-in to me.

Very nice dynamics, as advertised. The nod to the good Doctor is also a welcome surprise. Altogether, an exceptional piece of music. Top marks and best of luck!

Phyrnna responds:

Oh I'll certainly miss Matt Smith. :')

Epic Battle Fantasy will probably always be within my music somewhere. xD I'll escape it eventually, but then again it's not like I really mind it as I'm quite proud of my EBF work!

The Uillean pipes are such a beautiful instrument that I certainly wanted them to be a centerpiece that carried a lot of emotional weight, and I think they worked excellently for it.

Thanks for the listen!