I love that chromatic chord progression and the best part is that i ddin't feelt into the rhythm and groove of this at all at the start as in when it all kicked in it was so wonderfully unexpected but brilliant. Its really unique and i can imagine some lyrics to this and a melody . Adore the varying builds as well
I love the dark and brooding nature of this- the rest at the end of the main figure and how the drums tick through at points both add a sense of doomed inevitability.
Your dynamics here are also well considered, though I can't help but wonder if you're leaning on them too much in terms of tension/resolution, and would encourage you to explore other ways to further add to that. I know it's often got to be a light touch when it comes to major key stuff in metal, and though I'm a fan I'm not a particularly well versed one(my examples will reflect that), but having a section where this resolves to some anthemic, major chords, even if briefly, would be an easy way to pump up the tension/resolution. Or you might want to be more subtle. I'm thinking of the way Mogwai defined their sound early on as opposed to what it became later. They may have gone too subtle eventually, but progressing beyond the quiet/loud dynamic of Young Team no matter how satisfying it was is what gave them so much depth.
On a more mainstream note, what Tool did on Sober is a tension/resolution masterclass and doesn't need major chords to do it- from the spare chromaticism of the verse to the huge chords and larger vocal jump of the chorus, even apart from that huge dynamic shift, just makes it crushing.
I don't mean to discount the way it does shift- the way the main figure changes throughout holds my interest and I especially like the little flourishes of tension happening with the strings moving against the main figure and then back to it. Lots to like and plenty of complexity, all contributing to that sense of doomed inevitability, pretty f* majestic.
Anyway, that's what I've got. Obviously trust your instincts- my opinions are colored by my experience and necessarily limited. Also I don't generally go on so much- I do tend to namedrop, but sometimes it's the simplest way to get the idea across. Anyway, I appreciate your idea to make the tag- hopefully it continues from year to year :)
I see you pushed the careful what you wish for button on this one :D
This is very, very cool! The double tracked guitars sound great and add a lot to this spread out wide in the stereo field. If I was to give any advice on this it would be to lean in on some more panning. I don't know how the drums were tracked, but would be awesome to hear some of that moving around and interplaying with some of the keys doing the same and I think really add to the already chaotic nature of this I believe you were going for.
There's a giants marching quality to this too and it makes me think of how Vonnegut Jr. described the bombing of Dresden... like angry giants stomping around above us. So very appropriate methinks.
and any advice...especially from me should always be taken with big old buckets of salt, screw the grains :D
Going down ... I see what you did there! This has a little 80s TV show theme vibe to it. Or is it just me? Anyway, cool piece of music with an adequately dystopian mood.
Took another listen with my Genelecs to give some feedback on production. The bassdrum and bass has a lot of reverb. I usually leavy them dry, but if ít's about sounddesign, I'd put an EQ on your reverb send channel and cut the main frequencies of the bass (50-300 Hz somewhere) to prevent it from being muddy. The powerchords sound more powerful now.
None of us needed the 80s back like this, but here we are! Really nice build and cinematic feel to this piece. I can absolutely see it backing a global devastation movie montage. There is a "clock ticking down to detonation" energy that is particularly effective.
Aptly titled song, with the half-steps it really sounds apocalyptic. Great main theme. I like the rhythm, because sounds irregular at first hearing. Really comes to life around 0:30, becomes really intimidating there. Great electric guitar bassline around 1:30, energizing!
Started so gently and then ominous collapse of a descending hell and destruction emerge so effectively. I love the darkness of this journey and all of the instrumental layers. Powerful and provocative! That recurring motif becomes increasingly haunting as we hear it again and again.
60s? I'm not good on history please help me. However I hear your rage. And I think it sounds more like an atomic bomb and a Geigerzähler. This has been the 80s?! What a mood.
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@karlsburg25 Mar 2022
I love that chromatic chord progression and the best part is that i ddin't feelt into the rhythm and groove of this at all at the start as in when it all kicked in it was so wonderfully unexpected but brilliant. Its really unique and i can imagine some lyrics to this and a melody . Adore the varying builds as well
@bradbrubaker Mar 2022
This is murky, dark, deep depths. With the synthy bits coloring it one way until the sharp-edged guitars come in with the drum blasts. I enjoyed this!
@majormajormajormajor Mar 2022
I love the dark and brooding nature of this- the rest at the end of the main figure and how the drums tick through at points both add a sense of doomed inevitability.
Your dynamics here are also well considered, though I can't help but wonder if you're leaning on them too much in terms of tension/resolution, and would encourage you to explore other ways to further add to that. I know it's often got to be a light touch when it comes to major key stuff in metal, and though I'm a fan I'm not a particularly well versed one(my examples will reflect that), but having a section where this resolves to some anthemic, major chords, even if briefly, would be an easy way to pump up the tension/resolution. Or you might want to be more subtle. I'm thinking of the way Mogwai defined their sound early on as opposed to what it became later. They may have gone too subtle eventually, but progressing beyond the quiet/loud dynamic of Young Team no matter how satisfying it was is what gave them so much depth.
On a more mainstream note, what Tool did on Sober is a tension/resolution masterclass and doesn't need major chords to do it- from the spare chromaticism of the verse to the huge chords and larger vocal jump of the chorus, even apart from that huge dynamic shift, just makes it crushing.
I don't mean to discount the way it does shift- the way the main figure changes throughout holds my interest and I especially like the little flourishes of tension happening with the strings moving against the main figure and then back to it. Lots to like and plenty of complexity, all contributing to that sense of doomed inevitability, pretty f* majestic.
Anyway, that's what I've got. Obviously trust your instincts- my opinions are colored by my experience and necessarily limited. Also I don't generally go on so much- I do tend to namedrop, but sometimes it's the simplest way to get the idea across. Anyway, I appreciate your idea to make the tag- hopefully it continues from year to year :)
@dzdandcunfsd Mar 2022
I see you pushed the careful what you wish for button on this one :D
This is very, very cool! The double tracked guitars sound great and add a lot to this spread out wide in the stereo field. If I was to give any advice on this it would be to lean in on some more panning. I don't know how the drums were tracked, but would be awesome to hear some of that moving around and interplaying with some of the keys doing the same and I think really add to the already chaotic nature of this I believe you were going for.
There's a giants marching quality to this too and it makes me think of how Vonnegut Jr. described the bombing of Dresden... like angry giants stomping around above us. So very appropriate methinks.
and any advice...especially from me should always be taken with big old buckets of salt, screw the grains :D
@ampersandman Mar 2022
Going down ... I see what you did there! This has a little 80s TV show theme vibe to it. Or is it just me? Anyway, cool piece of music with an adequately dystopian mood.
@nadine Mar 2022
Took another listen with my Genelecs to give some feedback on production. The bassdrum and bass has a lot of reverb. I usually leavy them dry, but if ít's about sounddesign, I'd put an EQ on your reverb send channel and cut the main frequencies of the bass (50-300 Hz somewhere) to prevent it from being muddy. The powerchords sound more powerful now.
@vivalarayna Mar 2022
None of us needed the 80s back like this, but here we are! Really nice build and cinematic feel to this piece. I can absolutely see it backing a global devastation movie montage. There is a "clock ticking down to detonation" energy that is particularly effective.
@emplate Mar 2022
Very nice build-up and song development. Has a bit of a quirky feel which I enjoy. The distortion guitar tone is cool.
@erikleppen Feb 2022
Aptly titled song, with the half-steps it really sounds apocalyptic. Great main theme. I like the rhythm, because sounds irregular at first hearing. Really comes to life around 0:30, becomes really intimidating there. Great electric guitar bassline around 1:30, energizing!
@kahlo2013 Feb 2022
Started so gently and then ominous collapse of a descending hell and destruction emerge so effectively. I love the darkness of this journey and all of the instrumental layers. Powerful and provocative! That recurring motif becomes increasingly haunting as we hear it again and again.
@nadine Feb 2022
60s? I'm not good on history please help me. However I hear your rage. And I think it sounds more like an atomic bomb and a Geigerzähler. This has been the 80s?! What a mood.