OK, so here we go:
Erictracks:
You say you keep it simple … Well … Good sounding guitars. Extra points for being able to play real instrument instead of plugin. But the first theme (/short melody-guitar-riff?) we hear is repeated a little too often (it made me think of the Scottish highlands, for some reason, although this is more southern American style, probably). Apart from that this is still somewhere near a song that has a melody – or could
have a melody – and could be played on the radio (or streamed from the Internet). And when I say this I think of the mix of instruments as a whole, and how they are handled. On the other hand: a song that consists of one single chord, namely E, is not going to top any chart at all. You claim there is one chord change, but the only chords I can hear is E major and E7 – right? In any case: I liked the guitar solo, beginning at 2:46, I wish I could play the guitar like that.
alavault:
Maybe you can analyze it like this:
00:21 – 00:50 = intro (the music before 00:21 is so silent that you almost can't hear it)
00:50 – 01:19 = theme 1 , 01:19 – 01:47 = theme 2 01:47 – 02:16 = combination theme 1 and 2 , 02:16 – 03:20 = theme 3 , 03:20 – 04:18 = theme 1 and 2 again
04:18 – 04:53 = outro
The mix is excellent. It sounds very good. The drums are all at the right level. This also applies to other instruments. If I were to try to imagine a context in which this track, in its current state, could be used, it might be like movie music. Because the song is probably a bit too long to be played live at a concert. I think maybe it should be possible to let a topliner add vocals. Or the song could be edited in some other way, to become something that could be performed from a stage. It's a song writing competition we're in. I can not help but interpret this as it is 'radio hits' (or streaming hits) we are trying to compose, but I may be wrong. In any case, this composition gets high scores, because the music is pleasant to listen to, after all (although I think it gets a little repetitive when theme 1 + 2 comes back a third time 03:20 – 04:18).
Arelem:
Simple but efficient and powerful production. I do not know what this way of singing is called, I have never been interested in metal rock or other styles from recent decades. I have a hard time commenting on details here, because I do not know the terminology. But I hear that it is done in a professional way, hence high scores.
EDIT: But I agree, with somebody else, that the kick needs more/louder low frequencies.
becsei_gyorgy:
This piece of music just makes me exhausted. Whether it is death rock, acid rock, metal rock or anything else, I don't think that the purpose of music is to make the listeners long for a spa. Although I can hear that this was done with a great deal of skill, (you're not an amateur, becsei_gyorgy; some of your synth guitar sounded quite realistic), I will assume that my personal taste is relevant. Hence not very high scores.
EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention is that I – personally – don't think that crash cymbals were meant for being hit continuously, but for accents. I can't stand it. This together with the vocals/roaring makes the song almost insufferable to me. This doesn't mean you are not a skilled musician.
EsteveCorbera:
At 0:44 some low frequencies are introduced, I can't identify how this instrument actually sounds, but to my ears the frequency is wrong, in other words it's out of tune. To be honest, the only section where this reminds me of rock – or any kind of popular music – is between 01:24 – 01:40. Drastic proposal: skip the section before 01:24 and let the four first bars from that point be the intro to your next rock song! The rest of the time there is one instrument (/voice) which is totally dominating. Maybe you could describe the sound as a distorted xylophone. It plays very many half notes. Somewhere in the middle of the song this sound is combined with a vibrato synth, and at the end of the song it is replaced by another synth. This is extremely eccentric! To summarize: to let that lead instrument (xylophone/synth) play all those half notes, combined with a few quarter notes (and eight notes?), is far too eccentric to me. Better luck next time!
GMoneh:
Now, this is a production which is a complete, finished song !!! There are probably elements that could be improved (there always is), but I like listening to a song that isn't just a sketch. From approx 00.23 – 00:28 rhythm guitar and drums are a little too untight. From 01:37 and ten more seconds (the synth solo) I totally lose my grip on how the beat is supposed to be conceived. Maybe if I saw the notes in written form … Anyway, I want to reward a participant who delivers a finished product.
VCA-089:
This piece of music obviously describes some very dark and harsh place in universe. The BD's sixteenth notes, which seems to be an important part of this style of music (a style I don't know the name of) seems to be one sample only, repeated over and over again. Is it called the machine gun effect (or is that term used only in connection with snare drums?). It isn't a big deal, really, but normally we try to use different velocity layers – don't we? (No, not in this genre?) Anyway: After having listened three times, this is my conclusion: This is very intense, but not to the degree I want to run away to a spa. There are some short and some a little bit longer 'pauses', where the listener can catch his breath. And although the song is kind of monotone, to some extent, there is enough variety, also in terms of chord progression. I never perceived it as repetitive.
► Show Spoiler
1. (10 pts) VCA-089
2. (9 pts) Arelem
3. (8 pts) alavault
4. (7 pts) GMoneh
5. (6 pts) Erictracks
6. (5 pts) becsei_gyorgy
7. (4 pts) EsteveCorbera
