Bezman's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Extreme Hardcore]

lacking in 'punch'.

The opening 'bubbly' sound is a bit odd for this kinda music, but I like it.

I'm not too keen on the screechy sound we hear at 27s and throughout until 47s. The whole 27s-42s bit sounds a bit too sparse and repetitive to be just an instrumental. I'd suggest changing it up a bit more.

I'm not keen on the transition into those parts - I like the drumrolls, but when you change into those repetitive melodies, it sounds kinda jarring to me.

The guitars and drums keep a tight beat.

Some part were fun - I liked the ending and there's a fair bit of energy.

At the moment though, it feels a bit thrown together and doesn't have the punch it could have.

svere responds:

odd is good! But well well, thanks for your time.

[Leap of Faith {durn}]

Fun to listen to - like a space voyage.

I downloaded this just over a week ago and it seems to have been changed radically - the bass and beats are a lot heavier, the volume louder and there seem to be a few other tweaks...

I actually kinda liked the quietness of the original - that had a soft, chilled aspect - it was kinda something you could play whilst lounging about.

This one has tons more energy and fits better into the genre. Still, I'd have suggested submitting a new version (as an 'edit') rather than overwriting this one...

You still haven't fixed what I consider a notable fault - the ending. It just sounds curtailed - you should wait until the resonance fades away. Or if you were trying to make it loop, just know that it doesn't work. And no-one would use a song this long as a loop.

Opening beats sound great. Love the 'engine noise' synth that pops up around 14s, then plays for about 2s each time it pops in. What is that?

The way you introduce the higher melody at :57ish works well, the transformation to the synth at 1:37 less so imo.

It's not until 1:52 that the beats really start and it starts to get into the groove.

The melody played at 2:25ish is kinda simplistic but works as something to hang the other instruments off of.

Cutting everything out at 2:45seems a bit much - it might have been an idea to keep the beats or something with a harder tempo going.

I love the reinterpretation at 3:47. I think this would've worked well as a focus. If you'd built up to this part then used it as a chilled out 'climax', it might have worked.

I feel like it's a fun piece to listen to. I'll probably keep it. But in terms of being something that we can really groove along to? No. I feel you need to learn to judge better when to let the beats drop, how to keep the tempo going and use the chilled out bits more judiciously if you want it to be a pumping track.

Still fun.

durn responds:

lol, weird dude. I haven't updated/changed the tune at all. the one you heard when you first downloaded is the same one that's up now. :)

the engine sound is just an analog saw-bass with a bit of portamento running on it (sounds engine-like at first because the freq. is being slowly raised)

the groove I get into at 1:52 was something new and different for me so I'm glad you liked it though I hear ya about my rhythm sections; they're always the weakest part of my tracks.

and aye, the ending is weak, couldn't think of what to do. :P lol, so sue me. :D

thanks for the comments, dude. :)

[Tears of Remorse]

Desperately poignagnt. Filmic. Loops well enough..

All your work seems really filmic!

The song is wonderfully paced, the notes you dropped in from a high octave twisting my emotions round its little finger.

The faster part towards 1:30 provided a lovely contrast and nice respite from the tension of the earlier sections.

The song even loops well enough to be used as a background tune in a section of an RPG or something along those lines.

I don't have any real suggestions for improvement. Er... maybe it could be about 0.2s longer or 2s shorter, to make the loop match the beat perfectly?

Nigh on perfect.

BlazingDragon responds:

Filmic is good; I'm considering film scoring in the future, after all. :P

I feel as though high notes really have the ability to grab you by the throat and demand your attention. Especially in a sad song, they really seem to pull at the heart strings.

Respite is a good word to use at around 1:30. I had built tension with the high notes at the beginning and was going for emotional release at that point. I imagine someone truly battling with themselves at the beginning, and then simply pouring their heart out that 1:30 mark.

I hadn't intended for this to loop, but I can now see your point. If anything, I think I would cut it just a tad bit shorter personally.

Thank you for the wonderful review. It is well thought out and helpful! :D
~Blaze

[.:-{The Approaching Storm]

Filmic military energy.

A positive energy. Kinda poignant with the strings and wind but yet some hopeful, aggressive aspects, maybe because of the drums.

The opening wind/string section is so peaceful and the drums really add that military aggressive feel.

With the instruments you've got going on, it has a real filmic quality.

I think there should be something of a crescendo at 1:57ish - maybe add in one more instrument to pump it up before that ending. As is, the ending is a bit flatter than you intended, judging by the story you wrote.

There's an incredible energy here and a sorta 'hopeful' emotion overriding it all. The end is perfect.

Great work.

BlazingDragon responds:

We were definitely going for a cinimatic feel with this one, as you have pointed out. The calm at the beginning could almost be thought of as the "calm before the storm". A little while after the drums came in, we switched the hocrds to minor so it would be more war-like.

I completely agree about the crescendo. We really wanted an epic ending. As I listen now, I feel as though the climax wasn't near large enough. The problem is that we were already pushing volume levels quite high. Squidfont Orchestral (The soundfont we used) is naturally quiet, unfortunately. What we should have done is increase the project volume, lower all the instrument velocities, and then really create a huge swell in dynamics at the end. Maybe another instrument to thicken the texture, a slight speed in tempo, more complicated rhythyms to convey that sense of urgency, and a louder drum hit at the end would have been better...Sorry, I'm rambling to myself now. I've never been good with climaxes! :P

It is a bit hopeful, but that is a feeling I believe we were both going for. Kind of like, "I'm going out to war and may not return, but it's alright, because I'm doing it for my family and country!". Something along those lines. That "Hope" could also be looked at as "determination".

Thanks for the review,
~Blaze

[We Love You Jason]

Kinda amusing the first time.

Well, it kinda made me chuckle the first time I heard it, but I doubt I'll be keeping the song - it got old fast.

The first half had a decent guitar riff. You mess up the timing and seem to play a few bum notes, but I guess that sorta adds to the so-bad-it's-funny quality.

I find it really hard to make out what you're singing about, but the accent is hilarious.

I think the part around 2:10-2:40ish could have been cut and maybe cut out 3:30-4:39.

After the initial 'shock', the 2nd part didn't make me chuckle much at all and after around it gets old before you're finished.

There are some decent chords in the bg, but musically, it's really only good as a joke.

KlanMaster911 responds:

Indeed.

[>Welcome to my Haunted House<]

Creepy toytown vibe Feels like it should be longer

It actually sounds like we're in a major key until 0:11.

Then you start dropping in notes that identify it as a minor, before the laughs and it goes all-out creepy. Good work.

The laugh is perfect, with a macabre nature about it and the fast piano work that follows.

It gets a bit repetitive with the pattern towards the end, but that kinda adds to the evil toytown feel.

My main crit. is simply that the song perhaps isn't long enough to really develop the mood you start.

DjCompass responds:

Thanks for the review, and thanks for the advice. That's the only thing that i like more than people enjoying my music, is people pointing out (in a polite, refreshing manner) what's in need to improvement. Thanks again.

[Sad²]

Memorable but aggravating mismatched beats.

For the first listen, I really felt like the beats and slow melody didn't match up at all in tempo. Though I don't find it quite as aggravating anymore, it definitely still sounds odd.

Not much of a song - it just sorta starts, adds the beats, then keeps going with no movement. I mean, the melody doesn't go anywhere - just looping over and over. At the end, I just feel unsatisfied.

The thing isn't particularly emotional either, despite its name. Though in a minor chord, you've got to perhaps make the beats a simpler match, get some varied melodies on the go, then maybe give some emotive melodies the space to breathe.

Keep at it.

In the end, the mismatched beats became memorable, although I'm not sure I ever enjoyed it.

loogiesquared responds:

i'm not sure i ever enjoyed YOUR comment, mr.!

[Jasons Phone Call]

Surreal, but the script got dull.

The idea of pimping Jason was kinda amusing. I also liked the Arnie impersonation and the 'HahaHahaHaHAAaaaaa' chorus on the Jason song. Kinda surreal.

About a minute in though, the conversation started getting dull - sounding like a million other phone spoofs.

Maybe if Hugh Heffner had a better voice it might be funnier? Also a more engaging script.

I like the 'you sound so happy!' bit, but most of the rest just sounds like it's off the cuff, and unengaging thanks to it.

KlanMaster911 responds:

/

By the way..There was no script.

[Succubus]

Unique sound, though the guitars destroyed it.

I really liked the distortion on the voice. No idea how you did that, but it does sound pretty cool.

At 1:03, where the guitar becomes the main instrument, the song becomes kinda repetitive and the aggression of the guitar kinda nullifies the creepiness of the vocals.

Maybe you should concentrate on the creepy vibe and maybe throw in some other random shit in too? Breathing, glass breaking, howling...

KlanMaster911 responds:

Negative.

[Winter Dream]

Filmic. Poignant on first listen.

Slightly affecting, but the formula kinda seemed overly visible on repeated listens, making it lose its charm.

The whole piece has a filmic quality - kinda like a soundtrack.

For the first minute, you're putting out phrases, followed by replies, then you start moving from one phrase to the other. By the 1:40 mark, when you're replaying old phrases, it does get a bit tiresome. I feel you could've varied those phrases a tad when they pop up their 2nd time.

The last chord seemed a little too full and joyful for the tone of the piece. Maybe something a little more thoughtful and quiet - maybe ending on a single note?

You do have some great sounds here. Try to be more adventurous at times though.

BlazingDragon responds:

This song was one of the first times I had really jumped into using many instruments of the orchestra. It was originally just an experiment to hear how the musical colors and textures would be affected when I gave the melodies to various instruments. As such, the form is quite exposed.

I did strive for a cinimatic feel. Perhaps I'll redo this eventually and create more variation. It does repeat quite extensively...As for the ending, all my songs seem to quietly end on a quiet note. I really wanted to make this one more grand and enjoyed it personally. I can understand where you're coming from though.

Thank you for the review. I will try to be more adventurous in the future as you suggested. My more recent songs are a bit more varried, though.

~Blaze