BlazingDragon's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Catacombs]

Very abmbiet

Catacombs is a very befitting title for this track. It really gives that dark, underground vibe. I love the constantly repeating harp line that anchors the song. It is cool to hear how the chords change all throughout, but the harp (and harpsichord) line remains steady. I really like the progression, and the instruments sound very good. The percussion especially is quite cool.

The transition into the harpsichord section was a little rough, but it worked out. The harp just kind of dropped, and it didn't sound right to me. I really like the change of mood that comes with the harpsichord, though. My favorite part was where you had the major chord at 2:31, and then just obliterated that brief feeling of hope with the strings that followed soon after. The brass toward the beginning and the gong add nice flavor, as well.

Great job! You've got a 5/5 and 10/10 from me. I'll recommend your music to others. I would love to see it on the front page! :)

ParishIsDead responds:

You are right to see this as a devastating hopeful. Your reviews never cease to amaze me dear listener. As my scores remain 10/10 I should be seeing my prize sooner that I expected. Thank you for your growing support and faith in me and my practices.

[Melancholy]

There is beauty in subtlety

I read the "author comments" and could immeadiately tell that this would be epic. I can tell that you, my friend, love music. I know from experience that passive listening does not do a piece justice; one must close his eyes and immerse himself in music completely to realize its beauty and depth.

The melody is so hauntingly expressive. The chords were lush, and your harmonies were simply wonderful. The dynamics added a further layer of depth. I loved it! But what I found best was the subtle differences throughout. I noticed how you used varied orchestration to create interest, and how you changed dynamic levels here and there to build contrast. The orchestral colors you painted were great. I loved the instrumental combinations and how they defined the mood.

As I listened with my eyes closed, I recieved a very specific image. I could see hundreds of men, women, and children, marching through the snow as they were forced to leave their homes. Their tears had run dry, and they marched on solemnly. In the cold they continued, yet they hadn't lost all hope. They knew that they would persevere; that they must continue forward.

The bass drum which steadily fell in the background created that image of marching for me. The high strings and woodwinds gave me that snowy picture. The descending string part around 1:30 especially evoked the image of gently falling snow to me. The phrase starting around 2:24 gave me that feeling of determination in the people, though, and that chord at 2:29 almost gave an air of hope.

This review is becoming lengthy, so I'll stop here. :P You've done an excellent job, though, and I am thoroughly impressed. I wish I could write music like that! The only thing that bogged it down was the samples. They were slightly poor in quality, and made it sound midi-ish. This would be so much more grand with high-quality samples! Do me a favor and find a way to buy some. Your music deserves no less! By the way, did you by any chance use Finale for this?

Again, great job, and thanks for sharing your wonderful music. It was a great listening experience. :D

-BlazingDragon

ParishIsDead responds:

Nope, not Finale. I wrote what I used in the PM to you a few moments ago.

That imagery was exact to my own when I wrote this piece. The reason for the midi-ish quality is that it was recorded at a really high sample rate and then converted by newgrounds so it could be played here.

Please listen to Catacombs. I think that you will see even more that what you saw here!

Please tell everyone you know about me. I am fighting for the audio portals front page!

[The Tian Forest]

Awesome

I really liked it! The drums contributed a lot to the feel, and really drove it (even though they were simple). I would love to hear it lengthened though, as it just feels unfinished. At that end note, you could have broken off into something different before going back into the original theme, for instance. Aside from that, the string samples were low quality, but we can't all afford expensive libraries, right? (I can't :P)

Great job! 8/10 (5/5)

Jessismith responds:

Thank you so much! I agree that it's unfinished. I had actually made an intro and a finish for it, but sadly I just can't record them at the moment because I'm lacking the equipment. But one day I'll complete it....hopefully, and I'll make it better than it is now.

[Serenity^Dft]

Nice

I don't listen to much techno, so I can't give much advice. The only thing was that it could have used a bit more variety. It sounded like some of it was just cut and paste. I really did like it though. The cymbal was pretty cool, and I liked the dynamics.

Keep it up!

Darthfett responds:

Yeah, I'm getting a bit annoyed at the song as well. I guess I didn't realize I had put so many bars in a row of the same stuff before I submitted it. I get anxious to see what people think, and then submit songs too quickly a lot of the time = /

Thanks for the Review!
~Darthfett

[My First Easy Listening Song]

Wow!

I'm really impressed with this! The sound quality is really high, and you've got a lot of fun, original material going here. It love some of the guitar riffs, and you've got some nice harmonic work. The percussion and synths are great, and everything fits together pretty seamlessly. I haven't really listened to much easy listening, so I can't really pick out anything wrong with it. very relaxing and fun to listen to. Especially the bass guitar pattern. (It's repetitive, but fun to listen to!)

Great job! This is an impressive improvement over "A song by a boy". BTW, what samples do you use, or is the guitar recorded?

wisthekiller responds:

for the a song by a boy its recorded, and for this its magix

[A Song By A Boy]

Okay

Wow, that's pretty good guitar for 13-years-old! I wish I could play. :P

Your song is alright, and I like the beginning. But then it dropped, and all it was were chords, which was dissapointing. I would have liked a melody, and it to be longer. It was short, so I had to mark down diversity. I can tell you probably put some effort into this, though. It was also king of fuzzy and I had to turn my speakers up, and there was background noises. We can't all afford expensive equipment to record with though, so it's alright. :P (I know I can't afford it)

I would like to see you write some music for multiple instruments. Your song isn't bad, but it's too short to really review properly. Nice try, though!

wisthekiller responds:

actually i just made this up in 5 minutes, the background noise was the tv, and i can only play guitar

[23 Tears]

It's different

It wasn't the most original composition I've heard in technical terms, as it was fairly simple. I did think that the dissonance was okay in this piece, as it was being used for effect and not due to a bad ear. It actually added some originality. I knocked off the diversity score, as it was all mostly similar without anything to set parts of the song apart much. The sound was clear and clean, though I would have liked the piano to be a little less damp and a little more "crisp". (I don't know if that makes sense) Great effort to bring something new and different, as always.

In terms of raw emotion and feeling, I liked the song a lot. It was sad and peaceful at the same time. The half-step dissonances were a little dissorienting at some times, but added taste in others. I loved the chord progression and the emotion in the simple melody.

8/10 as a whole, and a 5/5 rating for another work well done.

(I'm trying to be slightly more harsh with reviews for now on, even if only a little. I'm too soft most of the time. :P )

Bosa responds:

No, I like to see the true strength in a person. Bringing out one's emotional strengths and keeping in one's emotional weakness is one of the keys of success.

You said what had to be said, and you announced it quite well. A new, innovative tune that could use improvement. Through, and true. I'm starting to respect you, BlazingDragon.

[Patch_Bell]

It certainly is original O_o...

Holy cow! I never saw the "Jump to page" link! I thought you only had fifty songs...Wow...103? That is absolutely amazing! Well, I'll give this a quick review!

Wow, you really like to use crazy effects, even back in 2005. :P It's really comical how you speed up and slow down, highering and lowering notes. It's almost disturbing.

What software do you use for the most part? Some of the effects you do are amazing!

Good job on this. It's short, but good. A little weird, but so are some of your other pieces!

8/10

Bosa responds:

Heh, heh! My first song was one of my best, to be in my opinion. This was a live recording back in my college years. Barlow, as I call him, was the one who played the violin. Everything else was made on a program that shall and forever remain anonymous.

[Dark Age]

Scary! :O

I can feel the unbridled rage swelling within the piece; curse those zero voters! :O Anyway, back to the review. :P

From the beginning, there is a strong, forboding sense of something ominous approaching. It is subtle at first with the high strings. It isn't even anger, so much as pressure building (if that makes sense). After that, the song just became kind of like a volcano about to erupt, but...Never did. When the first part ended, (and the part timpani and snare came in) I was half-expecting a violent explosion of pent up energy. I was kind of dissapointed by what actually happened. It simply didn't fit the song as a whole. The ending was too abrupt as well, IMO.

I loved the beginning with the high strings. The cello was incredible. It really gave that dark feeling. I would have liked it to have been a litter louder and longer, though. The choir "Ah!" that made a one-time appearance shortly after didn't fit well. It almost lightened the atmosphere. The low vocals were great, though. Just that one high chord bothered me. I liked some of the sound effects you used in the strings (where they would spiral downward and swell back up) but it is becoming a little overused in some of your songs. The second part of the song with the timpani, again, bothered me. It just didn't fit. It wasn't bad in itself, but in the context of the song, it didn't work. I did like the low male choir at the end. (were they chanting something?)

Dynamics and other effects were great! The strings had a nice balance of dynamics, and you did a great job of increasing the volume appropriately as the song sped up. Again, I would have liked the cello at the beginning louder. The coolest aspect of your song, perhaps, is how it seems to speed up and slow down tempo for effect. I don't know how to do that in my software (FL Studio). What software do you use most often, BTW?

There are a lot of things I am picky about and would have liked done better here, but the good outweighs the bad. You did a fine job on this one, friend. :P (You seem to say friend a lot)

9/10 rating and 5/5 vote. Blasted zero voters!!!

Bosa responds:

Death to them all, I say! I enjoyed reading this review, and you have given me yet another inspiration.

For this, I congratulate you.

-Bosa

[DreamGate -|- Mega Man 2]

Great!

I liek this a lot! It has a lot of energy and it's fun to listen too. :D I think you're better at techno than classical (no offense).

I like the electric piano or whatever it is. The bass is pretty cool too; it sounds bouncy.

I don't know a lot about techno, but I like your arrangement! Keep up the good work, and try too make it longer next time!

DreamGate responds:

thx :) think the bass is to much though :P