Right. Here we go, then (sorted as they appear in my playlist):
"2 Girls 1 Cup" (Lyrics: LordOminous, Theme: Alcohol, Sex & Bitches, Music: Arkhane)
Lyrics (3.5/5) Truth to be told - the theme was quite dodgy and limited, and it is the main reason for the point deduction. I think LordOminous really did his best with the lyrics, and came up with some amusing and fitting stuff.
Song genre choice (2.5/5) I'm truly ambivalent about this one - on one hand, the choice of a blackened death metal direction for a theme that screams "speed metal" isn't too fitting per se IMO (apart from the groovier clean parts), yet on the other hand - I can't not appreciate the surprise factor involved. So I went for a middle rating.
Composition (5/5) A great way to set the tone for the entire challenge IMO. Absolutely love the drive of the song in it's groovier parts and the dark melodies of the extreme parts. Reminds me of Eternal Gray in their better days.
Performance (5/5) Goes hand-in-hand with Composition to my taste. Although there weren't any bits I found to be overly complex (isn't a bad thing really), every aspect of the performance was highly competent (even the drum programming). Not to mention the growling, really classy work there mate.
Production (4/5) The production was decent most of the time, although I'd really like the drums a little higher in the mix and the vocals a little lower. Also, I think you should have restrained the amounts of reverb on the vocals and the lead guitar due to the clipping it causes on certain segments of the songs.
Overall (20/25) I don't know how the song would do in comparison to the other songs as far as tallies go (I write this thing on the spot), but there are only about 3 songs that really captivated me on this challenge, and this is one of them. Keep up the good work!
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"Dormant Choirs" (Lyrics: Duisterling & Devirginizer, Theme: War & Genocide, Music: bjornobomb)
Lyrics (4/5) Song genre choice (3/5) Composition (0/5) Performance (0/5) Production (0/5) Overall (7/25) Don't quit your day job. Either there's a joke black cons don't get (because if it's meant to be annoying, then congrats! Job well done!), or the concepts of rhythm and musicality are completely alien to you. Nice work with ruining beyond repair a decent piece of lyrics.
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"The Ninth Ring" (Lyrics: DecayingMyYouth & MoonPenatrator, Theme: Literature & Paintings, Music: CorpseFister)
Lyrics (3.5/5) I'll admit - I didn't read Dante's Inferno, therefore I can't really relate to the concept behind the lyrics. The lyrics themselves are well written though. As far as the performer goes - the little switch in verses (putting the "9-th ring" verse after the first 8) makes more sense than the original, so a good desicion there.
Song genre choice (5/5) These lyrics could go with any of the more atmospheric genres really, but the chosen dramatic ambiance of DSBM fits the lyrics the best. Good call!
Composition (4/5) Solid work there. The guitars, drums and the vocals are pretty standard to the genre (so any fans of DSBM should dig this one), yet the additional synth tinges (there's a chip-tune lead thing going on around the 03:30-04:00 marks if I'm not mistaken) are what made the song for me. Great atmosphere all throughout.
Performance (4/5) Good work on capturing the key elements of the genre and encasing them in a single nifty song. Liked the spoken passages as well.
Production (4/5) Again, pretty standard to the genre. Nothing to add here.
Overall (20.5/25)
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"Total Fucking Destruction" (Lyrics: Bonged, Theme: Terrorism, Music: DecayingMyYouth & MoonPenatrator)
Lyrics (4/5) I like it. It's a lot more well written and thought out than the rest of the lyrics dealing with the subject. Some of the rhymes sound a little stretched though (the line about "foreign cynicism" doesn't make a lot of sense, for example).
Song genre choice (4/5) What genre is better to set lyrics about terrorism to, if not the good old thrash? Easy call. Maybe too easy...
Composition (3.5/5) I hate thrash, but that isn't your fault, is it? I dig the sinister feel that goes there nevertheless. Some parts should have been ironed out though (the trade-offs between regular and triplet feels at 00:55 and 01:28 are a little too abrupt, just as the ending of the song).
Performance (3/5) A solid performance that's constantly ruined by the atrocious off-rhythm, off-tune, off-anything bass playing. Vodals are particularily Shulinder-like, take what you want from that statement.
Production (4/5) Did I mention the bass playing? It should have been buried deeper in the mix, to cover up on some of the sloppyness I think. The rest sounded great, and I've already docked you enough for the bass playing, so...
Overall (18.5/25)
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"Irrelevant" (Lyrics: guitartheist, Theme: The Cosmos, Music: Duisterling & Devirginizer)
Lyrics (4/5) Nice interpretation of the theme, man! Very thoughtful lyrics, and the miserable feel of one's negligibility in face of infinty was very well captured.
Song genre choice (5/5) Atmospheric lyrics require an atmospheric genre to match, so basically if you went with either doom metal, black metal or ambient that would be fine, however - you've managed to combine all three in a very spectacular way, and for that I salute you.
Composition (4/5) I liked the string parts, they were a good contribution to the spatial feel of the song. They sounded a lot like something Venetian Snares would write. The rest of the song was great too, although a little generic.
Performance (5/5) What you two have set to accomplish in your composition was conveyed very well through the performance. Some minor slips do exist, but nothing worth mentioning really.
Production (3.5/5) The sound of the strings is awesome. The rest is a little bit too "tiny" and black-metallish, in a way that fits the genres you were playing, but not the atmosphere of the lyrics. Overall (21.5/25)
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"I Am Despair" (Lyrics: Arkhane, Theme: Loss & Bereavement, Music: GeoCO3)
Lyrics (2.5/5) The lyrics are fine, really, but compared to the rest of the submissions they feel a little uninspired.
Song genre choice (2/5) I think it's just me, but I think that these lyrics really needed their hidden darkness to be brought forward and elaborated upon - maybe in a more doomish tune, maybe in something along the lines of Vortex by Thorns. The choice of a metalcorish direction, on the other hand, made them feel a little "teen-angstish" in context. The direction fits the lyrics in a certain way, sure, just not my favorite of ways...
Composition (4/5) Good work there. It tends to get repetitive, yet you've still managed to cram enough twists and add ons in the almost 7 minutes of the song to let this fact pass unnoticed and maintain interest throughout.
Performance (5/5) You've nailed whatever you've set to do in a very efficient way. And should I mention the vocals..?
Production (3/5) Yeah, I probably should. Stop. Processing. Your. Clean. Vocals. They're awesome! So is your growling, so why put it so low in the mix? Other than that, the instrumentals are all clear enough, and I've managed to hear whatever you've tried to deliver, yet the guitar tone is a little too fuzzy to my taste. And EZDrummer sucks, but it isn't your fault.
Overall (16.5/25) Don't let this number fool you though, I like this song a lot.
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This one gets awfully long, isn't it? I'll continue in a separate message.
_________________ Voidal, Doom/Death Metulz.
kingnuuuur wrote: DoomMetalAlchemist wrote: I know nothing of hair care, so bare with me. Metal dudes, assemble in the shower!
Last edited by yentass on Fri Apr 29, 2011 8:39 am, edited 2 times in total.
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