Neophyte-Ronin's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Zelda - Gerudo Valley (remix)]

Top-Notch Quality

Reminiscent of some of Scott Peeples' Gerudo Valley mixes at OCRemix, meaning it's insanely beautiful. Perhaps too beautiful... forgive the comparison, but it sounds vaguely similar to an erotic movie soundtrack. I've seen a fan-art of Link and Malon that's both racy and intimate, and this track captures the moment a little too well...!

Unfortunately, saying such things means that some jerk author will actually try to animate a pornographic flash based on the Legend of Zelda: the Ocarina of Time! Worse yet, they'll probably want your track... or worst of all, they were actually inspired by the same track!

Other than rousing a disturbing association, the song itself is mellow and fun to listen to, which explains why the style is preferred for erotic films in the first place. I suppose you should keep up the good work, but watch out when you claim something was "made for fun and there's nothing special about it", because someone will be cruel enough to over-analyze and conjecture about what you really wanted out of the song....

In the end, you made it for fun, but you only assume there's nothing special about it. I bet all the fan-girls say otherwise. ;)

C-Storm responds:

Yeah.. cause I listened to the orchestral version of it and it was so beautiful, so just wanted to make a quick remix of it and when I uploaded it I didnt think anyone would like it :p

[When The Time Comes]

You've Improved

Even I will agree about the vocals being wack, although the lyrics aren't bad at all. I bet you MilkMan-Dan and a few other guys would love to take a whack at singing this one... myself included. I love the original and would like to listen to the updated instrumental version of this song.

And by the way... it's great to see you throwing out such an excess of tracks. You have been improving both your guitar and your production skills. When the Time Comes is definitely worth any Negrounder's listen any day of the week, whether they're itching for a cheap-shot against emo music or not (given some lyrical tweaks, this song can get out of that stereotyped territory). Keep on chugging... even a grizzled sucker like Bad-Man appreciates your dexterity.

Kor-Rune responds:

Thank you!

Yeah, the lyrics are boring and generic pop radio lyrics, I was planning on changing the good bulk of them.

I certainly am positive I'm a horrible vocalist, hell, my voice isn't even developed all the way, so I'm glad to have anyone else change up the sing and/or change the lyrics, and post their shot. I feel this track still has more work to be done to it.

I'm trying my best to start instead of working on just compositional skills, also production skills. They are hard. :( But at least they are improving, thank you!

Thanks again for the review!

[_-={To Rise Again!}=-_]

Decent....

This could be used for something. Just .2 more and a cute little ribbon would be yours. One issue is that you can't really make a hip-hop song out of it. It would be hard for any vocalist to bypass the dominant lead synths, whereas Sorohanro's entry (I knew I heard it somewhere--I downloaded it!) is far more versatile and contains smattering of live instrument (trumpet).

The end on this one is flaky; t'would be better for you to have looped this one.

MaestroRage responds:

yup. All true. Like I said, I had never made a beat before, so I didn't even try. I just took the beats, sliced em up, threw em on a solo cello, had a few luls and called it a day. I suddenly ran out of ideas near the end which is why I ended it that way.

I know I don't deserve to win, I was really surprised it got as far as it did.

Good advice, I was aware, but thanks for being honest enough to bring them up. And again for the review!

[Ruin (Song For Lydia)]

Club Kukeiha, or Michiru?

This is a leap over the regular stuff you do: you've composed something complex enough to be featured in a contemporary video game soundtrack.

It initially reminded me of Club Kukeiha... or rather, the music/sound team responsible for the Vampire Killer/Castlevania series soundtracks. Michiru Yamane, who composed the Symphony of the Night soundtrack, comes to mind as well. Consider it a compliment, then, to have a critic be reminded of such things; those soundtracks were tricky and technically complex, not to mention inspiring to hear while killing vampires.

It does, however, seem a little repetitive. Maybe if the chord progression changed a little over the course of the song, rather than merely enhance the intensity of the instruments (particularly the percussion), then it would be even more likely to fit this into a game setting.

By itself, however, it's an excellent start. Several cool ideas play out here, so take a few footnotes from this track before moving onto others.

HappyHomicide responds:

I'm glad you you enjoyed it, thanks for all the criticism, it's really helpful!

also, the repetativeness is on purpose if you read the little description thing

[Dead By Dawn (Killing Spree)]

Harsh, True, but Repetitive

The composition is lacking, but the harshness is overflowing. Only a few chugs are used, and no doubt the mixing was redone several times.

Any song designed to evoke the pleasure of slaying nosferatu--and designed well--deserves its incredulously high batting average.

HappyHomicide responds:

Cheers! Repetative it is, but killing things is repetative!

[Crawl Back (Veil Of Maya)]

Very Good (It's a Cover, Anyway)

It's even better if you manage to pull off an original composition that blows a regular band out of the water. This does, however, smack one in the techno musicians' faces... even if they outnumber you.

Complaining about doing all the analog when everyone goes digital isn't going to get you far, buddy. The fact that you do analog is remarkable and should be granted respect. What separates you from them is that you have to work harder to ensure your tracks have clarity and good mixing, since their stuff tends to sound more polished. Few musicians ever sound so 'perfect' like those guys do, but their flawlessness has a certain coldness that earns its own detractors, who then gravitate toward a musician like you, who prefers to do stuff live.

It's an uphill battle, but far more satisfying once you pull it off.

HappyHomicide responds:

Well arent you just summing it up? hahaha cheers dude! I love my techno, but it needs to get the fuck out of "heavy metal"

[Fucking Chug]

The End is Off

It doesn't loop perfectly.

A scant few notes are clipped off at the end. To be viable in a Flash it would need some work either in Audacity or program code that stops and replays from the beginning before the clip occurs. That will cost you, since most people dislike having to go out of their way for such a small nuisance.

Otherwise, the track does what it does fairly well. Keep up the slaughter with that ax of yours, but be mindful of clipping tracks too soon--it's worse than clipping them too late.

HappyHomicide responds:

Thanks! This is a really really old song, hence the bad production and etc

[This Song Is Better Than Suici]

And a Fappy New Year...?

Okay, now I'm debating about whether or not to include this in a game based on Tankmen. Here's my dilemma: I got a line-up of odd or even silly, short novelty songs (joke tunes) spanning multiple genres and musicians, which are recovered by the Tankmen over the course of the game itself. These tracks may then be replayed at base to determine whether or not they really want to reclaim the world that once was. This, among the other stupid joke tunes, would exemplify the moral of looking ahead instead of dwelling in the past.

Now I'd very much like to include this as a sample of really sucky death metal, but all you have to do is answer me one thing: does this track incorporate any of Suicide Silence's original riffs? I know it picks on their style--that much is certain--but without knowing their music firsthand I am a bit hesitant to include it in the game, lest it turn out that I'm using something that's someone's copyright (hence incurring unintended legal troubles). If the song riffs are actually used, then I will decline in using the track. If it's otherwise completely original, then I can use it in the Tankmen game I have in mind.

Anyway, uh... this song sucks. It's the whole point, but it's not done poorly. It could have been made better, but that would shoot the message right in the face. Take it as it is.

HappyHomicide responds:

Indeed! there are no SS riffs in this song, you're free to use it!

[Folgers Coffee]

It Tickles the Small Intestines

It also scares the little children.

For a song that is meant to be crappy, the mixing job is nowhere near as bad as other joke/novelty songs. It's muddy, though--meaning the song sounds a little muffled--and the lyric voice-over is not clear enough for innocent bystanders to truly grasp what is going on.

On the other hand, I doubt the musician had any clue, either.

HappyHomicide responds:

hahaha, this is my 2nd song pretty much ever, hence the butthole sounding production!