camoshark's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Battle Hymn of the Trollpublic]

Deez b sum pro beetz.

A/100

samulis responds:

I wanted to add some dubstep but the trolls said no. :(

[Psychodynamo]

You did NOT just use the main theme from John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" as one of the main themes of a Power Metal song! XD

Overall pretty damn solid track, even though this is far from my cup of tea in terms of style! I find the harmony too disconnected for my taste (which is a rare feat!), often modulating to a distant minor chord mid-word and changing to another one the word immediately after it.

You can very much inspire yourself from the track that you emulated the theme from to get a good idea of highly contrasting modulations that still works, or the Jazz Metal remake (http://youtu.be/pr0KHcioPeo) by the band Panzerballett for some sweet metal sounds (look them up, seriously, they're completely bonkers!)

Other than that, I really can't add anything that hasn't already been said Obviously the chip sound, while very creative, was poorly executed and resulted in a cluttering of the mix. I think the words of the song sometimes don't really sync well with the pacing of the song, so perhaps look into that.

Technically this song was masterful. The arpeggios were very well-articulated and equally-divided, which is SO good to hear as opposed to the usual slob that metal performers, even in big bands, usually play. The harmonies, other than the disjoint modulations, are stellar, and are remarkably creative. The subject of the song is pretty original, and the images depicted through it are enjoyably twisted. The Giant Steps quote immediately gets a big thumbs up and seal of approval out of me. :3

Again, pretty damn solid track, and except for some nitpicks, this was a highly enjoyable song to listen to. Would definitely recommend to others.

Keep up the good work!

Kor-Rune responds:

Thanks for the review dude! Chords are hard and gay I will try and get them super c: glad you liked and noticed the giant steps nudge LOL

[Tsukinomori]

Sounds good, but I find it to be restless, as you're not putting any fermata or ralentendos. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but certain segments and melodies seem to need it, mostly at the beginning.

Overall stellar work, this sounds absolutely amazing!

PS: You should try out our Dan Tranh VST for that song, as it would fit right in (link on my page)! ;)

SilverPoyozo responds:

Definitely, even if it is an old song, that rushed feeling and restlessness are structural issues I still struggle with in my compositions.

But thank you for listening!

I checked the VST, quality stuff there, and it is a very exotic instrument, I might buy it in the future.

[Prelude/Fugue after Bach]

I was making a relatively lengthy review stating how I was baffled as to why you would post a midi interpretation of a Bach song and not even have the decency to post the whole thing, until I realized that this wasn't a Bach fugue, but an original composition! ^^'

You sir, have managed to trick my ear so well that you deserve 3 stars from the get-go. As for the actual composition, it's a bit hard to tell because of the whole MIDI interpretation, but I'd say that there need to be more contrasting dynamics, because as of right now it sounds a little stiff.

The harmony is wonderful, I've really got nothing to say against it, the actual fugue part is really just too short for me to actually say anything about it, since you haven't put any variations yet and are still in exposition. What I can say about it is that the subject seems interesting, although I find the counter-subject (or is it the answer, I can't really tell) to be a tad hard to fully appreciate because there doesn't seem to be tightly knit with the subject, as in it doesn't seem to have much to do with it rhythm-wise. Also, the last chord doesn't work IMO, although that's most likely due to it being a demo.

Other than that, that's pretty much all I have to say about it since it's a WiP, I'd be glad to take a look at it once it's done, especially if it's played by you!

Cheers
Sam

[Sea of Grass (Jazz)]

Holy wow, I don't think I've ever heard such rich harmonies on this site, I am simply without words!

You sir have just astonished me with your prowess, and for that I give you all of my congratulations. I especially love the second section, reminds me a whole lot of Chick Corea's Electrik Band!

5'ed, Fav'ed, Fav'ed you, and if you ever need any instruments added like drums, brass, etc. just send a message my way.

Cheers,
Samuel

SilverPoyozo responds:

You honor me greatly, sir.

No, really, thank you very much.Chick Corea is one of my biggest inspirations, just as much as Bill Evans, Art Tatum and other big shots.
You have no idea how happy this made me, hahah...

Of course, I'm also available if you ever wish to collab =)

[Ceremonial Dance (IMPROV)]

Damn, you sure as hell picked up some chops since the last time I heard you play, good job there!

I particularly liked the tempo/metric changes, really helps keep the auditor interested throughout. Overall it's a pretty damn good improv you've got there, congrats!

Continue ton beau travail, on devrait un jour s'organiser un jam ensemble un de ces quatres! :P

Cheers,
Samuel

Troisnyx responds:

He, ce serait sympa ! ^_^ Perhaps a collab between us would be great (I'll be able to help with vocals, bodhran and bells) -- what are you thinking of?

Also, thanks. <3 Glad you liked it.

T. x

[Camouflage[Nim]]

Wow, this is truly magnificent, this is truly worthy of a king, and am henceforth humbled by such high esteem!

I love the fusion elements, and DAMN was that sax solo intense!

Anyways, can't really spend much more time writing this review, gotta head to the actual celebration, but THANKS, this means a lot to me! :)

Nimble responds:

You're welcome man, Have a good one! :3

[The Meadow]

Very interesting textures you've got going on in there, there really is nothing like actual interpretation when it comes to string quartets!

Excellent playing for the most part, although certain parts aren't as tight on the tone as could have been. Then again, you can't really expect much from a quick session on the fly, so no points taken!

In any case, great work once again, looking forward to hear more from you!

Cheers,
Sam

P.S. tried to open the sheet music, but all I get is a grey box, am I doing something wrong?

descara responds:

Thanks for the comment! Way tired so I'll edit in a more detailed reply later, but I did a newspost with a fully functioning link :)

[Still Alive (Portal)]

Wow, never thought I'd hear some Punk-Jazz on NG in my lifetime!

Utterly amazing work, people, you guys keep impressing me more and more with each release you put out! Some truly great harmonies in there, great tense atmosphere with the piano ostinato, love the small flanger effects put in there.

Flawlessly executed, with some great solos, props to Jarrod and Harry for their respective performances, same goes for James, Arlene and the guy which I'm assuming directs this page, Fabian!

There's really not much else I can say, other than I'll be sure to share to other fellow Punk-Jazz fans. Congratulations again for producing such amazing content!

Cheers,
Sam

SMES responds:

Thank you so much CamoShark, your words truly mean a lot. And thank you so much for your support, you have been amazing.
I shall send out your words of kindness to the band and you are very much correct, it is I, Fabian!!

Thanks Sam once again and I hope soon we can collab in something together =)

Cheers, SMES

[March of the Damned]

Hey there, Divo, here's your long overdue review, like promised!

Alright, so first of all, this sounds great! Real atmospheric, definitely gives out a sense of despair and eeriness, so good job there!

So with that out of the way, let's get a bit more technical. You've got a lot of simultaneous melodies going on, and the harmony going around in there is fairly interesting, especially considering you're doing this by ear! The instrumentation used in there is also interesting, although I find there to be a bit too many bells in the song, making it a tad lacking in terms of diversity, although that's more of a personal gripe of mine.

Now the first thing I noted, and that's a tad more major here, is that I can audibly notice you recorded this off of a keyboard (most notably when the bell melodies enter at 1:44), which kind of breaks the flow of the song with some imprecise rhythms (are those supposed to be tuplets?)

Another major detail here is the ending, or lack thereof. I mean, I'm OK with minimalist endings, but the stop at 1:28 made for a more convincing ending than the actual ending, which, in of itself, only consists of a bass drum hit and everyone stopping at the same time, not to mention the rude cut at the end that completely takes you out of it. A tad lazy, if you ask me, especially considering the creativity you used throughout the song.

The only other gripe I have here, and that's really more of a personal opinion, is the drums. They're just so bland and uninspiring, and I find them to clash with the rest of the song, which had a much more eerie sound to it, instead of the rather unsubtle four on the floor that you used.

In any case, all around I was positively impressed by this song, and if you take my suggestions, I would be very interested in hearing of your future works!

Cheers,
Samuel

DivoFST responds:

Well first of all i have no Musical instruction whatsoever and English is not my main language so i have to admit i had to research the term Tuplets xD
The excess of bells is not something i thought of, but now that you mention it i have to agree that i should have added something else to mix instead of more bells.
When it comes to the Keyboard Playing i usually play keyboard and then i "fix" those notes that are noticeably out of rhythm but since i was criticized a few times before for my lack of Humanization in the piece i guess i took it too far this time and made too human xD
Most of my songs are transposed from my head to the computer by Keyboard, not by the "laws" of music, i usually keep it simple in a 4/4 tempo but i wanted to innovate on this one so i chose a different time signature and as you can see had some problems improvising in it, so i have no clue if i used tuplets or not i just played what i heard in my head xD
The ending i must admit that i have not noticed that it had a cut in it, i hate cuts too :S And the ending itself is another aspect im working on my next songs.
Reviews like yours are the ones that make me a better musician and i will absolutely try to follow your advises!