Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives

Message board

* FAQ    * Register   * Login 



Reply to topic
Author Message Previous topic | Next topic
Duisterling
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 12:12 pm
Posts: 684
PostPosted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 7:35 am 
 

I Am Despair [GeoCO3, lyrics by Arkhane]

Lyrics (2.5/5): Not sure about this one. It seems if only the surface of the subject matter is being scratched, as if it is supposed to go deeper but it somehow doesn’t.
Song genre choice (3/5): Pretty fucking sweet, even though it’s not entirely my cup of tea. The style suits the lyrics, although the music (and clean vocals) sometimes are a bit too soft and/or “self-assured” to fit the rather depressed and bitter lyrics.
Composition (4.5/5): This shit reminds me of Insomnium, that melodic death band from Finland. I mean that as a compliment. I usually get bored by this kind of music, but Insomnium has got one album that I like, and this reminds me of it. I like the way you alternated between the metal parts and the calmer pieces in between. It could’ve killed the track, but it didn’t. Buildups and transitions work great as well. I only thought that the synth that kicked in somewhere around 01.45 was a bit redundant, but, meh, that’s a minor point.
Performance (5/5): Good job. Good singing, although the clean vocals are too sensitive for my personal liking. Enjoyed the low growls though. Can’t think of any real downsides.
Production (4.5/5): Enjoyed this as well. Production-wise, the clean vocals aren’t really my thing either. Too polished. On the other hand, it does work for the genre. Growls sound good, they’re perfectly embedded in the music. They’re not buried but they aren’t dominant either. In sum, I’ve got mixed feelings. It all sounds pretty professional, well-balanced and polished, which deserves a compliment and I’ll base my rating mainly on that. On the other hand, being a diehard black metal fanatic, it doesn’t really meet my personal tastes.
Overall (19.5/25): No further comments… You should consider doing this kind of thing more often, though, that could work.

Three-headed Snake [Kingnuuuur w/ GeoCO3 on vox, lyrics by Sadr_mordvig & Menschenfeindlic]

Lyrics (2/5): It’s a very unexpected approach to the subject of nihilism. It’s original, but it doesn’t really appeal to me. It’s just not my type of lyrics and I’m not sure about the nihilistic content. It’s there, in a way, but it’s cryptic. I doubt that one would start contemplating nihilism after reading this, if no one has told him what it’s about.
Song genre choice (4/5): I guess this works for the lyrical style, but it’s not a genre which really combines with nihilism. But then again, we didn’t have that knowledge beforehand, so.
Composition (4/5): Original intro. Abrupt yet not at full speed. Some of the riffs really have a very stoner/doom metal feel, which is awesome. The bridge/intermezzo part comes just at the right time to keep things interesting. It should’ve had a bit more of a distinct climax, though. Props as well for the breakdown at the end. Hadn’t expected this and it gives the song a lot of personality.
Performance (4/5): It’s cool. Tight. You really have a great voice for this kind of music, sounds good. Haven’t really got any complaints. Your voice starts to sound a bit weird, though, at the end :p
Production (4.5/5): In a way, it’s reminiscent of the previous track, although it’s not as polished. But again, heavy, dense guitars. I love the way the bass is clanking its way through the song in the background.
Overall (18.5/25): Nothing to add. I’m gonna get some breakfast now.

Cleansed in Blood [LordOminous, lyrics by odinallfather]

Lyrics (4/5): Not very original; not very long, but they give me a clear ‘less is more’ feeling. Don’t think they should’ve been any longer. The point is made efficiently and because it’s not extremely groundbreaking as a metal text, there’s nothing wrong with it ending while the atmosphere still stands. Oh, and before I forget: I really like that you placed the theme in a historical context.
Song genre choice (4/5): Good. It has got aggression, but there’s also some sort of heathen pride euphoria sense.
Composition (5/5): Again: good. Not sure what to say about it. It’s got a good flow. The Hello Kitty-spawned riffs aren’t the most groundbreaking but they’re intense (and for that, they can thank the production) and the song doesn’t really rely on the riffs that heavily. The vocals and synths do most of the work, which makes for an interesting listen. The synths at the end ( “we are cleansed in blood”) perfectly match the atmosphere and situation at the end of the lyrics by the way. Great ending. Compliments on the solos as well. Especially the one at 2.57.
Performance (5/5): It’s pretty funny to consider the fact that you had zero experience in guitar playing, because it’s hard to tell when you listen to this. You’re tuning technique obviously helped a lot, of course, but like I said, it worked. The vocals are intense and well-delivered rhythmically speaking. Enjoyed ‘em.
Production (4.5/5): Good. The guitars are a bit soft, but this is probably for the better considering what I said earlier. The fakeness of the drums is a bit obvious, but it still didn’t really annoy after having the song on repeat for an age. Oh well, no complaints on anything.
Overall (22.5/25): Again, nothing to add.

De Cryptikon [Sadr_mordvig & Menschenfeindlic, lyrics by Det_Morkettall]

Lyrics (2.5/5): Hard to review. Definitely cryptic. It made me lift an eyebrow, but considering your subject that can hardly be an objection. My Latin is rubbish, so I decided to throw that section in Google:

“Hail, risen of God of the Hebrews
Hail Lord Satan,
The rector of the throne of God, he slew
Death of the wicked one”


Not the worst translation ever. Was there any specific, coherent meaning behind these cryptic formulations, or is it cryptic for the sake of being cryptic? I hadn’t known the theme, I would’ve just deemed them random. I guess my rating will go to the middle because I’m not sure what to do with it.
Song genre choice (4/5): Not sure what genre this is, actually. ‘tis Rather eclectic? I think the lyrics would’ve combined with many genres, so I’ve got no problems with this choice.
Composition (2.5/5): I have to admit that it didn’t really hold my attention for the entire duration of the song. There was some cool shit though, especially the part with the short bass solo. All in all, I think there should’ve been more dynamics and changing atmospheres.
Performance (3/5): I haven’t heard major mistakes or anything in the instrumentation, but the vocal work, especially the cleans, didn’t really impress me to say the least. The idea of clean vocals in itself was good, though, it would fit a song like this.
Production (3/5): The guitars are pretty soft and muffled, especially compared to the vocals. It was hard to follow them at times. On the other hand, the bass was audible, which always is a pro. Both the guitars and bass sounded a bit timid, though. It wouldn’t have hurt if they had a bit more edge.
Overall (15/25): I don’t wear overalls.
_________________
autothrall on Gridlink's Longhena wrote:
[T]hey never just stand there with their dicks in their hands, but piss and flail wildly about and then collapse in on themselves.

Top
 Profile  
Duisterling
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 12:12 pm
Posts: 684
PostPosted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 5:40 am 
 

So, to the few who still open this topic: I'm finally finished...

Drowning Sleep [ShaolinLambKiller, lyrics by SoulsInferno]

Lyrics (3/5): This theme must’ve been a bitch to write for. The lyrics are pretty cryptic and I was slightly annoyed that I didn’t know for sure who the ‘you’, ‘she’ and ‘I’ are and how they relate to each other. However, as I read the text over and over, it somehow grew on me and I could make more sense of it, but never entirely lost the feeling of confusion mixed with the feeling that it does make sense and I’m just missing something.
Song genre choice (3.5/5): I dunno, it’s not what I would’ve initially chosen for the lyrics, but it’s pretty funeral doomy and the lyrics remind me, in a sense, of Mournful Congregation’s, so there’s a logical connection there nonetheless.
Composition (2.5/5): The song kinda lost its momentum. There’s quite some tension being built up in the first minute of the song, give or take, but instead of an actual climax, the intro flows over in to the main body of the song without much of a fuzz. As a consequence, I thought I was still listening to the intro and was waiting for something to happen when I noticed the 3 minute mark had already been passed. I think some additional guitars, perhaps a synth, and/or a tempo shift to a higher bpm could’ve helped the song a lot. Although it’s not actually very boring, at least not for a funeral doom/drone listener like me, there still is a lot of unexplored terrain here and a lot of options that could’ve made the song more interesting musically speaking. So I’m a bit divided on this point.
Performance (4/5): Haven’t heard any mistakes, and you were consistent too. Which is especially noteworthy on the drums. These tempos aren’t the easiest to play with a secure, consistent and powerful beat. The vocals by themselves aren’t bad, but I think a Mournful Congregation-ish grunt might have worked better: the vocals give the song a bit of a blackened feel, while the music has zero black influences, reminding me more of the Spanish band Orthodox than anything else.
Production (4.5/5): Nice, mainly because the production really reminds me of the Spanish band Orthodox. Nothing to add, really, no complaints or whatever.
Overall (17.5/25): Still got nothing to add.

The End of the Bronze Age [SoulsInferno w/ DecayingMyYouth, lyrics by CorpseFister]

Lyrics (4/5): Lyrics with balls! And lengthy, too. I really like the way you interpreted the theme. It basically is about mining and iron ore and all that, which is a pretty sober interpretation of the theme ‘metal’, but it’s still linked on the other hand to killing and fighting in a very traditional extreme metal vein, which is, in its turn, somewhat of a tribute to metal as a genre. Cool shit.
Song genre choice (5/5): Not entirely sure as to how I would classify this genre-wise, but I like it. The tempo, straight-forward attitude and pounding brutality fit the industrial character of the lyrics and the mercilessness of battle.
Composition (4/5): Good riffing (love the lead at the end of the first minute), good build up, although the break somewhere around 2.30 minutes came very unexpected. Still not sure how I feel about that one. Big plus though for the imitation of the blacksmith sounds in the intermezzo and at the end of the song. The overall length is a bit longer than it feels, by the way, which always suggests that there’s energetic metal done right.
Performance (4/5): Nice work on the guitars. Less fond of the vocals, but I’m thinking that might be more a consequence of my personal taste, it’s not really a performance issue. I reaaaaaally miss a bass guitar, though, that would’ve been an awesome addition to such a powerful track. But, meh, well, either you have one, or you don’t, I guess :p
Production (3/5): I really had to get used to this production. It’s pretty soft, and well, bassless, but I ended up appreciating it. Despite the basslessness, of course. The drums themselves seem to be lacking quite some low end as well, and because of their sick composition this actually reminds me of Absu’s Tara. But, ok, moving on. Even though the vocals are pretty loud, they don’t smother the guitars, because the former are pretty low and the high guitars simply slice through them. So everything’s got a nice balance, which is a good thing especially because an unbalanced sound could’ve ruined this.
Overall (20/25): Again, no final remarks.
_________________
autothrall on Gridlink's Longhena wrote:
[T]hey never just stand there with their dicks in their hands, but piss and flail wildly about and then collapse in on themselves.

Top
 Profile  
ShaolinLambKiller
King Asshole

Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2007 6:10 pm
Posts: 13320
Location: United States
PostPosted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 6:40 am 
 

You really are the slowest reviewer ever. thanks!
_________________
I just do more stuff than you ever will.

Top
 Profile  
SoulsInferno
Metal newbie

Joined: Fri Apr 02, 2010 5:35 pm
Posts: 215
PostPosted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 9:16 am 
 

You got time when you got time I guess. Good reviews bro.
_________________
http://carbonizedgnawingmandible.bandcamp.com/album/anointed-by-the-elders

http://fidesinferno.bandcamp.com/

https://vacuusdoom.bandcamp.com/

Top
 Profile  
Duisterling
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 12:12 pm
Posts: 684
PostPosted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 4:21 pm 
 

ShaolinLambKiller wrote:
You really are the slowest reviewer ever. thanks!

SoulsInferno wrote:
You got time when you got time I guess. Good reviews bro.

Thanks guys. And yeah, I really am slow. It's the lack of time on the one hand, and my slooow writing on the other. I read all the lyrics at least 5 times, and I've had each song on repeat for about an hour, sometimes a little longer. But hey, I'm done :p
_________________
autothrall on Gridlink's Longhena wrote:
[T]hey never just stand there with their dicks in their hands, but piss and flail wildly about and then collapse in on themselves.

Top
 Profile  
ShaolinLambKiller
King Asshole

Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2007 6:10 pm
Posts: 13320
Location: United States
PostPosted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 10:49 pm 
 

yea better late than never!
_________________
I just do more stuff than you ever will.

Top
 Profile  
Menschenfeindlic
Metal newbie

Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 7:05 am
Posts: 256
Location: Syria
PostPosted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:32 pm 
 

ShaolinLambKiller wrote:
You really are the slowest reviewer ever. thanks!

No, that would be me, + I'm bad reviewer.
anyway, I've finally manged to write the reviews....


Arkhane: 2 Girls 1 Cup - Lyrics by LordOminous
Lyrics ( 5/5 )

Genre choice ( 4/5 ):
After reading the lyrics I didn't expect it to be like this, but the music fitted it though it was a bit dark for such a lyrics.

Composition ( 4/5 ) :
The song is well written and it flows smoothly

Performance ( 5/5 )

Production ( 4/5 )

Overall: 22/25



CorpseFister: The Ninth Ring - Lyrics by DecayingMyYouth & MoonPenatrator

Lyrics ( 4/5 ): I don't have a background about these lyrics but still they are good :D

Genre choice ( 5/5 ).

Composition ( 4/5 ): The guitar work is repetitive but however the keys\synths make the song more interesting...they are catchy from the beginning of the song.

Performance ( 5/5 ): Everything is done well...the vocals were the highlight.

Production ( 4/5 )

Overall: 21/25



DecayingMyYouth & MoonPenatrator: Total Fucking Destruction - Lyrics by Bonged

Lyrics ( 3/5 )

Genre choice ( 4/5 )

Composition ( 5/5 ): I liked the riffs, it doesn't get boring or sound messy...and the part @1:52 is a killer!

Performance ( 3/5 ): I didn't like the vocal, they were weak and didn't give the song the power they should.

Production ( 2/5 ): The guitar sounds thin, the tone could have been heaver....and the bass doesn't sound fine to me.

Overall ( 18/25 )
if just the production was good it would be a great track


Duisterling & Devirginizer: Irrelevant - Lyrics by guitartheist

Lyrics ( 3/5 )

Genre choice ( 5/5 )

Composition ( 5/5 ): a nice doom\black metal mix...it flows smoothly over the whole ~9 minutes...the last part when the song pick ups into black metal is awesome

Performance ( 4/5 ): the guitar playing in the last part isn't tight, and the strings when they're playing alone sound a bit wrong to me, probably from the synth.

Production ( 4/5 ): though it sounds a bit raw, it is well blended...everything is set right and not covering the other instruments.

Overall ( 21/25 )
my second favorite track :)


GeoCO3: I Am Despair - Lyrics by Arkhane

Lyrics ( 5/5 )

Genre choice ( 5/5 ): not what I expected, but it totally fits the lyrics so that's even better!

Composition ( 5/5 ) : it's well composed and arranged, each riff takes it's time without being repetitive or short...and the transitions between each part are flawless.

Performance ( 5/5 )

Production ( 4/5 ) : The clean vocals (which are great!) need to be higher in the mix, probably all the vocals

Overall: 24/25
awesome work!


Three Headed Snake – Kingnuuur & GeoCO3 – Lyrics by Sadr_mordvig

Lyrics ( 3/5 )

Genre choice ( 3/5 )

Composition ( 3/5 ) : well it's just catchy, but not very memorable....something I will only listen to couples of times.

Performance ( 5/5 ) : nothing wrong here, everything is done well.

Production ( 4/5 )

Overall: (18/25) : thought it's not really special, but it's solid and done in a good way...especially with those hard to sing lyrics.


LordOminous: Cleansed in Blood - Lyrics by odinallfather

Lyrics ( 4/5 )

Genre choice ( 4/5 )

Composition ( 5/5 ) : The keyboard work is the highlight here , and that weird keyboard solo...well it's good but it made the song sound less uuurgh! aggressive/serious

Performance ( 4/5 )

Production ( 4/5 )

Overall: (21/25)


ShaolinLambKiller: Drowning Sleep - Lyrics by SoulsInferno

Lyrics ( 3.5/5 )

Genre choice ( 3/5 ) something a bit "softer" :D would have fit better, IMO.

Composition ( 4/5 ) I haven't listen to much drone doom (?) before, but it was good... it gets repetitive sometimes.

Performance ( 5/5 ): though a low pitched growls would have sound better with those riffs.

Production ( 5/5 ) : perfect!

Overall: (20.5/25)


SoulsInferno (collabing with DecayingMyYouth): The End of the Bronze Age - Lyrics by CorpseFister

Lyrics ( 4/5 )

Genre choice ( 4/5 )

Composition ( 4/5 ) the songwriting is interesting...the transition @ 2:20 wasn't smooth.

Performance ( 4/5 )
I don't know if it's because of the production, but the vocals aren't fitting well with the music.

Production ( 2.5/5 )
The production really hurts the song, it lacks unison... it would have sounded way better with a heavier guitar tone and more bass.

Overall: (18.5/25)


bjornobomb: Dormant Choirs - Lyrics by Duisterling & Devirginizer

Lyrics ( 4/5 )
Genre choice ( 4/5 )
Composition ( 1.5/5 ) randomness! ... songwriting isn't about throwing riffs around...
Performance ( 1.5/5 )
Production ( 1/5 )
Overall: ( 12/25)
I don't know if you're not taking this seriously or this is what you're capable of...but it probably it would have sounded way better with more work.


Gelseth_Andrano: Years Have Passed - Lyrics by overkill666

Lyrics ( 4/5 )

Genre choice ( 5/5 )

Composition ( 4/5 ) while the riffs are cool, there aren't many....and consider giving the riffs more space... I mean you don't have to be singing all the time, repeating some riffs or adding some should solve this.

Performance ( 4/5 )

Production ( 4/5 )
thought the recording quality isn't really good...but the production covers this...and the vocals need to be lower.

Overall: ( 21/25)

___________________________


this is all of it...I hope the reviews aren't short.
It was really good challenge...Thanks again for the reviews, and especially kingnuuur for hosting this...see ya next challenge!
_________________
"Death eats away from the inside
Life eats away from the outside
In between... in between"

Last.fm

Top
 Profile  
ShaolinLambKiller
King Asshole

Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2007 6:10 pm
Posts: 13320
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 3:12 pm 
 

You have taken that crown but thanks for still taking the time to review it! I appreciate it.
_________________
I just do more stuff than you ever will.

Top
 Profile  
Duisterling
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 12:12 pm
Posts: 684
PostPosted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 6:04 pm 
 

ShaolinLambKiller wrote:
You have taken that crown but thanks for still taking the time to review it! I appreciate it.

Same here. Thank you.
_________________
autothrall on Gridlink's Longhena wrote:
[T]hey never just stand there with their dicks in their hands, but piss and flail wildly about and then collapse in on themselves.

Top
 Profile  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Reply to topic Go to page Previous  1 ... 4, 5, 6, 7, 8


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

 
Jump to:  

Back to the Encyclopaedia Metallum


Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group