Marifax's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Monastery Waltz]

Very nice! Reminds me of a mixture of Swans and the ambient/experimental tracks Bowie made with Eno during his Berlin era.

I think you've managed to create a lot of depth with a few well picked elements. The arrangement flows seamlessly. Nothing screams for attention, yet it never gets boring.

The mix feels even and nice, love the drums. Great dynamics, really serves the piece.
There's a little grime that really adds to the mood, can't really put my finger on it though.

Great job!

Azhthar responds:

Hey! Glad you like it! To be honest I didn´t know Swans, yet. Just listened to some of their stuff and really like them. Like a mixture of Primus with Mike Oldfield. Thanks a lot for the tip!

[Access]

That was intense! Took me on a journey. I love the cold and oppressive mood that lingers throughout. The "first half" was very suggestive, lingering between forest sounds and distant creatures. Calm yet spine-chilling. I don't know if I'm resting or hiding.

Around three minutes in the atmosphere grew more hostile. Something reminiscent of screams or loud moans echoed from a great distance.

04:40 killed me man. It became very clear that not only was I hiding, but what I was hiding from was much closer than I had anticipated. Felt like I as dying, mostly because I stopped breathing for half a minute. The panting really added to the feverish limbo, felt like time had slowed down to a halt.

Really enjoyed it, created a vivid narrative for me. Great job!

IvySnyder responds:

Glad I made an interesting experience for ya :)

[The Forest]

Beautiful! Not familiar with Ori, but this sounds kinda Sufjan Stevens-esque to me. Sweet selection of instruments. You've managed to weave the different melodies together masterfully. They create a really strong and intriguing narrative throughout. The selection of percussion and rhythms adds an adventurous overtone which I really enjoy.

Only criticism I have is that the xylophone becomes a bit muddy/lost at times. I think either tweaking the EQ or changing the lowest voicings would help it remain clear throughout the piece. Bringing the lower percussion forward a little bit could be nice, but I don't know if that would damage the vibe. Other than that the mix is well made. Everything sits nicely and feels cohesive.

Great work!

[Violet Pattern]

Very cool!

I think the elements of the track are very promising, but the arrangement could use some work. The best parts lose their punch when the track is constantly going at 110%, having some more stripped down sections (think verse and/or bridge) would make the listen much more engaging, and the sweetest parts much more rewarding.

Harmony and melody - super nice! Feels like they work together well and give the whole track good momentum. Love the piano parts! Rhythm is nice and varied too, serves the track well.

Your mixing sounds promising, seems like you have the right ears for it. A tad washy at times, maybe dial back delays and reverbs just a hair to get more clarity.

Great work! Keep at it, you have a lot of good things going!