Cyberdevil's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[X3ll3n - So Long [Velocity Release]]

I do hear the vocal chop. XD Vocals by... the aforementioned artist? Rocket Start? Yourself?

Soulful voice. Very smooth too, it blends in nicely with the mix...

It's a vibrant soundscape. Reverberates; pulsates and tingles. Builds. Gets your head bobbing. Chops it up and drops and goes in with a little VG-like fanfare (2:18). Really cool mesh of styles and atmosphere overall.

Production's crisp, it sounds good, it feels good... have no complaints, though despite regular length it feels a little short... good track.

-cd-

X3LL3N responds:

Nope, I sliced a vocals from Oversampled's Future Bass sample pack :)
Likely my best song overall, I doubt I'll do anything this good ever again ngl, still sad that it wasn't frontpaged

[SmK - Unstoppable]

Such a reverberating style of synth here, a little chiptune but a lot else... I like the rhythm, the upbeat air and atmosphere, the way it builds a little and pauses and builds a little more...

After the one minute point it's pure bliss for a bit, though the bridge comes unexpectedly quickly then. Feels like an odd place for such a long pause. It works but...

You really have a pretty unique style, even if the sound feels familiar. A unique structure. It's not the conventional keep-going endless flow, until the final part maybe.

It's an uplifting mix, with maybe not the most memorably structure or build throughout - seems a little jumpy with that - but a unique kind of tone to it... interesting and feelgood.

-cd-

[-Velocity Wings-]

This just gets better and better... and better yet! It's an interesting matter of mastery being able to build something so gradually, not just build it a bit and break it down again and build it up again but actually more and more and MORE over the full length of the song without it somehow getting all chaotic and crazy...

Good mood-inducing fuel too. Feels so good. A bright and orchestral adventure with a plethora of switches and audial cues. Work hard play hard; you have nothing to lose!

-cd-

[Team Strike Force Theme]

You do recognize the melody right away. :) iconic. Wonder if that folk song has a name...

The brass is bright and bountiful, the strings skittish and rich, the beat soft and steady; turns into a shuffle towards the final part...

Goes on a little long with the outro. First half's so good but then... it loses steam for some reason. Would've thought/hoped it'd keep building.

Production-wise impeccable work though, it grows so well from twenty seconds onwards. Great instrumentation. It's like a quick skirmish and then a long march home...

-cd-

[Quake - Counter Production]

Hardcore, heavy; hellbent on saying something it seems yet I cannot quite make it out! Have a little trouble with this still of growling, some words come across well, some almost, some not at all... with the calmer parts I wonder if the vocals could be streamlined a bit more, have a bit more reverb maybe; more space around them...

Bit too metal for my taste buds but the production's solid, great guitar too.

-cd-

[-Metasurge-]

Definitely has an awesome energy to it! Smooth and moving, with suitable breaks and upbeat synth for the more ambient parts. Feels like the dance style I haven't heard in a while here, early 2000s maybe. Bright, fluent, crisp...

Gets a little repetitive but feels good. Smooth; appreciably energetic music.

-cd-

[Ghost In The Computer]

Any other way I'm pretty sure that constant ringing would've irked my ears, but it's so good here, such a central piece of the essence of whatever it is that makes these machines tick after all...

It's tasteful, artful, faithful to how I feel like such things should sound... with minimalistic and crystal clear sound design that works all the way. The pacing's just right too.

Curious if there's any Ghost in a Shell inspiration behind this, be that just by the very concept of it?

Either way this was great. Conveying the inner mannerisms of a comp as audially expected like clockwork, unexpected props worth...

-cd-

[Let Us Be]

Laid back, bright yet somewhat lamenting... it sounds like a moment after grief, like peace, like the transition between sadness and resolution... soft but with momentum and heart...

Surprised how heartfelt this feels. Maybe reminds me of some former melancholy. Maybe just a reminiscent style. Of things that were and no longer will be. Things that are no longer what they could be. Things that will be yet. Feels hopeful, too...

Really liked this. Has a cathartic kind of calm to it, a clear sound, and a conclusive end... though is that a good thing or no I don't know. Might've been nice with a more gradual fade too.

Brings forth a wave of strange emotions that rumble and roll anyho, I like how it goes...

-cd-

[Launch base panic]

A lot of 'go' going on in the background! :D

Feels partially like a battle track of sorts, school ground fight, Xin style, but also so laid back and jazzy... very all-purpose. With energy enough for battle but chill enough for just about anything. Works as well for a run as for a train ride. Equally calming and fueling.

Towards the end of this I'm kinda tiring of the Go sample though, so much of that, and I wish it'd peak somewhere; build towards something more... great mix otherwise. Runs well all the way, and the sound quality's solid.

-cd-

[Darkstalkers - Morrigan Stage]

Surprisingly funky beat in back for a VG track!

Bit loud, but at least no discernable frequency loss. The bass is satisfyingly thick, the piano so light, almost sounds like a theremin in the mix too, whatever that is... can't pinpoint all the instruments but it's a wholesome composition. Sexy, rich and riveting. That 'ah' right at the end too... such a good way to fade out.

-cd-