Cyberdevil's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Belthagor's 65th Speech]

Strawberries may be laced with poison? You mean pesticides?

I do think it's a good idea to proceed with caution, whatever situation you might be proceeding into, whether it has anything to do with winning or losing, but if you're hindered more so by doubt, or fear of failure, then it seems the poison may be your own mindset as to the outcome of said endeavor? To win you must believe you'll win, and you never fail if you keep on trying!

Though then again, if you believe you can jump from one roof to another one... maybe best assess the nature of the endeavor, and the probable outcome more so by qualification and experience than by will...

Well, winning is good. Winning implies succeeding. If the only thing that stands in your way is not so much an obstacle as yourself, or others, or both, then those strawberries are probably home grown; laced with nothing but water and freshness.

A little strange to hear you with a female voice here btw, doesn't seem like your persona! Sounds good but maybe not as personal.

-cd-

Belthagor responds:

@CyberDevil

What I meant is that a win was actually a lose, meaning it was either not as good as it seemed originally, or other people turned it into a bad thing, or something unexpected/unrelated happened that ruined it.

I can provide a very sharp example.

Let's say you met the love of your life... in her apartment, a great thing, right? Two minutes later a meteor struck the building, killing both of you. If the good thing had not happened, you would have at least lived, and maybe she would as well, because she'd be outside of her apartment.

Let's say you brought your favorite food... turns out it came from diseased animals and you vomited shortly after consuming it from e-coli or something...

What else... you found a great career, but it prevented something in your life, such as time with family.

You got pregnant, but there was a miscarriage.

I can think up a million of these. It reminds me of the corrupt a wish thread a bit, although the actual wish may be a loss as well... you don't know what to expect, even if you are certain that it's something good.

edit: I felt my pm should be quoted here:

"To explain your questions: By poisoned strawberries I meant with cyanide, metaphorically, by someone or a group of people, not pesticides.

The second part... It does not refer to a specific situation. It's a way of thinking towards life... a lifestyle for lack of a better word."

[Vestik - Tricky's Vengeance ft. MonoCronic]

It's got an air of crazy to it this one! I love the vibe, though sometimes feel I maybe wish it'd speed up a little and get properly chaotic. It does at the end a bit, but for the most part keeps a very steady and intentional pace. How would it be if it occasionally jumped a bit, or skipped a beat, mixed it up a little with the madness?

Dope work here though! I can definitely see this working well in a game...

-cd-

vestik responds:

Ooooh yeah! You're right, I'll keep that in mind. =)

[It seems history repeats in different ways.]

The internet is indeed more regulated, though in the case of this I wonder if the reason it won't garner as many views as it once upon a time might have is also because there's just a lot more competition? And content forms. And little restriction on connection speed or access. With years worth of video material streaming into YouTube by the second... why would people seek out this speech, in particular? It's hard to be heard when the crowd is so deafening, and when there are more visually stimulating forms of media out there, and lastly: when this speech maybe doesn't appeal as much to the common stranger? Is this something the world wants to hear? What do they have to gain from it, more than you have to gain by sharing it?

I do appreciate your speeches, but honestly I'm not sure I'd seek out something like this. I'm not the one you speak to in your speech here; I don't feel like I gain a particular insight or entertainment either in this case, though it's nicely said.

Not sure all the ponderings leading up to it are relevant in this case either, it's almost like a legal disclosure. ;) A forewarning for what's to come. And I wonder what the title has to do with the content, or what values the United States has, and how it's relevant to not disclosing the name... there's a lot of leading up to and maybe not a lot of concluding with this one in particular. Feels a little incomplete I feel.

It's nice with an actual VA narrating this though! Good tone and recording, though volume jumps a bit, lines occasionally start off loud and get milder... then loud again.

-cd-

Belthagor responds:

I sent you a pm, you said you are in some kind of contest or newgrounds post, requiring the review of adult material... so.

[Newgrounds Member's Sex Stories #2]

Though you'd think an audio titled 'Sex Stories' would involve more so actual sex than contemplations or observations thereof, voyeurism, worldly matters, travel, masturbation in a hotel room... this wasn't bad. It manages to have a semblance of a red thread all the way through, and concludes in a satisfying way... somewhat, though would probably have been even more satisfying if there had been some actual physical contact involving another person at some point in this. Or if you actually made that call. But then again it's refreshingly different with a more slice-of-life-like segment as it is. Simple, but intimate and revealing, and exotic. Far from home. It puts the element of sex in perspective a bit too with how it moves outside the expected and more predictable elements of the action itself, and more so to relations, sensations; culture.

I do feel the narrative drifts a bit sometimes, or that some things are said in a way where it isn't always easy to follow. For example lines like 'however that is not for discussion given plenty of circumstances' could probably be simpler and more direct. Also wonder if anyone doesn't know there are black people in France at this point, or anywhere else in the world... I realize I probably react to this particular bit since we live in a time of political correctness, and a sometimes too highlighted societal strife for equality and all, but it strikes me that I feel you shouldn't need to say you didn't care she was black at all, that in this time it should be obvious. Also don't think you need any 'Anyway,'s to bridge topics, better just move on naturally, with a pause or other wording. Typo at the end also with the 'starred'. Some bits of text could probably be polished a bit more. Some words seem to be missing occasionally.

I like the style of writing/narrating overall. The sometimes somewhat absurdist bits like "Anyway (again with the anyways though ;), I drank all four teas. She fell asleep. I laid down and then waved my hand in the air and said "Fine, If I'm in France I'll stay awake all night!" As if addressing God at this point"... it's spontaneous and stimulating that way, you don't know what to expect, thoughts and events flow together and make for a very visual kind of story in the end. Easy to imagine.

The mechanical voice maybe isn't ideal, and certain words get pronounced wrong with what I assume is the speech engine more so than the input, but it really isn't bad either. The tone's good.

I remember listening to one of these earlier too and I think I reacted more to it then. Maybe you get used to it. Would definitely be better with human narration if possible though!

This was an intriguing listen. Impressed and surprised you're really willing to share stuff like this too, feels like a vulnerable moment and memory in time, but do appreciate it.

Feels very different from the norm, and very human, mechanical voice or no.

-cd-

Belthagor responds:

I removed some of the redundant "anyways" in the text.

I can explain why I wrote stared as starred. In an airport hotel... there are cameras, which I am aware of, so the whole thing is recorded by the French Government. :3

[[SoYM] Your mother hates you]

Edgy. :P But VA potential here too hmm... clean recording quality too.

-cd-

GraywulfDaDolf responds:

Thanks! I’m trying to make an album of songs about your mom, and the only recording “tools” I have is an Apple EarPods microphone and a copy of GarageBand for iOS. Strange how it came out decently, but I’m not complaining.

[My voice reel 2022]

Well this was fun. XD Might feel a bit more professional if you have a script ready, and edit the audio a little after recording, cut out bits where you warm up and transition between voices, but overall it ain't bad! You've got potential. :) Hope you get some small roles for starters and keep improving! Finna be interesting to hear how far you've come in a few years.

Or months. Years maybe excessive. Potential fast improvement. :P

-cd-

Bluerasb3rry responds:

Aw thanks bud

[Columbine Flower Through The Ages]

This was beautiful, and so much thought put into each of these stages too... impressive audio and impressive premise to build on, though for the larger portion (03:03 - 15:57) it's all very much the same. It's a nice sound; I do get a sense of brooding and heaviness, but it also seems almost excessively long compared to the other parts. If the intention is to move you through different stages, wouldn't it be better if they really moved from one to the other, preferably transitioned in a fluent way from one to the other, more so than have one main segment and shorter bursts of alternating tempo/style before and after?

Doesn't feel the most wholesome this way IMO, though I love the sound otherwise. The beginning in particular, with how it seems to melt or fade away somehow... seems to play with your mind somehow...

-cd-

CIEIRMusic responds:

Part of why aftermath is the longest is because out of all the tragedies that came and went between the 20th and 21st Century, Columbine was one of the hardest people tried to get over. Before Columbine, the thought of Teenage Revenge through murder was considered fictional. Heathers, Carrie. All those works practically warned us that something like Columbine was gonna happem and no one listened. Then you have the Aftermath. People barely able to comprehend murderers that age let alone ones that planned it out. Then to further tune that comprehension they look for someone or something to blame like Doom or Marylin Manson. Then Michael Moore exploits the tragedy for his contribution to Gun Control as if the weapon itself was to blame. Then just when things can't get any worse, school shootings break out all over North America. Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook being the most prominent. But no one talks about them as much because the second they make the news, reporters take us back to Columbine. "I haven't seen anything this horrible since Columbine." "Remember Columbine? That happened." And so on. Meaning literally 21 years and it's still fresh in their minds. Even South Park which not only takes place in Colorado, but who's creators were in said Moore Documentary, were telling everyone to just get over it. Even going so far as the kids and adult alike be so desensitized that only one person actually cared before giving up and joining the rest. So needless to say if it's gonna take people that long to get over something horrible then it needs to be pointed out.

[Just a Minor Malfuction, No Biggie]

So happy, so hyped up, so just packed with awesome energy this one. It vibes!!!

-cd-

3xBlast responds:

Thanks for checking it out! Still happy with this one myself too！

[4. Lonely Night Solo Session]

Turned out pretty dope this one! And a little less edgy a theme compared to some of them other ones. Almost relatable. :P Killer solo at the end. Good rhythm; real instruments; adlibs that float in pretty well in back too... still feel the vocal tone/intensity/accentuation could maybe be improved a bit, but seem to recall that might've been a stylistic choice too.

Good stuff man! Looking forward to hearing this for real too, via that solid material counterpart exclusive.

-cd-

guyfromKillerRAT responds:

So happy to FINALLY get a review on this one. It's my favourite.

My dad does the guitar parts on this song, but I do the guitars on the rest of the whole album.
My buddy Dan sang this one. I feel like I couldn't sing it that well. My demo version just sucked. But I handed the new one over to him...he took my lyrics, made them better, and sang it in a way that resembles my style but has his own twist to it. And he did it so much better than I. Him and I have our qualities. I feel like I'm better than him when it comes to the attitude parts with all the yelling and screaming, but when it comes to really SINGING shit, he does it best and him and I both know that. Goes without saying.

The "adlib" bits really were not intentional on his part...when he does these songs for me, he does like a million takes for me to choose from (I LOVE IT WHEN PEOPLE DO THAT), and in this particular song he gave me a lot of different styles to choose from as well. I chose the lead vocals to be the softer, lower, more "sad teenager" type take, cause it really fits the song well, but to make it sound even cooler, I had the "hard 90s style" takes in the back to add to it a bit, and I did that for symbolic reasons. Him and I together came up with the "I'm jerkin' off, listenin' to our favourite bands" lyric, which kinda goes with something from my life. When I was sad and remembering my ex, I would listen to music we used to hear together (weezer, mcr, msi), and it would remind me of her a lot. The quiet vocals in the background represent the man listening to music him and his ex liked. You can hear he sings along, but doesn't sing it the way they sing it. He sings it in the wrong timing and notes, because he's too sad to really try to do it right.* But this doesn't matter. His sadness is now breeding creation. And he decides to sing a new song.

Thank you for your review on this one. Really appreciate that.

*Also he's focusing on his dick.

[me wheezing my head off beacuse i saw a video of a deer giving oral sex to another deer]

Well this was different. XD Not sure what this is all about or why it's A-rated, but did entertain...

-cd-

7henderGames responds:

i was real drunk when i made this, and the title is nsfw