Cyberdevil's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Xtraktor - Shadows]

When you think epic music this is the kind of music that comes to mind. :) I wonder if the vocals were recorded for this as well, or sampled? They fit in so well.

Poweful, tense and terraforming music almost, even before it movies into that refreshingly unpreditable dubstep realm.

And the speed up towards the end! :D That was new.

Feels like a fresh take on the genre this one; a mix of genres maybe... though what even are genres anymore? It's all music. All bridges all. Awesome forms of audio overall.

Nice work. Does justice to the name too...

-cd-

[Anj_Octopus]

You have an almost Aesop Rock kind of flow and lyricism man. :) This is impressive. Both lyrically and instrumentally. Timing and annunciation could maybe be a bit more on point sometimes, it doesn't always feel like it follows the instrumental, and I didn't catch all words on the first listen, but overall this is on point!

I wonder if complex word schemes need to be all this complex though? It's impressive to witness, but it seems like complexity maybe trumps meaning; you don't follow the intention or story as much sometimes. With Aesop for example there's often a clear red thread all the way through, even if the subject matter occasionally flies over your (well, MY) head. Here sometimes I wonder if the words are more there to sound good than to really tie things together; they occasionally make it harder to follow along, but maybe that's just me, might need to hone my ears and vocabulary a bit harder... I do love the theme. It does have a red thread.

Good stuff anyhow! Production quality's on point too.

-cd-

Anjovi responds:

Thanks bro! Aes is definately an inspiration of mine. While I normally find that he's too dense for me to fully immerse myself in, I can definitely see his genius and find myself able to fixate on single lines from him and get deal of inspiration.

This song was interesting as I normally don't go as verbose with the vocabulary and occult references, but the theme had this beckoning for them I found. Kind of got to have fun and pull up references and moods that stuck with me from my exploring of the conspiracy theory circuit/circus. While there is a meaning attributed to those funkier words, there definitely is an element of fun and aesthetic, but the theme seemed to call for it so I felt ok leaving it in that murky (giving it more that popcorn type lyricism than the more deep/profound).

[G-Dash]

I wonder what G-Dash means hmm... Groove? Grand? OG? Ahh Geometry! XD

This was funky. A little repetitive, but rich, and dreamy.

Nice track. Creative composition and style too.

-cd-

Anjovi responds:

Thanks brother! Yeah, I do wish that I spent a bit more time fleshing out some of the compositional aspects. I think it's just a matter of finding a better work flow to keep the flowstate going from beginning to end.

In theory, it wouldn't be terribly difficult to weave together some more sections and flourishes to get out of repetitiveness. Just gotta invest in workflow related tutorials or some experimentation.

Thanks for the words Cyber!

[Strings in the Breeze]

The strings, the whistles, the bird chirps and shouts... the sound design overall is so rich in this one... and the atmosphere's atmospheric. Magic like a Cleric.

It reminds me a bit of old Westerns, though without the malice. A sense of romance and freedom. Of being one with the world. Outdoors and on adventure.

The mix is clear and beautiful, the melody soothing and rich...

Really enjoyed this one.

-cd-

[Save You]

The beginning was SO GOOD! The vocal samples, the intensity and tone, the way they repeat and splice together... perfection.

Then that unconventional dub/chipstep kind of beat kicks in, after the build, with the somewhat off-beat string kinda pattern and eh... I'm not as big a fan of that.

The other part's SO GOOD! The vocals are just perfect. I wish the sections between them would be different, equally fluent and atmospheric, those middle sections break the spell for me a bit. It may be the pauses are just too long. It doesn't flow to me. It feels abrupt.

Creative track though! It's unconventional all way. Sometimes in the best way possible, sometimes... less so, IMO.

Keep up the good work though! Almost perfect.

-cd-

[Surfin]

Surfin'... the net? A wave? Highways of the USA?

I can't quite place the element of either water or interwebz, but it does have a vibe you'd connect to momentum. Appreciative breaks. Builds. A crisp and vibrant sound quality and mix. The melody feels unique and catchy, and it flows well, all the way through... maybe that's how it ties in to the surf turf huh.

Interesting almost vocal-like effects that kick in around the two minute mark too, and that metallic background percussion...

Atmosphere's rich. Variation all the way. It ends almost cinematically somehow, or like a Game Over jingle in a game, and yet if you keep it on loop it starts right again thereafter too. :D Well-timed beginning and end.

Overall what a good sound too. It's a vibe.

-cd-

[Pleasure Vibes]

That satisfying... whatever sound that is that keeps repeating every four beats or so. So great sound design on that one bit.

It builds in a Daft Punk-kinda way too (I didn't look at the tags when I wrote this I swear XD), which is something I'd definitely correlate to a pleasurable kind of sound, and the mix is rich. The balance just perfect.

Let it be known it does get a bit monotone IMHO, but that is part of the genre after all! The vibe's great and groovy all.

Nice vibe throughout.

-cd-

[Lividness II]

This was... interesting. Atmospheric. Lucid and lush but... maybe not as riveting as it could be. Not with the variation nor with the flow, all the way through the sound is stalking; somewhat stagnant in how it seems to never reach the next natural stage...

The production's great, the sound's great, just feels like there could be more to it. The builds there but so slow, it takes about four minutes for it to kick in, and then... back to normal again.

Considering the name I would've thought this would be louder, or faster; somehow more intense. But maybe it's a boil under the surface too. A pent up anger bubbling and seething, erupting in re-occurring steam-like bursts of emotion... ambience and lividness though, it's a strange mix. :)

Anyway as far as the music goes it's great, just a little repetitive after all.

Nice work again!

-cd-

HaylenWillis responds:

oh why thank you i appreciate the kind words :), i do agree about the structure being questionable, the meaning that has to do with the title is quite complicated, a simpler way to explain my way of naming songs (at least half the time) is that i just think of whatever emotion i'm feeling around that period of time or i just try to create random images or scenes in my head and pick something or someone from that image that has a dope sounding name and chuck it in, there's rare times where i just come up with a completely made up word that sounds cool, i also find myself getting ideas from mostly phil elverum and aphex twin, it's a clusterfuck lmao.

and about repetition, i very much agree with this piece being a little repetitive, i was so proud of this track when making it, i honestly didn't even care lol. but the first demo of the track was like 7(1/2) minutes long without any second chorus or just a second anything, that same melody just went on for like 3-4 minutes lol so i'm really glad i still had the stems when i hopped back into working on the album that this track was in (which was much more flawed just a few months before release) nonetheless thank you a lot and i'm glad you like it :) ✌️

[Archscope - Just like the rest of 'em (demo)]

Feels almost like a spiritual journey initially.

Transcending this world; the void; the body.... though it goes on a bit long IMO. I guess that may be why it's still a demo? I wish the build would lead to something more; I wish there'd be some kind of conclusion or traversal, just a bit more variation maybe...

It sounds otherwordly though for sure. Airy. Atmospheric. Seemed it work well as a soundtrack for something equally pompous and beautiful...

-cd-

HaylenWillis responds:

i appreciate the kind words, and there’s other noteworthy reasons why this is a demo, this was late last year and i was still trying to figure out my kind of sound, i’m gonna have to agree with how you say it’s airy, making that kind off stuff is really not my strongsuit anymore imo, i’m much more about putting attack on the keys with delay and what not, stuff like steve roach’s track “reflections in suspension” or “azukiiro no kaori” by susumu yokota would be the best example, but either way thank you for the kind words :)

[Bop It]

Wonder what happened to the embedded image here...

The audio may be a little monotone overall, but a bop it is! The transitions are slick, the vocals feel a little flat compared to the rest of the mix but they do work well with it. Love the transmission-like clicks and clutches with the sound. A bit more variation this'd be amazing IMO - though of course it is a structure of the genre; stylistic choice too.

Keep up the good bops!

-cd-