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Text File | 1997-10-21 | 77KB | 1,332 lines

WMR (Reviews [week #27]) __ __ __ | \ __ ______/ |_ | | | o \ | | | / o | \ |o | | \| o| |o _/ | o\ []=======| |==| \ |=| |/ | \========[] []=======| |==| \ |=| | |\ \=======[] []=======| |==| \|=| | |=\ \======[] :: | | | \ | | | / / :: :. | | | |\ \| | /| |/ / :: : | | |/\ | \ | |/ | | / : | | / \| |\ | | | | / :. | | / \ | \ | |__| | / .: :: | |/ \| \_| | |/ : :: | /\ | | __| |\ :: []=======| / \ |=| |==| | \==========[] []=======| /| \ |=| |==| | \=========[] []=======| /=| |\ |=| |==| | \========[] |o / | | \ o| |o | | |\ o\(mansooj) |_/ | o | \_| |__/ | o | \__/ |___| |___| (Originally compiled and added on September 22, 1997) (last updated 09.22.97) -----========================================----- -----================================================================----- "Daemon" (8-bit version) by Euji Acha (22ch XM, xx:xx) (daemon8.zip [286K/774K]) [Dark Trance] "What to say about this module? This is just music, you know, I won't bother you with lame considerations like "I wanted to represent, etc." I'm just a composer, nothing more. However, I can't tell you that I try to make original music; I make music as I feel, I don't care about "what is good, what is bad"...if I think it sounds great, it's enough. Maybe I could tell you what I think Dark Trance is: Dark Trance is techno music with a chimerical connotation, with strange sounds, etc. It sounds dark and deep...." [Euji Acha] Samples -----------------. Originality -------------. | Technical ---------. | | Composition -----. | | | Overall -. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ==================== Skullsaw 95+ 90 80 90 95 Ka'PQat 90- 95 95 70 95 MING 88+ 80 65 95 80 Nova 67+ 70 55 80 65 Araneus 62= 70 -- 75 76 Mysterium 60+ 60 60 65 60 Rebriffer 50+ 50 65 55 50 /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ Ka'PQat ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ This piece has the curious quality of being at once both soothing to the ears and disturbing to the psyche, which seems to be the intended effect. A menacing, low turbo-prop-like bass synth sweeps from side to side at the beginning, and synth sounds, very cleanly sampled, suggest cries of creatures thrashing around in some torturous transdimensional captivity. More clean sounds as from a sci-fi version of hell occupy this immense, dark glowing red cavern which seems filled with a haze of deadly particulate energy, repeating soft but head-filling thuds, metallic screeches lowered to metallic yells seeming to narrowly miss you from behind, and the occasional sound I can only describe as a psychic growl. Everything is very polished and smooth, and each element materializes and dematerializes very slowly, steering this toward the trance genre, though this trance includes a sinking, sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. Through much of the piece there is a tribal rhythm full of staccato rattling wooden sounds, giving the impression of an aboriginal culture having developed among this hellish futuristic set of warp-space machinery in the seeming absence of its demonic creators, performing rituals to ward off radiation burns. A cymbal-saturated, techno thud-clap beat joins, transforming the scenario into a kind of blasphemous factory unifying physical and metaphysical forces to produce its powerfully deceptive spawn. It ends with the elements falling away leaving just the repeating thud that finally stops, like a heart of one that has been hypnotically drawn into a deadly artificial rhythm. This is a type of music I do not like very well, and this is not going in my personal playlist, but Euji Acha has such a perfect ear for effect that it can draw even me into that world. The whole thing is too sparse for me to like, but to make it any denser would ruin the effect. I just do not like it. I do find it very intriguing in that it seems to me to be a more subtle, truth-ringing, sophisticated artistic portrayal of supernatural evil than most pieces of similar names I have heard. The sounds all seem to slide at you from another dimension, or to be heard deafeningly inside your head and not with your ears, which is a tribute to both the sample quality and the tracking, as the timing of pulses of sound is also essential to the effect. Many FT2 effects were used to this end, I can see, all with never a seam showing, just the strange, alien yet oddly familiar forms and feelings they created. /----------------------------------------------------\ )------------------------========[ MING ]========-------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ This is not, as I define it, music. Oh, well, maybe it is, philosophically; but as a composer, I wouldn't make anything that sounded like this and call it music. There's simply no intonation, no tones at all in the song. It has a beat, and loads of atmospheric sounds, but not one sample I could, even if I stretched my own preferences to the limit, call melodic. Building up with those intentionally noisy and distorted sounds a kind of a soft rhythm and then adding a mellow trancebeat of standard measures surely satisfies most pepole, but not me. As the beat is only featured through the whole song as a pulse deep down below, I, therefore, can't give it 'music' status on rhythmical grounds either. Does this sound negative? Now to the sharp turn. :) I really like this piece of music (or non-music, or whatever). Labeled music or not, it is a piece of techno that really blows my mind. It is a piece of sound-art seldom heard in the mod-scene or even elsewhere. Because it is not only good to listen to, this could be played at a rave, and everyone would dance themselves into a coma before it was over. It is just so goddamn...functional as a rave-tune, with it's hypnotic mood, complex percussion and a basskick that you don't hear as much as feel in the guts. It is literally made to be played for a tuned up audience at that club where the most underground stuff is played. Preferably late, when people are so into rave, they can't stop their feet. Go get this--unless you are much more narrowminded than me. I won't guarantee you'll like it as much as I do, but if you listen to it five times in a row and don't find youself all of a sudden sitting there and having no idea of where you are, what time it is and what the hell it is that makes you nod to the beat, I'll be honestly surprised. Given the chance, Daemon (whatever THAT's supposed to imply) hides unexpected magic. /----------------------------------------------------\ )------------------------========[ Nova ]========-------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Two words come to mind while listening to this song: Haunting Malevolence--evil waiting to happen. Euji Acha works well instilling a sensation of hair-raising anticipation. The author starts the song with a high pitched sine wave sound that seems to fly from speaker to speaker, then adds another and another. Soon it feels as if evil surrounds you and you are waiting for something big and climactic to happen but, instead, the sine waves stop. The empty void that is created by the absence of the sine sounds is, in itself, eerie, but it does not last long as it soon becomes filled with the sounds of tribal drums and then modern percussion. The tribal pattern is occasionally broken by an echo of a distant ghostly female voice howling something unrecognizable. For the ending, the volume of the tribal drum pattern increases to become the focus of the song and then instrumentation is dropped away 'til only the bass drum is left. It kicks out a few more patterns and stops. The problems with this mod are that between the time that the tribal rhythm is introduced and the end of the mod there is little variation; most of it's just drums and the occasional female ghost voice. The other thing is that in the two minute introduction of the song you are lead to believe that there is going to be some kind of climax that would come crashing down upon you as you listened. This never came. Spending some time in Haiti, I can say that this tune sounds like a Voodoo ritual put to some sort of futuristic trance music. If that image piques your interest, then this mod is for you. If not, then there is nothing that is really technically accomplished about this mod that you would want to hear. It scores points in originality but that is not quite enough to make this a 'great' mod. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Mysterium ]========----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ This piece reminds me of playing a game like Quake or Doom, because of its gothic style tone. The tune does set the mood and environment well, for I found myself able to listen to this piece to the end without too much frustration. Only the slow beginning, which leisurely works into the beat, deserves my consternation. The bulk of the song, although quite repetitive, was enjoyable. The trance style of and the looping of the 'Low Helium Sine Sweep' (as it is labeled in the instrument list) during the song stood out as above average. For while techno often repeats, the listener should not become bored of the music, and this piece did not test my patience. But to this end, I thought the music lacked variety and that did detract from the song. If Euji Acha had game music in mind (music that should only be played in the background), then he does a terrific job of portraying this style, but if the music is meant to be played alone, the dearth of diversity withdraws the listener from the piece. Another item of note remains the bass that begins at about 4:45 into the song; it's simple and fits the music well. I could just as well imagine myself listening to the deep bass grooves in my car or at a techno club! A huge fan of well-lain baselines, I delighted in Euji Acha's excellent use of bass. The piece progressed with ease and the solid use of various effects (such as volume slides, looping, and panning) enhance the musical journey, allowing the listener to experience a morbid journey into the imagination of the composer. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Rebriffer ]========----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ What is it about darkness that so inspires mod composers? There are so many tracks around featuring D&D/Doom scenarios that it almost qualifies for a separate WMR category. This is a not-quite-typical example of the breed insofar as the opening features some very nice touches in the weird noise department. This is always a good move as far as drawing the listener into the atmosphere of the track, but once you have them there the track better be good. So does this do the trick? Well, it starts very slowly with said noises whizzing backwards and forwards in the mix (some nice stereo sweeps here) before settling into the track itself. The track eventually starts around 2:00 minutes in (!) and quickly establishes itself as a fairly typical rave type track (albeit with some tasty percussion licks). There are some African drum samples that are used very effectively to propel what is, essentially, a fairly pedestrian beat. For this reviewer, however, as good as the little touches are, it still doesn't do much for the track, overall, which just doesn't have enough variation in it to make it a 'stayer.' Even for a dance track of this length (8 minutes or so), I would have expected a lot more twists and turns to occur. In fact, the more you seem to get into the body of the track, the less seems to be happening. Some really nice touches then, but just not enough to lift this track out of the ordinary. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Skullsaw ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Melodies? I don't need no stinking melodies. From the onset, I was sucked into Daemon. For two minutes, there is nothing but abstract sound sculptures shaped by atonal whooshes and sweeps that evoke electronic cyber-bugs buzzing through my head, just great. On first listen, I actually expected to be let down because the intro is just so fresh and unusual and I've been fooled before, but I was not disappointed in any way. A basic repeating drum track slithers in as a biomechanical breathing machine inhales and exhales in time with the beat. Delicate electro bongos tap away as abstractions flitter in and out of the mix. This is a piece of music that uses sound as its focus rather than melody and harmony and it does this very well indeed. Aside from the drum samples all of the sounds are fresh and original, no 303s or synth stabs here. The sound quality is top notch all around as is the mix itself. Daemon is dark and forboding, repetitive yet compelling, organic yet cold. The highest compliment I can give is that if I could get a hold of this on vinyl or CD, I would buy it. /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ Araneus ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ I really don't know what to make of this one. The two minutes of the module lacks any rhythm--just sounds like somebody's voice slowed down by 80 times, or something (a low rumbling sound). Sounds of moving objects (in the form of organ and cymbal synths that change pitch) rush past you. A beat kicks in, and I expect to hear some sort of neat combination of sounds that would leave me astounded (sort of what a Basehead song will do to you). Unfortunately, all I can say is that this is simply a rhythm song. It actually isn't repetitive, since the beats are unique in their own way, but usually, I prefer a dominant melody to the song, and am not that forgiving to this type of song unless there is a really interesting drum beat to redeem it. -----================================================================----- "One Time" by Red-I of DiSC (??ch IT, 03:31) (dc-one.zip [617K/745K]) [Jungle] "OneTime was completed over a week's time (working on and off). I had a hard time defining its style, since it begins with a hard beat and some cool voice samples, and ends with a junglistic rhythm. Nothing 'inspired' me in its creation, just my computer, a glass of coke, and a pack of cigarettes. I kept my mind totally open when working on it. (ie. no style, length, etc. in mind). This module should appeal to all of the 'digitially inclined.'" [Red-I] Samples -----------------. Originality -------------. | Technical ---------. | | Composition -----. | | | Overall -. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ==================== Rebriffer 80+ 75 70 70 75 MING 70= 60 65 88 90 CCerberus 65- 62 70 68 85 Fanta C 61= 62 70 50 62 ChroMix 53+ 80 79 85 78 Shrift 45= 55 40 20 65 Mansooj 44= 55 -- 25 55 Mysterium 40= 40 35 35 75 /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ Mansooj ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Red-I brings forth a techno-jungle creation which, on the whole, is lacklustre and blissfully free of the taint of originality. There seems nothing included in these three-and-a-half minutes that would be of interest to a general audience. A rather down and dirty review lead-in for a rather down and dirty collection of bits and bytes. To illustrate the reason why this piece failed miserably to involve me as a listener, here follows a complete description of this module focusing on the key points only: A rather sparse opening of standard bass and hihat; include a fat bass synth; add in some miscellaneous, old and tired voice and 'effects' (to use the term liberally) samples; vary the drum-beat a bit--but just a bit--here and there to make way for various canned drumloops; do this for a few minutes plus, and end. This track just came and went without seeming to even make a passing attempt at grabbing me. It seems just another in a morass of attempts to take some particular voice sample and around it build a piece of music in the simplest, most unambitious manner possible. Yes, herein is contained a "one time" sample. It, the other voice samples, and everything save perhaps the backing bass synth and a couple of perc loops were just there doing what a million other clones in the genre do: nothing worth chirping, much less crowing, about; and even the exceptions in that list are old-hat, they just happen to be the sort of thing that, in and of themselves, are not bad...if used in context of a better overall track. I hesitate to ascribe any particular failing to the composer. After all, I so often hear that creating this form of music is not as easy as it seems. Hmmm...well, I guess there must be an -awful- lot of people who are skilled at making this sort of stuff, because the net is clogged with it. Regardless, I am forced by not being a tracker, to reserve true judgment on that claim and just rely on the experience of many "been there, done that"'s to keep me skeptical. Does it suck? No, not really--it is merely average, but average at best. It does nothing new or exploratory; it does nothing in particular well; it just follows a path travelled so heavily a trough has formed down the middle--and does so at a slow, careful pace so as not to risk stepping into uncharted territory for fear of boogie men or grues. I've had the misfortune of hearing far, far worse, and the rare pleasure of the opposite extreme, but hearing yet another nearer the trailing edge just reaffirms my inherent distaste for this sort of mediocrity. So although those who are really into this style may find this something worth bringing home for endless repetition on the ol' mod-player (most likely to dance to, 'cause as lissnin' muzik, it just doesn't cut it), the rest of us who are willing to listen but expecting more, will most likely abide by the track's final, unintentionally suggestive statement: "One time...." /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Mysterium ]========----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Boom. Boom. Boom. When will this song be over? Boom. Boom. Boom.... Well, you get the picture. This song was a boring, unoriginal piece that lacks spontaneity. True techno is supposed to repetitive, but there ARE limits! The tune starts off with your basic house beat, and it never really develops further. However, I should thank the composer for thinking about the people, who are deaf in one ear. This refreshingly mono piece will suit one-ear-deaf people perfectly; sure, there is a bit of panning, but it had no noticeable effect on my listening journey! Well, I should not dog all of it, many parts of the song did impress me. So let me begin with the better points. The bass samples and the percussion samples were high quality (16-bit) and very clear. I liked how the composer used sample #34 (a distorted bass instrument) in pattern #9, where the bass line breakdown begins. I enjoyed the way the bass was utilized to create a catchy bass line, and in addition, found that the composer made use of hi-hats and percussion well. The creative use of sample #3 (a voice sample that is used to create a "bish, bish, booosh" sound) in the beginning reminded me of Deathjester or BLuRry and it made me laugh! =) I thought the effect of the "bish, bish, boosh" had an entertaining feel to it, and basically I thought that the way it sounds was funny. However there remains not much else which I can praise. The voice samples are overused and seem only to add to the 'noise' of the piece. The drumloops intensify the general 'buzzing' sensation of the track, urging the listener to turn down the volume. The transitions appear non-existent and I am a stickler for transition. In my opinion, the skilled use of transitions separates a superb tracker from a mediocre tracker. Finally, the lower octave notes really distorted the piece and took away from the high energy feel of the music, making the music seem to want to slow down, while it kept its high energy beat. A conflict of speeds readily destroys any mood set by the piece. In closing, this tune does not stand amongst the better pieces or the worst pieces. At best, it's an average tune with average listening pleasure. I played it once, but I am likely not to play it ever again; but with any item that remains average, some people will find greatness in it and some people will find faults in it. Therefore you should ultimately judge for yourself! /----------------------------------------------------\ )------------------------========[ MING ]========-------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ It's funny, I could copy my review of When I Dream by Chimp&Z exactly, apply it to this song, and almost every word would make sense, and the review would yield a correct judgment. But for the sake of fairness, I won't. I'll give you a spanking new review instead. This is a mellowish trancebeat, slowly merging and morphing into a fast paced jungle beat, and spiced with voice and sound effects. Although those effects appear to have been put there just for the heck of it, rather than because they really should be there, they do, in fact, add a much needed dimension to the song. With this in mind, it should be noted that a full length song composed of only drumbeats (even ones with a nice driving feeling like these) wouldn't make for an uplifting experience...unless the composer was a complete genius. Red-I is also a firm believer in VOLUME. Everything is loud. The effects are loud, the drums are loud, the overall volume of the song is loud, and the spaces between beats are totally silent, so the contrast makes the loudness seem even louder. This loudness, the crystal clear sound of the samples, and the well done drum track are this song's main standouts. On the other hand, the less than flattering timing, mixing and tuning of voices and effects, and a total lack of any decent melodic work (although I don't think he even considered that) lowers my overall impression from something quite good, to something that's just Worth A Listen If The Style Appeals. --- References --- When I Dream by Chimp&Z ([download]/[reviews]) /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ Fanta C ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ This is a fairly standard jungle track. Rhythm it's got. I hate to see this style fall into the trap of over-complicating the basic tempo, which is all too easy to do; luckily, One Time doesn't. Now, this type of mod isn't designed to be listened to, it's designed to be danced to, so with this in mind, this one works well, even if it does sound the same as all other tracks in this style. They all seem to use the same drumloop sample known as 'junglebeat.' It's about 50k in 8-bit form and seems to be used extensively. Listening to it as music isn't really fair, but if you want to know, it's repetitive, with virtually zero melody, relying more on drum breaks and FX samples to break the proceedings up into manageable chunks. From a technical point of view, it's fairly simple and effective. Most of the samples are ripped, and qualitywise, most are fine. Some however are slightly clipped but the overall 'mix' is good. Of particular note is the ending, which came as a pleasant suprise. I won't tell you what it does, but thought it was cool the first time. Conclusion: do we really need another reincarnation of "Jungle Beat - The Sample," even if it is reasonably well done? /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ ChroMix ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Well, the first time I listened to this song, I really didn't like it too much, but after a few more listens I got to the point where I understood it and could appreciate it to a point. Now I know why: well tracked song, good composition, dubby samples, quite original, but NOT enjoyable. This song is very well tracked. The composer looks like he knows what he's doing, he uses panning, effects, the whole deal. He also composed this piece quite well, adding some nice, creative rhythm throughout the song, and was careful not to make the song repetitive. The sampling kind of reminded me of something from Pop Will Eat Itself or The JAMs, and was well executed. All fine. The big problem with this song is that it's no fun to listen to. There's nothing that grabs your attention to make you want to listen to it again. The song most notably lacks a good lead, which on my first listen, I kept waiting to kick in and save the song, but it never came. It was also ended rather inappropriately with a synth that wasn't even in the rest of the song up until that point; it sounded really wrong. Anyway, case and point: good work, average song. 'Nuff said. /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ Shrift ]========------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ This song has been done too many times. Although the tracking tended to be pretty tight in this piece, that seems to be because 1) almost no effects were used, and 2) the song's structure caters both to empty repetition, and thin themes. Overall, this is a piece where there is little to talk about. This piece's one redeeming quality is the quality of the samples. Though not very uniquely used or mixed, the general quality of the samples is quite good. Their quality would have made a bigger difference had they been used more originally. For example, the "bass!" vocal sample used here has been circulating around for over 5 years. To me, it's a relic from the days of old-school tracking. Back when house music had become mainstream, and everyone with trackers wanted to "play musician" by writing some. In many instances, this piece is reminiscent of those days, though this one has added an extremely minimal industrial background (consisting of the generic "C.. C-C#-C.."). This piece is not poorly tracked, but it has no dimension, inspiration, or real creativity attached to it. It takes no risks, and makes no impressions. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Rebriffer ]========----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Yet another DiSC track--I've also just reviewed Consumate by Teapot from the same collective, and I have to say that this one wins the battle between these two tracks, and does so handsomely. A lively, rave track that keeps up the pace right through. I even got up and danced to it!!! Obviously it's better that you are reading this because, believe me, watching me dance is not a pretty sight. All that cavorting may make you dizzy. This is the kind of track that, for this reviewer anyway, singles out the DiSC collective as being one worthy of merit. A lot of their releases tend to beat the same path, but it's a particularly fruitful path to beat. One Time twists and turns with the best of them and the absolute standout for me was the great use of the drums to propel this track. In the rhythm department, there are no complaints at all, it's blisteringly percussive. Hi-hats appear and disappear with a style and panache that brings a smile even to my bitter and twisted visage. Excellent, and I'm going to be on the lookout for more from Red-I, so be warned. :) --- References --- Consumate by Teapot ([download]/[reviews]) /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ CCerberus ]========----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ As a general rule, I dislike this type of music. I don't usually like music which has a very limited melodic structure, and which is based more around percussion and samples than anything. This song, however, somehow managed to reach my "techno soft spot" I guess, since I actually didn't mind it. I kinda LIKED it. :) There's a lot of variety here--far more that I'm accustomed to hearing in techno/dance modules. *Certainly*, there is a lot less repetition than usual, which was a welcome change. Samples here were used intelligently and with a great deal of variation, which kept the song interesting up to the end. I'm not an expert in this genre, so that's really all I have to say about it. -----================================================================----- "Crush" by ZackmanO of Nebula (??ch S3M, 04:16) (n_crush.zip [551K/993K]) [Metal] "I have worked five years trying to release a song with this much power and punch. It sounds like a mix of MetallicA and TestAmenT. It's got original rhythm guitar, lead guitar, and bass samples. The bass has a chorus pedal on it, and the guitars sound like MetallicA's Load album. I also have the best drumset I have ever used in this one." [ZackmanO] Samples -----------------. Originality -------------. | Technical ---------. | | Composition -----. | | | Overall -. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ==================== Peraphon 96+ -- -- -- 95 Mansooj 84+ 80 -- 70 69 MING 79- 85 65 70 80 CCerberus 75+ 79 75 72 65 Rebriffer 70+ 65 70 65 70 WolfSong 67+ 82 65 52 70 /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ Mansooj ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ So there I was, just minding my own business while picking pansies in a local meadow, my knickers riding nastily. Suddenly, I heard a clanging noise, and before I could even turn my head, down comes a humongous armored boot (or so I was told in the afterlife), WHAMMO! El squashimundo! The lesson learned here is: don't be a wimp if you plan to download this heavyweight, straight between the eyes, metal monster. ZackmanO is one of those names that I've had earmarked for checking out for a long, long time. Time and gremlins have kept me from realizing this duty, but here is where being a WMR reviewer welcomly forces my hand, so to speak. In keeping with Z's purported reputation (often self-promoted) as one of the premier metal modicians, I came into this expecting a lot. I got most of it. This is HARD heavy metal, not slow but heavy chords droned over and over with some loud but unspectacular percussion underneath, and maybe a quick solo tossed in to meet the status quo. From the first half-second, this thing grabs you in a metal grip you have no hope of escaping from; no feinting spacey or balladic intros here. It whisks you at hyper-speed through a respectable number of variations on a theme, slamming you first against one one wall, then against another...sometimes dragging your semi-conscious body along for a short while, as if to give you time to shake the stones from your head enough to be able to realize that you're going to have to go through it again. Massive powerchords litter the place, as one would expect. But along with this is something else that is both expected and not often dealt up properly: huge, powerful percussion. And percussion with a lot of character and a millipede's worth of arms each with a stick and a riff of its own. Aggressive, varied percussion, at least in my estimation, really keeps the adrenaline going. Wall to wall powerchords can really set the atmosphere, but that aspect needs some foundation to stage itself. Another nice thing found in this big metal box is variety in the guitar riffs as well as the percussion. The majority of metal mods I've heard to date really, and oddly, tend to skip the infinite riffs one can dream up for guitar leads, often relying on just a few, often haggard, riffs and (usually) a mediocre solo. Okay, so this isn't exactly laden with tons of solos, but those short solo bits that are found herein are smart and fit excellently with the chaos flowing around it. What does exist is a band of strong leads, whether they're in the front or in the middle of the mix. On this point, there was an embarrasment of intricacy throughout, and it kept the proceedings fresh and interesting. What I find most compelling about this track, as opposed to most metal tracks, is its sheer, unrelenting, PCP-driven energy. Even during the occasional 'quiet' respites, the power is crackling under the more sedate exterior. One would think from the foregoing that I'm just a power-metal freak, but this is not really the case. To offer some perspective, I love stuff like Yngwie Malmsteen's Black Hole which is (IMO) an awesome instrumental metal piece vastly more relaxed than this. In reality, I am as much a fan of metal of most stripes as I am of Jarre and Vangelis, so my appreciation of this module's welcome aspects should not be trivialized too much as just personal idiosyncrasy. I must mention, though, that some of the instruments' distortion seemed a bit overzealous, and the guitar samples themselves, while used very well, sounded just a tad...unreal. However, amidst the energy and sheer speed, this didn't present much of a problem. As it is told in the ancient texts, guitar based mods are a pain in the posterior regions, and perhaps finding or creating really convincing guitar samples fits on the same page. Given that I feel this is the best metal mod I've yet reviewed for the WMR, in an overall sense, I would have to conclude that such considerations are peripheral enough to say flatly: STOP PLAYING WITH YOURSELF AND GET IT, YA WIMP! /----------------------------------------------------\ )---------------------========[ WolfSong ]========------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ I woke up this morning and prayed, as I often do, that things would go as smoothly and as hassle free as possible, at least until I got my coffee, sat down to review a module or two and...well, I'm beginning to wonder if God likes seeing my life complicated or just needs a hearing aid. Banter aside, I must admit that my day could have started better. If this module had been really good or even really bad it would have been fine. But it's neither...and both. This is a heavy metal tune with loads of guitars, big drums and lots and lots of energy. It's actually one of the finest compositions in a module of this style that I've ever heard. The chords and solos are very believably written and, I imagine, were actually composed and thought out on a guitar before being tracked. I want to pin a medal on Zackman for the leads alone! The tracking must have been a nightmare, though be that as it may, I think he did a very good job of it. It sounds as though he has had a lot of influence from the thrash/metal giants like Metallica and he carries that very well in his composition. So it's a good song right? It's that simple, right? Of course it isn't. I would like to encourage ZackmanO to record this song in an analog format instead of tracking it, if he hasn't already. I think it would make a brilliant recording. Like I said, the composition rocks. The final sound, however, leaves something to be desired. In a sad twist of irony, not only is this probably the best metal composition I've heard in a module format, it's also, by far, the most 'synthetic' sounding. There is not one thing believable about the overall sound of this module. In the process of tracking, the guitar and bass samples have been sped up, slowed down, twisted and mutated so that the desired notes and sounds were reached and, consequently, it shows in the sound. It sounds like what happens when Nintendo decides they want to use a sampled guitar in one of their game soundtracks. Clayfighter immediately comes to mind. Many people might not share my view of this, in which case I would recommend you download this song right away, but I personally grew up in the heavy metal/guitar era and I have no soft spot for fake sounding guitars and as much as it pains me to say this about such a nicely written module: Do you remember those old Wal-Mart sampling keyboards?...yup. That's what it sounds like. I still do urge you to take a listen to this if you're a metal/thrash fan simply because the writing in itself is very cool! /----------------------------------------------------\ )------------------------========[ MING ]========-------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ ZackmanO, another one of those nicks I have yet to learn to live with :), was actually, if not the first to, at least one of the very first contacts with mod-music I ever had. And still, he is one of the composers I like best out there. Of all I've heard, he simply makes the best metal mods on the scene today. Not that I really like metal, but I do recognise quality when I see (hear) it. What has always buggered me with metal trapped in module form is The Lack of Melodies and The Plastic Sound. The Lack of Melody part is really hard to understand, since metal in real life is one of the more melodic styles there is, and a lead guitar solo is almost standard in every song. Crush lacks less in those areas than any metal mod I've ever heard. Thus, it beats them all. It is fast paced and healthily aggressive, and the overall sound of the piece is, if not overly so, at least quite realistic. And it does so much more than the lot in handling the chords. Where the norm seems to be to slam them out one after the other in big chunks, he lets them trip, bend, take sharp turns, halt, and rush away, in a never ending outburst of creativity. Impressive. And it is still just the background to the even greater lead solos. So, as a metal mod, it's outstanding. As a mod and all, I think it holds up pretty well too, as it musically represents know-how and skill, and as it does keep me entertained all through 50 patterns. It has some technical drawbacks, such as cutoff instruments and blunt dynamics, overall, but I'm not going to bore you with that. Because in a song with a...crush like this, it doesn't matter. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Peraphon ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ As far as metal modules go, this is the best I've heard in a long time. I would say that this song is reminiscent of the older-style Metallica in many ways, mainly because of the way the guitar is structured. While this song does sound fairly generic, in terms of the sound of the guitars and the drums are doing a mile-a-minute, that doesn't stop it from being quality all the way. Crush starts off with lead guitars and drums, as do many metal songs. During the song there are some interesting little drum solos which have been done exceptionally well. It appears to change in several places; most of the time it's full-on speed metal, but in places it does appear to slow down a bit. The samples used are first rate. I heard absolutely no flaws, crackle or hiss whatsoever. The loops are excellent, the seams being almost undetectable. These samples are highly appropriate to this music genre, and complement the song in every way. The number of guitar samples used in this song is staggering, but each one serves a purpose and serves it well. The song has a rich and very complete sounding metal tone throughout. That's why it's one of the most authentic sounding metal modules I have ever heard. This is studio quality stuff, which probably explains why it's so huge. Even at almost a megabyte for 4 mins and 11 seconds, this one is a keeper. Don't miss it, it's brilliant. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Rebriffer ]========----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Kerrrang!!! Some people have problems with the new 'metal' breed but not this reviewer, I do actually like a good guitar thrash every once in a while. ZackmanO is one of the better trackers of this new breed, but for me, this track doesn't gel like some of his other tracks. It's a good thrash metal tune alright, made from his own guitar samples which sound wonderful, but it doesn't really go anywhere too interesting, and that's a shame. Mind you, this boy knows his stuff. The mix is dynamite: Clear, well spaced sound assaults you from the whole stereo spectrum (as in all the best music of this genre). The drums are sharp and crisp (the snare especially), although I, personally, could have done with a little more kick-in-the-face stylee, but there ya go. There's a really neat bit a little more than a minute before the end where the tune almost gets into a kinda (God forbid!) funk groove. It's only a couple of bars before we get back into the tune but it's a nice break for all that. Good, then, if you like the thrash metal scene (Destroyer, Betrayer, FrizzleFried, etc.), but it's always been an acquired taste and some folks will plain hate it. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ CCerberus ]========----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Back when I was first learning how to track, ZackmanO was one of my biggest influences. It's cool to see that he's still cranking out kick-ass metal modules that have his unique musical freshness. That's one of the best aspects of this song--the freshness. It is a metal module, and a lot of these tend to sound boring and repetitious, but Zack always manages to keep the song roaring along, from the solid headbanging outset to the *searing* guitar solos near the midpoint of the song, there's never a dull moment. And the Zackman knows his percussion, too! The drumming employed in this song is highly realistic and entertaining. The only major complaint I have about this song is that some of the samples could definitely be better. The lead guitar samples, for example, sound very synthetic, and when played at high pitches and blazing speeds, they start sounding a little bit ridiculous. Putting a vibrato on one of these samples, while it might sound cool on a real guitar, sounds pretty silly when the sample already sounds unrealistic. Overall, I would call this one a "must have" for serious thrash module collectors, and a worthy download for anybody that simply appreciates good hard rock modules. -----================================================================----- "Macabre" by Darkhalo (16ch XM, 04:25) (dh-macab.zip [993K/1748K]) [Rave/Techno] Samples -----------------. Originality -------------. | Technical ---------. | | Composition -----. | | | Overall -. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ==================== ChroMix 89+ 92 81 87 80 Ka'PQat 89+ 80 85 90 50 Mansooj 86+ 70 -- 82 85 Quasar 73+ 70 60 75 80 Rebriffer 70+ 70 85 70 95 Nova 54= 40 45 55 60 /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ Mansooj ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Darkhalo plays mommy dearest to a strapping little 17 pound 5 ounce baby with this one. I can hear its hungry wail rumbling through the hillsides now.... Macabre exhibits one of the rather common structures I've seen. That of a stop-start approach equating to soft-hard musical exchanges. Pumping dance-hop beats pound away for a certain amount of time, abruptly sliding into a more sedate sequence, sometimes of atmospheric strings and piano, sometimes a laidback pseudo-industrial tone. But always melding back into the powerful techno or dance-hop that play the bones to the soft innards. As the title would suggest, this track is given a veneer of the strange and eerie, mainly brought forth through use of well-chosen piano notes in most of the slower, quieter segments. I like the blend despite what might at first seem like a rather incompatible pairing. In a complete sense, this really helps to set this piece somewhat above the usual techno/dance fare, but admittedly, I'm somewhat partial to the eerieness bit anyway. The intro is a short, dramatic and eerie guitar and bass bit, using a haughty laugh to segue into the first heavy-beat section. This sort of exchange, albeit with different palettes and different levels of urgency, repeats about five times. Fortunately, each sequence is different enough that this routine's inherent repetition doesn't become a problem. In fact, Darkhalo slipped in a selection of short voice snatches which were actually helpful, overall. Although, the first sample bugged me because I'm just so tired of seeing otherwise clever artists cheapening their tracks with fossilized voice clips like the "drop the bass" we hear early on. Perhaps it's presuming too much too soon, but when I hear such a thing (or "hit it" or some crap about "bass bins") so soon, I instinctively settle in for the worst. This is an enormous module with the sample quality seeming to be the culprit (okay, I've taken courses at the School of the Bleedin' Obvious). I'm somewhat ambivalent regarding the validity of giant samples (there are no less than six coming in at over 100K, with one at 277K) being worthwhile. But, I can't take away from the quality, and the track does sound awfully clean; and I'm sure it benefitted from the tasty array of 37 different sounds. In this case, I'd say it was justified. For those who are on the edge of caring about anything in the techno/rave field, you might want to skip this if only to save yourself the additional time downloading all these samples. However, if you like this sort of stuff at all, I'd say it's worth the twiddling time to grab it and have a listen. Darkhalo has a nice touch and invests enough exotic flavor into what has become something of a dull, repetitive genre, that I think it would also be fair to suggest looking around for others from this composer. /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ Ka'PQat ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ I had dismal hopes for this one when the first sample faded in crackling, due to poor quality, but it was an enchanting riff on an Oriental dulcimer called a santir, and I am a sucker for Eastern/Middle-Eastern touches to modern music. This dreamy, bittersweet sound was soon punctuated by aggressive synthbass touches foreshadowing the hardcore dessert to come, brought in by a tough/wicked female laugh. As for the next voice sample, it definitely could have been much more original. I agree with many reviewers here in having no need to hear when they are going to "drop the bass." I loved the tone and panning of the voice samples, they just could've said something else more related to the musical theme! The piece is about equal parts ambient and hardcore; the ambient sections employ a dismal piano sample, slightly flat, that nevertheless persuades you to listen due to the tracking technique...you can almost *see* the fingers gracing the echoing notes with their sensual and dreamlike touch that suggests Debussy or Liszt. The overall effect is of a grand, leafy, poised postmodern yet rustic sculpture in the middle of the desert that doubles as a killer thrill ride. Just as you are about to fully take in a breathtaking vista, a panning conveyer-belt-like sound, tuned to enhance the minimal, elegantly funky harmonics, gives you less than an instant of warning as you are whipped around and down into tail-twisting, thrust-propelled, acid/hardcore free-fall. Alternatively, this music could be seen as the soundtrack to some new kind of film that would be emotionally probing, artsy, and esoteric yet also with supercharged action, like Tous les Matins du Mond meets 12 Monkeys. Some of the transitions between the two styles should have been smoother, but the orchestration of the instruments in each part was excellent. On the other hand, the sample quality was quite low. However, as I have often seen with other good trackers, Darkhalo worked around the samples to almost turn their rawness into an advantage. But I still felt like I was listening to my favorite radio rave show (well, the *only* one in my area) with not-too-good radio reception. Annoying, but still better than everything else on the radio! And with the sympathetic, longing feelings and exotic yet familiar atmosphere it evoked even superimposed on the hardcore acid, it kicked me right up outta my seat and made me want to yell. This is a definite keeper. /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ ChroMix ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Oh wow! What a cool piece. The sheer power of this song totally absorbed me throughout the piece. The author's composition is very impressive, and the way he makes use of every element of the song is as cool as it is moving. Great song. It starts out with a soft sort of melody, one that's dark yet smooth. It then progresses through the introduction of bass, then drums, then a voice sample, and then BOOM! The Impulse Tracker display exploded with colored bars as the awesome "jungle- esque" drum beats moved into full effect. It's such an awesome drum sequence, that I, at first, thought "nah, it must be looped," but it wasn't!...well, not most of it anyway. He actually took a drum loop and added to it his own drum sequence, which when played back together, creates an effect that MAKES you want to listen to this piece. From there, a cool "drop the bass" vocal sample appears and the melody then drops off so that the cool drums and bass can then have a bit of a solo. Then, everything else is silent, except for the rather odd bassline, which then is also silent as some deep and sinister chords rise into play, bringing the song into its next movement. Another slow sort of piano melody plays through the chords and calms the song considerably. Then, a relaxed drum loop comes in, followed by a faster one, followed by a full rhythm section. Everything then stops abruptly with a lead solo and then the song just explodes with some totally kick-arse drums bass and synths. Great effect. The entire movement then repeats twice, closing on some "mystical" chords. The thing I like best about this song are its clear-cut and well-placed movements. This song took an idea that I, had I composed it, probably would have thrown out, but he takes it and makes it sing. This song is developed in an amazingly powerful way. It's not fancy...there really aren't any new or unusual effects applied here, nor any unbelievably cool samples or anything, it's just a great, well developed tune. I normally don't like morbid songs like these, but Darkhalo really broke the mold here. Good work. Great tune. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Rebriffer ]========----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ See this belt thing around my waist? Bit of a puzzler right? Well, if you try and drag this HUGE beast (at 1748k this is a BIG track) through that little email slot of yours you'll get a hernia just like mine!! Can't wait, right? So what did I finally get for all these pains? Disappointingly enough, not a lot. Considering the file size, the track itself is a letdown. Firstly it's 4:21, so obviously the weight of the track is embodied in the samples which are, to be fair, excellent, and if you are into 'ripping' as a legitimate hobby then these samples are as good as it gets. What's even more interesting is Darkhalo either made or sampled all of them. Musically though, I found the track a great disappointment as it's a fairly standard house/rave track that you can hear a million times--and sometimes delivered with far more subtlety too. It starts well enough, a very threatening soundscape beckons and I enter, shivering in my normal wimp manner. Nice guitar sounds, a gathering storm of bass, a quick gust of effects and whammo...techno style '97, including the obligatory 'rock the bass' vocal sample. Nice enough, but certainly nothing to wake up sweating over. Download for the samples and give the tune a listen while you're at it. Get a big download bag though, it's 990k+ compressed! /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Quasar ]========-------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Dark, gothic, rave? These words come to mind when trying to describe this module. This module's base melody is a slow gothic pattern with a resonating, echoing keyboard lead. Dark, evil voice tracks quickly set the tone of the module: eerie and heavy. But what starts off slow and eerie quickly turns heavy and fast-paced and can almost, but not quite, be described as rave. The module constantly takes the listener from the slow, moody tones of a gothic piece to a break-neck rave sequence. Surprisingly, however, the transformations, while sudden, are smooth and demonstrate a fine grasp of module composition. The module is technically complex, but doesn't rely on bells and whistles to impress the listener. Instead, the module's success is based upon good composition, an original musical theme, and very well-sampled instruments. The module itself reminds this reviewer of the Gothic Rave scene that can be found in many infamous Atlanta clubs such as The Chamber, or in any city with a progressive music scene. Will the average listener like this module? Yes, but the module will probably be something special only to those listeners who prefer such eerie, gothic themes and the fast, musically crowded rave breakdowns. /----------------------------------------------------\ )------------------------========[ Nova ]========-------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Starts out quiet and dark and then wakes up with a bang (literally). The introduction of the snare and remainder of the percussion is a jolt to the system. I like it. Anything that evokes a positive emotional response while I'm listening is good. The author then pulls back the instruments and goes into a string and piano section. Again, it becomes dark and quiet making me feel drawn to the song. But then something happens at a point approaching the middle: It sounds as if something was cut from another song and pasted in. It's a crude cutover back to the percussions. It's as if at this point in the song, the tone changes. The background instruments don't mesh and I can hear a problem with the composition. After a minute or two, you forget about that glaring error but, by then, the song is nearly over anyway. This flaw really detracts, and the song never really recovers. With some careful consideration as to why the song has a problem at this point and a with a fix applied, it could be a neat song. The style of 'slow classical, fast mechanical, slow, fast, slow' is not a new thing but Darkhalo has taken a sure step in the right direction. -----================================================================----- "Shadowform" by Nemesis (??ch IT, 04:55) (N-sform.zip [277K/435K]) [Demo] "Synthpop, and lots of it. Lots of synth pads (naturally), with some dance elements to it as well. Took 1st place at the Spring Break '97 mini-party in San Diego." [Nemesis] ! Placed First at Spring Break 1997 Party ! Samples -----------------. Originality -------------. | Technical ---------. | | Composition -----. | | | Overall -. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ==================== Mysterium 85+ 85 90 80 90 Peraphon 84+ -- -- -- 67 Nova 80= 80 60 70 75 WolfSong 78+ 77 68 64 55 Mansooj 78+ 75 -- 65 77 Rebriffer 65+ 60 70 60 75 /----------------------------------------------------\ )-----------------------========[ Mansooj ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Cool--a module by De Pechshop Boys! Well, sorta, and as sarcastic as that might at first sound, don't be put off even for a second. In fact, this is some very good synthie-pop and it isn't really fair to trivialize it by such a 'clever' opener as that. The usual suspects appear throughout--fat, burbling synths, wiry, high-tone synths, midtone background synths, subtly human-voice synths, bell-like tones, an upbeat percussion track--plus a synth-flute (which put me in mind of the music from The Secret of Monkey Island) and occasional brass hits to boot. The track trots along at pretty much the same pace as most synth-pop moddies do, with a slight downturn at the ending sequence, but through loss of the synths rather than a change in tempo. I would have to say that this actually marks the only point in the module I didn't like. This sort of ending seems to let the air out of the upbeat balloon that's been filling throughout. I believe a nice, quick, clever "seeya!" type ending would have put a more appropriate cap on this one. Granted, it's not recommended to do music in a proscribed manner, but it seems more appropos to the kind of tone generated in most songs of this genre. The important point, as I often say in these reviews, is not so much whether it is wholly original, but was it done well and did it have at least some new strokes added? Yes, and sorta yes. The flow and structure are handled admirably, and call up memories of many of the better Amiga modules of the same genre--but with more depth thanks to the flexibility of multitrack options. The 'feel' is there...a pleasant sensation of carefree bliss. I really don't find anything remarkably special about this track in terms of breaking new ground, although there still remains a memorableness about it which may be more important. Perhaps it's just the general catchiness of such tunes in general, but whatever it is, I feel pretty safe in suggesting that folks should download it, kick back and just relax. It's a fun piece that should leave at least some vestige of a grin on your face. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ WolfSong ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ This almost sounds like video game music, only it's too sophisticated. Then again, video game music *is* getting rather sophisticated lately. This piece wastes no time getting started, so I noticed my first complaint right off. The mixing. A lot more attention could have been paid to it. This can be noticed mostly in the booming bass track, since the rest of the song doesn't boom along with it. Most of the melodies seem to be punchy enough, but everything else is all but covered over by big, meaty bass samples. Don't get me wrong, I love big bass, but not so big that I have to strain to hear the other components of the music. What ARE the other components of the music? Well, there are some very straightforward yet dreamy chords courtesy of our highly celebrated strings and pianos, melodies of every shape and size played by bells, flutes, synths and even the bass sometimes, and some very snappy rhythm work. Sure, I have complaints about the song (I have complaints about everything) but that doesn't mean I don't like it. Actually, I like it more every time I hear it. The song has a very good feel to it. Probably what I like best about the song are the melodies. It's like Goldilocks showed up in the Bears' house with a tracker. They're not too little and they're not too much. They're juuuuuuuust right. They fit into the chords like they were meant to go there and at the same time they add a whopper of an atmosphere. The last time I heard anything like this was from some 80's pop music, only this is far from anything 80's. It almost feels as though the notes would spawn some kind of image, then again, maybe it's just me. Don't listen to me, the song is good, really! It has a very strong and solidly built structure that can be felt from the very beginning and a lot of creativity went into the melodies and chords. The composer definitely has a sense of how to make a song flow. Don't miss out on this special TV offer, not sold in any stores! Download Shadowform today! /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Peraphon ]========-----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ This song has done something that I haven't seen before: It comes with a story! What a story it is, too. The story is a Forgotten Realms based short story, focusing on someone chasing some guys and eventually ending their lives in gratuitous fashion. The music is an excellent complement to the story, and the song is as well-written as the story. This is an upbeat ballad-ish demo song that sounds fantastic. The song starts off with percussion and synth bass playing in such a way that indicates movement or running, as depicted in the story. A wood flute accompaniment kicks in a little later, giving a kind of Oriental feel (the main character of the story is from Kara-Tur, the Oriental east of the Forgotten Realms AD&D world). The synth bass and percussion set a very good pace throughout, just right for what this song is all about. Joining the song at various places are what sound like chimes or a MIDI crystal or celestia instrument, and they are used to great effect. The samples are of a reasonably high standard, which is understandable since most of them were ripped from other composers of note. I did not hear any problems at all in the looped samples, there were no obvious seams or clicks. Some of the higher-pitched samples did sound a little fuzzy or ringy, especially the celestia or crystal, but it is not highly evident. The samples sound very appropriate to the type of song and what the composer wants to achieve. Shadowform has a very full and rich tone throughout, very much a result of the low octave synths in the background. There is a definite end to the song, which suggests to me that the character of the accompanying story either killed their prey or left them as a scared, nervous wreck. Overall, great story and great song. Well worth a listen. Plays well under Cubic 1.7 with the IT loader. /----------------------------------------------------\ )------------------------========[ Nova ]========-------------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ Great tune. And, if I hear one other reviewer say that this song is "too Purple Motionish," I swear heads will roll. :) Nemesis does great work with a bass guitar sample. With the variation that is put into the composition of the sample it really drives the song without becoming monotonous. The lead synth used in the middle of the song is well done and makes only a brief appearance so as not to bore the listener. Along the same lines, the work with a panflute as the lead instrument in the early third and later third of the song adds some unique qualities to the tune which helps define it away from getting the dreaded "This mod sounds like Purple Motion" tag. Nemesis does a good job of introducing a sound, playing it for a bit and then moving on and introducing another sound. I know this may not be a fitting analogy but early Beatles tunes took the same approach. Each song was 2-3 minutes in length and nearly nothing was repeated. This left the audience wanting more (thus the craze); the author of this mod does something along the same lines. When a lead instrument is reintroduced you feel positive rather than saying to yourself, in a negative fashion, "oh, here is that nasty panflute again." In summary, this is a great tune to listen to. It's upbeat and lively. There isn't any groundbreaking, earthshattering material contained in this mod but then one has to remember that the Demo style of mods has been around nearly the longest of all tracking styles. Grab it because it is something different in this era of 'Post-Purple Motion Demo Tracks' not because you will be talking about it with all your friends for weeks to come. /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Rebriffer ]========----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ This song won the Spring Break '97 compo in San Diego, the sample notes state--as if this were a selling point. Truth of the matter is, to some of us, this would be a turning off point. Seems to this reviewer that there are two separate mod fields these days: The #trax/compo crowd, whose sole aim seems to be to recreate the glory days of mod production, and the rest of the tracking world, who just want to make their own music...no matter how bad or good it may be. This track, then, has all the regular 'compo' highlights you may expect. In fact, to my ears, it is so 'compo'-like I would be hard pressed to distinguish it from *any* other compo entry, and therein lies the problem. Competition is good, don't get me wrong, but to make sure that each track follows a certain style has just *got* to be bad. Surely, the whole point in tracking is to make a track that satisfies *you*, the tracker. Oh well, maybe I've just got this whole thing backwards. So, on to the track itself. What is there is good, highly polished with clear samples, a nice melody and considered use of instruments and mixing styles but, ultimately, it bores the pants off me. See, this is a track that takes no risks whatsoever. It works in a field that is so heavily stylized that you could play almost any other 'compo' track with it and not even notice the difference. So, personally, I didn't like this track, but there again, there are plenty of people out there to whom the word MOD *means* 'compo' winners. For me, it just leaves me cold--where is the emotion? Where, indeed, is the heart? Mind you, if you read the story (in IT, press F9), that also pretty much says it all too.... /----------------------------------------------------\ )----------------------========[ Mysterium ]========----------------------( \----------------------------------------------------/ It's not very often that artists use their comment space to begin a story as Nemesis does. This story about a katana-wielding woman running through a forest provides an amusing aside while the music plays, keeping you thoroughly entertained. Well anyway, on to the music! Although Nemesis' minor saga kept me enthralled, his piece offers an excellent, well composed tune that keeps the listener glued to their speakers. Sure, it's not something that sticks to your mind hours after you turn the music off, but it does provide stimulus for the ear while you play the track. The instruments blend together superbly, the panning is remarkable, and the mood that the tune creates envelopes you in pleasure. The bass line matches the music quite well, and the bells that arrive early in the music, add a demo-ish feel. A flute instrument (used for melody) corresponds to the story that Nemesis wrote, and you do get the sensation of being in a forest. However, I felt that the music does not infuse the listener with the energy a person would expect a chase to demand. For example, in movies, fast music usually accompanies chase scenes, but here, the piece never rises beyond mild. You remain relaxed throughout the entire piece. Technically, Nemesis proves that he has mastered the skills of tracking, and his samples are clear, undistorted, and pure. The music flows easily, with unexcelled transitions and melodies (as created by the background bells). In short, Shadowform inspires the gentle union of melody and bass with skillful, detailed mastery. -----================================================================----- "