Written by Metren on 02.01.2023 at 16:32

Written by Netzach on 01.01.2023 at 04:40

Here's some demo songs for my newly started project. I'm making it all on the computer except for the guitars which are courtesy by Ophiuchi. Not finished yet, got mixing and possibly adding vox, but I'd love any feedback.

It's always difficult to judge an unfinished work. I appreciate the strange rhythms though and I like the change in tempo and key at around 1:25 in "A Cog." Some beautiful melodies too around that point and again at around 3-minutes (I assume that's the chorus?) The best advice I can give is to just keep working, improving and to REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN! You're an official reviewer on MS yourself, so I probably don't need to tell you this, but whenever you share new material, be prepared for more negative feedback too. Criticism, even when delivered harshly is necessary, as is learning from it. When I started Dreadrealm (back then named Arcanewind), I sometimes got what felt like harsh criticism to songs that I thought were the best thing I'd ever done. Looking back, the critics were right and had I become too confident in my creations, I might not have improved my songwriting and production as much as I have now. Best of luck on your musical journey! I'll be here to give feedback whenever I can.

After a bad computer crash, I've salvaged the project and added some vocals and lyrics to the first song, and started working on a third (out of hopefully four) songs. I'll probably redo it a bit with better equipment later but this is the general idea... For the second song I'll be a bit more ambitious, we'll see how it turns out.

SoundCloud link

I found this the other day, it was the first thing I ever wrote and recorded back in 2011. The bongos were a strange choice but overall not too shabby!

Well, I have made a lot of progress with my project, and am close to releasing a debut album. Meanwhile, I created a Bandcamp page where I've uploaded two of the finished songs - I'm just waiting for the guitar parts for the rest of the songs and it'll be ready to go. It sounds like this: Maladomini

I posted in the shoutbox earlier today, but I thought I could post it here as well.
New Lovecraftian song: https://youtu.be/ACeEHZqQIzw

By the way, can anyone guess what the cover art is? It's a real photo I took, and I chose it because it looks like a starry sky... but is it that really, or something else?

Written by F3ynman on 17.03.2024 at 18:36

By the way, can anyone guess what the cover art is?

Just a wild guess, but I think it's a muddy pond infested by algae, and the bright spots are pollen floating on the surface of the water.
Cool track!

Written by Starvynth on 17.03.2024 at 19:04

Written by F3ynman on 17.03.2024 at 18:36

By the way, can anyone guess what the cover art is?

Just a wild guess, but I think it's a muddy pond infested by algae, and the bright spots are pollen floating on the surface of the water.
Cool track!

Thanks! And it's a good guess, and I can see the resemblance, but, unfortunately, that's not it.

Written by F3ynman on 17.03.2024 at 18:36

I posted in the shoutbox earlier today, but I thought I could post it here as well.
New Lovecraftian song: https://youtu.be/ACeEHZqQIzw

By the way, can anyone guess what the cover art is? It's a real photo I took, and I chose it because it looks like a starry sky... but is it that really, or something else?

This is indeed a cool song! I like how it keeps building and getting creepier and those dissonant higher notes during the final section are a very nice touch. As for the cover art, I dare not offer a guess as to what it is, haha.

Last year, I returned to my alternative rock project Morbid Romance, which also has minimal punk elements. Behold, the debut album:



Just like Dreadrealm, Morbid Romance is a one-person endeavor, although my friends and wife sometimes contribute with ideas and feedback. Unlike Dreadrealm, creating music for Morbid Romance is a fun and light-hearted experience, especially with the lyrics leaning into darkly comedic (or possibly just cringe) territory. The majority of the lyrics are in my native language, but I’ve provided translations in the YouTube comments. Proceed with caution while listening and have fun! I know I had a fun time making this album... though not always.

A link for those who prefer to listen on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/album/0aFzJix4ouUS2qNFU9ZUEd?si=QTIXOzwrTiu_UXm5zDGeog

Guess who was the producer/mixer on this happy piece of music:

Written by Starvynth on 17.03.2024 at 19:04

Written by F3ynman on 17.03.2024 at 18:36

By the way, can anyone guess what the cover art is?

Just a wild guess, but I think it's a muddy pond infested by algae, and the bright spots are pollen floating on the surface of the water.
Cool track!

Alright, I'll reveal it. Here's a zoomed out version of the picture:

It's ice on the hood of a car!

Written by F3ynman on 18.04.2024 at 07:50

It's ice on the hood of a car!

Ha! Thanks for finally the disclosing the mystery. The other day, I actually thought again about whether anyone would ever solve your little riddle, but I would never have guessed ice on a hood in a million years.

Written by Starvynth on 20.04.2024 at 22:51

Written by F3ynman on 18.04.2024 at 07:50

It's ice on the hood of a car!

Ha! Thanks for finally the disclosing the mystery. The other day, I actually thought again about whether anyone would ever solve your little riddle, but I would never have guessed ice on a hood in a million years.

Very pretty ice formations, I might add.
Yeah I couldn't contain the secret any longer. Thanks for giving it a go, it definitely was a tough one. Maybe I'll make this a running photo-puzzle series, who knows

Hi. Please check my new one man death metal band project. I published my first single. I need your comments and supports.

sadblackgoat.hearnow.com

Here's my second Lovecraft-inspired song with lyrics from his "Polaris" short story. Mixing and mastering once again by Metren of Dreadrealm
Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBWTX51-OZw

Hey everyone, guys! So, I listened Lovecraftian, and honestly, it gave me this weird sense of unease. If that was your intention, then you really nailed it. But personally (hope you don't mind), the music feels a bit dissonant and not that enjoyable to listen to. But I get how tough it is to create your own music, especially since I've been trying to come up with stuff myself. Always on the lookout for info, so if you know any websites or forums like https://faqaudio.com/ where I could read up on different software, plugins for sound effects, and musical instruments, I'd appreciate any tips.

I'm on Bandcamp now! The name's Nameless Infinity. Check it out if you like creepy cosmic atmospheres

Written by F3ynman on 31.05.2024 at 21:57

I'm on Bandcamp now! The name's Nameless Infinity. Check it out if you like creepy cosmic atmospheres

You've made it to Bandcamp! I actually have a lot of rambling thoughts in my head at this time, but I shall try to condense them into just a few points.

1) The opening track "Dance Around The Singularity", which you composed last, is your best work IMO.
2) As you're on Bandcamp now, I feel obligated to warn you (as someone who has been through this and the following steps of a musicians journey and as your elder (don't take that part too seriously )) that not all feedback (certainly from outside Metal Storm) will be positive or even the "negative, but constructive" kind. I am sure you'll handle it better than I did, though, but just a heads up.
3) I am glad to have played a part of this EP as the mixer person. A few years ago, I would've never dreamed that anyone would trust me to work on their songs' sound. It's been a challenge, but a most fun one.
4) Congrats, again! May this be the first step in your epic musical journey!

Written by Metren on 01.06.2024 at 16:52

Written by F3ynman on 31.05.2024 at 21:57

I'm on Bandcamp now! The name's Nameless Infinity. Check it out if you like creepy cosmic atmospheres

You've made it to Bandcamp! I actually have a lot of rambling thoughts in my head at this time, but I shall try to condense them into just a few points.

1) The opening track "Dance Around The Singularity", which you composed last, is your best work IMO.
2) As you're on Bandcamp now, I feel obligated to warn you (as someone who has been through this and the following steps of a musicians journey and as your elder (don't take that part too seriously )) that not all feedback (certainly from outside Metal Storm) will be positive or even the "negative, but constructive" kind. I am sure you'll handle it better than I did, though, but just a heads up.
3) I am glad to have played a part of this EP as the mixer person. A few years ago, I would've never dreamed that anyone would trust me to work on their songs' sound. It's been a challenge, but a most fun one.
4) Congrats, again! May this be the first step in your epic musical journey!

Man, thank you for being so unbelievably generous and supportive! I'm glad that you like the opening track so much. For me, it's tied with "Nyarlathotep", but "Singularity" is a bit more special because they're my own lyrics instead of copying Lovecraft.

----
A bit of a ramble on the lyrics:
I started with "Nyarlathotep" and "Polaris" because I liked the vibe that Lovecraft described in those short stories. When coming up with a third song, it struck me that those two stories have kind of a space theme. So, I decided to write the easiest metal story in space: a super massive black hole. I had fun coming up with different ways to describe these processes that I've now learned from a physics perspective, and trying to express them in a more literary way (like gravitational redshift described as "red ghosts"; relativistic jets are "blazing road of stardust"). I'm especially proud of this imagery that star constellations, which represent deities and heroes of old in astrology, are torn apart and decimated to their atomic level as they descend into this abyss. The "infinity behind us" is actually inspired by a theoretical physics presentation that I visited at a conference, where this guy explained this theory that it actually takes an infinite amount of time before a person actually enters the black hole because time gets so stretched at the edge of it. But eventually, the person does enter. So, there's an infinity before you, and suddenly that infinity is now behind you. I also liked the paradoxical imagery of this empty, hidden vacuum simultaneously filled with so many dead stars (or "corpses of giants").
----

Yeah, I'm prepared for negative feedback too. Honestly, at this stage, I'm glad to get any feedback, as long as more people get to give my stuff a listen.

Anyway, I'm glad you've got the mastering/mixing knowledge that I've been relying on for these songs, and I'm definitely looking forward to expanding on my musical approach in the future!

Well done on your first recording effort, F3ynman! If this is a first attempt at doing vocals, they're properly sickening and fit the album's vibe well. Ambient BM isn't really my thing so I can't comment too much on the instrumentation, but I would agree with Metren that the first track perhaps sounds the most seamlessly composed

Written by musclassia on 04.06.2024 at 09:30

Well done on your first recording effort, F3ynman! If this is a first attempt at doing vocals, they're properly sickening and fit the album's vibe well. Ambient BM isn't really my thing so I can't comment too much on the instrumentation, but I would agree with Metren that the first track perhaps sounds the most seamlessly composed

Thanks for the compliment! Yeah, you're more of a sludge/post/doom/thrash guy, right? But thanks for giving it a try.
I've tried clean vocals, but that didn't turn out to well. So, I thought, should I try harsher vocals? I'd never really tried it before properly and kind of surprised myself at how good it sounds after trying a couple of things, orienting my throat and body etc. The result is "Nyarlathotep", which indeed is recorded basically a couple of hours after trying it out for the first time. Over the next months, I then did the other two songs, trying to hone my style. Sounds kind of like Gollum sometimes, I guess. Not really my intent, but that's a comparison I've heard from someone. It's hard to sustain the vocals for a long amount of time. Thus, the recording you hear is after cutting out a bunch of pauses, voice cracks, and moments where I catch my breath I wonder, have you had similar experiences?

Written by F3ynman on 04.06.2024 at 11:54

I'd never really tried it before properly and kind of surprised myself at how good it sounds after trying a couple of things, orienting my throat and body etc. The result is "Nyarlathotep", which indeed is recorded basically a couple of hours after trying it out for the first time. Over the next months, I then did the other two songs, trying to hone my style. Sounds kind of like Gollum sometimes, I guess. Not really my intent, but that's a comparison I've heard from someone. It's hard to sustain the vocals for a long amount of time. Thus, the recording you hear is after cutting out a bunch of pauses, voice cracks, and moments where I catch my breath I wonder, have you had similar experiences?

Some similarity! I first had a go at doing harsh vocals about 5 years ago, shortly after I joined Vulgaris, and I was surprised at how decent they sounded early on, but I was initially doing just lower shouty/growly vocals, and subsequently expanded my range to both fuller growls and high-pitched shrieks. However, for a long time, I found myself struggling to reproduce the technique I would use while performing with the band in rehearsals/live (which came quite effortlessly) when I had to record (where I felt I was forcing it and doing it differently). Earlier last year before recording Seat Of The Fire, I did spend time in practices intentionally focusing on what exactly my technique was, which meant I managed to get much closer on the new album, and the difference in quality for my vocals between it and, say, Goat Bong, I think is pretty evident (although the improved recording set-up of being in a studio helped).

I don't actually find the vocals to be too tiring tbh; I managed to do several songs in a day and usually just use straight takes with just 2-3 full runthroughs. The one section that had to be spliced a bit between takes was the really fast shrieked segment I do in Prometheus Rise at 2:00-2:18 - it was a bit of 'we'll keep playing through this, just nail lines/phrases best as you can as and when you have breath, as long as you do the lines tight, we can merge all the takes together once you've managed to hit every phrase twice', and it ended up sounding seamless enough.

Written by musclassia on 04.06.2024 at 12:10

Some similarity! I first had a go at doing harsh vocals about 5 years ago, shortly after I joined Vulgaris, and I was surprised at how decent they sounded early on, but I was initially doing just lower shouty/growly vocals, and subsequently expanded my range to both fuller growls and high-pitched shrieks. However, for a long time, I found myself struggling to reproduce the technique I would use while performing with the band in rehearsals/live (which came quite effortlessly) when I had to record (where I felt I was forcing it and doing it differently). Earlier last year before recording Seat Of The Fire, I did spend time in practices intentionally focusing on what exactly my technique was, which meant I managed to get much closer on the new album, and the difference in quality for my vocals between it and, say, Goat Bong, I think is pretty evident (although the improved recording set-up of being in a studio helped).

I don't actually find the vocals to be too tiring tbh; I managed to do several songs in a day and usually just use straight takes with just 2-3 full runthroughs. The one section that had to be spliced a bit between takes was the really fast shrieked segment I do in Prometheus Rise at 2:00-2:18 - it was a bit of 'we'll keep playing through this, just nail lines/phrases best as you can as and when you have breath, as long as you do the lines tight, we can merge all the takes together once you've managed to hit every phrase twice', and it ended up sounding seamless enough.

Nice! I thought your vocals were especially good on the latest release, so it must have been that technique you rediscovered. I should try to mix deeper and higher pitched growls/rasps/shrieks. I find that contrast always sounds cool

Here's the official debut release of my synth black metal project Maladomini, featuring my very good friend Ophiuchi on guitar recordings. All music and lyrics, keyboards, programming, vocals, and production have been done by me, and seeing as how I started learning mixing from more or less scratch, I'm pretty happy with the result. I could polish the rough edges until the end of time but I had to decide once and for all that now I consider it finished, and anything I find I could go back to improve on the debut I'll keep in mind for the next album. It follows a story based on personal experiences and the lyrics are straight from the heart. It's barely 35 minutes long, so check it out if you feel like it, and any feedback is much appreciated.