Score: 10

"Awesome"

submission: NSMB Castle METALIZED !!

date: September 2, 2007

Very good. At 0:24, loved the transition. Nearly made me light and raise my Zippo while swaying to the beat of the song. That's a rock ballad right there. Guitars sound a bit muted though, could do with a more raw in-your-face sound.

Score: 9

"Bloody Tears!"

submission: ~|Bloody Quest|~

date: September 26, 2006

Aaaaaaah!! It's Bloody Tears! Freakin' awesome! Castlevania: Rondo of Blood!!

Okay, that's out of my system. ^_^

Anyways, awesome. Awesome awesome awesome. I can't find anything wrong with it, which is good. Awesome-ness.

Score: 8

"Awesome"

submission: ~|The Kingdom of Sand'Oria|~

date: September 26, 2006

Heh, I didn't expect to find some FFXI BGMs on here. Something must be up. :-)

Awesome rendition of the Kingdom of San d'Oria. I admit this version is easier on the ears, considering that the original version had bagpipes blaring. Needless to say, I was deafened by those Scottish pipes.

I found the second part of the piece a little too... unsteady. Not in rhythm or anything. Just the sound of the horns being a little too subdued and the bass drum being a little too... prominent. But that's just me.

But at the end, it was too abrupt. No loop, just a simple *chop*. Other than that, good work.

It's nice to hear some decent orchestral/symphonic music on this place for once.

*waltzes off to listen to the other stuff*

Score: 10

"Phantasmagorical Epic!"

submission: +*+(*)Tales of Symphonia()+*+

date: June 26, 2006

The solo opening is perfect; it sets the motif and tone for the rest of the piece. It lends the piece a dreamish quality, with the repetition of the harp leitmotif enhancing the phantasm quality. The inclusion of the sea waves and the bird calls bring this piece to life, leaving an impression of the listener that this is no mere studio made song.

Midway through the piece, where the wind instrument is soloing with the background sounds of birds chirping, this sounds nigh-exactly like an awakening of sorts. This sounds like the awakening from the dream, which I believe was the entire purpose of the repition of the motif.

Once the brass enters, it seems more "alive". Not alive in the perspective of loud and noisy; moreso of the spirit of vitality and activity. The ending with the seperated notes seems a bit like a farewell of sorts.

The instrument selection leave this piece with an epical quality. Although this piece lacks string instruments, the wind and brass are sufficient enough to make Howard Shore proud.

Overall, nicely done. Even though I have only heard the original piece a few times while playing Tales of Symphonia, you did well with this one.

Score: 10

"Techno version?"

submission: Final Fantasy 9 Battle Theme

date: June 26, 2006

Comparing the original track version to this cover should not be done; it belittles the work of both the original composer and the new remix of the new arranger.

Starting off, the absence of the intro is understandable; it is necessary in order to get a loop. However, the different musical style changes the visual that one would receive. The techno sound does lend this a sense of phantasm; yet, this almost lends the song a whimsical and sci-fi feel as opposed to a fantasy feel. The chimey sounds in the background makes this piece sound a bit dreamy, almost like a battle within a dream.

However, this piece is rather good. Even though I may have somehow contradicted myself at one point or another, this piece is still good, no matter what.

Score: 10

"Hot damn!"

submission: Bond, James Bond... Metalized!

date: June 26, 2006

Damn, this metal version beats the classic and orchestrated versions of the James Bond theme anyday! Dude, you should submit this to that company that runs the damn franchise! They should use this freakin' piece whenever Bond... well, any violent situation is good!

Again, I see wonderful images in my head of Bond vs Evil Minions. Bond in a tank, running over Commie bastards; Bond defusing a nuke in midflight; Bond doing whatever crazy stunt that requires blowing stuff up.

The opening gives the song a semi-dark feeling. It's almost as if Bond is emerging from the shadows with a railgun instead of a silenced pistol. Once the drums enter, the atmostphere becomes very violent, which is what 007 is very proficient at. Which is very awesome!

The cymbals sound a bit like alarms, which lend to the image of Bond racing through some kind of underground base with red alert sirens going off. Dude, your skill at music is making all sorts of pictures and stuff jumping to life in my imagination. One such as yourself should definitely go pro.

Score: 10

"Whoa!"

submission: F-Zero - Big Blue Metalized!

date: June 26, 2006

Given that this is a F-Zero song, it's gotta be metal. Nothing beats metal when it comes to racing music. Now, I'm not exactly a rock musician (I'm only a secondary synth in my brother's band :p), so my opinion can be disregarded if you wish.

Starting off, the opening was excellent. The lone guitar and the constant drumming sets the mood perfectly. Once the guitar solo kicks in, it takes a more aggressive stance. Of course, there's that little part with the tricky guitar fingering (to me) that sounds a wee bit off. But you recorded this live, right? That can be forgiven, 'cause nobody's perfect.

I like the repetition of the motif. It keeps the mood aggressive and edgy. But the end... well, it seems a bit abrupt. But then again, the original seemed a bit abrupt too. Perhaps if you have the notion of re-recording this track, could you change the ending so that it would be more like a victory fanfare thing?

The image I get from this takes the F-Zero into a new perspective. Instead of the classic view, with the cel-shading and stuff, I can "see" everything in a darker and violent light. Which is exactly what high speed racing is all about!

Overall, this is very, very good cover on "F-Zero: Big Blue". With this calibur of skill and talent, you might as create your own radio station. That way, the rest of us wouldn't have to listen to the rap, pop, and other lousy crap that the government is making everyone listen.

Score: 10

"Waaaai!"

submission: <|>: FF1 - Underwater Temple

date: March 28, 2006

Kick ass beginning, kick ass middle, and a completely kick ass end! The FF series most definitely works well if it's done by an orchestra, a symphony, or even a rock group! When I started listening to this piece, it reminded me much of Uematsu's Black Mages group. Everything, the guitars, the piano, the drum set... almost like a near perfect impersonation of the Black Mages!

I may not have much experience when it comes to guitars and other rock instruments, apart from a synth, but I know enough music to know that what you have done with this piece is beyond anything that half the arrangers of Squenix will dare to do. You have gone and taken a classic like this piece and injected it with a edginess with a daredevilish tone.

I loved the original Underwater Temple background music (I just hated fighting Kraken when I decided to play through the original FF1 with only two Fighters and two Thieves. :p). Adding in the "oomph" from rock instruments just gives it the edgely feel that a battle theme justly deserves.

The imagery I get from this piece... in the classic version, I only see 8-bit sprites taking turns hacking at each other. This perfect rock interpretation conjures up images of CG quality characters running about taking shots at Kraken while the Fighter or Black Belt is in Kraken's face, pounding it in; Black Mage standing back, charging up a nice Bolt-2, while White Mage lets loose the hammers on Kraken's tentacles (;p). In short, this just upgrades the visual graphics and the aural enjoyment.

I won't be surprised if ten years from now, you'll be one of the best freelance video game musician/arranger. Good luck with other pieces!

6/5 from me. Even though it's technically impossible, you still get a 6/5 from me.

Score: 10

"Oh dear..."

submission: Legend of Zelda: Saria's Song

date: January 22, 2006

When I clicked the play button, I was expecting something that would sound completely different from Kondo's work. It seems I have been thinking wrongly. This is a pure and accurate rendition, almost exactly like the work of the original composer. It's just such a good piece, I became a little numb with shock and awe as the entire song rolled. Excellent work. Now we just need a fewer of Kondo's works here (there's waaaay too many Mario and Zelda pieces around here) and toss in a few of Yuka Tsujiyoko's works from "Fire Emblem".

Godspeed and good luck with your future endeavors.

Score: 10

"-Bows and offers stuff. Expensive stuff-"

submission: A Holiday Message From Bezo

date: January 8, 2006

Seriously, someone ought to make a flash out of this! Visualize this, you wearing a volumious flappy black robe like Emperor Palpatine being followed by those Red Robe cohort dudes doing those "ooohs" and "aaahs". Oh hell, throw the Death Star in for kicks!

Sadly, I have no talent for executing my wordy yet descriptive... descriptions. So, because you are a talented mixer/sequencer, go out and get someone to animate this entire thing. I could try my hand at this but I can't draw worth crap. Would sprites work well? Oh well, drop a line if you think this is plausibly possible.

-leaves as bidden to do so-