Mechanical-Head's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[[AIM 2024] Ad Astra - nito-kun]

I love the whole atmosphere of this entry, and I can't believe how underrated it is! I really like the sound of all the pads and leads you used, although I think some of the higher pads and arpeggios around 1:30-2:00 were a bit too harsh sounding.

I really do like the unique structure too, and I really appreciate when dance music is pushed further and doesn't stick to the very typical "verse-drop-verse-drop" structure, although I do think it could've used one final climax right before the end, as the song felt like it was building up to something really explosive and chaotic, but in the end the climax didn't really deliver as much as I thought. It didn't "ruin" the song for me, as all the layers still remained a joy to listen to, but that one final climax could've been much better.

[KA-15 Project | Terror Drive]

At points it sounds like Perturbator during the I Am The Night-Dangerous Days phase, but then you put your own spin to it. Love that kick sound too.

Evil-Dog responds:

Big compliment for me, Perturbator - Ghost Dancers Slay Together is one of my fav songs

[2049 AD - Home Appliances Uprising]

Never thought i'd be able to headbang with screeching synths and an Atari-ST voice yelling at me, but you managed to achieve just that. The clash of feelings and environments at first seem that they could never be put together, but you somehow managed to make it work and it never feels out of place. Well done!

Daru925 responds:

Glad you liked it!
I kind of followed the trope in tech hardcore, where it starts with an innocent (often misleading) happy voice, and before you know it, HELL! ^^

[FD - Imminent Peril]

Upon reading the description, I instantly pictured myself in a game called "BABBDI", with all its brutalist beauty and an endless sea of gray buildings and dirty streets. As the track was progressing, I felt more frightened as I picture myself in an endless stream of stairs and corridors that they all look the same. At the same time, I also feel isolated even when there's people around I could talk to, but they all only talk about themselves, seemingly careless and never willing to help anyone.

I got very poetic somehow, which comes to show just how immersive your track is!

[To Destroy The Altar NGAIC Layer 4]

Your songs always sound so brutal and raw, i love it! The tone is dirty yet clean at the same time as I can still distinguish what's being played. The drums in general sound really good and never get lost in the mix, specially that ride cymbal, i love when they sound really bright. Only the crashes i felt could sound different, as they seem to have some particular hi-mid frequencies that can sound a bit painful at times.

The mix might be very mid-focused but i can still distinguish every element in the song. The composition itself is varied well enough so the riffs never feel tiring at all, also the solo hits right where it needed to hit. Overall, this is a very enjoyable death/thrash metal track i could enjoy non-stop, keep it up!

Banana-head responds:

thanks for the review!

[CRY.NN - ATMOSFÄR (NGAIC Layer 4)]

Really like the flow in this one, i couldn't stop headbanging throughout the whole track! The synths are very bright but always remain enjoyable and not painful at all. Also all the different kicks used add so much variety and overall the track feels so dynamic with all the effects and instrumentation. Great song!

[NG Audio Portal 20th Anniversary Collab]

It was so fun participating in this collab, here goes another 20 years of the audio portal!

[NeverEndingStress(NGAIC layer 3)]

Oh man that's a stinky kick, and I say that in a good way, VERY good way. This feels amazingly well balanced for a loud industrial song. The synths are not very bright, which for me personally makes the song much more enjoyable.

Probably my main complaint is that it should've been longer, it felt like it was cut just short of being explored so much more. Also I think some of the leads at 0:54 don't have as much mid range as they should, which I think could've made them far more present and memorable. As it is, I feel that it has the right amount of layers, although it could've benefited from a more aggressive low-end tone. And again, I really feel it had the potential of having more ideas and layers if it was even just a minute longer.

Arponax responds:

Thanks...i think if i didnt thought it sounds balanced or (normal XD) i wouldnt share it.

Since its for NGAIC i just make shorter concepts(or longer if the ideas come smoothly)...its not said to be longer so :D im thinking about finishing the songs at the end....so i could try to make it a full track or just polish the sounds a bit more.

[Blemish]

This could make a very relaxing loop, I really like the tone of everything in here! The high synths blend perfectly with the rest and never felt too distracting. Still, all the elements overall have very nice separation and everything feels as loud as it should be.

While the high synths never feel too annoying, they could still use just a little bit of EQ filtering. This is mostly personal preference, but I think the kick feels a bit too punchy for the song, maybe a more mid-oriented kick could've fit better. Also the sidechain took me away at first, as I felt it was a little strong. These last points might as well be personal bias, but I still really enjoyed the piece as it is.

[Into The Thünder]

Absolutely love all the samples used! From the slapped bass to the guitars and the synth leads, and of course the drums themselves. The way you handled a 13/4 tempo felt very natural and not just as a weird tempo for the sake of not being 4/4, which made the loop very enjoyable in the end!

I'd say the mixing needed more work, although I think you managed to finish this just before the hard deadline, if I'm not mistaken, which is understandable. If you ever revisit this track, i'd suggest balancing the bass more, which felt very loud at times then very low, as well as some of the leads which I felt got a bit lost at points. I'd also suggest playing with EQ/Comp processing more in order to get better instrument separation, although this could take away some of the "raw" feel that makes it cool on its own.