Rabid-Animals's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Scars Never Heal]

Ouch.

I was about three seconds away from grabbing a teddy bear and calling my mom to comfort me while listening to this. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but this song has an incredibly present feel of danger and threat. Something creeping up behind me, something big, something with shiny, yellow teeth... that's what consumed my brain.

You've struck something primitive in this song, the ability to call on a human's natural fight-or-flight reflex, with just the use of sound. As the song goes on, the inclination toward that primal sense grows stronger, it makes the listener want to do something or get the hell out. I think that's really cool, and you don't see it a lot in music today.

Really, I've got no pointers for you, maybe just warn me next time if you make a song that could be the soundtrack to a nightmare.

Review Request Club

ZLEAP responds:

This response is long overdue. It is a rare thing for someone to be in tune with my sense of direction. With my sense of mood. I sincerely hope you are still in the business of reviewing art because I would be honored if you would do so with my newer works. I truly would.

[Tomb of the Unknown Warri]

Damn powerful.

I believe this is a fitting tribute to both the unknown warrior and the warriors at large. It's not often that people stop to read a plaque, and much less often that people dwell upon it. Providing a spoken piece, actually talking to people, having them listen to the message-- I think it's really meaningful. With a concept, you've succeeded admirably.

There are just a few spots that I think, if slightly tweaked, could really send goosebumps up listeners' bodies. 0:33 is without a doubt the most chilling segment to me, definitively describing the great consequence the warrior's actions had on any facet of life. If you stopped after each line a bit more, really let the words sink in, you'd probably have some tears working from some people.

Then, at the very end, the grand finale-- giving the warrior the prestige of a king... that's some heavy stuff. Perhaps lowering your voice a little, communicating the dire, eternal sacrifice he made, would do the piece good. Your choice as the artist, though. Personally, the piece went a little too quickly for me.

There's also a bit of a hiccup at around 0:28, where "of 1914 to 1918" doesn't sound quite right. No big deal, really.

Great job on this, Coop. I'd like to hear more.

Review Request Club

Coop responds:

Thanks very much. I'm still learning the ropes, but we'll see how it goes. My voice is too far ahead of my skills with Audacity atm. Give it a chance and we'll see.

[Sawyer Armoff]

Heavy and Fast, like a Scared Wrestler.

There's a really good sound coming out of the guitar in this song. It's tuned really well, and sounds clean enough to be attractive, but gritty enough to stay true to heavy metal. This makes the song easy and enjoyable to listen to, which is really all I can ask for.

The spine of this song, the percussion, really kept the song alive. It kept the speed up and made the whole piece sound really polished. Some of the fills were pretty well timed; I also particularly was struck by the cymbals. Those gave the song a much-needed variety in sound.

The drop at 2:14 seemed kind of weak to me, but it wasn't a huge drop, so that's okay. After that, the squealing in the background was really well timed with the fast guitar, so the song ended really cleanly. Really a well put together piece-- good job!

Review Request Club

joethesouleater responds:

lol, thanks for the review i really apreciate it, and after listning to it again after reaading this, i agree that the drop is weak and could be better, if i redo the mix i'll probably aded something more there, thatnks for the review =)

[CloudScope (drx)]

Layered like a cake, just as delicious.

I'm a sucker for classy piano. Just those couple bars at the beginning of the song force me to give you some massive credit. I stuck around in anticipation, and I really enjoyed as the music started fading in. At that point, I knew that I was listening to a very decent song.

Usually, I'm bothered when a song stays at the same pace if its low, but I really didn't mind for this composition. It had enough going on (piano, percussion, those electronic sounds) to keep me interested. One thing I did notice, however, was the change at 2:24. It seemed a little forced. The whole song almost changes tones at that point, and I think if you had hinted at that melody before, the change wouldn't be so abrupt. It wasn't awful, but it could have been more skillfully worked in.

I'm also very fond of noticeable percussion in songs like this. You kept things controlled with the hi-hats and claps, but I would have enjoyed just a little more, to give the song an extra punch. As it stands, though, it's one of the few faults of a great song. Fantastic melody, intelligent instrumentation, and perfect length! I think you might want to use this song as a model for future projects.

Review Request Club

DavidRx responds:

haha im a sucker for piano too :P its a magical instrument and calm :)
yea i shud have hinted some places giving in some powerful synths and rythms...
dident think of that at the point

:) thx for the review

[El3ctr0 Maniac -DrX-]

Tense and trippy, an exhilarting listen.

Upon listening to the first few notes of this song, I visualized somebody like a spy crawling through an air duct to do whatever it is that spies do. That's what makes a good song for me, making me think, making it so that the music can entirely fill my mind.

At 1:53, the song seemed to slow down a little bit, or at least let up on the melody that had been carefully cultivated to that point. I've got to dock you for that, because it can kind of zap the listener out of the trance they can get into with this song. It was also near that point that the repetition of the song started to irk me. I think you could chop a minute or so off of the song and have a real triumph.

That being said, I think the beginning of the song is much better than the rest of it. Immediately, it hooks the listener. I wanted it to speed up; I wanted to hear pounding drums; I wanted to be bombarded by this song. I was a little disappointed when the song turned out to be mellower than I expected, but it's still really catchy. If I ever need spy music for a movie or game, I think I know where I'm going to.

Review Request Club

DavidRx responds:

now that u mention about the spy it rly comes 2 me O,o xD

as for the slowdown...i dident rly make it slowdown the first beat was 140 bpm as when it starts and it slowly steped up to 160 bpm... as i said on the ideas i tryed 2 put psy,tectonik,minimal...an it was my first try xD

the slow part was the tectonik part and i rly need 2 learn more and more so thx for the review :D

and yea infact i think it was kinda mellow on the expectations of the begining...but im still learning x3 so probably when i get better ill try a track that is somwhat close 2 this one :P

and yea u can count on me xD Thx

DrX out

[DiscoRay (WIP)]

A bit too disjointed for me.

The beginning of the song was catchy enough, but I waited to be hooked. Tiny notes with tiny backing beats didn't exactly draw me in. I was waiting for more serious instrumentation to hit. I realize that may not have been your intent, but the composition definitely could have done with more sounds.

There didn't seem to be a central melody-- just a couple bars oft repeated. Nearly 1:50 into the song, I felt like nothing had happened. I considered that I didn't hear much to hum. The sounds themselves were decent, but they weren't nearly as infectious as they could have been.

Another issue I had was that the song seemed to be falling apart at points. At about 1:25, where the same sounds are just repeated over and over, I thought the song was going to end, because I didn't realize that there was another minute and a half left. It just kept going, and then the song switched sounds; it was almost confusing for me.

You don't have a terrible piece on your hands, but I think you need to find more focus. Like I said, the song seemed disjointed. If you charged it up with more sounds (maybe even uptempo ones) and a more coherent melody, you'd have a real winner.

DavidRx responds:

haha

well the track was a wip...and i put it up 2 get the reviews on the current sound of it 2 add more 2 it and maybe cut some parts but i lost the file ;S

and yea i know lazy of me 2 put it up like this xD

but yea its rly empty at some parts and i dident put up much work on it at the time...i found some nice bass and just wanted 2 know if it was on track if any1 liked the aproach cuz it was kinda new 2 me xD

but in the end i lost the FLP. x.x

so i cudent fill the rest or change anything...

maybe ill try something like this again and FINISH IT XD

thx for the review :3

[SMW Bowser Theme Remix]

An interesting variation on an old favorite.

This song struck me as kind of dark, which I found to be a welcome departure from the oft-trodden land of upbeat Level 1-1 remixes. There quite a bit of repetition, which I enjoyed as it kept the song together. You really could have gone overboard with effects and stuff, but you kept it clean and tasteful. In that respect, I award you a lot of points.

What I was missing, however, was a massive finish. I wanted the song to build and build, which it did to a certain extent and then speed up and come crashing down, ending the song on an impressive, powerful note. What we end up with strikes me as kind of weak. I understand it's a loop, and the end works well enough, but I think there's a bit of room for improvement.

All that being said, I think you did a tremendous, incredibly creative job. The percussion was very cool, and you brought a very modern sound to the music. It perfectly complemented the stings-sounding bit at 0:41. Great job!

Anthouse21 responds:

Great review man very helpful thanks! I rarely go back and fix any mistakes on old work because of frustration, i end up making a whole new song. So u will probably see a part 2 to this and it wont be a loop. Thanks for the advice it always makes things clearer hearing it from the outside in!!!

[Air Balloons.]

Light as Air!

I love this upbeat style. I arrived at this page because I wanted to listen to the high quality version of the song after hearing it in "Balloon Boy Adventures," and I immediately downloaded it. Not only is the song easy to listen to, it just brings out a certain happiness in me. I have a huge affinity for video game music, and this has the right mix of originality and inspiration from the old stuff.

What I found most intriguing about the piece was the mildly abrupt change in style halfway through the song. It's not that I didn't enjoy it, it's just that I liked the first part more. I think each would work well as an individual loop. That being said, I did like the second part, and the contrast that it provides makes it easy to listen to the whole thing over and over.

I can't say that the segue between parts was excellent, so I had to dock just one point for that. It's no big deal, really. All in all, I think this very easy listening, and I'm really glad that it's free.

NeoDeadlyRave responds:

Thanks a lot for a long and actual review for my song! Yeah I could say that its a first that I'll have a change in the middle of my song like that. Thank you for pointing out about the change in my song and giving me a good idea of what I could do in the future! I'll be sure to work on that and hopefully hear from you again from my other songs!

[[DJP] SM64 File Select Remix]

Always a fan of Mario!

This was a lot of fun to listen to. I think there were some very clever nuances to the song, which complemented the catchy beat through the entire composition. Have you one-upped (excuse the pun) the original? Perhaps, but you've definitely managed to create something unique with this song. I think that even without a background of gaming (for the listener), this would be quite enjoyable.

That's the key to music, getting closer and closer to universal appeal. Some people say it's selling out; I think that in your own style, you managed to transcend a lot of the barriers that isolate taste. Simply, this is a fantastic song, and you should be proud.

DJPureSuffer responds:

I get what ya mean. I try to find those universally enjoyed harmonies very often. Im glad to have you think that this song fits into that caliber ^_^ thanks for the review! :D

[hand held panorama]

Relaxed.

This is very easy to listen to, but I'm afraid it's a tad too repetitive. It's not until more than two minutes in that another layer of instrumentation begins. Other than that, the slowness and calming sound is really an accomplishment.

bedsidetable2 responds:

:(. well, its not that repetitive its if u listen to all the bass and stuff it becomes different. anyway thanx