Kwing's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[B7 - Nephalem]

I always loved Diablo but only ever played the original, so if this is meant to be a tribute to the original I guess I should be first in line to get the full enjoyment out of it.

You do Diablo a great service with this track. There's a little bit of doom metal here which is very appropriate for what this is. A lot of what I heard was actually quite Dethklok-ish, which certainly wasn't unpleasant to listen to but was not quite as fitting.

As always, your style/recording quality/production are all on-point. Keep doing what you're doing.

Burn7 responds:

You know, I've had more people tell me my music reminds them of Dethklok over the past few months than I've heard anything else ever. Not that your comment is being drowned in a sea of others, just that I feel like I should take this time to reflect upon what that actually means, musically.

I'm super glad you did actually play the original Diablo, there was so much that I wanted to add into this song that I didn't get the chance to from that game. At 3:00 I tried to recreate the march beat from the Hell section but holy fuck if the guy who wrote their OST isn't insanely talented.

Anyway, I'm truly glad you liked it overall minus a few shortcomings. Thanks for taking the time to check it out :)

[(untittle song of no name]

Damn good. Has that dark and serious flair that I'm used to hearing from Spawn's work. Too repetitive and short to be a full track, obviously. FINISH IT.

Druids-Warcry responds:

spawn did all the drum work on this, this song was made in 2009 and its now 2014 I do not think this song will ever get worked on.

[Lavendar]

The ambient stuff fading in and out is nice and offers that chill trippiness you're going for and really keeps things dynamic but I feel like it's kind of dragged down by the takataka-takataka-wee-wee-chuck rhythm going on through the WHOLE track. The rhythm is interesting and kind of threw me for a loop for the first 30 seconds but after three minutes I was really aching for a change.

AxTekk responds:

Aaaahhh, see I'm going for a very 2-step/ post dubstep style feel with this, and you kinda need a steady base to dance to with that shit (even though this track isn't really incredibly dancey, I like that you can still kinda groove to it). Still getting the hang of working with different swings, so if this rhythm gets a bit grating it's cause I'm still figuring shit out but I will say it isn't just a simple one bar loop (which it sounds like at first).

[SWAG CITY]

This beat really grew on me. The first time I heard it it just wasn't doing it for me, but the more I listen the more I realize the sheer intensity it brings. I like how it bears some resemblance to some kind of siren and how its blistering fast percussion make this really intense.

DiroNomer responds:

I am really glad you feel his way, as I think that it the best way to feel about something. I have songs I listened to where I thought it was okay at first, but then it just sneaks up on me, then I'm loving it.

Glad you enjoyed it!

[Heavy Metal Ringtone]

I would only ever set this ringtone for people I hated because I would never want to answer if this were my ringtone.

There's a definite groove to this. Not sure how well these low notes would sound on a small speaker but this is great.

Bad-Man-Incorporated responds:

They work great on my phone as I added a lot of treble and mids and experimented with frequencies. I went through a few versions and tinkering, specifically for my z10. Glad you dig it!

[Odd Beets]

This is simpler than I was expecting, though it took me some time to decipher it. Seems like it's straight 5/8 with a couple 4/4 breakdowns.

The percussion here is unforgivably repetitive and the melody sounds a little weak, but I can at least say that this has a beat to it, which is more than I can say for some other tracks. I think the biggest problem with this track is that while everything seems to fit and blend, this just isn't complex enough and as a result it seems like it's missing something. Heck, you might have even been able to keep the rhythm identical if you alternated with different samples or sounds.

HellSpawnIV responds:

Wow, I really forgot all about this one. Yep, this was part of my trail and error method when I was starting. I feel like I'm much better know but that's open to opinion. I appreciate the feedback regardless. Thanks. All of my stuff now is on SoundCloud (SoundCloud.com/Vaughn-Anderson) if you're still in a critiquing mood.

[In From The Storm]

I think the new inFamous game had a track very similar to this. It's definitely smooth, although there's also a really serious and heavy undertone to it that I like a lot.

AxTekk responds:

Thanks man! Can't say I'm familiar with the InFamous series, but if I'm doing what the pros are doing, that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

[[B] - Suspended In A Sunbeam]

Major lol when I read that you recorded this while sick, I'm not surprised. I know you have a thing for recording in one take, which you do pretty well, but I think being sick majorly impacted this one (unsurprisingly). Aside from your ill delivery (har har) one thing that stood out to me was the use of some slightly forced ebonic dialect which made me laugh a little.

I know back when you released this internal rhymes were your bread and butter but I just want to call attention to one line that really stood out to me for content and imagery:
Or a man with a heart full of carbon fission

HeIsAlive responds:

Thanks man.
Yeah, things have changed quite on my end regarding flow, delivery, and vocal strength.

[More Human]

This sounds like it should be in an ending FMV/cutscene for a really sad pixel game. Really cheery but seems a little restrained somehow. Maybe I'm just imagining an undertone of bitter sadness in the first half but if I'm to be honest I like it better that way.

The only point I feel comfortable taking off is the drums. Way too simple, man. Throw in some curveball rhythms and a little more oomph, that's really all this needs.

ShinsukeIto responds:

That type of feeling was what I was going for actually, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Now that you mention it, it's true, the drums were pretty basic.

Thanks for the review as always, Kwing!

[Back At It Again]

Well, how do I start? I like that you're trying something new with a slow beat and laid back delivery, although it sounds more like "Teqneek with a sprinkle of Jakobe" rather than "chill Teqneek." Of course, flowing with a new style takes time so I expect you can only get better from here on out.

When you slow everything down you need to think about how your bars are going to change as well. Couplets and more poignant imagery are going to be important because the listener is stuck listening to each word for a longer period of time, and this means you really have to stress quality over quantity. This isn't exactly easy to do when I feel you had plenty of lines but still clocked in at 2:30, but I believe the rule still stands. Your first stanza expanded a bit too heavily on the 'crack addict' thing and I think that's the best example I can use to show that slow delivery can easily slip into something tedious if you aren't careful. Another reason this is an issue is because the emphasis in your bars stays in the exact same place for the vast majority of the track, something you have been called out on numerous times before.

Your rhyme scheme isn't bad but nothing really jumped out at me, and since this isn't a battle and you didn't have to manage your time or make sure that your lines fit into a certain number of bars, as well as you not being required to prove any particular point, I feel you could have played around more and experimented with more unusual syllables. I heard a couple slant rhymes that sounded a little awkward (again most likely due to the slowness). That being said your last stanza has some DOPE multies so you end on a really good note.

I think this track is the equivalent of Teq-puberty. Your style and delivery are in the process of changing and it's ugly and awkward, as puberty tends to be. That being said, I think in due time you'll end up bigger and stronger because of it (not to mention more hairy).

Teqneek responds:

Okay, taken as a stand alone critique... you do make some valid (a tad snobbish, but valid) points, and that's appreciated. However...

Every single review you've done of my stuff has been negative. I can't even take you seriously dude. You've also voted against me in almost every battle I posted on Newgrounds.

You were brought up as a topic of discussion in HDC, with the general consensus of you being a "hip hop pseudo-elitist who criticizes most people while posting below-average work himself". I haven't listened to your stuff; that's just what I read from others.

Honestly, all I have to go on is your reviews of my stuff, and you come across as polite and intelligent, but the things you say make me lose my mind sometimes.

I appreciate the time you spend on these reviews, but if all you are ever going to do is talk down to me and passive-aggressively bash my work (which I spend a great deal of time and effort on), then I'd rather you just not review my stuff because I already know what's coming.