Thanks guys... I really appreciate the feedback. I will work on my mixing issues, and aim for a more "focused" and connected sound.
I now realize that I was trying way too hard to emphasize the "tribal" sound of the Red Brinstar theme... The rattle and percussion don't need to be that loud to get the point across.
That's a really good idea.
I was trying to mimic the Super Metroid version... the way the melody comes in at seemingly random parts. I was aiming to create a "realistic" scene... Instead of being in a bright, cheery science lab with Metroids floating everywhere, you're in an abandoned nuthouse and you don't really know what you'll find. This version of Tourian is the place where cannibals live, where psychotic experiments once took place. It's dysfuctional, lights flicker on and off, electrical sparks popping out of wires, and all sorts of other creepy stuff. The periodic melody only serves to remind you that you're playing a video game.
I admit that I didn't really know how to use the sound effects... they were actually just a bunch of random creepy sounds with no structure, so I will work on utilizing them better.And because I have no visuals to go with my remix, I guess most people wouldn't really understand exactly what I was trying to do. So, I will mark that as a fail, and I will take your advice.
I appreciate the feedback guys!