zykO

i hate to repeat whats already been said but this goes nowhere. i'm not impressed by your sounds and that leaves essentially nothing else NO

NO

this blew clear out of proportion. also - since when is the quality of music tied to how repetitive it is? say what you will about this track but don't make such a fundamentally senseless implication.

this is such Ys music. the arrangement rocks to high heaven and i hear ryo yonemitsu all over it. considering the source material of this tune doesn't sound like him AT ALL, i am very impressed by this arrangement. i think for judges to appreaciate this track, they have to understand what it is that Vurez is doing here. this is falcom sound team to the max... with dancing synths, interchanging guitar and organ solos and a decidedly synthetic feel to the whole thing. i can't and won't critique based on realism because that isn't what's goin on here - this is a tribute to the original composer of Ys games and i think this does this flawlessly. ACE. YES

reu is quickly making a name for himself with his eastern tones. very good stuff and while i didn't like it before (i had issues with the choir and the volume of the taiko drums), the more i listen to it the more i appreciate how soothing and well this is orchestrated. i appreciate the piece's subtleties and nuances. and they outweigh any concerns i had the first time i heard this. good stuff, man YES

that intro is prophetic. thats about all i can describe it as once things kick in, its just driving and meaty. lots of momentum in this track and it builds into a snowball that crashes and leaves you with a somber synth cello and a some creepy orchestration before throwing you back into the abyss of a very very cold winter; one i can envision only in mother russia. i am not going to waste anybody else's time reading this. i say YES

the intro is neat but it doesn't work out after that. i get the impression from listening to this that the chemistry is out of balance. the drums are really really lacking in all oomph. and the frankly, the synth doesn't make up for it. its ok for the percussion to be in the background if something else is driving but that neat synth lead i liked in the intro by midway through the piece is tired and no longer appealing. the slight key change didn't save this one. the neat solo in the middle didn't save this, either... mostlyt because it went right back to where it was before... sorry guys - decent effort but doesn't make the cut. NO

i'm surprised anybody actually heard any source in this, at all. this is mostly original material. otherwise this is funky, got edge and is produced very well. sorry dude but you can't release this here NO

the reverb didn't bother me - it was that ridiculous flute in the start. it doesn't even sound remotely realistic - those attacks could bring down an elephant with their sharp tips. it made me cringe at first. the brass and strings were like oil and water - you have to integrate your instrumentation a lot more and when the guitar came in, it just got messy and chaotic. i do like the intensity a lot but it could be done with a lot more tact that said, the arrangement is solid. i like the idea of the sparse intro that kicks into a hard body. but one word of advice: you can not syncopate behind that electric guitar like that... its too completely weak and out of place for that section. you need something a lot more driving than that. the lack of prominent percussion really took a lot away from this. i do like the ethnic feel of this but it doesn't make up for the otherwise, lacking chemistry. this has to have a lot more coherence NO

i agree with graylightning for what its worth. this is a fabulous arrangement and a total quackjob (lol) in instrument realism. lets freeze this puppy

ok, i love the laughter. but then again, everybody knows i'm maniacal in nature. this however doesn't have much else goin for it. the source material is spooky and haunted. and this is a very clever funky arrangement that sounds horribly empty (and not in that spooky sort of way). i like that it is greatly improved over the original... but we aren't voting based on how well it improved the source... a person can take a "game over" theme and turn it into a 10 minute track that bites and it still won't be YES-ed some neat ideas, the percussion and instrumentation/mastering leaves it soundin vacuous, and all in all is not quite good enough to be accepted by me. NO

i hate to play the part of executioner but i have to. this is a solid piece by a solid guitarist and musician. i cannot, though, get over the fact that the first impression i get is that it is slightly on the boring side. and that's the first impression which usually bodes for bad things once you've heard something a couple more times. the arrangement doesn't do a whole lot to intrepret the original and the acoustic guitar nearly puts me off with its monotony. its an honest effort but it isnt' up to par with what i expect from darangen. it just loses its energy over time and that isn't what you want from something as potentiall epic as this. its solid and without much error but it is not exceptional sorry bro but this is a NO

excellent piano work there, patrick - i'm impressed by your touch and ability to use dynamic not just as a musical phenomenon but also as an intimate one. lots of human feel to this and that is probably the arrangement's strong point. i like the fact that this arrangement is not trying to wow you into submission with flashy runs and fancy bells n whistles. those things are impressive but what even more so is the understanding that a single note can carry as much weight as ten. i like what you put in. and i eventually like how it came out. YES

the arrangement is awesome. i have heard handfuls of windfish arrangements and they all pretty much come short in every facet imaginable... all but one and that was a long time ago and well, lets just say it hasn't happened since. here, i hear several solid forays into jazz and to that effect, the track is magnificently written. i don't think there's any problems whatsoever with the instrumentaion, either - this is simple but it is functional as such. i actually prefer it dry - i think it sounds far more intimate than your typical muddied reverb-laden soft track but you can't do that to an oboe... the piano is good this way but the woodwind is getting beat up hard in the soundfield. i think the reason i can overlook it is because i am focusing on the arrangement and when i do that, i'm not so concerned with the oboe and i'm enjoying this. this, to some, is a yes hiding in a no's body. but what i hear is a very good arrangement with a gutsy, dry presentation and an oboe that isn't bad enough to reject on merit of YES

lemme do a doubletake on that darkesworde comment wow. textural is an understatement here - this is beaming with texture. everything from the perfect reverb, the female vocals, the percussion. i used to have a slight problem with xenogears music (felt the interest in it was trendy) until i heard this and that gorgeous gorgeous synth that you feature at the onstart of this - reminiscent of innovative pink floyd electronica. impeccable work. YES

nice right off the bat, you had my attention... i love these sorts of intros, grabs you because its so distant and then pummels you. the guitar playing is very nice - the performance is loose and yet accurate... a sign of good things as far as i'm concerned. the intensity is great. when you play the phrases like around the 1 minute mark, the intensity speaks for itself. your style is very reminiscent of dave mustaine - i'm almost willing to bet you listen to a sizeable amount of megadeth because its all over this arrangement. the lead is very early-thrash and the rhythm playing is totally megadeth the drum work is awesome, too - very smart drum writing. i think the production on the drums might have used a little better presence... at times it totally in the back. like zircon mentioned, they're kinda lofi and aren't as sharp as the guitar... which.. has phenomenal tone; very reminiscent of the one that i fiddle with most of the time so i have personal liking to it. i think the guitar is well-produced, its precisely where it needs to be in the mix as far as i'm concerned and the rhythm guitars are recorded well and panned properly for a good solid presence. the solo is tight. all i'm gonna say about that. the ending rocks, dude. haha - i was loving it. this is an easy one for me. YES

this track rocked my balls on vgmix last march. its still rockin my balls the groove on this is infectious. my review on vgmix says most of what i'd say now anyways so here are parts of it: this is funky. i'm loving the mood and composure that the track uses to exemplify dirty but jazzy barcelona sewers or some other dingy urban metropolis. then it hits those chorus sections where it treats the "hi, i'm samus" theme (yea, i'm not a big metroid nerd and don't know what every theme is from but basically from 1.05 - 1.21 is pure gold) with this funked out yet smooth jazz-reminiscent vibe. pure badassness. then the spooky stretch around the 2 minute mark adds that novel break in the action and develops into a groove again, the same groove as before but with the all new theme and the introduction of string phrases from about the 3.00 mark to about the 3.15 mark. this is a neat touch because it continues to add the suspense to the track. and then you're brought right back into the main groove. the break around 4.45 is neat and necessary since this track was startnig to suffer from being too repetitive. dig it. i do and so should you. this is a YES

i'd say darkesword said it best: the reverb here feels like a gimmick. it doesn't serve any purpose but to cover the fact that this arrangement is really weak-sounding... the arrangement had some neat ideas and a lot of dull ones... the good: the groove coming in at .20seconds. very groovy idea that is poorly executed by too much reverb and low quality instrumentation. the bad: i nearly fell asleep, sorry. i'm very picky with zelda music and this just isn't entertaining past the first 30 seconds. the bass should have been more driving and present. without that and a stronger percussive presence, the track comes across bland. every "climactic" point in the mix sounds the same... hence, there is no climax, no energy and NO

i don't agree with vigilante on the notion that this is simply the original with a techno beat... this is a quality techno remix but its a very weak arrangement. there isn't any notable deviations on the piece - it is the same synth lines throughout with a slight changeup around 2:20 and that's about it. the pads are good quality pads and i love the percussion that is most visible in the beginning of the track but is lost behind that immensely DEEP bass and chirpy hihats - you should have brought them out more. the chord progression is a nice one and i think yields itself to this interpretation nicely but the fact that this track takes that progression and beats it to death for what, 6 minutes?... makes me feel as though the creative process kinda ended at that realization. develop your ides more - this is too long for its relative amount of variation... i've listened to a lion's share of techno so don't try telling me that's the way it is with some work, this can be very entertaining but as it is, its a piece that sounds very good but isn't fullfulling. NO

it isn't that i necessarily have strong opinions on the mix. i just don't think i heard clipping through my monitors - i wasn't even aware there was any if that is indeed the case, then it should be re-recorded and re-submitted. the clipping is an issue only because of the high standard set by piano mixes on the site otherwise i think this is a solid arrangement.

zircon hahaha awesome

this is phenomenal work. i have a problem with the guitar tone but aside from that this is grade A arrangement. the tone is not really bad but it doesn't have as much edge to it as i'd have liked to hear. i don't agree with zircon's criticism of the structure, i think this is structured very well... new ideas are thrown at you quite often but what keeps it seemingly unchanging is its consistent tone and like zircon said, a relatively unchanging set of timbres i also think the instrumentation is sparse throughout - just two guitars going at once at any given point. that's a stylistic choice and not something that deters from the piece, just thought i'd point it out. BUT the guitar work is awesome. its very free (except for the guest solo which is a mechanical tour de force in how to play) and i absolutely love your style. its clear to me why i do; this is very vai-ish and i take very heavy influence from vai. this entire track reaks of him. your leads are specifically reminiscent of his work on alien love secrets... the guest solo is practically from a vai song - it quotes very heavily but its badass all the same. your guitar writing is what impresses me. its one thing to be an "amateur player" but its completely unrelated to how well you can write for the instrument because that overrides the shakiness you have on some notes or phrases. you wrote some well-developed riffs and phrasings on your leads. if this is your amateur playing, then hit us with your not so amateurish playing and blow our minds up. just wanted to point out that as i type this YES, i've listened to this over 20 times in a row.

this rocks to high heaven. perfect production, the drums are functional and the guitarwork is a DUH boom shaka laka YES

another case of "UGH - WE ARE NOT A COVER SITE" sometimes it makes me cringe that we have to say no to such fine pieces of music. please go to vgmix.com and release this there. please. i hate to do this because it goes against everything i love and believe in about that instrument you have in your arms... but NO

i play the death angel today. there is plenty of shades of knight rider in this except it doesn't nearly carry the same suspense that the knight rider theme carries. this isn't grating or awful but it does nothing at all and the synth choices are not very good, i could never listen to this more than once and that's auto-NO i think the arrangement just sort of dallys around and doesn't do anything. it repeats certain sections over and over but doesn't offer anything to the listener beyond that NO