Chimpazilla Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 (edited) Ladies and gentlemen and judges, the moment you've been waiting for I'm sure, Liquid Metal 2: Even Wetter aka Liquid Metal 2: Liquid Harder aka Liquid Metal 2: It Has Electrolytes ReMixers ----- Brandon Strader - everything but what the other people did Rexy - female screams, as Splash Woman again like from the first Liquid Metal Jivemaster - the rapper for the rap break, as Dr. Wily Games: Mega Man 2, 3, 9, 10 Sources: Wily Stage 2-1 (MM2), Proto Man (MM3), Splash Woman (MM9), Commando Man (MM10) Too many sources this time. I hope I've remembered them all. Title: Liquid Metal 2: Even Wetter (in the absence of a colon, please dash.) This is the third song for the "Going Commando" EP. It is a sequel to Liquid Metal from The Wettening which was also featured on the OC ReMix front page to massive critical acclaim. :'( 'Liquid Metal 2: Even Wetter' has a stronger low end which is downright thunderous on a good sound system. I thought it was a mistake when I was reamping the guitars and they came out so heavy on the low-end, but quickly learned it was not. I brought back Rexy for some BRITISH female screams. She even did some sexy moans, that was awesome. Jivemaster is rapping and brought a nice AUSTRALIAN tint to the song. I had done a full album of metal growls for Zoltan's upcoming first album "First Fantasy". I was at the top of my game while doing that album, and after I was done, I stopped growling. Eventually my voice got really weak again. Lately, it has felt like it is damaged, and I wake up coughing, almost like I had blown it out at some point. Despite that, I tried to "bring it" for my growls on this song. Not as strong as the Zoltan album, but certainly not bad. They're on par if not a little better than the original Liquid Metal. Also I should explain the unwritten joke of the lyrics. If you notice, Commando Man is not featured, this is because from my understanding he is a very large, bulky tank, and as a result would not be capable of any form of undersea travel. Source 0:00 - 0:06 - Proto Man Whistles 0:06 - 0:12 - Commando Man 0:12 - 0:19 - Proto Man 0:26 - 1:02 - Commando Man 1:05 - 1:56 - Proto Man 1:56 - 2:23 - Wily Stage 2-1 2:41 - 3:08 - Splash Woman (on the synth thingy) 3:08 - 3:22 - Proto Man 3:22 - 4:01 - Wily Stage 2-1 4:01 - 4:27 - Proto Man 4:27 - 4:55 - Wily Stage 2-1 Listen for synth or 80s ensemble string lead (also sounds like a synth) for a lot of source usage. commando man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bszIJrNxFQY splash woman: proto man's theme: wily stage 1/2: Edited August 6, 2014 by Palpable closed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillRock Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 So opening up, I will say that I like the way you've handled the sources. Creative stuff. There are a few issues with the production. The drums are unbalanced, the cymbals are too loud and the snare and kick are too quiet. Its a bit of an issue with this style because there is no metallic thumping that is kinda a big trademark of this sound. The synths are also slightly weak compared to the crunching guitars. Performances are mostly great, the guitars are very solid! I am less sold on the vocals however... I just don't feel like you've quite put enough into them. Its a hard thing for me to describe because I can't comment on melodic aspects but there feels to be a lack of... drive? Its almost like you're casually screaming, rather than REALLY going for it. Not sure if that was your intention, but it comes out slightly flat as a result. Finally, we reach the rap. The section itself is great, well executed with a good performance and nice production. However, for something like that to work, you need one hell of a transition, and you don't really have one. Its a shame because its a great idea, but the flow stops dead without a good transition to keep the flow going. I like what you're going for here, the lyrics are amusing, the sources are handled nicely and the performances are great, but there are some issues with execution as well as production problems that hold this one back. Sorry guys! NO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted July 27, 2014 Author Share Posted July 27, 2014 (edited) edit 8/4/14: Have Will and I been too hard on this mix? Their first "Liquid Metal" mix was similar in many ways, minus the hip hop interlude, and it passed, partially based on comedic value. Could this mix be passable similarly? -------------------------------------------- What is this I don't even. Oh good lord, Brandon. Those screamo vocals. I know you think I hate screamo vocals, and tbh they aren't my favorite, but that's irrelevant. If they fit in nicely with the track, that's one thing. Here, I think there are some mismatched elements going on. First, the entirety of the lyrics are screamed (with the exception of the hip hop interlude). I think it would work better if a portion of the lyrics were just sung instead of screamed, the screamed portions would have more impact. Some of the instrumentation is really soft and gentle, you've got a bell-like e-piano and some gentle synth stuff that is mixed quietly and just sounds too out of place with the screamo stuff. It creates quite a contrast that I'm not sure is working in a cohesive way. The vocals feel too loud and upfront to me, but I think they are balanced right... I think they sound so loud to me because the backing synth work is too soft and "nice" to support them, despite the rhythm guitar work going on. That hip hop interlude is cool as hell! Well performed. And it doesn't seem to fit in. The transitions in and out of that section feel a bit awkward, I think there's no real good way around that due to the drastically different styles. It's a VERY bold idea... just doesn't quite work imo. As usual, the guitar work and drumming are excellent, kick and snare could be a drop louder. Four sources, used VERY creatively and well, really great arrangement. Lyrics, fish sticks, bacon, wat. Haha I love the silly lyrics. Lots of stuff working well here, ridiculously unique ideas, but some issues I just can't look past. NO Edited August 5, 2014 by Chimpazilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palpable Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 (edited) You've got moxie, kid, I'll give you that. We've gotten subs before where one element is really out-of-place and it's not obvious to me whether the remixer realizes it; with you, Brandon, I'm guessing you realize what you're doing. That rap is kind of hilarious and sounds like a completely different song. I mean, that in itself isn't a dealbreaker, but it's certainly jarring. The thin synths that handle the source are also out-of-place for most of the song, except when the guitars lighten up, and that was a bigger problem. The soundscape never gelled - the synths sound like an afterthought. Will also called out the problems with the drums and I agreed with his comments. The vocals could have been more intense, but it wasn't as big an issue. I do think this is salvagable. Start with the core of the song, the guitar/drums/bass/vocals, and get those sounding balanced. Pick a synth with more bite to it, maybe something distorted, or just use a guitar. The rap... is what it is. With a near perfect execution - not vocals, but transitions in and out, and production - it would be easier to swallow. Those are my suggestions to get this passed. NO (resubmit) Edited August 6, 2014 by Palpable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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