Realms Beyond Reality

[AngelCityOutlaw]

Channeling my inner Thomas Bergersen, I guess 

 

[Cerrax]

Great atmosphere in this track and a solid idea.

0:00 - Nice strings here. Fast-moving strings are tough to do convincingly, but its not bad

0:05 - I expected some new layers to come in here, it was a little jarring that the strings continue with nothing new

0:12 - Ah, there it is! Drums are pretty weak (need some more bass I think) and maybe more instruments here. Horns and piano are not enough to give this the punch it needs.

0:24 - Good build up so far. Again, drums and instrumentation really do a disservice the nice composition. Needs more instruments for a fuller sound and bravado. The high-pitched drum sound introduced here is way too loud and very distracting.

0:35 - OH SNAP ITS ABOUT TO GO DOWN. Dynamics here need to be much more pronounced. There should be a big dip and then a powerful crescendo here to slam the audience!

0:37 - The instrumentation is very sparse. There's no sense of gravitas to this part of the song. This is where the song gets intense! We need to hear a lot of different instruments and layers here to give it the fullness it deserves.

0:49 - I love the drum layers that come in here, but they're too loud. This should be a subtle addition, not as in-your-face as it is here.

1:01 - Feel like there could be more dynamic variation here, possibly a little softer with some rises and falls in it. This is a completely different musical phrase and it should feel different too.

1:10 - That crash cymbal is very sad and dull. Please replace with something brighter and more fitting of the grandiose nature of the piece.

1:12 - This whole phrase is the french horns' time to shine. But the samples used here are kind of dull. There needs to be more expression here, maybe some fluctuations in tone or dynamics (or both).

1:38 - WHAT?! That's a cop-out / trail-off end to a phrase. The drums just suddenly cut out and then the instruments trail off? No sir. You need to gracefully exit the drums and fix that section to have more closure and indicate the end of the phrase.

1:40 - Again, dynamics, Dynamics, DYNAMICS. This is your ending stab. Kick the audience in the face with your last few measures!

Overall I really like this piece! Composition and arrangement is a little sparse and deserves more changes in velocity, tone, and dynamics. On the production side I would recommend some more fullness overall and watch the volume on a few parts (especially the drum layers that get added).

Great work!