SierraRising's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[~Fore~ Chasing a Dream]

I don't hang around NG as often as I used to, but I do sometimes check back to make sure I haven't missed anything - and today seems to be my lucky day!

Everything is great as always, the melody is nice and melancholic, the drop has excellent intensity without unnecessary harshness, but holds enough drive to keep things going. The buildup starting at :30 introduces a lot of elements, but not too suddenly. The soft thumping kick is nice until :51, then it gets a little disruptive in my opinion, but disappears at :52 and then it's all good again, but the atmosphere throughout the track is amazing.

Hoping to see this and 'Shadow' in an intense EP. Maybe throw in 'Ethereal' for a chill contrast? Looking forward to more stuff from you as always!

aliaspharow responds:

Thank you so much SierraRising! Always love reading your feedback! It's great hearing feedback from old fans.

I'm most likely going to do a full intro revamp. I like the piano right now but I'm thinking of layering it with a wurlitzer and having a friend of mine perform some vocals and otherwise keeping it clean until the bass comes in. I'm excited to get this one done for sure.

I like your idea of an EP! I have a reworked and improved 'Shadow' and another yet unreleased track. I'll be sure to keep you posted when it comes out.

[Dolce]

Pretty calming piece, I like that though the synths sound kind of retro, they aren't too harsh.
If this were in a video game, I would expect it either in the menu section or in an introduction phase, like a tutorial to a puzzle game.
There isn't too much of a complex melody, but plenty of new elements every once in a while to keep things going. The drums sounded a little off for me, the kick was too low and didn't fit with the rest of the track for me, and the snare part was a bit too loud.
Other than that, this sounds like the kind of thing the audio portal may have been intended for, as a source of music for the games and animation developers, and it fits in there nicely. Keep up the nice work!

Walpang responds:

Very much appreciated. I agree that drums aren't my forte, and I'll try to work on it.

[Ragtime Me To Hell]

I love the story behind this piece, it really helps me understand the progression better. The mood is set nicely and I can imagine things getting pretty intense at this part of a game. Personally I would have made the piece longer before the "insanity" build-up begins, and maybe added a pad of some kind to fill out blank spots, but that¨s just me and it probably woudln't fit in the setting.
Honestly I'm not that good of a musician to think of anything else to say, your work is solid, I also enjoyed "Threats" and couldn't think of anything constructive to say there. Keep it up!

wobwobrob responds:

Thanks mate! Client did want it sudden, and there wasnt much time. Had to cram a lot in a minute! I agree maybe it could be more subtle haha

[~Fore~ Shadow (Beta Mix)]

This week just keeps getting and better for me! Can't wait for the EP!

aliaspharow responds:

Hell yeah! I'll be releasing the full version sometime soon and will be sure to let you know.

[~Fore~ Shadow]

Smooth like only your music can be! Loved the progression of the beat, all the elements came together beautifuly. Glad to hear something from you again!

aliaspharow responds:

Thanks for the support! Always nice to hear from you Sierra! I have this song pretty much completed now and It's a hell of a journey. I'll make sure to message you when it's released

[Someone Else (acoustic)]

Painful and beautiful at the same time. Always nice to hear something from you - no matter how I´m feeling, I can always sit back and be immersed in whatever world you create for us.

[SolidMovement - K - 6919]

On a good day, I would have used about a quarter of different sounds you have here, and I would have called it too chaotic. But you made it work, somehow - rather than being a ´Solid Movement´ it seems quite smooth. It sounds great, not too muddled, the sounds fade into each other quite nicely... really nice piece here!

Kyrowo responds:

Hahaha thank you :D

[16 Dancing Strings]

I don´t generally listen to classical music, but overall, I enjoyed this track. I´m not really sure how these pieces are arranged, but I´ll just divide them into the first part (from 0:00 to 1:30) and the second part (1:30-onwards). I don´t know anything about terminology, so please forgive my ignorance in this.
I really liked the first part. It reminded me of some plays I used to see in the theatre (like the Nutcracker). Some short (plucky?) progression with a longer overtone that is great for setting the tone for a setting where something is happening, but the audience doesn´t necessarily need to pay much attention to it, and the music underlines all the movements on stage nicely.
The second part was slightly less to my liking, but not because of anything you did. To me it just sat slightly differently to the first part. From 1:30 to about 1:50 I was really digging the deeper tones, but after that the melody got a little - frantic? - for me, I suppose. Listening to the second part separately from the first it sounds better to me, like it just sits better on its own. But even so, the last ten seconds were a little strange to me.
Like I said, I´m not good at revewing or maybe even listening to classical pieces, but I enjoyed this composition and it was enough to make me go listen to some of your other pieces (L´Aria di Notte is pretty damn good!), so keep up the good work!

Qu4drupleForte responds:

Thanks for the small essay of a review!
I certainly understand what you mean by the "frantic" melodies, they're definitely an acquired taste that comes from romantic and classical music, but the fact you sensed that shows you could follow the progression I tried to create. Don't sweat the terminology by the way, very descriptive and much appreciated.

[Through the Lost Woods]

Pretty nice stuff! Kind of makes me want to take a walk in a forest. Personally I would have drenched the bell/beat thing in reverb, but I´m sure you had your reasons for keeping it clean. And the pad that starts at 4:15 could have been a little more quiet, but again, that´s just personal taste.

[Atlas]

Very nice track!

Zinitymusic responds:

Thank you!