"Cycle of Ash" industrial/electro. New direction.

[Raayl]

got my new synth today, put it to use.

http://www.myspace.com/raayl

cycle of ash, first to play.

[Raayl]

Grind us between the gears of war
Show us our hearts, intestinal gore
Break our bones, blind our eyes
Suck us dry and rape our lives
Eat our souls and **** our wives
Crush our lungs so machine like
Drink our blood, bring us to life
Drink our blood, bring us to life

Throw us in to your ****ing cycle
Chew us up in your ****ing cycle
Unleash the dogs in ****ing cycles
Usurp the pain in a ****ing cycle
Slay our gods in the ****ing cycle
Drink their blood now all in cycles

We all need your nuclear wars
We all feed on the blood of sores
Writhe in the flames of our own hell
Virus controls our imprisoning cell
Mend our wounds, rip them apart
Run us through our ****ing hearts
We all need our pain inside
Cause pain is what keeps us alive

Throw us in to your ****ing cycle
Chew us up in your ****ing cycle
Unleash the dogs in ****ing cycles
Usurp the pain in a ****ing cycle
Slay our gods in the ****ing cycle
Drink their blood now all in cycles

[Jody LeCompte]

I'm Governor Huckabee and I approve this song.

[BenJammin]

That was awesome... good new direction. Not without flaws, but I can't be arsed to get into it right now.

Hit me up tomorrow for better comments, I'm going to bed.

[blacklungfever]

That the microKORG? Sounds awesome.

[Raayl]

That the microKORG? Sounds awesome.

yep, the thing is a tiny little beast. It's so funny to think this GIANT, disgusting sound comes out of that cute little retro looking mini-keyed masterpiece.

[Az_Holl]

I actually enjoyed this one.

The music is alot more fitting for the vocals/lyrical content, and the synth is bad arse.

Still not a huge fan of the vocals, but they sound alot better in this one IMO.

[Sammy_L_D]

You got a microKORG?

Awesome synth.

I'll listen to the song later.

[BenJammin]

Okay. It starts off really great. The synth is wicked sounding. The intro goes on too long, though. I kept expecting the vocals to come in, and they didn't, and because they didn't I started to get annoyed by that higher pitched note thing that was wooshing in the background.

The vocals do suit it perfectly, though, and it's good to hear more aggressive vocals again. Not sure the six line chorus works, though. I mean, it works, but it feels really weird, because everything else in the song is in 4's (song is in 4/4, your verse is 8 lines), so it doesn't quite mesh in terms of flow.

Only other thing is a really minor comment, and that's after the chorus, there seems to be this really slight but noticeable gap before the verse comes back in, and it distracted me a bit.

Ace synth, and feel, though. You've got something wicked going here.

[Raayl]

Okay. It starts off really great. The synth is wicked sounding. The intro goes on too long, though. I kept expecting the vocals to come in, and they didn't, and because they didn't I started to get annoyed by that higher pitched note thing that was wooshing in the background.

The vocals do suit it perfectly, though, and it's good to hear more aggressive vocals again. Not sure the six line chorus works, though. I mean, it works, but it feels really weird, because everything else in the song is in 4's (song is in 4/4, your verse is 8 lines), so it doesn't quite mesh in terms of flow.

Only other thing is a really minor comment, and that's after the chorus, there seems to be this really slight but noticeable gap before the verse comes back in, and it distracted me a bit.

Ace synth, and feel, though. You've got something wicked going here.

I can't believe you picked up on the gap between the first chorus and the second verse. Hahaha, I don't often leave mistakes in my tunes, but I figured nobody would notice that as it's literally like a 1 second difference in nothing but vocoder noise anyway. Good ear.

Yeah, I wanted to try to...I guess, "build" up the pulse before the words and the whole song comes together. The swirly synth does have sort of a strange tinny quality on top of it, and its harmonized with a low filtered synth, so it sounds cool when my vocals are over it but not so much when they aren't. I'll keep that in mind for the future.

Personally, I love the way the vocals sound over the "chorus." They pulse with the beat. There's not supposed to be any pitch, and the last line actually comes as the chorus melodies die off. I did this to get that "last scream" in over the transition.

Nice ear though, impressive.

[EADGC]

I can't believe you picked up on the gap between the first chorus and the second verse. Hahaha, I don't often leave mistakes in my tunes, but I figured nobody would notice that as it's literally like a 1 second difference in nothing but vocoder noise anyway. Good ear.

Yeah, I wanted to try to...I guess, "build" up the pulse before the words and the whole song comes together. The swirly synth does have sort of a strange tinny quality on top of it, and its harmonized with a low filtered synth, so it sounds cool when my vocals are over it but not so much when they aren't. I'll keep that in mind for the future.

Personally, I love the way the vocals sound over the "chorus." They pulse with the beat. There's not supposed to be any pitch, and the last line actually comes as the chorus melodies die off. I did this to get that "last scream" in over the transition.

Nice ear though, impressive.

Stop making excuses already


****

[Spaceman Spiff]

Can you stop ripping yourself off already?

"Virus controls our imprisoning cell"

Smooth, big daddy.









Tell you what I really think soon.

[Raayl]

Stop making excuses already


****

Nah, it's cool-this is a new direction for me, so I'm trying things out. I'm in the experimental phase before I sit down to write and record every night.

Any thoughts?

[EADGC]

It was jokes Sade. I'll listen to it right now.

[EADGC]

Alright, well this is what stands out most for me:


- very good choice going for a new direction. Honestly, your last few songs have all been way too similar - beats, rapping, overdubs of bass the same effects.. etc. I know you can only work with what you have, but the same formula and same instrumentation can get old. Considering that since your vocals aren't melodic, the backing track needs to be musically interesting. So the synth was a really good move imo.


Crits: I only have a few.

- the beat and synth were a little too "dance" for me. It's great that you're trying new things, but just remember that progress has to be gradual. You can't put out an industrial track then put up a track with some banjo and mandolin next - it just doesn't work that way. 1) it confuses the hell out of people, 2) good luck developing a fanbase. I guess what I'm trying to say is to keep your tracks somewhat similar, but fresh at the same time. It's a fine balance.

Other than that, I felt the vocals were too harsh and distorted. I have trouble distinguishing what you're saying. That's about it.


Overall it was really well done - one of my favourite tracks you've put out so far.

[Raayl]

Alright, well this is what stands out most for me:


- very good choice going for a new direction. Honestly, your last few songs have all been way too similar - beats, rapping, overdubs of bass the same effects.. etc. I know you can only work with what you have, but the same formula and same instrumentation can get old. Considering that since your vocals aren't melodic, the backing track needs to be musically interesting. So the synth was a really good move imo.


Crits: I only have a few.

- the beat and synth were a little too "dance" for me. It's great that you're trying new things, but just remember that progress has to be gradual. You can't put out an industrial track then put up a track with some banjo and mandolin next - it just doesn't work that way. 1) it confuses the hell out of people, 2) good luck developing a fanbase. I guess what I'm trying to say is to keep your tracks somewhat similar, but fresh at the same time. It's a fine balance.

Other than that, I felt the vocals were too harsh and distorted. I have trouble distinguishing what you're saying. That's about it.


Overall it was really well done - one of my favourite tracks you've put out so far.

The song itself is "supposed" to sound dance. The type of sound I was going for is almost exactly like a Black Swan Insurgency sound or an Empusa sound. They're myspace artists I listen to. They put industrial concepts to very trancey/housey/electronic music. It's ALL sequenced. I really like that juxtaposition. Dark trance with harsh screams and dark motifs.

I agree with what you say about the balance thing, which is exactly why I didnt want this track on my myspace. Tried uploading it to purevolume but the quality sucked. It will be confusing, but any actual fan of mine knows every album I radically re-invent myself. Just what happens naturally, so I'm not too worried. I agree, though.

[EADGC]

The song itself is "supposed" to sound dance. The type of sound I was going for is almost exactly like a Black Swan Insurgency sound or an Empusa sound. They're myspace artists I listen to. They put industrial concepts to very trancey/housey/electronic music. It's ALL sequenced. I really like that juxtaposition. Dark trance with harsh screams and dark motifs.

I agree with what you say about the balance thing, which is exactly why I didnt want this track on my myspace. Tried uploading it to purevolume but the quality sucked. It will be confusing, but any actual fan of mine knows every album I radically re-invent myself. Just what happens naturally, so I'm not too worried. I agree, though.

I mean I'm all for change and growth as an artist - if your music isn't changing, why would I keep listening to it? Just remember not to take it too far in any direction at a time. I just thought that this song was pushing it just a bit. It's nothing to lose any sleep over, just watch it in the future.

[deemo]

i enjoyed the dance-ness of this track, and i agree with the intro being a bit too long. very chill dude lol i'm high ambient.

[Raayl]

i enjoyed the dance-ness of this track, and i agree with the intro being a bit too long. very chill dude lol i'm high ambient.

hahahaha.

[EADGC]

very chill dude lol i'm high ambient.


nice.

[Raayl]

I mean I'm all for change and growth as an artist - if your music isn't changing, why would I keep listening to it? Just remember not to take it too far in any direction at a time. I just thought that this song was pushing it just a bit. It's nothing to lose any sleep over, just watch it in the future.

Yeah, I moved it down my page. Its fine on my myspace, but I agree and don't want to shatter anything too quickly just cause I got a microKORG. :amaze:

[Spaceman Spiff]

It takes a bit too long to get to the verse, but it's a fun journey. I found myself taken over by Footstepus Tyranus, the dark god of dance. My legs shook uncontrollably, my hips were jiving all over the place, and my head bobbed as though I was sucking your dick.

Pretty much - good work on getting the feel you were going for with it.

Vocals were real good... as usual. You embraced the clean vocals a little, but now on to your new style with some filthy distortion on them... what up wit dat?
Your vocals match up with the music really nicely, though. Like what you mentioned how it goes with the pulse of the beats, it gives it a really strong sound.

Not quite perfect, but I want to see what else you'll be doing in this style/some new style you're working towards.

[EADGC]

I didn't find the intro overly long, but I listen to/enjoy/write songs with long intros.

[Spaceman Spiff]

For a short song, the intro just seemed to take up too much time. It wasn't a huge flaw, but it's still something to think about. It's not like I've never heard a long intro on a song before, it's just that it's not always the best thing.

[Mr. Pickle]

I think a big problem with this song is that it was done by a narcissistic douchebag who can't sing for ****.















amirite?

[Raayl]

I think a big problem with this song is that it was done by a narcissistic douchebag who can't sing for ****.















amirite?

Hahahaha, nice.

[naut]

yeah like i said this definitely reminds me of BSI, especially the vocals. very nice change of pace, and the distortion on the vox is ****in' right on.

i feel like i just dropped x at an abandoned warehouse in eastern Europe, and i'm now being gang-raped by a hundred bi-sexual Czechoslovakian men wearing purple fishnet wifebeaters.

A DREAM COME TRUE.

[Sammy_L_D]

Sounds alright, except something felt off at about 1:30 and again at 2:30.

Wicked tones. I love microKORGs.

Edit: Just read BenJammin's comment, and it looks as though I'm not insane after all.