TemplarOfTheMachine

I'm listening to the first track, as I write this. I like the beginning, instantly. It reminds me of the CD cover. There's something creepy about it, like something hidden, and then there's that beautiful sunset.

There's also an element about it that makes me think of the X-Files, like those episodes where they're running around in some woods or another, chasing aliens, or running from them.

It's a very calming track, in general. I like the use of the sting instruments. I like how a beat is added as the track goes on, and it doesn't ruin the tranquility of the piece at all. Overall, this reminds me of autumn - the season.

The second track is starting, now. It's starting off quiet. Again, with the subtle creepiness, like something is wrong, or will go wrong. It sounds sad. More like winter, rather than autumn, with the combination of the instruments. I think of little snowflakes.

Maybe someone from inside a house, looking out the window, and seeing the snow fall. Not a happy place, though. There's a part in a story I'd read as a child, from the Redwall Series by Brian Jaques. It was the second part of Martin the Warrior's story, Mossflower. In the beginning, it describes a forst in the middle of winter, with all of the animals in their huts, although most of the huts stand empty. The remaining animals are being pushed around by this tyrant wildcat and his horde, being "taxed" for food, and just about everything else, so they have nothing. This track sounds like it would be perfect for that scene.

Overall, I actually like how you didn't really have any sort of drums or percussion in this piece. It would make the emotion sound too quick, which doesn't quite fit it.

The third track is now starting. This beginning still sounds sad, like a continuation of the last one, but it sounds like some sort of trial has ended, almost like surviving soldiers standing before a battle-field, littered with the bodies of both friend and foe. That kind of trial. Where you're happy that it's over, but you're not happy about what it took to win.

Now, at the middle of the song, where the beat picks up... definitely reminds me of a war. Perhaps a flashback of the battle, reminders of the heat of the moment. The enemy charging down at them while they bravely stand their ground. When the rock-part ends, or perhaps just an interlude, you go back to the classic strings.

The rock-parts don't ruin the feel of the piece at all, and only add to the emotion of it. Many different groups and bands try this technique, and quite a few fail where I feel you have succeeded. I have the feeling that this track will definitely be one of my favorites in this alubm.

I'm listening to the third track, Tim. The beginning, as the track starts, makes me think of war again, because of the brass. It sounds very sad, for lack of better explanation. The percussion which is added later on seems to fit the piece as well as the vocals. I would probably like it better if I understood French. :)

I greatly enjoyed the jazzy influence of the piece, but it felt to me that something was missing.

The fifth track starts off nicely. The sound is strong at the beginning, instead of it being built up, but then it stays that way. The piano added seems to weaken it, and slow it down. The piece is short, and while it was not done poorly, I'm not a fan of how slow it is. I usually like things with more energy.

I'm listening to White Shores, now. Starts off with different sound effects, very different from the classical theme you have going in your album. You also have the beat added close to the beginning of the piece, where you generally waited longer. A little change in pace, eh?

This track reminds me of old SNES and Sega Saturn racing games, specifically WipeOut and F-Zero. Sounds like the kind of music that would be played for a track, maybe something along the lines of a "boss" race, where the guy you're racing is the asshole who knocked up your sister, or something, so you're determined to beat him, but he's more skilled than you are, ans had a better car. You kick his butt, anyway.

Towards the middle of the track, the music slows down, and the beat is taken away. Sort of an interlude. Reminds me of another game, an old Saturn one, called Panzer Dragoon. There's a level where you're flying around in a desert, but you need to go through a cave. The music in that level did the same thing as what you've done with this piece; they sound very similar, in a good way. The beat eventually builds up. This track seems to sound happier than the others in the album. Maybe that conflict has been resolved, eh?

The seventh, and final, track is playing, now. It starts off with a powerful sound, loud. Slowly builds up, but it's no longer sounding happy. It uses a distorted electronic sound to build up, one I'm not too fond of. You've dropped the more classical element, again. Once the build-up is done, the song sounds more happy, childlike. It doesn't seem to quite fit the other tracks in this album.

Overall, I like this album quite a bit. I will maintain that tracks 1 and 3 are my favorites. I don't really think the last two tracks belong in this album; they sound different in theme.

Keep up the good work, and I await more of your work. :)

I love the first track, Shadows of Silence, right off of the bat. I like how it starts off a bit slow, then builds up, and the beat changes throughout the piece so it's not too repetitive. It sounds like it would be the soundtrack to a futuristic RPG - maybe something CyberPunkish. Definitely love this track.

Totem Limit was an all right track. I'm not a fan of starting off the track with a drum beat, but it wasn't one that repulsed me. It sounds a bit less serious than Shadows of Silence, something more happy-go-lucky. This would be something that you'd play a club and have people dance to it. Reminds me of some of BT's work. I'm also not a big fan of the words "Totem Limit' being said throughout the track, but that's a personal preference.

DigiRock has an interesting start, reminds me of stuff by Massive Attack, perhaps the Unfinished Symphony. It has a good flowing and smooth beat. Again, listening to this reminds me of a CyberPunk RPG. This sounds like it would be right at home in a Deus Ex soundtrack - maybe when JC is wandering around town.

I could tell that by listening to the beginning of Fibonacci Theorem, I'd love this track. It makes me think of a monastery, perhaps during the winter time, during a snow storm, at night. There'd be fire lit everywhere, with the occasional monk passing by. It actually reminds me of the Unreal Soundtrack - there are a few levels where this track would fit right in, like the Nali Castle or even skytown. Eh, I play too many video games.

Paint it Blue starts off sounding a little creepy, in the same fashion that people who make game soundtracks try to make boss music sound. You want it to sound hectic without overdoing it. It has a steady drum beat which slowly builds upon itself, and the background noise is low, creating a sense of urgency.

Antidote for love is also another happy-go-lucky type of piece, although some parts in it suggest that things aren't so well. The way the percussion and the other instruments are arranged makes it sound like someone is actually actively trying to make something. Again, this has the spoken words, "Antidote for Love' repeated, and I personally really don't like that.

Time in my Head starts out really slow, but I really like synthesize in the beginning, and then how the percussion builds up and gets faster. Makes me think of a race. Things are added and built upon while others are removed to keep the track from sounding too repetitive, which is a big plus.

Orange Dreams is an iffy track - not that it was produced poorly. It's hard to determine the mood of it, because at times it seems to be hope-inducing, and then a few minutes later it'll sound like everything is totally hopeless. For some reason, makes me think of Farcry, when you're running around on the island in the sunset with mercs and those freaking mutants chasing you everywhere.

Beyond the Edge starts out pretty fast, again with that urgent sound to it. This sounds like "This boss is going to kick your ass, I hope you saved" boss music. It continues to keep that sound throughout the entire track without it being boring. Towards the middle, with the piano piece, it really sounds like this particular boss is really kicking your ass, and you're putting up one Hell of a fight, and at the end, it sounds like he's finally got you.

Puerta Del Sol starts out sounding really sad, and the piano piece added on does make it seem like something really bad did happen, but you're determined to fix it. So, you start to make some plan. There's a small chance that it'll work, but a small chance is better than no chance. That small chance gets your hopes up. Then, the piano piece starts again - perhaps it's futile, you'll never fix it? But you're still determined to try. I like this track a lot.

Right off the bat, I didn't like the way that il Est MIDI sounded like. I didn't like the percussion at all, and then with the spoken words, that turned me off even more. The track sounds pretty generic - hardly changing. This seems like it would be good club music. I wasn't very impressed with this track.

Overall, this is a good album. All of the tracks seemed to be following a similar theme, which is something that I tend to really like. Keep up the good work!

I enjoy listening to trance/dance music. The first few pieces seemed completely average to me. There wasn't anything I particularly disliked about them, but there was also nothing I really liked enough to notice it.

I greatly enjoyed CapeTown. However, I went from listening to the calm coolness of CapeTown to the sudden chaos of The Trip, and I didn't like the change. It was much too drastic, in my opinion, and I didn't like the hip-hop elements introduced, although that's simply my personal preference.

After The Trip, you lost the hip-hop element in DarkLine, and I've to tell you, I loved it. The prominent drums in the very beginning, and the overall composition of the piece greatly reminded me of Enigma's first album. One of my favorite pieces.

The piece right after it, Monolith 1. 4. 9. had a nice energetic feel to it without overdoing it, and it was calming at the same time. For some odd reason, this reminds me of the music that they used for boss themes in earlier RPG games, where they wanted to let you know it was a boss, a big bad-ass that burned down your village and stole your girlfriend, but it's not insane hyper fast.

Pleasure in the house reintroduced the hip-hop elements, and it had a nice beat, however I thought the "I'll give you pleasure" was off-putting. It seemed to ruin the main tone of the song, somehow, though I'm unable to explain exactly how.

LatinFeel also had a nice, relaxing feel to it. I like the addition of the "ooh!", it went well with the theme of piece. I'm reminded of several pieces from Moby's Play album. I like how it sounded depressing without overdoing the emotion, which would drain the energy from the piece.

I don't like the beginning of The Gate of Orion. It starts and builds up really slow, and it stays that way for too long of a time, in my opinion. It makes it seem boring. Once the music ha built up, it gets a little more interesting, but overall, the piece seemed too monotonous - although, it did make me think of Orion.

I like the way Ex Vitro starts out, and how it builds up. Again, it reminds me of Enigma's work, but more from their third album. It doesn't build up too much, and you get a nice beat without overdoing it and making it too busy. This also has elements that remind me of BT's work, from his Movement in Still Life album.

Kernal Fusion starts out in a similar way to Ex Vitro, and the beat is similar, but it sounds different in tone. The music has that sad feel to it, again, without it being overdone. It reminds me of the music that was used in the original Unreal game.

The Final Loop starts out with a quick beat that I didn't exactly like, but then it started to build up, and I liked it once everything was going. However, I thought you could have added just slightly more to it. It seems a little too monotonous.

Overall, this is a good album. I feel that The Trip and Pleasure in the House don't belong on this album. They're too different in tone and element from the other pieces, and it disrupts the flow, in my opinion.

Keep up the good work!