mgh
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Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
http://soundcloud.com/markhaigh/smote-by-grief new song. you know the score by now; quiet parts, loud parts, shrieking vocals, some quasi-melodic vocals, piano, guitar, drums, bassoon... any comments welcomed as usual. thanks guys and gals! ps not the most Valentine of songs ever, eh?!
post edited by mgh - 2011/02/14 09:08:24
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Slow Marching Band
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/16 10:51:57
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Love that intro with the bassoon Mark, great stuff. I'm almost reaching the point where I can understand the lyrics in these songs. Love the chord progressions, really evocative, and perfect for the subject. Any tune with the word 'Smote' in the title is alright with me.  Immense guitars as always. That piano interlude was very nice too, that's a favourite trick of yours I think, tension & release. Got a bit 'John Miles' at the end, but that's OK, I like him.  James
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thepogue
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/16 11:00:03
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yea...love the intro work...the vox was not my fav...too gurgling for me..up to 1:55 then she smoothed out...well...relatively speaking..lol very much like the efx @ 2:31 on the vox. like the way the bass line works in this tune..
your arraignments are freakin off the chain....very very big!!...huge
love the 4:12 transition! lovely key work...very emotionally charged....kinda gave me a Queen feel at times...
nice work!!
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notnat
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/17 19:02:45
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Very impressive production... I love the intro and the middle breakdown... I really don't care for the vox though... sounds like Popeye the Sailor...
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vechung
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/17 19:44:21
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Great production! Love your instrumentation, it sounds so clean. I think the vocals are fine. But I was just thinking if you add some normal voice in some parts to alternate with the shrieking vocals in others would make it more interesting. Sort of like Underoath and othes.
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rockinrobby 
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/17 21:01:32
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Well I typed a bunch of crap and then hit a back button by accident, I HATE when that happens! It was good stuff too!
Let me summarize.
1. Like the intro. Is that a real acoustic guitar?
2. Like the sound of the electrics when they come in.
3. That Oboe or whatever it is sounds better without the electrics. When it plays with them, consider substituting strings for the same part.
4. Like the piano at the end :-) Is that you too? The guitars and the keys? :-) Cause I do that too, guitars, keys, bass, etc... I like the end quite a bit. Well along about at 5 mins there. It kinda started to give me an Elton John vibe there for some reason? 7:47? I've had relationships that didn't last that long...
Did that poor guy being tortured while you recording this make it out OK?
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jedininjarob
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/18 17:28:58
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hey just listen...already sounds 110% better then the traditional stuff..filthly blackmetal....any way....i realy like it!!!.. and would like to offer a collaboration to you...
i want to do a project that has...Blackmetal stylings and songs
with the epic symphony orchestra...
i want to know if you would be interested in laying down some tracks with me
your self and i would do songs and black metal stylings.. and we would need one more dude for the symphony stuff..preferebly somone with a realy good sound bank.. and has an open mind as far as what music is..
what do you think..
Neo-Classical-Blackmetal....lol
Rob
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rockinrobby
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/18 18:55:42
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I would like to offer a collaboration to you too... We'll have to be discrete? And I hope you're comfortable "on film?" It wouldn't be for distribution, but rather for my private collection? Sorry, I have a thing for angry clowns.
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philz
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/18 19:33:58
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Mark, this is really a spectacular piece, with some very effective orchestration working against the guitars. But, seriously, the vox? There's some melody in there and it's very evocative, but what's the point if the lyrics are incomprehensible? I never got that about this genre. Maybe it's me  . I mean you've got it nailed instrumentally, but, if there's a message or story, let us hear it.
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rockinrobby
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/19 00:36:33
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We can't get him to be something he's not, nor should we try. This is what comes out of him, and objectively? We agree that a lot of it is pretty f'ing amazing... He has his own thing with the vox? Most of us don't get it and never will, but he does? And the people who are like minded? I have a lot of respect for that... Mark's a free spirit, THAT'S for damn sure!! LOL! I'm as different from him as night is to day? And that style really isn't my thing at all? But I recognize genius and creativity where it thrives... Regardless of whether it's like me or not? Or even if it's something I particularly enjoy or not? And make no doubt... I am a musical GENIUS! LOL! I still remember that one song that stretched across like 8 posts? The ending was "unbelievable." Here's to variety, the spice of life! If it wasn't for Mark? I would never be exposed to this? Of course, if it wasn't for my trench coat? All of those poor girls at the park never would have been exposed to, oh wait? I may have said too much. Scratch that last bit... (I still want to know what happened to that poor bastard being tortured when you were recording this?) LOL!
post edited by rockinrobby - 2011/02/19 00:43:51
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mgh
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/19 04:27:27
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LOL Robby you are hilarious dude, i still laugh every time i see your profile in Reverbnation (relentless boulangerie owner etc). Thanks for the compliments and support, you're right that our music is often at polar extremes, but that's the joy of music, we all like different stuff!
anyhow this one didn't turn out quite like i was expecting, at one point midway thru the mix i had very high hopes! didn't quite work out as good as it could have, the vox are too on top of the music i think, and the drums lose a little power in the beginning (but are fine towards the end...)
i think clean vox would work as well in this, so i might very well make an alternate version with just meldoic vox...
rob of the jedi ninja order, you might find i'm the only dude on here into BM, there are quite a few metalheads but mostly in the thrash/nu or classic HM areas. still, always up for a collab!
and many thanks as usual to James, Tom, Frank, Vicente and Phil!
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mstodge
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/19 08:41:13
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Mark i'm blown away by the intro, and the whole arrangement.
The vocals are not my favourite. But each to their own.
I was watching the wave on soundcloud tick by, looking forward to the dip at around 4:20. I knew i wouldn't be disappointed. glorious part that was.
Great stuff.
Mark.
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Kylotan
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/19 12:22:27
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I mostly like the mix on this, but I'd drop the vox down a few db and add more reverb to them. If the lyrics aren't so comprehensible then you need to play the vocals more for texture, and a really big reverb can help here. Also I'm in agreement with the commenter above who suggested swapping that wind instrument for strings when not soloed, as it would drop into the mix a bit better.
Musically I find the last half of the song a slightly too upbeat sounding for this genre, from the piano break onwards, but that's just a personal opinion. I think it would benefit from a bit more melancholy in there!
Sonar Platinum (Newburyport) / Win 8.1 64bit / Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 / Absynth / Kontakt / Play / Superior Drummer 2 / ESP LTD guitar / etc Twilight's Embrace - gothic/death metal | Other works - instrumental/soundtracks
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ruralrocker2010
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/19 17:11:45
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I don't know what genre it is, but this music was awesome. Loved everything about it. The mix, I thought was well balanced and full. Put me the mind of a score to be totally honest.
The vocals to me, sound like what Bob Dylan will sound like after just a few months in the grave...yes, he'll still be touring. LOL.
I just don't like the growl vocals, but I know that have their place in modern music.
The music however is epic. Sounds awesome on my Mackie MR5's.
Joshua Barnes Sonar Platinum / RME UCX / i5 3.2 8 GB Memory (Dell Inspiron) / Komplete 10 / Win 7 Home 64 Bit
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jamesyoyo
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/19 21:28:48
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I am smote with grief that my comments lately seem to post but only to return later and see they did not make it.
This is an awesome piece of awesomeness. It never ceases to amaze me how someone can take fairly routine progressions and make them so unique.
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Janet
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/20 14:09:22
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I love the instrumentation on this. Great piano playing too. :-)
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paulo
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/20 14:41:40
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Even though you advertised upfront what this was you shamed me into giving it a chance by the way that you always seem to take time to listen to stuff that is probably way different to your tastes and still find the positives, which is of immense credit to you. I really wanted to like it all, but them vocals...........well.....................sorry I just can't. I'm sure they sound good if you like that sort of thing, but ..... you know........The rest though is excellent and I'm currently amusing myself imagining Janet with it turned up full blast and playing along ! ;)
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Janet
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/20 14:52:37
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Not sure I can play that well is the problem.... :(
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mgh
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/20 16:21:42
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thanks to you all.
ben - listened to your myspace, not in a good listening environment but sounds liek you'll be there at mdb/ava inferi tour this year...
paulo - thanks for listening, i knoiw the vox is the dividing line between metal and extreme metal, for me i can find these vox as emotinoal as a tenor solo, but i know a lot of you don't!
but i like well written music, from pop to prog, taking in classical etc.
cheers to you all again tho!
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SteveStrummerUK
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Re:Smote By Grief - new shoegazey black metal track
2011/02/20 17:56:04
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Hey Mark, this is awesome brother  I have to admit Pagan Metal is a new one on me, but I like what I'm hearing.
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