Hello! This is a review for the NGUAC competition.

I've gone over one or two general categories of issues specific to your song, and one section of things I think also deserve complimenting. I prefer being very direct with my critique, none of it is meant to offend. Thank you for your understanding!

Constructive Criticism:

- Many of your chord progressions are very awkward and use pretty non-functional harmony. This can work, but it needs a degree of intention and contrast. Specifically, since you're using classical western harmony, you need to be aware of how to build tension and release it. In western music harmony, this generally is made by the motion from the V chord to the I chord (5 to 1, like a G chord to a C chord - give it a try and feel how there's tension that's resolved). You can also practice this by listening to one of your favorite songs and trying to write the chords you hear, one note at a time. That way, you can see how they're constructed. This may also help with some of the rhythms as well, since they can be a little disjointed in the same way.

- Secondly, let's look at the mixing and sound design. First of all, this can be mastered to -1.0dB rather than the smaller volume it currently is. The relative volume is fine, and each instrument is generally audible. I do, however, think that some of the sound design could be improved. For instance, much of your distortion guitar specifically uses phaser sweeps with the amping. Phaser sweeps can work but tend to be a very specific, watery sound. At the moment, they seem to be a bit overused and cause the track to feel watery at times.

Compliments to the Composer:

- I can actively hear how much effort you put into this track. There are a huge amount of small details, and your arrangement is quite interesting and varied. I think the intro is actually my favorite part, in which the ambient effects sit in the background. That atmosphere puts in a LOT of work in the beginning to draw you into the track before the main themes start. With some more organization of themes to allow for contrast, you'll be able to make this music quite interesting and engaging.

Final score: 6