# Symphonic Metal - Divergent



## Zelorkq (Mar 5, 2017)

Hi all 

I've always wanted to try out a Symphonic Metal piece, so here it goes. If anyone cares for this genre, be my guest to comment, I'd be happy to receive any type of criticism 
I'm no Guitarist or Percussionist, so don't be too harsh 

Thank you


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## chillbot (Mar 5, 2017)

Amazing piece of work, fully enjoyed it. I can't imagine how long this took.... this would take me an eternity.

My only (very very minor) critique is the trumpet line at 3:20 sounds like a mistake compared to the rest of the piece... it sounds like a melody line but it's lost in the background maybe you could double it with strings... and the ending is somewhat of a letdown... after 5 minutes of intense ear assault I expected something a bit more 'smashing' but that's all.

What did you use for the guitars? The sustains sound like shreddage to me.


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## Zelorkq (Mar 6, 2017)

chillbot said:


> Amazing piece of work, fully enjoyed it. I can't imagine how long this took.... this would take me an eternity.
> 
> My only (very very minor) critique is the trumpet line at 3:20 sounds like a mistake compared to the rest of the piece... it sounds like a melody line but it's lost in the background maybe you could double it with strings... and the ending is somewhat of a letdown... after 5 minutes of intense ear assault I expected something a bit more 'smashing' but that's all.
> 
> What did you use for the guitars? The sustains sound like shreddage to me.



Thanks a lot for listening, really happy you enjoyed it!! I started this piece in 2013 and always postponed it, and again, and again..., it took me quite long...
Thanks for the critique. 3:20 was purpose actually, but maybe it's packed too full to bring out 'yet another loud instrument'... The ending is taste I guess 

The guitar is actually me playing my Ibanez + Amplitube 4, (that's why I took a photo of my guitar as clip image ). But I layered it with a bit of V-Metal + Amplitube 4, because some notes weren't precise enough, especially when I palm-muted it detuned a bit :/


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## erica-grace (Mar 6, 2017)

As Mike Verta would say, "where is your rhythm?"


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## Zelorkq (Mar 9, 2017)

erica-grace said:


> As Mike Verta would say, "where is your rhythm?"


Could you clarify that? What do you mean?
Do you mean how things are structured, they're very un-like Mike that I know; there are certain metal styles that have a 'cut-apart' structure that aren't "as expected", but what are you referring to?


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## erica-grace (Mar 10, 2017)

It's not the structure. I am having a problem locking on to the rhythm. Sounds like Mike, I know...  And that's right from the beginning. I can't tap my foot to it, and I am having a hard time discerning where 1 is. Hope that helps


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## Zelorkq (Mar 15, 2017)

erica-grace said:


> It's not the structure. I am having a problem locking on to the rhythm. Sounds like Mike, I know...  And that's right from the beginning. I can't tap my foot to it, and I am having a hard time discerning where 1 is. Hope that helps


Haha indeed it does sound like Mike  - I have no problem locking onto the rhythm, 4x triplets basically (it's 6/8).. but then again, I wrote the piece and listened to it a thousand times 
Still, thanks for the criticism, maybe it's not that easy to hook onto as I thought.


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## clisma (Mar 15, 2017)

Why do we need to lock onto the rhythm? Is this a dance piece? Do we need to move to it? Beside the fact that one can hear the rhythm just fine, keeping the listener on their toes by surprising them (in appropriate places) is a good technique. A constant pulse is not always needed.


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## Robo Rivard (Mar 21, 2017)

Great piece, great sound!... It's like listening to the next Dimmu Borgir album without the vocals!...


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## AlexandraMusic (Mar 29, 2017)

Yes very Dimmu Borgir in places, liked it alot


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## AlexanderSchiborr (Mar 29, 2017)

Zelorkq said:


> Hi all
> 
> I've always wanted to try out a Symphonic Metal piece, so here it goes. If anyone cares for this genre, be my guest to comment, I'd be happy to receive any type of criticism
> I'm no Guitarist or Percussionist, so don't be too harsh
> ...





Hey man, 

Cool Piece. I like the dark atmosphere and marching aspect at some places in your piece a lot. Also you have a good grip on the genre typical dark harmonies in Dark Symphonic Metal. What I personally think is that your piece is all great ideas but for me it lacks of a cohesive structure at all. Sure you have some parts which you repeat, but most of it is for me not well strutured and so it leaves for me some questions. You also do a lot of those "starting drums" parts and then "breaking / stopping" Drums things. This is cool, but imo you overdid it. It feels very forced and not naturally coming as a reason from the composition. Grant the listener a bit a groove or flow. You can give all those cool stops and breaks but here I feel it is just too much for my personal taste. Also those fast piano arpeggios which are outlining your chord harmony: They are good and all cool, but sometimes it feels just too much with them also, Plus there are too perfectly played, I guess you programmed them, because it sounds to me like that. The beginning is such a cool idea. It would be for me even cooler, if you would just take that idea and go straight into a 4/4 Pattern with the drums at least for a starting point. Don´t overthink too much your composition: Less is more, and I guess this is the point overall here: Too many cool ideas but to less development of one specific idea and introducing a "song" based structure. 
But besides that: I really enjoyed the atmosphere of your piece and I appreciate it that you posted it here. Very refreshing for me and thank you for doing it


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## Sean_Gouws (Mar 29, 2017)

AlexandraMusic said:


> Yes very Dimmu Borgir in places, liked it alot



Yeah very Dimmu in places. Also has some Carach Angren vibe in places. 

Very cool track  if ever you want vocals to this drop me a line.


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## Zelorkq (Apr 8, 2017)

clisma said:


> Why do we need to lock onto the rhythm? Is this a dance piece? Do we need to move to it? Beside the fact that one can hear the rhythm just fine, keeping the listener on their toes by surprising them (in appropriate places) is a good technique. A constant pulse is not always needed.


Totally agree!, although I'm never sure how good my style comes across  thanks hey!


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## Zelorkq (Apr 8, 2017)

Robo Rivard said:


> Great piece, great sound!... It's like listening to the next Dimmu Borgir album without the vocals!...


Really glad you enjoyed it so much!! Thank you! That's some high praise wow, although their latest work was a bit of a let-down imho. Let's see what their 2017 album will bring (if rumours are true)
Thanks again! I'm tempted to do more metal pieces now!!


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## Zelorkq (Apr 8, 2017)

AlexandraMusic said:


> Yes very Dimmu Borgir in places, liked it alot


Super cool, thanks a lot ) Shagrath, Galder and Silenoz better watch out before I steal their show haha :D
Really glad you enjoyed it, thank you


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## Zelorkq (Apr 8, 2017)

AlexanderSchiborr said:


> Hey man,
> 
> Cool Piece. I like the dark atmosphere and marching aspect at some places in your piece a lot. Also you have a good grip on the genre typical dark harmonies in Dark Symphonic Metal. What I personally think is that your piece is all great ideas but for me it lacks of a cohesive structure at all. Sure you have some parts which you repeat, but most of it is for me not well strutured and so it leaves for me some questions. You also do a lot of those "starting drums" parts and then "breaking / stopping" Drums things. This is cool, but imo you overdid it. It feels very forced and not naturally coming as a reason from the composition. Grant the listener a bit a groove or flow. You can give all those cool stops and breaks but here I feel it is just too much for my personal taste. Also those fast piano arpeggios which are outlining your chord harmony: They are good and all cool, but sometimes it feels just too much with them also, Plus there are too perfectly played, I guess you programmed them, because it sounds to me like that. The beginning is such a cool idea. It would be for me even cooler, if you would just take that idea and go straight into a 4/4 Pattern with the drums at least for a starting point. Don´t overthink too much your composition: Less is more, and I guess this is the point overall here: Too many cool ideas but to less development of one specific idea and introducing a "song" based structure.
> But besides that: I really enjoyed the atmosphere of your piece and I appreciate it that you posted it here. Very refreshing for me and thank you for doing it


Hi Alex, really great criticism, thanks a lot!! No better way to learn! I totally hear you with the overdoing it, composing Metal is very new to me and I always have so many ideas, I want to cram them all into one piece.. gotta watch that, I used to to that a LOT more a few years back..
I always play everything via Piano, although yes I did rearrange the Piano arpeggios afterwards..
The drums aspect.. I had some real problems with the percussion, thanks for the tip.

Again thanks for the criticism, that means my next piece will be all the better  - that is, if I'll do another Metal piece any time soon... new genres take forever


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## Zelorkq (Apr 8, 2017)

Sean_Gouws said:


> Yeah very Dimmu in places. Also has some Carach Angren vibe in places.
> 
> Very cool track  if ever you want vocals to this drop me a line.


Awesome, you hear my favourite band (Carach Angren) in this, I'll be damned  Thanks a lot!! Glad you enjoyed it!
You'd want to do vocals on this here piece? I'll PM you


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