TaintedLogic's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Demon Slayer Cats OST]

Oh wow, what a collab! The tranquil mood at the beginning really sets the scene nicely, and the thick texture at around the one-minute mark has a great sense of energy about it. I wasn't quite ready for the transition at 1:23, and in general I think the arrangement here is a bit choppy, although some of the fairly abrupt transitions work pretty well - 2:45, for example. The prominent woodwinds at the 3-minute mark or so are beautiful, and the soaring melodies at 3:46 really help cement the strong narrative arc of the piece. I know that WF and pftq have done a number of neat collabs recently, but I'm really feeling Denny's influence on this one. This track feels both very cinematic and full of variety. The melodies during the "Victory" section were also lovely, and I think it was a wise choice to end with a piano section that has tons of emotional appeal. All around, really strong work here, fellas! ^_^

[-Body Panic-]

I really like the heavy bass and cheesy synth pads. Mixing and mastering is especially strong on this one IMO. The higher-pitched rhythmic synths just sound really sharp, and complement the punchy drums super well. The texture is a little thin compared to a lot of your other tracks, but it's still super catchy. The more melodic style at 3:03 is where the piece really wins me over, though. Now it's starting to sound more authentically like Waterflame. :D I like how you really show off the percussion at the little bridge at 4:20 or so, and the outro, while not adding much in the way of novel content, seemed like a fitting ending. Another groovy track, WF! Keep it up. ^_^

[Goa Codex]

I like the ominous mood at the beginning and the cool filtering effects on the synth bass. It's pretty minimal compared to most of your other tracks, but the atmospheric vocals at :55 add a nice melodic flair. The koto is a great touch, especially the frantic riff at 2:15 - it really marks the beginning of the climax of the piece during the middle section. At around the 4-minute mark, the drums don't quite pop through the mix enough for my tastes, but there's plenty of content to keep me engaged and drive the piece forward. Again, the vocals at 4:50ish really break up the pizzicato-y synth textures well. The transition at 7:30 where a lot of the dense atmospheric elements fall away was a bit sudden, though. The harmonic content in this piece is pretty repetitive, and at some point I think it would've been advisable to scale back the energy and do some more storytelling. That said, you guys nailed the sound design, atmosphere, and rhythmic content, and overall the production quality is also rather impressive considering how dense the mix is. Strong work! The piano riff at the end made me smile, too. Always looking forward to your next fruitful collab, WF and pftq! :D

[The Rain (2022)]

I like the prominent bass line and syncopations. The transition at :25 was a bit cheesy. Mixing and mastering are solid, though. The phrase structure gets a tad repetitive towards the end - feels almost cyclical in a way. But again, you nailed the mood, sound design, and vocals. The automated female voice was a good choice for the "bookends" of the piece. Solid work, man! Where can I listen to the full EP? Do you have a Bandcamp? :)

[Lost & Found]

Hey, I remember you! Glad to see you're back posting again in 2022, man. This has a really feel-good and upbeat vibe, and the lyrics are really good too. Your production quality has improved a lot in these last few years, too. The vocal editing is super clean, too. The piece might get a tad repetitive towards the end, but the solo at around 2:15 is a nice touch. Keep it up, Zac! ^^

[-Jungle Driver-]

I like the percussion and the groovy bass at the beginning. The arpeggiated synths (like at :32) are a really nice touch, and the variety in the sound design helps keep things interesting despite the minimalism. The vocal samples are especially nice in this - evocative and adding to the rhythmic density without being overused. I'm liking the more eastern-sounding instruments at around 2:35 too. The rhythmic content is an absolute knockout here, btw - it's going to take me a couple more listens to get a full sense of the syncopations and phrase structure of it all. The echo-y vocals at around 6:00 are also super neat, and somehow flow really well into the slightly eerie melodies at 6:23. The thick textures here just further highlight how good the production quality is here. Overall, really cool track, WF! Probably my favorite of yours since you released Vast. :D Keep it up!

Waterflame responds:

Ahh hi man! First I just want to thank you for always leaving such in depth reviews. I don't have time always to answer it all but I do catch them. And I really appreciate all the kind words :D I personally feel like I could have done a little bit more with this vibe, but it felt natural to end it there. Glad you noticed all the little things going on! Those are kind of the main draw yeah. I WILL keep it up!

[Primordial Beach]

Ooo...I'm really noticing the differences here. Gives the piece a slightly brighter tone and a deeper contrast with the apprehensive mood of the rest of the track. The rhythm is a bit dense for my tastes at around :45, but again, you guys nailed the atmosphere and production on this one. Also, interesting that it loops. Is it designed to be in a video game? Either way, sweet track! ^_^

[Primordial Complex]

I'm also down for a WF/pftq collab. This one is a little minimal at the beginning, but I like the ominous tone it starts taking by the time the piano and vocal pads come in. Really nice job with the sound design on this one - the combination of the percussion, cutesy mallets, and horror-esque ambient effects make this piece sound both cinematic and exotic. I might've liked to see a bit more development in the composition, but the atmosphere is just engrossing. Nice work, guys! ^_^

[Needlemouse - All Is Lost (Sarah's Theme)]

I like the dreamy and pensive mood. The texture is a tad muddy - probably equal parts the generous use of reverb and the close proximity of the instruments in terms of frequency. The composition could've been more dynamic, but the sense of flow and relatively stable energy level of the piece would be good for a video game soundtrack. The melodies are nice. I almost expected it to loop, but the laughter effect at the end works too. Solid stuff! Keep at it, TheMusicalManiac. ^_^