Craze - Nemesis The Warlock
Track info
Arranged by:
Craze Remixer
Member profile:
Original SID:
Original composed by:
Also check out:
Duration:
6:42
Released:
15/06/2009
All-Time charts position:
1988
Score:
78%
Story
Hi there All,
Thanks for your generous comments. I should say some words about the remix.
(Here's a link to roughly the same information at my own home page: http://craze.se/newmusic.htm)
I love many of the other remixes of Nemesis the Warlock on this forum and it's cool that people try out things in their own style and with their own visions. This was my vision:
My goal was to capture the violent atmosphere of the original game. I also tried to mix genres in order to get in many feelings in the same tune: Violins for sadness, cellos for darkness, guitars for cruelty and horror. I also wanted to add some personal touch and extra
As someone have already pointed out, it became a bit too difficult at times to mix genres and all that, and I couldn't really fit all together in a convincing way. But it was fun to try it out, and I appreciate a lot that some here have given me very generous scores on artistry.
When it comes to mastering and technical stuff: yeah… I have to learn a lot about mastering skills and also to try to fit the correct instruments together so they don't interfere in each others sound frequencies. And why I didn't spend the extra 20 hours on polishing, etc??
Well, after 6 months work (80 hours was only effective work), I was pretty sick of this arrangement and I often dreamed of it, so I couldn't stand it anymore. Had to just finish it and upload it asap. … so that's simply why, hehe… Wish I had more time to compose music but my 8 hour a day work takes most of my energy. But… I will never give up on the music! … although I don't know when I will have time to make another arrangement here even though I have plenty of ideas!
Best Wishes
/Craze
Thanks for your generous comments. I should say some words about the remix.
(Here's a link to roughly the same information at my own home page: http://craze.se/newmusic.htm)
I love many of the other remixes of Nemesis the Warlock on this forum and it's cool that people try out things in their own style and with their own visions. This was my vision:
My goal was to capture the violent atmosphere of the original game. I also tried to mix genres in order to get in many feelings in the same tune: Violins for sadness, cellos for darkness, guitars for cruelty and horror. I also wanted to add some personal touch and extra
valueto the arrangement my introducing interesting figures and adding some nice solos here and there.
As someone have already pointed out, it became a bit too difficult at times to mix genres and all that, and I couldn't really fit all together in a convincing way. But it was fun to try it out, and I appreciate a lot that some here have given me very generous scores on artistry.
When it comes to mastering and technical stuff: yeah… I have to learn a lot about mastering skills and also to try to fit the correct instruments together so they don't interfere in each others sound frequencies. And why I didn't spend the extra 20 hours on polishing, etc??
Well, after 6 months work (80 hours was only effective work), I was pretty sick of this arrangement and I often dreamed of it, so I couldn't stand it anymore. Had to just finish it and upload it asap. … so that's simply why, hehe… Wish I had more time to compose music but my 8 hour a day work takes most of my energy. But… I will never give up on the music! … although I don't know when I will have time to make another arrangement here even though I have plenty of ideas!
Best Wishes
/Craze
Listen
Vote distribution
Shouts
Wahlman shouts:Awesome remix. There is some part in the middle that is not 100% perfect, but there is so much other stuff that is right. The eerie and cruel feeling, just as in the game. The arrangement is really interesing as well. Great work!!
Weinberg shouts:It's nice to see people that try out originality. An interesting mix of aggressive guitars with sad strings. A powerfulmix that captures the feeling of the original well. Only some details here and there keeps me from voting Outstanding!
Wow... Finally something that sounds like the original in style and feeling. HUGE arrangement wich seems to really take it to the limits. Although I feel that some parts don't have the same power, this is a well preserved master piece. Wow..!
It's probably only the geeks that apprecicate this kind of stuff. I admit: I am a geek. The original tune is a strange tune, yet I love it. The only thing lacking in your version a bit of extra pulse in the beginning. Otherwise, very nice indeed.
Hmm... You need help with mastering. The sound picture is a bit blurry, needs sharpening. Shame, cause otheriwse I'd give highest marks. The composition and arrangment is very good and complex which makes it very interesting. Great work, want more from u!
I've listened to this quite a few times today since it's very long and it takes time to... Digest. The creativity is amazing, but there is something with the execution... But hey - it's a really nice arr anyway! Goodie!
Scyphe shouts:Nice one. The strings used for the melody and background felt somewhat out of place at times, and some 'off' chords were odd.
By far the best remix of NemesisTheWalock I've heard. It's got exactly the same mood as the original. Top notch nostalgia factor! One of the solo strings sounds super realistic - real recording? . Great arrangement. Keep it up, m8!
I love that 2:45 part, would like to hear louder guitars from 3:00... Very nice.
Otherwise ok, but some wrong notes here and there, wrong background chords etc, ruin it for me.
The atmosphere of orchestral parts remind me of UFO II - Terror from the deep music for some reason I don't know :) There are few odd notes here and there but the style is very distinctive.
Love both the original and this remix....
Sinister stuff!
Oh yes... 100% nostalgia... The build-up is great, the guitars "sneaking" into the arrangement, and then later on 100% power, and gradually fade out at the end. Superb feeling!
Very good. I would like to hear more highly energetic parts (like the 4:05+), but smooth start and end is also nice. The part at 3:00 needs more punch or I used too much to another great mix here.:)
Lots of lovely touches in this.
Problem with some instruments that's sounds too wrong
Review by LaLa
16/06/2009
Technique
Artistic skill
Nostalgia factor
Overall rating
This remix seems to suffer from too much variety. The
symphonic Metallica(a la S&M) style really fits this tune. The purely symphonic parts are too simple and too dry to be enjoyable. The chaotic
anarchistpart sounds too much out of tune to my ears.
All in all, kudos for daring to be different and for going for something completely different, but it's not really fleshed out here and stylistically it seems to go all over the map in a relatively short amount of time. There are some great gems of ideas in there, though - next time concentrate on those.
Review by Adamsen
20/06/2009
Technique
Artistic skill
Nostalgia factor
Overall rating
I just had to write something more about this tune than a few lines.
To start with, it's a complex arrangement indeed. My first impression is that someone tried very hard but made something average. I had to listen a few times more to see the potential and what's good and bad, and the more I listened to it, the more interesting it is.
So here's what I think about it, going throw all the parts (yeah, many parts, it's a damn long title song).
0:01 Great start and dramatic string.
00:31 Ahh… nostalgia! (I'd like to have different gong sound )
1:04 The melody drowns a bit in the rest.
1:12 This part is nice and sad.
1:48 Hitchcock like sound, I'll get an ill omen feeling. Good stuff. Then the coming part from 1:50 is kind of the main theme of the whole song. The original SID is more aggressive here. You are still keeping to the sad feeling mood here. Well, it's OK, it works.. but I'd like more aggressiveness here.
2:25 Great - this part is really nice! The solo string sounds really authentic and the build-up of rock guitars in the background is creative.
3:05-4:07. The weakest part in the arrangement. The rocky sound and classic strings doesn't really match in this part… or it's something else. Can't really put my finger on it.
3:27 Things are starting to get a bit more interesting, but still a bit weak.
3:58: It gets more intensive and actually better.
4:07: Now we're rolling again!
4:33… the main theme here with lots of pulse and aggressiveness. Gotta love this! I'm getting goose bumps here. 😊
4:43 The strings play an interesting pattern here.
4:55 This part is OK.
5:05 We have a disharmony here, but I guess this is intentional? Reading your web page I am guessing that you are tearing up the harmonies with the guitar here to make the listener less comfortable and have merciless feeling? I like the idea (_IF_ it's intentional that is…).
5:16-5:35 This part is OK but not great.
5:35 Awesome. This is beautiful.
5:55 And the fade out from rock guitars to the original starting style. This is truly beautiful.
6:16 And the ending is totally there, just the way I'd like it.
I'm gonna be a bit hard on you for a start. You say on your website that you spent 80 hours on the whole tune. Ok… then I ask myself: why on earth spend 80 hours on a great arrangement and then NOT spend the additional 20 hours to polish and finish the work with good mastering and fix up the details?? It feels like some sound frequencies collide here and there, and some string sounds are a bit dark and blurry at times. I have to agree with some other comment - why not get help from someone that is good at mastering. This arrangement deserves something better. It's somewhere between average and good, but I'll give you Good since I'm in a generous mood.
All in all, I think you follow the original SID well and the feeling of the original tune is definitely there. This is probably Rob Hubbard's darkest tune and one of the most slaughtery and violent games made to C64. I think you are setting the feeling right from the beginning. So… nostalgia factor: outstanding.
Now to the artistic part. I can see that you have struggled a lot and I don't think you succeeded entirely, but that belongs to the technical execution. The will to do something different is there which I value a lot. You tried to mix classic symphonic style with rock… and I can hear that it was pretty difficult. I am having a hard time to make up my mind about what I should give you here… Very good or Outstanding… I think this tune competes well with Reyns version. It's a long tune, and I'd say it's artistic all the way and it has succeeded to
still keep my interest although it was a bit difficult to sink into from the start. But not many songs here give me goose bumps, and knowing that this tune is still great to listen to after 10-15 times of listening, I'm gonna give you and outstanding on artistic impression.
(By the way, about Reyns version, I still think he's the king. I'd say Reyn has: Technical-outstanding, Artistry-outstanding, Nostalgia: very good).
I listened to another of your tunes here, GhostnGoblins, which plays in a different league. Comparably primitive stuff. It's interesting to see such leaps in complexity from one tune to another. I am interested to hear what you will be able to compose in the future.