New Chaokaze album: Japan Terminus

Japan Terminus on Bandcamp

Japan Terminus on iTunes

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ARTIST: Chaokaze
GENRE: Progressive Metal|Electronic|Ambient

ABOUT: This album is basically an instrumental concept album inspired by Japan. The album's meant to evoke a feeling of travelling.

SIMILAR TO: Animals as Leaders, Textures, TesseracT, The Panic Division
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If you check it out, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. I'm open to critiques, comments, etc.
Honestly, even if you think it's a complete piece of shit, I'll be glad that you checked it out.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Thanks for putting it on Bandcamp. I commented on your journal (saw your response ^^), and at the time, I think it was only on itunes, so I could only listen to the samples. I'm listening to the whole thing now, and will let you know thoughts in this comment, which will be posted when I listen to all the songs.

Track 1 is awesome. Love the instruments, and how the guitar comes in, which also sounds amazing. The instruments have a very polished sound, very professional. And the song itself is great.

Track 2, again, love the guitar, and the metal mixed in with the more peaceful instruments. I'm really digging the ambiance/atmosphere. I personally write melodic music, and it's nice to hear music you can put on in the background, and just drift ^^

Track 3, beginning feels like a movie, which is of course good :P These instruments, and how you use them, phenomenal.

I'll keep listening, and let you know about the other tracks, but based on the samples, and hearing the full 3 first songs (on 4th now), I know they're all going to be awesome. I'm not one to criticize music, so I apologize if I'm not able to offer any critiques. I love music, and this is something that I hope to pick up when I have the funds, which should be the beginning of next month. I'm also going to share with my friends. I really like it.

How ya doing, buddy?

Hey, thanks for checking it out! Hope the entire album is enjoyable.

And yeah, the electronic and ambient elements that I put in my songs are inspired by The Panic Division, which oddly enough, writes 80's synthpop/rock instead of metal, though the synth, uh, "arpeggios"(I know nothing about music theory, lol) are a stylistic element picked up from Yuyoyuppe, who is a Vocaloid metalcore/hardcore producer.

Man, I really need to study music theory. :P

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Track 7 is about to end, still an awesome ride. I can't describe how nice the songs are. I love instrumentals, and the mix of different styles, and the arpeggios, along with the kickass guitar, excellent sounds. I checked your journal briefly and saw you mention Shreddage II. I only have the first one (pretty sure it's the first), but it is definitely an awesome instrument.

What other instruments/libraries do you use? I'm a big fan of NI Komplete (have 8 Ultimate), Nexus 2, Omnisphere, Plogue Chipsounds for 8-bit, and a ton of sample libraries, both loops, and Kontakt stuff (Morphestra Generations, 8dio libraries, Synergy X, Kirk Hunter Strings, etc).

I don't really know much about music, but I think it's sometimes better. When I try to study theory, it kind of takes a bit of fun away. It's nice understanding what I've been doing (I used to write music in odd time signatures without realizing it), but now that I understand more, it's also a bit more difficult to "restrict" myself to scales/time signatures. I think my older music was more "discovery" versus "experience and experimentation" I do now.

I never heard of Panic Division or Yuyoyuppe. The metal parts remind me of some good bands I learned about from playing Guitar Hero/Rock Band (not good with names). Some of the instrumentation reminds me of the album Secret of Mana+, which is a single track medley about 49 minutes long, by the composer, Hiroki Kikuta.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Man, I'll be honest, I'm at a loss for words seeing how much some people like this album. Definitely not used to so much positive feedback, heh. :P

As for instrument libraries, I use Shreddage II, the Guitar Pro (guitar composition software) instrument banks for piano, rhodes synth, drums and ambient pads. I also use Impact Soundworks' Cinematic Synthetic drums, like the ones heard in track 8, which is "Akiba".
Oh, almost forgot the free VST, MutantKoto.

Once I can afford them, I plan on buying the World instrument banks that Impact Soundworks sells. I have big plans for the Celtic bank they have. :P

Yeah, I definitely know what you mean, as I find sometimes knowing less results in more creative music. My early, early music, back when I knew absolutely nothing, had a very creative, JRPG-esque air about them, along with a sense of, uh, I guess "innocence" about them. While I'm glad for the little bit of knowledge I have now, I can't seem to re-create that feel these days.
I mainly want to learn music theory so I can better communicate with my partner in a prog. metal/Jazz/Ambient side-project called "Northwest by Northeast". We get along well, but sometimes he gets a headache trying to communicate what he wants in a song musically, and vice-versa. :P

The Panic Division is a very atmospheric group from San Antonio, Texas. They started as an Electronic/Hardcore group, but gradually veered off into a sort of 80's synthpop style. Here's an example:

YouTube Video

Yuyoyuppe, from Japan, is more of an electronic hardcore/metalcore producer that uses the Vocaloid voice banks for the vocals in his music almost exclusively.

YouTube Video

I just realized I said the same thing twice. Sorry for my rambling. :P

I was speaking idiomatically.

Digging the music. Will have comments on individual tracks soon. Just wanted to drop an initial reply in the meantime.

Track 1 - Immediately your album grabbed with this track. I love the instrumentation and energy.
Track 2 - This one dragged a bit for me. The tone of the piece also changes drastically after 2 minutes. I felt like the slower section after 2:30 could've been its own song, but that's just my opinion.
Track 3 - The track really grabbed my attention at 0:40 after the intro section.
Track 5 - I really like this track. It sounds very different from your first four tracks so it definitely stuck out. I enjoy the slower pace and the piano.
Track 6 - Another stellar track. It seems like the middle section of the album is opting for a different feel.

I'm going to finish the rest of the album tomorrow. Hope these suggestions help! I can go more in detail on tracks as well. Let me know.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Thanks, man! Glad you're liking it, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the songs.

FELIPE NO

Just posted my thoughts on my initial response. I'll continue to update.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Couscous Enchilada

Digging the music. Will have comments on individual tracks soon. Just wanted to drop an initial reply in the meantime.

Track 1 - Immediately your album grabbed with this track. I love the instrumentation and energy.
Track 2 - This one dragged a bit for me. The tone of the piece also changes drastically after 2 minutes. I felt like the slower section after 2:30 could've been its own song, but that's just my opinion.
Track 3 - The track really grabbed my attention at 0:40 after the intro section.
Track 5 - I really like this track. It sounds very different from your first four tracks so it definitely stuck out. I enjoy the slower pace and the piano.
Track 6 - Another stellar track. It seems like the middle section of the album is opting for a different feel.

I'm going to finish the rest of the album tomorrow. Hope these suggestions help! I can go more in detail on tracks as well. Let me know.

Sweet, this is great! I'm glad to hear you're liking most of it.
As for track 2, I have a bad habit of dragging out the "ambient" parts, and when I get hooked on a certain feel, I tend to lose variation in my phrases. See, when it comes to music others make, if there's a certain section that has a certain "feel" that catches me, I'll repeat that section for longer than most people can tolerate. Unfortunately, this means that if I get caught in the feel of a section I'm currently writing, I'll end up dragging it out longer than necessary. :P

As for the slower section, you're absolutely right. I gotta admit, I was stuck at that point, and rather than stop and risk never returning to the song to finish it, I forced myself to sort of "refresh" the song, starting the different section. Of course, the transition should have been smoother, but I'll try to keep that in mind for future songs. Thank you very much for the critique, I really appreciate it.

Track 3: Haha, yeah. If I can get a hold of some Japan travel footage, I'll be making a music video for this song, making this the first single off of the album.

Track 5: Yeah, I wanted to create a sort of break from the intensity of the distorted guitars, attempting to evoke a mood of relaxation, as if you're waking up in a hotel room, sun shining, and you're about to head out to do the tourist thing and see the sights.

Track 6: Yeah, you're spot on! The album is a concept, trying to evoke a feeling of traveling through Japan (Though if you ignore the song titles, any country would work). The first section embodies the feeling of excitement, the rush of arriving in a new country, facing the culture shock and seeing all these amazing sights that you can't see back home. Then there's the interlude, "?????[Shikata ga Nai, or as it translates to, "It can't be helped.] (No Use Worrying)", which is the little relaxation break. Then the second half focuses more on the act of traveling around the country, using more of an ambient, yet driving atmosphere. This ultimately culminates in "Departure", the moment that it's time to return home.

Though, I gotta say, "???" [Akiba, the local shorthand for Akihabara, the electronics district of Tokyo. At least, I've been told that's the shorthand from a friend who's been there recently.] focuses more on being in Akihabara late at night, being overwhelmed by the electronic presence.

And hey, go into as much detail as you think necessary, since I want to keep striving to be a better musician.

Jam it back in, in the dark.