1. maze of maize
   coloradoweeks
2. spanish corn field
   bjkmenu
3. Late in the Maze
   DarkShadow

Colorado really sold the concept, and I'm a sucker for guitar.

1. Ghostly Maze
   DDRKirby(ISQ)
2. Dark Maze
   Dex
3. behind the rows
   cotmm68030

Happy Halloween!!!

1. maze of maize
   coloradoweeks
2. spanish corn field
   bjkmenu
3. Maze of Mind
   Arcana

1. Stalk Walk
   ethansight
2. Ghostly Maze
   DDRKirby(ISQ)
3. maze of maize
   coloradoweeks

All comments are replied to on discord, as well as the relevant context provided in the form of a diagram to help out. I tend not to reply on here as much as i used to, probably because people find it makes more sense when on discord replying. Anyways, on to the voting!

TheVideoGamer - I'm not gonna tell the plot of the piece here, as it's a bit of a long one, and i provided context on discord, so i'll tell you how the track was constructed. The drone sound is a deep synth pad, that is there as a basic fundamental sound, to set the mood. The rest is a combination of around 15 percent synth stuff (Mostly minor ambient flourishes), and sample manipulation (Nearly all of them coming from YouTube). My goal wasn't just to make music, but to attempt to make some kind of storytelling element to it. Have i succeeded? Probably not judging by the comments, but it is a different way of working, and it gets me out of the rut of making beat oriented material, with a greater focus on atmosphere and mood. All in all, glad you took the time to listen!

Lyra_183 - Very quite waveform, yet surprisingly the vocals are very clear. I love how clean this is, there is extremely minimal noise from the background. Great melodies, although it might be a tad bit repetitive, in terms of the phrasing. Keep at it though, this is was great! Good job!

cotmm68030 - Dammit 2 seconds under. Come on man, push for that 6 minute mark. All jokes aside, this was a very cool piece, that is surprisingly very calm and relaxing. I'm walking in the middle of a corn maze at night, yet i feel like i'm in some weird dream sequence, that kind of relaxes me. The textures and timbres in this are killer though. I dig the thick bass tones, and the cool metallic flourishes. The vocals are unexpected, but it definately gives me that sort of lo-fi chill beats thing, where they would have an intro with a filtered vocal and piano line. The only real nitpick i have of this to be honest, is that the basslines (Or bass notes, because that's kind of what it is), can be a little overbearing, to where it drowns some of the more finer details. But again this is a minor one. Still loved it though, definately gonna give you this one, really unnerving. For all my critiques, this could be voted on, it was really good! Awesome work!

DarkShadow - I've yet to find a round where you make a straight up ambient track lol. Or hell, even a track under 160bpm. All of the signature elements are there, including the intense atonal chords, and crazy time signatures. I do like how there is an intro to the piece, unlike others where you just jump straight in. The piece is quite saw synth chord heavy, to the point where the saw synths are a bit shrill for my liking. Also when they do fully open (From the filtering), you only let it run for 10 seconds at max. I can see why people like this, but sadly not for me. Good job though!

BJKMenu - Ooh i like that organ, it's kind of interesting (I recognise the melody there, although i think the original was a jazzy piece if i recall?). The funky drop was surprising, but not objectionable at all. The drums give me a Timbaland RnB vibe, but the chords are strummed in a very 70's funk way. It can get a little clustered, i would have added some more space to let it breath. I also feel like you're forcing some spooky melodic elements in, to match the theme, but at the expense of the funky guitar work provided. It doesn't feel like it belongs. Still though, this was pretty epic, and i definately got a lot out of your funky material. Good job!

JH Sounds - That is a nice piano melody, very Japanese inspired. Has a lot of cool chords, and some really nice counterpoint. The only thing that took me out of it, was how artificial it sounds. I would have added more velocity changes, especially for a looped continuous 1, 5 bassline. Makes it a more authentic piano piece as a result. Still though, it was a lot of fun, i enjoyed it. Good job!

DDRKirby(ISQ) - That chiptune is being funky as ever. That is one hell of a melody, and the grooves were really vibing with me. Chord work wasn't expected for this style, but i love me some subverting expectations. It's got that lovely mix of tonal, and kind of atonal at the same time. It definately feels natural to the progression, and not random or weird at all. The one thing that surprising was the use of swing in the drop. I have never really recalled a track of yours that uses full on swing. Were talking house type swing, not jazz. It's got so many great elements, that really grasp me in. The 2nd half was a lovely change of pace, opting for a more breakbeat style, and a more 3 over 4 polyrhythm type thing. Not the most theme accurate, but my god it's a bop. So good i ended up placing it 2nd, this was just awesome. Amazing work!

Koekepan - Cool synth textures, lots of nice mod wheel filtering. This is kind of very EBM styled piece. Lots of intense drum work, thick synthwave synths, and some cool saw like synths that really add some atmosphere to this thick industrial-ish sound. The arps are really cool, adds some slight futurism to the sound. Not a fan of the hi-hats, they are a bit piercing for me. But i do love how every few bars you add something new, be it a simple synth, or a full on melodic ideas. It keeps it from being repetitive or stale. I sense some timing issues in the main melody, but i have a feeling it's deliberate. Lots of really great changes and textures. Truthfully there's more to like than dislike, so i'll give you this. Awesome work!

Coloradoweeks - These chords are something. It's not even in the right tuning, which i think it might be a challenge, especially if your singing. Is it even in 432? It's quite...trippy. At first i thought it was more on the dissonant side, but when you add the vocal melody, it....somehow fits. And really well too. It's got a really nice spooky airiness to the sound, even though it's more calming. I love the effects on the guitar, it's quite psychedelic. The 2nd half was not expected at all, quite the fake out. The drums are quite metal, and the chords are more thicker than before. You also decided to scream into the microphone and er...ow. Yeah i know it's for effect, but you did not need to slam that distortion super hard on the vocal there lol. However it was authentic to the theme, so i am giving huge marks on theme accuracy alone. The ending was funny, apple picking is certainly better. So whilst there is a lot of potential for smoothing, i still found more to like than dislike, and the theme accuracy is what eventually won me over. Theme accuracy was the reason why i placed you third, even with my critiques. Sometimes a piece that fits the theme well is simply enough for me to vote for it. Amazing work!

Ethansight - Ethansight, oh how i missed you! That is a very cool plinky arp! Totally fits a video game, for some kind of puzzle game. It's got that perfect balance of spooky and funkiness. The bassline is super juicy, and the array of mallet sounds adds this lovely airiness that is both spooky but head bopping. The delay effects are wonderful. The breakdown with the orchestral flourishes was perfect for atmosphere. The drop was absolute fire, and whilst a bit light-hearted was extremely head bopping. Lovely melody, amazing chords, and a ton of sick flourishes. You've made an exceptional comeback, i loved this. In fact it was so good (And actually quite theme accurate if i have to be honest), i gave you the top spot, incredible work!

Arcana - Oh straight into the vocal, no intro. Really cool chords, and a lovely clear melody. Mix is pretty good actually, nice vocal processing. It seems more of an emotional Arcana tune, than a straight up dance track. Some of the chords chosen here are a little...interesting. It's creeping on NickC territory, but sadly not in a good way. Some of the chords are hot, but not loud, so nothing out of the blue. I also dig the ending, where it resolves extremely nicely, that was a lovely touch. Could also do with a bassline, it's lacking a lot of low-end, especially since you decided to include drums in here. So ultimately, a lot of potential for tweaking, it was pretty great. Good job!

NickC - Thick synths, really trying to emulate wind here. The drums were interesting, lots of reverb soak, allowing for this very dense spooky atmosphere. This is not a tonal piece at all, yet despite that you absolutely nailed the theme accuracy. There's a piece entitled Canon X that is composed by Conlon Nancarrow that is uses this type of triplet like motif, except Conlon is completely random, with not repeats, and it's contrast with one speeding up and one slowing down, for a sort of X effect. Lots of crazy stuff happens at the end, so much so i had to relisten to pinpoint it, as it moves so fast. We have some really interesting spoken word passages, that i'm not sure it's you or a sample, and then suddenly this semi-breakcore beat that was quite aggressive and in your face. I love fast and violent music, yet in this case the first part was all it needed. That atmosphere really makes the track, whereas the glitchy stuff takes me out of it. Despite it's atonality, it feels like it definately belongs, and isn't just there for the sake of it. Thought about this for a long time, and ultimately, by a close margin i gave you this. More to like than dislike. Well done!

Dex -  This is a really nice piano melody, on top of some synth organ like chords. Even has a nice reverb to boot. Love how you fade in the chords in preparation for the metal drop. It wasn't the style i was expecting, but it does kind of work. Country music is not the first thing that comes to mind with this. Now i had to relisten to make sure there wasn't a problem with my browser or my headphones, but there is some seriously odd timing issues going on, in both the drums and melody. I don't know what happened, but it does not feel genuine at all. It's like they've shifted one beat ahead or something. The "chorus" was pretty dope, but a bit too heavy, i feel you could have soften some of the instruments, but this is just me. There is no ending in this, so we stop slap bang in the middle of a chord, but aside from that there is a lot of potential here, it is a lovely idea, that just fell short from a few technical errors. But it was a great concept, i had a lot of fun with it! Good job!

Misael.K - Digging the blend of synth and rock elements. Drums are in a trap-ish style, not my first choice, but i don't hate it at all. That melody is lovely, has a theremin quality to it. The chords are also really cool, lots of great seasonings here. There is some cool light and shade parts, even if we stick to mostly 4 chords, in a similar feel and style. The softer parts could be toned down even more to alleviate some of the dynamic restraints, and allow for more of a build-up type feel. It definately has a lot of moments for more melodic play. But ignoring that, i still loved it, the mix was just lovely, and regardless of my small nitpicks, i am gonna give you this one, it was dope! Awesome work!

Top 3 - Ethansight, DDRKirby(ISQ), Coloradoweeks.

These entries deserve to be on the list:

cotmm68030 (Even with my critiques, this still has the potential to be voted on)

Koekepan (Even with my nitpicks, i still think this was awesome to be voted on)

Misael.K (Even with my nitpicks, i still think this should be voted on)

Awesome - cotmm68030, DDRKirby(ISQ), Koekepan, Coloradoweeks, Ethansight, NickC, Misael.K.

Needs Work - Lyra_183, DarkShadow, BJKMenu, JH Sounds, Arcana, Dex.

1. Stalk Walk
   ethansight
2. Dark Maze
   Dex
3. Ghostly Maze
   DDRKirby(ISQ)

ethansight: spooky and groovy.

Dex: haunting and energetic.

DDRKirby(ISQ): solid work.

awesum: bjkmenu, coloradoweeks, cotmm68030, DDRKirby(ISQ), Dex, ethansight.
good: Arcana, DarkShadow, JH Sounds, Koekepan, Lyra_183, NickC, TheVideoGamer.

1. maze of maize
   coloradoweeks
2. behind the rows
   cotmm68030
3. Lost in the Corny Rave
   Koekepan

1. maze of maize
   coloradoweeks
2. Ghostly Maze
   DDRKirby(ISQ)
3. Entering The Maze
   Misael.K

cotmm - Like the stringed raspyness, takes the place of dry leaves rattling in the wind

DarkShadow - Fun chords on this one, shame you're still stuck in there...

bjkmenu - Fun organic groove, great guitar parts and a solid whimsy melody

JH Sounds - Tense piano wanderings

2 DDRKirby - Strong out the gate with a spooky progression, and then into a swingy airy walky beat! Like how the top note of the inversions walk down, very fun piece!

Koekepan - Spooky corny rave daze

1 coloradoweeks - Quite moody, the smooth guitar goes well with the airy vox winding through the dry stalks. And what a finish, could feel the terror hope ya got out...

Arcana - Like how far the lyrics take the concept, into a deeper interpersonal maze. All your levels are great too, and ends with the happy note!

NickC - That synth is super raspy, like moving through so many stalks, and then the creepy notes leading into the final breaky showdown. Very exciting story

Dex - Big drums, smooth pad and a sort of balladesque feel

3 Misael.K - Super peppy drums, and a very nice movement through dark spooky twists and turns of chords and screamy organs!

TheVideoGamer - My goodness... this was quite the journey, a perfect end to the night of being lost. Being torn apart by monsters!