1. Rare Form Manifestations
   DarkShadow
2. So That Obligation Persists
   Misael.K
3. Count Dredd
   ethansight

Darkshadow really nailed the artificial, high tech feeling.

I loved ethansight's disciplined approach, but Misael.K grabbed the feeling by the throat and just pipped him.

1. Waiting For Black Metal Records To Come In The Mail (Have A Nic
   THEGREATDESTROYER22
2. Count Dredd
   ethansight
3. Não vai, não
   obScene

1. Camana and Meistr - Shivers
   Meistr
2. Waiting For Black Metal Records To Come In The Mail (Have A Nic
   THEGREATDESTROYER22
3. Wisps Of Smoke And Rain
   TheVideoGamer

nice job you all

1. crimson glow
   NickC
2. Fuckin Potential
   nukage
3. So That Obligation Persists
   Misael.K

All comments are replied to on Discord, so this section is irrelevant. Onto the voting!

TheVideoGamer - This track has an emphasis on the dark mysterious ambience that prevails throughout. The drums are designed to not be in the way, and i wanted to make sure that it's soaked in reverb, to keep it very atmospheric and also so it doesn't get in the way. The synths are not aggressive, as nearly all the sounds are pad chords that swell in and out, instead of it being thick and in your face. There isn't really a melody as such, but there is a filtered synth that kind of acts as a sort of melody, but i didn't want it to be too dynamic, because i felt it just overtakes everything, especially for a track more free flowing and relaxing. It does use a lot of similar sounds throughout, but the track wasn't really meant to be too crazy. I feel like i might have taken that to heart, as the track overall is very quiet, both in waveform and sound, however it still has a bit of moodiness retained, so it isn't just quiet for quiet's sake. All in all i will say, whilst not the most complex in terms of arrangement, i am really into the chords, it's such a great chord progression. Glad you liked it anyways!

THEGREATDESTROYER22 - A 5 minute song in 47 minutes!? Dude even i couldn't do 3 minutes in that time (Or at least it would be very repetitive and boring), so hats off to you. Don't know anything about the original, so this is all fresh ears to me. This is quite cool, it has a bit of a slight Drum and Bass vibe to the whole thing, despite it being a full on metal assault. It is quite loud, and very crunchy, which of course is a testament for the style. I don't know who sung on this, could be you, but it's a great voice! If this wasn't so crunchy, i'd actually probably vote for this, it's very cool! The guitar work is very strong, it's great. Good job!

DarkShadow - Sawtooth is really the emphasis here, which is commonplace for a DarkShadow beat, but it really takes centre stage here. Despite the sawtooth usage, there seems to be an absence of low end here, i don't know why. Kick is very clicky this week, and the melody is very textural, and not very melodic. Extremely unique DarkShadow sounds, but still retaining that chaos. I actually do like this, and think it could definately taken further, the sounds are sick! It feels a bit of a weird mix personally. Good job though!

RonaldPoe - Oh hey i haven't seen you in ages, how are you! Liking that slight Middle Eastern flair in the melody, pairs nicely with the beat. It's a very cool melody. I notice gets faster towards the end, almost creeping on DnB territory lol. It's a nice beat, i will say, but i feel it's a bit repetitive, and sets itself for much more. I could see a breakdown of just the bassline, maybe a counter melody from some kind of airy synth could also work. Basically it has a lot of potential. I know this is your first OHC, and probably your first time working to a strict deadline as well. When i first made my first OHC beat, i too had to adjust producing within 1 hr and 30, at 1 in the morning, so i too found it hard. But again though, for your first ever OHC beat, this is very dope! Maybe in upcoming rounds you might find a more efficient workflow that works for you, which may result in faster producing time. Either way, don't be discouraged it was a great first attempt, with lots of potential to keep it from being too repetitive. I liked it a lot, good job!

DDRKirby(ISQ) - Loved that riser into the beat, it was hype. The whole thing is a great blend of funky DDR leanings and Horror Movie strings, but Luigi's Mansion style, and not scream style lol. Beat was very tight, and despite the spooky nature, you still find time for a catchy melody in here, even if the emphasis is on ambience. There is also a lot of really cool sound effects here! The 2nd drop (Or part, if you call it that) has an insanely good triplet section. It's such a contrast to the 4/4 beat beforehand, but keeps the spooky yet catchy nature of the track. Even though were honing in on a style, you manage to keep it so dynamically varied throughout it's like a journey. Yeah there's really nothing bad here, it was ace stuff from you. Definately voting worthy, awesome work!

Nukage - I'm a sucker for DnB so you've come to the right place haha. Loving those string melodies, this is very dark and also very dirty, that sub is not playing around. That drop is insane man, my god. I know you are the master of dirty drops, but you especially knocked it out of the park this week. It is crispy, but for this style is necessary, otherwise it sounds weak and boring. There is so many insane bass workouts in this, i love the sound selections. Even with the hard hitting drops, you still find time for a pretty melody here and there. 2nd drop is just as hard than the first, this was just insanely good stuff. So insane, i picked it for the 2nd spot, amazing work!

Ethansight - Ooh that melody reminds me of a 90's Eurodance melody, but on a Harpsichord lol. I don't know what to compare it to, aside from maybe Snap! It's got a lot of varied melodies in this, you seriously know your melody game. Loving the Argentine Tango influences, it's not a standard Ethansight beat for sure, there is no beat here, it's all straight up melody on a single Harpsichord sound. Sure it's simple, but the straight up melodies more than make up for it! It's very catchy melodies for sure, definately voting worthy, awesome work!

Lunarice - Wow DnB, this is one hell of a tight break! This is not the norm for you, so to hear straight up DnB complete with break, wubs and growls is quite the shock. You even manage to make some really nice sound reeses! The arps were quite in the mix, however they added a lovely textural component to the track it's great. For 30 minutes this was one hell of a tight mix, aside from the ending where you amped up the Arps a little too high. Honestly it has potential, i liked it. Good job!

BJKMenu - Sweet guitar noodles, goes nicely with the bassline and drums. Some nice and well made funk rock, with some cool chords in the guitar. Timing is a little too loose, but the melody work is pretty great here. There is a vocal performance here, that is just saturated by the rest of the track, so you might as well not bothered lol. Mix is good, could do with some smoothing in my opinion, but it was really nice. Thought about this one a lot, because the melody itself is pretty dope as hell, and the harmony is also pret-Good job!

Dex - That is a nice organ melody, it's very low in the mix, but it gets even further pushed down when the guitar and violin melody comes in as they take centre stage. It's not a bad mix thing or anything, it's more so your attention is diverted from one sound to another. The "drop" itself is a mild jumpscare, however nothing too crazy. I must commend you on the chords here, there is some really great seasonings here! Lots of sick guitar drops too, it makes for a sick section change. Some smoothing might be needed, to reduce the mild jumpscare this has in parts lol, however the melody work is strong here! Honestly i'm gonna give you it, because it was very dope stuff! Well done!

Cerfueil - I feel like were in 2 different key signatures at the same time lol. The chiptune elements are surprisingly very nice, it's a great blend of retro and modern. I do like how the arp gets stronger with each listen, to the point where it's dominating the soundscape. This is quite the...experimental piece i must say, the melody ideas are very in-line with NickC (Because this artists also likes to throw in a couple of dissonant ideas. To me this can make or break a song). I do like this as an idea, but i feel for me it could do with a bit of fleshing out. The track gets a bit hectic towards the end, and yet it's not really a section change, but rather sound upon sound. So it can result in something a little...loud, but thankfully nothing too crazy. The dissonant parts were also...interesting, maybe a bit much (As i've said it can make and break a song). This has a lot of potential so don't be discouraged. Good job!

Misael.K - That is a nice intro, i always like the filtered break, that occurs before the real break comes in, it's such a nice contrast. The piano line in this is so pretty, it works wonders for this track. The seasonings you've chosen for these chords are wonderful, it's soo jazzy, but also mysterious too. The melody works in conjunction of the chords, and doesn't really stand out as it's own thing, however it's very beautiful nonetheless. The beat is also nice and light too for the style, i feel very much like a smoke cloud right now. Yeah there isn't much for me to say, because the track is just very well done. Definately gonna give you this one, in fact it was good enough for the 3rd spot. Amazing work!

Koekepan - Koekepan is not first? And not 6 minutes long!? Damn are you having an off day lol. Only joking, this is pretty calming stuff. This time packaged with vocals, that are equipped with a very tasty delay. You don't really say much, but it adds a really chilling effect to the track nonetheless. I always love your pad strings, it adds a layer of cold calming ambience, and makes it more peaceful than minimal. The mallet sounds are also pretty great in this. Honestly i just feel the breath of smoke in this (As in the theme), this one was just great. Nothing else really to say i loved it, definately voting worthy, awesome work!

obScene - I like the chiptune elements in this one a lot, the way you've played them, it almost doesn't belong to an obScene beat, yet i love it a lot. The vocals i sadly don't recognise, but i think it fits the track quite well, to say it's a different world. In a way i wasn't expecting the acoustic elements to fit as well as it should, especially for a mostly chiptune piece. The melodies are just absolutely fire. The chords in the 2nd half were amazing, it makes me feel warm inside. The timing of the vocals can be a little off, especially towards the end, however it didn't diminish just how good the track is. I definately liked it a lot, definately wished i could vote for this, but can only pick 3. Amazing work!

Meistr - The partners in crime have returned! Amazing vocalist, and honestly a pretty sick backing! I do think the vocals are very in your face, to the point where the track is completely drowned out by the vocals. The buildup was quite...loud that kick was attacking my brain, but the drop on the other hand was outrageously good. That i wish i had another minute of, it was incredible. The overall mix needs a fair bit of smoothing, as i felt the vocals were just on top of everything. Still though, don't be discouraged the track was very fire, and i think it has a lot of potential. Good job!

Arcana - Sweet phased chords, really cool sound. Liking the slight psychedelic feel of the beat. Singing is pretty great, you really are going all out in your performance. The drums are very quiet, i still feel like were in the intro, yet this is the whole of the track. The piano lines towards the end were pretty great, definately felt the melodies in this one. Some parts of the vocal might have been a little detuned, because parts felt slightly out of key, but this could just be me. I definately sense potential in this track, it's a sick idea, especially with the fire synth sounds, so don't be discouraged. Good job!

NickC - Nick is keeping up the steady stream of 4 minute tracks, which is becoming more common than a few weeks ago, where 2-3 minutes would be the norm lol. It's an extremely quiet waveform, almost on the same level as mine, however it makes up for it with some seriously beautiful pad chords wow. It's not just the chords, but the synth choices that really make it beautiful. It just feels like CotMM level of ambience, but with the NickC level of harmony. The melody is absolutely beautiful here, that synth sound is just perfect. I loved this one, because has the hallmarks of a Nick track, but without it going too crazy. The chords were just insanely beautiful, and enough to immediately put this on the awesome section. If i were to be really nitpicky, i coulda have done without the drum work, a straight up ambient piece is all it really needed, but i didn't hate the drums, they were really cool. Yeah no this was just awesome, lovely melodic ideas, so lovely i picked you for the top spot, it was theme fitting and catchy, incredible work!

Top 3 - NickC, Nukage, Misael.K

These entries also deserve to be on the list:

DDRKirby(ISQ)

Ethansight (Loved this one, great melodies!)

Koekepan

obScene (Man this one was pretty, shame it can't be on, i can only vote for 3)

Awesome - DDRKirby(ISQ), Nukage, Ethansight, Dex, Misael.K, Koekepan, obScene, NickC.

Needs Work - THEGREATDESTROYER22, DarkShadow, RonaldPoe, Lunarice, BJKMenu, Cerfueil, Meistr, Arcana.

1. Wisps Of Smoke And Rain
   TheVideoGamer
2. Count Dredd
   ethansight
3. It's Coming
   DDRKirby(ISQ)

1. brake lights
   bjkmenu
2. Wisps Of Smoke And Rain
   TheVideoGamer
3. So That Obligation Persists
   Misael.K

Honorable mentions for Meistr, obScene and NickC!

1. Wisps Of Smoke And Rain
   TheVideoGamer
2. Smoke and Rain
   Dex
3. 30 min compo
   lunarice

For some reason these entries give me the strongest feelings of the theme.

TheVideoGamer: digging the Silent Hill vibes.

Dex: great prog rock.

lunarice: solid dnb.

awesum: DDRKirby(ISQ), Dex, ethansight, Koekepan, lunarice, Meistr, NickC, nukage, obScene, THEGREATDESTROYER22, TheVideoGamer.
good: Arcana, bjkmenu, Cerfeuil, DarkShadow, RonaldPoe.