The End of Evolution (the_end_of_evolution.xm)

Overall Impression (5/10)

I am not sure whether this is meant to be related to Evolution 002 parts 2 and 3. Evolution 002 part 3 was written in July of 1998 and this tune in December of 1998.

But stylistically it's very different. I also find it less interesting melodically and it's arrangement is definitely less sophisticated.

Technique, Arrangement, Composition (8/10)

This is where Michal's tendency to rely on non-dynamic passages comes to bite him: the beginning of the tune is underwhelming. The unnatural guitar is robotic and boring, which is quite unfortunate, since this has potential and the chord progression offers many transitions to an interesting story.

His ability to put together convincing arrangements is demonstrated in the second part and I really enjoy the tribal beat and the way he uses panning to give it nice movement.

Development (8/10)

The mix itself is fine. The strings are a bit too loud for my taste, but this is a stylistic choice.

As noted earlier, I like how he employs panning for the drums in the second part.

But in terms of the mix in general, the only things I can say are trite: it's fine and exhibits no special problems.

Creativity (6/10)

As usual, though, Michal does offer something beyond the premise: the second part is a glimpse into the true potential of this tune.

Unfortunately, after a very promising transition from the slower part to the tribal arrangement, more reminiscent of his other electronica tunes, he fails to follow it up with any exciting melodies, instead opting for single long notes.

Enjoyment (5/10)

Unfortunately, not.

And this is where, as a fan of Michal's music, I can try to be maximally charitable and suggest that perhaps I get where he was going with this. But writing epic new age tunes in a tracker, in the absence of proper reverb and delay plugins is tough. He probably wanted this to be more of a tune that sets a mood rather than tells a story, but the execution simply doesn't live up to the setup.

So much so, that I sometimes wonder if this is even a finished piece. Still, I enjoyed being surprised by the second part.