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Download: Title: Green fields Filename: klu_gren.xm	Posted Sat 14th May 2005 Rated 9 / 10
It is in this track that Kluris shows us the beauty of simplicity and its importance in music. Thus, with the help of EIGHT channels and ONE sample, he brings us a sublime mod called Green Fields. The sample is used very amazingly as it is employed to sound like strings and piano. The fact that it is played at different octave gives it a very diverse sound even though it is just one sample. There are no drums here and none are needed. The emotion is conveyed clearly; this is really a touching piece. The comments say that it was written in memory of his deceased father; he must have really loved him to have produced this in his memory. Another reason this is such a great track is that it isnt cluttered. There are three main parts to it: two melodies and some string notes. The three remain in full harmony all the time and create a lovely sound. This is truly an artist who understands that you dont need a zillion notes to make damn good music. Once again, can I underline how awesomely simple this mod is? Is it annoying you that I keep saying that? Well too bad! The tracking here is neat, tidy and very professional. I really like the little tempo slide effect used at the beginning. Its a nice way to ease in the song as there is no real start to it. The end is the same; the song just ends with a singe chord. A simple way to end a simple track. Once again, I must congratulate the artist on the use of only ONE sample in this track. That is not always an easy thing to do but Kluris makes it work. Other than that, there is not much more to say about this song other than this: Download it now!

Download: Title: BEFORE THE SUNSET Filename: hls-bts.xm	Posted Sat 14th May 2005 Rated 7 / 10
For a trance tune, this is very long! Unfortunately, it is also as repetitive and unoriginal as it is long. As I write this review, I am tuning myself in and out of this song and I keep hearing the same things every time I listen. Not that that is always a bad thing. Dont get me wrong, this is well done. It has a beat and thats what its all about. All that I would like to see here are a few different progressions, a little bit of something that would make this something other than just generic trance. The instruments are clean and of good quality. They are exactly what the genre requires and nothing more. Also, a few sound effects spice things up here and there by breaking the relentless beat. Overall, not too bad on the tech side. The artists spread this song over 32 channels though that many are clearly not needed. Often, there are way too many different arrangements which make some parts of it too complex. Small sounds in the background that distract the listener from the song itself The file size of this mod is gigantic. Seven Megs unzipped! Good thing the Mod Archive takes their files zipped. Thats all I have to complain about. Good job on the technical aspects of this track.

Download: Title: Land of the Elves Filename: ds_l_o_t.xm	Posted Sat 14th May 2005 Rated 8 / 10
DreaMSectioN takes us into the Land of the Elves in this track. Ok, that was a lame intro. Ill just talk about the song now. Land of the Elves opens up with some piano and strings. In fact, the entire track is built around these instruments. This track is quite nice to listen to and very well arranged even though the arrangements are quite simple. Then again, this simplicity is part of the beauty of it. The piece isnt any more complex because it doesnt have to be. The instruments in here are absolutely perfect. The mood and tone of the music are all in tune with the sound. You can hear some emotion and get a sort of epic storytelling feel out of it. I especially enjoyed the string arrangements. They complement the leads very efficiently. There is some very nice drum work in this piece. The beats are on time and in line with the style of the track. In fact, its really the drums and percussions that give this piece its epic feeling and true emotional depth. They also keep things interesting for the listener. Despite all this, the song manages to drag a bit at times. Some parts just dont give the impression that the song is going anywhere at all. These empty spots are however only small holes in a overall, musically sound track. The thing I can rave most about on the technical side is the sample quality. I LOVE that piano. The low notes play very well and realistically. The strings are also quite good. File size is not too big; most of the samples are 8-bit. The artist uses few effects other than volume adjustments. The artist manages to create smooth string transitions even without New Note Action. Not much more to say; like I said earlier, this is a simple track. Overall, there arent too many problems on the technical side other than a few cleanup issues (unused channels etc.)

Download: Title: a premature burial Filename: apb.it	Posted Sat 19th Mar 2005 Rated 7 / 10
This track is a slightly catchy, almost eerie tune with a classification known to most as rock. Which makes sense because that is the genre of this song. Guitars, drums and screaming: the three things that have made rock what it is today. And this track has all three. The instruments consist of a few guitars; a full drum set selection; some strings and a handful of sound effects to tie it all together. We start of with a bass mood setter, which pretty much sets the tome for the entire track. A few of them evil laughs here and there and then the song starts. The string work is very nice. Especially when complemented by the lead guitars. They come in and out, here and there just at the right moments; they play the right notes in excellent harmony with the leads. Drumbeat is nice and simple; working with the melody to keep a good beat and accentuate the rhythm. Had a few problems with the bass drum but Ill get into that later as it is rather a technical issue. One major problem I had when listening to this mod was the fact that the bass was not very loud at all. The culprit: many of the channels were set to surround. This made the bass guitar sound very weak and the bass drum almost non-existent. Once this was unchecked however, I could hear the bass and it made the song a hundred times better. In fact, I advise anyone who downloads this to either turn the surround off in they do not possess the sound system necessary for that type of effect. Other technical aspects of this song include the numerous channels, a few of which are empty. Some effects are used. There is a bit of lazy tracking habits here and there but not much else to say here.

Download: Title: ((( the war ))) Filename: the_war.mod	Posted Sat 19th Mar 2005 Rated 7 / 10
Ok. You have to admire all the craaaaaaazy dudes who tracked in .mod format back in the day. That being said, this isnt among some of the most impressive tracks Ive seen from that era. The arrangements are interesting and yet still lacking. Some of it was rather nice but quite a bit more of it was just annoying and repetitive. The tone and the mood of this track are rather constant. This mood is emphasized by the ever-relentless heavy drums that just cant quit (except for a bit here and there). These arrangements are fitting but once again not very interesting. The instruments are well chosen and fitting of the genre but I would have liked to see more variety. Another lead would have made this a bit more interesting. The end of this mod is basically just an end. The main melody comes back for a while, then it just sort of stops. This is one of those rare occasions that I would get to complain about drum sample quality (or all the samples for that matter). except that this was made in 1992 so I wont rant on the artist for being born too early. Other than that, theres not much to say on the technical side. The arrangement of the notes is quite amazing. The four channels of the *.mod format are used very well, and the notes are put all over the place, mixed in with each other to ensure space for all. No instrument has its own defined channel either because the artist had to in order to fit all the notes in or because he was drunk at the time when he wrote this (as the comments clearly state.)

Download: Title: Over the Lands Filename: p-lands.it	Posted Fri 11th Mar 2005 Rated 8 / 10
This is a very interesting track; its fun to listen to and loaded with notes, all of which are very well arranged. Fast-paced, and upbeat, this track does very well with the instruments provided, considering that they arent at all that great. The use of percussion in this track is absolutely amazing. The drumbeat it perfect in every respect. The hand claps, cymbals and snare beats are placed with utmost care. So much attention to detail was put into this. On a lesser note, this track is a tad repetitive and some of the instruments dont change enough to keep it interesting. But like I said, what is done is well done and even if it is repeated, that doesnt stop this from being a very interesting and well developed song; worth a listen. The tracking here is tight, efficient and clean. There are no off notes, no unused channels, no useless effects. Not much I can pin on the artist. The piano notes are spread out over a few channels in order to increase the realism in that it lets the notes hang a little, as they would on a real piano. The portemento used on the lead gives it a cool twist that makes it sound a bit like a guitar. Like I mentioned before, the instruments are nothing to brag about but this is still a very cool track.

Download: Title: Moongoddess Filename: night1.xm	Posted Fri 11th Mar 2005 Rated 8 / 10
A soft, mellow, peaceful, blissful well you get the point. This track is a perfect example of what seems to have become the general style of Church of Selene. And by consequent, they have become quite good at it. This particular piece starts off with some nice soft strings. Next, some small bells bring in a little rhythm. The melody comes in soon after in excellent harmony with all the rest. The next part takes off when the flutes take over, still backed up fabulously by the various strings. However, the torch is soon passed to the violin and so on. One of the great aspects of this song is the way the instruments follow each other, flowing ever so harmoniously between each other. And all the while, strings chords and pizzicato notes back up this intricate succession of instruments. The instruments chosen for this are very well selected. They fit with the style, the genre; everything in this particular aspect is perfect. The final product is very professional and while this may not be the artists best production, it is still an outstanding mod. Technically, this is still a very sound track. First of all, the speed is constantly modified by the effects in order to create a certain sound and rhythm with the strings. This is a sign of great professionalism in the tracking. Also volumes slides and vibrato effects are employed on the instruments, just to makes sure that they sound right and real. Some channels, however, dont seem to have a purpose. They are never employed and could simply delete. No panning is employed in this mod though it is not necessary, it is sometimes nice to hear a difference in balance while listening to a track; it gives it that live orchestra feeling. This is not too much of a problem; Moongodess is still a very sound and direct track. Basic in composition and in use of effects but very effective and pleasant to listen to.

Download: Title: One Leaf -Elk Filename: elk_leaf.it	Posted Tue 1st Mar 2005 Rated 8 / 10
This is truly one of the best One Hour Compos that I have ever heard. It is amazing to think that anyone could create such a beautifully arranged piece in the mere span of an hour. The musical content of One Leaf is outstanding. The variations in key and tempo throughout the composition keep it fresh while a consistency in the instruments holds it all together. This is not a fancy track at all, just a very basic arrangement that creates outstanding music. And who really needs fancy when you can just have real music. This is truly a great example of why the Elk still owns us all. Not much to say from a technical point of view. One Leaf is as sound as it gets though not perfect. Obviously, the artist didnt have time to go back and fine tune all the technicalities due to time restrictions. Not that its a big deal. Notes and effects are speckled all over the place and the sample quality is tops. The later cannot be attributed to the artist but still congrats to whoever arranged the sample pack. The artists role is to arrange the samples and that part is very well done.

Download: Title: [ innocence of a nature ] Filename: inn_nat.it	Posted Sat 26th Feb 2005 Rated 2 / 10
Alright! I finally get to review a bad mod. This is going to be fun In order for you to get the full idea on why this song is not very good, Ill run you through what I hear as the song progresses. After about thirty seconds, I think to myself, This isnt bad. Good but not great; It deserves a six so far. A minute later, I think to myself, This is getting slightly annoying. Its just the same thing over and over again. So the mark slips down to five. Two whole minutes after that, I am amazed to find that nothing at all has changed. That droning beepy flute thing is still playing the same four notes over and over and over The vocals and the other beeps are still being stupid and unoriginal. Whats more, theres a crow outside that wont stop cawing wait! Thats the song! Damn, I get pissed enough when the birds wake me up in the morning. I dont need a song to play crow sounds for me. Near the end of the song, the progressions have not change, the beeps have not changed, the crows have not left. The only thing thats gone is the pile of points that I once would have attributed to this piece. Oh well so much for that. I cant give this anything more than a two for the small amount of music that is simply repeated over five droning minutes. Chirp! Chirp! Caw! The only technical prowess that I can observe in this track is a decent amount of overuse of the copy and paste functions. I can seriously go from pattern to pattern and see that all of the notes are place the same way each time. The same notes, the same orders, the same everything. Some effects are used but they do not really create a noticeable effect on the music. The samples quality isnt great either seeing as most of them dont sound like real instruments at all. The only sample that is of remotely good quality is the vocal-ish thing that is used throughout the mod.

Download: Title: Tears (X Japan) Filename: hyo-tears.it	Posted Fri 25th Feb 2005 Rated 8 / 10
I cant say that Ive ever heard the original version of this song (seeing as it is a remix; thats right a remix!) but the mod version is, in my opinion, definitely a treat for the ear. I also cant say that I find the samples to be of a particularly great quality. However, they are well employed in order to produce the best possible sound. The music cannot truly be accredited to the artist of this mod and Im not sure if the actual song by X Japan is better or worse than this remix. From what Ive seen of the lyrics, they look a bit sappy, but that is beside the point. Getting on about the song, the guitar does not have that much of a realistic sound to it, but still manages to remain pleasant to the ear. This song uses a variety of instruments and varies between them to keep the song interesting. Like I said, I have no idea what the original sounded like, but this is certainly a very good interpretation of it. The technicalities are certainly the most important part of this review, seeing as this is a remix (and yet this half is still the shortest; go figure). As usual, the effects come into play and are well used to emphasize the proper notes and to create a certain amount of realism in the sound that they produce. As I mentioned before, these are not the greatest samples but they are certainly well used to create a good effect. Overall, this is a good song.

Download: Title: McNugget of the Sun Filename: mcnugget.xm	Posted Fri 25th Feb 2005 Rated 6 / 10
This mod has one of the coolest names ever, and if I could rate it only based on that, Id give it a ten. Unfortunately (for me and the artist) I cannot do that and so my review will proceed as follows: This is certainly a valiant attempt at the chip genre and although it certainly is not a very good chip tune, there are still a few good things about it that are worth pointing out. This piece has a very simple and pleasant layout. A melody, a bass line and thats all. The bass line is good and varies according to the melody. The melody is fun, a little repetitive but still well harmonized with the bass. The samples, on the other hand, are not all that great, even for chip and can get a bit annoying at times. Thats all, really. Oh right, the technical rating. The music is a quite a bit too loud. It really tends to blast out at you if youre caught unaware. There are also ten or so unused channels that simply could have been deleted. Few effects are used even though effects are often key in chip tunes in order to produce a decent sound. And in this case, some more effects would have made some of the sounds a bit softer on the ear. The effects that are used are mainly portemento for note transitions and volume effects for note fading.

Download: Title: emit Filename: ub-emit.it	Posted Sat 19th Feb 2005 Rated 7 / 10
This is a pretty good piece, not only because it shows a certain amount of musical experience, but because it works with a sound and pleasant melody throughout the 1:42 that it lasts. It starts off with a basic bass melody, and then moves in with that charming main melody. Then, just passed the halfway point, the drumbeat and bass comes in and breathes life into the song. From this point until the end, the track becomes very nice to listen to. The end comes in quite subtly but does not leave the music hanging. Overall, it is a nice little piece. A few flaws are the fact that it is quite short and the fact that it is a tad repetitive but overall, good music. It is in the technical aspect that this track truly shines. Everything is ordered and efficient. The patterns, samples, effects and instruments are all well used to make this a very well tracked piece. No lazy tracking with redundant channels and no extra useless notes clogging up the patterns. The artist uses portemento effects to create a less choppy flow to the music and various volume effects as well. On a final note, the samples and instruments are good quality.

Download: Title: WindsOfCompositions Filename: dn-woc.xm	Posted Sat 19th Feb 2005 Rated 9 / 10
This is truly one of the most beautifully composed pieces that I have ever heard. As far as the music goes, this is top, A+, da topness! It starts off with a simple and well tracked piano melody that sets things off nice and softly. Then, we can hear the strings come in and it gets better. The breaks in the music that fall here and there create an emotional suspense that really holds it together. The percussion is effective, using the right effects at the right time and ranging from a soft roll, to a reversed cymbal, to a real cymbal and finally back to that delightful little twinkle of a chime-ish thing. Winds is soft, mellow, consistent and yet varies enough not to be boring. Quite the contrary actually; this piece is far from boring. The instruments, good quality and realistic sounding, also contribute towards making this an exceptional piece of music. Technically, this track does not shine as much as it does musically. The main flaws are the unused channels, small redundancies that are a sign of lazy tracking. There are at least six or seven that the artist could do without. The use of effects is effective. A few examples of this are the many, many volume variations employed by the artist to emphasize the right instruments. Also, a speed variation is used to simulate a pause instead of wasting pattern space. Finally, the samples are employed properly and effectively by the artist. These are just some of the many things that contribute to making this a technically solid mod.

Download: Title: The Great Strategy Filename: bz_pif.it	Posted Tue 15th Feb 2005 Rated 7 / 10
What a great strategy! A great tracking strategy that is (pause for laughter) No? Ok then, on with the review. First of all, Id like to talk about the instruments in this file. They are all well chosen and definitely fit the genre. This is a well composed orchestral piece except that it lack variety. The string arrangements are very well coordinated and fit harmonically with the rest of the track. The brass is also well arranged and complements the other instruments very nicely. The movement of the music in this piece is quite monotonous and does not build up to anything in particular. This piece is quite repetitive and lacks a climax to show that it is going somewhere. At the very end, there are some not cuts that are quite annoying and unrealistic. The artist could have employed fading effects to make the terminations more subtle and less heavy on the ear. The Great Strategy is tracked with 34 channels, all of which are used at some point or another. Volume effects are employed quite frequently to properly emphasize the notes. This creates a more realistic atmosphere in which to thoroughly enjoy the music. Also, panning is used to further distinguish the instruments and give it that live feeling. Other effects are speckled throughout the piece in order to create certain sounds. The main melody is duplicated over a few channels to make it louder; this shows knowledge of different strategies to gain a desired effect. Overall, good job on the technical point of view.

Download: Title: dansze mucyka Filename: dansze.xm	Posted Tue 15th Feb 2005 Rated 8 / 10
Lo all! This is my first review for the Mod Archive But thats not what you wanted to read; heres the review: Perhaps it is time for disco music to live again. This track truly manages to capture the crazy-funky beats of the seventies. The bass line is real fun, though maybe a bit repetitive, but still fitting in perfectly with the style of the genre. Dansze is a real treat to listen to and proves itself to be quite catchy. Instruments are well chosen and fit adequately with the genre. Truly something worth listening to for any old fans of seventies nostalgia. The tracking in this case is a bit overdone in the sense that there are too many note and channels. There are 32 channels, many of which are seldom used and some notes that add nothing at all to the piece. If you mute some of the channels, the music does not change noticeably at all. I do not see the purpose of these extra channels and notes if they are mere redundancies. Other than that, the artist clearly demonstrates a decent knowledge concerning the use of effects to maximize the realism in the track. Samples are good quality and well placed throughout the patterns. Overall, quite well done but it still could have been much better.