Odin's Court's CD Reviews

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Vocals:
Most people concentrate on the vocals when they hear music. So many people want to know what the singing is like. Matt is a dramatic tenor. Although most people consider Matt�s vocals to be VERY unique, and Matt is by no means a professional singer, when asked for specific comparisons to similar vocalists the following where used in various combinations:
  • James Hetfield (Metallica)

  • Geoff Tate (Queensryche)

  • Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)

  • Russel Allen (Symphony X)

  • Sebastian Bach (Skid Row)

  • Sammy Hagar (Sammy Hagar, Van Halen)

  • Steve Grimmett (Grim Reaper)

  • Fabio Lione (Rhapsody)

  • Jack Russell (Great White)

  • Billy Idol

  • David Bowie

  • Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)

  • Vintersorg (Vintersorg)

  • Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins)


    • Here are some reactions to various songs:

    D2C
    YsteBitsySpider (Canada): Sounds like early Metallica in a way. I was enjoying D2C....and then at about 3:17 seconds in I really started enjoying. Your guitarist has some skill and imagination. Great finish to the song. Had a bit of a Maiden texture to it too.

    Rouxlas (Greece): I downloaded D2C and MAN DOES THIS SONG ROCK!!! I have to say that you have very nice composition skills! I mean the music is awesome!

    Sam (England): Nice intro and build up. Good use of dynamics and atmospherics. Excellent vocals - you have good technique. The riffing is solid, but nothing to write home about. I really like the lead bits from 3.30 or so. You are too modest about your abilities-- there's some excellent speedy and tasteful playing.

    Ayreon (Norway): I think your voice is fairly decent....Not the worst voice I have heard. The songs are really starting to grow on me...especially D2C....this music is really good dude...I especially like the part at 1:48 where there are some really neat keyboard atmospheric work there! And the solo is pretty also...keep up the good work..!

    Donna (Atlanta, Georgia): LOVED the intro to this one. Great build up! The guitar solo was great! Excellent! The lyrics are also wonderful.

    Villiage Idiot (New Zealand): I like D2C ... its dark and hard. Good, good. Some very cool Iron Maiden style dual guitar. I like it. All of them have a nice 80's flavor to them, with the solos and stuff. I mean 80's in a good way too.

    TheGreatGC (Yorktown, NY): Just listened to D2C...good stuff. You guys really have some talent. The quality of the recording is really great; it would be hard to distinguish you from a major-label band.

    Luis (Spain): I personally like D2C the best, the guitar work is really solid and I like the way it goes. Your Metallica(old) and Iron Maiden influence is brutal. The guitar solos are well written and performed. About the vocals. Though they fit with the music, I can't digest some vocal lines. BUT who I am to say that, you sing 10000000 times better than me.

    Asesino (New Jersey): Thoughts of Megadeath run through my head at the beginning of this song, which is rad. I really like how the keyboards come in after the gong. Once again, the music is strong, the tone sounds great.


    His Dark Materials
    Sam (England): Great idea, to write a song inspired by Pullman. I really love those books, so I knew I'd love this tune. Ok, really cool rhythm playing in the intro. I love the change in feel, where that lush chord comes in at about 35 seconds. The singing is nice and epic - reminds me of Russell Allen a bit. Again, some great lead playing and harmonized bits. Some nice higher notes/screams which made me grin.

    GimmeFuleInFire (Louisiana): As far as the vocals go, I like them a lot, your voice is unique. Drums and bass sound really good. To the main thing though...your guitar playing is excellent. I love the riffs and the solo's are very cool - not just pointless wanking. You're a damn good player I have to say. I don�t really have any criticisms. I�m not a music critic. I listen to your music and I enjoy it so that�s what I�m writing about. These songs are the shit man, y�all did a great job. The overall sound of the band is unique, I am enjoying it very much.

    Donna (Atlanta, Georgia): The solo-- guitar/bass/drums/guitar--I loved that. It was awesome. The guitar sounded great. In the bass solo..you could actually hear the BASS...unbelievable. The drum solo--I am not normally found of these, but it appealed to me because it wasn�t overbearingly long... and it added a different twist to your so-called "normal" solos, which usually consist of only guitar. I think this "variety" solo (as I call it because of reasons above) is very original and I give you guys props for that. It shows you are not afraid of taking the lesser-known path, which, in my opinion, is what a lot of great music is created from.

    Paradise Lost: Chapter 1
    Sam (England): Nice keyboards. I like the drum rolls too. This song really brings out the symphonic influences which were less apparent (but still there) in the others. The lead playing in this one is my favorite.

    Bart (Belgium): Easily my favorite. The "orchestration" really brings it to life. And your solo is once again really good. Sure, not the fastest on the block, but as we all know, speed ain't everything. Your solo over the outro while you're singing is also very cool.

    Manolito (The Netherlands): IMO your voice here truly shines, good pitch, nice rasp.

    DTQueen (Canada): I can sincerely tell you that I am already hooked on 'Paradise Lost: Chapter 1'. Amazing!

    Dan (Finland): I really, really, really like "Paradise Lost: Chapter 1"! :) It's stuck in my head atm!

    Donna (Atlanta, Georgia): My favorite by far!! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVEEEEE the Intro to this one. I could sit here for the next 20 years and tell you every minute of every day how much I love the intro...and you would STILL NOT GET IT! The keys were nothing short of amazing! The lyrics--I liked the lyrics to this one a lot also. They flowed very well and the rhyming impressed me a lot. The outro chorus--"A paradise is lost...." perfectly end this song. I like the way you varied the last repeat of this line. I just cannot get enough of that intro. It's makes feel like I'm about to go into a journey of the great unknown or something. That guitar solo is ****in tight!! AND the vocals on this one....you sound a lot more confident than on D2C! Excellent!

    Peruvian_Sky: Awesome stuff, you guys rock. I really like "Paradise Lost: Chapter 1." That intro is awesome.

    Diablo: I was intrigued by Paradise lost. Overall, a song that has incredible potential.
    1. Very epic and nice sounding melody.
    2. Nice rhythm.
    3. Fitting lyrics, thematically.
    4. Very tasteful soloing, though not terribly exciting, fits the song very nicely.

    Asesino (New Jersey): Awesome intro. The song itself is very epic, and gives off a very Rush-ish sound. Your guitar tone is nice and strong. I like how 80's your voice sounds, its a refreshing change.


    Paradise Lost: Chapter 2
    Asesino (New Jersey): Strong intro; it definately grabbed me. The intro guitar solo has a very Petrucci-ish tone, I'm lovin' it. Nice back-up riffs too. The stop and starts are immersive, and the keyboard adds a lot. I have no real quams with this song. Great job!


    Shadow Dust
    DTQueen (Canada): Best lyrics I read thus far, apart from Paradise Lost. Paint a picture and tell a story... very good writing abilities you demonstrate. I like the arrangement of diverse speeds as well. There are textured time changes but I think that�s what makes the song what it is. Furthermore, its a 'thinker' type song. Meaning, it does keep you on your toes and in tune at all time. I especially like the lyrics. Actually, I think these lyrics are the best ones overall. These lyrics speak emotions and forecasts an imagery that is actually hard for a songwriter to do. Matt has managed to tap the listeners mind by what he sings and how he delivers it in this song. Its hard for me to explain but, I think the vocal throw backs he does in this song, back and forth, teases the listener.

    JguitarJ (Chicago): Great Lead work especially on the harmonic motifs toward the beginning!

    Siren Lydia: I liked some of the melodies on " shadow dust" a lot. I liked the concepts of your lyrics too.

    Bart (Belgium): I love the lead part at 3.19 - 3.36. Subtle yet tasty. Nice arpeggios too and the way you switch them from clean to palmmuted distortion The lead at 5.04 sounds a little Marty Friedman-like, but it's cool. And then the part after the solo, well what can I say? Beyond heavy and then switching it into overdrive again at 5.59 is a mighty good move.

    Asesino (New Jersey): I like how it sounds like it's gonna get real heavy and in your face, then it slows down. Adds a bit of emotion. There are a lot of parts where it seems like its going to crash into some metal riffs, but then goes slow again, which I like. Throws a twist at the listener. End solo SCREAMS Metallica! w00t!!!


    Holdin' The Line
    Bart (Belgium): Nice rocking tune. It's got an '80's-vibe to it.

    Manolito Mystiq (The Netherlands): Very good song. Good vocal melody lines. Your voice shines here too. I like you change from low range to high range here.

    Dave (Denver, CO): Holdin The Line is KICK ASS!!! Its probably the least prog song of the 6, but it has its shit together and ROCKS!


    General Comments
    Sam (England): Very good overall. I am impressed. The songs have a definite 80s metal vibe, but with some modern, power, prog and symphonic influence as well. The Metallica/Megadeth etc influences are obvious, but you are by no means a rip-off and certainly have your own sound and identity. The guitar playing (and all instruments really) is very competent and you have a great voice. Thumbs firmly up.

    Dean (Maryland): The CD is excellent, your voice sounds great. It has elements of Dream Theater, Rush, Iron Maiden, and other killer influences. I am very impressed with the songwriting, vocals, imagery, drums, guitar, bass, and even the incorporation of keyboards and symphonics in certain parts of the songs. It is very awesome to hear musicianship in this age of rap rock, minimalism, pop punk, and garage bands that I hear on 99.1 WHFS, DC 101, and see on M (Shite) TV.

    Bart (Belgium): Your voice is very strange, but in a good way. I couldn't tell of any singer it resembles, so being unique is a good thing in my book. Great sound quality for a non-professional band! You're too modest about your playing abilities.

    Kherman (Milwaukee, Wisconsin): Very good songs. Well written. Very tight. Balanced mix. The playing was top notch.

    Rumborak: The singing was good, it fits well into the music.

    DTQueen (Canada): You see, I actually like your voice very much and, it does ring a tone of 80's, but its not throwing me off. In fact, I actually like it alot. I think the vocal ability is solid. Tight, intense and yet smooth.

    YsteBitsySpider (Canada): Anybody who can play and create something like this deserves recognition.

    Manolito Mystiq (The Netherlands): The band has an own sound and THAT's IMO very important.

    Fooking Fury (Provo, Utah): Hey, I like! Especially the power-metalish guitar one His Dark Materials, and the nice keys on Paradise Lost.

    Space_dyed_vest (Canada): I don't have a specific 80's singer in mind, it just reminded me of that type of power metal style singing. Powerful like Rhapsody and Symphony X. I could also hear the prog elements and early Metallica elements. You're really good at guitar, and are able to write the type of music that I wish I could write like.

    Tyler: Damn, you guys rock !

    Ayreon (Norway): It is cool that you are doing so many different songs....going from prog metal/to plain and simple hard rock! :) You are very "progy"!

    Donna: (Atlanta, Georgia): The Vocals--for the first minute or so, I didn�t think I would like your voice very much, but as I listened, it grew on me and it goes with the music very well. And it does have that "80's" tone to it, but there is nothing wrong with that. You have a very unique sounding voice. Strong and intense. You do have a great voice, and I think it can be even better.

    Dave (Denver, CO): My first comment is a for sure....NICE JOB. It is TONS harder than anyone thinks to write, rehearse & especially record this type of music. The overall impression of the songs are that the compositions overshadow the execution. That is, I think with a few adjustments, these songs could really shine. The bass is solid and on top of the songs. I like his lines & he is a real musician for sure. A little dirtier "in your face" bass sound would have given the songs a little more edge too. Guitars....SOLID SOLID SOLID. I am not a guitar player, but I know what I like. Nice tone, nice riffs. Vocals. At times I love it, at I times ....well, I am not to sure what I think. I do believe you are a good vocalists, but you might have to settle in on what your "sound" will be. You have 3 or 4 singing styles on these songs and you may have to settle for 2 eventually.

    Vertigo (Cortland, NY): Hat's off to you for taking the initiative and time to pull off a project like this! Initial impressions: (disclaimer - listening through half way decent computer speakers) The mix is solid and coherent, I can pretty much hear everything and it's easy to listen to. Guitars have a nice sound, bass is undermixed (probably the speakers + mp3 format), drums sound ok as well. Your voice has nice character and is very listenable. I think it's great. I give you a lot of credit man. Writing, playing and producing this type of music on your own is no small feat. Congrats!

    Luis (Spain): Well I have heard the 3 tracks several times and one thing I have to say is: NICE JOB. It's friggin hard to have a good guitar tone, a good mix of all instruments and a voice which fits with the music. I love your screams though, I like when you sing "high".

    Born For Dying (Quebec, Canada): All of these songs kick some serious ass! You've put a lot of work in them and it really shows off! My favorite one is Paradise Lost (part 1). I can't get enough of it! I really like your voice on this song and on all the others, except Holdin' The Line. Not my kind of stuff but still pretty good. You have a very good signing technique, your band sounds very unique! Your sure are modest about your incredible guitar talents! All the solos are spot on, and the rhythm guitar is so tight! You seem like a pretty good sweeper too. Amazing album, especially for a first one! Keep up the good (and hard) work!

    Tkharris: Well to me the music flowed well together. As I listened to each song I would find myself tapping my foot and air drumming a bit. The tracks are very catchy and fit very well together. Good job for this not being your full time deal.

    SinTrade (Finland): You did a really good job with the demo!

    Asesino (New Jersey): More metal, bring it! You seem to like to switch it up a lot in your songs, definately showing your prog influences Very nice!