Posted 2005-08-05, evaluated by the judges panel

Newcomer Mick Gordon, alias N-JekteD, CEO/Lead Engineer at Lava Injection Studios, sends in some Doom limbo metal:

"This is a remix of a few themes from the cult classic Doom, originally scored by Bobby Prince. For this I grabbed my trusty hand-made 7-String guitar and bunch of audio production software and bashed away. Id like to describe it as Slipknot and Marilyn Manson meet...well...Bobby Prince and the two Johns. This was actually done about 18 months ago and was incredibly rushed. The only real instrument there is the guitars - there is about 8 overdubbed, the drum and synth programming was done in FLStudio 4, with a small amount done in Nuendo 2.0."

This is some heavy stuff indeed, but Mick also works in some subtleties and more elaborate passages, with an almost proggish and flashy guitar solo at 1'50" that's followed by a most definitely proggish synth solo at 2'10" that layers a little ELP over the more contemporary metal backdrop. There's also a plethora of electronic textures, including some synth bass action, and the first 50 seconds are ambient/electronic. The segue at the fifty second mark warrants mentioning - a tortured scream that introduces the balls-to-the-wall guitar with menace and applomb. There's some slick production tricks throughout that you may not have heard in a ReMix before, possibly indicative of Mick's apparent studio experience; while it's predominantly a metal track, there's enough other alchemic goings-on to turn it into a real genre chimera, and a well-blended one at that. Brandon's version of the play-by-play:

"That intro is hot stuff. It really takes you down through the depths of something that I would care not to dream about before exploding into the all out-guitar assault. The familiar Doom themes makes their presence known without being covers and a good amount of original material is incorporated to keep the sounds fresh. Rounding out the straight crunch of the rhythm guitars are some truly killer artificial harmonics wails, crazy solos, interjection of some slick synth/processing work at 1:12, 1:37, 2:20, etc. and a seriously hyperactive (in a good way) double-bass."

And John "Yes, I actually do vote on mixes" Burnett's take:

"Well, I for one was impressed with the ideas thrown around in the arrangement. Rarely do I get a piece that places alot of emphasis on the "journey" of the listener. This song is very conscious of where it's going, and where it's been, and in that regard, it's a welcome rarity to listen to."

Mick might be working on a mix from the Journeyman Project next, which would be rather nostalgic, and if this initial submission (which is quite strong, mature, and well-rounded) is any indicator, it's something to look forward to. This piece definitely has a slick, produced feel to it, but it's also got genuine ideas and arrangement going on, and wins further bonus points for an extended intro that really builds up the atmosphere before the pressure release. Doom fans rejoice, and (wink wink, nudge nudge) be on the lookout for similarly compelling coverage of the hallmark FPS in the not too distant future...