[Jamie]

Hi all, my latest offering, an unassumingly named song, Vampires Of Hell.....The song is in two halves I suppose, the lyrical part and the instrumental segment. My premise is that there are no vampires, but humans manage to do to themselves and others what Vampires would do if they existed....The second half is a two round build of a motif that is nearly chromatic (at least I can't find a scale that fits) in the chosen notes. The difficult bit was to build the chords and harmonies around it particularly in the second half of the outro. There's a lot of harmonic stuff going on. Some diabolical harmonies  .
Anyway, over to you!


Cheers

Jamie


https://soundcloud.com/jamie1802/vampires-of-hell-1

Vampires of hell

Here come the demons, yes they're here today
Hold onto your memory whatever they say

Are you the victim, a victim of this
You think you're hard done, but to can you resist

Ask me a question, how low can you go
You're flight of fantasy , as black as a crow

Are you the victim, a victim of this
You think you're hard done to but can you resist

Try not to look back, please just look away
It won't look too pretty, concrete and decay

[kevysc]

Really interesting stuff going on in this one ... the vocal part is strong, but the instrumental really takes it to a different level. Reminds me a little of King Crimson and has an anthemic feel to it.

Nice work, Kevin

[Wicked Deeds]

Hey Jamie,


Lovely full introduction,

I think I'v met my fair share of vampires to last a lifetime.  Maybe I acknowledge that songwriters are sensitive souls and disappointment, inevitably follows. 

Anyway enough of my ramblings. 

This is dramatic and menacing.  The musical soundscape is wonderful and has great impact.  The concept is really interesting and invites me to think about how I or other writers would tackle this theme.  It would have been a fantastic challenge to embrace this as a topic for the next forum challenge. This was very engaging from start to finish. You send the musical track off to The BBC.  They are sure to create a series two of the mini series Dracula!

Well done

Paul

[Grubstar]

Hi Jamie
A very acomplished track, I have listened to this song a number of times now and really enjoyed it. Well structured and well written with a really outstanding outro.1st Class.

[Unclenny]

I really like the big feel of this production. Where you have your vocals makes the song huge for me. There really is a lot going on here .......a very dynamic and interesting production. The way it starts to build toward the end is excellent......really held me strong and on the edge of the studio chair.

[MonnoDB]

Very Pink Floyd-y @Jamie (have I said that before ?).. which is right up my street and so very impressive.. Those drums are amazing.. particularly the cymbals.. Well all of the instrumental track is great! Intriguing lyrics and intriguing composition - very interested to read in your preamble how you built it..  Isn't it built around a standard (classical/harmonic) minor scale (1-6).. Lovely motif it is..

K

[MichaelA]

Hi Jamie, 'diabolus in musica' indeed. In my book the tritione interval is a big thing and nearly ruins someones whole life, so that freaked me out big time.

Very dramatic and I liked how you turned on the menacing vocals for this. Wish I hadn't have heard it just before midnight though! 

Like a piece from an alt-rock musical, what a punch it delivers!

[moraamarolaloba]

Jola @Jamie

Well, your song has been quite a show for me on this hot summer night in which the street air seems like that of a hair dryer ...

The whole sounds very good to me, and the doubled voice, at least that's what I think I perceive, gives it a very particular touch.

The tonality is high but you keep it very well ...

As for the instrumental part, I see it round, it comes in a very correct moment and maintains the tension of the story even if the voice is no longer there, so for all that and for the lyrics that describe us so well, congratulations!!!

Be safe!!!

[adamfarr]

Jamie - so polished and "tight" as I think others have commented - you are in fine form recently.

It's so far away from anything that I would normally listen to that I don't have a lot to say - but I can admire the playing, production and writing, and the atmospherics of the outro, which is really great sounding.

[cowparsleyman]

@Jamie - cool work, I’m with adam about it being a little off my usual listening path, but excellently executed and professionally produced.

I was wondering which guitar your were brandishing.

Your voice cuts through beautifully.

[Binladeda]

 Hi Jamie,  Loved the outro...amazing and that big guitar sound.  I'm hearing a lot of early Genises/Floyd etc etc...which is nice
 Not the sort of song that's going to light up the dance floor, but it's packed full of interest and imagination, that demands attention, and I'm already on my
 4th time around

 Excellent work mate
 take care, stay safe

[Bill Saunders]

How good was that?! Catchy, memorable repeating main vocal melody line - it's stuck in my head after one listen. The words maybe less so, as I was struggling to hear them clearly without reading the lyrics. You may well have been aiming for that eerie sound anyway of course.

Overall, it sounded like a polished, well balanced production to me.

The electric guitar outro is simple and very effective. A reminder that a few, well chosen notes can often be more effective than widdly diddly (technical guitarist term). I thought that whole last section was great, and the decay right at the end was suitably scary.

[Jamie]

@kevysc
Hi Kevin, super comments. I'm glad you mentioned King Crimson as I love them, and the outro 'style' was an attempt to get that feel of playing some really unusual notes and making it sound tense and melodic (as per KC!) I really only wrote the first half of the song as a vehicle to get the instrumental part listened too .


@Wicked Deeds
Hi Paul, I think we've all met a few "Dracula's' along the way....Great comments, liked the soundscape/drama and menacing description that is rather apt as that is exactly what I was trying to evoke!

@Grubstar
Hi, what can I say, great comments, thanks!

Cheers all thanks for listening!

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

Hi guys thanks for listening!

@Unclenny
Hi, careful don't want you falling off that chair . Glad you enjoyed the vocals, I've had trouble in the past getting them right in the mix .I'm very pleased with the instrumental parts!

@MonnoDB
Hi Karen, the song starts in F sharp and the instrumental section is in Dm yet doesn't seem separate!? Yes it is a standard Dm chord progression, but I wanted tension in the theme so I wanted to elbow in some unusual notes into the theme.So across Dm, B flat and Gm the notes in the lead are E,F,E,G,F sharp,A B flat and F. The note that sticks out in that series id the F sharp which doesn't sit in any of the Dm range, but strangely it seems to have worked!Also in the second round the harmonics change with different descending (some chromatics in there) runs. I haven't tabbed it but I reckon there are some mighty strange chords in there! I'm not too knowledgable on the technical elements of music, but I'm sure some erudite person on the forum can describe what it it! Yes, I'm not sure if you 'accused' me of sounding like Pink Floyd, but it has happened many times before so I'll let you off . The cymbals and Hi Hat parts were added after a suggestion by Rich @cowparsleyman , pleased you noticed.

@MichaelA
Hi Michael, can I expect your lawyers to be in touch? . I had heard of tritone and knew it was something Black Sabbath had used unknowingly as it happens to create some of their Satanic delights. I did it by ear as I didn't know the definition but I have looked it up since! Must get your book......memo to self


Cheers

Jamie

[Jamie]

Hi all, thanks for listening!

@moraamarolaloba
Hi Mora, I'm pleased you felt that the instrumental section carried forward the tension implied by the lyrics! Yes the vocal is double to keep it 'punchy'. Glad you enjoyed it in the heat of the Summer! Stay safe


@adamfarr
Hi Adam, in many ways to have someone to listen and comment on a song they wouldn't normally have in their collection is a bit of kudos. It must have said something to you, even if it is as you say that you could enjoy the playing and production. Thanks!

@cowparsleyman
Hi Rich, did you notice the ride, hi hat and feedback in the last section, as you suggested? Was I in the right territory? Thanks for the comments on the production and vocals ! I played my Les Paul on this one through various plug ins in Logic Pro X.


Cheers
Jamie