Delusion's Master (album)

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Rainmak3r
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Delusion's Master (album)

Post by Rainmak3r »

Hi all,

after what feels like forever, I can finally share my first "serious" album, which as the Call of the 80's EP is available both on Bandcamp and soon, via Distrokid, on Spotify/iTunes/etc.

https://lminiero.bandcamp.com/album/delusions-master
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/loren ... ons-master
Edit: looks like it's on Spotify already, https://open.spotify.com/album/7mKocb8pNc2kuqh1GPYFjp

The genre is very much a mixed bag, but I guess you could call it a "progressive rock" album with some metal, gothic and/or electronic escapades. The title track is most definitely a progressive rock track, though, considering it's 18 minutes long!

While the only actually unreleased track is the title track itself (that I'll talk about in a second), most of the other songs you may know already have gone through some considerable work since I first shared them here. Some have been pretty much re-recorded from scratch, to some I added vocals (please bear with me here, I'm still not a real singer! :mrgreen: ) or some minor structural changes, and basically all of them I had to fine tune a bit for general improvements (e.g., drums, EQ or compression) and, where possible, tonal consistency across the whole record. Overall, I tried to use what I learned thanks to the feedback from you all across the past couple of years, and so I think most sound definitely better than they did at the time.

I mentioned I added vocals to some of them, as a couple I really conceived as "songs" from the get-go, and I just never got to writing lyrics for them and singing them. I tried to do that this time, with some mixed results (I do cringe a bit when I listen to some parts, especially where I'm not exactly in tune), but I felt it was something I needed to do. If you're interested in the lyrics (or just can't understand what I'm saying due to the thick Italian accent! :lol: ), I've added them to the Info sections of the respective tracks. Definitely not memorable poems to write home about, but hopefully not too cheesy either.

That said, the title track (the only one in the bunch you've still not listened to for sure) is definitely the work I'm proudest of so far. The title comes from the "Delusion's Master" novel by Tanith Lee, to this day one of my favourite books of all times, that I re-read for the n-th time just a few months ago. The track follows the plot of the book itself, which is part of a series set in an "Arabian Nights" kind of setting where some powerful God-like figures personifying some concepts (night, death, madness) walk the Earth and obviously affect the lives of regular people. This book in particular focuses on the centuries long clash that sparks between two of this figures, Chuz (Delusion's Master, aka Prince of Madness) and Azhrarn (Night's Master, aka Prince of Demons). The lyrics may spoil the book a bit if you haven't read it yet, but hopefully they'll tickle your curiosity and lead you to read it anyway.

As I was anticipating, I conceived it as progressive rock track, and most particularly this was the first time I attempted bringing together a full orchestra and rock elements. When I say full orchestra, I do mean it: I used the same modified @Michael Willis's template I used for my symphonic poems to write for a full orchestra, which did take me some time writing, orchestrating and normalizing (e.g., in understanding when not to overdo it, for instance), as expected... My main inspiration were Renaissance, a fantastic band from the 70s that actually used orchestra and prog rock together all the time. Of course, balancing orchestral and rock elements took a lot of work, especially trying to make them sound good together: I used the reverbs from Michael's template for everything, which I think helped a lot glue the different sections. Sometimes I feel this gave the whole track a more "live recording" vibe: whether that's good or not I don't know, but I like how it sounds, even if it's a bit different from the rest of the album. I chose a very thematic approach in my writing as well, with themes that do come back (or forward!) in different forms, and each of them with a precise meaning, or a leit-motif representing a character or another.

It took me months to get to what you hear today, and I reached a point where I realized I couldn't be objective about it any longer: I had listened to it too many times, always finding things that I felt needed further tweaking and changing. This means I don't really know what to think about it anymore: sometimes I think it's the best thing I've ever written, other times that it may be too predictable, or too mudded to be appreciated. I decided I just had to stop somewhere, and share it instead, or I'd risk keeping it in a closet forever. So here it is, out in the world: I'd really love your feedback on how it came out, what you liked and what you didn't, and if this time I was just a tidy bit too ambitious!

Thanks, hope you'll enjoy the album!
Last edited by Rainmak3r on Mon Nov 08, 2021 10:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Delusion's Master (album)

Post by Michael Willis »

It's nice to see a real portrait on your Bandcamp profile, although it rocks my world that you look nothing like Tchaikovsky :lol:

I haven't listened yet, this just popped up on my radar because you at-mentioned me. I'll try to carve out some time tomorrow. I've come to expect that your music takes some time to process!
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Re: Delusion's Master (album)

Post by Rainmak3r »

Michael Willis wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 2:43 am It's nice to see a real portrait on your Bandcamp profile, although it rocks my world that you look nothing like Tchaikovsky :lol:
I still have time, those hair won't stay like that forever :lol:
Michael Willis wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 2:43 am I haven't listened yet, this just popped up on my radar because you at-mentioned me. I'll try to carve out some time tomorrow. I've come to expect that your music takes some time to process!
Apologies for the mention, I just realized I do this everytime I use your Ardour template for something! Since my main objective by that is raising awareness about that excellent effort, which has been incredibly helpful to me so far, a better option would be to directly link to the repo instead (like this :D ). Hope you'll enjoy the music, and the last track in particular!
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Re: Delusion's Master (album)

Post by Michael Willis »

Rainmak3r wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 8:54 am I just realized I do this everytime I use your Ardour template for something!
I keep thinking that I should overhaul the template, since I've learned quite a lot since then. There are a lot of decisions that I'm not sure about though. Many people like the key-switched SFZ files, but my problem with them is that cueing up to some arbitrary time might skip the key switch event.

Anyway, maybe this is a discussion better done on a different thread, to not distract from your album which I still haven't listened to :oops:
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Re: Delusion's Master (album)

Post by Rainmak3r »

Michael Willis wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 2:26 pm
Rainmak3r wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 8:54 am I just realized I do this everytime I use your Ardour template for something!
I keep thinking that I should overhaul the template, since I've learned quite a lot since then. There are a lot of decisions that I'm not sure about though. Many people like the key-switched SFZ files, but my problem with them is that cueing up to some arbitrary time might skip the key switch event.

Anyway, maybe this is a discussion better done on a different thread, to not distract from your album which I still haven't listened to :oops:
Please do mention me if you open such a thread, as I'd be happy to contribute to the discussion! I am using keyswitches using a custom CC for instance, and the arbitrary skip problem is indeed there, unless you make sure the proper switch is enforced before each section for the instrument (which is what I try to do).
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Re: Delusion's Master (album)

Post by Tenaba »

Before I read the thread, I thought you'd somehow made the entire album within the time you released the EP lol. That being said, I haven't heard most of the tracks yet, so it is like a new album for me though.

I'm really digging that long solo section on "Dreams", especially around 7:05. And the title track is very well done too, it's clear you put a ton of work into it. For vocals, I'd probably say my favorite is "I'll be back".

Cool cover art too by the way!

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Re: Delusion's Master (album)

Post by Rainmak3r »

Tenaba wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 8:35 pm Before I read the thread, I thought you'd somehow made the entire album within the time you released the EP lol.
Ha, I wish I were that fast! :lol:
Tenaba wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 8:35 pm That being said, I haven't heard most of the tracks yet, so it is like a new album for me though.
That's good, as this way you'll have a better perspective to tell me if it actually managed to make it sound more consistent and coherent overall, or if it does sound like a collection of random stuff :mrgreen:
Tenaba wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 8:35 pm I'm really digging that long solo section on "Dreams", especially around 7:05. And the title track is very well done too, it's clear you put a ton of work into it. For vocals, I'd probably say my favorite is "I'll be back".
I do like the Dreams solo a lot too: it's the slowest one in the album, and yet it allowed me to convey some more emotion because of that. And I'm glad you enjoyed the title track too, as I *did* spend way too much time on it :lol:

I'm surprised you liked the vocals in I'll be back the most, as I found them a bit too "boxy" (something I didn't manage to fix), but other friends have told me they do like it too: maybe I am indeed too harsh on myself :)
Tenaba wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 8:35 pm Cool cover art too by the way!
I did fall in love with that picture when I found it! It came up looking for pictures on Pexels, which has proven to be an excellent source of very high quality pictures, that are apparently free to use without attribution (even though I did credit the author on Bandcamp, where I could put some info). From what I've understood, it's a technique used to take multiple pictures in a row of a drone moving in circles, which gives that cool effect. Since it looked like a broken tower in the desert, and had some mystique to it, I felt it would be perfect for the title track, and so the album too :)

Thanks for listening!
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Re: Delusion's Master (album)

Post by jeanette_c »

Hey hey @Rainmak3r , congratulations! This is a good album. I enjoyed "Delusion's master" a lot. There is some great orchestral work in it. You certainly got it to sound right. I know the samples and you got them to shine. It gets perhaps a little muddy from about 12:20, but it is difficult with electric guitars like that and a full orchestra.
Also very well done on the vocals! They were absolutely missing on a few of your songs and there's nothing to apologies for. You sound confident enough and your voice has a good timbre. I was sometimes reminded of James Hetfield.
The song that caught me instantly though was "Out of the void", but then I am drawn to the desparate sadness. No idea if you intended that atmosphere, but that's what reaches my brain. :)
Your work on the other old songs has been time well spent. On the metal tracks I still think the snare is too weak, but it's a good compromise to glue it together with the proggy side. And - as always - you have some ace guitar work on that album, in the old and the new. I want to go back to Delusion's master tomorrow, when I can listen to it with more volume. Oh and: tasty use of atmospheric samples there.
Best wishes, jeanette
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Re: Delusion's Master (album)

Post by folderol »

Only listened to the first three tracks so far, and seriously impressed with these.
It's late here now, but I'll be back! :lol:
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Re: Delusion's Master (album)

Post by GMaq »

Hi and congrats on another great release!!

Like others I'm absorbing it in bits and pieces and what I've heard so far sounds really good! "Delusion's Master" is epic! I like your vocals a lot, great storyteller vibe in the prog context and of course the guitar work is top-notch.. Great stuff, looking forward to listening to more!
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Re: Delusion's Master (album)

Post by Rainmak3r »

jeanette_c wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 9:47 pm Hey hey @Rainmak3r , congratulations! This is a good album. I enjoyed "Delusion's master" a lot. There is some great orchestral work in it. You certainly got it to sound right. I know the samples and you got them to shine. It gets perhaps a little muddy from about 12:20, but it is difficult with electric guitars like that and a full orchestra.
Thanks, this is really appreciated! And yeah, I get what you mean by after 12:20: it's when solos start to play, and the whole track gets progressively heavier. I did struggle quite a lot there, especially in the final part, and that's where I had to learn not to overdo the orchestral part, since every instrument you add does take its room in the frequency space, and there's only so much you can do with EQs.
jeanette_c wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 9:47 pm Also very well done on the vocals! They were absolutely missing on a few of your songs and there's nothing to apologies for. You sound confident enough and your voice has a good timbre. I was sometimes reminded of James Hetfield.
Thanks, this is so nice to hear! Even though I wish I sounded like Hetfield, it definitely would have helped in Fragments... :mrgreen:
I still feel like I could do much better, and there's parts I think "how could I release THAT", but hopefully I'll improve over time. My sister is a speech therapist and a vocal coach, so I know she'll tell me all I did wrong quite clearly :lol:
jeanette_c wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 9:47 pm The song that caught me instantly though was "Out of the void", but then I am drawn to the desparate sadness. No idea if you intended that atmosphere, but that's what reaches my brain. :)
You got it exactly right :wink: It's a track I first wrote more than 20 years ago, when I felt particularly down. The title comes from observations I did at the time, where I thought that any art usually comes from emotions of different kinds: back then I felt like I was feeling nothing at all, though, and so I asked myself "what can come out of emptiness, nothingness, out of the void?", hence the hopeless music and lyrics. Of course, what I didn't realise at the time was that I was just very lonely :) That's why I consider this track the most personal in the album.
jeanette_c wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 9:47 pm Your work on the other old songs has been time well spent. On the metal tracks I still think the snare is too weak, but it's a good compromise to glue it together with the proggy side. And - as always - you have some ace guitar work on that album, in the old and the new. I want to go back to Delusion's master tomorrow, when I can listen to it with more volume. Oh and: tasty use of atmospheric samples there.
Best wishes, jeanette
Yeah, I worked hard on the drums but I know I'm not there yet :lol: At least it should sound a bit better than it did in the past!

I'm really grateful that Delusion's Master tickled your interest to listen to it again! Any time we write and share something, we know we're basically relying on people to choose to devote their free time (that they could spend doing literally anything else) checking in out, so there's nothing more rewarding than learning some spend even more time with it, especially when that time is a LOT... Should you have more feedback for me after that 2nd listen, I'd love to hear that too!
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Re: Delusion's Master (album)

Post by Rainmak3r »

folderol wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 10:02 pm Only listened to the first three tracks so far, and seriously impressed with these.
It's late here now, but I'll be back! :lol:
Thanks, I'm glad the first part was good enough to get you hooked :lol:
Hope you'll enjoy the rest of it too! There's quite a lot of excellent Yoshimi in there :D
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Re: Delusion's Master (album)

Post by Rainmak3r »

GMaq wrote: Tue Nov 09, 2021 2:30 am Hi and congrats on another great release!!

Like others I'm absorbing it in bits and pieces and what I've heard so far sounds really good! "Delusion's Master" is epic! I like your vocals a lot, great storyteller vibe in the prog context and of course the guitar work is top-notch.. Great stuff, looking forward to listening to more!
Thanks for your kind words, they do mean a lot! Hope you'll enjoy the rest too!
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Re: Delusion's Master (album)

Post by Tenaba »

Rainmak3r wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 8:59 pm That's good, as this way you'll have a better perspective to tell me if it actually managed to make it sound more consistent and coherent overall, or if it does sound like a collection of random stuff :mrgreen:
I don't think there's any problems with consistency for the album, nor I do think albums need to be super consistent in the first place. Some variation is good!
Rainmak3r wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 8:59 pm I do like the Dreams solo a lot too: it's the slowest one in the album, and yet it allowed me to convey some more emotion because of that. And I'm glad you enjoyed the title track too, as I *did* spend way too much time on it :lol:

I'm surprised you liked the vocals in I'll be back the most, as I found them a bit too "boxy" (something I didn't manage to fix), but other friends have told me they do like it too: maybe I am indeed too harsh on myself :)
I can see what you mean by "boxy" now, although I probably wouldn't have thought too much about it before you mentioned it. Sounds like a bit too much energy around the midrange? The performance sounds good though.
Rainmak3r wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 8:59 pm I did fall in love with that picture when I found it! It came up looking for pictures on Pexels, which has proven to be an excellent source of very high quality pictures, that are apparently free to use without attribution (even though I did credit the author on Bandcamp, where I could put some info). From what I've understood, it's a technique used to take multiple pictures in a row of a drone moving in circles, which gives that cool effect. Since it looked like a broken tower in the desert, and had some mystique to it, I felt it would be perfect for the title track, and so the album too :)

Thanks for listening!
That's really cool. The desert tower does seem fitting for the album name, it sort of has a proggy feel, somehow.

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Re: Delusion's Master (album)

Post by glowrak guy »

Rainmak3r wrote: Sun Nov 07, 2021 4:47 pm Hi all,
after what feels like forever, I can finally share my first "serious" album, which as the Call of the 80's EP is available both on Bandcamp and soon, via Distrokid, on Spotify/iTunes/etc.
Hi, great respect for your hard work, creativity, and I appreciate what brought on your 8) results. You tell the stories lyrically or otherwise, very eloquently, support them with instrumentals that grab attention and hold interest, and place it all in a sonic environment worth exploring.

Having worked on, and lived nears railroads, the intro and ending to "Lies" was much appreciated. As are the less than predictable contents/orchestration. My yard is full of happy crickets.

Distrokid is a welcome resource, and if you make new versions, the tools are there to update existing titles, with the speed of individual outlets uptake being the variable. I've discovered some of my own gotchas that slipped past my QA drone :wink:

Hope your release is the tip of an iceberg!
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