FAWM: "Gateway to Nightmare"

Gateway to Nightmare

1 week ago by @tezzin

Liner Notes

The 11th is a good day to upload my first song, yeah? Here we go!

Uh... not sure what else to say about this one at the moment. Been immersed in finishing the demo and getting it mixed, and all my thoughts about it are currently mush. Will revisit. In comments? Yes.

#metal #rock #fullproduction

Lyrics

Power Wrapped up in a shiny package Reserved for desperate hours When there's another war to wage

How'd we get here? Drowning in division and fear again

Gateway to nightmare Leading through nowhere Stop and take in the absent scenery Gasping for last breath Escape from slow death Greed and despair feed the machinery

Hopeless Tears poured from a soul that's bitter The meaning's not in focus Without a reason left to give

Trapped in the lies Can honor and justice arise again?

Gateway to nightmare Leading through nowhere Stop and take in the absent scenery Gasping for last breath Escape from slow death Greed and despair feed the machinery

Comments

@bxphane 3d

Truly an epic track! The vocals are fantastic, I really liked all the different intonations! I really liked the thrash metal inspiration!

@tezzin 1d

Thank you! I think this one definitely warrants some post-FAWM treatment.

@tomslatter 3d

Really cool vocals on this! Love it. There's some cool countermelody/textural stuff in the background too - sort of thing you don't always get in metal, but it works really well.

@tezzin 1d

Thanks! I'm a sucker for "ear candy" bits in a production.

@markujiro 5d

This is a really solid composition and interesting chord voicings. I forget the name of the power metal band but your voice reminds of their singer's (all I remember is that Sarah from BangerTV has a tattoo of their logo). I guess this might be a temporary but the synth guitars evoke the Mega Man series, which scratches a very particular Elder Millenial itch in me.

@tezzin 1d

Thanks!

Hmm, now I'm wondering what band/singer you're talking about... 🤔

@markujiro 1d

OK it was Pagan Altar

@metalfoot 6d

As another commentor said, not really into the growled vocals but paired with a clean vocal I don't mind so much. Great energy to this song. And the lyric is on point.

@tezzin 5d

I appreciate that. Thanks!

@emplate 6d

EPIC vocals! The chorus is so catchy. Has that old school heavy metal feel which I adore. I wish I could do stuff like that, but growling and grinding is my way with these skills, hahah!

@tezzin 6d

Thanks so much! Yeah, but you do those things so well. Maybe a collab one of these days. Could be an interesting blend.

@emplate 6d

Yeah, definitely down for that!

@burrMod 6d

yeah, this has a great groove and very digging the subtle synth twiddly bits. i’m not well-versed with metal but i am a sucker for those kinds of touches which feel like they go more in a proggy direction? fun harmonies, too… and the halftime bridge was entirely the correct vibe 🤘

@tezzin 6d

Thank you! I think it's fair for you to use "proggy" here; my influences/tendencies from that side of things tend to express themselves whether I've consciously done it or not, even if the time signature is 4/4 and there's no chord weirder than a minor 7 and a sus2.

@tawny249 6d

Definitely headbanging! I usually am not huge on growling but you paired it with quality singing vocals, and therefore this is an exception. Tasty harmonies in the chorus, and I appreciate your word choice and rhymes, they feel pretty natural to me. Seconding the love for the bell-like tones in the background, whatever they were.

@tezzin 6d

Thanks! I wanted to use the rougher vocal bits as textural elements layered under the melodic lines rather than featuring them front and center. Almost like running the lead vocal through a distortion pedal, but organic! And leaving the primary lines undistorted. If that makes sense...

@fairplay 6d

...powerful! - and: the eleventh is (obviously) a great day to upload your first song - great presentation, nice mixing, catchy melody - well done!...

@tezzin 6d

Vielen Dank!

@disarming 1w

Wow. This is incredible. Love all the cool sounds and tones. The glockenspiel? The rad lead and relentless everything! Heck yeah. Great first tune!

Greed and despair feed the machinery! Phenomenal lyrics.

@tezzin 1w

Thanks so much! Heh, I guess that does sound a bit like a glockenspiel. It's a funky synth preset with an arpeggiator on it; I was looking to add some extra texture beyond what the guitars were doing, and usually I'd find a preset that's kind of in the ballpark and then tweak it, but I liked what that one was doing on its default settings so much I just left it alone.