https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPA9eei8e5U
Genre/Style: Neo-classical Symphonic Metal
A love song composed in Neo-classical symphonic metal style. The overall vibe is dark, deep but epic, filled with longing and awe.
Creative Vision for the Track: the lyric is based on the poem “I Speak Not” by Lord Byron (George Gordon Byron, 1788-1824). Lord Byron is my favorite English poet - I always fall for that darkness and desperation behind the romantic longing.
Composition Details (Tempo, Key, Main Chords etc):The song is in D minor, however it sounds modal overall which provides a hint of Nordic or Celtic flavour. The melody is romantic and lyrical, but I incorporated aggressive metal gestures in the orchestration on purpose.
I also harmonized the melody in a fairly classical way - diminished and half-diminished chords, augmented 6th and Neapolitan chords, to thicken the texture and darken the mood.
I ended up singing it myself because the emotional and stylistic complexity is too hard to deliver to a singer. (I am not a singer at all). This key is initially difficult for me to sing, but instead of changing the key, I decided to take vocal lessons just for singing this - I see the poem only in this color of D, I can’t hear this song in any other keys.
Main Instruments used: It really is quite a fusion in terms of the orchestration, as that is how I present the idea of “emotional complexity”. Aggressive drums/percussions, amplified guitars and bass guitar keep the metal feature, combined with the lush strings, airy flute, and lyrical harp to give that romantic longing. Epic choir, huge reverb, and wide stereo image are there to provide the grandeur and sense of awe.
