Last edited: Oct 8, 2015

Hey mattmckay.

Nice to hear some guitars, but I'd say you need to rework the mix first of all.
There's like zero dynamics, the whole track seems to be pushed a bit over the limit looking at the volume. This makes everything sound unnecessary squashed and mushy, the individual instruments don't get any character.
Your track needs a bit of air here and there so the listener can get a sense of movement and emotion.

The deadline for submissions has been moved to Jan 31 cause we just lost our project leader, so you have time to take part in the forum and do some track tweaking.

 

Yeah, remember that even when you want a lot of power and loudness you cant push everything too far, cause then you just end up with a flat wall of sound that doesn't really communicate with the listener.
For instance, the solo guitar on your track will have more impact if there's more dynamics and the other parts (drums, bass, backing) also have more clarity and distinction.

 

Yes, the overall sound is much better now *yes*

I personally would have tried to make even a little more room for the drums to give the beat some more power, but that might be a matter of taste.
The ending feels a bit weird though, kinda like you just happen to press the stop button a bit random. I think you should make that more distinct, or maybe just make a classic smooth fadeout.
Another small thing would be to take down the intro a notch. I get a clicky sound or a bit of a rattle on my system just when the track starts. Could be that just the first bass note is a bit too harsh / loud.

As always it would be good if some more guys could listen and comment so we get feedback on how the album submissions sound on a couple of different setups

 

The 'air' concept sugested by thisis also works in the arrangement.
I especially liked the moments at 4.40 and 5.20, because the mood changed a little.
The guitar lines are great, and drums are really exciting, but being intense almost the entire track the overall feel is linear/static for me.
Maybe you could try a more empty ambience in some 'bridges' (like in 2.20, when keys enter again and some voices appear), by dakening the guitars and pushing them far back, leaving the voices and a more open and reverberated vibe, and then bring the guitars back at 3.05 with more aggression. Nice playing Matt

 

The guitar should ride the accompaniment like a pro..