Kelwynshade - A Silk Dagger =- Beutifully done!
I would never have thought something like a sitar/harp/dulcimer or whatever you used for that main theme could pull a whole song together. I usually rely on slower instruments like bassoon and French Horn to pull my music along, thus giving it a slower feel. However, by using a light string instrument, you gave the song a fabulous tone. With the addition of the strings, the song almost got a noble/ethereal feel to it, and the samples (East/West) were fabulous (as usual :)).
Although at first I didn't exactly like the drums, I grew to like them because they ended up backing up the theme. The one mistake I see all the time in Classical submissions that I regard as the biggest No-No is having drums that don't even fit (like modern rock drum-sets being used... which you did not do). Although the drums seemed a bit light at first, I soon realized that the lightness and wood-percussion backing was required to keep the theme going, instead of the heavy bass drum and snare I go for in my work, which gives the piece more of a slow cadence.
Also, the singing brought the piece into a new realm, and when backed by the plucking of the string instrument you chose (still can't figure it out) gave the song a mixed feel between Egyptian and Greek cultures- easily setting it in the Middle East, which was both a breeding ground and a mixing pot of cultures.
The only concern I have is the abrupt end. If you are planning to use the song as a loop (which, to be frank, sounds good as one already), then there is no reason to bring that up. However, as a full song, the abrupt ending is like ending a book with no resolution to the plot. If the king was killed at that end moment, it would be a climax, not an abrupt end (or, at least, in my opinion it would be). Of course, you might not be done either, so my apologies if you still have plans.
All in all, a fabulous piece worthy of a 10/10.
