Interesting vibes in this - I originally thought that strange crackling could have possibly been on my end! The string work at the beginning is solid; nice use of varying articulations to continually build up and the slight fake-out on the crescendo was clever. Tone the track changes drastically thereafter.
The drum and bass section goes hard - loving the beat and surrounding pads panning out. The bass is just on the fringe of overdrive which I love, and it adds some nice motion to the track. The patch used around the 2:20 mark is fantastic - the slight portmanteau gives the beginning of each note a nice little bounce. I also really like how the orchestration is re-introduced as the track nears its end, harkening back to the beginning but getting to now hear everything fully in context.
The guitar at the end was unexpected (much like the original break!) but really welcome. Vibes here are immaculate in a lot of ways, and the melodies are fantastic. Nice A and B lines to complement one another, and it does well to cleanse the palate before finishing up.
This is great, I never quite knew where it was going but I enjoyed the journey. Production is solid throughout and everything is mixed well. Overall a pretty unique take on the theme and well executed at that. Great job.