The tone is ok....I don't know if it's the guitar tone itself, the mix, or recording techniques (or any combination of the above) but I think the everything on the track could stand to be a bit clearer...the low end is just a bit too overpowering for my ears. When I layer rhythm tracks, I like to do at least one take with a lower-gain tone and a bit more high end. I'm guessing you're dialing a fairly heavy amp tone and playing that Ibanez with the X2N into it? Another approach worth exploring (though maybe not practical given the sort of music you're into and that it would require a bit of change in your gear) is to use a guitar with lower output pickups (older single coils, for example) and run that into an amp that's dialed in fairly heavy. This is the basic approach that Jeff Kollman uses. Check out his stuff on the latest cosmosquad record, Acid Test. He's probably got my favorite heavy tone of all time and a lot of that stuff was recorded with a tele with single coils in it. Just something to consider messing around with. Either way, I think your signal could stand to lose a little bit of gain somewhere along the chain. Nonetheless, the tone and rhythm playing are definitely improved over the "metal showdown track"
The lead work is a bit of a mess on both tracks (and on the street fighter track as well). Working on your intonation and timing (both of which are issues on all three tracks) would solve the vast majority of your problems. Judging from the three tracks, your vibrato seems to have improved over time but could still be better. The other big thing (in addition to the intonation and timng) is your phrasing...your lines just aren't coherent or well-planned. Listen to people like Miles Davis, David Gilmour, Scott Henderson, etc....people with really good time, phrasing, well-organized ideas, and musical ideas that they really hear/feel, not just things their fingers know how to do. Don't let stylistic differeces get in the way either...the approaches those guys take over standards, classic rock ballads, or uber-technical fusion tunes can be applied to any style of music...it's the concepts you're listening for, not necessarily the musical content. To be clear...it's nothing to do with playing slow, fast, or whatever....but there's a reason someone like Guthrie can play fast as hell over a tune like Little Wing and still sound incredibly musical and have a great feel while someone like Fransesco Farreri couldn't string together a nice sounding melodic line with a gun to his head. Lastly, the tone...a bit compressed and gainy for my tastes, trying backing off of the gain to get a more responsive tone and let your hands do more of the work.
That's how I'm hearing everything...you can take it as you will. Ultimately, there seems to be a gradual overall improvement between tracks so at the very least, you are moving in the right direction.
EDIT: sorry for the novel...it just happened
hay did you see the video (ecotone) dude it's awesome 
