DreamTheaterForums.org Dream Theater Fan Site
General => Archive => General Music Archives => Topic started by: Buddyhunter1 on June 13, 2015, 11:37:26 AM
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First Roulette: https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=39608.0
---PARTICIPANTS
1: senecadawg2 (Former Champion)
2: Sacul
3: Evermind
4: Scorpion
5: mikemangioy
6: Shadow Ninja 2.0
7: Lucien
8: Dr. DTVT
---RULES---
- Like last time, there will be eight rounds. As for round themes, I'm simplifying things a bit this time around. The rounds will be:
Round 1: Opener (Mostly an open round, but send something that would be good for opening up an album or live show)
Round 2: Heavy
Round 3: Atmospheric
Round 4: Open Round
Round 5: Heavy (again)
Round 6: Atmospheric (again)
Round 7: Open Round
Round 8: Open round with maybe a special twist to it.
- Submitted songs cannot be 14 minutes or longer, unless the round specifically allows for something longer.
- A YouTube link is good for song submissions. Spotify works too, as well as any website that doesn't force me to sign up to listen to it.
- Last time around I graded songs using a score for each one. For this roulette, I will simply be ranking the songs for each round, and the higher your song ranks, the more points you get. (First place is 10 points, second place is 9, and so on and so forth, down to 3 points for last place. This should keep the scores for each participant a bit more dynamic than last time.
- No more than two songs per band can be submitted in this roulette. Check out the "Newly Banned" section below to see which ones become unavailable. I will also add bands to this list if I get a submission that I like enough.
---BANNED ARTISTS---
Yellow: Favorite
Purple: Indifferent to / not really a fan
- Agalloch
- Alcest
- Anathema
- Between The Buried And Me
- Casualties Of Cool
- Chroma Key / Kevin Moore
- Cynic
- Decapitated
- Deftones
- Dethklok
- Devin Townsend (or anything Devin Townsend-related)
- Dir En Grey
- Dream Theater
- Gallowbraid
- Gojira
- Gorillaz
- Guilt Machine
- Ihsahn
- Katatonia
- Kvelertak
- Leprous
- Liquid Tension Experiment
- Mastodon
- Maudlin Of The Well
- Meshuggah
- Metallica
- Ne Obliviscaris
- Nightwish
- Oceansize
- Opeth
- OSI
- Pendulum
- Periphery
- Pink Floyd
- Porcupine Tree
- Rage Against The Machine
- Riverside
- Steven Wilson
- Storm Corrosion
- Strapping Young Lad
- System Of A Down
- Tool
- Type O Negative
- Unexpect
---PARTIALLY BANNED---
- Barren Earth: The Devil's Resolve
- Circus Maximus: Nine
- The Contortionist: Language
- The Dear Hunter: The Color Spectrum
- Haken: The Mountain
- Iron Maiden: The Number Of The Beast
- Kayo Dot: Choirs Of The Eye
- The Ocean: Pelagial
- Queensryche: Operation: Mindcrime
- Rush: Moving Pictures
- Sigur Ros: ( )
- Sleepytime Gorilla Museum: Grand Opening And Closing
- Tesseract: Altered State
- Thrice: The Alchemy Index
- Ulver: Perdition City
- Wintersun: Time I
---NEWLY BANNED---
- Kauan
- Nevermore
- David Maxim Micic
- Beach House
- Amorphis
- IQ
- Haken
- Foals
- Celldweller
THE SCORE SO FAR:
Scorpion: 52
Evermind: 51
Shadow Ninja 2.0: 50
senecadawg2: 47
mikemangioy: 43
Dr. DTVT: 42
Sacul: 42
Lucien: 37
CONTESTANT SONG RANKINGS:
senecadawg2
1: Kauan - Aiden Laulu
2: Foals - Spanish Sahara
3: Headspace - Invasion
4: Native Construct - Mute
5: Wayfarer - Children Of The Iron Age
6: Mazzy Star - Fade Into You
7: Addaura - City Light
Sacul
1: David Maxim Micic - Smile
2: Destiny Potato - Love Song
3: Chimp Spanner - Under One Sky
4: Nine Inch Nails - Heresy
5: Refused - New Noise
6: If These Trees Could Talk - Red Forest
7: Dead Can Dance - Children Of The Sun
Evermind
1: IQ - The Road Of Bones
2: Phideaux - Micro Softdeathstar
3: David Gilmour - Where We Start
4: Pain Of Salvation - Beyond The Pale
5: Beyond The Bridge - The Call
6: Galahad - Empires Never Last
7: Need - Symmetrape
Scorpion
1: Alkaloid - Cthulhu
2: MONO - Surrender
3: SikTh - Tupelo
4: Kalmah - Rust Never Sleeps
5: The Oracle - The Sorcerer
6: Persefone - Kusanagi
7: Portishead - Glory Box
mikemangioy
1: Nevermore - I, Voyager
2: Alter Bridge - The Uninvited
3: Destrage - My Green Neighbor
4: The Mars Volta - Son Et Lumiere / Intertiatic E.S.P.
5: Frost* - Hyperventilate
6: Foo Fighters - Still
7: Evile - In Dreams Of Terror
Shadow Ninja 2.0
1: Beach House - Myth
2: Celldweller - Birthright
3: Polkadot Cadaver - Last Call In Jonestown
4: Second Person - Spilt Milk
5: Mirrorthrone - So Frail
6: The Dillinger Escape Plan - Prancer
7: Justin Cross - Drink The Water
Lucien
1: Blue Man Group - Klein Mandelbrot
2: Haken - Darkest Light
3: Duran Duran - Ordinary World
4: Radiohead - Optimistic
5: Igor Stravinski - The Rite Of Spring: Sacrificial Dance
6: Beethoven - Symphony #5, Movement IV
7: Mad King Corduroy - Ice Fields
Dr. DTVT
1: Amorphis - Silent Waters
2: Enslaved - Clouds
3: Orphaned Land - The Birth Of The Three
4: Evergrey - The Aftermath
5: Ice Age - Perpetual Child
6: Dan Swano - Patchworks
7: Sigh - Graveward
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Our tastes are very different it seems, but I'll give it a shot if you'll have me.
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Since the banned list doesn't indicate if you love/hate some of those bands, wouldn't you mind describing your tastes a bit more? That way I can send you nice stuff :D .
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I'm so in that you have no idea.
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I'm so in that you have no idea.
Awesome. You were doing great the first roulette until you just disappeared halfway through. :lol
And Sacul, I'll highlight the artists I especially like.
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Yeah, I won't be doing that again. :lol
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Looking forward to this :tup
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In!
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Still need three more people!
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I guess people are kinda sick of participating in roulettes by now. :P
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oh hey i'll join
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I guess people are kinda sick of participating in roulettes by now. :P
Not me at least :P
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Let's go.
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Sure, I'll throw my hat in.
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Alright, got all our participants! Round 1 should start pretty soon, either when Elite posts his final results, or sooner if I'm allowed.
Remember, the theme for Round 1 is something that would be good for an album / live show / side opener. It doesn't have to be the first track on an album or anything, just something with that "opener" kind of vibe. Start thinking about what you want to send, and I'll let you know when you can start submitting. :)
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Can we also include the link to short intro before the actual opener song? Like FAS + The Enemy Inside.
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Can we also include the link to short intro before the actual opener song? Like FAS + The Enemy Inside.
Sure, if you think it enhances the actual submission.
Anyways, In the words of Bolsters, I have a thread and some contestants, so what the fuck, ROUND 1 BEGINS NOW!
Get sendin'!
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I guess people are kinda sick of participating in roulettes by now. :P
I only join one at a time, I just stalk the other roulette threads :lol
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Sent!
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also sent
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Sent!
I think you're in the wrong thread. :lol
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Sent.
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I'll send soon.
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Sent!
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Submitted for your approval.
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Sent!
I think you're in the wrong thread. :lol
Elite on drugs confirmed ;D
Sent btw.
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scent
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Just need something from Scorpion.
edit: Got everyone. Results Friday.
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---ROUND 1 RESULTS---
1st Place: Dr. DTVT
Enslaved - Clouds
Alright, so here we've got a mildly-heavy black metal song with some progressive elements, and it's a combination that works pretty well. The first two minutes or so of this song are absolutely fantastic; the layered guitars really create a great atmosphere and the chord progression works very well for both of the riffs. The vocals come in after this section, and while the cleans are quite nice, especially when they first come in, the harsh vocals could be better. I don't usually mind the raspy, black metal style of screams, but these ones sound particularly weak compared to others I've heard in the same vein. They don't really hurt the song for me, but some slightly better ones would have been welcome. There's a really nice instrumental section in the second half where the rhythm changes up and we get some more great guitar work. The choruses and verses are okay, but not fantastic. Not a perfect song, but it's got a great atmosphere and some excellent sections, so it ended up just barely beating the next song for first place.
2nd Place: Scorpion
Kalmah - Rust Never Sleeps
Like Dr. DTVT's submission, this song starts out amazingly well. It begins with a buildup with acoustic guitars and horns that then break into a fucking AWESOME riff. Like, it's one of those riffs where it's pretty much impossible not to headbang to. If the rest of the song were that kickass, this would have been the best song this round, no questions asked. As it is though, the rest of the song is good, but doesn't quite live up to the awesomeness that is the first minute. The growls are good, and the lead guitar lays down some good melodies here and there; the brief section before the tradeoff solos is especially nice. Solid melodic death metal, with a lot of energy. Not much more to say about it.
3rd Place: senecadawg2
Headspace - Invasion
I'm getting strong OSI vibes from this song for whatever reason. The verses have a really funky rhythm that's hard to pin down, and they transition and build up very well to the prechorus and chorus, both of which are quite catchy. This song does a good job at holding back the heavy riffs until when the song really gets into gear during the chorus and the section after the second chorus. The song changes up a lot in the second half, though not always in a cohesive way; the section in the middle with the different tempo feels especially out of place. I feel like if the song kept going the direction it was going before this section while still introducing new elements it would have been a bit better. The outro is quite nice, calming things down with acoustic guitar and strings before the full band comes back in for a dramatic finale. It's an alright change of pace from the rest of the song, though it's not my favorite part. Overall, this was a pretty good song, though it feels like pretty standard progressive metal to me. This is a similar problem I had with the next song (albeit to a somewhat lesser extent with this one), and I was debating for a while which one to rank higher, but I eventually decided to give the slight nod to this one.
4th Place: Evermind
Beyond The Bridge - The Call
Here we've got a slice of good, though fairly standard prog metal. It's got some nice guitar riffage, and the chorus is definitely the highlight of the song. It's very soaring and powerful; probably the best chorus out of any of the songs this round, actually. While this is a good song, sound-wise I don't feel like it really offers anything new. It's got that traditional prog metal sound that I've heard many times before, and these days I don't typically find myself listening to bands like this unless they incorporate some special influence or element into their sound that sets them apart from the rest of the pack. I also feel like this song takes a dip in quality from the spoken-word section onwards, especially since it seems to just end out of nowhere. The riff after the spoken-word and the guitar and keyboard solos seem like they're setting up for one last chorus or a proper finale, but then the song just stops. Oh well. Still a solid song, though probably not something I'll return to much in the future.
5th Place: mikemangioy
The Mars Volta - Son Et Lumiere / Intertiatic E.S.P.
This song is a lot more interesting and unique in terms of the sound and instrumentation department. The way it uses lots of different effects and instruments creates a really trippy sound, especially towards the end during that section with the tribal-sounding percussion. While this song gets a big thumbs up from me in the sound department, as for the song itself, I feel like it could be better. In particular, the chorus gets pretty annoying after a while, mostly likely due to the vocal line. The verses are a bit better, and I like the Son Et Lumiere part, which works as a great intro. Overall, this song has me a bit interested in the band, as it seems like they're got a really interesting and experimental sound, but as for this song on its own, it's merely decent.
6th Place: Sacul
Refused - New Noise
I can't say I expected to get any punk this roulette. :lol It's not a genre I really listen to, but this song is actually pretty good. It starts out with a nice buildup, and the main riff during the heavier sections is quite enjoyable, as are the other heavy riffs in the song. The verses are a lot quieter, and while they make for a good contrast in dynamics, I'm not really a fan of them. Same goes for the vocals; it's just not really I style I'm keen on. Lastly, the electronic section near the beginning and the weird interlude towards the end keep the song interesting. This doesn't seem like something I'd go out of my way to listen to, but it's still enjoyable.
7th Place: Shadow Ninja 2.0
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Prancer
I got a lot of heavy songs this round, but this one's definitely the heaviest. It's pretty much a nonstop barrage of pummeling riffs and crazy drums with some technical rhythms, and while that's all normally right up my alley, this song wasn't all that memorable to me. There's not really any riffs or sections that especially stick out to me, though it at least all sounds quite nice. I guess if I were just in the mood for something loud and angry, this would be good for that purpose, but otherwise I don't see myself really getting into it. But hey, the next round's a heavy round, so you can try again next time!
8th Place: Lucien
Beethoven - Symphony #5, Movement IV
I got the feeling that you were going to send me classical music at some point in this roulette. :lol Well, what can I say? I'm sure I've at least heard part of this piece somewhere before; the part at the four minute mark sounds especially familiar. It's nice, but classical music always just feels like background music to me; something that works well when accompanying something else, but not something I can really get invested in on its own. Plus, I've definitely heard better classical music than this before, like the Firebird Suite, Bald Mountain, etc. Not sure what kind of a result you were expecting from sending me this, but better luck next time.
THE SCORE SO FAR:
Dr. DTVT: 10
Scorpion: 9
senecadawg2: 8
Evermind: 7
mikemangioy: 6
Sacul: 5
Shadow Ninja 2.0: 4
Lucien: 3
No artists banned this round.
Well, I got a lot of heavy songs this round, and I'm ready for more, because Round Two is a heavy round! Mildly heavy or ridiculously brutal, the choice is yours, as long as it's good. :)
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DTVT is right on track with that submission. Having seen all the themes before the start of the roulette I'd already sort of decided on which tracks to send for each round. Enslaved was going to be round 2.
Oh well, I'll find something different. Glad you enjoyed headspace a decent amount. Like I said in the pm, not my favorite track from the album, but the other was too long. I'd check it out if you get the chance. "Daddy Fucking Loves You"
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Sent.
Was expecting a bit more than that. Looks like I'm not winning this one :lol
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Fair review for Inertiatic ESP, it's ok.
Sending soon Sent.
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Well, this Beyond the Bridge song segues straight into the other, because it's a prog concept album and you know how it goes. The next song has the last chorus you've missed in its ending.
But I'm alright with the middle-of-the-pack score. Will send the next song in a few hours.
Edit: or maybe tomorrow.
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>same goes for the vocals; it's just not really a style I'm keen on.
>core-like vocals
>loves gojira and btbam
u w0t m8
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I wouldn't call Gojira vocal's core-like, and I'm not really a fan of Tommy's harsh vocals but BTBAM is awesome enough as a whole to make up for it. So there. :lol
Anyways, it's not like the vocals in that song really hurt my enjoyment of it or anything.
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Fair enough. Will send something in a while ;D
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Sent.
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Got everyone except Dr. DTVT.
This round's shaping up to be a lot better than Round 1, so for those of you that get low rankings, just be aware that the competition was really tough.
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:lol
right
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:lol
right
yeah you're boned
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Sent....Sigh *nuggetz*
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Results tomorrow!
In addition, since I'm not giving out numbered scores in this roulette, I thought you guys could use an easy way for telling which of your submissions I liked more than your others. As such, I added something to the first post: contestant song rankings. These will get updated after each round, and will rank your submissions (yours only, not compared to anyone elses) from my favorite to my least favorite. This is just a way for you to tell which songs you sent me I liked the most, so you can get a better idea of my tastes and maybe adjust your future submissions accordingly.
By the way, those rankings are updated for round 2 already, though the song names are blank for now. Think of it as a little teaser for the full results. :) Like I said before, this round was much stronger than the first, as evidenced by nearly every submission this round being an improvement from your last!
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Nice.
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interesting
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Yeah, figured this wasn't the best choice. Probably last place for me this time. :lol
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That's a neat little thing.
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That's a neat little thing.
Definitely. Cool idea, Buddy.
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I think I might actually steal this and use it in my roulette too, is it a bad thing? :lol
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I think I might actually steal this and use it in my roulette too, is it a bad thing? :lol
Go for it.
In the middle of writing write-ups, results should be up in an hour-ish.
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:dangerwillrobinson:
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---ROUND 2 RESULTS---
1st Place: senecadawg2
Kauan - Aidin Laulu
First thing's first, this song is absolutely beautiful. It's sort of a neo folk / post-rock song with a ton of atmosphere, and while there are some metal elements throughout and even harsh vocals for a brief section, they really aren't the focus. The majority of the song is very laid-back, tranquil, and, as I said before, beautiful as hell. This would have been absolutely perfect for an atmospheric round submission, as I'm willing to bet that this is going to be one of the most atmospheric songs I'll get in the entire roulette. In particular, the whole section of the song from about three minutes in until nine minutes or so is some of the best atmospheric music I've heard in a long, long time. The choice of instruments is perfect; violin, piano, some soft synths and pads… it all comes together to create a vivid mental environment and a soothing peacefulness that I can just get completely lost in. My absolute favorite part would probably be the piano melody that comes in at the four minute mark… just perfect. Despite the focus on calm, peaceful clean sections, the metal elements surprisingly don't feel out of place. The distorted guitar works pretty well when it's there, giving the sound a bit of extra power when it needs it. Also, can I mention how refreshing it is for music like this to have a great, clear production? The only complaint I can think of for this song is that it doesn't have much of a climax, it just kinda works its way to a certain point and then fades out, but the journey to that destination is so amazing that it hardly matters. All I can say is thank you for sending this, and thank you Dr. DTVT for sending Enslaved last round, causing senecadawg to send this. :lol
2nd Place: mikemangioy
Nevermore - I, Voyager
Fun fact: I also got a Nevermore song for my second round during my first roulette. That song was My Acid Words, and while I liked it, I didn't think it was fantastic or anything. This song, though, is much better in my opinion. The raw, heavy sound works really well, and the tempo gives the song a lot of energy and a frantic, driving pace that I really like. The rhythm guitar work in this song is fantastic; definitely the best thing about it. There are a ton of really awesome 7-string riffs, especially the one before and after the guitar solo and the really low one that comes right before when the vocals enter. Speaking of the vocals, I find myself getting into them a lot more here than I did in My Acid Words. They have this harmonized effect that gives them a warped, dissonant feel to them, which I think works really well. This is definitely a style of metal I really enjoy, and the song itself is great as well. Nice job.
3rd Place: Sacul
David Maxim Micic - Smile
This song is certainly interesting. A lot of people in the comments compare it to something off of Devin Townsend's Addicted, and yeah, that album certainly seems like it was a heavy influence when it comes to this songs sound that mixes heavy, djenty riffs with more pop-oriented, happy melodies. Now, Addicted just happens to be one of my favorite albums of all time, so you bet your ass I was happy to discover more music that has that kind of vibe. The intro in particular sounds like it could have been taken directly from that album, and it happens to easily be my favorite part of the song. I love how it goes from clean guitar and a really nice piano melody to the same progression but with distortion, and the synth melody that comes in shortly afterwords works really well. The fact that this section never gets reprised later on makes me sad. The chorus is also great; it's incredibly catchy, and the vocal delivery has a ton of power to it. Speaking of vocals, not only can the vocalist really belt out those high melodies in the chorus, but she also does some really intense harsh vocals during the verses. Yup, female harsh vocals. They were a bit jarring at first, but they've grown on me a bit. My main complaint with this song is that the song structure goes all over the place, and things can get incohesive. Some sections feel a bit out of place, like the aforementioned verses and the Jeff Loomis guitar solo at the end. (Hey, two Jeff Loomis appearances in one round!) Some sections feel VERY out of place, like after the second chorus where the song kinda dissolves into a somewhat generic-sounding djent riff, which then transitions into an extremely weird section with operatic vocals and a fucked up rhythm. It's incredibly bizarre, and not in a good way; I think the song would have been better off if that section was cut entirely, as it doesn't fit in at all. Thankfully, the section that follows afterwards works really well and gets the song back on track with a calm break and a powerful wall of sound progression that transitions back into the final chorus very nicely. Well, this write-up is a lot longer than I wanted it to be, but I had a lot to say about this one. It certainly has its problems, but at the same time, when this song works, it REALLY works, and I certainly plan on checking out the full album sometime soon, as I feel like it certainly has potential to be awesome.
4th Place: Scorpion
Alkaloid - Cthulhu
Now here's a pretty brutal death metal song. It's got a pretty slow tempo, which I really enjoy, along with the very low, guttural growls which sound really nice. Where this song really shines however is in its dark, murky, and creepy atmosphere. This vibe is especially strong in the verses, which quiet things down a bit and rely more on subtle textures and building tension, rather than all-out heaviness and guitar riffs. This contrast works really well; the verses are the highlight of the song for me, and without them I feel like the song would have gotten a bit boring. The guitar work is really strong; both in the sludgy riffs in the louder sections and how it adds to the atmosphere during the calmer parts. I especially like how the lead guitar stays in the background for the most part and adds in little dissonant flourishes that contribute to the atmosphere. While this song has less problems than Sacul's submission, his left more of an impact on me, as the huge write-up probably conveys, so I ended up ranking his submission just above yours. Still, great song.
5th Place: Evermind
Need - Symmetrape
There's a pretty large quality gap in-between this and the above song, but that's only because the top four this round was so incredibly strong, because this song's still pretty good. I'd still classify it as prog metal, though there's more of an emphasis on riffs and rhythms than melody. It has a bit of an old-school metal vibe in the sound, which is nice. The aforementioned riffs and rhythms are both done well, no complains there. Overall, though, this song just seemed pretty average. It doesn't have any real problems, but at the same time there's nothing all that noteworthy or memorable.
6th Place: Shadow Ninja 2.0
Mirrorthrone - So Frail
Here we've got a very gothic-sounding symphonic death metal song. I really like the intro, especially when the vocals drop out and a somber violin enters, followed by some creepy harmonized guitars before the full band kicks in. The harsh vocals in this song are pretty great; I just wish there were more of them, as the clean vocals… leave a lot to be desired. Same goes for the overall sound of this song, it's a bit cheesy, and something about it just feels kinda amateurish. Could be the subpar production, the melodies, the heavily-gothic sound just not clicking with me, or a bit of all of the above. There still are some good sections though; I especially like the little melodic bits after each chorus, some of the sections with harsh vocals, and the intro, as I mentioned before. Looking through the comments, apparently this was used as the final boss theme for Brutal Legend? I never played that game, but I can sorta see this song working in that kind of context. By itself though, it doesn't do all that much for me.
7th Place: Lucien
Igor Stravinski - The Rite Of Spring: Sacrificial Dance
Aaaand more classical music. The good news is that I liked this one better than your last submission. It's very dramatic, and yes, by classical standards, pretty heavy. There's not much melody, instead everything is very percussive, which is still the case with most heavy music today. There's also a good amount of dynamics; some quiet parts to break things up and build tension, as well as a lot of loud payoffs. The piece just gets more and more intense towards the end, which is nice. Sooo yeah. Not bad, but still not something I'd go out of my way to listen to. Anyways, I'm going to politely ask you to not send classical music for every single round this roulette. I made this roulette to A: find new music that I really like and B: create a fun, competitive environment for my contestants, and exclusively submitting music from a genre I'm not that keen on doesn't contribute to either purpose, especially when you're taking up a spot that could have been used by someone else. I know you don't listen to as many bands as most of the people on here, but still, I'm sure you'd be able to find at least something.
8th Place: Dr. DTVT
Sigh - Graveward
First place to last. Damn, I didn't expect that to happen, let alone so quickly. But yeah… I didn't hate this song or anything, but I didn't really like it. It's avant-garde metal with a very halloween / Scooby Doo sound to it. They capture that vibe extremely well, so kudos to them, but it's just not really something I enjoy or can take all that seriously. The band throws a ton of different instruments into this song, which is interesting, but at the same time a bit silly-sounding at times. It is a pretty silly song though, so hey, I guess it fits. I don't really like the vocalist's high-pitched clean vocals, and the mix feels like all the instruments that should be in the background are up front while the guitars and drums are way too quiet. I can see some people getting into this, but unfortunately, this song just didn't do anything for me. Sigh… (sorry, I had to.)
Artists banned this round: Kauan, Nevermore, David Maxim Micic
THE SCORE SO FAR:
senecadawg2: 18
Scorpion: 16
mikemangioy: 15
Dr. DTVT: 13
Evermind: 13
Sacul: 13
Shadow Ninja 2.0: 9
Lucien: 7
Dr. DTVT drops, lots of people are tied at 13 points, and senecadawg shoots to the top! Could we be seeing a repeat of his domination my first roulette? The rankings are going to be pretty unstable this roulette, so you never know what could happen.
As for Round 3, send me something atmospheric. This is a good chance to send me something more quiet, but it's by no means a requirement, as there's also plenty of music out there that is both heavy and atmospheric. Good luck!
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Oh, I expected the last place, so I'm kind of satisfied with the result. I've got two songs outlined for two atmospheric rounds, one is a longer progressive rock track and the other is a beautiful ballad, so now I just need to decide which one I should said first.
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Niiice to see some Nevermore love, I agree with what you said about the vocals :metal
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Alright, sent the 11 minutes long progressive rock song. Something I've discovered in my roulette thanks to one of the players who's also participating here.
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Nice! Definitely check the album - the song works much better in that context because some section are reprised all over the record, forming a huge, cohesive piece.
Will send some ambient.
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Glad you enjoyed! I felt kind of weird sending it for the heavy round, given that it could have just as easily been sent for the atmospheric round, but I thought it was close enough to count. Especially considering the vocals. Anyways, I'd highly recommend that full album if you ever get the chance to check it out.
Next up I'm going to change pace a little bit.
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Woohoo! You should check out the whole album, I'm 99% sure that it's right up your alley.
Atmosphere... will have to think on this. I have several songs that would work splendidly.
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oh dear
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Sigh isn't everyone's cup of tea, but you have to try them to find out.
Hopefully this next song will redeem me...and if it doesn't hopefully some other people will come in to chime in you are wrong.
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While I agree that Sigh isn't everyone's cup of tea, I don't think that Graveward is a good introductory song. I usually go with Purgatorium or Corpsecry / Angelfall.
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Sent btw
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Need submissions from Lucien and Scorpion.
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But I've sent Need last round.
:neverusethis:
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Results tomorrow. Pretty polarized round, if the updated contestant rankings are any indication:
senecadawg2
1: Kauan - Aiden Laulu
2: Headspace - Invasion
3: ???
Sacul
1: David Maxim Micic - Smile
2: Refused - New Noise
3: ???
Evermind
1: ???
2: Beyond The Bridge - The Call
3: Need - Symmetrape
Scorpion
1: Alkaloid - Cthulhu
2: Kalmah - Rust Never Sleeps
3: ???
mikemangioy
1: Nevermore - I, Voyager
2: The Mars Volta - Son Et Lumiere / Intertiatic E.S.P.
3: ???
Shadow Ninja 2.0
1: ???
2: Mirrorthrone - So Frail
3: The Dillinger Escape Plan - Prancer
Lucien
1: Igor Stravinski - The Rite Of Spring: Sacrificial Dance
2: Beethoven - Symphony #5, Movement IV
3: ???
Dr. DTVT
1: ???
2: Enslaved - Clouds
3: Sigh - Graveward
Edit: Wow, Round 1 is in the middle for everyone except Shadow Ninja. Swear that wasn't intentional. :lol
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Apparently my song was pretty good? Or better than the others at least. :lol
I have no idea what the fuck it was though. I think I typically forget my song ten seconds after I send it. :lol
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Damn it, not again :facepalm:
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fuck
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Ok, that looks pretty good.
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So you liked it. More than the song I won round 1 with? Good...good
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Well that experiment probably didn't pay off.
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---ROUND 3 RESULTS---
1st Place: Shadow Ninja 2.0
Beach House - Myth
This song was a pretty obvious choice for first place this round, as not only was it probably the best in terms of quality, it was also by far the most atmospheric. Musically, it's an incredibly dreamy, accessible shoegaze / dream pop song. It's driven by a main guitar line that is incredibly beautiful. The chord progression and tone / effects work perfectly to create an atmosphere that's calm and peaceful, but at the same time kind of bleak and melancholy. Peacefulness surrounded by destruction, as someone in the comments eloquently put it. The chorus is fantastic as well, and is made more impactful by the change in chord progression and vocal melody. The soft vocals work perfectly, and the guitar solo that closes the song is beautiful as well, even though it mostly just copies the main vocal line, which is usually a no-no. It works in this context though. Beautiful song; by far the best thing you've sent so far, and a perfect choice for this round.
2nd Place: Dr. DTVT
Amorphis - Silent Waters
I got two submissions this round from bands I had already received in my first roulette (three if Sacul had sent me an Ulver song that senecadawg hadn't sent last roulette :lol), and this was one of them. The Amorphis song I got in my first roulette was Sampo, which did quite well, and this track's just as good. It's a bit heavy, but it's definitely atmospheric enough. The acoustic guitar and piano that are almost always hanging out in the background add a lot of texture, and the vocal and piano melodies carry the song quite well. The chorus is where the song really gets into gear; it's got an awesome wall of sound and a powerful melody that really pumps me up. I'd also say it's the most atmospheric part of the song despite also being the loudest; it really conjures up some vivid mental images. I should probably check these guys out some time… any recommendations for a full album?
3rd Place: Evermind
Phideaux - Micro Softdeathstar
Looks like the third time's the charm for you! This song is really interesting… while you could certainly classify it as progressive rock, it doesn't really sound like much progressive rock I've heard before. The instrumentation is largely responsible for this, with a heavy focus on violin and piano that creates a unique, very cinematic sound. It actually took me a few listens to realize that there's barely any guitar in this song. There's some here and there, but it's almost always in the background, which is a nice change of pace. The song takes a little while to really get going, but when the rhythm shifts to 6/4 about five minutes in and that powerful, dramatic violin melody kicks in, things really get into gear and don't let up for the rest of the song. The vocal melodies are very well-written, and the female backup vocals really enhance them when they are present. I also really like the section about seven and a half minutes in where the tempo changes. This song goes through a lot of different sections while still feeling very cohesive; I used this word already when describing the sound, but I can best sum up this song as "cinematic". It really feels like a journey throughout lots of different acts and dramatic moods. Unique sound, strong songwriting… what's not to like? Good job. :)
4th Place: mikemangioy
Frost* - Hyperventilate
This is the other song this round I was referring to in Dr. DTVT's write-up, as last roulette I received Welcome To Nowhere by these guys. This song has a somewhat-similar sound, but it's an instrumental. It starts out with a fantastic buildup; the main piano melody is quite nice, and the moment when the full band kicks in during it is awesome. I wouldn't call this song super atmospheric, though some of the calm sections with acoustic guitar and piano certainly are, particularly the first break around three minutes in and the final one before the last reprise of the main melody. While I like this song, it has a bit of trouble holding my interest throughout. Instrumentals usually have a harder time with this for me, and I've found myself zoning out around three quarters into this song nearly every time I listen to it. I think it certainly could have used a bit of trimming down, but that's just me. I'm also not a huge fan of some of the heavier, proggier sections, in particular that crazy section that comes after the main melody each time. Pretty good song overall; not fantastic but certainly not bad either. I know I ranked this at the bottom of your personal rankings, but it's pretty much tied with your Round 1 submission, for what it's worth.
5th Place: senecadawg2
Mazzy Star - Fade Into You
This was a nice song to listen to. Like you said, it's very dreamy sounding, and the singer's voice is really nice. The calm instrumentation and vocals create a very soothing mood; quite pretty, and somewhat romantic, even. While I enjoy this song for what it is, I didn't end up getting quite as immersed into it as you seem to be. That might be partly due to Shadow Ninja also sending a dreamy, ethereal-sounding pop song, which ended up clicking with me way more than this one did. Still, I can definitely see why you love this song so much.
6th Place: Sacul
Dead Can Dance - Children Of The Sun
Sorry you couldn't send Eos this round, man. :lol This song is a bit similar in that it's also a somewhat dark, ambient song with some world music influence. Sadly, it's not as good, in my opinion. The instrumentation is okay; while it is immersive and captures the atmosphere the song's trying to convey quite well, it comes across as a bit bland and dry-sounding to me, for whatever reason. I suppose it's just a matter of the song being atmospheric, but the atmosphere just not being that desirable for me. It also feels a bit drawn out at seven and a half minutes. While it does introduce new instruments and melodies every now and then, I think it would have been better if it were a bit shorter. I also don't really like the vocals or the lyrics. I hardly ever comment on the quality of lyrics, but these just feel way too plainly-stated, and there's also a line from humpty dumpty in there, which is just plain weird. :lol But yeah… this one didn't really do it for me, unfortunately.
7th Place: Scorpion
Portishead - Glory Box
I appreciate you sending me something quite different this round, but yeah, it didn't really end up paying off. This is classified as trip-hop apparently, and it does have a distinct atmosphere to it. It's very smooth and sultry-sounding, but at the same time it's a bit eerie. It's very dark and empty sounding, really giving me that quiet, middle of the night vibe. The vocals are decent, and the guitar solo in the middle of the song is nice. The main problem I have with this song is that it's way too repetitive. I get that having a consistent, looping beat is standard fare for a lot of hip hop, but I really could have used some variety in the instrumentation throughout. This sound does have a nice atmosphere to it, but I can only really see myself enjoying it if I were in a really specific mood.
8th Place: Lucien
Mad King Corduroy - Ice Fields
Here we have an ambient piece that relies exclusively on what I believe are violin and flute mellotrons, with a delay effect on the latter. Either that or really low-quality violin and flute samples. While the mellotron is an incredibly atmospheric instrument, I don't think it can really carry a whole song on its own, especially if that song is ten and a half minutes. Yeah, this is a very long song, and I've never been able to sit through the entire thing. Not like you really need to though; as it's just the same instruments doing practically the same thing for the entire duration, and I feel like the song copies and pastes sections on multiple occasions. It's somewhat atmospheric and I could see it maybe working as background music, but this is definitely not something I'd enjoy on its own.
Artists banned this round: Amorphis, Beach House
THE SCORE SO FAR:
senecadawg2: 24
mikemangioy: 22
Dr. DTVT: 22
Evermind: 21
Scorpion: 20
Shadow Ninja 2.0: 19
Sacul: 18
Lucien: 10
The rankings are staying pretty close! (With one outlier, but hey). How will things be shaken up next time?
Round 4 is an OPEN round. Take what you've learned so far and send me something awesome! Or take a risk, it's up to you.
Just as a heads-up, I'm starting my summer job tomorrow. Thankfully I got a good chunk of the roulette done beforehand, but just be aware that the pace may not be quite as fast from here on out. I'm aiming for a consistent one round per week, hopefully. Thank you for understanding.
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Shit, now I have expectations to live up to. :lol Glad you liked it though, that's one of my favorite songs! I'd recommend checking the whole Bloom album if you want more.
Will send soon.
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Oh not again :lol.
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Ah, I hoped to beat Mason in this round, that would've been kind of ironic. But anyway, glad you liked it! My chances at winning suddenly aren't so far fetched!
Will send something tomorrow.
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I would not have been upset losing to Phideaux. Guess I won't be going down that road later this roulette.
As for Amorphis albums, I would recommend starting with Eclipse, Skyforger, or Silent Waters. All three of those have the current singer, and would be better starting points than their last two albums. Their last album was the most experimental one with Joutsen singing.
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Yeah, can't thank you enough for this one. Love this guy's work, both Number Seven and Doomsday Afternoon are fantastic indeed.
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That's feels fair and reasonable.
I'll send the next round soon.
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Oh, so it wasn't that bad :lol
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Yeah, can't thank you enough for this one. Love this guy's work, both Number Seven and Doomsday Afternoon are fantastic indeed.
Oh yeah...so really I got second and third place. Give me his points!
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Yeah, can't thank you enough for this one. Love this guy's work, both Number Seven and Doomsday Afternoon are fantastic indeed.
Oh yeah...so really I got second and third place. Give me his points!
THE SCORE SO FAR:
Dr. DTVT: 30
senecadawg2: 24
mikemangioy: 22
Scorpion: 20
Shadow Ninja 2.0: 19
Sacul: 18
Evermind: 13
Lucien: 10
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might as well drop out now :lol
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might as well drop out now :lol
If you get like 1st or 2nd place for the rest of the roulette you could still win. :lol
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The song I want to send is on youtube, but the quality is so bad it really detracts from the song. I used to send it on grooveshark, but they are kaput now. Not on Spotify or Google play either...what are my options?
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No bandcamp either?
You could email an mp3 to me. Or PM me the artist and song name and I'll see if I can find it.
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Sent more progressive rock.
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The song I want to send is on youtube, but the quality is so bad it really detracts from the song. I used to send it on grooveshark, but they are kaput now. Not on Spotify or Google play either...what are my options?
Take the round off
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Sent some djent.
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Got everyone for this round. Like I said earlier, don't expect the results to come as quickly from here on out. I'll keep you all posted, though.
Some good stuff this round, for sure!
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Results by the end of Friday. I've got the rankings pretty much finalized, I'm just waiting until I have a bit more free time to do all the write-ups.
Anyways, time for the tease!
senecadawg2
1: Kauan - Aiden Laulu
2: Headspace - Invasion
3: ???
4: Mazzy Star - Fade Into You
Sacul
1: David Maxim Micic - Smile
2: ???
3: Refused - New Noise
4: Dead Can Dance - Children Of The Sun
Evermind
1: ???
2: Phideaux - Micro Softdeathstar
3: Beyond The Bridge - The Call
4: Need - Symmetrape
Scorpion
1: Alkaloid - Cthulhu
2: ???
3: Kalmah - Rust Never Sleeps
4: Portishead - Glory Box
mikemangioy
1: Nevermore - I, Voyager
2: ???
3: The Mars Volta - Son Et Lumiere / Intertiatic E.S.P.
4: Frost* - Hyperventilate
Shadow Ninja 2.0
1: Beach House - Myth
2: Mirrorthrone - So Frail
3: The Dillinger Escape Plan - Prancer
4: ???
Lucien
1: ???
2: Igor Stravinski - The Rite Of Spring: Sacrificial Dance
3: Beethoven - Symphony #5, Movement IV
4: Mad King Corduroy - Ice Fields
Dr. DTVT
1: Amorphis - Silent Waters
2: Enslaved - Clouds
3: ???
4: Sigh - Graveward
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congrats lucien you did it
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That just means its his favorite song of the one's he sent. I'm guessing Evermind won the round based on those results.
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congrats lucien you did it
There wasn't really any doubt in my mind :P
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Fair enough for me.
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oh nooooooo
Now if only I could actually remember what I sent. :lol
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That just means its his favorite song of the one's he sent. I'm guessing Evermind won the round based on those results.
I hope so!
congrats lucien you did it
:lol
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Sorry, I lied.
Tomorrow.
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:'(
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---ROUND 4 RESULTS---
1st Place: Evermind
IQ - The Road Of Bones
I see this band sent a lot in roulettes, and if this song is any indication of their quality, I can certainly see why. It starts out very ambient and quiet; the soft synth, strings, and especially the piano create an excellent, spacey atmosphere. The song stays in this vibe for a while, slowly building up by adding new instruments here and there. The xylophone-sounding instrument that comes in every now and then sounds really cool and fits into the atmosphere perfectly. The chorus is also quite good, and after the second one, the song kicks into full gear with distorted guitars and some really dramatic-sounding strings. It's an awesome payoff and a fantastic climax, and the way it retreats back into the ambient sound afterwards to end the song works really well. Great atmosphere in the beginning, great buildup, great payoff… just a great song overall.
2nd Place: Lucien
Blue Man Group - Klein Mandelbrot
congrats lucien you did it
I've obviously heard of Blue Man Group before (I even saw one of their shows when I was super young), but I've always thought of them as more of a performance act than musical artists. Thankfully, this song definitely proves me wrong, as it's incredibly well done. I went in expecting a focus on drums and percussion, and they are definitely one of the major elements. They all sound great, with a lot of power and intricate, skillful playing. What I didn't expect as much was the excellent guitar work. Some of the melodies are incredibly memorable, and the choice of effects and style always fits in perfectly. The instrumentation as a whole is solid; all the different instruments work really well with each other and create a sound with a ton of energy and strong dynamics that give the loud parts a ton of power to them. The song has a great flow for the most part, gradually increasing in tempo and energy before dissolving into a quitter break towards the end. The song then builds up to another brief loud section before retreating again, which works well enough, though I think the song could have maybe used a bit of a stronger climax. Other than that though, I have no complaints. As I said in the write-ups for last round, instrumentals usually have to do something special to really pull me in, and that's exactly what this song did. Good job. :)
3rd Place: Scorpion
SikTh - Tupelo
This is probably the weirdest song I've gotten so far. It has a really unique sound and vibe, with a tribal rhythm and a repetitive bassline that carry the song along quite well and create a dark, murky, somewhat unsettling atmosphere. While the song has some buildup to it, and some sections are much louder than others, it overall feels very restrained, constantly building up tension and releasing some of it every now and then, but never going into full-on craziness. The choruses the most climactic parts of the song, but they all end very quickly, retreating the song back into the more moody verses. Still, they're extremely memorable and even catchy, as they've been stuck in my head quite a lot recently. The vocals are definitely the highlight of the song, as they have a ton of variety and range to them. The vocalist does everything from high-pitched screams to really baritone cleans, often switching between styles with the drop of a hat. I especially like the YAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHs during the choruses. :lol The one minor drawback to the vocals is that they sound a bit over-the-top and silly at times in contrast to the dark, tense atmosphere of the music, but it's not all that distracting. The main problem I have with the song is its very freeform structure. There's simply way too many verses, and after the umpteenth time the song retreats from the loud chorus back into the quiet verses it feels like the song really isn't going anywhere, just wandering around in the same general area until it feels like stopping. I feel like the song could have used more of a buildup, with a better flow and a bigger payoff, though thinking back on it, that's probably not what the point of the song was. Overall, while this song had its flaws, it's still a great listen and I honestly doubt I'll ever hear anything quite like it ever again, so that's definitely worth something.
4th Place: Sacul
Destiny Potato - Love Song
Well, since your David Maxim Micic submission did quite well, I suppose it made sense to send another song with him on guitar. :lol This song is another good fusion of djent and metal with more poppy and accessible elements, much more directly this time than on Smile. The vocals in particular, minus the background screams, could have easily been taken from a pop song with no metal elements whatsoever. That's not a knock on them or anything, in fact, I think the vocalist is really good, and some of her vocal lines are some of the highlights of the song. The vocal line in the chorus is great and really catchy, and the wordless vocals before the final verse have a ton of power to them. The instrumentation for that section is also great, starting out with clean guitar and a cool bass solo before transitioning into a really climactic and epic progression. The main riff works quite well, though it's not that original sounding or anything. As for the lyrics, there's only one line that really sticks out (anyone who has heard this song once knows exactly what I'm talking about :lol) though I get the feeling that it's bad on purpose and that this song, and the band as a whole, aren't meant to be taken super seriously. Good song, probably not something I'll come back to super often, but an enjoyable listen nonetheless.
5th Place: mikemangioy
Alter Bridge - The Uninvited
This is a pretty cool hard rock song with some really awesome metal influences. While the vocals and the decently-catchy chorus have an accessible rock feel to them, some of the riffs and sections are pretty damn heavy, and it's those parts that are the highlights of the song for me. The main riff is really kickass and has a great, tight rhythm to it, the section after the second chorus is quite dissonant and heavy, and the riff in the prechorus is very memorable and the way it copies the melody of the main keyboard line is really cool. Speaking of which, that creepy keyboard line sounds great; reminds me of something Kevin Moore would write, for whatever reason. Not much more to say about this one; it's just a cool little song that I enjoyed listening to.
6th Place: senecadawg2
Wayfarer - Children Of The Iron Age
Atmospheric black/post metal songs seem to do quite well in this roulette so far, so I certainly can't blame you for sending another submission in that general category. :lol This one has a bit of a heavier focus on the black metal elements, especially when it comes to the distorted guitars. I'll be honest though, I'm not a huge fan of the heavier sections in this song. They just aren't all that interesting, and the constant hazy, dissonant guitar gets really monotonous-sounding after a while. The first three minutes of this song in particular are pretty boring, but thankfully things pick up a bit afterwards. The guitar riff/melody before the clean section is pretty cool, and said clean section is very well done. The acoustic guitars sound great, and the section where the drums quiet down before the full band kicks back in is especially nice. I also like the use of gang vocals on this song; they have a powerful effect when used, especially during the climax. But yeah, overall I found this song a bit lacking and kinda boring. It certainly has some elements I enjoy, but said elements are done much better in other music I'm already familiar with.
7th Place: Dr. DTVT
Ice Age - Perpetual Child
This is a pretty old-school sounding prog rock/metal song that definitely reminds me of some of the big 70s progressive rock bands (especially the keyboards), while still containing some more metal-influenced distorted guitar work. The song has a lot of energy, some great riffs, and some memorable vocal and keyboard lines. The highlights for me would definitely be the chorus and the "lost inside the great divide" sections, both of which are very well done and catchy. The rest of the song is decent, but contains a lot of filler. The song as a whole feels a bit bloated at ten and a half minutes, and I never really found myself looking forward to repeated listens a result. I definitely think it would have benefited from some trimming down; some of the instrumental sections around the middle could have been taken out, and there's one particular riff / verse that gets repeated way too often for my liking (it's the one before the first verse / after the first chorus). Overall, this song was in the same camp as senecadawg's submission this round; I liked parts of it, but as a whole I found it a bit boring and didn't want to listen to it very often.
8th Place: Shadow Ninja 2.0
Justin Cross - Drink The Water
I thought this song was pretty good for what it is. It's a pretty simple folk / country song that could fit right in a soundtrack for an old western movie. The melancholy chord progression and strings do well to create that distinct old west atmosphere, and I can definitely give the song some points for that. I think it's worth mentioning that there seems to be two different versions of this song; the one I heard on Spotify is a bit less stripped-down, with some drums and some added vocal harmonies, and that version, judging from one listen, seems to be the superior one. The additions don't drastically change the song or anything, but I feel like they gave it a bit more substance. Either way, this song is good, but not something that really clicked with me.
Artists banned this round: IQ
THE SCORE SO FAR:
Evermind: 31
senecadawg2: 29
mikemangioy: 28
Scorpion: 28
Dr. DTVT: 26
Sacul: 25
Shadow Ninja 2.0: 22
Lucien: 19
Evermind jumps into first place! Who woulda thought? Senecadawg, Mikemangioy and Scorpion are right behind him though! What will happen next?
Time to bang your head and hail Satan, cuz Round 5 is another HEAVY round. Get sendin'!
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nooooo
Thumbs up for Tupelo, though. Also sent.
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heheh
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Yeah, Destiny Potato are quite ironic - hence their bandname. You should really check that album, is quite accessible and dj0nty.
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yep that's the IQ song I would send too, it's great
I need to check out more of their albums myself :lol
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I'm obviously glad you're enjoyed it and that I won the round, and yeah, this IQ song is the indication of their material's quality; but I've got to say, this Ice Age song deserved better, because it's awesome.
And I'm in the lead, yeah! Bet it's not for long.
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IQ is awesome. No shame loosing to that.
Since you liked his song so much, maybe you should listen to Evermind's opinion on my song too ;D
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I can do better. I'll send soon
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Awwww yiss that songs kicks major ass, glad you liked it. I'll send something later on
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Mike, what in the actual fuck is that third gif in your sig?
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Mike, what in the actual fuck is that third gif in your sig?
Found it randomly on google images, beach BTBAM is the best BTBAM.
Edit: sent some national pride
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Sent!
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Mike, what in the actual fuck is that third gif in your sig?
Edit: sent some national pride
Some spaghetti-core? :P
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Kind of :metal
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So you sent something from that Italian rapper you like :neverusethis:
Sent some industrial shit.
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Need something from Scorpion.
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Got something from Scorpion.
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but was it a song?
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Only time will tell.
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When can we expect results then? ;D
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When can we expect results then? ;D
Aiming for Saturday.
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I still need a little while for the songs this round to sink in all the way, so results will be tomorrow instead of today, unfortunately. Half of the submissions have pretty definitive rankings, the other half still need to be sorted out.
Overall, this round was a bit underwhelming... still some great submissions as usual, but there were a lot of good-but-not-great songs and a couple failed experiments. I have no idea what the rankings will look like after this round, but it might not be so pretty for some of you.
senecadawg2
1: Kauan - Aiden Laulu
2: Headspace - Invasion
3: Wayfarer - Children Of The Iron Age
4: Mazzy Star - Fade Into You
5: ???
Sacul
1: David Maxim Micic - Smile
2: Destiny Potato - Love Song
3: ???
4: Refused - New Noise
5: Dead Can Dance - Children Of The Sun
Evermind
1: IQ - The Road Of Bones
2: Phideaux - Micro Softdeathstar
3: Beyond The Bridge - The Call
4: ???
5: Need - Symmetrape
Scorpion
1: Alkaloid - Cthulhu
2: SikTh - Tupelo
3: Kalmah - Rust Never Sleeps
4: ???
5: Portishead - Glory Box
mikemangioy
1: Nevermore - I, Voyager
2: Alter Bridge - The Uninvited
3: ???
4: The Mars Volta - Son Et Lumiere / Intertiatic E.S.P.
5: Frost* - Hyperventilate
Shadow Ninja 2.0
1: Beach House - Myth
2: ???
3: Mirrorthrone - So Frail
4: The Dillinger Escape Plan - Prancer
5: Justin Cross - Drink The Water
Lucien
1: Blue Man Group - Klein Mandelbrot
2: ???
3: Igor Stravinski - The Rite Of Spring: Sacrificial Dance
4: Beethoven - Symphony #5, Movement IV
5: Mad King Corduroy - Ice Fields
Dr. DTVT
1: Amorphis - Silent Waters
2: Enslaved - Clouds
3: Ice Age - Perpetual Child
4: ???
5: Sigh - Graveward
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Fair enough for me I guess. Listen to my song with headphones tho :P
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Uh, I expected it to score better. Well, going to up my game in the next round.
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---ROUND 5 RESULTS---
1st Place: Shadow Ninja 2.0
Polkadot Cadaver - Last Call In Jonestown
You apparently just don't do middle ground, as your submissions either end up winning the round of ending up in the bottom three. :lol Anyways, this song was the obvious choice for first place this round, especially due to the number of average/okay submissions. It has a fast, energetic pace with some great riffs, but the real strength of the song is how catchy it is despite its heaviness. That chorus, especially, gets stuck in your head instantly, and it works incredibly well with the rest of the song. The way the verses are less heavy and lead into the choruses perfectly creates a great contrast and makes each of them hit really hard. I also really like the section before the last two choruses. The slower part with the low choir that leads into the guitar solo is great, and the section with the voice sample has some great instrumentation behind it. This is just a really fun song, in addition to being quite heavy, and I don't have any real complaints about it. Congratulations on sending the only song this round I really enjoyed. :lol
2nd Place: Lucien
Haken - Darkest Light
Ah, Haken. I'll admit, I'm not quite as sold on these guys as most of the people on this forum are. Oh they're good, definitely, but I don't really understand the mountains (no pun intended) of praise they get. It could just be that I'm not into straight-up prog metal as much as I used to be, but I ended up getting The Mountain after my first roulette, and I thought it was just… okay. Good, but nowhere near as amazing as people say it is. But anyways, onto this song. Again, it's good, but definitely not amazing. There's parts of it I really liked, parts I thought were decent, and parts I didn't care for. The weird sounding arpeggio in the intro does nothing for me, but things pick up a bit after about a minute. Some of the guitar riffs are pretty killer; I especially like the one during the "forgive me father…" part. I also really like the section about three minutes in where the "take away my vision" vocal line is reprised with much heavier instrumentation. The part soon afterwards where the rhythm changes a little before the four minute mark during the guitar/keyboard solo is great as well. Finally, the outro ends the song on a high note with a great groove. As for everything else, again, good but not great. One thing I can definitely compliment the song on is that, despite its song structure being all over the place, it all comes together in a very cohesive manner. The instrument performances are also top-notch, but that's to be expected. Good song, but I'm still not all that motivated to check out more stuff from these guys.
3rd Place: mikemangioy
Destrage - My Green Neighbor
I've seen these guys mentioned around here before, and the way that I've heard they blend genres and jump between sounds had me intrigued. This song doesn't really have that, as it's pretty much just metal throughout, but it's still pretty crazy sounding. The instrumentation is frantic and energetic, with pummeling drums and rapidly-changing guitar riffs, and the vocalist has a lot of range. The chorus is my favorite part of the song; it's pretty catchy, and the somewhat less crazy instrumentation behind it makes it stick out among the rest of the song. Also, the riff at the end of each one kicks some serious ass. While I like the fun and crazy nature this song has, the craziness can make it a bit hard to grab onto sometimes. The section after the second chorus in particular just feels wacky for the sake of being wacky, and while this song has grown on me a bit since my first listen, aside from the chorus, it doesn't have any other moments that really stick out to me as being great. It's not that I don't like crazy music, in fact I freaking love it; this song just didn't click with me quite as much as I would have liked.
4th Place: Sacul
Nine Inch Nails - Heresy
This was a pretty cool song. Being industrial, the focus is on the effects, and they're all done very well. The verses in particular have a great beat and synth line, and the effect on the vocals is really cool. The guitar that comes in after the first chorus works great as well. As for the chorus, it's certainly memorable. The guitar riff in the background is good, and the noisy, ear-splitting effects make things incredibly heavy. It might just be a bit TOO noisy for my tastes, but hey, it certainly accomplishes what it was trying to do. There's not much else to say… It's a good song, but a bit short and lacking in substance. Great sound though, that much I cannot deny.
5th Place: Scorpion
Persefone - Kusanagi
This is another song that I liked, but never really clicked with me entirely. The first two minutes are great; the fast guitar riffs are awesome, and the keyboards make things pretty epic sounding. I especially like the "main" guitar riff about a minute in. The song loses me a bit when the vocals come in, though. It's not the vocals that are the problem, they're fine, it's just that the song itself doesn't have many memorable parts or moments that stick out to me. The large presence of keyboards is also a double-edged sword; while they work really well in some parts, they sound a bit… off in others. I think that's mostly due to the actual keyboard sounds not being all that great. Overall, there's parts of this song I liked, but as a whole it just feels… there. Maybe it would have grown on me more in time, but I got this song pretty late and these results are already later than I would have liked them to be, so that's just how I feel about the song at this point in time.
6th Place: Evermind
Galahad - Empires Never Last
You described this song as being both heavy and atmospheric, and yeah, it certainly has elements of both, but I don't think it's that strong in either department. The first two and a half minutes work quite well, with a good buildup leading into the first verse. The main bassline is also quite nice, and the song gets lots of milage out of it, reprising it throughout the song with varying instrumentation. The verses are pretty average, not much to say about them. The anthemic chorus is very memorable and has some really dramatic-sounding strings, though it gets a bit old after a while. After the third one the song breaks into a simple, yet pretty powerful riff that is certainly the heaviest part of the song, and while the song from this point onward is more intense than what came before, it didn't leave much of an impact on me. As I said before, while the loud parts of the song are somewhat heavy and the quieter parts are somewhat atmospheric, both departments just feel kinda weak, and the song as a whole merely comes across as average as a result.
7th Place: Dr. DTVT
Dan Swano - Patchworks
I didn't really like the sound of this song, but the reason why is kinda hard to put into words. I don't know, something about the way the metal guitars and vocals are combined with the more prog-sounding keyboard work just doesn't mesh that well for me. The resulting sound just feels weak and a bit dry, if that makes any sense. It also doesn't help much that the riffs and keyboard lines themselves aren't particularly great or memorable. They're not bad, but they're not that good either. I could definitely see some people liking this, but for whatever reason, it just didn't do it for me at all.
8th Place: senecadawg2
Addaura - City Light (In Still Dark Forenoon Silence)
Man, I feel really bad for doing this. If it's any consolation, there were parts of this song I definitely enjoyed. The first two minutes are quite nice, with a peaceful atmosphere and a buildup that's very well done. But once the full band comes in, things quickly start going downhill. The production is subpar, but I would have been able to get past that if the song itself were better. As it is, the middle six minutes of this song are extremely monotonous and boring. The composition and instrumentation is incredibly repetitive; the dynamics stay exactly the same, the instruments are doing largely the same thing, and if you skim through this section it really doesn't feel like you're missing anything. After a while, the constant tremolo guitars, vocals, and semi-blast beat drums just dissolve into a haze of noise. When the song FINALLY reaches a climax eight minutes in and adds a lead guitar line and shifts the drum beat, it's unbelievably relieving just to hear some change. The last two minutes of the song are actually quite nice, even without the boring prior six minutes to make them sound so much better by comparison. Overall, that's 40% of the song I like and 60% of the song I dislike, and at ten minutes long, that 60% just brings the whole thing down. Sorry dude.
Artists banned this round: Haken
THE SCORE SO FAR:
Evermind: 36
mikemangioy: 36
Scorpion: 34
senecadawg2: 32
Sacul: 32
Shadow Ninja 2.0: 32
Dr. DTVT: 30
Lucien: 28
The rankings are getting closer and closer! Anyways, Round 6 is another ATMOSPHERIC round. Here's hoping for a better round this time, or at one that's not so overwhelmingly middle of the road.
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Well, I'm still in the lead along with mike, so I'll take that. :biggrin:
I'll send something tomorrow, or Tuesday in the worst case.
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admittedly Darkest Light isn't that great of a first impression for Haken, it's okay but not that special
mostly I feel everyone should just send in Cockroach King as a Haken song in roulettes because that song is fantastic and pretty much no other band is gonna release something like it either :lol
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admittedly Darkest Light isn't that great of a first impression for Haken, it's okay but not that special
mostly I feel everyone should just send in Cockroach King as a Haken song in roulettes because that song is fantastic and pretty much no other band is gonna release something like it either :lol
It's not a first impression for me, as the write-up says. ;)
And yeah, Cockroach King is probably my favorite song I've heard from them.
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Wow, I had actually almost sent a Destrage song as well. Guess it's good that I changed my mind! Also sent.
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Wow, I'm leading
That never happened :lol
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Wow, I'm leading
That never happened :lol
And I thought I'd do better on this one :'(
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sort of surprised
sent
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Sent some hipster awesomeness.
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Yeah man, sorry, too much work today, will send something in 24 hours from now on.
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Alright man, sent my tune. Sorry for delaying this.
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Much better round than the last one. There aren't really any songs I got that I disliked, though that means that some songs that I liked will end up ranking low, unfortunately.
senecadawg2
1: Kauan - Aiden Laulu
2: ???
3: Headspace - Invasion
4: Wayfarer - Children Of The Iron Age
5: Mazzy Star - Fade Into You
6: Addaura - City Light
Sacul
1: David Maxim Micic - Smile
2: Destiny Potato - Love Song
3: Nine Inch Nails - Heresy
4: Refused - New Noise
5: ???
6: Dead Can Dance - Children Of The Sun
Evermind
1: IQ - The Road Of Bones
2: Phideaux - Micro Softdeathstar
3: ???
4: Beyond The Bridge - The Call
5: Galahad - Empires Never Last
6: Need - Symmetrape
Scorpion
1: Alkaloid - Cthulhu
2: SikTh - Tupelo
3: Kalmah - Rust Never Sleeps
4: ???
5: Persefone - Kusanagi
6: Portishead - Glory Box
mikemangioy
1: Nevermore - I, Voyager
2: Alter Bridge - The Uninvited
3: Destrage - My Green Neighbor
4: The Mars Volta - Son Et Lumiere / Intertiatic E.S.P.
5: Frost* - Hyperventilate
6: ???
Shadow Ninja 2.0
1: Beach House - Myth
2: Polkadot Cadaver - Last Call In Jonestown
3: ???
4: Mirrorthrone - So Frail
5: The Dillinger Escape Plan - Prancer
6: Justin Cross - Drink The Water
Lucien
1: Blue Man Group - Klein Mandelbrot
2: Haken - Darkest Light
3: ???
4: Igor Stravinski - The Rite Of Spring: Sacrificial Dance
5: Beethoven - Symphony #5, Movement IV
6: Mad King Corduroy - Ice Fields
Dr. DTVT
1: Amorphis - Silent Waters
2: Enslaved - Clouds
3: ???
4: Ice Age - Perpetual Child
5: Dan Swano - Patchworks
6: Sigh - Graveward
Still need some time to finalize the rankings. Results should be up by the end of tomorrow.
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I'm on fire. Quite literally.
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Looks like I did alright.
Also, I don't know about my overall ranking, but it looks like Mike won't be in the lead anymore. :lol
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Now I realise had I sent more prog, I'd be leading this one. Damn me and my obsession with expanding people's tastes :lol
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I was hoping to make up some ground in the rankings this week... Looks like I will!
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Crap :rollin
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Now I realise had I sent more prog, I'd be leading this one. Damn me and my obsession with expanding people's tastes :lol
If you're talking straight-up prog/prog metal, that hasn't usually done all that well.
Crap :rollin
The thing about you is that you haven't sent a single bad song this whole roulette, so your bottom-ranking songs I still actually like. :) I thought your submission this round was good, but I got a lot of good songs this round, so keep that in mind.
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i find it really funny that the top-scoring songs from four people are all from round 2 :lol
has the entire roulette just been downhill since then? :P
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i find it really funny that the top-scoring songs from four people are all from round 2 :lol
has the entire roulette just been downhill since then? :P
Round 2 was interesting in that the top four that round was fantastic, and the bottom four ranged from average to subpar, with a huge quality gap inbetween. But yeah, I'd say it was definitely the best round so far. It also contained the two songs so far that interested me enough to make me go and buy the full albums they came from: Kauan - Muistumia and David Maxim Micic - Bilo 3.0, both of which are fantastic.
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So I got you into David, huh? My mission here is done ;D
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I just realized, the top three this round were people whose names start with the letter S.
And all of their songs also start with the letter S.
Guess it's just a lucky letter. :lol
---ROUND 6 RESULTS---
1st Place: senecadawg2
Foals - Spanish Sahara
This song is incredibly bleak, yet beautiful. It has a very melancholy chord progression, and the vocals convey a lot of pain and sorrow. However, the song's somber mood is, surprisingly, not the most noteworthy thing about it. That would be the absolutely amazing buildups. The song starts out very quiet, almost completely silent. Then the chorus comes in and things start swelling up, the song quickly increasing in volume, only to drop off back into silence after it reaches a certain point. That's just the first buildup though; the second one is even more intense. The crescendo during the second chorus is amazing; the volume keeps increasing and the instrumentation gets more and more active, and when things reach a bursting point, the song explodes into an absolutely wonderful section with the full band finally kicking in, accompanied by these fluttering, ethereal-sounding synths that fit the atmosphere perfectly. And then there's that lead guitar that comes in a few bars later… wow. I love me some epic buildups in music, and this song does them perfectly. Atmospheric, intense, and beautiful… pretty much all I could ask for this round.
2nd Place: Scorpion
MONO - Surrender
Surprisingly, senecadawg's submission wasn't the most melancholy song I got this round, because of this one. It's depressing as hell, with a dreary, hopeless atmosphere that never goes away. The chord progression is incredibly somber, and when the horns come in, they fit in perfectly. It's a good thing that the chord progression works well, because it stays throughout the entire song. Yeah, in addition to being super depressing, this song is also super repetitive. The instrumentation changes a bit every now and then, with the drums and horns dropping in and out, and the guitar getting a bit more gentle during certain sections, but that's pretty much it. Normally this would be a deal-breaker for me, but the incredibly strong atmosphere makes up for it. The repetitiveness somehow adds to the desolate, hopeless mood, as if to say, "yeah, all your happiness and joy is completely gone and it's gonna stay that way forever". Very well-done song; maybe not something I'll return to that often, but it accomplishes what it's trying to do perfectly. (I bumped this song up a bit in your contestant rankings, as it grew on me a bit since when I posted them.)
3rd Place: Shadow Ninja 2.0
Second Person - Spilt Milk
This song's atmosphere is quite dark; the deep, ominous piano chords and synth loop create a really tense and foreboding mood, to steal some of the vocabulary you used to describe it. The instrumentation is pretty minimalistic overall, though there's a handful of subtle touches in the background, and the music box sounding instrument that comes in every now and then works perfectly. I really like the vocals; the melodies are really strong, and the section with the choir near the end is fantastic. The one minor complaint I have with this song is that it could have maybe used a bit more of a buildup, as dynamics-wise, it stays pretty much the same throughout, but that's pretty knit-picky. This song was very unique-sounding, has a really strong atmosphere, and I definitely liked it.
4th Place: Evermind
David Gilmour - Where We Start
Here's a wonderful song to just relax and mellow out to. It's incredibly tranquil and laid-back, and the peaceful, tropical atmosphere fits the album title perfectly. The piano and string section are really nice when they're present, but being a David Gilmour song, the focus is obviously on the guitars, and as expected, they're done incredibly well. The acoustic rhythm guitar carries the song quite well, but unsurprisingly, it's the lead guitar that's the real highlight. It's always playing along to the song, adding in some tasteful and smooth flourishes and melodies, and the solo in the middle of the song is wonderful, but hey, it is David Gilmour after all. Can't say I have any real complaints for this one.
5th Place: Dr. DTVT
Evergrey - The Aftermath
I wasn't really sure what to think of this song at first, but it's definitely grown on me. There's some parts of it I really enjoy, and other parts that are just kinda there. On the positive end, the louder, more bombastic parts of the song are really powerful. The string melody during the first full-band section has a really epic and climactic feel to it, and the section leading up to the outro with the clean guitar arpeggio and the pounding drums has a great mood to it; very dramatic, almost melancholy in a way. The outro is great for the most part, as it reprises that great string melody I mentioned earlier, though I probably would have preferred a proper ending instead of an extended fade-out. Other problems I have with the song are the first minute and a half not being all that interesting, and the main lead guitar line feeling kinda out of place with the rest of the song, instrumentation and mood wise. That said, the parts of this song that work really do work, and they're powerful and impactful enough to elevate the song to a pretty good level of quality.
6th Place: Lucien
Duran Duran - Ordinary World
This song was pretty good. It's got some really memorable vocal melodies, especially that chorus, which gets stuck in your head really easily. I really like the verses; they have a great vocal melody and chord progression, especially for the last few bars before they transition into the chorus. That little bit after the first chorus is really beautiful; too bad it's over super quickly and never really gets reprised. The main guitar line is also great, and when it gets used in the guitar solo with some overdrive and reverb it's really powerful sounding. While this song's sound is decently atmospheric, it does come across as a bit cheesy in that 80s power ballad sort of way, and the chorus, despite being super memorable, isn't one of my favorite parts of the song. I definitely liked this song, though I don't really see myself revisiting it in the future, for whatever reason.
7th Place: mikemangioy
Foo Fighters - Still
This song has an incredibly peaceful, warm atmosphere that just screams "summer" to me. Listening to it I picture blue skies, grassy fields, leaves swaying in the gentle breeze, all of that good stuff. The calm acoustic guitar, sleepy vocals, and the soft synths all convey that atmosphere very well and sound great. While this song's atmosphere is very strong, aside from that, it doesn't have all that much going for it. As such, I could see it being a bit boring or dull if I'm not in the right mood for it. That's doesn't mean I disliked the song or anything; I actually quite liked it, and in a different round, this probably would have ranked somewhat higher.
8th Place: Sacul
If These Trees Could Talk - Red Forest
This was, unfortunately, the one song this round I could never quite warm up to. It has a decently strong atmosphere to it, and the guitar work is quite strong, with the effects and layering creating a pretty good sound. I think the main problem I have with this song is its pacing. The track doesn't really feel like it has enough elements or variety to warrant it being eight and a half minutes long, and I found it a bit boring and monotonous as a result. Another issue is the dynamics; there isn't really any buildup or significant changes to it. Yeah, some sections are definitely louder than others, but the loud sections are so common that they don't feel all that powerful. This especially hurts the climax of the song. Since it's not any louder or that different sounding than the rest of the song, it feels a bit weak. I definitely liked certain elements of this song, but as a whole it doesn't really hold my interest.
Artists banned this round: Foals
THE SCORE SO FAR:
Evermind: 43
Scorpion: 43
senecadawg2: 42
mikemangioy: 40
Shadow Ninja 2.0: 40
Dr. DTVT: 36
Sacul: 35
Lucien: 33
Evermind is still tied in first place with someone, except now it's Scorpion instead of mikemangioy! In addition, senecadawg looks to be making a comeback. Only two rounds left, so those in the back better step it up!
Round 7 is an OPEN round. Send whatever you like.
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Excellent- just what I needed.
I'm going to think on this next one for a bit before sending...
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I guess I just prefer my post-rock without endless, boring buildups :lol
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i could never really enjoy Mono's two albums last year much
the only song off Rays of Darkness I like is the first track, the second one just does nothing and goes nowhere, the third has the awful growls in the last third, the fourth is just guitar feedback :facepalm:
and The Last Dawn just feels like retreading the same ground they did for the last two albums, which I was already a little tired of after For My Parents. Hymn to the Immortal Wind will always be classic for me though, fantastic post-rock album omg
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Hymn to the Immortal Wind is a good album - the last track is fucking fantastic whereas the rest ranks from meh to ok.
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you are saying Ashes In The Snow isn't the best friggin' song on the album with that comment :<
(Everlasting Life is probably second best tho true)
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Hoped to be one or two places higher in this round, but this will do. Now to pick something for the open round...
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you are saying Ashes In The Snow isn't the best friggin' song on the album with that comment :<
(Everlasting Life is probably second best tho true)
It'd be way better if the ending didn't drag for damn too long.
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Sorry, the work got in the way again. Will send something in 24 hours from now on.
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um did I send anything? I feel like I did but I don't see a post from myself that indicates that this is the case.
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Uh yeah. Did I send?
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I don't recall sending something for thus round, damnit. Will send asap.
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I've gotten submissions from:
Shadow Ninja 2.0 (first one as always)
senecadawg2
mikemangioy
I was about to bump the thread in case people had forgotten a new round started. :lol
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s0nt
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Sent.
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Sent
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I hope everybody has sent ;D
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Everyone has as of yesterday, I wouldn't expect results until the weekend though, unfortunately.
Thankfully there's only one more round after this one!
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hey it is the weekend where are results haha
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Going to do some more listening today, results should be up tomorrow.
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Rankings for this round are pretty much finalized. Again, sorry the results have been taking so long. Here's a little something to hold you over until then...
CONTESTANT SONG RANKINGS:
senecadawg2
1: Kauan - Aiden Laulu
2: Foals - Spanish Sahara
3: Headspace - Invasion
4: ???
5: Wayfarer - Children Of The Iron Age
6: Mazzy Star - Fade Into You
7: Addaura - City Light
Sacul
1: David Maxim Micic - Smile
2: Destiny Potato - Love Song
3: ???
4: Nine Inch Nails - Heresy
5: Refused - New Noise
6: If These Trees Could Talk - Red Forest
7: Dead Can Dance - Children Of The Sun
Evermind
1: IQ - The Road Of Bones
2: Phideaux - Micro Softdeathstar
3: David Gilmour - Where We Start
4: ???
5: Beyond The Bridge - The Call
6: Galahad - Empires Never Last
7: Need - Symmetrape
Scorpion
1: Alkaloid - Cthulhu
2: MONO - Surrender
3: SikTh - Tupelo
4: Kalmah - Rust Never Sleeps
5: ???
6: Persefone - Kusanagi
7: Portishead - Glory Box
mikemangioy
1: Nevermore - I, Voyager
2: Alter Bridge - The Uninvited
3: Destrage - My Green Neighbor
4: The Mars Volta - Son Et Lumiere / Intertiatic E.S.P.
5: Frost* - Hyperventilate
6: Foo Fighters - Still
7: ???
Shadow Ninja 2.0
1: Beach House - Myth
2: ???
3: Polkadot Cadaver - Last Call In Jonestown
4: Second Person - Spilt Milk
5: Mirrorthrone - So Frail
6: The Dillinger Escape Plan - Prancer
7: Justin Cross - Drink The Water
Lucien
1: Blue Man Group - Klein Mandelbrot
2: Haken - Darkest Light
3: Duran Duran - Ordinary World
4: ???
5: Igor Stravinski - The Rite Of Spring: Sacrificial Dance
6: Beethoven - Symphony #5, Movement IV
7: Mad King Corduroy - Ice Fields
Dr. DTVT
1: Amorphis - Silent Waters
2: Enslaved - Clouds
3: ???
4: Evergrey - The Aftermath
5: Ice Age - Perpetual Child
6: Dan Swano - Patchworks
7: Sigh - Graveward
Something I've been a bit curious about is how my song rankings for you line up with your own. Somewhat accurate? Completely ass-backwards? I guess it could be a good way to measure how close or different our music tastes are. :lol
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Nice! Now, if I could recall what the hell I sent... :lol
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god damnit
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rip mike
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GUYS I REMEMBER WHAT SONG I SENT THIS EVENT IS TOTALLY UNPRECEDENTED FOR ME I AM SO HAPPY
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Apparently I sucked. Probably should've sent the song I've sent in Bolsters roulette.
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rest in pizza mike
fixed
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You guys are funny. Submitting something that ends up being in the middle of your rankings doesn't mean it sucked, especially if the surrounding songs did well in their rounds. :lol
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You guys are funny. Submitting something that ends up being in the middle of your rankings doesn't mean it sucked, especially if the surrounding songs did well in their rounds. :lol
doesn't apply to me
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Surprise! You guys have been waiting long enough, so I did the write-ups today instead of tomorrow. Again, sorry this one took so long.
---ROUND 7 RESULTS---
1st Place: Shadow Ninja 2.0
Celldweller - Birthright
This song instantly reminded me of Pendulum the first time I heard it, and that's definitely a good thing. I really enjoy electronic music when it's done right… the problem is, Pendulum is pretty much the only electronic artist I've discovered that I think is really good. After listening to this, however, I might have to add one more to that list. Like Pendulum, I'd classify this as electronic rock; while the instrumentation is electronic, the composition and song structure is more rock-based, which is pretty much the best of both worlds for me. It starts out with a really kickass bass riff and an awesome buildup in the first minute. The verses in this song are really damn good; they've got a great beat and vocal melodies, and even some cinematic-sounding strings in the background that sound great. Speaking of strings, the symphonic-sounding choruses feel a bit out-of place, but they're interesting and still pretty good; they just aren't my favorite part of the song or anything. The section after the second chorus is great as well, with some great distorted guitar that really showcases the song's great blending of rock and electronic elements. This was a really good song, and I definitely plan on checking out this album eventually, as I'm very happy to find more great electronic rock. Thank you for sending. :)
2nd Place: Scorpion
The Oracle - The Sorcerer
First thing's first; the quiet sections in this song are evil as fuck. The dark atmosphere is incredibly strong and consuming, with creepy-sounding guitars, whispers, and ambient noises that create a hellish, unsettling soundscape. These sections are done so well that the heavy sections feel quite ordinary and lacking by comparison. That doesn't mean they're bad or anything, in fact they're quite good. It's just that if they were as dark and powerful as the quiet sections, this song would be absolutely amazing. As they are though, they've got some great riffs and some very headbang-able rhythms. While they're heavy, they're also quite melodic for the black metal-esque sound, and they have some surprisingly good guitar solos as well. Overall, this song has some amazing parts and some parts that are just good, so that averages out to a pretty great song overall. Could have been better, but still very enjoyable.
3rd Place: Evermind
Pain Of Salvation - Beyond The Pale
Pain Of Salvation. I've obviously heard of these guys before and I see them being praised on here all of the time, and yes, I have heard some of their stuff before; just nothing I really enjoyed. I got Road Salt One as a gift a while back, and Sisters was the only song on that album I liked at all. Last roulette, I got sent Never Learn To Fly, which wasn't that good. That said, I'm aware that nothing above is that representative of their sound as a whole, so my opinion on them is still a relatively blank slate, and this song was pretty solid. Sound-wise it fits in quite well with the more classic-sounding prog metal bands like Dream Theater, but this song has a slightly unsettling vibe to it that helps give it a somewhat more interesting sound. It also has some really memorable progressions and melodies; the keyboard melody a minute and a half in and just before the first chorus is particularly great. The song clocks in at just under ten minutes long, and overall it's very cohesive and has a good flow; the first few minutes in particular have a really fantastic buildup. On the more negative side, I don't really like the heavy section in the middle with the sort-of-growls, and I think the second half of the song could have maybe introduced more new elements and musical motifs, rather than just exclusively reprising sections from the first half. That doesn't really bother me; it just makes the second half a bit less interesting than the first. While this song didn't amaze me or anything, it's definitely the best thing I've heard from these guys yet, and I can now see why they're so popular around here.
4th Place: Sacul
Chimp Spanner - Under One Sky
Instrumentals are usually at a disadvantage for me, but this song was very good. It's surprisingly atmospheric; very bright and floaty. It conjures up some vivid mental images, especially during the calmer sections. The synths and lead guitar are very well done, with great melodies and sounds. The low rhythm guitar is actually my biggest problem with the song. It has a weird tone to it, and something about its place in the mix just sounds off to me; I don't think it works very well with the other instruments. It doesn't ruin the song for me or anything, but this song's strength definitely lies in the other instruments. As a whole though, this song has a good amount of energy, great melodies, and a strong atmosphere, so it definitely gets a thumbs up from me.
5th Place: Dr. DTVT
Orphaned Land - Birth Of The Three (The Unification)
This is a prog metal piece with a really strong middle-eastern influence, which gives it a pretty unique and interesting sound. While the song has a good intro, the first half of the track didn't do all that much for me. Thankfully, the song greatly improves halfway through when the tempo changes and the energy really picks up, and from that point on it's pretty great. The driving tempo and the Iron Maiden-esque guitar melodies and harmonies are really nice, and the section towards the end with the wordless vocals (or it could just be a different language) is pretty cool. The growls feel a bit out of place with the instrumentation, but it's not a huge issue. As I said before, this song starts out a bit lackluster and gets a lot better halfway through. If it were a bit more consistent in quality it probably would have ranked higher, but I definitely enjoyed it regardless.
6th Place: senecadawg2
Native Construct - Mute
I think the greatest strength of this song is definitely its symphonic and classical elements. The orchestra in the intro creates a really huge sound, and it feels like the other instruments are backing the orchestra up, not the other way around. It also really feels like this song's composition was greatly influenced by classical music, not just because it has an orchestra, but more because of the melodies and chord progressions just reminding me a lot of classical pieces. This gives it a strong atmosphere, especially during the fantastic orchestral section four minutes in. On the more negative side though, this song definitely suffers from a weird flow and lack of focus. The song jumps around way too much in the first half, and some of the more weird, proggy sections like the part two minutes in and the very end don't sound that good to me. As such, I didn't find myself enjoying this song as much as I would have liked. It's got some great elements, for sure, but as a whole I'm not too crazy about it.
7th Place: Lucien
Radiohead - Optimistic
I don't have a whole lot to say about this one, but I liked it. The main chord progression and vocal melodies are pretty memorable and enjoyable, and the tones and effects of the layered guitars create a really interesting, experimental sound. I also really like the outro, even though it's only like twenty seconds and the song is basically over at that point. This song gets a thumbs up from me in the sound department, which isn't too surprising since Radiohead, from what I've heard of them, seems to be very good at making experimental, unique-sounding music. Composition-wise, though, this song was just okay. There's nothing really bad about it, but nothing that great either. It's just kinda there.
8th Place: mikemangioy
Evile - In Dreams Of Terror
This song is, unfortunately, the first submission I've gotten from you this whole roulette that I just didn't like. Judging from this song, this band just seems like a worse version of pre-Black Album Metallica. There's nothing special or unique about the generic thrash metal sound, and the instrumentation and composition just feels pretty bland. The riffs are also pretty basic and unmemorable, for the most part. There were a few parts of the song I thought were okay, namely the intro and the section after the second chorus with the lead guitar arpeggios. The rest is just subpar, and the beginning of that guitar solo almost feels like a parody of wanky metal soloing. I hardly ever feel like listening to Metallica any more, so a less-good version of them has pretty much zero appeal to me. Sorry dude.
Artists banned this round: Celldweller
THE SCORE SO FAR:
Scorpion: 52
Evermind: 51
Shadow Ninja 2.0: 50
senecadawg2: 47
mikemangioy: 43
Dr. DTVT: 42
Sacul: 42
Lucien: 37
Scorpion is now in the lead, but just barely! Evermind is still hanging out near the top, and Shadow Ninja's third top-ranking song has landed him a spot in the top three! That said, things aren't over quite yet, as it's finally time for...
THE FINAL ROUND
The final round is going to be another open round. You can send me whatever you like, but there are two things about this round that make it special:
1: I'm extending the maximum length of submissions to 20 minutes. If there's some song you wanted to send me but it was too long, now you might have the opportunity. Nobody took advantage of this the first roulette, but I'm having the option again in case anyone wants to send me something epic.
2: This round will be worth more points than the other rounds. If you're a bit behind, this is your last opportunity to send something absolutely fantastic and win the roulette! The points awarded for this round are as follows:
1st place: 16 points
2nd place: 14.4 points
3rd place: 12.8 points
4th place: 11.2 points
5th place: 9.6 points
6th place: 7.9 points
7th place: 6.3 points
8th place: 4.7 points
If you're wondering why those numbers are so weird, I put decimals in so ties in the final rankings will be impossible. There can only be one winner, after all. And with the extra points, anyone (except Lucien, sorry) could still potentially win!
Good luck to all of you.
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Optimistic is one of my least favorites on Kid A :lol
And Beyond The Pale is a great Pain of Salvation choice :heart
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sent. Though for reason dumbass reason I labeled the PM "round 3". :lol I really dunno what I was thinking there.
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Nice! Yeah the guitar tone might be a bit strange, but I guess it's because it's djent. Didn't know you liked Pendulum - I now have a great electronic song for ya.
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oh yeah that chimp spanner album i got just last week, it's pretty cool stuff but i need more spins to digest it all
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Nice! Yeah the guitar tone might be a bit strange, but I guess it's because it's djent.
I mean, you sent two other djent songs this roulette and the guitar tones weren't weird in those. Djent tones usually sound great.
I think it's because it's panned right in the center, whereas in pretty much all other mixes the rhythm guitar is double-tracked and hard-panned to both the left and right speaker, which sounds a lot better.
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Fair enough - I have to say David's tone is fantastic so the one on this song obviously pales in comparison :lol
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Well, I've lost the lead, so I kind of still sucked.
Need to think about this last round entry for a bit.
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Sent! I considered everything and went with power metal. :lol
Here are my rankings of the songs I sent in this roulette:
1. ???
2. David Gilmour - Where We Start
3. Pain of Salvation - Beyond the Pale
4. IQ - The Road of Bones
5. Beyond the Bridge - The Call
6. Phideaux - Micro Softdeathstar
7. Galahad - Empires Never Last
8. Need - Symmetrape
I really think I've sent the best song now. If I don't win, I blame it on Buddyhunter's tastes, because this song is awesome. Actually, scratch that, all songs from the list are awesome.
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1st Place: Shadow Ninja 2.0
Celldweller - Birthright
I approve of this.
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sent
my rankings
1: Igor Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring: Sacrificial Dance
2: Beethoven - Symphony #5, Movement IV
3: Blue Man Group - Klein Mandelbrot
4: Duran Duran - Ordinary World
5: Radiohead - Optimistic
6: ???
7: Mad King Corduroy - Ice Fields
8: Haken - Darkest Light
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1: David Maxim Micic - Smile
2: ???
3: Nine Inch Nails - Heresy
4: Destiny Potato - Love Song
5: Dead Can Dance - Children Of The Sun
6: Refused - New Noise
7: Chimp Spanner - Under One Sky
8: If These Trees Could Talk - Red Forest
Except the last one, I'd rank all of these songs 8/10 upwards.
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Well crap, I should stop sending in Evile, they never do any good. I'll decide what to send and then send :tup
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My own reordering of tracks submitted (with Buddyhunter's rankings left)
6: Mazzy Star - Fade Into You
2: Foals - Spanish Sahara
??? ??? ???
1: Kauan - Aiden Laulu
3: Headspace - Invasion
5: Wayfarer - Children Of The Iron Age
7: Addaura - City Light
4: Native Construct - Mute
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Sent, here's personal ranking
1. Destrage - My Green Neighbour
2. Nevermore - I, Voyager
3. ???
4. Foo Fighters - Still
5. Alter Bridge - The Uninvited
6. Frost* - Hyperventilate
7. Evile - In Dreams Of Terror
8. The Mars Volta - Son Et Lumiere / Inertiatic ESP
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ugh yet again
i have no idea what i sent
i should write this stuff down or something
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Still need something from Dr. DTVT.
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Still haven't gotten a submission from Dr. DTVT (might be away or something), but the final results will be posted sometime this weekend regardless. I already know who's going to win, after all. ;)
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Me not of course.
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Alright guys, it's time for the final results. It's been a long road, but it's finally over. Remember, the points awarded for this round are higher than usual, so here's a little refresher in case anyone's confused with their final score:
1st place: 16 points
2nd place: 14.4 points
3rd place: 12.8 points
4th place: 11.2 points
5th place: 9.6 points
6th place: 7.9 points
7th place: 6.3 points
8th place: 4.7 points
And with that, here we go!
---FINAL ROUND RESULTS---
1st Place: Evermind
Avantasia - The Scarecrow
Well, you certainly saved the best for last. While power metal usually isn't my thing, I can enjoy it when it's done right, and this song didn't even make me think of power metal all that much. It's got some elements of it, for sure, but it leans more on the progressive side if you ask me. I was heavily reminded of Ayreon, and while Ayreon has never really done much for me, this song is fantastic. The main violin melody is great and very memorable, and the anthemic choruses are super powerful. At eleven minutes long, it has a very epic feel to it, and the flow and pacing of it is pretty much perfect. After going through a couple verses and choruses in the first half, the song goes into a quieter break around the middle with some really nice sounding bells and harp. It then builds up and breaks into a guitar solo, and the riff that plays behind the solo and into the following sections kicks some serious ass. Speaking of the section after the solo, that point onward is where the song really gets amazing. I love how it gradually gets faster and more energetic as it builds up to the final chorus, and when it finally hits, it's even more powerful than the first two. I don't really have any complaints about this song; it's pretty much everything I could ask for in a 10+ minute prog metal song. I highly doubt the rest of the album is as good as this, but I might have to check it out at some point anyway.
2nd Place: Sacul
Infected Mushroom - Becoming Insane
This song was probably the biggest grower of the entire roulette. The first time I heard it I thought to myself that there's no way this could do that well, and it ended up reaching second place in the end. :lol I was initially put off by the pretty basic trance beat, but this song does a great job with gradually layering instruments on top of each other to build up energy, and the more busy, full-sounding sections are fantastic. The song's weirdness definitely works well, and it has a good use of effects and some interesting instrument choices. It also has a really great climax; the electric guitar that sounds like it's sampled from Michael Jackson's Beat It works really well, though it made me laugh a bit the first time I heard it. Overall, this song was a really pleasant surprise for me. It's got a ton of energy to it and is just incredibly fun to listen to, so it definitely gets a thumbs up from me.
3rd Place: senecadawg2
Sufjan Stevens - Fourth Of July
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Becoming Insane, this song is incredibly depressing. It has a very soft, beautiful atmosphere, and personal, sad lyrics about the death of the artist's mother. It's all very emotional and heart-wrenching. The instrumentation is very basic; while it's got some good ambiance, it's largely minimalistic and never really changes much throughout the song, which is probably the reason why this song never really fully clicked with me. I'm just not really a fan of minimalistic music, and while the emotion of the song is powerful, it's not quite enough to carry the whole track for me. This is something that I'd have to be in the right mood to really enjoy, which isn't the case for other sad, emotional songs I can think of.
4th Place: Scorpion
Noneuclid - The Black Plague Of The Soul
You've sent a lot of really dark metal this roulette, and this song certainly fits into that category. The slow, doomy tempo, the dark, murky atmosphere, and the sludgy riffs all come together to create a pretty brutal sound. The vocalist feels pretty out of place though; I would have expected some low, guttural growls as opposed to the higher, more clean-sounding vocals. My main problem with the song, though, is that I find it a bit boring. While the sound is great, it never really changes, and there aren't any really memorable moments or sections in the track to grab my interest. As such, it becomes pretty monotonous after a while, especially in the second half of the song. I like certain elements of it, but overall it could have been a lot better.
5th Place: mikemangioy
Genesis - Dancing With The Moonlit Knight
Despite all the influence they've had on more recent bands I really enjoy, I've never really been able to get into classic 70s progressive rock bands, except for Pink Floyd. Genesis, along with other bands like Yes, would be a prime example of that. While I didn't think this song was fantastic, I did enjoy it a bit more than I thought I would. It takes a little while to get going, with the first couple minutes merely being okay, but when things really kick into gear two and a half minutes in, things get really energetic, almost heavy even. The fast drums and guitars and an aggressive string melody create a sound that I quite enjoyed, and the song's instrumental segments would definitely be the highlights for me. Other than that, the parts with vocals were okay, and the quiet, cinematic-sounding ending is pretty nice. Pretty good overall, but still not really my thing.
6th Place: Lucien
Ulver - Darling, Didn't We Kill You?
I actually got two Ulver submissions this roulette, but the first one I had already heard, so this one's the only one that actually got approved. This song is apparently taken from an EP consisting of outtakes from Perdition City, an album I quite enjoy (at least parts of it). Stylistically, this song has a similar vibe to that album, except darker and more ambient. If there's one thing Ulver has proven itself to be fantastic with, it's atmosphere, and this song is no exception. It's incredibly dark and creepy, with haunting melodies and dissonant, glitchy noises and soundscapes. It certainly conjures up some vivid mental surroundings. Composition-wise, though, it's very repetitive. It's pretty much split into two different parts, each with its own melody that repeats ad infinitum, sometimes introducing a new effect or texture here and there. The first half is definitely the stronger of the two, as the second half with the drum beat is less atmospheric and the repetition feels a bit more monotonous. Overall, I liked this song, definitely more than a few songs from Perdition City, and the atmosphere is superb, but with its length and repetition, I can't see myself returning to it all that often.
7th Place: Dr. DTVT
Therion - The Rise Of Sodom And Gomorrah
Straight-up symphonic metal is something I've only been able to get into on a few occasions, and this song didn't do all that much for me, unfortunately. The focus is clearly on the strings and the choir, and everything else is largely just there to compliment them. The guitars, in particular, just chug along for the whole song and never really do anything interesting. Some of the string and vocal melodies are quite memorable, but at the same time they aren't that interesting, either. Lastly, the song structure doesn't really go anywhere, mostly just progressing through the same order of sections twice before ending. Sorry, but I couldn't find much to like about this one.
8th Place: Shadow Ninja 2.0
Steam Powered Giraffe - Automatonic Electronic Harmonics
I really don't have much to say about this one other than it just wasn't my thing at all. It's certainly got a unique sound to it, mixing old western-sounding country with barbershop quartet-esque vocals, with a few more modern instruments thrown in here and there. It's interesting, the vocal harmonies are well done, and some of the melodies are memorable, but there's just nothing that lines up with my musical tastes at all. Oh well.
Alright, now that the final round is done with, it's time for...
---THE FINAL RESULTS---
---8th Place---
Lucien - 44.9 Points
1: Blue Man Group - Klein Mandelbrot
2: Haken - Darkest Light
3: Duran Duran - Ordinary World
4: Ulver - Darling, Didn't We Kill You?
5: Radiohead - Optimistic
6: Igor Stravinski - The Rite Of Spring: Sacrificial Dance
7: Beethoven - Symphony #5, Movement IV
8: Mad King Corduroy - Ice Fields
---7th Place---
Dr. DTVT - 48.3 Points
1: Amorphis - Silent Waters
2: Enslaved - Clouds
3: Orphaned Land - The Birth Of The Three
4: Evergrey - The Aftermath
5: Ice Age - Perpetual Child
6: Therion - The Rise Of Sodom And Gomorrah
7: Dan Swano - Patchworks
8: Sigh - Graveward
---6th Place---
mikemangioy - 52.6 Points
1: Nevermore - I, Voyager
2: Alter Bridge - The Uninvited
3: Destrage - My Green Neighbor
4: The Mars Volta - Son Et Lumiere / Intertiatic E.S.P.
5: Frost* - Hyperventilate
6: Foo Fighters - Still
7: Genesis - Dancing With The Moonlit Knight
8: Evile - In Dreams Of Terror
---5th Place---
Shadow Ninja 2.0 - 54.7 Points
1: Beach House - Myth
2: Celldweller - Birthright
3: Polkadot Cadaver - Last Call In Jonestown
4: Second Person - Spilt Milk
5: Mirrorthrone - So Frail
6: The Dillinger Escape Plan - Prancer
7: Justin Cross - Drink The Water
8: Steam Powered Giraffe - Automatonic Electronic Harmonics
---4th Place---
Sacul - 56.4 Points
1: David Maxim Micic - Smile
2: Infected Mushroom - Becoming Insane
3: Destiny Potato - Love Song
4: Chimp Spanner - Under One Sky
5: Nine Inch Nails - Heresy
6: Refused - New Noise
7: If These Trees Could Talk - Red Forest
8: Dead Can Dance - Children Of The Sun
---3rd Place---
senecadawg2 - 59.8 Points
1: Kauan - Aiden Laulu
2: Foals - Spanish Sahara
3: Headspace - Invasion
4: Sufjan Stevens - Fourth Of July
5: Native Construct - Mute
6: Wayfarer - Children Of The Iron Age
7: Mazzy Star - Fade Into You
8: Addaura - City Light
---2nd Place---
Scorpion: 63.2 Points
1: Alkaloid - Cthulhu
2: MONO - Surrender
3: SikTh - Tupelo
4: Kalmah - Rust Never Sleeps
5: The Oracle - The Sorcerer
6: Noneuclid - The Black Plague Of The Soul
7: Persefone - Kusanagi
8: Portishead - Glory Box
And the winner is...
---1st Place---
Evermind - 67 Points
1: Avantasia - The Scarecrow
2: IQ - The Road Of Bones
3: Phideaux - Micro Softdeathstar
4: David Gilmour - Where We Start
5: Pain Of Salvation - Beyond The Pale
6: Beyond The Bridge - The Call
7: Galahad - Empires Never Last
8: Need - Symmetrape
Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are that you ended up winning this. :lol Our tastes may be a bit different, but you sent some fantastic stuff this roulette. In fact, while I'm not too huge on your bottom three submissions, everything above that was great, and you never sent a flat-out bad song the whole roulette. You were very consistent, and also a bit lucky that your worst songs still never quite ended up ranking at the bottom. :lol Thank you for participating, it's been a blast.
That goes out to all the other contestants, too! Thank you for making this roulette as fun and rewarding as possible. While I may have ripped your submissions a new one on a few occasions, I greatly appreciate each and every one of you for participating, and I've already discovered a few new artists that I'll certainly explore more of in the future. I hope you all had a good time, and take it easy out there. :)
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Wow. :lol Told you guys I was sending the best song.
I mean, I knew I rank this Avantasia song really high, but I didn't expect you will appreciate it so much. Not that I'm complaining - this song is awesome and definitely my favourite from the band. And it secured me the win here, so I guess I love it a little more now.
Anyway, thank you for running this. I didn't expect to score well in this one at all (I thought I had no chance after the second round), but somehow I grabbed my second win in the roulettes. Consistency for the win, I guess.
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Damn, Ev, you're on fire.
Yeah, I didn't expect you to like Becoming Insane too :lol
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Kinda disappointed since I was leading this at one point
Oh well, doesn't matter in the end! I had fun :metal