Here are the results and writeups for the first round. Mostly excellent submissions, I had to review my ratings and become a bit more strict. Rough rating explanation:
0-2: Varying degrees of unlistenable
3-4: Not my thing but I can see positive qualities in it.
5: Neutral, good enough to listen to but I don't think I'll check the band further.
6-7: Pretty good, can see myself delving deeper into the band.
8-9: Awesome, will check these guys out for sure.
10: Perfect.
Ultimetalhead - SikTh - Pussyfoot (5 points)First listen: Alright, this was a brutal way to start the roulette. I have to admit I'm not a fan of harsh vocals but I can do with them under certain circumstances - these circumstances were not met here though. It's as if this song was *daring* me to enjoy it, some passages were good and had me thinking I could end up liking this but as soon as I started to think that, some screams would pop up that would discourage me. I never thought a three minute song could be such a rollercoaster.
Subsequent listens: I still enjoy some parts and the drumming is awesome but I can't get past the vocals... I gave it one last spin with headphones and I have to admit it sounded a lot better. I had this as a 3 for the whole week but this last listen is propping it up to five. I still don't think I could listen to this regularly, but I can see its appeal.
What I think I can expect from you: Headaches? Just kidding, I think you're going to provide the necessary doses of violence for this roulette - I'm definitely looking to expand the metal section of my music library since it's currently pretty limited.
obscure - Ihsahn - The Pain is Still Mine (5 points)First listen: Another song of a genre I'm not too fond of. After an incredible intro I was thinking this could go places but I was afraid it would become black metal (judging by the cover and some youtube comments). There weren't any screams however and some of the instrumental passages were very nice, so I ended up enjoying this. The vocals turn me off somewhat, I can't put my finger on exactly what is off about them but at least they didn't ruin the rest of the song.
Subsequent listens: The song has some cons and it could be trimmed down a couple of minutes but it's still quite enjoyable so I gave this five points. I think you made a very solid choice here by choosing from the more polished side of the genre. Good submission!
What I think I can expect from you: Like UMH, it looks like you're mostly into metal (you said so in the roulette tracking thread) so I guess there will be some headbangers here and there to add to my library.
Zantera - Anathema - Thin Air (8 points + 1 bonus point for Anathema)First listen: While I don't find the song as uplifting as you do, it certainly is very emotional. The first half is very mellow and haunting, I quite enjoy the vocals here. On the second half I absolutely love the vocal harmonies and the landscape they create throughout the long buildup. I also love the way the tension of that buildup is resolved - not with a bombastic climax but with a rather sudden end and a beautiful, simple outro. I can see where the PT comparisons come from, I think this is a band I can easlily end up loving.
Subsequent listens: This was such a great first listen that the next few ones have just confirmed how much I love it, not much more to add. Keeping in line with the tight scoring I'm going to give this eight points - 9s and 10s will be reserved for absolutely mindblowing tracks.
What I think I can expect from you: As suspected, you're probably going to submit a lot of stuff I'm eager to try out since we have pretty similar tastes. Don't get overconfident though, this roulette is going to be a long war and there are a lot of bonus points to be distributed.
kári - Mono - Follow the Map (8 points + 1 bonus point for Mono)First listen: Awesome.... Mono is another band I've been wanting to check since I decided to delve deeper into Post-Rock and this first impression was great. After listening to GY!BE for a while it's refreshing to see another take into the genre, Mono provides just that (at least in this song) - a calmer, cleaner, shorter look into Post-Rock while retaining all the qualities that make GY!BE a great band: great melodies, excellent string arrangements and an incredible bundle of emotional, even cinematic feelings.
Subsequent listens: The song feels even greater with repeated listens, stressing how good the main melody is. The length is perfect, allowing said melody to be repeated throughout without creating a sense of repetition or saturation. A solid eight here, up from the initial 7 I would have given it on the first listen.
What I think I can expect from you: According to yourself, "music that will blow you away in sheer beauty or awesomeness". Hopefully that's true, you definitely backed that up on your first submission.
Gorille85 - Unexpect - Unfed Pendulum (7 points)First listen: If Danny Elfman is Dr. Jekyll, this must be Mr. Hyde. I love the violin or whatever it is and the growls don't throw me off as I thought they would, they feel somewhat appropriate in the middle of all this chaos. All in all, a very eclectic and crazy little piece of music.
Subsequent listens: For the first few listens I had a review here saying that while good, it was too disjointed for me... but this is another song that greatly benefitted from one last spin with headphones. I was able to get a clearer feeling for what each instrument is doing and all the shit that's going on and I really enjoyed this last listen. I really need to check this guys further. 7 points.
What I think I can expect from you: Judging by this and your top albums thread I think I'm going to get pretty varied and experimental stuff from you, which is nice.
ReaperKK - From Monument To Masses - Beyond God & Elvis (6 points)First listen: More post-rock! After good experiences with Sigur Ros & Godspeed and a very good submission by kári, some disappointment was bound to happen within the genre, and sadly this was it. I don't mean it's a bad song by any stretch, it just didn't grab me and hold my attention like I wanted it to. I love the simple but groovy drumming on this one and the little piano melodies in the background. A solid song, but not outstanding.
Subsequent listens: I think it's a solid song and I mostly enjoyed it but I don't love it as much as I want it to. The flow of the song feels somewhat strange, I kind of feel some tempo changes and breakdowns are out of place somehow. I still enjoyed it a lot, six points for you.
What I think I can expect from you: If I'm not mistaken I think I've seen some musical opinions from you here and there that seem to match my own, so hopefully you will send some stuff that will click better than this one.
black_floyd - Cynic - Veil of Maya (4 points)First listen: I have to say this song didn't do much for me. Contrary to what I would've thought, it wasn't the vocals that turned me away but rather the production, the song sound somewhat flat and muddy (if that's even possible) to my ears. There were some interesting riffs but I didn't enjoy the soloing that much.
Subsequent listens: I really tried to get something positive from here but I guess it's not my thing. It's not something I actively dislike, I can listen to it just fine, it's just that it doesn't really demand my attention in any way. I will give it four points.
What I think I can expect from you: Lots of songs in the vein of Metallica's Load? Just kidding, I know you despise that record. From what I've seen you post in the forums I know you're the third metalhead in this roulette but I've also seen you talking about some bands (both metal and non metal) that I'd like to check out, so I'm sure I will get some interesting submissions.
LieLowTheWantedMan - Massive Attack - Teardrop (9 points + 1 bonus point for Massive Attack)First listen: This is way chiller than I expected this band to be - the female vocals were also a surprise, I had to check Wikipedia to make sure I wasn't mistaken in regards to this band. I like the relaxed beat and the soft vocals, it's a cute little song. On one hand I feel like something more should happen in the song but on the other hand I'm quite happy taking it for what it is and even with the simple theme and almost 6 minute duration it doesn't feel too long at all.
Subsequent listens: Damn, this is relaxing as fuck. If I let go for two seconds I find myself dancing in my chair like a moron, this is good stuff. Nine points sir, you win this round.
What I think I can expect from you: If this is representative, I like that you went out of this forum's niche genres (metal / prog / post). I want to broaden my horizons so this is a very welcome change.
Elite - - ( points)First listen:
Subsequent listens:
What I think I can expect from you:
Wow what a wall of text... Rankings:
Topic: Xanthul's boring and unimaginative Roulette - Zantera wins!! (Read 21584 times)