I want to face this off with saying that there was not a single song that I didn't enjoy this round, so the low places shouldn't feel bad at all, everyone sent me some amazing music!
1 pointsArtist: After Forever
Song: Equally Destructive
Sent by: ariichWhat can I say about this one? The instrumentation was top-notch, especially the concise riffing and the way that the guitar and the synth complimented each other. The vocals were great as well, very powerful and perfectly suited to the song. The problem that I had with this song, or better the reason that it didn't score higher is that it felt very familiar, not really anything new or special, and while some bands can make that work, it didn't work that well here. Don't get me wrong, it was an enjoyable tune, but nothing was really special about it either.
2 pointsArtist: Beautiful Sin
Song: This Is Not The Original Dream
Sent by: wolfkingBehold! wolfking has not gotten three points for the first time in this roulette! I doubt he'll be pleased, but like ariich's song, this was a victim of the strong submissions that it had to compete with. The instrumentation was great, especially the guitar work (dat guitar solo
), and I enjoyed the grittier vocal tone, but it felt a little run-of-the-mill to me. Good, but nothing really special either. The guitar work and the vocals were absolutely perfect and set it above rich's submission just a little bit.
Artist: Of Monsters and Men
Song: Little Talks
Sent by: WindMasterWell, standard sound is something that I can definitely not fault these guys for! This was something I wasn't expecting, some folkie stuff that had me smiling all the way through. The use of the horns especially added a level of infectious quirkiness from this song that had me fighting hard against dancing to it like a total tool. The interplay between male and female vocals was awesome as well. It actually felt a little like Foxy Shazam's Oh Lord in pieces, which is totally a good thing. All in all, this was the toughest decision, because this song totally deserves three points, but one of them had to get bumped down. Sorry brah.
3 pointsArtist: Stream of Passion
Song: Games We Play
Sent by: jingle.boyJust a smidgen ahead of WindMaster's submission, this one is back in familiar prog-metal territory. Like the other proggish submission, this has stellar instrumental work, especially on the guitars and a powerful female vocal sound - awesome! What set this one apart from wolfking's and ariich's submission was the keyboard work (that piano breakdown in the middle was perfect!) and the catchiness of the vocal lines, I was singing along at the top of my voice during the second chorus already. Great song!
Artist: Vandroya
Song: The Last Free Land
Sent by: lonestarAnother proggish submission, this one was great in every aspect. Like the others, it lacked a little novelty, but sometimes, it's not about who did it first, but who does it best, and Vandroya are damn awesome at what they do. Apart from the usual stuff that I could just repeat (great instrumentation, powerful voice, enjoyable vocal lines, blah blah blah), what really set this apart was the instrumental part. Both the guitar solo and the synthy interlude are executed perfectly, and the moment that the chorus comes back in is fucking awesome.
#
Artist: Effloresce
Song: Sunset in the Snowdome
Sent by: NekovThis nearly made the four-point category, awesome submission throughout! The way that they manage to switch between calmer and heavier parts without breaking a sweat is great, and I really like both the lyrics and their delivery. The growls were a nice touch, even though they were only employed for a short time, they rounded the whole thing off. Again, the guitar work was great throughout, though I think it would have worked even better if there had been a proper solo thrown in somewhere - if executed correctly, that would have pushed the song up several notches. Also, insert obligatory patriotic comment for a German band here.
4 pointsArtist: Eisley
Song: Memories
Sent by: UltimetalheadIn contrast to the many of the other submissions, the instrumental work here was very subdued, allowing the jawdropping vocals to truly shine through. This has to be one of the best voices that I have ever heard, the tone, the range and the timbre are nothing short of astounding. There are some parts were there are two voices harmonising, I can't tell if that the same voice twice or two voices, but it sounds even more amazing. Beautiful submission, worth the four points for this gorgeous voice alone.
Artist: Floex
Song: Nel Blu
Sent by: SigzThis one went a totally different route than all the others, going only with some electronic elements and a soothing voice and it worked wonderfully. The main groove of the song was beautiful, atmospheric and hypnotic at the same time, really drawing you into the song. I don't understand a word of the lyrics, but that doesn't bother me in the slightest, because this song just allows you to let yourself drift in it. The five minutes something flew by as well, with the whole never feeling boring, despite not a lot really happening - perfect pacing, and a wonderful submission on the whole.
5 pointsArtist: Touchstone
Song: Wintercoast
Sent by: EliteOn the first listen, I would have never guessed that this song would become my favourite of the bunch, because it felt a little disjointed, but repeated listens showed me that that wasn't the case at all. This is another proggish submission, and it's the longest song as well, but it doesn't fell lengthy at any point. The duet between male and female vocals is great, though I actually like the part with the lead male vocals a little better. The guitar solo after that is a textbook example of what a perfect solo should sound like and that final chorus-like vocal part sent chills down my spine on every listen. Perfect submission!
Rankings14 points: lonestar
16 points: WindMaster
17 points: wolfking, jingle.boy
18 points: Sigz
20 points: Nekov, Elite, ariich, UMH
Wow, this is still really close!
Elite won the round, so his number
6 chooses the next round's topic, which will be:
QUICKIESend me a song that manages to impress in less than 4 minutes.
This will be the final themed round, after which the roulette will close with an open round, WHICH WILL BE WORTH DOUBLE POINTS, SO THIS IS STILL EVERYONE'S GAME!
Topic: Scorpion's Roulette v. IT'S DONE! (Read 35948 times)
