I'M SORRY THAT I'M LATE
1 point
Artist: Spock's Beard
Song: The Light
Sent by: Elite
Well, I guess we're off to a controversial start right there! Sorry bro, but this didn't really do a lot for me. The instrumentation was very nice, especially the bass stood out a fair bit and did some really interesting things, but I had a few problems with it as well: I didn't really like the vocals all that much, which is strange, because I like Neal's vocals in Transatlantic a lot, but they were a little grating here, though that could have also have something to do with the sound quality of the YouTube link you sent me. The bigger problem, I think, was that there were some pretty cool musical ideas, but not really enough to justify the song's length, especially between 5:00 and 10:00 it started to drag a little. The spanish guitar solo around 11:30 in the song was really cool, though, definitely my favourite part of the song.
2 points
Artist: Anathema
Song: Thin Air
Sent by: Nekov
This is another placement that I feel a little bad about, because I really wanted to like this song a lot more than I did. Maybe it was just the huge expectations that I had after hearing nearly everyone praise Anathema to no ends, but it felt a little underwhelming. The softer parts (intro, break around 3:10) were excellent, especially the hypnotic guitar intro was awesome, but when the full band entered after each of the softer parts, it felt a little like a generic rocker that failed to keep my interest in the same way that the softer parts did. I'll definitely give this further spins, because I could see it growing on me, but during the four listens that I gave it up to now, it left me (again, probably due to my high expectations) largely unimpressed. Sorry buddy.
Artist: Sybreed
Song: Posthuman Manifesto
Sent by: WindMaster
I don't really have much to say on this one, I'm afraid. When you said "Industrial metal" in your PM, I was really excited about the song because those are two genres I enjoy, but it didn't quite deliver the way I had hoped it would. Yes, the general riffing throughout was pretty badass, but it soon started to run together a little, if that makes any sense, which made the song sound somewhat samey throughout. The vocals sounded a little weird as well, a little distorted, and though I didn't understand a whole lot, it worked very well in the context of the song. Not really a bad song, but one that I enjoyed just a little less than those that I ranked a little higher.
3 points
Artist: Secret Sphere
Song: Wish and Steadiness
Sent by: lonestar
This song and WindMaster's were fighting pretty hard for this spot, but in the end, this one won out, largely because it was more memorable than Posthuman Manifesto. The orchestral beginning bothered me a little, mainly because it seemed a little over the top and didn't really fit the song that well, but after a few listens I grew accustomed to it and it didn't bother me anymore. Once the song gets going, it's pretty good, especially the riffing had me headbanging on my first listen and the intro solo was great as well. My biggest problem with the song was the vocalist, I don't really like his accent all that much, but it started to grow on me after a few listens as well. It's still a little offputting, but I can enjoy the music underneath, which is some great prog metal. The vocal melodies and the vocal effects (especially the echo at the end) were pretty cool.
Artist: Fair to Midland
Song: Dance of the Manatee
Sent by: Sigz
For some reason, I had always thought that Fair to Midland were an indie folk band or something along those lines (don't ask me why, I really have no idea), so I was glad they weren't. This was a very enjoyable rocking song throughout, especially the guitar intro, which was very catchy, and the well-placed break around 2:45 were really good. The high point was definitely the singer, who delivered an awesome performance, especially in the chorus, where he manages to hit high notes while still maintaining a certain aggression to his voice and not sounding at all whiny. I'll definitely check this band out in the future, what would you recommend next?
Artist: Evergrey
Song: The Masterplan
Sent by: wolfking
Oh hey! Some more power prog. I had heard of Evergrey and some songs, but not this one and barring one other song, this is definitely the Evergrey song that I enjoyed the most. The spoken intro set the tone nicely and when it actually started, it was all-around power-prog goodness. The vocals were great, very powerful, especially in the chorus and the instrumental parts were very nice as well. If I would have to criticise something, it would be that it sounded a little standard, but I still enjoyed it a lot, so it didn't bother me.
4 points
Artist: Evergrey
Song: Recreation Day
Sent by: ariich
This is the Evergrey song that I enjoyed more than The Masterplan, and while both are great, this one certainly has Masterplan beat. The mid-tempo groove of the verses was really cool, giving the bass a chance to shine. All instrumentalists were great, though, especially the vocalist, who delivered a powerful performance throughout. Again, the instrumental break was well-placed and -executed, especially the piano part in the middle of it. The lead-in into the final chorus was a bit cliché, with all the instruments pausing for one measure while the singer sings the first measure of the chorus, then coming back in, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the song as a whole. Great submission!
Artist: Rishloo
Song: River of Glass
Sent by: Ultimetalhead
This song sounded kind of unremarkable on the first listen, but subsequent listens really revealed how awesome it was. I can't quite assign this to a genre, but it had some elements of rock and prog as well, without being prog rock if that makes any sense. There were some time signature and tempo changes throughout that were always very well placed and never felt out of place - in the opposite, they actually kept the song very interesting throughout. Another high point were the vocals, especially during the chorus. Another band that I'll be sure to check out, I actually listened to some other songs from Feathergun yesterday evening and while they weren't quite as good as this one, I thoroughly enjoyed them as well.
5 points (Round winner)
Artist: Flaming Row
Song: Rage of Despair
Sent by: jingle.boy
I had actually once begun listening to this album, but I had to stop because I had classes and didn't come back to it for some reason, which is a shame because if I had, I would have heard this beauty of a song far sooner. Rage of Despair basically encompasses everything that's good about prog metal: great riffing (especially the intro riff), superb vocal melodies and vocal delivery (I especially enjoyed the harsh vocals and the interplay between the male and female vocals on this song) and great playing on all instruments. The solos were very melodic and surprisingly un-shreddy, which worked very well in the context of the song, especially the bass solo at 4:15 is great. My only point of criticism with this song is that the concept behind it isn't all that interesting in my opinion and that translates to the lyrics as well, but the music was so awesome that that's only a very minor complaint.
Overall, this was a great round and I'm hoping you guys keep delivering in the future! Since jingle.boy won this round, his number (9) also decides the theme for round two, which is:
INSTRUMENTAL
Sent me a song that does not feature any vocals. THIS INCLUDES spoken words and samples.
Topic: Scorpion's Roulette v. IT'S DONE! (Read 34819 times)
