ROUND 1 RESULTSElite: Haken - Atlas Stone
Oh hey, it's Haken. These guys have been on my "should check out sometime" list for ages, and I was certain I would get something from them in this roulette. Turns out I didn't have to wait long.
Anyways, this definitely feels like a true opener, in fact out of all the submissions for this round, this song probably fits the theme the most. Like all good openers, the intro is fantastic. That piano melody is absolutely beautiful, and the moment the full band kicks in is great. I also like when the melody is reprised later on in the song with that guitar solo on top of it. That ethereal, soaring atmosphere is what I like most about this song... which is why I think the song would have been a bit better if it stuck to that vibe a bit more. The jazzy break after the first chorus in particular has no reason to be there, and overall I actually think the song would have been stronger if it was a bit shorter in length. As it is though, it's still a good song, and a great choice for the first round.
Score: 8.0
Lolzeez: Leprous - Bilateral
This song definitely had a strong impact the first time I heard it; it's very unique-sounding. I love the electronic elements in the verses; they have a very cool atmosphere that is right up my alley. They also contrast well with that powerful chorus. Upon repeated listenings however, I get the feeling that this song could get old relatively quickly. While I just praised that chorus, its power diminishes a bit after you've heard it a lot. I still definitely like what I heard though, it just left me wanting a bit more. Feel free to send me another song by them later down the line, I get the feeling that this song only scratches the surface of this band's potential.
Score: 8.0
Nekov: Pagan's Mind - God's Equation
You know your submission is good when there's titties on the cover art and a heated religious debate in the comments section.
This one was definitely a grower; nothing really stuck out the first time I heard it, but now I'd say it's one of the best songs I got this round. First of all, that vocalist is fucking killing it. His melodies are great and he's got a lot of power. The chorus is fantastic, I love the melody and the climactic feel that backs it up. Throw in some cool riffs and a good flow that doesn't make the song feel overly-long despite a pretty simple structure, and you've got yourself a great submission.
Score: 8.5
senecadawg2: Circus Maximus - Architect Of Fortune
I've been aware of this band's existence for a long time, and this song definitely made a great first impression of them. I really like the guitar work; there's some really cool riffs in the first half, the guitarist's tone is fantastic, and the the lead lines thrown in every now and then always feel tasteful. The balance of dynamics is really well-done, there's a good amount of heavy sections as well as quieter sections. Speaking of which, while the first half of the song is already good, the second half really elevates the piece to another level. That break is quite beautiful, and the way it explodes into the instrumental section leading up to the final chorus is amazing. Congratulations, this is probably the best song I got this round. Keep it up!
Score: 9.0
elefantStone: Disillusion - And The Mirror Cracked
Now these guys I've never even heard of. I'll be honest, the first time I heard this song I wasn't too impressed with the first three minutes, but then that break into the middle section came. I really love that whole part of the song, which is unsurprising considering I love atmospheric elements in music. The acoustic guitars, the piano, and that chord progression really create a great, melancholy mood. It feels genuinely emotional and beautiful. The heavier parts of the song definitely aren't as good, but they've grown on me a bit. So overall, I'd say this is a pretty great song.
Score: 8.5
Lucien: Haken - Falling Back To Earth
Oh hey, it's Haken. Again. Same album, even.
I should really pick this album up sometime soon, it sounds pretty great. Anyways, compared to Atlas Stone, I definitely like this one more. It covers a lot of ground and flows really well, the vocalist gives a better performance, and there's no parts in particular I would cut out. The first half has a lot of cool riffs, some nice atmospheric touches, and a good amount of proggy goodness. However, the second half is where the song really picks up. (That seems to be a recurring theme this round...) The quiet break is nice, and the buildup from soft and atmospheric to loud and bombastic (dat massive riff) is done really well. Aside from Architect Of Fortune, this is probably the best song I got this round.
HOWEVER... this song really doesn't fit the theme of this round at all. I'm sorry, I just don't get the "opener" vibe at all from it. This becomes even more apparent when it's compared with Atlas Stone, the most opener-y song I received. If you saved this song for a later round, it probably would have gotten a 9. For this round, I'm sadly gonna have to take off .5 points.
But it's still an awesome song.
Score: 8.5
LieLowTheWantedMan: The Drones - I See Seaweed
Well, this one was certainly interesting. I don't think I can really compare this song to anything I've heard before. It's very experimental and theatrical, and both of those things are good in my book. While I have no idea what the song's actually about, it feels very emotional. While the vocalist's voice sounds a bit silly, (he reminds me a lot of Roger Waters, which isn't really a good thing) I can tell he's singing his heart out, and it definitely shows in his performance. The loud parts of the song sound fantastic, and the contrast between them and the verses works very well. That said, I really wish they lasted longer. They just seem to leave way too quickly; the only loud section that lasts as long as I think it should is the bombastic finale with the guitar solo, easily the best part of the song. I also wish that the quiet sections had a bit more driving them than just the vocals. But hey, minor complaints. This is a really hard song to give a rating to, hopefully an 8 is good enough. Better than the other times you submitted it, at least?
Score: 8.0
Scorpion: Wintersun - Winter Madness
JESUS CHRIST GUYS SLOW THE FUCK DOWN
Anyways, this song certainly is energetic, you didn't lie about that.
Some of the riffs and melodies are also pretty enjoyable. But I think that the song is a bit TOO energetic and fast. The constant blastbeats and the superfast tempo obscure some of the previously-mentioned melodies, and my favorite parts of the song are when the band chills out a bit and doesn't sound like they've all had fifty cups of coffee before recording. It's definitely not a bad song, but I don't really see myself ever revisiting it unless I'm in the mood for something ridiculously energetic.
Score: 7.5
jingle.boy: Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love
Yes, I am a child of the 90s. I've heard a lot of "classic" bands, but ehh, aside from Pink Floyd they usually just aren't really my thing. Same thing goes for this song. While that riff IS pretty cool, this song didn't really do anything for me. I don't know if I could point out anything about this song that's actually bad, (except for maybe that middle section, what the hell was the point of that?
) but compared to everything else I got this round, this song just doesn't resonate with my tastes. But hey, kudos for trying.
Score: 7.0
?: Dark Tranquillity - Nothing To No One
This song was pretty cool. The intro is really great, starting the song off on a good note. The slow groove the song has is really nice; the riffs work really well with it. With that being said, a lot of the song doesn't use that groove, instead having the drums in double time or doing blastbeats. This pretty much only happens in the verses, which are probably the weak point of the song. I think if the whole song was in that slow groove, I would have liked it a bit better. But as-is, the song is still pretty good.
Score: 8.0
THE SCORE SO FAR-senecadawg2: 9.0
-Nekov: 8.5
-elefantStone: 8.5
-Lucien: 8.5
-Elite: 8.0
-Lolzeez: 8.0
-LieLowTheWantedMan: 8.0
-?: 8.0
-Scorpion: 7.5
-jingle.boy: 7.0
ROUND 2: HEAVY SHIT (BUT NOT TOO HEAVY)This round is pretty self-explanatory. I like metal and heavy shit. So send me some.
That said, there's certain styles of "heavy" I like and others I don't like. I'm not going to go into detail here, so take a look at my banned artists list and try to figure it out for yourself. And hey, feel free to take some risks! Good luck.
Keep in mind, I added a new rule: No more than two songs per band for the roulette. If I get two songs from a band, they get added to the "newly-banned" list on the first post. The only band on there so far is Haken.
Topic: Buddyhunter1's Roulette of Fun and Tears (But Mostly Fun) - The End! (Read 26816 times)