Results time!
These write-ups aren’t great, but I’m getting tired of trying to come up with interesting things to say here, so fuck it.
In a nutshell,
SomeoneLikeHim: Symphony X – ‘A Fool’s Paradise’This is pretty awesome. I’ve heard a couple Symphony X songs before, and I love the symphonic element of their music. Nothing too fancy in this one on that front, but it’s still there, and it adds some nice layers to the song. Gives it some character. The solo section is terrific. And the whole song definitely has a lot of energy. Nice choice.
Buddyhunter1: Mastodon – ‘Blasteroid’I have a little trouble taking this one totally seriously, because I find the lyrics downright laughable. But aside from that, it’s a great song. It definitely packs a lot of punch; it starts off hard and fast, it hits the ground running, and it never really lets up. I could see myself working out to this. The riffs are awesome, and I actually really like Mastodon’s vocals. Cool stuff.
lonestar: Stargate – ‘Save the World’This is downright electric. I can’t sit still while listening to it. It also has a pretty unique atmosphere; it feels sort of futuristic to me, like musical science fiction, though I’m not sure what exactly it is that gives me that impression. Whatever it is, it’s really cool. There are some excellent guitar passages, and the drumming is great. Sweet symphonic flavorings here as well, and great vocals. I like it.
Dr. DTVT: Therion – ‘Thor (The Powerhead)’ (Manowar cover, live)
For the record, this was his second choice. He first sent me a Symphony X song that I already know and love.
Sorry, but this really isn’t doing much for me. The song itself feels shallow and artificial to me. I imagine I would feel differently if I was actually there, because it’s certainly a powerful live performance – the vocalist has an impressive voice and a commanding presence, and singing along with those chants would make for an epic concert moment – but sitting at home and watching it on a monitor, I just can’t quite seem to get into it.
adace: Kamelot – ‘Center of the Universe’This one’s kind of unique in that a lot of the energy seems to come from the keys. Usually fast-paced songs like this one tend to be driven by drums and guitars, and those elements are here, too, of course, but the keyboard passages have a way of really energizing the music in this one. It’s really neat. The slower section in the middle of the song feels a bit out of place to me, but overall, a great song.
jingle.boy: Epysode – ‘Obsessions’Spectacular. This one is really firing on all cylinders, with awesome guitar work, great keys, solid drumming, and some truly amazing vocals. The back and forth between the two vocalists is done really well. The lyrics are pretty interesting as well; I’m definitely curious about the story of this album. I love the dark, eerie mood of this one. Now, excuse me while I stop typing and rock the fuck out.
wolfking: Symphony X – ‘Set The World On Fire’Ah, more Symphony X. Not that I’m complaining – this is an awesome song, particularly for the adrenaline rush theme. Makes me feel like going for a run, except I’m afraid I’d probably end up getting seriously hurt while attempting to run and headbang at the same time. The drumming in this one is explosive for sure, and once again, I really enjoy the symphonic element of their music. Plus, I love the chorus. Lots of great stuff here.
kingshmegland: Pagan’s Mind – ‘Through Osiris’ Eyes’To be honest, I didn’t really get much of an adrenaline rush out of this one. But maybe that’s just because it was the last one I received and I was already burnt out from listening to all the other songs.
At any rate, it’s still a very good song. I love the vocalist, especially during the chorus. The guitarist has a great sound, too; very crisp. I was reminded, at times, of Iron Maiden, which is always a good thing. I wasn’t blown away, but I do enjoy it.
(Elite: Firewind – ‘Into the Fire’
Yes, Elite is out of the competition, but he submitted a song anyway, ‘for the hell of it’. I thought that was nice of him, so I decided to go ahead and mention it here, for the hell of it. Now I regret eliminating him, because this song is badass and might very well have won the round if he was still in it.)Round Four rankings:1. jingle.boy
2. wolfking
3. lonestar
4. SomeoneLikeHim
5. adace
6. buddyhunter1
7. kingshmegland
8. Dr. DTVT
Sorry, Doc. You said in your message that you were taking a big risk here, and I guess it just didn’t pay off. Truth be told, I’m generally not that fond of live versions in general; I often feel disconnected from them because of the simple fact that I’m not there. That probably played a role in this decision, but even aside from that, I really feel that this song just wasn’t quite what I was looking for here. So, I’m afraid you’re eliminated. I feel especially bad about this, because your first choice would have fared much better if I hadn’t already been familiar with it. If it’s any consolation, I bought Haken’s The Mountain due in large part to your sending me Cockroach King, so you’ve definitely had an impact on me, and I thank you very much for participating. I hope there are no hard feelings.
In happier news, congratulations to jingle.boy! I felt bad when I had to ask you to resend (he initially sent me Nightwish’s Planet Hell, a song which I’m already very familiar with), but it worked out okay, because your second choice was a homerun. For that, you have earned immunity from elimination in round five. Congratulations, and well played!
Round Five: VoicelessCan’t have a prog roulette without an instrumental round, now can we? This round, I don’t want to hear any vocals. Send me some awesome instrumental songs instead.
Submit your songs by January 20th.
Topic: Jaffa's Prog Rock and Metal Roulette - Final Results posted!!! (Read 42644 times)