Round 10: FINAL ROUND - 2 songs from a band that show off different spectrum's or styles.
First, I'd like to thank everyone for participating and being so great about the timing and scoring and the competition of it all around. This forum is so great and I'm very thankful to you guys for some awesome new musical discoveries!
Ultimetalheadmaudlin of the Well"They Aren't All Beautiful" (
7.5)
Have to say the vocals were a little startling lol. Maybe I'll fully come around to growls one day! I like the staggered riffs and the passionate nature of the song. The nice little groove breakdown near the end complete with horns was exceptionally cool.
"Geography" (
8.0)
And then this song starts with almost placid clean vocals and acoustics...keep waiting for the explosion (will it come?). The nice melody in the acoustic guitar carries the song a little better than the vocal but the vocal isn't bad. The song has a slight unsettling nature underneath it's calm.
NekovFrost* "Hyperventilate" (
8.5)
Begins sort of like some later Pink Floyd material with the sullen but beautiful keys/piano and then wham! The way the song builds and all the instrumentation really hits all the right spots for me. Becomes quite orchestral towards the end, reminds me of some Steve Vai material actually and of course Dream Theater in ways. Superb instrumental piece!
"Welcome to nowhere" (
9.0)
Piano/keys intro again but this time with some electronica feel. Interesting vocal effect at the beginning. Another hammer to the face moment after about a minute but I love those! Sounds like there might be two singers in this song? Some nice vocal melodies here. Like the many different qualities this song has. For me this song has just something magical about it that really reaches so many of the things I enjoy about music at the moment. Quite impressed with this band!
Big HathThe Sword"Cloak of Feathers" (
8.0)
This is a band I've intended for a while to try and get into. Obviously love their sound being a big Sabbath, Zep fan and they carry that torch well. This is right in my wheelhouse.
"The Chronomancer I: Hubris" (
8.0)
Really love the incorporation of the massive riffs and grooves, I think both you and I are fans of that. Musically this is just awesome stuff. Vocally could stand out a little more or they could stretch the musical approach some (sort of like how Mastodon progs it up a little) but staying true to who they are, they really have a killer sound!
senecadawg2Sigur Ros"Hoppípolla" (
7.5)
Really do get the uplifting vibe from this song. The piano and orchestration are quite pretty and as it builds it definitely carries you upward. Although I don't understand the vocals they are nice and set the mood for the song, as if you can hear a smile in them.
"Untitled 8" (
8.0)
The slow slightly howling entrance here gives a chill. From the start it does give the impression of a cold barren surrounding. They do a very good job of establishing a feel with all the aspects of their music. I can almost picture someone mentally falling apart here (could just be me lol). This band creates some excellent mood music.
jingle.boyFrameshift"Human Grain" (
7.5)
Very shocked right away to hear Sebastian Bach singing here. Never really placed him singing prog-type music, not that he couldn't handle it clearly. He stretches out in front of the music here very well. The lyrical story is very interesting and I'll have to check out the theme of perspectives on violence. The song is a fairly straight forward prog-metal sounding song.
"La mer" (
8.0)
Ok what is it with Bach and LaBrie? LOL! Very interesting they've worked in similar projects considering they don't really seem the same style although both are great vocal talents. Definitely a LaBrie ballad. His voice sounds really good here. I guess musically it's a little more restrained than work with Dream Theater but the piano sells it well with me of course.
lonestarKarnya"A Paraphreniac Menticide" (
7.0)
I can tell from this piece that this band is a really high quality prog band. Musically they have great players and a strong vocalist. Some of the newer prog bands sometimes struggle to find a center and meander a bit while showing off their chops and I kind of get that vibe here. I feel like a little more focus could have strengthened the tune.
" Where the Silence Remains..." (
8.0)
Like the immediate emotional feel from the vocal here and then the nice keys/synths intro. This song really carries me with the keys and guitar. This song just felt more passionate throughout and that always wins with me. That's not to say the previous tune didn't have it maybe this one just spoke to me more. Regardless, my interest turned up a great deal after hearing this. Nice one!
FINAL Standings:1.jingle.boy: (8.5) + (8.0) + (8.0) + (7.5) + (8.0) = 40
1..Nekov: (6.5) + (8.0) + (7.5) + (8.5) + (9.0) = 39.5
2.Ulitmetalhead: (8.0) + (8.0) + (7.5) + (7.5) + (8.0) = 39
3.Big Hath: (6.5) + (8.0) + (8.0) + (8.0) + (8.0) = 38.5
3.lonestar: (7.5) + (8.0) + (8.0) + (7.0) + (8.0) = 38.5
3.senecadawg2: (7.0) + (8.0) + (8.0) + (7.5) + (8.0) = 38.5
(please check my scoring and math!)
Most sincere apologies for errors. Only thing worse than my math skills seems to be copy and pasting which caused my final scores to be loopy.
So.... Nekov absolutely roars back just a little short with a great band submission at the end. jingle.boy really brought it in the finals with strong selections through the 4 final rounds for the win.
Thank you again to everyone for your participation and it has been all my pleasure with all this great music coming my way!