ROUND 1 RESULTS
Scorpion - Anciients - Raise The Sun - 8 points
I really liked this track. As I mentioned before, the opening of the song reminds me a bit of Agalloch, although that impression is dispelled later on when the riff and vocals come in. Both are still great, however. The harsh vocals are really nice, as is the instrumental section near the end, which seems like an actual composed instrumental section, rather than just solos. I don't really have any complaints about this song. Very nice, definitely interested in checking out more of their stuff.
Sacul - David Maxim Micic - Wrinkle Maze - 7 points
I've heard of this group or artist (not sure which) before, but this marks the first time I've heard any of their/his music. To be honest, it's not quite what I was expecting. I'm actually not even sure what kind of music this is. It's instrumental, it's slow building, it's quite beautiful at times. I suppose it might be post-rock, but even that doesn't seem to quite fit. Whatever it is, though, I really enjoyed it. Thanks for this one.
adace - Alcest - Autre Temps - 8 points
I've heard a bit of Alcest before, but never listened to them extensively. I suppose I should rectify this, if this song is any indicator of quality. It's beautiful, calming and ethereal. I don't really have that much to say about this one, other than that's it was really good.
Nekov - Subsignal - My Sanctuary - 7 points
I've heard of Subsignal before, but never taken the time to actually check them out. This song surprised me with a great, major-sounding guitar riff, and the rest of the song maintained that positive vibe. The singer has a really great voice, although I don't particularly for the harmony parts, I prefer the sections where it's just one layer of his voice by itself. The best part of the song for me, though, is the guitar solo, which is absolutely amazing, though I wish it was a bit longer. So yeah, I liked this one.
senecadawg2 - Iron Maiden - Hallowed Be Thy Name - 5 points
There is a reason Iron Maiden wasn't on my banned artists list. Despite their status in the world of metal, I've really just never cared for Maiden. This song, unfortunately, wasn't much of an exception. The guitar work is pretty cool, but I've really never been big on Bruce as a vocalist, and I don't find the melodies all that interesting. I feel bad for this, since I know a lot of people really love Maiden, but I just ca'nt get into them. Sorry.
bl5150 - Conception - Roll The Fire - 7 points
Man, Tore Østby is awesome. It's a shame he doesn't do much these days. His guitar work is fantastic as usual here, though I suppose the real standout is Khan. It's interesting to hear him in this context, he seems a less restrained than he was with Kamelot; he hits some pretty high notes here. I suppose my only complaint about the song is that, despite Khan's greatness, a few of the melodies don't sit very well with me. Still, it's a minor complaint, as this was a great song.
Lucien - Shostakovich - Symphony No. 5 Finale - 8 points
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this initially, as I don't listen to a whole lot of classical music. I really enjoyed this piece, though. The near manic pace of the beginning is a perfect contrast to the slower ending. I can't really compare it to anything else, because as I said I don't know a lot of classical stuff, but I definitely enjoyed this one.
LieLowTheWantedMan - Built To Spill - Randy Described Eternity - 9 points
I think this is the only submission where I had never even heard of the group prior to this. This song was really amazing, I've never really heard anything else quite like it. As you said, the guitar layering is fantastic, and really adds a lot to the song. I can see some people being rubbed the wrong way by the vocals, but I think they're fantastic and suit the song perfectly. I don't really have much else to say here, except that I'll definitely be checking out more of their music.
Bolsters - CHVRCHES - The Mother We Share - 10 points
Oddly enough, I'd heard the name before, but just assumed they were some black metal type thing (the kvlt-y spelling is what caused that
). What this song turned out to be, though, is a fantastic, catchy synthpop track. I really don't have much to say here; the song is perfect, the instrumentation is perfect, the singer is perfect, the whole thing is just great. Send me more stuff like this.
Onno - Leprous - Forced Entry - 8 points
Leprous have been recommended to me on multiple occasions, but for whatever reason I've never gotten around to checking them out. They remind of Haken a little bit, in that they put their own twist on the usual progressive metal mold. I really enjoy the vocalist (not sure if it's the same guy doing clean and harsh?) and the instrumentation is fantastic as well. I'm sure I'll be checking them out more in the future.
So, here are the standings thus far:
Bolsters - 10
LieLowTheWantedMan - 9
adace - 8
Lucien - 8
Onno - 8
Scorpion - 8
bl5150 - 7
Nekov - 7
Sacul - 7
senecadawg2 - 5
ROUND 2
Same rules. Send music. Hopefully good music.