Round 6 results.
Shadow Ninja 2.0 vs jingle.boyShadow Ninja 2.0This was a nice ballad. The instrumentation is kept simple, with the song being driven mostly by the vocals and piano, with the addition of a bass and some electronic beats. It was perhaps a little on the bland side however, as there isn't a lot of variety here, especially the beat (singular) which is the same throughout the entire song. Vocally I thought Ms. Fimm was capable but not great; I could hear the lack of confidence in her voice.
Nice song, but not enough to beat your opponent.
jingle.boy- Mystery - Pride
You are right, this is definitely more your wheelhouse, and more along the lines of what I thought I would be receiving from you in this roulette.
So, this is basically just a well constructed, enjoyable neo-prog track. It is sufficiently epic, and there's some rocking out. It's a longer song, so I'm going to go with more of a bullet point approach (similar to what I did for Elite's Leprous song) to talk about a few of the things I liked because I think that will be an easier post to construct.
- Nice intro that wastes no time getting into the thick of things. The clean guitar sounds good here, and the distorted rhythm guitar isn't far behind. I like the alternating between riffing and the big chords, then leaving space for the clean guitar before starting up again. This technique along with the vocalist's singing style reminds me of Rush quite a bit.
- The drumming throughout the song is strong; it's interesting and busy, without being too technical. Bass playing is similar.
- I like the subtle things going on in the background with the percussion during the more peaceful section starting around the 3:30 mark.
- Love the build up of that section into the guitar solo and how the drumming comes in proper again at the same time.
- The big epic close to the song that I'd expect from something like this is here.
It doesn't really bring anything new to the table, but it's an enjoyable track. A star is you.
Big Hath vs SaculBig Hath- Fair to Midland - Walls of Jericho
You know, I think your idea of taking stars away was a good one.
There wasn't much in this song that I liked. The clean, almost funky guitar during the verses was alright. The drumming was decent.
What I didn't like...the vocalist is #1. He has an annoying nasal sound during the verses, and while he starts of alright at first in the chrous, his voice takes on a more grating whiney sound towards the end. There were some parts where he sings very softly that were alright though. The song is incredibly bland, the guitar playing and song structure especially. Nothing about this song is able to hold my interest.
Sacul- Mastodon - The Motherload
Mastodon is a band that had been on my radar, and I am pretty sure I looked into them some years ago. I was under the impression before listening to this song that it was going to be more extreme; a lot heavier, harsh/scream vocals, maybe some blastbeats...all that sort of stuff. So I was (pleasantly) surprised when it wasn't like that at all. Perhaps this song/album is more toned down or I'm just remembering the band's music incorrectly?
Anyway, while this wasn't a bad song by any means, it was fairly same-y and repetitive. The song starts off full-on and stays that way the entire time, no breathing room or change in dynamics at all. The riff in the verses is okay, but nothing great and the chorus is quite dull. The instrumental section is one of the better parts of the song but still nothing all that special. I'm not impressed by the vocals at any point in the song either. The production is so-so, being muddy at times and being grating at others (like at 3:34, the tone of both the lead and rhythm guitars).
You mentioned your desire to send more straightforward stuff, but I think this time you've overshot and gone way too far in that direction. Your song was barely better than the one Big Hath sent, but since I didn't really like it all that much, you're getting a bronze.
Parama vs EvermindParama- Kimbra - Come Into My Head
This is certainly one of the more unique things I've received so far. It's like soul music with 80's hip hop beats and sound effects. This was another track that was quite repetitive throughout, again bolstered (
) by having the same beat throughout the entire song. The vocalist was annoying a lot of the time but decent at others, though never approaching a performance that stands out in a positive way. There were a few scat parts here and there, some of which I found annoying (3:04 being the prime example).
Yeah, so...overall, I was not impressed.
Evermind- IQ - The Road of Bones
I'm sure I have heard a couple of IQ songs before, but like many things I gave them a pass at the time. I was fairly certain this song was not one of them, so let's see if my mind can be changed yet again.
The intro is quite good, with a simple droning note carrying things while some strings flesh it all out. The laid-back piano and soft vocal style appeals to me also, especially when the string section comes back in. The bass sounds quite good and I like this section where it drives the song with the drums. The little licks the bass player throws in now and then are great. It's epic as fuck once the strings return. The marimba is a unique and welcome addition aswell. Approaching the six minute mark, things get heavier. There's a nice synth build up before the band starts rocking out, and the strings take on a slightly mellotron-like, lo-fi sound. The key change (at least I think it's one?) around 7:40 is a nice changeup. I think my only real criticism is that the song easily could have been longer; it's eight and a half minutes and yet it somehow seems too short, it left me wanting more.
This was a strong submission, and I enjoyed it immensely. RJ would be proud.
Scorpion vs EliteScorpion- Steve Rothery - Morpheus (feat. Steve Hackett)
Instrumental stuff has a tendancy to be a bit hit or miss with me, especially when it's a guitarist's solo album or whatever. So I was curious to see whether this song would hit the mark or not.
The song starts off nicely, with a serene soundscape. The clean guitar that starts after a minute and a half or so sounds pretty good, as do the lead licks. The lead melodies that drive the song once it starts proper are good - there's no virtuosity or showing off here, it's purely about the melodies and playing "for the song" which is a big plus. Things only get better as the song progresses and the dynamics build, and the introduction of a piano was inevitable (but welcomed). As the song builds in dynamics, I'm getting major 70's vibes - from the lead guitar especially, but the intermittent organ playing enhances this effect.
So yes, I generally have a harder time getting into guitar instrumentals, but this whole song is full of great melodic, tasteful playing, and does a great job building up to its climax. So well done.
EliteContinuing with the alternative route I see, and a band that I don't recall listening to before.
This is a pretty raw, almost "live-in-the-studio" kind of song. It starts out with the drummer smacking his sticks together to count in the beginning of the song after which it starts properly and at first is good, with some twangy clean guitars playing broken chords. The vocalist has a very alternative/grunge kind of singing style which isn't bad but doesn't resonate with me all that much. The song is on the repetitive side and all of the sections kind of blur together a bit, even the instrumental section after the second chorus doesn't offer much of anything in the way of change. There's quite a bit of distortion on vocals during the climax of the song, which I don't think was executed all that well; it almost sounds unintentional, but I'm not sure.
This is not a bad song but it's easily your weakest, and so Scrop has finally put an end to your winning streak here.
This was a pretty mixed round. A couple of people who have been struggling manage to impress enough to win stars, but a few others only managed to dig themselves deeper. Elite's winning streak has finally ended. Evermind impresses yet again and achieves a third gold star - and remains the only contestant so far who has multiple. Last round I mentioned that Parama was the only person statistically unable to win, but now some more have joined him...I'll leave you all to speculate about how many people and who they might be.
Songs of the round ranked:
Evermind
jingle.boy
Scorpion
Shadow Ninja 2.0
Elite
Sacul
Big Hath
Parama
Round 7: The Final Battle!Shadow Ninja 2.0 vs
Scorpionjingle.boy vs
ParamaBig Hath vs
EvermindSacul vs
Elite
Topic: Bolsters™ The Roulette ★THE CONCLUSION★ (Read 33587 times)
