Round 1 Results:Shadow Ninja 2.0: The Tallest Man On Earth – I Won’t Be FoundFirst Impressions:
I am absolutely positive I’ve heard this before, but I have no clue where and it’s mostly just the title drop I recognize. You might notice a lack of folky acoustic singer-songwriter stuff on my list, it’s a genre of music that I find myself struggling to have any interest in. I think this is above average, the vocals are different but not horrid, and the guitar accompaniment is far beyond basic chords, but I don’t see myself getting more out of this on subsequent listens than I did on my first listen.
Final Thoughts:
I have no problem with straightforward music. Some of my favorite songs are pretty straightforward, but it works for them, because they have a depth to them, and they’re endlessly relistenable.
Unfortunately, this song is neither of those to me. On first listen, I got about as much out of this as I did on my last listen. The acoustic guitar is nice, but a bit repetitive by the end, though it’s better than just being straightforward chords. The vocals are alright, a few times his voice kind of breaks, and the inflections aren’t my favorite, but they’re different and far from awful. There’s soul put into this, surely, but it just doesn’t do much for me.
Score: 4/10 (+.5 Bonus) = 4.5/10Train of Naught: Slash ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators – World on FireFirst Impressions:
It’s impressive but a bit sad that Slash is writing 80’s hard rock in 2014, but for what it is? It’s upbeat and energetic, it’s pleasant to listen to, but it doesn’t stand out, and in a bad way. I feel like I could turn on classic rock radio, listen to whatever pops up there, and probably get about the same experience. And while I have nothing against classic rock, I’d rather listen to it than the pop stations on most days, it’s just something I never find deep enough to merit really listening to much. Again, I don’t think a second listen or third listen of this is going to give me more out of this than a first listen did.
Final Thoughts:
This sounds a lot like 80’s hard rock, but with better production. But… it came out in 2014. And… I really don’t see the merit to this kind of rock anymore, in this day and age. Maybe it appeals to people who grew up listening to this stuff, but I don’t see it doing much of anything that wasn’t done by stuff that came out at the time. The riffs are familiar, the chorus is familiar, the lyrics are familiar, the soloing style is familiar.
I imagine this kind of thing is cool live. In a live setting, the high energy makes for a great rocker. You wouldn’t have to be familiar with the song in that environment to enjoy it, because it’s a pretty mindless, fun track that allows Slash to flex his chops a little. But me sitting at my computer, listening to this alongside the rest of the songs I’ve been given? Yeah, that’s not the environment for something like this.
I vaguely like the quieter bridge with the buildup near the end, and as a whole I have nothing against the song, but I got less and less out of it with each listen and I doubt I’ll ever want to return to it in the future.
Score: 5.5/10FlyingBIZKIT: Dredg – PariahFirst Impressions:
At first listen, there’s not really a lot here that stands out, but it’s competent as a whole and I can see this being a grower. I like the presence of the heavier guitar and bass where the other instruments are keeping a mellower feel, it works well, and the vocals are a bit off but have charm to them.
Final Thoughts:
This was the song I had the least to say about the first time I listened to it, and it remains the song I have the least to say about after my fifth listen. This is actually the only track that I felt less and less from each time I listened to it, honestly. The songs that scored lowered, didn’t have much ground to lose to begin with, whereas this, I thought it was pretty alright on my first listen, but I found less and less really grabbing me on relistens.
The strained vocals have a bit of charm to them but when that wears off I get tired of them. The light piano melody that’s played throughout most of the song gets a little old when it’s almost constantly there, as it’s not exactly that special. I definitely prefer the heavier moments over the lighter ones and the chorus is the only part that really grabbed me in any way on my most recent listen, it’s a solid chorus.
I just… don’t have much to say about this one, I want to like it more than I actually do like it, but it looks like that’s not happening at this point.
Score: 6.5/10senecadawg2: Agalloch – LimbsFirst Impressions:
I’ve listened to a few songs off The Mantle with mixed results. I liked some of what I heard quite a bit, and some of it was okay but didn’t grab me. They definitely have their own sound, and I can certainly respect them for that. I think the one thing that turned me off them the most was their vocals. Those growls sound physically painful to do. That cannot be healthy for your voice. I have to admit, they fit the sound well, in the same way Opeth’s growls fit their sound, though the vocalist here is no Akerfeldt. I haven’t really talked much about the music, have I? I think that’s because, and I gotta be brutally honest here, it’s totally fine on its own, but it’s just completely overshadowed by what I’ve been listening to recently. I imagine it’ll grow on me with more listens, but it’s all a bit of a blur to me on first listen.
Final Thoughts:
What holds this back for me is the growls. I just. Can’t stand this vocal style at all. It’s incredibly raspy and really high-pitched for growls. I’m not going to say it’s bad, I have a feeling that it does fit the music well, but that won’t prevent me from being bothered by it, nonetheless. The entire first half of the song is instrumental, at least, and I like that half better, it’s got a decent build.
But the music itself is… kind of tame. The riffs are either constant chords or simple riffs. I guess technically they’re not “post-metal” in the stricter sense, but they’re somewhere close, but when I’m used to post-metal like Isis and Rosetta, some Pelican too… and I’ve been listening to a lot of random albums in the genre recently, as well… and this? Just doesn’t interest me. It’s far from bad, to be sure. Even if it’s not the most engaging, it’s still a fairly enjoyable listen overall, but judging from both this song and the Agalloch songs I’ve heard prior, I see myself having a hard time getting into this band.
Score: 7.5/10425: Nightwish – Dark Chest of WondersFirst Impressions:
This is a bit heavier that I was expecting from what I’ve heard from these guys before. The symphonic elements were more prevalent in the songs, where here the metal elements are taking the forefront, which, honestly, I prefer. The riffs themselves aren’t exactly special but they’re plenty competent and there’s a lot of meat to the track so there’s no time to get tired of any of them.
Final Thoughts:
See, honestly, do you want to know a secret? I have heard quiiiite a bit of Nightwish, but not directly through my own decision. I don’t know if I’ve heard this specific song before or not, because most of the Nightwish I’ve heard just blurs together in my mind. This sounds kind of like the other Nightwish I’ve heard, too, but it’s a bit heavier with more metal riffs, and a bit more interesting. Definitely can’t say the band doesn’t have their own distinctive sound, though. They very definitely do.
But that’s the thing. They have a distinctive sound but most of what I’ve heard from them is very rigidly “that sound”. There’s nothing here that I dislike, far from it, and the song does toy with a fair number of ideas, but it’s hard telling that it does when not listening closely, as even here, it’s just all kind of a blur. Heavy metal music, operatic female vocals, lots of orchestration.
The song is completely and totally competent, though, and I enjoy listening to it a fair bit, it has a nice climax at the end and it’s not long enough to really wear on me, but this isn’t heavily convincing me to go and check out a Nightwish album on my own time.
Score: 8/10mikemangioy: Ben Levin Group – Freak Machine 1 (Live)First Impressions:
I have no clue what any of this is. How do you describe this song? I will say, the lyrics that I can make out, I’m not a fan of. There’s a lot of pieces of this that I already dig quite a bit on first listen, but it loses me at other times. And I can’t say I’m the hugest fan of the female vocalist here. She definitely sounds alive, if nothing else. This is probably going to be the hardest nut to crack of the bunch for me.
Final Thoughts:
I think this is just weird and offputting enough that I think giving it the bonus is fair. There’s very few genres that this doesn’t touch on at some point or another. Light acoustic rock, prog rock for sure, jazz/blues stuff, definitely some stuff on the edge of metal, cabaret, there’s some rapping thrown in for good measure… it’s like if you put all music ever in a blender.
The few lyrics I can make out clearly I can’t say I’m a fan of (the stuff around 2:45 especially, I get that it’s in-character but that doesn’t make me hate it less). And I’m not a fan of the female basically just wailing over everything.
It’s really self-indulgent music, but it’s pretty cohesive on the whole, and there’s a lot more of this that I like than dislike. The mix of the instruments is really good, too, every instrument is plenty audible and none of them drown out anything else, but what the song wants you to focus on the most is always clear as well. It feels a bit overlong though, the last few minutes don’t do much new or bring anything to the table, this would’ve worked better as a tighter 7 minute track than the 9 minute one
I think if it had a bit more focus to it and cut a few of the elements I don’t like, this would probably get more points, but I still think it’s pretty cool and odds are I’ll give the whole album a listen at some point.
Oh and you gave me a Spotify link to the studio version but I’ve barely used Spotify and couldn’t really get that one to work, so that’s why I went with the live one, don’t know how much of a difference it makes but ehh! They look to be basically the same length, so.
Score: 8 (+.5 Bonus) = 8.5/10Tomislav95: The Sword – Acheron/Unleasing the OrbFirst Impressions:
I’ve heard Freya from these guys and one other song, both from guitar hero games, and I thought those were pretty cool songs though they didn’t inspire me to check out much else from the band. This on the other hand, is a really cool instrumental with a ton of good riffs and great energy throughout. The production is sludgy but not to the point where it sounds muddled. There’s not a lot to say about it, but it’s thus far the one I want to relisten to the most.
Final Thoughts:
Of all the songs this round, I think this one wins on the merits of “best fit to theme” because, yeah, this is definitely 100% how you start off a metal album. Slow, hugely distorted intro, before a punch in the face with a fast chugging riff and some guitar wailing. I dig all the riffs here and it’s a huge headbanger of a song front-to-back. It’s not long enough to overstay its welcome, either, maybe another minute of the same and I’d get tired of it before it ends but, nope, ends at just the right time.
There’s not much to say about this, really, except that it’s a very enjoyable, easily accessible listen. Straightforward and loud. I don’t think there’s anything I’d change about this track.
Score: 8.5/10LordCost: Unexpect – Unsolved Ideas of a Distorted GuestFirst Impressions:
This is surprisingly cohesive for something all over the place. Really dig the bass groove in the intro. I never expected female vocals and growls at the same time to work so well as a combination. It’s quite a lot to take in on first listen, but I get the impression that even if this song doesn’t end up with a high score, I’ll probably check out an album from these guys out of curiosity. But I do dig a lot of this already.
Final Thoughts:
I think the bass groove at the very start is probably my favorite part of this entire thing, the way it kicks out of the gate after the ambient intro. The song throws a lot of different elements together, too. Female vocals, female grows, choir vocals, strings, synths, and a general heavy sound. The guitar leads get a bit wacky in the second half, too (those trills, what the heck).
If I have to criticize this song for anything, it’s kind of a wall of sound, aside from the intro it never really takes a break from being loud and in-your-face until near the end, and it wears on me a little around the 3-4 minute mark. It’s cohesive though, plenty of ideas but they’re added in and taken out just enough to prevent things from being overwhelming, and the song keeps a constant energy throughout. Aside from me being a little unhappy with the middle of the song, this is a joy to listen to every time for me and definitely a band I’ll check out in the future.
Score: 8.5/10Elite: Schizoid Lloyd – Suicide PenguinFirst Impressions:
I’m sure a heavy metal rock opera already exists, but this would be exactly the kind of music I’d expect from something like that. I love the presence of the organ throughout, and the song is impressively cohesive for something so crazy. The brief breaks to do something wacky fit in really well too and they’re gone quick enough that they don’t destroy the flow of the song. Definitely one that will require multiple listens to really take it but I see myself loving it every time.
Final Thoughts:
I think the only reason this is higher than Unexpect is the organ, ‘cause I love organ + metal together. But that’s not really true, they’re somewhat similar acts in that they’re wacky over-the-top and they’re metal and both are pretty great songs, but I just like this one better. It’s a bit more dynamic, mostly.
I feel like these guys have listened to a LOT of Between the Buried and Me, too, but they have their own sound, there’s not much metalcore influence here, especially. Yeah, some growls here and there, sure, not a lot though. This is as all-over-the-place as BTBAM’s more recent stuff, but the difference here is that I just like a lot of this way more than I like recent BTBAM. The wacky breaks don’t destroy the pace of the song, the riffs are a lot classier, and that organ is just fantastic. Maybe it’s because the song’s fairly brief, too, there’s not quite enough time for it to get too overwhelming. It’s concise and cohesive. And it’s pretty glorious.
I feel this is my favorite of the wacky crazy stuff sent this round, but only by a hair. That is to say, I liked quite a bit of stuff in this round, quite a lot. Definitely will check out this album.
Score: 9/10Sacul: Brand New – LimousineFirst Impressions: I think this is the only track that wasn’t the first track of an album, but the way it starts, I think it’s plenty fine for the theme. And I rejected your first song, so. I don’t know if you know it, but this hits all the same points as to why I like Thrice. The music isn’t overly complex, and not something “new”, but it knows what works and just does it really damn well, plenty well enough to let the raw emotion of the song seep through. This seems pretty in line from the song I’ve heard from them before, too, so I’m definitely interested in checking out this album.
Final Thoughts:
Honestly, I think the only reason I worry about this score, is that I feel 10/10 isn’t something that happens with stuff I just heard for the first time a few days ago. The kind of songs I put in the 10/10 category I’ve had plenty of time to think over and decide that, yes, I love every fiber of their being and would listen to them for all eternity.
On the other hand, I immediately love every fiber of this song’s being, but give me a few months before I decide if it’s really a 10/10 song that I can put with the company of my absolute favorites. Maybe that’s a bad idea to do for a roulette though. I’m trying to craft a 10-point roulette scale that’s unique from the 10-point scale I’d use for my music library, though. And on that scale, I find it highly unlikely I’m going to get another song that I instantly and immediately fall in love with to this extent.
So. The song itself, then. You sent me Sowing Season off the same album, at first, which I rejected as I was familiar with it. And you should be the lucky one, since this song is just on a whole different level from that one, for me. It’s an incredibly emotional song that’s very well-crafted and has excellent builds. The repetition of the second half is the same reason songs like Comforting Sounds make me so happy, it keeps getting more and more full with every repetition and instead of getting boring it gets more powerful, to the point where I wish it would go on even longer than it does with the build.
The story behind the song, I think, is what pushes it over the edge for me. Because… Christ. Yeah… the emotion of that scene is conveyed absolutely perfectly here. What a tragedy, indeed. Good luck to anyone trying to top an entry like this, though, you’re going to need it.
Score: 10/10Current Standings:Sacul - 10
Elite - 9
LordCost - 8.5
Tomislav95 - 8.5
mikemangioy - 8.5
425 - 8
senecadawg2 - 7.5
FlyingBIZKIT - 6.5
Train of Naught - 5.5
Shadow Ninja 2.0 - 4.5
Now is the time to send Round 2 songs, I'd really like to have them all within 24-48 hours max.