Round 7 ResultsLuoto: Insomnium – Drawn to BlackYou can say the round is awesome when songs like this is my least favorite
It is just what good melodeath needs: brutal growls, catchy melodies and great guitar tone. I especially like this kind of growls and the fact music stays very heavy with those catchy melodies (something most melodic death metal band I know don't succeed with). The problem of this song is that it doesn't really grab me at any moment. I would like to like it even more but I just can't, it's good but not great.
Lately it's been hard for me to find melodic death metal I like and, while I don't love this, it has the potential to make me check it out.
7/10Scorpion: Oceans of Slumber - ...This RoadI love the piano in this song, it's just beautiful and sets the mood for the rest of the song. It fits the voice really well, playing some cool stuff in short vocal breaks. I don't think I really need to adress the singer, she sounds great. One of my favorite things is the transition to the heavier part, especially her singing in that part. To be honest, I don't like it that much when it gets 'more complex'. Don't get me wrong, it's still great, just I liked the first few minutes more. And my favorite thing about this is the singer, she has a beutiful voice.
Even though it didn't fully convince me, I'd still like to hear this album, mostly because of the singer.
7.5/10Elite: Cult of Luna (feat. Julie Christmas) - The Wreck of S.S. NeedleAnd here comes the song which gave me real headache because I had no idea how to score it. Firstly, that lady is awesome! I heard some other female screamers/growlers/whatever but none of them really preserve their 'femininity' while screaming. This is really cool style because it sounds really emotional and powerful (I just hope she is fine after so much screaming). On the other hand, I have the same problem with this as with most music in this style. I just can't connect with it and usually there's not enough interesting things happening to justify the length. But when it's good it's really good. And that's mostly when Julie is singing. Just to mention a few moments: first time she starts screaming and those long 'ruuuuun's
This was almost 8 but just almost, I'm usually not too crazy about this style but this was damn fine.
7.5/10Sacul: Gustavo Cerati – Perdonar Es DivinoI wasn't really a fan of this for a first few listens. What made me change my mind was chorus. After that every piece of the puzzle started to come together. Chorus is still my favorite but verses are very beautiful as well. Instrumental gets a little boring after a while though but I understand it is not the main focus of the song, it succeeded in making the song atmospheric. Don't know what else to say
It's a fine song. Maybe if I did a few more listens, it would get higher score
Not knowing one word of Spanish didn't prevent me from singing it
'a mi me es facil olvidar'.
7.5/10twosuitsluke: Pressure Points – Between the LiesI don't know if you're aware of this, props to you if this was intentional, I love when piano is mixed with heavy music. It makes me headbang and feel at the same time
One of the best parts of the song starts at 1:21, I like to call it 'water level' part
It really sounds like it could be the water level in, let's say, Donkey Kong. No matter how good growls are, I, again, like cleans more. There is something about it, I really like his cleans. Another high point of the song is guitar tone, real chocholate cake, in both riffs and that cool solo at the end.
To be honest, I was thinking wheter to give it 7.5 or 8 but last listen was really important for me to give it a higher score, this is a fine piece of music
8/10Train of Naught: Slice the Cake – Westward Bound Part I: The Lantern / Part 2: The Pilgrim's ProgressAs you know, I heard this album once before but I didn't remember anything about it beside being very noisy
Thing I love about this are the progressions, how it starts pretty mellow, almost bluesy but then explode and gets brutal. Singer's voice is the huge factor in that as well. I think you said before that his voice is really emotional and I hear it here. To be honest, it's rare thing to hear someone sounding so genuine while screaming. Also, those blast beats are perfectly incorporated here (and I don't love them usually). And yes, transition between parts is really smooth, good thing you sent something like this, make it easier to score. BTW I like first part more
This definitely convinced me to get into it. It's still noisy and sometime almost overly complicated but it's unlike anything I've heard so it's not weird I'm not completely into in from the start.
8/10Evermind: Flaming Row – Rage of DespairI have to admit, on my first listen, I didn't like this song very much. Can't say why, really, maybe beacuse it a lot to proccess, with all different parts and singers (even though it's under 6 minutes long). I couldn't believe you listen to something with such growls
they are pretty brutal, but to me clean vocals are where this song shines. Especially during chorus (that vibrato on word 'raaaage' may be one of my favorite things about this song, no matter how unsiginificant it might seem). Solo part is cool, too, that slower melodic part reminds me of some other song (but I can't place it
).
This is a really catchy song, I like the way every singer is used and I'd like to check this album out. There are no negative things to say about it, I just don't love it enough for higher score
8/10home: Olafur Arnalds & Arnor Dan – Old SkinOh boy, do I love his voice. Maybe you know I saw Agent Fresco last year in small venue with not much people. It was very intimate concert and it made me love this guys and Arnor's voice. This almost sound like some of their interlude songs, minus orchestral parts so that was a big plus. My favorite part of the song is, again, chorus. It is one of those choruses which get in the ear and make me hum it all day. And it didn't bore me at all
Beautiful song, you made a good call with it but I understand if you wasn't sure about it, it wasn't really a love on the first listen.
8/10Parama: Coheed and Cambria – In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3Here is the band I expected (and wanted) to get in this roulette because I hear a lot about them here. I know their first album and I kinda like it but I know it's not similar to their latter albums. The vocals in this song are more 'normal', I think, then other songs I heard. I know many people have problem with his voice but I don't hear anything weird about him in this song. There is a cerain charm in somewhat unusal phrasing ('soon' in chorus, for example). This song is very catchy, it made me sing along from the second time I heard it
or should I say hum along or whatever, since I didn't know lyrics. Just when I though the song is over there is a great anthemic part (I call it Heaven Can Wait part), pretty sweet. The only thing I kinda dislike is distorted guitar tone but I can get over it.
Your best song so far
8.5/10Shadow Ninja 2.0: Frightened Rabbit – Death DreamYou've made it once again
This is one of those song for which I find hard to explain why I love it so much. I'll try to explain it in few sentences though. Music and vocals are just perfect together. In other context, maybe I wouldn't like his voice that much. And it all fits perfectly with the lyrics, together creating a very sad, but at the same time powerful picture. I don't have to even say that I love those harmonies later in the song. When used well, those make the songs for me (see Heartattack in a Layby). What else to say, I love depressing songs
This was even close to being 9.5 but in the end I wanted to stay consistent, when I compared it to other 9s it seemed fine.
You get another bonus, the only one left, if you want. To me, it seems like you already have an idea what my favorite songs are
9/10STANDINGS:
1. Shadow Ninja 2.0 - 57.5 + 1 = 58.5
2. home - 56
2. Train of Naught - 56
4. Parama - 55
5. Elite - 54.50001
6. twosuitsluke - 54
7. Evermind - 53
7. Luoto - 53
9. Sacul - 52.5
10. Scorpion - 50.5
As you can see, there's been one significant change in standings, Parama is in front of Elite now.
This is the last regular round, round 9 is EP round for first 4 participants. I'll try to write up some rules for EP round soon.