Author Topic: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Quick Album Reviews)  (Read 68645 times)

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Offline Bolsters

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #140 on: May 15, 2017, 10:35:37 PM »
how has nobody guessed the infected mushroom song yet anyways
I only know two Infected Mushroom songs and this one is neither of them.

Offline LordCost

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #141 on: May 16, 2017, 12:23:03 AM »
Give me the S

Offline Elite

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #142 on: May 16, 2017, 12:46:42 AM »
Right, the Infected Mushroom song is 'Saeed'.

alright, that was hangmanen, now let's guess who sent what :corn
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #143 on: May 16, 2017, 01:15:23 AM »
???: Kwoon – Schizophrenic
???: Jane's Addiction - Three Days
Evermind: Need - Tilikum
???: Helms Alee – Pinniped
Tomislav95: Windir - Svartesmeden og Lundamyrstrollet
???: Infected Mushroom – Saeed
???: Faith No More – smilelobber
Sacul: Kamasi Washington - The Rhythm Changes
Bolsters: CHVRCHES - The Mother We Share
Luoto: Be’lakor - Sun's Delusion
???: Old Man Gloom - To Carry the Flame
???: Textures – Laments of an Icarus

 :corn

Results will probably be up on Saturday, will be a little faster after this round hopefully but I have 80 minutes of music between 12 songs, so
I still haven't settled on whether I'm gonna go with 8 or 10 players so I guess it's up to how good the songs are in this round  :tup

Offline Nekov

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #144 on: May 16, 2017, 06:18:34 AM »
There's some people in this round I don't know and I also don't know most of the bands that were sent so it's hard to guess who sent what. I'll let you guys have all the fun
When Ginobili gets hot, I get hot in my pants. 

Offline Elite

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #145 on: May 16, 2017, 07:32:42 AM »
I already guessed all the hangmanens. Someone else can go after who sent what.
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
Squ
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Offline LordCost

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #146 on: May 16, 2017, 11:06:03 AM »
I try: Elite - Textures, because you guessed almost all the other songs apart that one ;D

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #147 on: May 16, 2017, 11:19:04 AM »
I try: Elite - Textures, because you guessed almost all the other songs apart that one ;D
this guy, he's a smart guy

Offline Elite

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #148 on: May 16, 2017, 11:46:15 AM »
Yeah, well. That's what happens if nobody else guesses songs I think
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
Squ
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Offline LordCost

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #149 on: May 16, 2017, 01:42:49 PM »
Train - Infected Mushroom

Offline Elite

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #150 on: May 16, 2017, 02:26:34 PM »
Stadler - Jane's Addiction
home - Infected Mushroom
Train - Kwoon
Luke - Old Man Gloom
LordCost - Helms Alee
Nekov - Faith no More
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
Squ
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Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #151 on: May 16, 2017, 02:49:23 PM »
Well, two of those are right  :corn

Offline Elite

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #152 on: May 16, 2017, 02:50:16 PM »
Yeah, that's why I said I suck at guessing who sent what.
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Online twosuitsluke

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #153 on: May 16, 2017, 03:19:33 PM »
Well, two of those are right  :corn

I'd guess home and Train are right? If not then I'm guessing Train sent Old Man Gloom??

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #154 on: May 16, 2017, 03:20:39 PM »
Stadler and Train are the two correct guesses

Offline Sacul

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #155 on: May 16, 2017, 03:31:39 PM »
LordCost sent Infected Mushroom then

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #156 on: May 16, 2017, 04:17:56 PM »
Still wrong

Offline Sacul

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #157 on: May 16, 2017, 06:18:53 PM »
Luke?

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #158 on: May 16, 2017, 08:32:31 PM »
Train of Naught: Kwoon – Schizophrenic
Stadler: Jane's Addiction - Three Days
Evermind: Need - Tilikum
???: Helms Alee – Pinniped
Tomislav95: Windir - Svartesmeden og Lundamyrstrollet
???: Infected Mushroom – Saeed
???: Faith No More – smilelobber
Sacul: Kamasi Washington - The Rhythm Changes
Bolsters: CHVRCHES - The Mother We Share
Luoto: Be’lakor - Sun's Delusion
???: Old Man Gloom - To Carry the Flame
Elite: Textures – Laments of an Icarus

Offline home

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #159 on: May 17, 2017, 12:12:22 AM »
So LordCost sent Faith no More then?

And Luke Pinniped and Bolsters Infected Mushroom?
Break the mold, let's shake the ground, wreak havoc!

Offline Train of Naught

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #160 on: May 17, 2017, 12:20:07 AM »
OK, time to do this shit:

Nekov - Infected Mushroom
Luke - Helms Alee
LoCo - Faith No More
home - Old Man Gloom

Bolsters Infected Mushroom?
Bolsters: CHVRCHES - The Mother We Share

people on this board are actual music fans who developed taste in music and not casual listeners who are following current fashion trends and listening to only current commercial hits.

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #161 on: May 17, 2017, 12:44:21 AM »
Train of Naught: Kwoon – Schizophrenic
Stadler: Jane's Addiction - Three Days
Evermind: Need - Tilikum
twosuitsluke: Helms Alee – Pinniped
Tomislav95: Windir - Svartesmeden og Lundamyrstrollet
Nekov: Infected Mushroom – Saeed
LordCost: Faith No More – smilelobber
Sacul: Kamasi Washington - The Rhythm Changes
Bolsters: CHVRCHES - The Mother We Share
Luoto: Be’lakor - Sun's Delusion
home: Old Man Gloom - To Carry the Flame
Elite: Textures – Laments of an Icarus

you've done it, the madman

tbh after three listens. I dunno who's gonna get cut  :lol
i don't know if there's any songs i find really great but of the 12 tracks i don't think there's any one that's notably weak. i know at least two people who are safe for sure but beyond that it's anyone's game

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #162 on: May 19, 2017, 04:08:45 AM »
:corn
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
Squ
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Offline Nekov

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When Ginobili gets hot, I get hot in my pants. 

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #164 on: May 19, 2017, 08:35:33 AM »
yeah, i have three writeups written right now and i'm gonna do more tonight & finish the rest saturday if i don't finish tonight, so chill
:vomitard:

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Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
Squ
scRa are the resultaten of sound nog bring propey

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #166 on: May 20, 2017, 10:11:07 AM »
every single song was so bad that they all get 0/10 and the roulette is cancelled

Offline Elite

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #167 on: May 20, 2017, 10:17:29 AM »
such a shame
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
Squ
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Offline home

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #168 on: May 20, 2017, 10:23:09 AM »
w/e
Break the mold, let's shake the ground, wreak havoc!

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #169 on: May 20, 2017, 05:52:49 PM »
i have all the writeups done but i want to give the bottom 4 or so another listen just so i'm sure on who to cut

also need to refine my scoring scale a little bit i think because one of the songs feels like it's scored too low & i might just bump it up a quarter point? dunno

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #170 on: May 20, 2017, 06:11:46 PM »
ok I'm going to bed, I'll see my 3/10 tomorrow.
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
Squ
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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 0 First Impressions)
« Reply #171 on: May 20, 2017, 06:34:36 PM »
elite: text - Carrie

3/10 bD

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (ROUND 0 RESULTS)
« Reply #172 on: May 20, 2017, 09:05:40 PM »
Trapped in the Disaster Zone

LordCost: Faith No More – smilelobber

First Impressions:
I’ve heard some Faith No More before but, not a lot & I can’t really say I have a good grasp on what they “sound” like from what I’ve heard, so. We’ll see. I have to say that I am really digging this first heavy riff though. It has this dense and ominous sound that I quite like. The chorus is… something. I don’t know if repeating the same chuggy riff so many times does it any favors & the vocals are pretty much indecipherable. I feel like I would’ve been more into the triplet section in the middle when I was younger but now it just feels a bit forced to me. Not necessarily bad though. It does feel like this song really just meanders about a lot and while I’m mildly positive on how it sounds I feel this might not hold up well on relistens very well.

Final Thoughts:
Okay, I’m gonna have to say it. Mike Patton doesn’t do a very convincing growl. Like at all. He sounds like an angry white guy. Not some primal force or anything. Granted, I still don’t tend to feel much beyond neutral towards growls, they can work in context, and the music of this song is certainly music I could see growls working in, just not these growls. I’m not sold on them at all.

Though in general I’m just not sure if this style of metal really does it for me. The riffs are there but the song is just too stagnant to really hold my interest, and the slight phaser effect on the guitar tone isn’t very appealing either. It takes away some of the rough crunch of the guitar tone.

I don’t really think any parts of this sound “bad” but as a whole the song does have this vibe of “sections strung together without cohesion”. The first few minutes all fit together but then the triplet bit in the middle kills the flow, and it changes up again a bit later… and then fades into that organ bit. Which, granted, makes for a solid ending, sure, I don’t mind it and it’s not as abrupt or out of place as some of the other transitions here feel.

I wouldn’t say this is a bad song by any means but it just stirs up no strong feelings from me. It kind of has that vibe of being heavy for the sake of writing something heavy and not really anything else. At the very least it’s not convincing me to check out this album. But, ehh, it’s okay I guess.

6.5/10



home: Old Man Gloom – To Carry the Flame

First Impressions:
WHAM. The moment the song starts it’s just, all-out. Massive sludgy riff and intense growled vocals. Works for me. I dig that riff quite a lot, so. Though this does feel a bit stretched thin over its runtime. I do appreciate that it keeps things dynamic & that main riff is pretty great but having it hammered in to this extent might have been a bit overkill, even with the song not being so long. And, weird drone-y outro. Sure. I dunno, this seems pretty fine and I totally get why you sent it. It just feels a little underwritten, I guess.

Final Thoughts:
I can’t really complain about the vocals here considering it’s just the guy from Isis doing vocals. He does this style of growl about as good as anyone is ever going to & it sounds plenty fine here.

I think what misses the mark for me here is that a lot of these riffs just aren’t very compelling. I thought the main riff was at first, but the more I listened to this the more it wore off on me. It’s a fine enough riff but it’s not one good enough to sustain the majority of a song like it does here.

The part of the song that holds my interest the most is the instrumental stretch in the middle that sounds more like an Isis song with the tom-heavy drumming and punchy brighter guitar chords. The way that section builds up back into the heaviness of the rest of the song is decisively pretty cool. I kind of wish the song had stuck to this longer and really had time to flesh out this bit and make the build even more gradual, since as it is the song is a bit short really.

And that outro… ehh. In the context of the album I bet it works really well but taking the song on its own it’s a minute of noise stitched onto an already fairly short track. I’d rather it not be here but I’m not so bothered by it.

I think the biggest problem of the song is how little of it does a lot for me given its length, though. The first minute and a half are okay but not that great, so I’m waiting for that second main section to show up and I do enjoy the song from there on until the minute-long outro, at which point I kind of tune out again. The parts of this I do like aren’t even that incredible either but they’re pretty decent at the very least. Overall it balances out to something slightly above an “…eh.” for me.

6.5/10



Nekov: Infected Mushroom – Saeed

First Impressions:
Okay, so I’m either going to hate this or love this. I feel like there’s not going to be any inbetween here. The voice-y synth in the intro is… meh. Oh. I wasn’t expecting this to turn into an industrial metal kind of track… sure. Still sort of makes me feel like I should be raving… except that raving and rave culture are two things the appeal of is utterly and completely lost on for me. I can tell that this is going through lots of different sections and progressing just fine and all but all the sections still sound really samey to me. Loud blaring synths and really crunchy guitars can only support so many different sounds on their own, I guess. And I think the length is really what kills it for me, at 4 minutes maybe I could get this, but at 7 minutes it feels really stretched thin. If there’s one thing I do genuinely like it’s the vocals, they fit really well with the style and the singer has a unique enough voice on top of that, and it’s not like most  of this really sounds bad to my ears. It just doesn’t catch my attention in any real way, though. Guess I don’t love it nor hate it, how about that.

Final Thoughts:
When I first listened to all the songs, I was almost positive this one was going to end up right at the bottom of the pack. It definitely has the most elements that immediately struck me as unpleasant. Between the synths I didn’t like and the length, it felt like it dragged on quite long despite not being one of the longest songs this round.

But it did grow on me a little, mostly in part due to the vocals. I honestly wish they were given a bigger focus, as I like the tone & the melodies the vocals provide whenever they’re around, and as well they seem to bring out the best in the music whenever they show up. Either the song gives them room to breathe or the atmosphere gets dense as heck to have them blend in. The chorus especially is actually genuinely great. Even brings in some piano in the background. Heck yeah.

I still can’t get too behind a lot of the synth work in this though. It’s bleepy bloopy noise that doesn’t feel like it has much groove to it nor is it providing any compelling melody. And a lot of the tones aren’t too pleasant either. At the very least I’m pretty certain I won’t be checking out more from this artist because I’d expect the synth work like that to be a fairly defining feature of their style.

I think this would’ve made a great 4-5 minute song with some of the instrumental fluff trimmed down and the vocals made the main focus of the song. Even then I feel like there’s still at least half of this I can really get behind and groove to, and the rest for the most part isn’t really bad, just kind of… there. There’s at the very least enough here for me to give this a pass above some of the other songs this round.

6.75/10



twosuitsluke: Helms Alee – Pinniped

First Impressions:
Let’s hope this isn’t another Crowbar, ehh? I mean, right off the bat I’m already feeling this more than I felt that one. The riffing feels a bit uninspired and the vocals don’t have a ton of presence but the drums are at least kind of interesting. Bass should be higher in the mix for what they’re going for here, too, at least in my opinion. The style of this song is certainly something I enjoy, and what the song has going for it isn’t half bad at all, but. But. It’s sort of just white noise, in a way. I don’t feel any emotional presence from this. And it’s instrumentally not that impressive. Even the drums, while pretty solid, aren’t really notably great. And I can kind of see why the vocals are so low in the mix, since when you can make them out more clearly, they’re kind of… lacking. The heavier bits right near the end also feel kind of like part of a different song spliced into this one, the guitar tone seems completely different and it creates a weird effect. Which I kind of like, but it’s also a bit distracting. I don’t know. I don’t dislike this like I disliked Crowbar, but this doesn’t have any moments as cool as that song’s outro.

Final Thoughts:
I don’t really think that my opinion of this song has changed dramatically since first listen. It’s a very fine song. It’s very okay. It’s a decent track. It just has no qualities that stand out one way or another.

This like… has a very post-metal vibe to it but doesn’t lean in the direction of atmospheric and drawn-out tracks like a lot of post-metal tends to. Which I think is not really a good decision, at least for me. I’ve never been a big Russian Circles or Red Sparowes fan because they’re basically just “God Is An Astronaut But Heavier” and, well, God Is An Astronaut is another band I’m not so fond of.

These guys are at least distinct from those bands because they have vocals, and the vocals here are pretty fine. Cleaner during the more melodic bits of the song, harsher during the more aggressive parts. Can’t say there’s any sort of mismatch there.

This song feels like it has very little substance to it though. Verse/chorus tradeoff, a bridge, and then the outro is a slight variation on the verse. Granted I do still think the outro is the best part of the song by virtue of being the only thing that really catches my ear and after further relistens doesn’t seem so out of place either.

I don’t have any real criticisms of this song though other than that it doesn’t do much to stand out. It’s still a song I get some enjoyment out of and it’s far from the weakest of the pack here, too. But I can’t say much more about it beyond that.

7/10



Stadler: Jane’s Addiction – Three Days

First Impressions:
Well, I did not expect the longest song of the round to come from this band. Those vocal samples at the start are… strange but once the bass comes in everything is a lot more sensible. This is a lot more downbeat than other songs I’ve heard from this artist, and that’s certainly interesting if nothing else. I sort of expected something kind of proggy with that length and yeah it’s certainly delivering on that. The guitar tone is a bit oddly muddled during the louder moments but the bass comes through clearly so it’s a bit… strange sonically. There’s not really a ton of emotional depth here, which is what I tend to like in music like this, but it’s got a lot of fun jams and especially those basslines are fun to listen to. There’s really not a lot that can be said about this one though, for its length it’s pretty simple but pretty enjoyable nonetheless.

Final Thoughts:
I’ve never taken this band as one that’s more adapted to slower, atmospheric, long form tracks like this. The first song I heard from them is Stop!, which is a really fun and energetic track which, yes, does have a more atmospheric bridge but it’s a smaller part of the song. And I know Oceansize takes their name from the band’s song of a similar name. I don’t remember what that song sounds like though.

Anyways this is… I can’t connect with this emotionally, which I think I’m supposed to, at least for some parts of this? The tone of the singer’s voice just isn’t one that feels suited to this kind of song. He has this very distinct sound that fits in really well with the more upbeat stuff I’m familiar with but at slower tempos kinds of sounds off-key and doesn’t have much emotional depth to it, at least for me.

I do like the way that this uses its instrumental breaks to continuously pick up though. Take the one groove, have it increase in both intensity and tempo as it goes on. That works out well and makes the song really feel like it’s progressing while also being fun to listen to. I still think the bass is the highlight of the track, for sure, but the guitar work is solid too. Also that bit near the end that syncopates all the instruments hammering in one note but is broken up by this stinger riff, that works out pretty well for them.

I will say that when this song does get going it’s pretty fun to listen to though, for sure. They have a way with good basslines and good riffs as well, I just kind of wish they got to that point a bit faster than they do but it’s not a huge deal, at its weakest this song still sounds plenty fine in my books. It’s not something I’m reeeeally into but I do enjoy it for what it is, certainly.

7/10



Luoto: Be'lakor - Sun's Delusion

First Impressions:
For the record I picked a different youtube link than what you gave me because that one sounded suspiciously youtube-compressed and turns out, yep, 360p. Anyways. I think these guys had an album that was getting a lot of acclaim last year, but I don’t think I ever checked it out. I will admit that melodic death metal tends to be something where I get the appeal but it’s never been something I can get too into. Like, thus far this is pretty enjoyable in its own right but I’m not sure what there is about this that I can’t get from other bands. I guess one thing is that it does sound sufficiently dense and I can appreciate it for that; some stuff in this vein seems to lose depth and feels really thin and lacking in punch for it but that’s not the case here. And for all intents and purposes this is pretty dang fine, will score at least a 7 easily, but I’m not sure if it’s something I’m going to find really “great”.

Final Thoughts:
I think this is the kind of song that suffers a little from the roulette format because I don’t feel I’ve quite had the time to really absorb and understand this song. It’s not the longest song of the entire round, but it’s probably the most complex and a lot more dense than the songs of similar or longer length here.

One thing for sure is that I’m not too sold on this style of growl. I still think Akerfeldt is the only one who’s pulled off this low death metal style of growl really well, and while this guy isn’t bad he’s not even close to that level. It doesn’t bother me that much since the vocals are never really the focus of the track, though.

There’s a lot of the triumphant riffing I’ve come to associated with melodic death metal throughout this song but there’s also moments where the guitars breathe a bit more and just hammer in huge chords, and honestly I prefer those moments over the more technical riffing. They have a power than the other moments don’t, though the riffing on display here is still pretty solid.

The song handles its transition from a triplet feel to a straight 4/4 feel pretty smoothly and I can definitely give it credit for that. There’s also a pretty solid clean moment about two-thirds through the song and while it’s brief I do enjoy the reprieve it provides and the gentle guitar lines themselves are rather pleasant as well. It feels like the heavy bit that immediately follows doesn’t really matter at all, it’s brief and doesn’t do anything new and mostly just fills space between the clean bit and the piano outro. But I mean it’s fine to listen to.

I still can’t say I have a particularly solid opinion on this track, but I also definitely can’t say it’s anywhere close to bad, it’s actually pretty dang solid, but just lacks any qualities that really stand out for me. I’ve heard all this done before. And it’s definitely no Garden of Fire. But yeah, still a pretty good track on the whole.

7.75/10

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (ROUND 0 RESULTS)
« Reply #173 on: May 20, 2017, 09:06:41 PM »
Evermind: Need – Tilikum

First Impressions:
Like I said in PMs I know I heard a song off this album before but I wouldn’t be able to tell you which one by name. The vocal has that very European timbre of vocals that I’m honestly growing less a fan of the more I hear it, but other than that no complaints from me. Okay I am pretty sure by now this is in fact not the song from this album I’d previously heard. I don’t remember any of this at all, so good. This is… a bit heavier than I was expecting from you, but I’m not complaining. The first issue that stands out to me is that… while it all sounds fine, there’s not really much of anything here particularly unique or original, nothing I haven’t heard other bands do before. While I do think all the riffs and melodies are pretty solid on their own, the lack of uniqueness does take away from it a little. Just a little, though, since overall I still do enjoy this.

Final Thoughts:
Okay, dude, this is a safe as hell entry. You know it is, I know it is, we can both agree on that, okay? Okay. I mean I totally get why since this is an elimination round and risky stuff is the best way to get cut, so.

That first heavy riff is actually really good. It’s got decent groove to it despite being a 5/4 riff, and it’s also definitely sufficiently heavy. It’s the kind of riff that makes a great centerpiece  for a prog metal song, certainly way better than anything DT themselves have been able to write recently.

I do think the song might be a bit too much “heavy guitar chords” overall though, the riffs change up a bit but for the first few minutes it doesn’t feel like there’s really so much else to the song. When the bass/drums/synth driven interlude pops up though I can totally get behind it, the guitar lead is honestly the least interesting this about this section really, could’ve cut it entirely and I wouldn’t notice.

The vocals at their cleanest don’t appeal so much to me, but the singer provides a rougher edged style throughout a lot of the song to match the intensity of the riffs and that sounds much better to my ears, I can totally get behind that. There’s even some growls here and there. The only downside is that I don’t think there’s a single catchy vocal melody in this entire track, which is one secret to writing a good chorus that a lot of bands seem to overlook. Oh and the female vocals are nice whenever they show up here. Not outstanding, far from bad, given plenty of room to breathe whenever they’re around. No complaints from me.

I do think overall the song could stand to be a touch more diverse, but I vastly prefer this to instrumental wankery prog metal songs & there’s enough here that I can still definitely get behind this and will probably at least check out the album.

8/10



Train of Naught: Kwoon – Schizophrenic

First Impressions:
Okay this intro is giving me Radiohead vibes for some reason. Waiting to see what this evolves into though. Oh man at like 1:30, some pretty dang intense atmosphere going on. Yeah, it’s like a heavy post-rock feel that I really enjoy. I feel like the quiet parts are a bit underwhelming compared to the louder moments but that might be because I like the loud bits quite a lot. The vocals are maybe a bit meh though, not really getting anything from them. He should be singing his heart out to match the intensity of the louder moments but he’s not and is just getting lost in the mix as a result. This feels maybe a bit light on substance but the substance I do like I like quite a lot.

Final Thoughts:
I feel like you have a better sense of what I like this time around than you did in my first two roulettes, partially due to plug.dj I’d imagine. Obviously that’s the kind of line that starts out a fairly positive writeup and you’d not be wrong there, because I do think this works quite a bit.

I still do feel that the quieter parts pale a little in comparison to the louder parts, but that’s only due to the lush atmosphere of those louder parts. That combination of tremolo guitar, strings, organ, and ethereal vocals mixed in with the plodding drums and bass creates a really tense and ominous mood and the song only builds up that mood the longer it holds onto it.

I still am not so hot on the vocals in general on their own, though. During the softer moments they fit in well but during the louder moments I would really prefer a bit more intensity to them. This could’ve been really great if there was a particularly evocative vocal performance going on but it feels like even at their most intense the instruments have to restrain themselves to not completely bury the vocals.

And I feel I really am being a bit hard on the quiet moments, because, let’s be honest they’re totally fine on their own. But this song basically just has two parts; “soft” and “loud” and that’s all it really needs, it just leaves about a third of the song feeling necessarily inferior. And overall I feel this song had more potential than it was actually able to deliver on, but it’s still a pretty fine song on its own merits regardless.

8/10



Tomislav95: Windir - Svartesmeden og Lundamyrstrollet

First Impressions:
Well, that’s certainly going to be a fun one in hangman. Right off the bat this just punches you in the face with a buzzsaw black metal guitar line. I can dig it. And the vocals are… completely buried. Just the way I like it, ‘cause that means the atmosphere is dense as heck. Like seriously I’m mostly indifferent on this style of vocals so burying them is totally fine by me. I don’t really have a ton to say about this other than I dig it, and that the synth is… interesting. It keeps things dynamic enough, there’s a few relaxed moments mixed into the intensity. Yeah, dunno what else to say about this other than that I like it. And that the production could be a bit better, but looking into it this is from 1999 so it can be excused a little.

Final Thoughts:
That production is definitely the weakest aspect of this, it does sound a bit too muddy for my tastes & doesn’t really match well with the synth sound being used here either. But that’s really a nitpick at best.

As far as the rest of this goes though I feel like I don’t really have much to say about it. It’s kind of repetitive at points, but what it drives in are these massive walls of sounds punctuated by very memorable synth lines. Like, I don’t even know if I like the synths that much, I’d probably like this more without them, but at the same time it probably wouldn’t stand out so much without them. So ehh. It’s a fair trade.

That bit in the middle with the offbeat synth hits is a really strange interlude though. It’s nice that they broke up the song a little to keep it from feeling too samey, but I can’t say I’m actually a fan of that bit because it’s just too different to the point of feeling out of place. Maybe it’s just because it doesn’t sound as good to my ears as the more dense & intense metal on display here. It’s a brief moment of a 9 minute track though so I can’t complain too much.

Really as far as black metal goes... I’ve heard better for sure but I still do get a lot of enjoyment out of this. It’s not too repetitive and it’s more than sufficiently dense with only that one moment I’m not so fond of, and it just sounds good. The atmosphere is on point, which is one of the things I really look for in good black metal, so it’s hard to fault the song for that much overall.

8.25/10



Escaped Impending Doom

Elite: Textures – Laments of an Icarus

First Impressions:
So I came within inches of buying an album from this band like 3 years ago when I was still into djent! Not the one this is on, but. Right away this is slamming me in the face as a “look at dem polyrhythms bro” type of song, which is. Well, it sounds kind of cool, sure, I’ll give it that, but it also feels really gratuitous in a “show-offy” kind of way, and it’s not something I feel could hold up interest for very long. And I mean, they don’t stick to it for that long. Eugh, those growls though. I am not into them at all. At aaalll. Which is a shame, when there’s moments of clean vocals I actually dig them a lot. Bit in the middle is actually really dense while still pulling off that djenty groove thing. And the break focusing on drums & synth is a cool little moment too. Knowing what I know about this band I went into this prepared for the worst but what I found was surprisingly solid and actually really diverse considering the genre, so props for that if nothing else.

Final Thoughts:
This really core-y style of growls is just. So not my thing. Honestly I never liked it to begin with, it’s what put me off listening to BTBAM originally and I still can’t think of any examples where I find the style a positive. This guy should’ve just stuck to his cleans more. They don’t have the whiny sounds that a lot of other djent vocalists tend to have, they’re actually very smooth and pleasant.

A lot of the riffs in this song feel like… a lot of chugging on one note, just varying up the rhythms. Not every riff, but that’s the kind of riff the song seems to focus on the most. And I dunno, it just feels like heaviness for heaviness’ sake.

That synth & drums bit though is actually really great and I wish they would’ve held that vibe longer, or heck, based the song around that instead of the chugging it does. And also I’ll say that the moments of lead guitar, when they do show up, are pretty solid. Nothing mindblowing but they stand out by virtue of not being chuggy nonsense.

I feel like I’m being really down on this song now, but I think it’s just a consequence of me not being too into this style of music much anymore. Even warned people away from sending djent in the tastes section of my opening posts (it sort of feels like only a few of you even read that, honestly, you should all go read it). But as far as the genre goes I’ve heard words. But I’ve also heard better.

And the vocals here are the real dealbreaker for me. I think I could tolerate the song without those vocals but they drown out a lot of the positive qualities & there’s not enough cleaner or more melodic moments to make up for them. I find myself only liking the “little moments” this song has to offer but not so much the song as a whole, and while I wouldn’t say I dislike it, it doesn’t stir up enough positive emotions for me to want to revisit it, either.

6/10



Sacul: Kamasi Washington – The Rhythm Changes

First Impressions:
For the record, I have in fact heard a song from this album before (Change of the Guard). But only that song. This starts off… a little strange and kind of dissonant really. When the vocals enter, hmm… on one hand I’m generally not a huge fan of this style but it works well here. The vibe of the song and the vocals play off each other well & they go together nicely on the larger-sounding chorus as well. The instrumental moments of the song are… nice enough, I suppose, but I’ll be the first to admit that I just don’t really get jazz. But I definitely prefer the moments with vocals. I don’t know, just in general I can’t get very hyped for soloing in general, unless it’s like Thank You Scientist doing it because they make it fun as hell. This is pleasant enough though and doesn’t overstay its welcome and I’d be totally okay with spinning it several more times.

Final Thoughts:
I honestly have no clue why you sent me this. I’m sure you’re already aware that this is just so far outside of the kind of music I’m interested in and familiar with. And I honestly have no clue how to talk about this.

Well okay, the vocal parts I totally get. They’re nice. They sound a bit too old-timey to be something I’d find myself returning to, but they work. The vocals sound nice enough & match with the music well enough, and the chorus has a lot of swell and power behind it. And the swell of the outro is pretty solid too. If the song was just these parts I wouldn’t call it something I really enjoy that much but I would’ve certainly scored it higher.

The rest of the song is just… I can appreciate the skill of the musicians, but that’s just something I’m not interested in really listening to for entertainment. And even then it doesn’t even sound that particularly good to me.

In order. The first solo just sounds bad. I think this is actually genuinely badly played and performed. Nothing about it works. The saxophone solo is nice enough. It’s not anything special but it’s pleasant to listen to. Third solo. Again this one’s pretty alright though I’m not as big  fan of the tone of this instrument. The keys solo kind of just fades in from the layers beneath it. Not a fan of the tone but it’s. An okay solo. That’s like all I can say about any of this though.

The core instrumentals of the song, the drums and piano, are both okay enough but a bit too unchanging. I’m sure there’s a ton of subtleties going on here but little subtleties don’t keep the overall song sounding very diverse. So I don’t really care. They at least provide decent groove for the song but that’s about all they do as far as I can care.

Overall… I don’t mind listening to this as much as some of the other songs this round I’m kind of meh on, it’s chill and laidback and thus a lot easier to sit through. But at the same time that mostly relegates it to the domain of background music, because it also doesn’t catch my attention as much. It’s reeeeally hard for me to fairly score this though. I don’t know. The parts of this I like aren’t even especially great, at least for me, so… I don’t know.

6.25/10



The Eye of the Storm

Bolsters: CHVRCHES – The Mother We Share

First Impressions:
Risky move sending the band that got you eliminated in my last roulette as your preliminary round entry for this roulette, isn’t it? Right away I am not liking that choppy vocal thing, honestly. Maybe a weird complaint to make but it feels like the vocals are mixed just a bit too loud to the point where they sound disconnected from the music. Like even on the chorus which is supposed to sound huge and climactic, the vocals drown out everything else. I can see this being fairly catchy, a lot more so than the other song I’ve heard from them. It’s a bit fluff-y as far as pop goes but so was Purity Ring and I dug that song. I feel like I’ve mostly been negative in this first impressions bit but I do feel this a lot more strongly than the other song from them at the very least. Seems solid.

Final Thoughts:
I don’t know if this is as good as the Purity Ring song from last roulette. For one the vocal hooks aren’t quite as good. And I just don’t like that choppy vocal effect at all. Haven’t ever liked it. My least favorite song across Pure Heroine and its bonus tracks is Million Dollar Bills for that exact same reason.

Anyways. The instrumental groove of the verses is really strong and kind of addictive. Maybe my favorite part of the song. The punchy synths and the straightforward drums, and the vocal rhythms playing off it well. And that chorus hook is actually, really great. I had the title drop line on its own stuck in my head after just a single listen (though I couldn’t remember anything else about the song).

The production on this song is also pretty great in general, lots of depth to it but it breathes at the points where it needs to. It’s a really great pop production. I also do like the tone of the vocals here, probably more than the breathy sound of Purity Ring (which I have to keep using as a reference point, shut up).

This writeup feels kind of scattershot but I mean. On the whole I like this a lot. I have no clue what I was talking about with the vocals feeling disconnected from the music in my first impression writeup to be honest, they play off each other really well. Whatever. Screw you, past-Parama. Anyways, this one’s easily getting you to the main roulette. I haven’t even done any other write-ups yet but this was one of my favorites the whole way through.

8.5/10



Current Standings:
Bolsters – 8.5
Tomislav95 – 8.25
Train of Naught – 8
Evermind – 8
Luoto – 7.75
Stadler – 7
twosuitsluke – 7
Nekov – 6.75
home -  6.5
LordCost – 6.5


Everyone still in, go ahead and send for round 1. I’m going to send out the round 1 songs to the secondary judge once I’ve posted first impressions tidbits for the round.

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (ROUND 0 RESULTS)
« Reply #174 on: May 20, 2017, 09:12:57 PM »
also, before anyone else says it:
yes, i am aware of the irony of cutting two of the finalists from my first roulette in the prelims as well as ranking the winner of my last roulette close to the bottom. i just. didn't like the songs as much, sorry  :lol