Author Topic: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Quick Album Reviews)  (Read 68747 times)

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Offline Tomislav95

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #350 on: June 03, 2017, 12:32:38 AM »
Luoto: Thrawsunblat - Rivers of Underthought
...the years just pass like trains
I wave but they don't slow down...

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #351 on: June 03, 2017, 12:47:44 AM »
yes. that's all correct

Online twosuitsluke

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #352 on: June 03, 2017, 02:16:29 AM »
Khemmis - Beyond the Door

Been meaning to check this band out.

Edit: for some reason my phone auto corrected to Khimmis???
« Last Edit: June 03, 2017, 02:22:27 AM by twosuitsluke »

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #353 on: June 03, 2017, 02:18:47 AM »
band name is not quite right  :lol

Offline home

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #354 on: June 03, 2017, 02:19:47 AM »
E

(I'm pretty sure you put me on the waiting list by mistake)
Break the mold, let's shake the ground, wreak havoc!

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #355 on: June 03, 2017, 10:43:01 AM »
Bolsters: Broods - Superstar
Evermind: James LaBrie - Jekyll or Hyde
twosuitsluke: Rx Bandits- __ He_ D_a_e_
Luoto: Thrawsunblat - Rivers of Underthought
???: Von Hertzen Brothers - Bring Out the Snakes
???: Votum - Vertical
???: Cardiacs - T_e E_e_so _losel_ __a_ded L__e
???: The _a___ _ha__el - Teaho_se o_ the S____ts
???: _o_loo_ _alled __t_ - The ____t
???: Khemmis - Beyond the Door

Letters Guessed:
ADEHLMOST

home waits 3
Bolsters waits 2
Luoto waits 1

Offline home

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #356 on: June 03, 2017, 10:57:11 AM »
In her ....?

The Everso Closely ..... Line? Braided?

Teahouse of the ....?

Break the mold, let's shake the ground, wreak havoc!

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #357 on: June 03, 2017, 11:02:31 AM »
all close

Offline Sacul

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #358 on: June 03, 2017, 11:17:14 AM »
C

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #359 on: June 03, 2017, 11:51:07 AM »
Bolsters: Broods - Superstar
Evermind: James LaBrie - Jekyll or Hyde
twosuitsluke: Rx Bandits- In Her D_a_e_
Luoto: Thrawsunblat - Rivers of Underthought
???: Von Hertzen Brothers - Bring Out the Snakes
???: Votum - Vertical
???: Cardiacs - The Everso Closely __a_ded Line
???: The _a___ Cha__el - Teahouse of the S____ts
???: _o_loo_ _alled C_t_ - The ____t
???: Khemmis - Beyond the Door

Letters Guessed:
ACDEHLMOST

Sacul waits 3
home waits 2
Bolsters waits 1

Offline Sacul

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #360 on: June 03, 2017, 11:55:04 AM »
Kowloon Walled City, dunno the song. Sent by trainy I think.

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #361 on: June 03, 2017, 12:17:29 PM »
yes // no

Offline Luoto

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #362 on: June 03, 2017, 12:18:35 PM »
Always too soon, always too late, always in between.

Offline Sacul

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #363 on: June 03, 2017, 02:11:07 PM »
By The Panic Channel.

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #364 on: June 03, 2017, 02:39:48 PM »
Bolsters: Broods - Superstar
Evermind: James LaBrie - Jekyll or Hyde
twosuitsluke: Rx Bandits- In Her D_a_e_
Luoto: Thrawsunblat - Rivers of Underthought
???: Von Hertzen Brothers - Bring Out the Snakes
???: Votum - Vertical
???: Cardiacs - The Everso Closely __a_ded Line
???: The Panic Channel - Teahouse of the Spirits
???: Kowloon Walled City - The ____t
???: Khemmis - Beyond the Door

Letters Guessed:
ACDEHLMOST

Sacul waits 3
home waits 2
Bolsters waits 1

Online twosuitsluke

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #365 on: June 04, 2017, 04:11:23 AM »
Panic Channel is Stadler

Offline LordCost

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #366 on: June 04, 2017, 04:37:44 AM »
Votum sent by Train?

Offline home

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #367 on: June 04, 2017, 04:51:02 AM »
The everso closely guarded Line? By Elite perhaps?
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 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #368 on: June 04, 2017, 05:15:15 AM »
My guess is that Elite sent none of these songs :P

Votum - tomislav
Cardiacs - lordcost?
Vom Hertzen Brothers - sounds like a sacul band
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 Luoto

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #369 on: June 04, 2017, 05:30:32 AM »
Vom Hertzen Brothers - sounds like a sacul band

You're the second to guess Sacul even though he didn't get past round 0 :lol
Always too soon, always too late, always in between.

Offline home

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #370 on: June 04, 2017, 02:15:11 PM »
Results when? :corn
Break the mold, let's shake the ground, wreak havoc!

Offline Sacul

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #371 on: June 04, 2017, 02:36:17 PM »
The everso closely guarded Line? By Elite perhaps?
And neither Elite made it into the roulette :lol

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #372 on: June 04, 2017, 02:44:46 PM »
Bolsters: Broods - Superstar
Evermind: James LaBrie - Jekyll or Hyde
twosuitsluke: Rx Bandits- In Her D_a_e_
Luoto: Thrawsunblat - Rivers of Underthought
???: Von Hertzen Brothers - Bring Out the Snakes
Tomislav95: Votum - Vertical
LordCost: Cardiacs - The Everso Closely Guarded Line
Stadler: The Panic Channel - Teahouse of the Spirits
???: Kowloon Walled City - The ____t
???: Khemmis - Beyond the Door

Letters Guessed:
ACDEHLMOST

Sacul waits 3
home waits 2
Bolsters waits 1

results tomorrow probably i haven't even started writeups yet

Offline home

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #373 on: June 04, 2017, 02:52:48 PM »
Von Hertzen Brothers by Nekov and Khemmis by Train?
Break the mold, let's shake the ground, wreak havoc!

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #374 on: June 04, 2017, 03:04:51 PM »
Yep.

Wonder who sent Kowloon Walled City  :corn

Offline home

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #375 on: June 04, 2017, 03:19:00 PM »
Kowloon Walled City, sent by Parama perhaps?
Break the mold, let's shake the ground, wreak havoc!

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home's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #376 on: June 04, 2017, 03:33:41 PM »
Darn  :corn

Results when, home?

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #377 on: June 05, 2017, 01:07:45 AM »
Round 2 Results

LordCost – Cardiacs - The Everso Closely Guarded Line

First Impressions:
Well I think I tried to listen to a Cardiacs album before but did not finish it. So. This is certainly… something weird alright. I don’t know, right now, this doesn’t feel like a cohesive song, it’s just jumping about between ideas arbitrarily and with almost no transition. The individual parts all seem decently interesting and I could see myself digging this. I’m just hoping they’ll start to feel like more than just parts. I just. Don’t have any other words right now I’m actually kind of tired honestly. And this is exhausting to listen to. Maybe in a good way maybe in a bad way. I can say I don’t really feel like I have any degree of an opinion on this yet though.

Final Thoughts:
It seems like you have the bad fortune to send me a song that absolutely does not click for me in every one of my roulettes. Because yeah… this is just a disaster of a song.

Let’s start with the vocals. I absolutely hate them. The tone and style of the singer’s voice is really unpleasant and it doesn’t help that the vocal melodies feel completely out of control. I almost worry that it takes serious talent to sound this unpleasant.

Musically the song fares better than the vocals, though it still often sounds like a disjointed mess. For one. I actually don’t tend to like when music sounds circus-y, which this has a tendency to devolve into from time to time. It works on a few Haken songs but I’ve never found it to work anywhere else.

I can see where they did at least try to tie ideas together – there’s one motif in particular that pops up in a few different places and it’s one of the more melodies in the song, so that was a good call on their end.

I think the big failing here is that there’s not really any emotional connection to be found here though. That’s one thing I look for in music more than anything else and this just feels like unrestrained wackiness with no real point to it other than to be weird. The song has a seasick sense of tempo and different instruments cut in and out for moments just because.

I’ve listened to this five times at this point and there’s very little I can recall from this one when I’m not listening to it. Mostly how annoying the vocals sound. Like seriously, I don’t know what they’re going for here but I very much do not like it.

And yeah this is definitely an exhausting listen. It’s only 8 minutes but because the song has no sense of focus it feels much, much longer and it’s really just too much to take in. My thoughts on this are kind of disjointed since I feel like I haven’t really been able to process this one as well as the other songs here.

I do come off as pretty hard on this but I don’t think it’s really, completely and utterly useless like that one Slint song. There are moments here that work, and aside from the vocals none of it is really that unpleasant to listen to. But it’s definitely lacking in terms of positive qualities, while having a fair few negative qualities. Dunno how else to say it. It’s just a mess.

4.5/10



Stadler – The Panic Channel – Teahouse of the Spirits

First Impressions:
Well I haven’t heard of the artist you sent this time, at least. This is. Well I wish the video I found to download the mp3 sounded better but I couldn’t find a better one so I’m gonna try and not hold that against this one. This is pretty upbeat but not claustrophobically so, I don’t know if these vocals are my favorite style but they don’t sound out of place here. This is…. pretty brief and a bit lacking in substance but it’s fun enough. I don’t have much else to say, the song is already over.

Final Thoughts:
I really do wish I had a video with slightly better sound quality because it does feel a bit muddy and muted here (and quieter compared to all of the other files this round.) But that’s really a minor complain and kind of out of the artist’s control.

I get what’s going on with this song sure but I’m really baffled as to what about it stands out. The closest reference point I really have is earlier Coheed stuff, but even then most of those songs had something beyond the bare minimum to them. This just seems to be hitting a lot of the bullet points and not really doing much else with them.

Does it sound bad? Nah, not at all. It’s a fun enough track & the main guitar line does create a good driving feel, plus the chorus sounds pretty full and powerful and provides a nice reprieve from the energy of the rest of the song. And the vocals are fine, not especially impressive but they fit with the song well enough. I also do dig the actual mixing on this the bass comes through well and that’s nice to hear.

But again it’s just lacking in substance for me, I want more out of this than it has to offer and there’s not much about it that’s particularly memorable. It’s just an alright rock song.

6.5/10



Evermind – James LaBrie – Jekyll or Hyde

First Impressions:
Who’s this loser on the vocals? He sounds like a dying bird. Also there are growls apparently, nice. Actually this just pointing out how much better he sounds on The Source than usual. So good job on that. Aside from the growls this isn’t really dissimilar from a lot of power metal I’ve heard. Honestly it doesn’t feel like it has the weight behind it to support the growls, they sound a bit out of place because the song sounds too thin. The instrumental work on this isn’t particularly unique in comparison to a lot of similar-sounding music but it’s, fine enough I guess. Decent level of groove, decent level of technicality. This mostly just sounds like… a song, I don’t know what other way to describe it. One I’m totally okay with but one that doesn’t do a ton for me either.

Final Thoughts:
To me this is just a song that doesn’t stand out much in any way, either for good or bad. LaBrie has never been one of my favorite vocalists and he sounds… a bit below average here, honestly. He can do rough-edged vocals well but here it just sounds like he’s trying too hard. And the growls are actually kind of bad, I have no clue if he’s doing them himself or if it’s someone else (I’d guess the latter, but I don’t know).

Musically it’s a pretty alright power/prog metal type of song. Decent energy to it, the riff in the intro and the prechorus makes me think of that Speaking to Stones album a lot for some reason, I dunno why I bought that album.

I think the chorus is a bit annoying honestly, more for the vocal melodies here. They just don’t really do it for me. Also the background growls make it sound really silly actually. Again it doesn’t sound awful but it doesn’t sound particularly good either. And the instrumental break is… eh. The kind of solo here can work sometimes (see: Hacride’s Awakening) but here it just sounds kind of… forced. Like of course there has to be a solo section because most DT songs have solo sections you gotta have it man.

I don’t really wanna be too hard on this song but at the same time I can’t find myself wanting to return to this, or wanting to check out JLB’s solo work on the basis of this. It’s an okay song. Just not particularly memorable.

6.75/10



Train of Naught – Khemmis – Beyond the Door

First Impressions:
I hope this is a song. Wow, it’s a song. Like I dunno what to say for the start. It’s nice but maybe a bit slow to get going. I like this more when it picks up that triplet groove though it still feels like it’s maybe a touch too slow. And the transition back into the doom-ier sound feels completely botched and awkward. It leaves me stuck at least enjoying the entire song, but definitely liking some parts more than others, and feeling the way the song moves between those different parts stiff and messy. And I’d almost just rather listen to the song without the slower parts, really? The groovier stuff is more fun and stands out way more.

Final Thoughts:
Yeah, I agree with my first impressions self, this kind of feels like two songs that are only tangentially related and stitched together to make one song.  Not that either of the main styles of this song is bad, and I think they totally could work well together just fine, it’s just that in this case they kind of don’t, unfortunately. And that’s primarily the fault of the awkward transitions in this song.

Beyond that what is there to say. Hmm. I don’t think this hits on either niche particularly well? Like sure it doesn’t do a bad job either. There’s some fun groove to the more upbeat moments & the lead guitar work is solid if a bit uninspired. I guess it’d be more enjoyable if it progressed a bit faster?

The doomier stuff is solid too though a bit too driven by guitar leads for my taste. In my plodding, sludgy music, I really prefer it to be riff and atmosphere driven as much as possible. Something visceral I can really get into. The melodic work here is far from bad of course and it fits just fine but I would genuinely prefer it to not be there. The riff right at the end is a pretty solid riff though. I dig it.

I feel like this is just a song that should do more for me than it actually ends up doing. Is it a bad song? Nah. But nothing about this really stands out for me and it’s not something I’d check out a full album of, especially since even this song feels a bit stretched out for what it has on offer.

7/10



home – Kowloon Walled City – The Grift

First Impressions:
Right off the bat I’m inclined to like this more than Old Man Gloom even if that guitar tone isn’t quite as thick. The 6/4 riff that varies itself up a lot is certainly more compelling than a 4/4 riff that never changes. And the riffing in this song does have a sense of groove, albeit not so straightforward of a groove but it’s there nonetheless. And I like that the song stays pretty dynamic throughout, a balancing act between some heavier moments and quieter interludes, without ever really losing momentum either. It’s not like, an especially compelling song but I can definitely see the appeal here.

Final Thoughts:
Of the songs this roulette that fit into this kind of post-metal vein this is probably the best of them so far. Though one thing that definitely stands out to me. The guitars don’t feel like they have enough crunch during the heavier moments. They sound a bit too rubbery and can’t quite provide the punch I think this song needs.

What’s being played though is pretty cool. The riffing has a nice jagged feel to it that creates an interesting groove and keeps me pulled into the song even as it keeps repeating. Like, there isn’t really a ton to this song but no one part feels like it goes on too long either. The clean moments aren’t as strong as the heavy main riff but they serve their purpose well enough.

It does feel like the song ends maybe a bit anticlimactically though? The payoff for the buildup in the back half of the song doesn’t really go much of anywhere, or doesn’t go far enough. It leaves the ending feeling a bit unsatisfying.

Again I don’t know if I’m really feeling this that strongly, but it’s alright enough. I do find that this shorter style of straightforward post-metal is never as compelling as the more longform pieces though so it’s a bit weird I keep getting sent it but oh well, still solid stuff.

7.25/10



Luoto – Thrawsunblat - Rivers Of Underthought

First Impressions:
So like two minutes in and this is certainly pretty solid folky black metal so far. This really doesn’t have anything unique to offer for the style of music it is, but it’s plenty competent for what it is too and I can’t really knock it for that. Like I really don’t even know what else to put here. The production seems sufficient? It’s diverse enough to not really get boring? The clean bit in the middle with just acoustic guitar and strings is rather pretty. Yeah I really don’t have much but at the same time this is probably my favorite of everything I’ve listened to so far this round.

Final Thoughts:
This is a very agreeable song, for me. Like, it just has a lot of qualities I find to be pretty solid qualities. There’s not much in the way of standout moments here but the way the song flows and the way it sounds are both things I am inclined to like. Which makes it incredibly hard to have much to say about this song.

Like, genuinely stumped as to what to write. I’m already almost halfway into the song and there’s just not much to comment on other than “the riffs are pretty solid and the dense atmosphere is satisfying”. I guess, I would say the harsh vocals aren’t that great, but they’re passable? I don’t mind listening to them?

Every part of this is just so fundamentally “fine” that I have nothing to say about it, I’m sorry. I’ve heard the riffs and melodies in this song done in other songs. I’ve heard similar clean breaks before. I’ve heard moments of intensity that far surpass the loudest parts of this song. I’ve even heard the intro like this song has done before (Saor – Farewell is very similar). I think the problem is that everything is solid but nothing stands out and there’s no unique twist on anything. Which can be, fine, absolutely, but I guess I’m just looking for something a bit more than that.

But still, I mean, it’s a solid song for sure.

7.5/10



Nekov – Von Hertzen Brothers – Bring Out the Snakes

First Impressions:
It’s funny that you make the assumption I like “weird” music when most of the highest scorers thus far have not actually been very weird at all, and as well I have an entire post on my tastes at the start of the thread. Anyways right away I do not like these samples at all. Like I’d stop listening to the song if I wasn’t obligated to listen to it, honestly. Is this… ever going to start? Okay good finally. I dig the noodly bass thing going on in the background throughout this but there definitely needs to start being more to this to get me interested. I can’t say I’m a big fan of that really processed-sounding heavy guitar tone either. It makes it basically just sound like a synth at that point. Is there really anything nice I can say about this, because I’m worried there isn’t going to be. I guess, it’s got a nice energy to it? That’s really all I can think of here. It doesn’t sound all bad but the song feels really slow-paced and there’s a lot here I could really do without.

Final Thoughts:
I really, passionately, do not like the spoken bits that take up almost the first two minutes of this song. It’s very viscerally unpleasant to listen to. Both the tone of voice and the dialogue itself piss me off honestly. The music here is okay, decent atmosphere and the drum stings are solid but god I want to punch that guy so much and make him shut up. Jesus christ. It’s so damn long.

And honestly it’s a shame, because the rest of this song is actually pretty solid? The twinkly melodies going on in the background of a fairly decent atmosphere and the way the song is constantly building up are both pulled off well. I don’t dig the break in the middle with the really crunch guitar line though, it’s an okay line but it’s really out of place and completely disrupts the momentum of the song.

I even like the washed out sound a lot of the song has. It just results in lots of elements blurring together to build atmosphere and by the last few minutes of the song the momentum of the song is exhilarating. Considering this is decisively not metal, the song sounds bloody huge during that outro. It’s really damn great stuff and the way the melody of the “come on press rewind” refrain keeps changing with the music reflecting the tone changes is pretty great.

I do think having a fade out at the end is really anticlimactic though. That kind of sound really deserves a proper, bombastic ending instead of just fizzling out at the end.

Anyways. Despite 75% of this being actually pretty great, there’s also an entire quarter that is goddamn insufferable and I unfortunately have to dock points for that, because it is genuinely a big deal that absolutely will keep me from wanting to relisten to this again, in spite of how good its best parts are. So that’s a bit of a shame.

7.5/10



Tomislav95 – Votum – Vertical

First Impressions:
I feel like I listened to this album before (or had them played in plug.dj) but I remember literally nothing about them so I’m fine with keeping this. I’m really having a hard time finding much to say about this on first listen though. I guess, and I’m gonna keep saying this all roulette long I imagine, but the vocals aren’t doing much for me. Like I’m pretty sure this specific style of vocals never has. I generally just don’t like deeper vocal tones, or something. And I’m not really finding the instrumentation of this particularly compelling either. At the very least it’s decently diverse, a mix if chugging metal, dense atmosphere, and some cleaner moments, and by the end I can get into it at least a little. But it’s just very normal, in every aspect, and not in a way that particularly speaks to me.

Final Thoughts:
I want to talk about something. The effect that you can create when every part of a song snaps into place at once and creates something really cool and powerful out of it. It sort of requires having something to contrast off of; like a quiet start, or a bit of space before everything clicks into place. It’s a technique a lot of pop songs use to great effect – one of my favorite pop hits ever, Sia’s Chandelier, does this exact thing and the end result is utterly glorious.

And that’s exactly what I feel like they’ve managed to pull off here – having that little pause before the song just explodes into full force for the first chorus. It makes what would otherwise be a solid but unremarkable chorus into something I actually find myself really getting into. It’s definitely a quality I would consider admirable. They don’t exactly pull off the same stunt as well with the second chorus since the buildup is just as loud, but at that point I’m already biased to like the chorus.

I think the unfortunate side effect is that the rest of the song can’t really support the weight though. The intro itself is fine, works well as a buildup. The second verse is a bit… forgettable, not bad but doesn’t stand out. I at least dig the atmospheric back half and the way it builds up, it’s executed pretty well. Nothing about it is really that impressive but it comes to a nice climax for the song. I can’t fault it for that.

And yeah, still not really a huge fan of the vocals by themselves but they work well on the chorus for sure, and having them in the backdrop for most of the second half of the song takes the focus off them and mostly has them provide some texture for the atmosphere.

Huh. When I lay it all out like this, I actually like this one a lot more than I expected to, huh? It does one thing really well and a few other things pretty satisfyingly, though not especially impressively. So yeah. I can dig that.

7.75/10
« Last Edit: June 05, 2017, 01:21:28 AM by Parama »

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #378 on: June 05, 2017, 01:11:19 AM »
Bolsters – Broods – Superstar

First Impressions:
Right off the bat, man, the singer has a really breathy voice and generally that’s the kind of voice that doesn’t work so well for me. Or I think there’s like two singers here? One of them sounds like a really breathy Lorde. So I can kind of tell why you sent this now. I do like all the harmonizing that’s going on here, the melodies themselves aren’t that great but the vocals sound better in unison than either do separately. The production on this is very decisively taking a backseat but it’s got enough force behind it during the chorus to make it stand out. I just can’t get past the really breathy vocal style though unfortunately. Really is a problem that just annoys me throughout the entire song.

Final Thoughts:
God dammit Bolsters. I have no clue how you keep sending me these pop songs that have little to no impression on me first listen but get pretty dang good on relistens. I don’t think this is as good as Purity Ring or CHVRCHES but I still enjoy this one quite a bit.

And yeah, it’s the vocal interplay. More the melodies than the tone, though having one of them sound quite a lot like Lorde definitely helps. The chorus especially, it’s really pleasant and even the lyrics are actually pretty sweet. I’m not usually one to care about lyrics but here it just gives off really pleasant vibes. The singers sound passionate enough to sell me on the emotions they’re proclaiming to have. They sell it well.

And the production work is, not anything really special but it’s got enough drive to it and definitely more than enough texture. Nothing that really stands out but the vocals are obviously the focus here & the song knows it. Can’t really complain about the simple musical background here when it works to the song’s favor, can I?

So yeah overall? Good stuff. Certainly could’ve used less breathy vocals, but aside from that I don’t have any real complaints.

7.75/10



twosuitsluke – Rx Bandits – In Her Drawer

First Impressions:
Well, those drums certainly start the song. With style. The horns are a nice touch, whenever they show up. From what I’ve heard from these guys previously I remember them usually having decently interesting guitar work but I’m not really feeling that here. Okay, this bit in the middle that’s really dissonant and awkward, I can dig that, it’s definitely ear-catching for sure. Yeah, this got pretty cool for at least a bit.  There’s definitely a nice energy to this song but there’s chill moments and just outright weirder moments to keep you on your toes. This is actually a kind of song I imagine myself digging, it’s just paced well. It’s hard to describe what that means I guess but it’s all over the place in a really cohesive way? I have mostly positive thoughts on this on first listen though so that’s good.

Final Thoughts:
This is easily the most interesting song of the round (well, maybe besides Cardiacs but that’s not a good interesting). Though to be fair there really wasn’t a ton of competition – a lot of really normal-sounding stuff with a few oddities is how I’d describe this round.

Honestly though it’s not the horns that really make it stand out here. The vocals don’t really have a ton of power to them but they are excellent at providing energy. And the song starts out fairly normal and energetic but then kind of devolves into complete madness for a bit about a third of the way through. A good madness though. Noisy, dissonant, jagged stuff that I really dig. It’s kind of got a really similar arc to the Black Peaks song from last round.

There’s also this break around the 3 minute mark that somehow tones down the energy of the song without actually reducing it – the drums keep the pulse going but there’s decisively still more breathing room than elsewhere in the song. And I can appreciate that considering the tempo of the rest of the song. The song does well to use it to build up to a climax as well.

The song is also pretty hard to pin down because it doesn’t repeat a ton of ideas, and when it does there’s usually a slightly different take on them as well. The drums are probably the standout instrument here, honestly, they’re what keeps the energy going throughout this and makes it such an exhilarating listen.

I think I would’ve liked it more if they’d pushed the weirdness of it a bit further and had it build on the chaotic momentum that it starts building up but then drops soon after. Though I certainly don’t mind the direction it did take, it’s still a pretty dang solid song nonetheless.

8.25/10



Current Standings:
Nekov – 23.25
Tomislav95 – 23.25
Bolsters – 23
twosuitsluke – 22.75
Luoto – 22.25
Evermind – 22
Train of Naught – 22
home -  21.25
Stadler –20
LordCost – 19.75

Time for round 3, boys  :hat
« Last Edit: June 05, 2017, 01:21:00 AM by Parama »

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #379 on: June 05, 2017, 01:20:26 AM »
Round 2 Secondary Judge Results – Judge Bolsters

James Labrie - Jekyll or Hyde

All I have to say is: WOW. I had heard a little of JLB's solo music, from Mullmuzzler and Elements Of Persuasion, but I thought that was pretty meh stuff overall, and I didn't follow him after that. But this song was AMAZING. Good energy and riffs, keyboard/guitar work, James sounds good. Loved this song the most right from the beginning. I liked it a lot even if Parama doesn't!

5 points

Rx Bandits - In Her Drawer

REALLY cool energy in this song, and it's very catchy (in the good way). It never gets boring either, there is quite a bit to it for only a 5 min song, but it also doesn't jump around too much. As awesome as the energy is though I think my fav parts are the parts where the song is calmer. Another really good song and a deserving #2.

3 points

Thrawsunblat - Rivers Of Underthought

Didn't like this much at first, but in the end I ended up liking most of it but there were some riffs that were a bit monotonous. I liked the harsh singing more than the clean. The instrumental parts like the intro and bridge were my fav parts I think. There was definitely more that I liked than I didn't though, this was the grower of the round, so you get a couple of bonus points here I think.

2 points

Votum - Vertical

Not a bad song at all, there's nothing really special here but I dig it. Nice combo of heavy and light, headbanging stuff when it gets down to it, it has good energy. It's the perfect length too. I did like this song but I think you miss out on bonus points at this rank, sorry.

Broods - Superstar (Judge's Song)

A nice little pop song, lovely to listen to. I REALLY liked the singer though. Could have done with some more variety and I didn't like the bridge, felt like it killed the flow of the song a bit towards the end, but I did enjoythis song, even if I thought it was a bit unspectacular at the same time.

KHEMMIS - Beyond The Door

This was a cool song, had nice atmosphere and some decent riffs, but nothing special at all, and all in all there wasn't much going on, and I thought the song was WAY too long for what it is. It really drags on in a lot of places, imo if this was like a 4-5 min song it would be a lot better.

The Panic Channel - Teahouse Of The Spirits

This song has a cool chorus, but nothing else really stood out in a good way, sorry. I thought the song was pretty bland and didn't achieve any highs at all, even if it didn't have any lows either. This is a style of rock that doesn't appeal to me.

Von Hertzen Brothers - Bring Out The Snakes

This song was weirder than I thought it would be? Thought VHB was like jazz/prog or something. :lol did not feel the intro here, and it dragged on a bit. I don't like the singer when he sings normally but he has a nice falsetto and the parts where he sings falsetto were kinda cool. And then the song gets REALLY busy and distorted towards the end, that did not help me to like the song any more, actually the opposite.

Kowloon Walled City - The Grift

Some okay riffs but this song was very plodding for me overall, not enough variety, and I didn't feel this singer at ALL. I did not mind the sludgy, raw guitar sound, but the distorted singer was overdoing it imo. There wasn't nearly enough that I liked to want to put this song any higher, sorry.

Cardiacs - The Everso Closely Guarded Line

This song was a tough one, VERY little appealing to me. The structure of the song is all over the place, not in a good way, and a lot of the sounds remind me too much of MIDI or cheap keyboards. Didn't like the main vocalist. There were little bits here and there that were not bad but they were very very short, not enough of them either. 8 minutes was too long for this sort of thing aswell imo. Sorry but I have to place this song last.

Parama’s notes:
Man, me and Bolsters agreed on a lot here (though not in the slightest on JLB, funnily enough). Not much else to say except that I feel he was nicer to Cardiacs than I was, somehow.

Current Secondary Judge Standings:
Luoto - 7
Evermind - 5
Tomislav95 - 3
twosuitsluke - 3
Bolsters - 2
home - 0
Train of Naught - 0
LordCost - 0
Nekov - 0
Stadler - 0
« Last Edit: September 05, 2017, 01:00:19 AM by Parama »

Offline Luoto

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #380 on: June 05, 2017, 02:03:22 AM »
Yep, still trudging on the solid 7+ train

Von Hertzen Brothers - Bring Out The Snakes

... I don't like the singer when he sings normally but he has a nice falsetto and the parts where he sings falsetto were kinda cool.

Two lead vocalists in that song ;)
Always too soon, always too late, always in between.

Offline Tomislav95

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (ROUND 2 RESULTS)
« Reply #381 on: June 05, 2017, 02:57:46 AM »
Nice to see I'm at the top ;D I think I know what to send next but give me some time
...the years just pass like trains
I wave but they don't slow down...

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (ROUND 2 RESULTS)
« Reply #382 on: June 05, 2017, 03:21:27 AM »
I'm actually stunned (and chuffed) that you liked that as much as you did dude. It was a risk but I thought it had something that might've appealed to you. RX Bandits would appeal to a number of people on this forum I reckon.

Anyway, I'm at work all day today so will have to send tomorrow.

I hope I don't fuck it up  :lol

Offline Bolsters

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 2 First Impressions)
« Reply #383 on: June 05, 2017, 04:34:25 AM »
God dammit Bolsters. I have no clue how you keep sending me these pop songs that have little to no impression on me first listen but get pretty dang good on relistens.
Hopefully this translates into more points when you relisten.

My next submission has been sent.

Offline Tomislav95

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (ROUND 2 RESULTS)
« Reply #384 on: June 05, 2017, 05:25:37 AM »
Sent the song I'm obsessed with lately ::)
...the years just pass like trains
I wave but they don't slow down...