Author Topic: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Quick Album Reviews)  (Read 68701 times)

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Offline Elite

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #665 on: July 19, 2017, 10:10:52 AM »
Is fourth song Second Son Of.. (I don't know the last letter)?

R.

by Oathbreaker
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 Nekov

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #666 on: July 19, 2017, 12:51:16 PM »
The Artificial Language one seems to be These Aren't Mirages?

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Offline Evermind

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #667 on: July 19, 2017, 01:00:37 PM »
Yep, my favourite song from the album. Train sent it.
This first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #668 on: July 19, 2017, 01:30:21 PM »
ahh, so you both have bad taste corn corn corn

Offline twosuitsluke

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #669 on: July 19, 2017, 02:17:02 PM »
Yea, I definitely wouldn't say that's my favourite song from that album  :loser:

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #670 on: July 19, 2017, 02:52:56 PM »
Bolsters: MØ - Red in the Grey

Offline Luoto

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #671 on: July 19, 2017, 03:06:22 PM »
Ha, two weird-o's in the same round.
Always too soon, always too late, always in between.

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #672 on: July 19, 2017, 05:01:02 PM »
Yeah I found that pretty amusing  :corn

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #673 on: July 19, 2017, 06:50:59 PM »
Bolsters: MØ - Red in the Grey
???: __n_i_ - _o_s_inn_
???: Judas Priest- _un o_ t__ _i__
???: Oathbreaker - Second Son of R.
???: Disillusion - _a__ to t__ Ti__s o_ S___n_o_
???: Set and Setting - _______a_it_
Train of Naught: Artificial Language - These Aren’t Mirages
???: A___a_ - __o__n
???: Junius - A _a__ _a_ _it_ Ni__t
???: Cønstantine - ____ Insi__

Letters guessed:
AIONSTU

Nekov waits 3
LordCost waits 2
Luoto waits 1

Offline home

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #674 on: July 19, 2017, 08:36:08 PM »
Pun of the mill? By Stadler?
Ephemerality? Scorpion? (I cheated by looking it up on Spotify, but the bandname made me curious, pretty nifty song)
Break the mold, let's shake the ground, wreak havoc!

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #675 on: July 19, 2017, 09:27:46 PM »
scorpion is still not in this roulette.

Bolsters: MØ - Red in the Grey
???: __n_i_ - _o_s_inn_
Stadler: Judas Priest- _un of the Mill
???: Oathbreaker - Second Son of R.
???: Disillusion - _a__ to t__ Ti__s o_ S___n_o_
???: Set and Setting - Ephemerality
Train of Naught: Artificial Language - These Aren’t Mirages
???: A___a_ - __o__n
???: Junius - A _a__ _a_ _it_ Ni__t
???: Cønstantine - ____ Insi__

Letters guessed:
AIONSTU

Nekov waits 3
LordCost waits 2
Luoto waits 1

guess a letter  :corn

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #676 on: July 19, 2017, 09:48:28 PM »
Disillusion - Back to the Times of Splendor. Luoto?

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #677 on: July 19, 2017, 10:06:40 PM »
yes // no

Offline Luoto

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #678 on: July 20, 2017, 01:42:52 AM »
Ever heard the term "Run of the Mill?" ;)

Can't guess a letter because me still waits 1
Always too soon, always too late, always in between.

Offline Bolsters

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #679 on: July 20, 2017, 02:33:29 AM »
R

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #680 on: July 20, 2017, 09:04:43 AM »
Bolsters: MØ - Red in the Grey
???: __n_i_ - _ors_inn_
Stadler: Judas Priest- Run of the Mill
???: Oathbreaker - Second Son of R.
???: Disillusion - Back to the Times of Splendor
???: Set and Setting - Ephemerality
Train of Naught: Artificial Language - These Aren’t Mirages
???: A_r_a_ - _ro__n
???: Junius - A _ar_ _a_ _it_ Ni__t
???: Cønstantine - ____ Insi__

Letters guessed:
AIONRSTU

Bolsters waits 3
Nekov waits 2
LordCost waits 1

Offline Tomislav95

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #681 on: July 22, 2017, 02:45:15 AM »
I guess all bands I know are banned because I don't know any of these :lol
Give me E then.

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #682 on: July 22, 2017, 04:40:29 AM »
Airbag - Frozen
Always too soon, always too late, always in between.

Offline Evermind

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #683 on: July 22, 2017, 04:48:21 AM »
I'm not sure if you're intentionally misremembering the track name or not. :)

Luoto sent Constantine.
This first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #684 on: July 22, 2017, 09:39:16 AM »
Bolsters: MØ - Red in the Grey
???: _en_i_ - _ors_inne
Stadler: Judas Priest- Run of the Mill
???: Oathbreaker - Second Son of R.
???: Disillusion - Back to the Times of Splendor
???: Set and Setting - Ephemerality
Train of Naught: Artificial Language - These Aren’t Mirages
???: Airbag - _ro_en
???: Junius - A _ar_ _a_ _it_ Ni__t
???: Cønstantine - _ee_ Insi_e

Letters guessed:
AEIONRSTU

Tomislav waits 3
Bolsters waits 2
Nekov waits 1

results today probably

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #685 on: July 22, 2017, 10:31:08 AM »
I'm not sure if you're intentionally misremembering the track name or not. :)

I honestly remembered it wrong :lol Broken it is
Always too soon, always too late, always in between.

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #686 on: July 23, 2017, 12:13:58 AM »
Round 6 Results

Train of Naught – Artificial Language – These Aren’t Mirages

First Impressions:
So this is another case where I have listened to this album before, fairly recently, no more than a month ago I think. I remember finding it pretty decent but I dunno if it really caught my interest. Anyways this is a good chance for me to make up my mind, I guess. There’s kind of like, a neoclassical kind of sound in the guitar work it feels like? It’s a sound I can kind of dig sometimes but it can become repetitive and samey really quick, regardless of the chops the musicians have. The vocals being more in line with a lot of modern prog does feel a bit weird though but it’s not necessarily something I’m against. I also feel like for a three and a half minute song this is kind of repetitive too, there’s a lot of the same stuff going on, especially that one piano line. I do think this is an interesting mix of styles and there’s potential here but on first listen (well, second listen I guess) I am finding this leaving me cold. The technical chops are the what stands out the most here, there’s skill here but it’s melodic enough and not just mindless shred like a lot of bands devolve into. That’s like, the only notably positive comment I have for now though lol whoops.

Final Thoughts:
So. I am definitely just not seeing something everyone else is seeing in these guys, given how much love they seem to be getting around here recently (and with the secondary judge giving them top points – spoilers btw). I mean, this is an alright enough song.

There’s actually a lot of elements I do like. There’s pretty decent atmosphere and swell in parts of this song, a symphonic thing going on in the background alongside some big chords giving a nice full sound that I really like. And the bass, whenever it shines through, has some cool licks going on, holds a decent groove. The vocals mesh well with the backing instrumentation too, pretty decent singer.

But I hate. HATE. The tone of the piano in this song. It’s just so ungodly twinkly and completely clashes with the rest of the song. It feels like it was superimposed on a much less flashy song just to give it some prog cred, and it mostly plays the one melody over and over, even when the song slows down. The guitar is kind of guilty of this too, the lead guitar tone also feels really out of place among the rest of the elements in the song.

I highly suspect this song was written without all those lead parts and they were added in later, and I can’t fathom why. Because take out those elements and I would like this a lot more than I do, but those elements and the complete disparity between the leads (which are given front and center presence in the mixing, much to my dismay) and the rest of the much, much more interesting instrumentation going on in the background is just a gap that I cannot bridge.

It almost makes me want to devolve into some tirade about “forced progginess” that has been something that’s really exhausted me lately, because there’s just no reason to ruin a good song just to show off some technical skill. Like honestly even if the leads weren’t so repetitive and the tones so out of place, what they’re playing just doesn’t interest me much. And they drown out the better parts of the song because of some wholly incompetent or misguided mixing.

This song just. Severely frustrates me, to the point where I’ve written both the longest first impression and the second longest final thoughts section on it, despite it being the shortest song of the entire round. I want to like this, I really do, and there is a lot here I do like but the elements I dislike far outweigh the ones I do, especially given their prominence in the song. So it basically just ends up being not for me in the slightest, because what the appeal of this song is obviously intended to be is the last thing I want to listen to in the song itself.

5.5/10
 


Bolsters – MØ - Red in the Grey

First Impressions:
Ahh, Moe. I know her from like, that one hit song a year or two ago and basically nothing else. I can say right away that this is kind of tending towards the overly electronic side of pop that doesn’t tend to do as much for me, but we’ll see I guess. It’s the kind of song where it’s a bit hard for me to really comment much on first listen though – mildly enjoying it but I don’t get a whole lot out of it either. That’s really about all there is to say for now.

Final Thoughts:
This song has a few small hooks to it, but I don’t really know if it has a single large hook – there’s one synth line that’s pretty memorable, the first vocal melody of the verses is also kind of catchy and I swear sounds really similar to something I’ve heard before. I do think the chorus itself is a bit weak though, it sounds nice but there’s a surprising lack of any kind of hook.

That may be the thing, she sounds way more into the verses than the chorus, and while that makes the verses pretty good it does make the chorus a bit underwhelming when it drops. The bridge between the second verse and second chorus also has some decent atmosphere to it. And I guess there are some more intense vocals in the backdrop of the second chorus.

The thing about this song is that it’s just not very dynamic, and really doesn’t have a ton to it – a lot of layers of instrumentation, sure, but it’s relatively unchanging throughout the song’s runtime, with that one synth line coming in to fill up the spaces between vocal bits. And no other part of the instrumentation carries much weight. It all sounds okay enough, though yes a bit too electronic for my tastes, but it’s alright.

And that’s basically just the feeling I get towards this song as a whole. It’s alright. I vaguely like it but I don’t feel too strongly about any part of it beyond that. Can’t really complain about it when I’m listening to it but there’s plenty of other songs, even pop songs, that I’d prefer listening to instead.

6.75/10



home – Bendik – Forsvinne

First Impressions:
Bit of an atmospheric/ambient intro there. If the song wasn’t as short as it was I’d be totally okay with that but it might be a little long of an intro for what is otherwise a sub-5 minute song. But I mean, okay. The synths are a bit… synthy for my tastes, I dunno how to describe it. The vocals are not what I was expecting though but I am also not complaining. I like the vocals, they provide a lot of atmosphere by themselves and contrast nicely with the more energetic music behind them. I do kind of feel like I am waiting for this song to go somewhere, though it may be because it sounds kind of… muted in general. Like even when it’s building up it’s still palm-muted guitars and these bleepy synths. Okay, it does eventually hit something a bit more fleshed out though so, fair enough I guess. This is… okay but I feel like it’s a bit underwhelming.

Final Thoughts:
It’s a bit difficult for me to really write about this because this is another case where, the song itself is pretty fine but I’m not sure what I can add beyond my first impression. I guess, the drumming is pretty diverse and basically drives the mood of the song, some more energetic but restrained parts, some more downbeat and chill parts,  and some more intense parts near the end. It’s probably the instrument here that stands out the most.

This is another case where I wish they’d lay off the palm muting a bit or at least have a chunkier tone if they are going to go with as much muting as they do have. Even the very climax of the song feels like it could be a bit bigger and I feel like this more than anything else is the culprit.

That climax is pretty solid as a whole though, a nice amount of atmosphere and a ton of energy as well. It’s not exactly loud, this song is pretty mellow on the whole, but it’s enough for what the rest of the song is like.

This is definitely a case where I can say my feelings are mixed to somewhat positive, but it’s not a track that resonates with me very strongly and I don’t find it particularly memorable either, and in this case I’m not even sure what about it stands out enough to make it worth sending, but what do I know. I don’t know. I feel the potential for a better song is here but it’s definitely not met.

7/10




Luoto – Cønstantine - Deep Inside

First Impressions:
Okay, can’t say I was quite expecting such a power metal-y vocalist for this song, especially considering how the rest of the music sounds. It’s a bit more jagged than standard prog metal but I guess the power metal vocals still work fine, it’s not that harsh or heavy of a song really, so. Fair enough yeah. I do like the style of riff this goes for but I also kind of feel it doesn’t go far enough? Like this could be heavier and still work but it feels… restrained. Maybe so the vocals don’t feel too out of place, I guess. Beyond that it’s like, an okay prog metal song but it’s not really striking any chords too strongly with me on first listen.

Final Thoughts:
There’s this really proggy, jagged riff they go for during the verses that I sort of feel is just, kind of botched. I think one thing a lot of prog bands don’t realize is that you can’t just write riffs in nonstandard time signatures, you have to make them actually have flow and groove and that riff just does… not. It sounds so awkward and there’s nothing for me to get into. When just the bass is playing it it sounds a bit better but it’s still kind of off. I think it’s because the riff ends with this weird descending 16th note thing that really just kills the flow. I dunno. The bridge also sticks to this jagged feel that just does nothing for me either.

The rest of the song is not like that, fortunately. The main riff that gets played throughout the song is pretty solid, though I kind of wish the palm muted strumming bits had a bit more power to them, it sounds kind of thin. The chorus starts off making me think they’re still continuing with some clunky riffing but no it comes together & sounds pretty cool. And the vocalist, while a bit weird for the sound this song is going for, is still pretty dang solid & has some cool moments (especially during the chorus).

I kind of don’t have much else to say about this one though. It’s a prog metal song with a style that should work for me that just doesn’t quite ever click. I don’t really mind listening to it but there’s not a lot here that stands out in a good way, it’s just okay. And… that’s it really.

7.25/10



twosuitsluke – Set and Setting – Ephemerality

First Impressions:
Has guitars, 0/10. From the start though this is nice and atmospheric. Blackgaze-y even. Actually yeah that’s what this is isn’t it, cool, alright. So far this is instrumental too which? I think you said that actually it’s instrumental which I’m pretty okay with, sure. Somewhere along the line this transformed into distinctly more of a Isis- style post-metal song though and I might have missed where it did that. It makes for a solid combination of styles without really doing any of them in a particularly original way, but all at least pretty decent. And it comes to a pretty decent climax based on the sludgier riff with some noisy guitar strumming seeping up into the mix for a pretty dense atmosphere, I can dig that, yeah. I am pretty on board with this though I can’t really say I “love” it either, it’s just, pretty solid.

Final Thoughts:
I think if there’s one thing this song lacks that I’d like to have seen more of, it’s a real sense of intensity. The black metal parts are mostly pretty and don’t really have a lot of power behind them. They sound totally nice for what they are, certainly, but there’s not a ton of weight behind them. And the sludgier riffs have a strong groove to them but again not a ton of power. It’s all very nice-sounding but I can’t say I emotionally connect with it.

Also, as someone who is pretty neutral on harsh vocals a lot of the time… I kinda wish this song had some somewhere. Or vocals at all. I don’t know why but it just feels like this song is lacking without them. Could even be clean vocals like the Junius song in this round, it’d just be another layer adding to the atmosphere and frankly that’s great.

The atmosphere on this song is pretty consistently good throughout, I will definitely say that, the blackgaze bits are obviously very lush and dense but the transitional bit between the first few minutes and the sludiger rest of the song is pretty dense too and of course the climax does hit a pretty solid peak.

Another small nitpick is that, boy, do they really repeat that one riff a lot. I liked it a fair bit on first listen but its charm definitely wears off with how much it gets repeated in this song. It’s still a solid riff and still holds some decent groove but it’s so unchanging and takes up so much of the song… oh well.

On the whole I think I actually like this less than I did on first listen, but I still do think it’s a fairly solid track on the whole, just missing the intensity and maybe a bit of variation that would really make it click for me. And vocals. It’s missing those, I think it should’ve had those but whatever, I still enjoyed this regardless so all’s well that ends.

7.5/10



Stadler – Judas Priest – Run of the Mill

First Impressions:
When it comes to Judas Priest vs. Iron Maiden I have always generally preferred the latter, though I’ve never been a huge fan of either really. Dickinson’s style of vocals does a lot more for me, I guess. Though uhh. So far this doesn’t have anything to do with any Judas Priest I’ve ever heard, it’s way more in the vein of 70’s rock. Because apparently this is off their first album. Alright then! I’d be lying if I said I didn’t prefer this to the Judas Priest I’m more familiar with. Also, I do genuinely appreciate how high the bass is in the mix here. It’s not an especially great groove but I can dig it and it’s great to have it driving the song as strongly as it does. But yeah this is absolutely not what I was expecting from this entry, yet I can’t say I mind it at all? It’s maybe a touch generic for the style but ehh.

Final Thoughts:
Okay, yeah, that last bit is basically how this song has fared on relistens – it sounds totally fine but it really is lacking in any unique qualities especially for the era. Which makes this a solid enough song, sure, but leaves me without having much to say about it.

Hmm. I guess one thing is that the vocals are not really doing it for me, but they’re present in so little of the song that it’s a minor complaint at best. I guess also, the “chorus” sounds a bit disjointed and messy, the rhythm just doesn’t line up and leaves it feeling underwhelming and the start/stop nature doesn’t help.

I guess the one thing about this that really stands out is how bass-driven a lot of it is, which is certainly a positive quality. Though a lot of it is just one or two repeating bass grooves, but they’re absolutely solid grooves, and there’s still enough to like beyond that.

The climax is also pretty solid, all the instruments coming together with decent swell and the synth in the background providing another layer to the mix. And okay, the vocals here are pretty strong too. It doesn’t feel like the climax comes out of nowhere either, there’s a long instrumental build to it but the build itself isn’t boring or too drawn out. And if the payoff is decent then again there’s nothing to really complain about, it’s just solid.

It’s one of those cases where I can’t say I really love the track or anything but I do like it enough that I’d probably go back and relisten to it, though I doubt I’m going to be checking out any more Judas Priest after this.

7.5/10



Tomislav95 – Oathbreaker – Second Son of R.

First Impressions:
So this is an album I actually did check out, like, twice I think. And I thought it was solid but didn’t really find it compelling enough to pick up. It’s kind of like… So Hideous but without the orchestra stuff that made that album more compelling? Though if I’m being honest I can’t say I really loved that album either, but it was nice enough. My first complaint here would be that the vocals are a bit loud in the mix, with how washed out the mix is I’d rather hear them blending in rather than somewhat drowning out the instrumentation. Oh okay and there are female vocals in here now too huh. Works for me. This does sound nice enough and the atmosphere works pretty well, and I do like the female vocals when they appear. But it does kind of fail to stand out in any real way and that’s basically how I remember feeling about this album when I first listened to it too. Nice, but not memorable.

Final Thoughts:
This had to contend with several other atmospheric metal songs this round (and this entire roulette)  and compared to those, honestly, it’s less interesting and less satisfying in general. That’s not to say it isn’t good, because, I do like this for sure, yeah, but not much beyond that and I’ve already been given plenty of better options too. I actually remember this being one of the most well-liked tracks on this album in reviews I saw & if that’s the case then it’s no wonder this wasn’t really for me.

I do like the moments where they mix the intense black metal with the female vocals, rather than the harsh screams of the rest of the song. Those harsh vocals do borderline on kind of core-y sounding growls which I tend to shy away from. But the female vocals sound great and honestly way more intense too.

There’s a moment in the middle where the song slows down but stays heavy and I think that’s a solid change of pace, it’s still got the atmosphere and the power but there’s a bit more complexity to it than just blastbeats and dense, one-note riffing like the loudest parts of the song rely on. And there’s an entire minute near the end that’s just of standard cleaner stuff, I don’t really get much out of it at all but it sounds nice enough.

Like, I do like this, there’s some moments where it does get really intense and cool, but it never really clicked for me fully. Maybe it’ll hold up better on relisten, maybe not. For now though I’m not sure what more I can really say, it’s still pretty solid.

7.75/10

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (Round 6 First Impressions)
« Reply #687 on: July 23, 2017, 12:14:21 AM »
Evermind – Airbag – Broken

First Impressions:
Ahh, a band probably named after a Radiohead song. I hope they sound nothing like Radiohead. Well, from the very start though they do sound kinda similar, actually. Actually really Pink Floyd-y especially actually. Though the guitar work is definitely not David Gilmour-level guitar work. It’s a nice chill song but that’s really all there is to say about it. It wears its influences on its sleeve and doesn’t do anything adventurous but it sounds nice enough for what it is.

Final Thoughts:
I mean, if you’re going to emulate any band, Pink Floyd is definitely one of the better ones to emulate. The atmospheric melancholy a lot of their songs wade in is definitely not a sound I’m averse to hearing in the slightest, it’s a very nice sounding song.

Though in this case it’s pretty instrumentally drab as well – guitars and synths are the only things doing anything interesting here, the drumming is fine but very straightforward and the bassline is just. Fine. For grounding the song it works fine but I do wish it was at least a bit more adventurous.

But the layers of guitar work here are all pretty nice, the wailing, mournful leads and the acoustic strummed chords, the reverb-soaked atmospheric melodies and the tasteful soloing. It all comes together well to provide a lot to hold my interest and a great vibe on the whole. And again, it’s not David Gilmour-level work but it’s still pretty good.

And the vocals are. Pretty fine. Sells the emotion of the song well enough during the chorus especially but just in general, he sounds basically exactly like what you’d expect a Pink Floyd soundalike to sound like. If this had been a song on DSOTM or WHWH it probably wouldn’t be the most fondly remembered Floyd song but it wouldn’t be the least fondly remembered either, really.

It’s just very solid in a way where I have trouble really gushing about it but I don’t have much to complain about either. I enjoy listening to it well enough, it just doesn’t have anything particularly standout that makes me interested in checking out the artist further. But I mean, still pretty good stuff, sure.

7.75/10



LordCost – Disillusion – Back to the Times of Splendor

First Impressions:
Let’s certainly hope this is good ‘cause if it’s not the length is gonna be a detractor here, almost certainly. I will say right away that I like how the violin sounds. I don’t think I’m as big a fan of the vocals though, but they’re also kind of downplayed & low in the mix so it’s not a huge deal. So far I can say all this sound pretty fine five minutes in, but at the same time I haven’t really heard much that particularly stands out to me. It’s a bit sad that the first bit of this I’m like, really into is the bass break starting around halfway into this. I dig that, has a solid groove and I honestly could always use more cool bass grooves in my life. I dunno if it’s something I’m really into the whole way through though, it’s just very… solid. It has moments & I kind of, zoned out a little honestly which isn’t the greatest sign but we’ll see, yeah.

Final Thoughts:
It’s frustrating to have songs this long to be honest and I probably should’ve just outright banned anything over 12 minutes because in the context of every other song being nowhere near as long it’s hard to get in the right mindset for listening to something like this. And it’s definitely hard to properly digest it in a roulette format where I can only give songs a small number of listens before providing my opinions on them.

Like, I can’t really tell you off the top of my head what any of this song sounds like. It’s very much a death metal style song, it has that bass break in the middle, stuff happens between then and there and then.

And then actually putting it on and listening to it, I can go “oh yeah it has that really killer main riff” and “wow there’s a lot of nice violin parts even if they get buried in the mix a little” and “oh yeah, the production is this lo-fi isn’t it, that’s a bit meh but doesn’t harm the song too much”. And it’s just. Scattered thoughts like that because I can’t process a 15 minute track with only 4-5 listens. Can’t really put together cohesive thoughts on how I feel about it.

So hell with it, not even going to try, just gonna keep commenting on all the cool parts. Like that break at 3:30 where the drums switch to a tribal-esque style with lots of toms. There’s some really cool atmosphere going on here and the guitar solo accompanying it is pretty great too. I don’t even remember that section being in the song at all. I’m glad it is.

A lot of these riffs really do have good groove to them and that’s one of the biggest things I’m looking for from my metal, whether it’s a more fast-paced, aggressive groove like this song has or a sludgier, more laid-back groove in something like Stenian. Around the 6 minute mark when the song starts taking a turn towards the really intense it sort of loses that sense of groove and with the low quality production just descends into a mess of noise that does absolutely nothing for me, thankfully it breaks right after that though.

There’s this super tiny moment right at 11 minutes where the song kicks back into gear and there’s just a piano banging dissonant chords in the background and honestly I love stuff like that, there’s a Hirsch Effekt song where they do the same thing. There’s just something about that that’s heavier than any riff could ever dream of being. And the song comes full circle to the first main riff it used for the ending, which makes it feel a bit more cohesive as a track.

Really as a whole there’s a lot here I do like and not much I dislike, it’s just that it’s maybe a bit much for me to have fully processed yet. Obviously that’s lead to a mess of a write-up but as best as I can come to a cohesive conclusion I’d say that, yeah, I’m pretty on board with this? Not really loving it or anything but I’d definitely come back to relisten to it and I can see why you sent it. I feel it’s really likely this is going to end up with a slightly higher score when I do relistens later.

8.25/10



Nekov – Junius – A Dark Day With Night

First Impressions:
So, I actually did check out the album these guys dropped earlier this year but it didn’t do enough for me to warrant a purchase (or even a relisten I think). But right off the bat I am really digging this sound, it’s atmospheric and noisy in a way that really works for me. Vocals have a bit of an interesting accent to them, to say the least. The lo-fi sound of this is oddly working really well for me, everything sounds washed out but with what the instruments are playing it’s less that stuff is getting lost in the mix and more that it’s all blurring into this great wall of noise. I think that’s the effect black metal tries to capture but often fails at. And this isn’t really black metal at all, either. Long story short I am pretty into the atmosphere of this, though. The one criticism is that it is maybe a bit one-note as a whole, but I think there’s enough progression here for it to work. Yeah, I dig this. Maybe should’ve looked further into these guys before, haha.

Final Thoughts:
I’m not even sure what’s so special about this song that it basically just instantly clicked for me where a lot of atmospheric metal doesn’t. But, hey, I mean, it’s not a bad thing at all that it did. I thing one thing is that even with the dynamics of the song varying, the atmosphere always stays dense, but never overwhelming. And really it’s mostly just those guitars providing a lot of the noise in the background but the other instruments join in during the louder moments.

Beyond that there really isn’t a ton to say about this though. The drums and bass are both pretty straightforward, veering into occasional progressive tendencies but nothing too complex. The bass tone is also a bit weak, though I can still here it basically all the time regardless. It just feels a bit thin, lacks any real punch to it.

The vocals also have their moments of power though they’re noticeably more understated than the music most of the time. And yeah the unique accent of the singer makes him more interesting than he would’ve otherwise been. No harsh vocals at all in the song either which I think works in its favor. Oh yeah and there are those choir vocals that come into the background at about 5 minutes in, makes for a strong climax to the song.

I don’t know if there’s really any one part of the song that stands out above the others but I’m not really sure there needs to be when it’s just strong front-to-back. This is definitely the kind of atmospheric metal I’m most interested in, it has structure and decent variance while still sounding huge and dense most of the time. I think the only thing I can say negatively is that it just doesn’t hit me really hard like some of the better entries in this roulette, but I mean it’s still great.

8.5/10



Current Standings:
Nekov – 54.5
twosuitsluke – 54.25
Luoto – 54
Tomislav95 – 52.75
Bolsters – 52.25
Evermind – 52.25
home – 52
LordCost – 51.25
Train of Naught – 50
Stadler – 48.5

We’re starting to see a bit of a gap between the top 3 and the rest of the participants, though scores are still close enough that realistically it’s still anyone’s game.

I’m also a little weirded out to see Train doing so poorly considering that he’s been responsible for several album purchases as a result of plug.dj purchases but I guess that’s roulette life.

Offline Crow

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (ROUND 6 RESULTS)
« Reply #688 on: July 23, 2017, 12:23:59 AM »
Round 6 Secondary Judge Results – Judge Tomislav95

Artificial Language - These Aren't Mirages

Instrumental part is a bit too complicated IMO and it goes over the top but that’s prog and fun so I don't mind it in the end, good thing vocals are so cool and melodies are catchy. I love that chorus, it is stuck in my head and in the end it is actually my favorite song here. Looking forward to check this band out.

5 points

Airbag – Broken

This sounds like Pink Floyd (or earlier Anathema) to the point it's scary. Nevermind, I liked it a lot, especially the atmosphere and guitarplay.

3 points

Bendik – Forsvinne

So thick sounding. Love the roaring bass, or keys, whatever it is. I can't understand the word she's singing but I like her voice, and it fits with music well and it's beautiful.

2 points

MØ – Red in the Grey

This reminds me of something but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe some '80s artist? Anyways, it's not something I usually listen to but I could, it is catchy. I'm so sorry I can't award it with some point, there are songs I like a little more.

Cønstantine – Deep Inside

Ugh I think vocals don't fit the music at all. Music is like prog metal and singer would work better in hard rock style IMO. That's actually my only complaint, and few other songs are better so…

Set and Setting – Ephemerality

Not bad at all but a bit too long. In worse round this one would maybe deserve some points, not here. I like atmosphere and those few progressive passages.

Junius – A Dark Day With Night

Production sound very gothic-like and it works well with the music but I can't say I like the song that much. It's ok, I guess, just not that interesting.

Disillusion – Back to Times of Splendor

I like the progressive parts, not so much the melodeath parts. Yes, it's ok but there are much better songs. There are parts I loved and parts I couldn't keep my attention on. It probably has to do with the length, too. I hope our host will rate it better as he'll probably listen to it more times than me.

Judas Priest – Run of the Mill

I'm not too fond of instrumental part, it goes on and on and it's not really the most interesting thing ever. Too bad, because I love singing parts. I'm not the big fan of JP but I heard a few songs and this is not among better ones, sorry.

Oathbreaker – Second Son of R (Judge's Song)

Sorry, I just can't get into screams which take half of the song. I tried with Converge (I guess this is similar) years ago and I felt the same way. Clean vocals are ok but I still don't like instrumental that much.

Parama’s notes:
I’m not really too surprised seeing Artificial Language at the top, and it’s very amusing to me that Tomislav decided to put his song last unlike most people who have been putting theirs around fourth or fifth. I still can’t really pin down Tomislav’s tastes though.

Current Secondary Judge Standings:
Tomislav95 – 12
Evermind - 11
Train of Naught - 10
Luoto - 7
Bolsters - 7
twosuitsluke - 6
home - 5
Nekov - 2
LordCost - 0
Stadler - 0
« Last Edit: September 05, 2017, 01:05:42 AM by Parama »

Offline Tomislav95

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (ROUND 6 RESULTS)
« Reply #689 on: July 23, 2017, 01:54:45 AM »
Good thing you liked that ok, I'm back.
I think if I keep sending black metal I'll lose 1st place in secondary judge rankings :P there is plenty of black metal I discovered recently so I may send them right away, even though I'd like to make a nice EP out of it.
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I wave but they don't slow down...

Offline Train of Naught

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (ROUND 3 RESULTS)
« Reply #690 on: July 23, 2017, 01:58:13 AM »
LOL thanks for the points 2nd judge :corn

I could and should have known you wouldn't like this since the neoclassical vibe is extremely similar to The Human Abstract. Anyway surprised there's no ongoing rant about the overly dramatic vocals :corn

My next band sounds more in line with your tastes but personally I thought this band would be banned, maybe you already checked them out before too. Will decide and send today.

The secondary judge writeups are pretty funny when you have a good idea of who wrote them and then start looking at the writeup on their own song
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 twosuitsluke

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (ROUND 6 RESULTS)
« Reply #691 on: July 23, 2017, 02:24:40 AM »
Told you my song would be a solid 7.5. It pretty much felt like playing it safe this round. I really like the new Set and Setting album but if ever an instrumental band needed vocals, these guys are the ones. Can't argue with the score but not gonna lie, slightly upset I've been knocked from the top spot.

Offline Luoto

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (ROUND 6 RESULTS)
« Reply #692 on: July 23, 2017, 02:51:29 AM »
I'm most disappointed by the fact the melodic riff pretty much broke the song for you, because for me it makes it one of the highlights of the album. The boldness of that arrangement pays off for me.

I still haven't dipped below 7/10 which I'm quite happy about.
Always too soon, always too late, always in between.

Offline Tomislav95

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (ROUND 6 RESULTS)
« Reply #693 on: July 23, 2017, 03:03:37 AM »
I remembered one song I wanted to send in previous roulette and I didn't so you're getting it now, some beautiful progressive rock/metal.
...the years just pass like trains
I wave but they don't slow down...

Offline Evermind

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (ROUND 6 RESULTS)
« Reply #694 on: July 23, 2017, 04:10:17 AM »
That's actually better than I expected. And Train's score is way worse than I expected. :lol
This first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.

Offline twosuitsluke

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (ROUND 6 RESULTS)
« Reply #695 on: July 23, 2017, 07:34:43 AM »
Train, you clearly should've sent 'Turn Off the Pictures' from The Observer. That emotional 'Decomposing from the outside in...' line would've had Parama all  :heart :heart :heart

(maybe)

Offline LordCost

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (ROUND 6 RESULTS)
« Reply #696 on: July 23, 2017, 07:49:26 AM »
Another vote over 8! Probably now you know the song better than me. I think it's a great song without even remembering every part of it, I probably would have rated it with the same score as you.
I'm sending a new song soon

Offline twosuitsluke

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (ROUND 6 RESULTS)
« Reply #697 on: July 24, 2017, 04:50:52 AM »
Think I've discovered another new band (whilst looking through a regular DTF members Last.fm profile) that might work for you dude. Gonna give the album a proper listen and choose a song  :corn

Offline Nekov

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (ROUND 6 RESULTS)
« Reply #698 on: July 24, 2017, 05:59:36 AM »
Sweet. That whole Junius album is pretty good IMO and as you said in the writeup, I really like the atmospheres these guys create.
Will send something later
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Offline Evermind

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Re: Parama's Confrontational Roulette v2.5 (ROUND 6 RESULTS)
« Reply #699 on: July 24, 2017, 12:28:43 PM »
Sent for 3.5/10. Secondary judge, you're my only hope this time!
This first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.