ariich’s roulette 5.0 – The End (again (the actual end this time (really)))

[Crow]

yeah mercury fountain is 100% the best, the first one is a bit scattered, death sequence is honestly all really good but it doesn't flow the same way & it's too dang short
i just really wanted to send mercury fountain & didn't have any other chance to do so, hence why I just Sent Them All

[ariich]

Well it worked, and the strength of it made me like the overall "compilation" a lot which was just enough for you to scrape through the round.

[Crow]

couldn't scrape through the finals though

[Sacul]

Ultra is a great record . Haven't listened to Music for The Masses yet, but I probably will eventually.

[ariich]

Post-roulette updates, part 7/?
Category 1: Prelim elimination (complete)
Category 2: Compilation artists (complete)
Category 3: Concept album artists
Category 4: Cyril's extravaganza

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Luoto
Communic – Payment of Existence (2008)
Category 3: Concept album artists
Like the Communic songs on your concept album when I first heard them, I didn't find this album very exciting at first but it's definitely a grower. It's really punchy, solid prog metal. The singer uses what I'd call an 80s metal style of vocals, which isn't always my thing (and might be part of why their stuff doesn't immediately grab me) but he does really well and gives the album a fairly unique feel. There is that Nevermore vibe that I picked up on the song you sent from this album, but of course this is overall more proggy and melodic. I wouldn't say it blows me away, but it's consistently strong stuff and a great album overall.
Rating: 8/10

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Clortho
Extreme – III Sides to Every Story (1992)
Category 3: Concept album artists
I don't really understand how I've never listened to Extreme before. I've heard of them of course, and particularly Bittencourt, but didn't know anything about them or what to expect. Have to say, this album is excellent. They have so much energy and charisma in their quirky, funky brand of prog rock. Top quality performances, strong hooks, and great use of other sounds and instruments to give their music a big and bombastic feel. It's pretty damn indulgent, no doubt, but it's so entertaining that it ends up being just as indulgent for the listener as it is for them.
Rating: 8.5/10

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Cyril
Gabriel Kahane – The Ambassador (2014)
Category 4: Cyril's post-roulette extravaganza
Not sure what there is about this that you thought I might not like. His stuff isn't the easiest to classify. He just seems to get defined as "singer-songwriter" (which is no more a genre than "band" is) or chamber pop (which doesn't seem to apply here). It's almost like contemporary jazz fused with acoustic indie. His harmonic approach especially is very jazzy, and really interesting. Kind of reminds me of some of Kindo's more restrained stuff. Slightly monochrome in terms of overall vibe perhaps, but it's very rich and engaging music.
Rating: 8/10

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Cyril
Ancestors – Suspended in Reflections (2018)
Category 4: Cyril's post-roulette extravaganza
This seems to be one of those artists that I feel as though I should like more than I do. They definitely tick a lot of boxes - post-ish metal with a good sense of atmosphere and a reasonable amount of variety of sounds - strings, synths, etc. I do like this album quite a bit, and its short length works nicely to keep the album nice and tight. But while it's all perfectly fine, none of it manages to really excite me. It's consistently good, but there are no wow moments that elevate it and make me keen to come back to it.
Rating: 7.5/10

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[Crow]

Damn, coulda sent this instead of warforged

[ariich]

Damn, coulda sent this instead of warforged

Oh yeah, forgot to say that's 1 out of 2 albums that, if you'd sent instead of Warforged, would definitely have won you the roulette (basically anything 8/10 or higher).

I assume this is the game now.

[Crow]

1 out of 2 in my entire post-roulette bonanza? 

[ariich]

1 out of 2 so far. We can keep a running tally.

I won't count the concept album artists as if they'd not been in your concept album, your final round may not have done so well.

[Luoto]

Payment of Existence isn't as consistently good as Waves of Visual Decay. Tracks 4-7 are great and the rest is a bit middling.

[ariich]

Yeah I'll check that one out too at some point. I'll probably end up taking the same approach as my last couple of roulettes, which was check out some more albums by every artist that got 8+/10, and then a handful of the more interesting 7-7.5s.

[ariich]

Post-roulette updates, part 8/?
Category 1: Prelim elimination (complete)
Category 2: Compilation artists (complete)
Category 3: Concept album artists
Category 4: Cyril's extravaganza

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Clortho
Crimson Glory – Transcendence (1988)
Category 3: Concept album artists
This is rather less successful than the Extreme from my last update! I still rather like the song from your concept album, and there are a couple of strong songs on here too, but most of it feels like a style of 80s metal that I’ve never really got particularly into and this isn’t converting me. There’s nothing wrong with it at all, and the core style I do find quite enjoyable, but a whole album of it does grate after a while. I’m glad to have checked them out and expanded my 80s metal knowledge, but this isn’t one I really see myself returning to.
Rating: 6.5/10

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Tomi
Gallowbraid – Ashen Eidolon (2010)
Category 3: Concept album artists
Ok I’m digging this album a fair bit more than I expected to, which is strange considering you included more than half of it on your concept album. I think there’s a couple of reasons for that. Firstly, while I totally get why you started with Oak and Aspen which has an intro that feels more like an opener, I find it the weakest song on the album. And the title track works great as an opener, even though it has a more sudden start it’s just a fantastic song and really covers all the key styles of the album nicely. The two Autumn tracks are gorgeous and really add to the album’s atmosphere, and the closer is top-notch too. So I’m really glad you included them, I think you were just unfortunate with your choice and ordering of songs.
Rating: 8/10

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Cyril
Sunless Dawn – Timeweaver (2018)
Category 3: Concept album artists
This is a very solid album. Not quite as exciting as some of the stuff you’ve sent, but kind of reminds me of the Irreversible Mechanism in both quality and in some ways style too. It’s instrumentally very melodic, but not in a particularly immediate way which makes it quite interesting particularly with further listens, with mostly harsh vocals that are pretty good. There are probably more moments here that I find a bit less interesting, but it’s easily compensated by the album having quite a lot of variety and exploring different ideas. The first couple of tracks are a little more straightforward, but once it reaches the Biomorph suite you had on your concept album it starts going off in all sorts of enjoyable directions. Given how it's clearly a bit of a grower, I'm looking forward to giving it more listens as well. Good stuff.
Rating: 8/10

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Puppies
Shylmagoghnar – Transience (2018)
Category 3: Concept album artists
Damn dude, that’s two 9/10 albums that have come from your concept album. Perhaps not that surprising considering you won the round, but it makes me wonder how you’d have done if you’d sent these albums in earlier rounds. Anyway, this is wonderful stuff - everything I liked about Journey Through the Fog is present in swathes right throughout the album. Their core sound seems to be folk/black metal, but there’s loads going on, it’s beautifully melodic with some really gorgeous harmonies in the instrumentation, and the production is superb. The album is 72 minutes which is pretty damn long, but it doesn’t feel long and if anything when it finishes I want more. I’ll definitely check out their first album too.
Rating: 9/10

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[Crow]

Ehh, dunno if sunless dawn is much of a grower, i loved it pretty much immediately 

[ariich]

Sure, but everyone has different things that either hit them immediately or take time to settle. A lot of the melodic but heavy stuff on the album didn't feel very immediate to me but I've enjoyed it more with each listen.

[v_clortho]

Glad you liked the Extreme. They have some good stuff. I think Pornograffitti is their best overall album but I like a lot of 3 sides. The 3rd side might be their best work.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Silly band name aside, Shylmagoghnar is 

Glad you liked that album so much. Can we retroactively swap out my round 6 album for this one? 

[ariich]

Just realised that I saw the latest posts when I was too busy to reply, and then forgot to do so later on.

Glad you liked the Extreme. They have some good stuff. I think Pornograffitti is their best overall album but I like a lot of 3 sides. The 3rd side might be their best work.

Cool, I'm looking forward to checking out their other stuff. The album they did in 2008 seems pretty well rated as well, so that and Pornograffitti are probably my next ones.

Silly band name aside, Shylmagoghnar is 

Glad you liked that album so much. Can we retroactively swap out my round 6 album for this one? 

Yeah, very ridiculous band name. And no you can't, but even if you did, it might hurt your concept album.

Next update imminent.

[ariich]

Post-roulette updates, part 9/?
Category 1: Prelim elimination (complete)
Category 2: Compilation artists (complete)
Category 3: Concept album artists
Category 4: Cyril's extravaganza

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Cyril
Eluvium – Static Nocturne (2010)
Category 4: Cyril's post-roulette extravaganza
Ok I have pretty mixed feelings towards this. On the more positive end of things, it’s clearly been crafted with a lot of thought and care. It’s very… pretty, for want of a better word, and atmospheric and richly produced. I think I’d love it if it were, say, incidental music to a video game. Something very much in the background that enhances the foreground. It’s a standalone piece of music though, and so as pleasant as it is, there’s just not enough happening to interest me at all really. The whole thing feels like an intro that never reaches the main event.
Rating: 6.5/10

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Cyril
Even the Trees – If Only Every Day Could Be Like This (2018)
Category 4: Cyril's post-roulette extravaganza
I agree with you that half of this is a lot stronger than the rest, mostly the second half although This Ends Now is one of my favourites. I'm not as keen on it as you overall though. For the good stuff, it's still not really 9/10 territory for me as it is for you - it's really good post-hardcore and in particular there's some of the more atmospheric stuff in the second half is really nice, but there aren't any wow moments for me. And the weaker stuff, I just honestly find quite bland. Never bad or unpleasant at all, it's all fine, it's just a bit boring and the better stuff doesn't manage to make up for it.
Rating: 7.5/10

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Clortho
Cowboy Junkies – Black Eyed Man (1992)
Category 3: Concept album artists
Looks like some more country that I can add to my collection (I know it’s not pure country, and also they’re Canadian, but close enough). I’ve actually found the song you included in your roulette (which I liked) one of the more middling ones on the album - it’s nice stuff for sure but there are a few songs that I find more engaging, particularly a couple of more soulful ones. Not every song is killer, but it’s all solid, there are some real standouts, and the whole thing has a really nice consistent warmth to it.
Rating: 8/10

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Luoto
Diablo – Silvër Horizon (2015)
Category 3: Concept album artists
I've just realised that three of the songs on your concept album were recent singles not from an album (including the Wilderun). So for Diablo I've checked out their latest full length. It's good stuff. I wasn't actually sure at first - none of the choruses felt as memorable as Grace Under Pressure, and some of the riffing on the album seems a little… scruffy I guess? But it's grown on me quite a bit. Their heavier stuff doesn't seem especially exciting for the most part (though there are good moments) but it's all solid enough, and actually there are some great hooks all over the album once you get used to them. And yeah you're right about their style, there are elements of various metal genres present (MDM, thrash, metalcore) which is quite an enjoyable mix.
Rating: 8/10

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Puppies
Equilibrium – Rekreatur (2010)
Category 3: Concept album artists
Didn’t entirely know what to expect from these guys as it was an instrumental you included on your concept album, and it was really enjoyable and pretty over the top folk-metal. Turns out, the whole album is basically like that, just with harsh vocals. It’s the sort of thing I might sometimes find a bit cheesy, but they pull it off really well and it ends up being a lot of fun. There’s an early-Children-of-Bodom vibe at times, which I definitely wasn’t expecting. Standout tracks so far are the opener and the amusingly-named Fahrtwind (which I’m sure means something perfectly sensible in German).
Rating: 8/10

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[Crow]

Glad i didn't send those in the main roulette 

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Standout tracks so far are the opener and the amusingly-named Fahrtwind (which I’m sure means something perfectly sensible in German).

yeah I always giggle a little whenever I see that song title. It loosely translates to Head Wind.

[v_clortho]

Cool. Black Eyed Man is an album in my collection that I absolutely love but it is nothing like what I normally listen to. For some reason it is one of my favorites. Might be the story telling. You said it had a warmth and I think that is a good way to describe the album. None of their other albums, and I have several, come close to this one for me.

[Train of Naught]

Sent!

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Sent!

For the secret round?

[Crow]

I'm pretty certain my top 3 will remain Hypno5e...

I seem to recall you promised me a Hypno5e "greatest hits" once the new album had come out...

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I'm pretty certain my top 3 will remain Hypno5e...

I seem to recall you promised me a Hypno5e "greatest hits" once the new album had come out...

For the secret round? 

[ariich]

Cool. Black Eyed Man is an album in my collection that I absolutely love but it is nothing like what I normally listen to. For some reason it is one of my favorites. Might be the story telling. You said it had a warmth and I think that is a good way to describe the album. None of their other albums, and I have several, come close to this one for me.

Yeah it's got a great vibe. I'll check out some of their other albums but I'll temper my expectations a little!

Next update coming shortly. Hypno5e will be in the one after that.

[ariich]

Post-roulette updates, part 10/?
Category 1: Prelim elimination (complete)
Category 2: Compilation artists (complete)
Category 3: Concept album artists
Category 4: Cyril's extravaganza

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Luoto
Skein – Deadweight (2017)
Category 3: Concept album artists
I’ve found this one really hard to rate because I have such mixed feelings about it. It’s another one where you included a new single so I checked out the last album. It’s all pretty solid - the general sound is something I dig and at first I thought it could end up an 8/10. But… I don’t know, I just can’t properly get into it. None of the songs feel as interesting as the new single, and as much as I’ve enjoyed every listen, nothing stands out to me and I can’t really remember any of it afterwards. I think if there’s a new album coming that has Cartographer on it, I’ll check it out and then maybe come back to this one to see if I change my mind.
Rating: 7.5/10

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Clortho
Engine – Engine (1999)
Category 3: Concept album artists
This is a lot cooler than I was expecting to be honest - it’s so hard to judge from a single song! Alone is a solid enough track but I wasn’t sure what to expect from the album. There’s a lot more to it though, and although it definitely sounds pretty 90s prog metal it doesn’t feel dated. It’s pretty much a cross between Fates Warning (which makes sense) and Deftones (which surprised me a lot), and while it's more the former and so could have ended up quite derivative, it creates a really unique and enticing mix. Alder’s performance is great too and gives the songs a lot of energy. One of my favourite surprises so far from this category!
Rating: 8/10

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Cyril
Alkaloid – The Malkuth Grimoire (2015)
Category 3: Concept album artists
Overall I find myself liking this approximately as much as I expected to from the Dyson Sphere songs you sent, but actually maybe slightly more. One thing I do like is that the album as a whole is quite varied and, as death metal goes, very enjoyable. As with Dyson Sphere, there’s a slight death-metal-Ayreon vibe in places, and while it is still a little jarring, over the course of a whole album it somehow works alright. I think I slightly prefer it to the Hannes Grossmann solo album you sent me last time as it’s a bit more melodic and varied, but on the downside it’s also rather long and there aren’t any songs that particularly stand out like there are on Radial Covenant. So overall pretty solid stuff.
Rating: 7.5/10

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Cyril
An Abstract Illusion – Illuminate the Path (2016)
Category 3: Concept album artists
This is excellent stuff that’s right up my alley. I already liked Skeletons of Light lots from your concept album, but this album as a whole is if anything even better. Really feels like a punchy mix of prog metal and melodic death metal - if anything I feel it’s more the former overall where I’d been expecting more the latter. It’s quite rich harmonically, which is very much my thing because as well as some great heavy moments they create some really gorgeous and/or atmospheric ones too. I’ll definitely be getting this album.
Rating: 8.5/10

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[ariich]

Post-roulette updates, part 11/?
Category 1: Prelim elimination (complete)
Category 2: Compilation artists (complete)
Category 3: Concept album artists
Category 4: Cyril's extravaganza

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Puppies
Pillorian – Obsidian Arc (2017)
Category 3: Concept album artists
That's now two 8/10 and two 9/10 albums from your concept album. This one I wasn't so sure about before checking them out, or indeed on my first listen, but it's ended up sitting very well with me. While they're more explicitly black metal than the Primordial you sent me early on, there's a similar sadness to the music behind the heaviness that gives it all a very evocative feel. They've also created a very bleak sense of atmosphere even though there isn't that much in the way of long, notable atmospheric sections. It's not quite up there with my favourite folk/black metal, but it's a strong album still.
Rating: 8/10

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Cyril
Extremities – Gaia (2018)
Category 4: Cyril's post-roulette extravaganza
Why oh why isn't the whole album as good as the last two songs? Not sure why you think I wouldn't be keen on the general style, I do like it, just the rest of the album doesn't reel me in with any particularly interesting hooks. It's not bad, the riffs, the vocal lines are all just… fine. It's all very 7/10. But damn the album really steps up a couple of levels for these last two tracks. There's so much more musicality to them on pretty much all levels, and what feels like much more engaging vocal lines. For now this is just below the coveted 8/10 line but I see them very much as one to watch, and depending on where the band goes next I could definitely see myself revisiting this, even just for the last two songs.
Rating: 7.5/10

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Cyril
Monotheist – Scourge (2018)
Category 4: Cyril's post-roulette extravaganza
Well, this rating is definitely not where I saw things ending up when I started my first listen. I can see why you said start with track 3, but I'm an album listener so I needed to hear it all. The start of the album is... intense. The all-out blast beat death metal is not my thing, and despite there being some melodic or quiet moments, I did wonder if we were in El Drugstore territory. But no. This is such an engaging and interesting album in a lot of ways, particularly in how it develops and gets more proggy and melodic throughout. The Mark of the Beast tracks are pretty exciting, Infinite Wisdom is a surprisingly enjoyable instrumental, and Desolate It Mourns Before Me is crushingly epic. Like Slice the Cake from my last roulette, some of this is a bit intense for me, but the album as a whole is just balanced enough to work and to suck me in.
Rating: 8/10

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Train
Hypno5e – “HypeNose” (greatest hits)
Category 2.5: Post-roulette compilation
OK so I have no idea why Cyril thought I wouldn't like this. I love it, so either he got it very wrong or you did a fantastic job of picking out the greatest hits and I'd hate everything else. What a bewildering but thrilling array of different styles and ideas. It's pretty crazy at times and not everything quite hits the spot, but most of it is harmonically rich, which is right up my alley, it's definitely never boring, and a lot of it is really fantastic. I haven't checked out an album yet as I have no idea where to start, and I get the sense I'll get quite a different experience from each. So at some point I'll work through them all and I can potentially see myself loving some of them.
Rating: 8.5/10

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[Luoto]

I guess I really should've sent a post-roulette recommendation on Skein... For me Deadweight is like 5.5/10, while Of Wings Unfolding is 9+/10 and it's #8 on my best albums of the decade list It's so hard to just take out songs off such a great concept album, so I went with Cartographer instead.

[ariich]

I guess I really should've sent a post-roulette recommendation on Skein... For me Deadweight is like 5.5/10, while Of Wings Unfolding is 9+/10 and it's #8 on my best albums of the decade list It's so hard to just take out songs off such a great concept album, so I went with Cartographer instead.

Hmm, ok good to know. No promises I'll report back here but I reckon I'll check that one out too in that case.

[Crow]

Curious what the Hippo Noose greatest hits songs were now, yeah

[ariich]

Curious what the Hippo Noose greatest hits songs were now, yeah

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3nySDOluOSMGNpF5s2GHKu?si=vDjba26aTayOpBQ91g4DYg

[Crow]

The only one I recognize immediately is Gehenne which is probably the best track on that album 
It looks like he pulled songs off the acoustic album too

[Train of Naught]

Awesome! 

Ok, so of the albums I sent songs from, Acid Mist Tomorrow (of which I sent the Gehenne trilogy) is my personal favorite, and one of my favorite albums of the decade. It has weaker production than the others though.

Shores of the Abstract Line is their most balanced album, it has good acoustic stuff, GREAT riffs, a cold atmosphere, and the best Hypno5e song (which you heard and hopefully will agree with South Shore: Blind Man’s Eye)

Alba - Les Ombres Errantes is fully acoustic and written as a movie soundtrack to the movie that the frontman of Hypno5e directed himself. It’s a beautiful movie too! And this album shows that they still create a very diverse sound in this stripped down setting.

The new one came out less than 2 weeks ago, and I’m still not sure where it ranks, but I think leaving out the title track “A Distant Dark Source” is the only regret I have, it’s just so long.

My suggestion: Acid Mist Tomorrow > Shores of the Abstract Line > Alba - Les Ombres Errantes - A Distant (Dark Source)
I like Des Deux a lot too (debut album), but it feels very amateurish compared to the other work regardless

[ariich]

Post-roulette updates, part 12/13
Category 1: Prelim elimination (complete)
Category 2: Compilation artists (complete)
Category 3: Concept album artists
Category 4: Cyril's extravaganza

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Cyril
My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade (2006)
Category 4: Cyril's post-roulette extravaganza
This is pretty great stuff. Not sure why I've never really properly checked out MCR before. I already knew the title track, and it's decent enough and pretty iconic, but I've never found it massively exciting. But that song really doesn't get across the energy and variety on this album, kind of a cool mix of pop punk, emo and post-hardcore and all done well. There's lots of slick guitar work and intricacy in the instrumentation, and even a nice theatricality in some of the songs which is right up my street. If anything I consider the title track one of the weakest things on here. Another of those silly gaps that I can now plug!
Rating: 8.5/10

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Cyril
Panegyrist – Hierurgy (2018)
Category 4: Cyril's post-roulette extravaganza
You have very mixed results when you think I won't like something. Sometimes you're spot on but other times I can't even work out why you'd think that. This is one of the latter cases. It reminds me a little of William Blake-era Ulver, in the way it's quite intense, experimental and grand. Despite the avant-garde nature, a lot of it also has something very classically epic about it, which I very much enjoy. There are some more modern and discordant ideas, some of which work for me and others that don't so much, but in general it's all very solid and there's some fantastic stuff (especially in the opening tracks).
Rating: 8/10

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Clortho
Lizzy Borden – Master of Disguise (1989)
Category 3: Concept album artists
This is a bit of a mixed bag for me, but overall it's pretty good actually. Instrumentally in particular, it's really slick and has a good energetic sense of fun and charisma. I especially enjoy some of the funkier and quirkier tunes, and I like the variety that these bring to the album overall. The main downer I think is the vocal lines. Not the singer, who is perfectly good for the most part, but bar a couple of exceptions, most of the vocal melodies I just find really quite boring. And as enjoyable as much of the instrumental work is, I don't find it special enough to compensate.
Rating: 7/10

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Tomi
Caladan Brood – Echoes of Battle (2013)
Category 3: Concept album artists
My feeling towards this is very similar to my feeling towards the song you included on your concept album. Slightly more positive perhaps, as actually there's loads here that I like. The folk side of the music is pretty consistently nice throughout the whole album, and some of the grander moments are also very immersive. There are two things holding it back a bit though. Firstly, I'm not a big fan of the guy's black metal vocals (which might be due to the production). These roulettes have really turned me on to some great black metal, but I find these particular vocals a bit too thin and raspy. And secondly, every song has nice stuff but every one of them plods along and the album really does just drag on a bit for me. So good stuff overall, but not great.
Rating: 7.5/10

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