---ROUND 2 RESULTS---1st Place: senecadawg2
Kauan - Aidin LauluFirst thing's first, this song is absolutely beautiful. It's sort of a neo folk / post-rock song with a ton of atmosphere, and while there are some metal elements throughout and even harsh vocals for a brief section, they really aren't the focus. The majority of the song is very laid-back, tranquil, and, as I said before, beautiful as hell. This would have been absolutely perfect for an atmospheric round submission, as I'm willing to bet that this is going to be one of the most atmospheric songs I'll get in the entire roulette. In particular, the whole section of the song from about three minutes in until nine minutes or so is some of the best atmospheric music I've heard in a long, long time. The choice of instruments is perfect; violin, piano, some soft synths and pads… it all comes together to create a vivid mental environment and a soothing peacefulness that I can just get completely lost in. My absolute favorite part would probably be the piano melody that comes in at the four minute mark… just perfect. Despite the focus on calm, peaceful clean sections, the metal elements surprisingly don't feel out of place. The distorted guitar works pretty well when it's there, giving the sound a bit of extra power when it needs it. Also, can I mention how refreshing it is for music like this to have a great, clear production? The only complaint I can think of for this song is that it doesn't have much of a climax, it just kinda works its way to a certain point and then fades out, but the journey to that destination is so amazing that it hardly matters. All I can say is thank you for sending this, and thank you Dr. DTVT for sending Enslaved last round, causing senecadawg to send this.
2nd Place: mikemangioy
Nevermore - I, VoyagerFun fact: I also got a Nevermore song for my second round during my first roulette. That song was My Acid Words, and while I liked it, I didn't think it was fantastic or anything. This song, though, is much better in my opinion. The raw, heavy sound works really well, and the tempo gives the song a lot of energy and a frantic, driving pace that I really like. The rhythm guitar work in this song is fantastic; definitely the best thing about it. There are a ton of really awesome 7-string riffs, especially the one before and after the guitar solo and the really low one that comes right before when the vocals enter. Speaking of the vocals, I find myself getting into them a lot more here than I did in My Acid Words. They have this harmonized effect that gives them a warped, dissonant feel to them, which I think works really well. This is definitely a style of metal I really enjoy, and the song itself is great as well. Nice job.
3rd Place: Sacul
David Maxim Micic - SmileThis song is certainly interesting. A lot of people in the comments compare it to something off of Devin Townsend's Addicted, and yeah, that album certainly seems like it was a heavy influence when it comes to this songs sound that mixes heavy, djenty riffs with more pop-oriented, happy melodies. Now, Addicted just happens to be one of my favorite albums of all time, so you bet your ass I was happy to discover more music that has that kind of vibe. The intro in particular sounds like it could have been taken directly from that album, and it happens to easily be my favorite part of the song. I love how it goes from clean guitar and a really nice piano melody to the same progression but with distortion, and the synth melody that comes in shortly afterwords works really well. The fact that this section never gets reprised later on makes me sad. The chorus is also great; it's incredibly catchy, and the vocal delivery has a ton of power to it. Speaking of vocals, not only can the vocalist really belt out those high melodies in the chorus, but she also does some really intense harsh vocals during the verses. Yup, female harsh vocals. They were a bit jarring at first, but they've grown on me a bit. My main complaint with this song is that the song structure goes all over the place, and things can get incohesive. Some sections feel a bit out of place, like the aforementioned verses and the Jeff Loomis guitar solo at the end. (Hey, two Jeff Loomis appearances in one round!) Some sections feel VERY out of place, like after the second chorus where the song kinda dissolves into a somewhat generic-sounding djent riff, which then transitions into an extremely weird section with operatic vocals and a fucked up rhythm. It's incredibly bizarre, and not in a good way; I think the song would have been better off if that section was cut entirely, as it doesn't fit in at all. Thankfully, the section that follows afterwards works really well and gets the song back on track with a calm break and a powerful wall of sound progression that transitions back into the final chorus very nicely. Well, this write-up is a lot longer than I wanted it to be, but I had a lot to say about this one. It certainly has its problems, but at the same time, when this song works, it REALLY works, and I certainly plan on checking out the full album sometime soon, as I feel like it certainly has potential to be awesome.
4th Place: Scorpion
Alkaloid - CthulhuNow here's a pretty brutal death metal song. It's got a pretty slow tempo, which I really enjoy, along with the very low, guttural growls which sound really nice. Where this song really shines however is in its dark, murky, and creepy atmosphere. This vibe is especially strong in the verses, which quiet things down a bit and rely more on subtle textures and building tension, rather than all-out heaviness and guitar riffs. This contrast works really well; the verses are the highlight of the song for me, and without them I feel like the song would have gotten a bit boring. The guitar work is really strong; both in the sludgy riffs in the louder sections and how it adds to the atmosphere during the calmer parts. I especially like how the lead guitar stays in the background for the most part and adds in little dissonant flourishes that contribute to the atmosphere. While this song has less problems than Sacul's submission, his left more of an impact on me, as the huge write-up probably conveys, so I ended up ranking his submission just above yours. Still, great song.
5th Place: Evermind
Need - SymmetrapeThere's a pretty large quality gap in-between this and the above song, but that's only because the top four this round was so incredibly strong, because this song's still pretty good. I'd still classify it as prog metal, though there's more of an emphasis on riffs and rhythms than melody. It has a bit of an old-school metal vibe in the sound, which is nice. The aforementioned riffs and rhythms are both done well, no complains there. Overall, though, this song just seemed pretty average. It doesn't have any real problems, but at the same time there's nothing all that noteworthy or memorable.
6th Place: Shadow Ninja 2.0
Mirrorthrone - So FrailHere we've got a very gothic-sounding symphonic death metal song. I really like the intro, especially when the vocals drop out and a somber violin enters, followed by some creepy harmonized guitars before the full band kicks in. The harsh vocals in this song are pretty great; I just wish there were more of them, as the clean vocals… leave a lot to be desired. Same goes for the overall sound of this song, it's a bit cheesy, and something about it just feels kinda amateurish. Could be the subpar production, the melodies, the heavily-gothic sound just not clicking with me, or a bit of all of the above. There still are some good sections though; I especially like the little melodic bits after each chorus, some of the sections with harsh vocals, and the intro, as I mentioned before. Looking through the comments, apparently this was used as the final boss theme for Brutal Legend? I never played that game, but I can sorta see this song working in that kind of context. By itself though, it doesn't do all that much for me.
7th Place: Lucien
Igor Stravinski - The Rite Of Spring: Sacrificial DanceAaaand more classical music. The good news is that I liked this one better than your last submission. It's very dramatic, and yes, by classical standards, pretty heavy. There's not much melody, instead everything is very percussive, which is still the case with most heavy music today. There's also a good amount of dynamics; some quiet parts to break things up and build tension, as well as a lot of loud payoffs. The piece just gets more and more intense towards the end, which is nice. Sooo yeah. Not bad, but still not something I'd go out of my way to listen to. Anyways, I'm going to politely ask you to not send classical music for every single round this roulette. I made this roulette to A: find new music that I really like and B: create a fun, competitive environment for my contestants, and exclusively submitting music from a genre I'm not that keen on doesn't contribute to either purpose, especially when you're taking up a spot that could have been used by someone else. I know you don't listen to as many bands as most of the people on here, but still, I'm sure you'd be able to find at least something.
8th Place: Dr. DTVT
Sigh - GravewardFirst place to last. Damn, I didn't expect that to happen, let alone so quickly. But yeah… I didn't hate this song or anything, but I didn't really like it. It's avant-garde metal with a very halloween / Scooby Doo sound to it. They capture that vibe extremely well, so kudos to them, but it's just not really something I enjoy or can take all that seriously. The band throws a ton of different instruments into this song, which is interesting, but at the same time a bit silly-sounding at times. It is a pretty silly song though, so hey, I guess it fits. I don't really like the vocalist's high-pitched clean vocals, and the mix feels like all the instruments that should be in the background are up front while the guitars and drums are way too quiet. I can see some people getting into this, but unfortunately, this song just didn't do anything for me. Sigh… (sorry, I had to.)
Artists banned this round: Kauan, Nevermore, David Maxim Micic
THE SCORE SO FAR:senecadawg2: 18
Scorpion: 16
mikemangioy: 15
Dr. DTVT: 13
Evermind: 13
Sacul: 13
Shadow Ninja 2.0: 9
Lucien: 7
Dr. DTVT drops, lots of people are tied at 13 points, and senecadawg shoots to the top! Could we be seeing a repeat of his domination my first roulette? The rankings are going to be pretty unstable this roulette, so you never know what could happen.
As for
Round 3, send me something
atmospheric. This is a good chance to send me something more quiet, but it's by no means a requirement, as there's also plenty of music out there that is both heavy and atmospheric. Good luck!