Round 1...A Change Of SeasonsWOLFKING-The Blackest Winter"This EP is totally ass kicking. Excellent job. I expected nothing less."This EP was fantastic. Wolfking really knows my tastes. The Agolloch proved to be the best song of the round, as three people sent it.
This was the first EP sent to me, and it set the bar as high as you can get. Some sent metal, some sent growls, but this is really the perfect mix of the two.
1. Immortal - At the Heart of Winter 8.5This song is amazing. A great EP opener, with that intro. Has a strong Accept influence. There's a riff in the early verse that reminds me of Man Enough To Cry. And then another one towards the end of To Tame A Land.
2. Wintersun - Winter Madness 8.5Really strong track that sits well in the second spot. Love the neoclassical influence on this.
3. Borknagar - Cold Runs the River 8.0Really solid tune. I actually really like the clean vocals. Remind me a little of Peter Morten.
4. High On Fire - Frost Hammer 8.5Best song title ever! The singer is a cross between UDO and Mark Tornillo. The song is a bit clunky in the first half, but somehow morphs into something really cool. I have to say, this song really grew on me from the first listen.
5. Agalloch - Falling Snow** 9.5Popular song! First off, I fucking love the drumming on this. It comes in pretty simple, and I love that. Reminds me a lot of Tribulation. Also reminds me of Motorhead whn Pete Gill was drumming for them, aka Killed By Death. This is an oustanding song, and if anyone is not into harsh vocals, this is the type of track that may work for you.
6. Amorphis - Winter's Sleep 9.0 This is an excellnt closing track for the EP. The clean vocals are really nice, and the harshies aren't to obstructive. Really nice piano.
8.5+8.5+8.0+8.5+
9.5+9.5+9.0=61.5/7=8.78*2=
17.5Meets Theme
1.0Theme Bonus
1.0Total score-19.5------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUDDYHUNTER1-Weather Systems (and other Summery songs)"I totally didn't feel the theme, honestly, but there was some good stuff on here. Definitely one amazing song, but the rest need extra listens."The Anathema songs were are amazing and I must check these guys out. The Deftones were a mixed bad to be sure. While it had some excellent songs, I didn't really feel like it captured a Summer Theme, so I couldn't give the full point for it.
1. Anathema-Untouchable Pt.1 ** 9.5This is a great song. It's even better live, but still..The "I'll never betray your trust" part is absolutely spectacular.
2. David Maxim Micic-Where Is Now? 9.0Thisis a tremendous piece of music. It keeps me on my toes the entire 7+ minutes. Really diverse in the music and the vocals. I like it a lot.
3. Deftones-Romantic Dreams 7.0Not sure what I make of this. It's not really my kind of rock.
4. Deftones-Sextape 8.5This was a really nice song, especially contrasted with Romantic Dreams. It's honestly the only song on the EP that actually gives me the feeling of summer though.
5. Anathema-The Beginning And The End 9.0Really great song, with a ridiculous guitar solo. Fantastic.
6. Anathema-Internal Landscapes 8.5Beautiful song. I mean, what else can you say.
9.5+9.5+9.0+7.0+8.5+9.0+8.5=61/7=8.7*2=
17.4Meets Theme=
.5Total=17.9-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STADLER"This EP boasted a lot of familiar names, and damn you totally nailed the theme."This EP did a great job of making me feel Summer. The Bruce song really sets the tone for that. Really surprised at how much I liked that, and the Clapton tune. Excellent choices. I let The Who and Don Henley slide. The Flaming Lips and Elvis are not really my thing, and Jane's Addiction wins the Round's Worst Song Award.
1. Bruce Springsteen- Girls In Their Summer Clothes ** 9.0I was really impressed with this song. Totally fits the theme, and is so damn easy on the ears. I don't not like Bruce Springsteen. I just don't listen to him, as I'm really a hard rock guy. I've literally never heard this song. It's fantastic.
2. Elvis Costello-The Other Side Of Summer 7.0I mean, this is pleasant enough, but not anything I would ever follow up on.
3. The Who-Summertime Blues 8.0"It is what it is"
4. Don Henley-The Boys Of Summer 9.5Right out of the J Boy Book Of Roulette Cheats. Seriously, it's the summer 1984 all over again when I hear this song. It literally gives me goosebumps.
5. Eric Clapton-Black Summer Rain 8.5This is a great song. I'm not a big Clapton guy at all based on what I've heard on the radio from him. This is a wonderful song, But I can't help but think how much of a "next level" Gary Moore would wake this.
6. The Flaming Lips-It's Summertime 7.0Certainly pleasant and nothing wrong with it, especially how it fits the theme perfectly. Just not really my thing.
7. Janes Addiction-Summertime Rolls 6.0WTf'nF is this? Worst song of the round. The only redeeming quality about this song is that there's 4 tits on the album cover. You get 1.5 points for each.
9.0+9.0+7.0+8.0+9.5+8.5+7.0+6.0=64/8=8*2=
16Meets Theme=
1.0Theme Bonus=
1.0Total=18.0