Once again, I thank everyone for playing along with me! I was gifted a lot of great music over the course of the last 6 weeks or so. In that time, given all the old music, I feel like I've aged more than 6 weeks
Elite, Queen -
InnuendoObviously heard some Queen before, but this one is new for me. Freddie Mercury is pretty strong, as usual. Everything else fits in pretty well, musically. Highlight of the song for me comes about 3 minutes in, as I’m sure comes as no surprise to you. Love that little solo! The vocals that immediately follow it are a pretty good example of not-so-strong vocals though, imo. I’m talking about the uber-theatrical style. Just not my thing. And frankly, it spoils the rest of the song…
6.5LieLow, Galaxie 500 -
Decomposing TreesOne of the more relaxing songs of the round, and the whole roulette for that matter, and I can feel it only seconds in. The vocals are pretty nice, though not great, and I love the way the saxophone(?) mirrors it before taking a more predominant role in the last minute of the song. It’s all a pretty steady buildup. Not sure if the pay off is quite as strong as I was hoping for, but it builds nonetheless.
7jingle.boy, Gowan -
A Criminal MindIt takes its time to get all the way through the intro and into the meat of the song. And by taking it’s time, I mean that it uses most of the song. The whole thing feels like a gigantic tease, to be honest. The buildup is slow and repetitive and I keep waiting for it to break into another level. Around the 6 minute mark I feel like it does fill out more and approach what seems to be a climax, but ultimately I’m left wanting more. Sorry
7kingshmegland, GTR -
ImaginingSadly, you’re not going to win the roulette. It’s just too late and your submissions were a little inconsistent for me over the course of the last couple months. The ones that I did enjoy though were some of my favorites of all. This particular song is actually a pretty good example of what I’m talking about. Parts of the song- namely the intro, the instrumental work during the 5th minute of the song and the outro- are great. I can’t say that the rest of the song thrilled me though. Especially the vocals and its repetitive line(s).
7Dr. DTVT, Tony MacAlpine -
Tears of SaharaReally interesting choice on your part, to go for an instrumental in this final round. With ground to make up, no less. And a short instrumental, it should be noted! Pretty ballsy, but unfortunately I don’t think it’s going to pay off for you. Don’t get me wrong, it’s actually quite good. I really like how focused and melodic it is. I really like how balanced the playing is between fast runs and the main lick. Unfortunately, liking it is not going to be enough. I needed to love it.
7.5TAC, Alice Cooper -
Pass the Gun AroundAs was so often the case during this roulette, I entered this song with a few presumptions based on what I knew of the artist. So when I saw Alice Cooper I thought oh hey- shock rock. Which is something that has turned me off a bit from certain songs and artists in the past. Thankfully, and surprisingly, this wasn’t at all what I would have expected in such a song. Between the beautiful guitar solo and the heartfelt vocals I think you’ve sold me! Where do I go from here?
8lonestar, Triumph -
Headed for NowhereSo as I mentioned before, I’m quite familiar with both Just a Game (awesome album) and the song Magic Power. According to my very quick research, this song and album came a little bit later. Unfortunately it sounds like they may be out of their prime. That’s not to say that this isn’t a good song, I’m just not sure whether I like it as much as the aforementioned Triumph songs that I’ve heard. Not sure what exactly it is about the song, but I’m not as wowed as I thought I might be.
8jjrock88, Stryper -
Soldiers Under CommandAnother not-so-unpredictable song from you and another pretty good one. I really like the kind of drawn-out chorus, if that makes sense. Enjoy the guitar solo, even if it’s not blowing me away. The whole song feels very anthemic to me, which is nice and definitely cannot be said for the rest of the songs here. Which Stryper album would you suggest I check out first?
8Scorpion, Fates Warning -
Valley of DollsI don’t think I like this song quite as much as the one Mason submitted in one of the earlier rounds, but this is still a strong one. Once again, I’m enjoying the John Arch vocals and also definitely understanding why a lot of people might be put off by them. Everything else though, and I mean everything, is just right. Nothing in this 5:21 that I would even think about removing. Really strong submission, but will it be enough?
8.5Nekov, Eloy -
Silent Cries and Mighty EchoesI realize it might not be worth all that much to you now, when you have no chance of winning the roulette, but this was an awesome song! A bit lengthy, relative to the rest of the submissions, but definitely worth it. The intro sets the tone just right. Absolutely love the atmosphere of those first couple minutes. Reminds me a lot of Pink Floyd, as I’m sure you’re aware of. Seriously, I can hear it in just about all aspects of the song. But that’s A-okay. Really beautiful song from a band that I’ve never heard about!
9Final Standings:
TAC 57.5+8=
65.5Scorpion 56+8.5=64.5
Dr. DTVT 56+7.5=63.5
jjrock88 54.5+8=62.5
lonestar 54.5+8=62.5
jingle.boy 55+7=62
Elite 54.5+6.5=61
Nekov 51+9=60
kingshmegland 52.5+7=59.5
LieLowTheWantedMan 51.5+7=58.5