Alright, after the long wait, here we go!
Round 6: Results
senecadawg2: Falconer – Heresy in DisguiseWell, for one thing, I really enjoyed the opening riff. And overall this song doesn’t lack anything in the instrumental department, and there are some great vocal melodies, but the vocalist just doesn’t make the cut for me. This song could use more versatile voice; instead, it got this one, and I would even go as far as say the vocals are a bit of annoying. He sounds good when he sings the title line, which indeed sounds like “heresy in the skies”, like pointed on YouTube, but that’s about it. I enjoyed the song, but I have to say it didn’t feel particularly epic to me, more like a standard fare for power / heavy metal. Well, the ending gets epic just briefly, but that’s about it, so you get one point less for this round. Sorry!
6.5/10
wolfking: Iced Earth – DraculaThis song starts very promising with the calm and ominous acoustic playing supporting the deep vocals, and with the right continuation it could’ve even been 10/10; and those insane screams are quite appropriate with the fast beating riff approaching next, but I wish the vocals were a bit toned down, because those reckless screams become gratifying quickly. A bit of variety would’ve helped in this case. And the chorus, well… while I like the epic things, the one “epic” approach I usually can’t stand is the choir or multiple layers of the same lines behind the vocals on the chorus, hence why I don’t particularly like new Orgen Ogan or Kaledon albums, or a lot of Italian power metal for that matter. And I can’t even explain when it does work and when it doesn’t, because Blind Guardian, for example, can do it really well (except on their latest, but the stupid vocal melodies on those really don’t help there (Xanaduuuuu, anyone? Hell.) Well, anyway, the screams don’t ruin the song, and the only thing I’ve got to complaint about are the choruses, so overall it was a good experience all around. I’ll try to check some of this band’s work, and you recommendations would be welcome.
8/10
mikemangioy: Avenged Sevenfold – AfterlifeI somehow didn’t check a lot of MP’s side projects, so I was excited when you sent me this. I kind of like the song, but I don’t like the quirky vocals, and the chorus reminds me a lot of this alternative metal stuff. While the whole song is quite epic, with cool bass and vibe overall, it’s just if you want to end the epic song with the chorus, you should ensure the chorus itself would be epic enough, which doesn’t happen here. Though the instrumental before the chorus was great, I’ll give you that. One point less for you, man, though it’s not like it really matters at this point, I like to be thorough with this stuff. Overall, nice song, but I really don’t dig this alternative side of the tune.
5.5/10
lonestar: Mandroid Echostar – CitadelsThe opening really reminded me of Beyond the Bridge. There was even the melody that sounded pretty much like those “if you want to face it / no, I want to be there / then, pitiful human” lines in the beginning. This is not Beyond the Bridge, for they are much better, of course, but this is something. This song is quite dense and difficult to digest even for its six minutes, but it’s indeed epic as hell. Great progressive metal riffing with appealing vocals, this song left a great impression on me after the first listen and since then it was just getting stronger. I love this break at 3:15, and after one last vocal entry the song is left to the evolution through the music without any vocals. Pretty interesting how in a lot of epic songs the lofty, grandiloquent feeling is achieved through some insane vocal lines, but this song does it with terrific and quite epic instrumental ending crossfading into the simple yet soulful acoustic guitar playing. For that alone, this tune deserves a round of applause and a high score.
9/10
Tyrias: Oceansize – AmputeeIs it epic? Kind of. Do I like the vocals? Hell no. I think it’s a good example of a song being unexciting just because the vocals fall flat for me. Pity, because I really wanted to like it and I was really looking forward to what you had to offer for the other two rounds, but this tune just isn’t impressive at all. You know, I don’t want to offend your tastes, really, because you’ve sent some brilliant tunes in the previous rounds, but this song does totally nothing for me. Our definitions of epic are probably not miles apart, just a few meters maybe, because while the instrumentation is probably epic, and the ending does have this epic vibe, I don’t think it can be applied to the whole song, because the first three minutes are just boring for me. Sorry man, one point less for you.
5.5/10
Shadow Ninja 2.0: Thirty Seconds to Mars – This is WarI obviously heard about Thirty Seconds to Mars, but I always kind of dismissed them as that alternative rock / metal I’m not a fan of, kind of like Linkin Park and other stuff (now, they may be completely different from Linkin Park, but I’m just that ignorant about this genre), so it was nice to finally give this band a chance. I think this is pretty good, honestly. It still has this distinctive alternative vibe, but I rather enjoyed it. It wasn’t that grandiose, but it was epic in some ways, the ways I guess a lot of tracks from this genre are epic. So, overall, rather average and didn’t wow me, but it left a positive impression on me. It wouldn’t save you now, but still, it was more than alright entry.
6.5/10
Dr. DTVT: Arena – Smoke and MirrorsThe tried and true acoustic intro never fails to build the song up to some epic measure, so I was pretty excited for this one. Epic shit indeed. Clean vocals and the guitar behind the organ really enhance the song as far as I’m concerned. This is just the type of song I was looking for this round, short, sweet and pompous, with accessible vocal melodies yet the pronounced progressive and metal edge. I guess the organ / keys could’ve been a little less cheesy, but the guitar really compensates those, so I can say I’m satisfied. I guess my only big complaint is the chorus, it’s just so happy it doesn’t feel like it belongs here in the song, and doesn’t add anything to the epic atmosphere. Anyway, this is a good song.
8/10
Sacul: Swans – LunacyI saw a few people on DTF constantly praising Swans, and even though my tastes are clearly different from theirs, I kind of wanted to try this band out. And you know what, this is actually really amazing. I really enjoy all the subtle touches behind the vocals, like the keyboard riff that suddenly starts in the middle of the song. I think the lyrics could’ve been a bit more diverse and imaginative, you know. (“Lunacy! Lunacy! Lunacy! Lunacy! Lunacy!” Seriously.)
I wish the ending was more intense, because it kind of kills the whole momentum, but otherwise I like this! This song just has too many great moments and too huge of a buildup to ignore it, and I’m certain I’ll be checking Swans further. Any suggestions what to buy first? Of course, you’ve sent this song kind of five rounds too late, you know, but you managed to send a great tune after all, and that’s what actually matters (or maybe not? You decide!). Anyway, thank you!
8.5/10
ErHaO: Mind’s Eye – Hell’s InvitationThe opening with a spoken part is strangely appropriate, with this pounding riff and the ringing keyboards underneath. The chorus is seriously tense with some weird vocal melodies I already like. The only thing I would erase is this demonic laugh. This song is pretty much a headbanging heaven, and the keys really add this epic feel to it, while the vocals and the art are complementing the whole package just right. I was apprehensive about the vocal melodies at first, but then something has just clicked and now I love them. I can’t help but say they’re pretty Seventh Wonder-ish too. You must be really a fan of this approach; and since I’m a fan of this approach too, it helps you to achieve the high score in this round. Seriously, man, I think this is the best song of the round. Very cool. Outstanding pick for an epic round, man.
9/10
Scorpion: Heavenly – Carpe DiemI’ve already mentioned this cover in our PM conversation, so I’m not going there again. :facepalm And I didn’t listen to lyrics, so there’s that. I really like the melodies both on the verses and the “aaah” prechorus, and the whole prechorus is basically great, but sadly the vocal delivery itself is a bit underwhelming, and the chorus approach with the multilayered vocals isn’t too good (see my explanation is wolfking’s song writeup). Guitar solo and those riffs after it were a nice decision, working well in the song’s flow, but the mediocre vocals just bring the whole song down a notch. Pity. And what the hell with this muffled sound on the last chorus? Sorry, man, that wasn’t particularly good. With a good chorus this would’ve been 8.5, but unfortunately, the chorus really isn’t epic at all, and it ruins the epicness of the whole song. One point less for you.
7.5/10
bl5150: Pride of Lions – The Gift of SongYou know, when I listen to this I kind of see where you’ve got the impression I would like some cheese in my ballads, but I think one of the reasons I fell in love with that Ten song was the amazing guitar arrangement (and this song has nearly none) and the deep, kind of low register vocals. The vocal melodies are amazing here, but this song could really use some guitars, because otherwise it’s just too cheesy even for me. Broadway vibe, you say? I think that’s a good way to describe it. The instrumental part at 3:20 even goes into some disco vibe or something, I dunno, at least until the keyboard part (could be Hammond, could be not. I’m not expert on those things) hits in. And I really can’t argue with the last chorus being damnable epic, because that’s just ridiculous. I can’t quite determine what it reminds me of, but I swear I’ve heard something like this song before. Maybe this very song. Maybe not. I don’t know. This song just reminds me of something else I’ve heard very strongly, and I can’t pinpoint it. Anyway, it was good, but just a bit too cheesy, and since I usually don’t mind that at all, this was apparently very cheesy. Anyway, when I’m in the right mood for this song, it becomes really good. Rises above my expectations and its inspiration keeps me strong, haha. Other times though, I don’t think it’s that great. So I’ll just settle on “good”, I guess. While that wasn’t your best entry, I’m sure you’ve got a lot of other great stuff to introduce me in the last two rounds.
7.5/10
Parama: Fun. – Be CalmOh, what an amazing start with those violins. And the wtfness goes in right there! I have a wide smile on my face now, because the playfulness of the whole thing just gets me. You know, the funny thing is that usually in the roulette the players should learn the host tastes but with you I think it’s the opposite. I’m not sure if you have any idea what I like, but I feel pretty confident in your tastes now. As for the song, it’s again playful and fun overall, and though I think that Bodies of Water was better, this is quite cool and good too, and I can see myself giving an occasional spin to something like that. Fun indeed!
7/10
Standings:
lonestar - 52
bl5150 - 51.5
Dr. DTVT - 48
senecadawg2 - 46
wolfking - 45.5
___________
Scorpion (with a guest appearance from TAC) - 44.5
ErHaO - 44.5
___________
Tyrias - 41
Parama - 40.5
Sacul - 40
mikemangioy - 32.5
Shadow Ninja 2.0 - 32.5
I wasn't checking out the whole standings when giving out the scores for each song, so here's what we've got here. The first five: RJ, Brent, Mason, Seneca and Kade are advancing to the next two rounds without any problems. Tyrias, Parama, Sacul, mikemangioy and Shadow Ninja are eliminated.
However, Scorp and ErHaO have the same number of points, so we're going to have a tiebreaker! The rules are in the post below. The other participants who are still in the roulette can use those few days to get ready to the slaughter that will follow.
Additions to the banned list:Iced Earth
Mandroid Echostar
Arena
Swans
Mind's Eye
Heavenly
Pride of Lions
And before we go to the tiebreaker, I want to say a big thank you the people who participated in this roulette and, unfortunately, has been eliminated.
Shadow Ninja, while some of your entries were total misses, The Tallest Man on Earth and Steam Powered Giraffe were good and outstanding respectively. Thank you for introducing me to these bands/people, I'll definitely check them out further.
mikemangioy, while you didn't sent anything really awesome, I appreciate your effort to try and find something I would like. I think your problem was that your audio library wasn't that extensive, so you actually couldn't sent anything I wasn't familiar yet still appreciate. Elvenking was the closest, so thank you for that band. I'll try some of their albums.
Sacul, I'm honestly surprised you didn't do that good. I was certain our tastes are different yet alike in many ways, because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to win your roulette, but apparently you didn't have a lot to offer, or you were too shy about it. You hit home with Swans in the last round, and that Pure Reason Revolution song was good, but I'll be honest, I hoped for more. Anyway, I hope you won't be disappointed a lot with your elimination. I respect your taste, and I'm looking forward to defend my crown in your next roulette, if you will host it. Thanks for participating in mine!
Parama, you've sent a lot of wtf-worthy songs to me, and the funniest thing I loved most of them, so basically you did really great in this roulette. I didn't expect this, but Diablo Swing Orchestra, Fun, and especially Bodies of Water were really awesome, and I will probably check all these three bands out, so you totally didn't do all this for naught. I probably would've never discovered those bands without your help, so great job there!
Tyrias, you've introduced me to some awesome bands and artists, especially Susanne Sundfor. Despite your initial failure with Biffy Clyro, you've managed to climb back into Top 6, but your next entries weren't that good. It's a pity, I was kind of rooting for you to get into the finals, but both those Chelsea Wolfe and Oceansize tunes weren't up my alley. Anyway, thank you for joining in! I would say you did good, but the opponents were just too solid.
Scorpion and ErHaO, roll over to find the tiebreaker info!