Round 1 Results:This was very challenging, but fun. I would say I don't consider myself to be super picky about vocals, but you all might disagree after reading some of the comments. 😊 It's not that I think any of them are bad - it's just like I mentioned before; not sure how much I like some of them. I think some of them, like the songs themselves, could still grow on me, however.
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10. Portishead - Glory BoxSent by Sacul
I like lots of different flavors of tea, but this unfortunately is not my cup. This feels like one of the longest 5 minute songs I've ever heard. I gave it a real try. I disliked it on first listen, and the next time I went through the playlist, my mind was already trying to revolt and say "skip please." But I didn't; not until the last couple days when I realized it wasn't going to click. I listened to it at work, in the car, and just lying on the bed with headphones. Threaten me with growls all you like, but no I didn't care for the vocals at all. (Of course I didn't!) There was one point in the last minute of the song where I thought maybe it was going to take off and something was going to happen, but then it just kind of ended. There is probably "hipster music" that I would like, I don't know, and I'm sure it's a fine song, just not one that appeals to me.
9. Witherfall - SacrificeSent by TAC
Every track from here on out, I mostly like. So even though this one is down in the rankings, it doesn't mean I think it's a bad song. Thoughts on the track:
Did I forget to put Symphony X on the banned list? I know there are probably a lot of bands on my list that would remind one of Dream Theater, so I have little room to talk. I'm just finding the Symphony X parts a little problematic in the song, and I also don't think I like the singer that much, so there's that too. There are some really cool instrumental parts and then the singer comes in and even though it sounds like this guy is probably great, most of the different shades of his voice aren't working so well for me. Maybe this will be a case where the track/singer grows on me and then I'll find myself not caring about the Symphony X (and Yngwie) parts, but as it stands now, I think this will end up towards the bottom of the list. I will say that I really enjoy the part at around 6 minutes; it's a great build up to the end of track and I like how the different instruments come in; I'm not just not sure I care for the very end.
8. Deep Purple - Sometimes I Feel Like ScreamingSent by Stadler
I really hate that I didn't rank this song higher. This is a great song, period, and what I don't like is strictly down to personal tastes. It's certainly not bland or boring and when I did listen to the radio, I never heard it there.
I love the first minute and a half, the ending, pretty much everything except the chorus. I love that main guitar melody that runs throughout the song. However, I hate the chorus, which brings it down for me. That's a certain style of vocal melody, I guess, that I just do not like at all. I couldn't say why, but it is a very specific thing I can point to at least, which I was happy about because I was afraid my write ups were going to be "I like this song; I don't like that song." Aside from not liking that vocal melody, the vocals are just kind of there for me; the slower vocal melodies in the rest of the song are very nice and complement the music, but the vocal delivery (for me) just isn't there. Which is weird, because I thought I would like Ian Gillan, and even saw Deep Purple live and didn't object to him. But there it is. I do love Steve Morse on this track. I can hear that guitar melody, which is really simple but really cool, in my head whenever I want. It's rare that I like and dislike parts of the same song so much.
7. Oceansize - UnfamiliarSent by Puppies on Acid
I've seen this band's name before, possibly just on this forum, but had never heard any of their music. As seems to be the theme of this round, I feel that I would like this song a lot more if I liked the singer's voice and some of the vocal melodies better. He reminds me of someone, but I really can't place who it is. I trying to focus on the music underneath instead (which is actually pretty cool). I might also prefer something else from the guitar player maybe? I find myself really drawn to the bass and drums on this track. Overall, I think it's very good, but finds itself closer to the bottom of the rankings just because I do like the other songs better.
6. Amadeus Awad - Tomorrow LiesSent by Evermind
This is a really nice track. It seems to take a while to get going, but then halfway through when the strings come in it's so beautiful. I like the extended guitar solo too. I will confess to sometimes wanting to skip ahead to start at that middle part, so that could be why I didn't rank this one a little higher.
5. Dissona - Another SkySent by Parama
I saw this band open for Leprous and hated them, so I wasn't looking forward to this. Also, this has way more than the 10 seconds of growls advertised.
Nonetheless, this song was a pleasant surprise. Unpredictable in a very cool way. I don't remember anything they played breathing like this track does, the harsh vocals don’t bother me nearly as much as they did live, and the guitar playing sounds like, um a guitar, instead of a bunch of mush. Maybe they're not a good live band or maybe they just had horribly bad sound, but whether they played this song or not, everything about the studio version is much better than whatever it was that I heard. I'm not completely into all of the vocals, and sometimes think he's trying to be too dramatic, but I'm mostly OK with them. There's a softer part in the middle that I love, and it's in between two heavy sections and sounds really cool.
4. Agalloch - Our Fortress Is Burning, Pt. II (Bloodbirds)Sent by Kattlelox
This is very much what I was expecting from this band, and I wasn't disappointed. Beautiful track. I don't have a whole lot to say; the music is very atmospheric and clear and beautiful. Also, I like birds and bird themes (see also, Katatonia). The vocals work well enough for this type of music, though maybe I could do with just a bit less of them. Like the one Agalloch album I already have, I doubt that I'd listen to the whole album all in one sitting. Rather, I might listen to individual tracks here and there, or maybe two at a time.
3. Port Noir - Any Way the Wind CarriesSent by Train of Naught
I seem to have trouble saying much about the tracks I really like, and this is one of them. If I liked the singer on this track as much as I like Einar, it might have been the round winner. (Although the more I listen to the top 2, the more I like them, so perhaps not). This song is very intense and stays that way throughout. It does indeed have a Leprousy vibe, but also has its own flavor as well.
2. Soul Secret - Behind the CurtainSent by jingle.boy
I don't know what to say about this track, other than I really like it, so enjoy the high score. I can now add that I didn't get a Symphony X vibe from it (you thought I might have been talking about your track in the snippets), but maybe it's there in a subtle way than Witherfall. Whatever the case, good call on sending this. I like the beginning, middle, and end, and the singer too. Most of the tracks in this roulette were pretty long and I had more than enough music on my hands so I didn't go searching for other material, except from this band. Unfortunately, whatever I clicked on sounds like a completely different band. Different singer, total Leprous wannabe vibe. Maybe it's very good, and you can perhaps tell me about it if you've heard it, but for now I'll stick to the album that this track is on when I go exploring.
1. Perihelion Ship - New Sun?Sent by Elite
This was kind of a come from behind victory. I had to listen to this track quite a few times to make sense of it. The first time I went through it was at work, and I didn't remember anything about it except that it was long. Some of the other tracks were early leaders and I was having trouble getting a read on this one. Here and there little parts stuck with me though, and then slowly the song became unlocked for me and I liked it more and more each time. The laughing part reminds me of one of my favorite Arcturus tracks; it doesn't sound like Arcturus, but it's weird, and so is Arcturus, and I like that about them. I'm starting to like the singer more than I did at first too, but it almost doesn't matter anymore; it's the music that does it for me with this track.