Recess Main Assignment Grades
5
Lonestar: Monuments-Opiate
This was pretty abrasive
The low tuning to begin puts me in a defensive posture straight off. The vocals are fine, until…they’re not. This is the type of screamo that does not appeal to me. The cleans are nice though, but they’re overshadowed. That part at 1:50..ugh.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6
Reaper: Tweaker-Ruby
It’s very interesting, but way out of my zone.
The Impression says it all. It’s kind of a cool song, and sometimes a song like this can emerge in a vacuum of a roulette round. Unfortunately that will not happen here. Still, I appreciate the share as this was indeed a nice listen.
Kingshmegland-Dogman
This band is probably decent in a club, but…
Ugh… Kings X is one of my least favorite bands. A lot of people I respect hold them in high regard but…I don’t get it. At all. They plod along and play the most boring kind of rock. The vocals…yeah but the harmonies.. The lead vocals don’t impress me. Dogman is the poster song for a style of rock that I don’t like.
Puppies: Voivod-Spherical Perspective
This song is a real trip.
When I was in college, one of my roommates was wicked into Voivod. I tried, but they weren’t for me. I was excited for this song though, as it’s sort of a current track. It’s pretty nondescript to start. The change of pace at 3:40ish is welcome until the vocals start. Like the solo, and the bass underneath it. The music in the second half is much more interesting, and the arrangement is pretty cool. I don’t find the vocals very engaging though. The song winds down kind of subtly. This probably isn’t going to get e to give them a shot post roulette.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
7
Glasser: Triosphere- Human Condition
This is pretty easy on the ears.
So, this is a song that probably deserved better, but I think the more I listened, it started to sink. My main issue was the vocals were really grating. I mean, she’s got some pipes, and I feel like my previous listens to Triosphere did not illicit that reaction. She sounds good in the chorus, but I don’t like the approach in the verses. Musically, it’s pretty solid, especially around the solo, and I’m sure this will be a disappointment but…the stacker..
Romdrums:Osyron-Anunnaki
Reminds me a bit of Todd-ryche.
Hmm..this song hits me right away with two things I don’t like…middle eastern influence, and low tuned guitars. Fortunately, the vocals are higher pitched so that offsets the guitars a bit. The harsh vocals aren’t great, but they’re only there for a minute. The chorus is awesome, as it sounds just like Todd-ryche, like maybe their first album. The solo smokes, but the middle Eastern thing returns. It’s a cool enough song.
Lethean: Caligula’s Horse-Songs For No One
This is pretty long and I’ll need to chew on this a bit.
I’ve sampled Caligula’s Horse a few times, and I don’t know what it is, but I really have trouble connecting with them. The vocalist is..alright, and the music is good, but it’s…just good. I feel like this is a band that if it clicks, then it clicks big time. This song has a lot of that. And a lot. And a lot.
I did love the part where it slows down a bit at 1:38. The solo at 4:15 is fantastic. The outro is pretty great too. But this song is at least a minute and a half too long.
Twosuitsluke: AVKRVST-The Great White River
This was quite unexpected and pretty nice.
I can’t say I didn’t try to like this song. I do like it, but I just couldn’t move it up the stacker. I appreciate the listen, as it’s a pretty unique track. The clean to harsh vocals ratio honestly would’ve worked better if they switched places. The music is pleasant and endearing and has a really nice ending.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
7.5
Jingle.Boy: Presto Ballet-The Chemical Age
I think you sent me Rush by mistake.
This was a nice enough song that reminded me a ton of The Camera Eye. I kept expecting Geddy Lee to start singing. However, I found the singer very undynamic. Maybe it was just written like that. He sounded like a cleaner Bryan Adams. There’s no part that I didn’t like. I’m not sure there was a part where I was like ohhellyah either, but this proved to be a pretty consistent listen.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8
Ariich: Lord-Forever
This is the most J-Boy submission ever, but his are at least shorter.
Other than it’s length, this was a very safe submission, especially for this round. I finally placed the opening verse, and the singer reminds me a bit of Jaocim Cans from Hammerfall. That’s a good thing BTW. Pretty standard power ballad, but after the spoken word part, it really kicks into gear, and up until about the 6:30 mark, it’s pretty great, but then it settles back into the safe zone.
Faizoff: Nevermore-I, Voyager
One of the better things I’ve heard from this band
This is some heavy shit. I like Nevermore probably more in spirit than in execution. They have low tunings and low tuned vocals. But this song rocks. The solo, as usual, stands out. Their lead guitarist is awesome. And that part at 4:07. Holy shit!
Jamesman: Falling Up-Circadian
This was kind of like being in a movie.
This song has such a cinematic feel to it. I thought I was in some sort of adventure. The keyboard rhythm that brings the band in is kind of haunting. I love the drums in the chorus. The musical break oozes tension. I really thought this song was surprisingly excellent. Only gripe I have was that it got repetitive towards the end. But then that cinematic outro was a huge rush.
Nick: Paradise Lost-Yearn For Change
It’s as if Ian Astbury became the new singer for Rush.
This was one of the more consistent songs of the round from First Impression to Stacker. I’ve heard some Paradise Lost before, and it wasn’t anything like this. I feel like there’s been much rougher (harsh?) vocals. Yeah, these drums have a Neal Peart like quality to them and even the music, especially coming out of the chorus really sounds like Rush. The singer definitely reminds me of Ian Astbury, and not that he’s the greatest, but there’s a unique sound to him.
Lithojazzosphere: Chastain-Voice Of the Cult
The vocals were uexpected, and I’m not sure where I sit on them.
Incredibly, I’ve never heard any Chastain before. I was surprised that they had a female singer. I can’t say I loved her, but she definitely has some pipes. I found her far less grating that the girl in Triosphere, and little more genuine I guess. I could be wrong, but that’s how I heard it this week.. But the main separator between the two songs was the familiar old school metal style. Really enjoyed the music in this one and it really took me back.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
9
Stadler: Wild Horses-Miami Justice
This has some very familiar moments
Can’t say I didn’t love this. This is a J-Boy style cheat. Brian Robinson sounds so great on this. Him being AWOL throughout the 80’s was a damn shame. Jimmy Bain’s vocals are actually pretty good. Brian’s style has a little Schenker and Moore in it. He has a real identifiable tone and style. Future UFO drummer Clive Edwards played with a who’s who of European guitarists. This is just music for the soul.
Wolfking: Keep Of Kalessin-Kolossus
I was worried there for a bit.
So, this was really interesting. It has a cool airy intro, and then BAM! It’s on! It’s ferocious both vocally, and holy shit, the drummer is incredible. Even though I like the cleaner vocal on the chorus, the harsh vocals are…fucking harsh. At about the 3:00 mark, I’m thinking I’m not listening to four more minutes of this shit. Then it goes into a cool solo section, both acoustic and electric. This middle part is epic as shit. The harsh vocals do return, but here’s a song where the harsh vocals ratio is low enough where the song works.
Soupy: Therapy?-Screamager
That is one tight ass snare. This reminds me of Michael Monroe.
I saw the release year on this, 1994, and was immediately worried. I’m generally not a fan of 90’s rock. This was refreshingly surprising to me. It’s a pretty simple track. The snare drum was addicting. I mention Michael Monroe, as this kind of feels like one of his songs, be it solo, or with Hanoi Rocks. This is just solid to the point rock that’s fun, even a little punky.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
10
Tomislav: Myrath-Apostrophe For A Legend
I think you knew this would be risky, but I think you managed to stay unscathed.
This was probably the most easiest on the ears track of the entire round. If you had told me that Myrath was going to win a roulette round, I’d have laughed my ass off. But you’re right. There’s no middle Eastern influence in this. My favorite part is how is smoothly slides into the solo. It’s just a solid and safe track, that wins this subpar round.
Topic: The TAC Back To School Roulette V.7 Schools Out!!! (Read 53547 times)
