Another solid, solid round. Only one song I didn't enjoy, so it's kinda painful to dole out low marks. Will post standings in a bit, in case Kade is still hanging to get these. Forgive any errors, as I'm rushing to get these posted for our Aussie mates.
TAC -
Riot / Showdown
Good thing you played your tag team, because this was the one song that I didn’t like.
Bolsters -
Hybrid / Numb
While I appreciate you mixing it up, and enjoyed this song, it still couldn't shake that electronica vibe. I really liked the piano melody, but the atmospheric feel to the drums didn't work for me. Vocally, the melodies and harmonies weren't bad, but they didn't do anything for me.
Rank - 11th; score - 1
jjrock88 -
Rob Rock / This Time is the Last Time
I'm beginning to think that our tastes (like me and Mason) are just a couple of degrees off. Great opening guitar tone, and I really liked the solo - coming in high in the register it contrasted the rest of the song. This one grew on me a little, as I found it pretty blah on first listen. I swear I recently said (I thought here) that Rob's voice didn't do much for me, but (like Zak and that CIIC song), the vocals didn’t turn me off here. The ARP albums he fronted were my least favorite. I should've, and wanted to, like this more than I did. Something just didn't completely click with the guitar rhythms/melodies.
Rank - 10th (not 19th as originally typed); score - 2
Mystery Machine -
Tangier / Stranded
Much better ballad than last round; standard formula for a power ballad. Not quite wow-worthy, but this was a solid tune.
Lowdz -
Joanna Dean / Dirty Fingers
Yeah… nice blend of a bluesy rock voice - Sass Jordan/Alannah Myles style. Really enjoyed it, but in with a strong crop of songs this time around, it falls in the bottom range.
TAC -
Jack Starr / Can't Let You Walk Away
Nothing stood out on first listen. Better on second, and better than your other song. Very crisp and clean sound overall - I could really hear everything going on. I enjoyed Starr's vocals MUCH more on this one. Although it has the same slow pace, and unremarkable rhythm section, the guitar/piano/vocals are excellent and had me enjoying this one a little more on each listen.
Rank - 9th; score - 3
senecadawg2 -
Caligula's Horse / Into the White
A very proggy track, while not too heavy - kinda along the lines of Pendragon and the like of those kinds of bands. There was lots to enjoy here, but nothing really stood out.
Rank - 8th; score - 4
Mystery Machine -
Mindwarp Chamber / Thought Saboteur
Excellent wankfest - great mix of all instruments - keys, drums, bass and guitar all got their own little solo. Slow harmonies on the organ to start gives a church-like feel, then abruptly transitioning into an absolutely frantic intro. With the little guitar wails in between the verses, it has a huge Vanden Plas/Netherworld - it's that exact same little squeal that is used repeatedly in Netherworld. Vocally, it wasn't as good as the music, but he had one job, and he did it good enough - a better vocalist, and this could've been the song of the round.
Rank - 7th; score - 5
Evermind -
Diabulus in Musica / Eternal Breeze
What an absolutely beautiful voice! The melodies were really beautiful, with a nice symphonic accompaniment. The slow pace really gave me a feel of Creek Mary’s Blood, but without the killer instrumental section. Her operatic style is in a nice range, and though it's hard for me to NOT compare any operatic style to Tarja - she's the standard bearer for that style, and was my first introduction to symphonic metal, this vocalist sounded pretty damned good.
Rank - 6th; score - 6
Lowdz -
Sebastien / The Walls of Lyman-Alpha
This one was perhaps the heaviest (save Jay’s) of the round. I got distracted during the first listen, so didn’t really remember much. Like Brent's last submission, this suffers from some heavy "loudness" from the rhythm section - making it really difficult to pick out the guitar rhythm and melodies - until I put headphones on - it was like night and day. The rhythm section was really good, with some very interesting drum fills, but the vocals and solo brought the song back to life.
Rank - 5th; score - 7
wolfking -
Solution .45 / Lethean Tears
I remember this song getting some serious praise in a previous roulette a few years back, and did check it out, but didn’t remember anything about it. The 'wall of sound’ was pretty unexpected for a power ballad, but not unwelcome. Great vocals; great mini-guitar solos, and great overall structure to the song. Nothing wrong here at all.
Rank - 4th; score - 8
bl5150 -
Heavy Bones / Where Eagles Fly
What the fuck is with that cover?!?!
. This starts with a great acoustic intro - well, not really an intro... it's more than 1/2 the song. I loved the little salsa-like melodies thrown in here and there. Really nice vocals and a nice buildup to the second half, which kicks it into high gear, and a truly excellent power portion of this ballad.
Rank - 3rd; score - 9
Zook -
In This Moment / Mechanical Love
Boom! Where was this kind of music the last couple of rounds?! This is what I was thinking I was going to get from you. Though wiki describes the band as "metalcore", clearly you found a very accessible song for my tastes. Vocally, both the lead and the harmonies - reminded me a little of Amaranthe ... without the growls though. This is a little bit of poppy-metal (imo), but catchy metal is just fine with me. Lots of nice hooks, and this one 'baited' me pretty good.
Rank - 2nd; score - 10
Big Hath -
H.E.A.T. / Living on the Run
Right in the sweet-spot of my Melodic Rock/Metal listening zone - nice keyboard elements; great melody in the chorus; nice mixed use of smooth vs raspy vocal delivery. Reminded me a lot of Pretty Maids. Great, balanced use of all instruments - none stole the show… then all blended together like a perfect recipe.
Rank - 1st; score - 11
Topic: The jingle Roulette Trilogy - Final Results - no more mind games (Read 81591 times)