Alright pretty girl and boys of variable attractiveness; the results are in! ^^ (like an hour and a half later than I said, but, eh, I felt like teasing you first)
The way it goes is I gave everyone a rating out of 10 based on how much I liked it. Pretty strong lineup, mostly, this round!
zxhlko: Aphex Twin- We Are The Music Makers; Chill track. I'd never heard this artist's work before, though I've heard people rave about it. Was interesting to hear various parts come in and out and for these ideas to develop over time on top of a constant groove. I didn't like it as much as say, Kraftwerk, but I liked it a good deal and would be open to hearing more of his stuff.
8.0/10DTVT: Van Halen- Runnin' With The Devil; I am somewhat familiar with VH, but I've not heard this tune, though; only the 1984 and Diver Down albums. I'd say this tune is better than much of the stuff off of those 2 albums. Very catchy and memorable song with great guitar work (as expected) from the eponymous ax-man. Makes me want to catch up with the rest of the real VH's discography.
8.5/10Jay Octavarium: Soundgarden- Slaves And Bulldozers; I am familiar with these guys, being an enjoy-er of grunge, though I only have their last 2 albums, so this song is new to me. Solid, doomy feel throughout. I like the atmosphere of it, though it is rather straightforward. I like the drumming a lot; that's something I really enjoyed about the 2 or so songs I've actually heard off of the record this one's off of. Not necessarily the best Soundgarden song I've heard, but it's Soundgarden, so it's still good.
8.0/10obscure: Iced Earth- Meloncholy; Good going; you've picked out quite the tune here! (You're also apparently 13; nice to see that you've gottn into real music early on.) Great balladry going on there; the singer sounds very into it, and they energy level is tops. This is definitely an example of power metal done right! I've heard one of their early albums with an almost completely different lineup, and found it great, but this is a step up!
9/10Nekov: Frank Zappa- Night School; I've never heard any of his Synthclavier stuff. Definitely a different beast than his psychodelic stuff or fusion stuff or stuff stuff. I like the vibe/basic groove, and as it builds up, I really get into it. I can't get enough of those crazy leads once they reach the sort of climax energy level! Very cool choice, man; Zappa was always innovating and making great music in the process.
9/10Genowyn: Pantera- Cemetery Gates; I like Pantera. I have Vulgar Display and Far Beyond Driven, but not Cowboys ( I have heard the title track and Psycho Holiday a lot). This is one of the better songs I've heard by them. I like the buildup. The ballady section is good, but it really hits it when things get heavy. Very good choice!
8.5/10PuffyPat: Dr. Dre- Nothin' but a G Thang; Sorry to say, man, but rap doesn't get me off. I do like the synth melodies that were sampled throughout the tune, so that's something.
4/10SPNKr: Depache Mode- Personal Jesus; I liked. It was very catchy and synth-poppy, yet also rockin and spooky! I also enjoyed the lyricisms. Pop done well. Looks like this is an artist I should check out more of.
8.0/10LLTWM: Bruce Dickinson- Tears of the Dragon; Dude, yes! I am a big fan of Maiden but have never really tried out any of Bruce's solo stuff until now. Let's just say this: Maiden is a band that's rarely failed to please me, and more often than not, they've really impressed me. This song would be a total standout in their discography had Bruce recorded it with them!
10/10C_s: Billy Joel- Sleeping With The Television On; Another good song. I've heard very little by him, so I didn't really know what to expect. Got some chill, new-wave-y, pop rock. Catchy, nice lyrics, good song overall. This is pretty much a perfect example of solid 80s popular rock, in a good way. I need more by that dude.
8.0/10Numbers: Down- Stone The Crow; I really liked this one! I like Pantera, I like stoner rock, there's no reason the combo of the 2 shouldn't be good. It's pretty cool to see a 70s southern feel mixed with teh groove metal. Especially when it works. Very memorable, and makes me want to check Down out some more.
8.5/10dethklok: Anal Cunt- Living Colour is my Favorite Black Metal Band; Lulz were had. I didn't know what he was saying though. If he enunciated clearer, it would of gotten a higher score.
6.0/10King In Crimson: Black Sabbath- Zero The Hero; I love early Sabbath up to 81. Never heard Born Again. Sounds like their fling with Ian Gillan must of turned out quite well. This song is very cool. That main riff is very cool, and the echoe-y production gives it a nifty atmosphere. The lyrics are also very clever. The chorus kills, as well, as does the part where Bill's doing that triplet-y stuff with his drums.
8.5/10So, there you go, guys. You did a good job, overall, this first round.
Rankings:
1. LLTWM 10.0
2. obscure 9.0
Nekov
Genowyn
3. DTVT 8.5
Cole
King in Crimson
4. zxhlko 8.0
Jay
SPNKr
C_s
5. dethklok 6.0
6. Jigglypuff 4.0
7. Hayden 0.0 (If he sends in his song for the next round and one for this first round with it, I'll give him points for it, out of generosity.)
So, round 2 is:
Modern rock. It can be whatever you define as being great and outstanding rock (prog, non-prog, metal, whatever) of the last decade or so, or whatever you'd say is modern. Suit Up!