Really successful, I think out of all the rounds this was most consistent quality wise.
Round 7 Results:
HOF
The Fringe - "Flair"
My initial impression when I first put this track one was "Wow, this has some great pop elements to it". Half way through it takes this fantastic turn for a great bass and guitar solo. To me solo breaks rarely work and often times will kill the momentum of the song but not the case here. The mood fits the general vibe perfectly. I love this song, I hit repeat on it the moment it was finished.
4.5 + 1
Sacul
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - "The Dead Flag Blues"
A really dreary but lovely song, dark and brooding but also a joy to listen to. There isn't much flash here but there is a lot of substance. The minutes fade away while listening to this song and after it's over I immediately reach to start the song over. Brilliant pick.
4.5 + 1
Kingshmegland
RPWL - "The Fisherman"
I really like the melancholy vibe throughout this song. It's very pleasant, like a warm spring day that’s a fun track to get lost in. This song was especially effective seeing as the only real epics I've been listening to are prog metal ala the most recent DT releases. This song came on like a breath of fresh air from the sea of music I've been currently listening to.
4.5 + 1
Deadeye21
Green Day - "Jesus Of Suburbia"
I cannot tell you how much I hate the song "American Idiot" so I wasn't looking forward to listening to this when I saw it came off the same album but I was pleasantly surprised. This song reminds me of early Green Day, it's easy to digest and the quick turns in the song aren't jarring and fit pretty well. Every section feels different but it’s still a perfect encapsulation of the Green Day sound I'm familiar with.
4.5 + 1
jingle.boy
Fates Warning - "The Light And Shade Of Things"
This roulette has been fantastic at exposing me to bands and artists that I've always wanted to listen to but haven't found the time to do so. This song is like Prog Rock light to me, for a song that is as long as it is there isn't a lot of fluff here, each segment flows nicely from one to another. I dig it!
4.5 + 1
Vmader00
Machine Head - "A Farewell To Arms"
Very dark and brooding, I love the mood of this song. Having given this song a few spins I like it but I don't love it. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why but I think it's the vocals during the heavy sections, there just isn't enough bite to his voice, it falls a bit short. The music is fantastic though, I'd love to get an instrumental version of this song.
4 + 1
Stadler
Genesis - "Cinema Show – Live In Paris"
Probably the best Genesis song I've heard. The song is very dreamlike and I really enjoy getting lost in those slow arpeggios. The break in the song is exactly what I’d expect from Genesis the only difference being that this break compliments the song well. I'm kind of surprised this is a live mix, if you took the crowd out, I would’ve thought it was a recording live in a studio.
4 + 1
TAC
Witherfall - "Vintage"
I saw Witherfall and I rolled my eyes but I was totally in the wrong, this song kicks all kinds of ass! A great assortment of chunky riffs paired with some great vocals. The only thing keeping this song from getting a higher score is that it does drag on a bit too long, shaving a minute or so off the end would make it feel more concise.
4 + 1
Elite
Wilderun - "The Garden Of Fire"
Some Opeth vibes listening to this song meaning this song is as heavy as it is grand. The song was a little tough to follow on the first pass through but each listen afterwards elevated my enjoyment of this track. I'm really curious what the rest of the album sounds like, does it keep this high energy up?
4 + 1
Lonestar
Caligula’s Horse - "Graves"
There is a lot a going for this song, great riffs, great mix, pretty good vocals but it's not really engaging. I don't know but it just doesn't seem memorable to me. Feels like modern prog metal by the numbers. Not a bad thing I just wish there was a bit more character to the song. The latter half of the song did a lot of the heavy lifting points wise. One the first sax solo hit I started to get a lot more interested, problem is trying to get through the first half of the song.
4 + 1
Luoto
No Obliviscaris - "And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope"
This song started off so strong but sort of lost me as it went on. I wish the motif of the intro was carried on through the song. The intro was really fantastic and while the heavier parts are good but they don't hold up to the intro.
4 + 1
wolfking
Fates Warning - "Still Remains"
I love the bleak atmosphere at the start of the song. I sort of wished they kept it going through the whole track. This is the second Fates track I'm listening to and I think the sore spot for me are the vocals, they definitely need time to grow on me. Fortunately for this track the music stands out so much that it carries the weaker vocals, the instrumental break was really good.
4 + 1
Puppies_On_Acid
Pain Of Salvation - "ICON"
I enjoyed the journey this song took me on. This song avoids a lot of the prog rock trappings of over playing/over staying it's welcome. The sound design is great, and Daniel's vocals here are really impressive. I've tried to get into POS a few times in the past but largely wrote them off, this song makes me curious enough to check out the rest of the album.
3.5 + 1
Cyril
The Hirsch Effekt – “Cotard"
Man how I wish this song was an instrumental. The vocals aren't bad but they just don't work for me in the context of the song. There is some serious riffage in this song but I just can’t get past the vocals. I'll give this a few more spins and see if the score will go up a bit (it did!).
3.5 + 1
senecadawg2
Riverside – “The Same River"
I get some voyage 34 Porcupine Tree vibes from this song. It's a good song with a good mood but it meanders. I'm not really a fan of the vocals, they seem a little abstract and hard to cling on to. The composition is pretty, just a tad too long in my opinion.
3.5 + 1
Tomislav95
Beardfish – “Comfort Zone"
Good song that has some terrible choices in guitar tone. That fuzz tone used on the main motif is tough to listen to. The rest of the song is good but not really compelling or engaging, I don't really get the desire to play it again when it's done.
3 + 1
Scores so far:
Vmader00 - 35
jingle.boy - 35
senecadawg2 - 34.5
Kingshmegland - 34.5
Lonestar - 34
Elite - 33
Sacul - 33
Stadler - 31
wolfking - 31
Luoto - 30.5
HOF - 30.5
TAC - 30
Tomislav95 - 29.5
Deadeye21 - 28.5
Cyril - 27.5
Puppies_On_Acid - 25.5