As promised, Round 4 results are here. Overall, I’d say this was the weakest round of this roulette so far. There’s no song I’d consider bad or horrible, in fact most are good or slightly better, but compared to previous rounds that’s still worse.
My prediction about the top 2 songs being by 2 out of the 3 bottom ranked players didn’t totally come true, as there was one other song that grew on me quite a bit, but 2 of you are still near the top. The other person is sadly still last.
On to the write-ups:
Senecadawg2: Ludovico Einaudi – Divenire
I’m probably more familiar with classical music than most people here, with 10 years of compulsory music education at school (and an additional to voluntary years). I remember you sending a similar song in my last roulette, I’m not sure if it was the same artist though. This is most certainly the most beautiful song this round, but that’s all it is. It has some nice melodies, the overall atmosphere is quite good. What it fails to do and what I kind of expect classical music to do nowadays is evoke some kind of picture in my mind. Be it a walk through a garden, a day by the sea or anything else, this doesn’t manage to do that. So unfortunately this doesn’t get any better than pretty good for me. Still, nice submission.
Wolfking: Fates Warning – Monument
This was really boring for me on my first listen and the higher pitched vocals symbolized everything I don’t like that much about prog-vocalists. I’m still not fond of the vocals (at all), but the rest of the song grew on me a bit. It actually has a decent atmosphere and some good riffs in the start. My favourite part is definitely the part where he shuts up, though (aka the instrumental part). That part is pretty groovy and has some nice guitar solos, my favourite being the acoustic solo (I just love myself some good acoustic guitar solos). Unfortunately the singer starts again after that cool break and drags the song down once more. I feel kind of bad giving you the worst score this round after you just barely made it through the cutting line, but that’s just how life is.
Also, what the hell is that happy part of the song ends? That totally comes out of nowhere.
Jingle.boy: Dec Burek – Promised
This starts of rather soft, with some programmed drums and a synth. The voice fits absolutely perfectly here, and it doesn’t hurt the song that I’m a fan of deep, soulful and calm voices in general (Granted, the chorus is quite a bit higher, but it’s still nice). Thinking back to the song after listening to it, I don’t really remember any particular moments or melodies, but the haunting and somber atmosphere at the start and the moment where it suddenly gets louder with electric guitars and a very fitting solo. All this would have given you something pretty close to maximum score, but there are some points that do drag it down slightly, mainly the ending. I felt it could have been a bit shorter, because it grew kind of repetitive by the end. Also, it’s somewhat lacking in punch because there really aren’t that many bass frequencies. Still, one of the better songs this round, if not the best.
Sacul: Alter Bridge – Blackbird
I woke up today with the chorus of this stuck in my head. I quite like the intro, but the really strong parts are after it gets loud for the first time. No matter if it’s loud or quiet after that, the dynamics really carry the song and keep in interesting and engaging all the way through. There are some clear stand out moments that really give me that emotional impact which raises a song from good / very good to fantastic and make it deserving of a really high score. Namely, those are: every chorus, but especially the end of the second chorus with that awesome vocal moment and the second part of the guitar solo when the whole band kicks in back again. And the ending of course. Totally loving his almost-screaming in combination with the heavy distorted guitars. It needs the calm outro to calm down again after that. Great work, this was definitely the best song this round, and by quite a margin!
MAY YOU NEVER BE BROKEN AGAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNN
Nekov: Lights & Motion – Drift
I’m not sure how to classify this genre-wise. It’s instrumental, has guitars, drums, bass some synths and violins (?). There are some build-ups as well that would make it rather post-rocky, but it’s just too happy for post-rock. No matter the genre, I quite like this. It has a nice cheerful atmosphere, some moments you can rock out to but there’s something lacking that would make it a great song. While I can appreciate it for what it is, I don’t really feel it all that much.
Evermind: Roger Waters – It’s a Miracle
I really like the atmosphere the organ in the background creates here. I also like all the things he does with his voice to enhance that atmosphere, while still staying rather quiet most of the time. Lyric-wise, there are some parts that I like, and others that are a bit cringeworthy, even though I’m fond of the overall topic. It’s quite long, but the variations in the vocals and occasional keyboard, guitar and drum parts keep it interesting. The strongest parts for me are probably the kind of creepy chanting near the end, and the short solo that closes it off. Still, this is not your best submission so far and I liked David Gilmour more (just to have a bit of a Pink Floyd – showdown
).
Scorpion: Fanticide – My Regret
I found this really bland and boring on first listen, but it grew on me so much that it’s now my second favourite song this round. What you wrote in your PM about the vocals being the best part about this song and really emotional is certainly true. Reading along to the lyrics is what made it so much better for me. I wouldn’t have guessed this was about drug addiction if you hadn’t told me though. The overall atmosphere in this is just so strong, even though it doesn’t have that many moments that stick out to me. The mood of the song really conveys the inner turmoil that is portrayed in the lyrics. Especially that screams at the end, mixed with the clean vocals are just amazing.