So, as I said, these were 12 awesome songs. Two really stood out, and the rest were fighting it out for spots 3 and 4. This is the first round so far where I know I’ll be checking out all 12 of these albums to get a better sense of the band, and I’m willing to bet ˝ of them will result in a purchase. Thanks, fuckers! That being said, the margin of difference in order to stack rank them is incredibly slim, and any negative comments are me REALLY searching for something to nit-pick about.
Bolsters ($200)
The Black Mages\
Vamo Alla FlamencoReally, really great prog instrumental. Clean, polished, top notch stuff. Can’t really say much more about it – diverse set of melodies and sounds were delivered here...everything you’d want/expect from a Grade A prog tune.
bosk ($300)
Flotsam And Jetsam\
Smoked OutAnother band I’ve seen the name of, and have often wondered what kind of music it was. Never would’ve pegged it for old-school hard/heavy rock. Loved the guitar sound. Weakest part for me was vocals. Guitar melodies got kinda repetitive towards the end.
lonestar ($100)
Need\
EntheogenLoved the guitar tones and riffs. The mellower moments didn't work for me. One excellent instrumental section, and a nice composition. Lots of emotional guitar solo'g throughout. Probably works real good in the context of the whole album, which I’ll be checking out. STOP SENDING ME CONCEPTS!!!
jjrock ($100)
Winters Bane\
Heart of a KillerExcellent riffing. Great hard rock/metal that I would've loved if I kept exploring in the 90s. Only knock is what I would consider 'decent’ vocals.
Nekov ($200)
Dragonland\
Too Late for SorrowGreat blend of metal and melodic. With Elize Ryd, this male/female duet works, although Jonas was definitely the weak link in the vocal department. Great power ballad, but not the best one this round....
Zook ($200)
Demons & Wizards\
Fiddler on the Green... that honor goes to zook, although I’m not sure one would technically classify this as a power ballad. Nonetheless, I loved the contrast between the acoustic 1st half of the song (which really reminded me of the start of the outro from TCOT - actually, the whole song did), and
of the 2nd half. Hansi’s vocals can be hit or miss, but they worked here.
TAC ($200)
Sun Caged\
Ashes to EarnMystery Band #1 this round. And with a $200 bet, TAC ups it to the max of $500. Killer arpeggio opening to the instrumental section. The whole song oozes with a nice blend of guitars and keys. Absolutely loved the guitar tone - full and rich... Now THIS was chocolate cake for the ears!
wolfking ($300)
Mercenary\
Through Our Darkest DaysRough vocals don't detract at all. Musically it's fantastic – loved the guitar riff; terrific solo. It got better with every listen as I got more in tune with the vocal style. I think I might have enjoyed it more if they were a little cleaner/smoother, but this was a great tune either way.
kirksnosehair ($400)
Sacrum\
CognitionAnd there she goes! Nailed it right from the intro. Wasn't a damn thing about this that I didn't love. This was the kind of music I was expecting every round from you. You nailed it in the qualifiers, then stumbled a bit the past couple of rounds, but this was absolute dynamite. Song of the round. Purchase will undoubtedly be made.
Elite ($100)
Sacrum\
SurviveA double dose of these guys this round. I didn't really think the 'mega horn' vocal effect was needed. Musically, it was as good as the other Sacrum tune, but I didn’t see the need to get all whacky with the vocals.
last.fm ($300)
Khymera\
BorderlinePretty standard melodic flair. And as usual, the ties go to the humans, so HAL finishes in the bottom group again, despite probably the best recommendation from last.fm so far
Lowdz ($500)
At Vance\
Take My PainWhich brings us to Mystery Band #2, and by doubling the $500 wager, it’s literally a make or break song for Lowdz. Either an insurmountable, Cliff Claven-like lead, or he’s done. Killer intro, and while At Vance was a mystery band for the Rick Altzi aspect, I love Ollie as a vocalist. Great pace, excellent guitars and solo, and some really nice vocal harmonies in the chorus. But, was it good enough to win, draw, or did it just miss the cut?
Win – kirksnosehair, Lowdz, TAC, wolfking
Lose– last.fm, jjrock, lonestar, bosk
Draw – Bolsters, nekov, zook, Elite
Standings:Lowdz - $1,900
Bolsters -$ 800
TAC - $700
Bosk - $300
lonestar - $300
jjrock - $300
wolfking - $300
nekov - $200
kirksnosehair - $200
zook - -$500
Elite - -$500
last.fm - -$900
Ok... so I’m gonna call an audible in for this round, and entry into Final Jeopardy
Given the standings, and the wagers left, the top 3 are set. Without a Mystery Band selection, there’s no way for anyone to catch TAC. And with the cluster of people at $200 and $300, I’m going to make things interesting, and allow a
FOURTH AND FIFTH person into the finals. I’m also going to grant Zook and Elite an automatic Daily Double... so for Elite, his $400 wager turns into $800, which gives him hope (sorry Zook... I think you’re now mathematically eliminated from the finals). Not sure I know how I’ll handle a tiebreaker, but I’ll figure that out. Also, last.fm is fired. None of the songs recommended were bad, but none wow'd me enough to rank it better than most of your choices. So, for the last round, it's out.
As for wagers, zook and lonestar have $300; jjrock has $200; and the rest have $100. As mentioned, Elite has $400. So, it's anyone's game for those final two spots.
Expecting a big round, and standings will be posted no later than Wednesday.