Round 5. It was good.
Shadow Ninja 2.0: Univers Zero - Jack the RipperYes, I can appreciate the weirdness. No, I don't like it. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of decent ideas, but as a whole it's just too meandering for me to truly enjoy. If this were a bit less monotonous and/or a bit shorter, this might actually be a cool piece of music, but as is, around minute seven, I always find myself asking "When is this over?", and that is, to me, rarely a sign of high quality.
3 points.
mikemangioy: Genesis - The Musical BoxGenesis are a band that I've heard of, and that I know select songs from, but none of them have really compelled me to check out the band of my own volition. That's definitely going to change now - this was the best Genesis song that I have heard to date. For one, Peter Gabriel's voice here is a lot more palatable than on other Genesis songs that I know, which is a huge plus - I'm not exactly a fan of his voice, but it works in the context of this song. The instrumentation is good, both the calmer parts and the more rocking parts, though I'm not always fond of the transitions here. One thing that I want to point out is that this song really knows how to use its length - not a second of the ten minutes is wasted - in fact, it feels a lot shorter than that. Great submission.
8.5 points.
senecadawg2: Journey - Of a LifetimeThis was probably the longest roulette-related PM I ever got, but I definitely appreciated it. While I probably wouldn't have dismissed this outright - I quite like Don't Stop Believing and Wheel in the Sky, don't crucify me! - you are right in that this is basically a whole different band than what Journey would become with Steve Perry, and a better one at that. While not quite as grand as Perry's vocals, the singing here is still very good and it compliments that bluesy, restrained feel of the music perfectly. Especially the guitar playing here is masterful - that solo is brilliant. Very good submission.
9 points.
Sacul: Aphrodite's Child - BabylonFirst of all, I dig that this is live. I always like live version, though admittedly some songs don't work very well live. This, however, is basically a quintessential live song, featuring some great rhythm and a groove that would make this a worthy addition to basically any live show. Bonus points for some random but awesome horns and a superbly audible bassline that is just as much in the center of attention as the guitar. And even more bonus points for that sweet outro. I don't dig the vocals that much, but this song is so much fun that I can easily look past that.
9 points.
Tyrias: Supertramp - Crime of the CenturySupertramp. That's another name that I've heard a lot on these forums, but never felt compelled to check out. I'm not sure if this song will change that, to be honest. There's some great stuff - the guitar playing is great, that sax solo is awesome and I love how creative and audible the bass is, but the song felt a little disjointed - the transition into that piano part around two minutes in felt particularly awkward - and I really really don't care much for the vocals. That's the smaller of my complaints though, because most of this track is instrumental - the real issue I have with this song is that the parts of this song just don't quite come together as a cohesive song that I enjoy listening to. Sorry.
4.5 points.
kingshmegland: Toto - Goodbye GirlAnother band that I've heard mentioned here and never checked out. The main riff of this song that we first hear in the keys and the on guitar and bass is really cool, but it's not cool enough to basically just be repeated with no variation for six minutes. Few riffs are. Other than that, this song was pretty cool, though I don't enjoy the vocals in the chorus much, though they're fine in the verses. The guitar solo is really good, but again we have that riff that overstayed its welcome after about two minutes underneath it. Ugh. It's a shame, this song could have been so good with some variation, but as is, it just feels lazily written. Not bad, but nothing I'd come back to.
5 points.
Elite: Wishbone Ash - Sometime WorldFor some reason, I went into this expecting something Maiden-ish - I think I heard them being compared once? - but what I got was so much better than just a Maiden clone (though they would technically have been more of a proto-Maiden anyway, but you get what I'm saying). This felt more like Pink Floyd with a slightly rockier edge, and that's something I very much enjoy. We've got some awesome guitar playing here, and the vocals - especially the vocal harmonies - are the icing on the cake. One thing I didn't care much for was that one transition from the calmer part into the more rocking part, but it doesn't bother me terribly either, and the rest of the song more than makes up for it. Awesome song, I will definitely be checking out this band further.
9 points.
Standings:
senecadawg2: 42 points
Sacul: 40 points
Shadow Ninja 2.0: 37 points
kingshmegland: 34.5 points
Elite: 32.5 points
Tyrias: 32 points
mikemangioy: 29 points
seneca takes the lead after a blunder by Shadow Ninja, but it's still far from decided. Sadly, mike remains last, even though I really enjoyed his last two submissions, but what can you do. His number was two, and that means that you all get to send an instrumental. This pleases me, I have been meaning to get into more instrumental music anyway.
Once again, you have 48 hours. An updated list of themes is below. Go!
1. Unusual Instrument (any instrument that is not guitar, drums, bass and keyboards counts)
2. No Drums
3. No Guitars
4. Over 10 Minutes
5. Awesome Solo (doesn't have to be guitar!)
6. Dark and Dreary
7. Upbeat and Lively
8. Female Vocals
9. Ballad
10. Insane Stuff
11. Live Song
12. Folky Stuff
13. 90s
14. 80s
15. Pre-70s