Evermind: When Whiskey and Cat Uniteiamthemorning – I Came Before the Water (Part 1)First Impressions:Well, it’s a simple and brief intro.
The vocals are maybe a bit shrill for my tastes but on the whole this is pleasant enough. Not really… much else to say, especially on a time crunch!
Final Thoughts:As an intro track, I’d say this does set the tone pretty well. Some lovely string-heavy textures and a lonely vocal line. Very brief though. I’m still not sure I’m a huge fan of the vocals, but they’re… alright. But as a song by itself, this really just doesn’t have much time to even offer much, unfortunately. And I don’t have the time to say much more, either. This would probably work better in the context of its own album, and it feels a bit unfair to judge it here on its own, but that’s the roulette format, I suppose.
5.5/10 (#17 of 18)
Serious Black – I Seek No Other LifeFirst Impressions:I legitimately can’t tell these vocals apart from Avantasia or Blind Guardian. It sounds like the exact same singer. I’m not particularly noticing any other qualities about this song at all, either. The vocals take center stage pretty heavily. Most of the guitar work is background chugging, the drums are straightforward and energetic but pretty standard. Well okay there is one solid riff and the guitar solo’s fine enough.
This is basically the kind of song that I don’t mind listening to but doesn’t stand out enough in any way for me to really remember much about it, I feel.Final Thoughts:Yes, the contrast between the previous song and this one is suitably jarring and I know you did that on purpose. As for the song itself. Uhh. I said… basically everything there is to say in my first impressions writeup. There’s a decent amount of power and energy to this that I can kind of get caught up in if I don’t think about it too much. But if I do think about it too much I tend to notice how spectacularly standard this song is in every way.
I won’t say that’s necessarily a bad thing to be, but for me, yeah… you know I like my unique, memorable stuff quite well and this just doesn’t do it for me in any real way. But I mean, I don’t particularly dislike it either, it’s just unlikely I’ll ever remember it.
6/10 (#15 of 18)
Árstíðir – AgesFirst Impressions:Really liking the vocal harmonies at the start here for some reason, can’t put my finger on why but they’re nice.
The song does a solid job of being dynamic enough even when maintaining a quiet mood. The strings help too, always nice. A bit of a simple track and maybe not especially satisfying as a ballad but it’s nice enough.
Final Thoughts:Yeah, the vocals are the clear highlight of this track, the harmonizations are pretty strong and both voices are rather pleasant on the ears naturally. And the vocals have a nice build to them throughout, while still being anchored on a main melody.
The repeating guitar line throughout this is probably the element I like the least, it’s a bit too repetitive in its structure and a bit generic too. It’s the kind of guitar line always used to give things a bit of a folky feel, which it accomplishes here I suppose, but it isn’t especially interesting on its own. The strings and horns and piano and everything else though, they create a great atmosphere for the vocals to play off of.
It does feel like the track ends a bit anticlimactically, or ends before it really hits its stride, or something along those lines. It doesn’t have any climax to build to, I suppose, which is probably its biggest failing, but that aside it’s an enjoyable enough track, though I can’t say it hits me especially hard.
7.25/10 (#9 of 18)
David Gilmour – Faces of StoneFirst Impressions:The somber piano intro is pretty effective if I say so myself. I really like that kind of sound in general, though. I thought this was going to be a straightforward ballad at first but there’s circus music or something in the background for some reason? Which is… an interesting choice. I guess it’s more like polka though? Or something? I dunno. The guitar solo is, unsurprisingly, pretty great. I mean, it’s David Gilmour here. The song feels like it lacks a climax though, and ends a bit unceremoniously.
On the whole I like this, though there are some weird choices and it feels like it lacks… something, to make it really work.Final Thoughts:Honestly that verse is so out of place here. What’s that weird melody doing anywhere near the rest of this song? Why is there polka? This doesn’t even work with this part of the song, much less the rest of the song that surrounds it, which is a more straightforward ballad track. Sure, the weird bits give it flavor, but… flavor in a bad way, I’d say.
The rest of the song though is quite good, really. I really like the piano intro, probably more than any other part of the song, and I can’t put my finger on why. The guitar solos are both quite solid, especially the longer one near the end, and there’s a pretty solid moment of build after the first brief solo. I think that bit was supposed to serve as the climax? But it comes too early and doesn’t hit hard enough. The outro solo could also be the climax, but it never feels like it reaches the peak of what it’s building too and fades out before it gets the chance.
It’s a bit of a malformed song in that regards, and with regards to the random polka on the verses as well. There’s parts of this song that I like, but it just doesn’t feel particularly well thought-out or stitched together right.
Also, I never commented on the vocals I guess. They’re fine. Never been a massive fan of Gilmour as a singer, but he’s fine here, sure.
6.75/10 (#12 of 18)
Primal Fear – When Death Comes KnockingFirst Impressions:Yeah, will already agree with what you said in your essay, this is much more up my alley than Serious Black.
This song, for one, has riffs! And the riffs have a strong groove to them, which I dig. Also really liking that chorus. Though I’m not finding much else to talk about here. The sitar (?) bit in the middle is fine albeit maybe a bit cliché at this point really. On the whole it’s a solid metal tune though, sure. May need more listens to really pick it apart though.
Final Thoughts:The transition from the previous song into this one works pretty well with that quiet intro. It gives a bit of breathing room before the song kicks in. Though honestly this isn’t especially heavy, but that main riff does have a really nice groove to it.
I said I might need more listens to pick it apart, but… no, this is definitely a “what you see is what you get” kind of song. There’s not a ton of meat on the bones of this track, but I’m alright with that when the main basis of the song, namely that main riff and that chorus, are both pretty strong.
The only bit of flavor comes in the sitar bit in the middle and the way the crushing guitars play off it, and while, yeah, it’s a bit standard for this kind of power metal track, it’s executed well enough to be interesting regardless. The guitar solo is pretty solid too, though there’s a weird bit where it sounds like it’s about to end but then goes on for a few more measures, and those last few measures are maybe a bit disposable in comparison to the rest.
But yeah. Pretty basic song structure here and I could see myself getting tired of this one if you gave me more time to spin it, but as it is I do like this a decent bit.
7.5/10 (#5 of 18)
Mark Knopfler – Kingdom of GoldFirst Impressions:Folk music wasn’t what I expected from this artist but sure I can roll with it. Ahh, hmm. This is probably a very nitpicky thing and it came up with The Flower Kings before but. Vocalists that just sound really… old, I always have trouble with. It’s just simply not a style I like. And I worry that’s going to hold true here.
Musically this song is fine enough, pretty solid though not hitting me especially hard, so hopefully the vocals grow on me because they’re not doing much for me right now.Final Thoughts:…nnnnnope. Don’t like those vocals at all. Just doesn’t do it for me. It doesn’t help that the vocal melody itself is reeeally repetitive, and the same melody that the flute and violin around it plays too. That melody is the only thing I ever remember about this because it’s a bit hammered in. But really the problem here is just the timbre of his voice. It’s too gravelly and deep for me, it’s just specifically a style that has little appeal to me. I wouldn’t say he’s a bad singer or anything, just not what I’m looking for.
Of course, the vocals dominate a lot of this song, and what they don’t dominate is mostly dominated by the flute and violin line that, while it has a decent amount of swell to it, gets old pretty quick on multiple listens. There’s a lot of parts of this song that sound fairly empty and only a few points where the song really builds to anything; the bit near 4:15 has a nice build going, a climax that some of the other songs on this EP have lacked, but it’s pretty brief.
I just don’t feel there’s much about this song that makes me want to come back to it. Musically it’s little else besides flute and violin driving one melody and the occasional buildup, and the vocals are simply not my style. Gonna have to call this one a definite miss, I think.
4.5/10 (#18 of 18)
David Gilmour – A Pocketful of StonesFirst Impressions:Gilmour really likes his stones, huh? Comedy. Musically this is leaning more towards… classical than anything else. Piano and strings and all. Though the strings especially are what makes me feel that, with the way they’re arranged.
It’s again a pretty mellow song and again feels like it’s missing a real climax, but it’s pleasant enough regardless? Again the guitar solo is pretty solid, as well.
Final Thoughts:This song has one major thing over the other Gilmour song on this EP: no polka. Nothing to break the mood or feel horribly out of place. I already like it more simply on that basis alone.
There’s an… interesting atmosphere to this song. It’s very tense, I’d say. The slow atmospheric buildup, the very melancholic strings and pianos behind the vocals, the vocal melodies that sound kind of like a ballad track from a stage play, in the sense that there’s some kind of hopeful sound to them, that the music significantly undercuts in the best way.
Again though this is definitely lacking a climax to tie everything all together. It does build up at a few points and the guitar solo has some swell behind it, but it never feels like it reaches the peak that it should, and cuts off kind of abruptly at the end.
I would say I do like this, but it again doesn’t hit me especially hard and I’m not sure I’m going to remember it very well. Pleasant enough song though, sure.
7.25/10 (#7 of 18)
Trail of Murder – Your SilenceFirst Impressions:What is it about power metal singers that make them all sound so similar? That holds for both male and female vocals by the way. This guy sounds really similar to the Vanden Plas guy. I mean, I don’t really mean that as an insult as he sounds fine enough, but… ehh, whatever. Anyways.
The riffs and groove of this one are pretty solid and there’s a nice amount of dynamics to it. It doesn’t feel particularly fresh but it’s fine on the whole. Not much else to say.
Final Thoughts:This song finds a nice balance between the Serious Black song and the Primal Fear song, in that its riffs have a nice amount of groove, but also more energy than the latter. The drums kind of keep that energy going throughout the verse, too, even with the quieter, more subtle sound. And I also really dig the punchy chugging that cuts through the atmosphere of the second verse. It’s a neat way to mix things up a little.
The chorus of this one is a little underwhelming though. Doesn’t really feel like it has much power to it, the vocal lines aren’t very memorable, it’s basically overshadowed by every other part of the song. The guitar solo here is pretty tasteful, a decent balance of shred and melodic hooks, doesn’t go on too long and isn’t overindulgent, I dig it.
As with all the other metal tracks here, there isn’t a ton to this one, it’s pretty simple, but as a straightforward metal song I’m pretty fine with it. I feel like I’d grow tired of this one a little less quickly than Primal Fear but I also don’t like it quite as much at the moment.
7.25/10 (#10 of 18)
Temperance – Change the RhymeFirst Impressions:Second time I’ve been unable to find a song anywhere online (edit: the album is out now so never mind), though that could be because this album’s not out yet apparently. Anyways. Big bombastic intro you got there, huh? This is like the first song to have female vocals since the iamthemorning track, I think, a surprising lack of those coming from you. I uhh. Can’t find much else to say about this though. It’s a pretty solid symphonic metal track.
The strings and piano and whatnot are all used pretty well and give the song a really organic feel that I quite like. Don’t know if it will be particularly memorable though.
Final Thoughts:Actually, the vocals on this track are probably my favorite on any track here besides the Árstíðir track, given further listens. The chorus here is a bit strange and ends on this kind of jagged melody that I weirdly dig.
It’s cool how this song continues building up every moment until about the midpoint; the first chorus outdoing the first verse, the second verse outdoing that chorus, and then the second chorus really exploding into life. It gives the song a really strong sense of direction. And the bridge that follows the chorus is pretty solid too, having a second singer in there helps. The little break before the final chorus, that little bit of breathing room, really helps the final chorus hit with more power, too. Without that it’d just be a wall of sound from the middle to the back of the track. Smart touch, that.
What I wish this song did better was its riffs, though, I can’t say there are any compelling riffs here. The piano and strings do help carry the song musically, and the quieter moments have some neat touches as well, but it’s a very vocal-centric song by design. Still like it a decent bit, but like the other metal tracks here, would probably get tired of it given more listens. Solid.
7.25/10 (#8 of 18)
iamthemorning – LighthouseFirst Impressions:So this is the song your competition gave a 9.25, huh? Let’s see then. The freeflowing piano work here at the start is pretty nice. Thus far though I’m kind of… waiting for the song to really start? Thus far it feels a bit empty, I suppose.
I guess that’s just what the song is though. Gentle, subtle, somber. That’s fine to be. Oh, never mind, the song does kick in when Mariusz joins the party. Will freely admit he’s never been one of my favorite singers or anything but he’s fine and he creates a nice counterpoint to the female vocals here. The last two minutes here are definitely more my style than the first four but it’s solid on the whole. Probably not a 9.25 though, sorry.
Final Thoughts:I can see the appeal of this, sure. I guess, for me, the watery piano throughout a lot of this song, the lack of any consistent rhythm, doesn’t particularly work for me though. Especially when a lot of it feels like, not a unison between the piano and vocals, but a tradeoff, two elements not really working in harmony in any real way.
The song does come together a bit more on the chorus, having a consistent rhythm and a solid vocal melody. And the chorus at the end with drums and strings and the addition of a second singer, it works pretty well. The two vocalists work off each other pretty well and the vocal melody the chorus is based around is really pretty nice, yeah. And the song gets points for actually having a solid climax to make the song really feel complete.
But as a whole… most of this just kind of bores me, sadly. I’ll gladly listen to the last two minutes but that leaves an entire third of the song that just doesn’t do a ton for me. And even the last two minutes aren’t spectacular, just pretty good. I do wish I liked this more than I do, it’s a bit unfortunate really.
6.5/10 (#14 of 18)
Overall EP thoughts:I can kind of see where you’re coming from with this EP; the quieter tunes are all diverse enough to stand out, and the metal tunes are all diverse enough to stand out, nothing here ever really got too confused in my mind. It’s mostly just a shame that not a single track on this EP really does a lot for me, though there’s only one I actively dislike, and it’s not, awful or anything.
As far as flow and structure goes, I think you did a pretty decent job. The brief intro track sets the stage, and, well, the Serious Black song kind of destroys it, but the rest of the songs flow together pretty well, and there’s a balance between the quieter and louder tracks to keep things dynamic.
It’s a pretty well-constructed EP, I wouldn’t say there’s any one song here that feels like a notable outlier from the rest, though obviously there’s a bit of a gap between the metal tracks and the ballads, but not one wide enough to create a disconnect, and it mostly just creates a nice sense of dynamics.
8/10