Puppies-In Mourning
1. The Lighthouse Keeper
2. Hierophant
3. Solitude And Silence
For some reason, I expected this to be more melancholic. I’m glad it wasn’t.
The Lighthouse Keeper is a cool tune. I expected some mid tempo stuff, but musically, this is interesting enough. A tad long. I loved the mellow part a couple of minutes into the song, Would’ve loved to have seen that return later in the song. I like the upbeatedness of Hierophant. Cool track.
In S&S, there’s clean vocals? Oops..there were. I like this song and its ebbs and and flows.
The Lighthouse Keeper….8.0
Hierophant…8.2
Solitude And Silence….8.4
Ave…8.2
Stadler-Joe Bonamassa
1. Royal Tea
2. Why Does It Take So Long To Say Goodbye
3. A Conversation With Alice
A nice variation in songs. I miss Gary Moore.
I was really interested in this submission. I know Joe is a big Gary Moore fan. I saw him talking about him in an interview. I’m not a huge fan of the genre. Just not what I listen to, but I make the obvious exception for Gary Moore. Royal Tea is ok. Has a nice but too short of a solo section. WDITSLTSG is the money track here. This is fantastic. Definitely the kind of thing Gary would’ve done. Not sure Joe has the believability in his voice that Gary does, but this song is tremendous. A Conversation With Alice has a great intro, but the steps back in intensity. An interesting song. Has a cool 70’s vibe to it.
Royal Tea….7.7
Why Does It Take So Long To Say Goodbye…. 8.5
A Conversation With Alice….7.8
Ave…8.0
Kingshmegland-Flor De Loto
1. Tempestad
2. Espejo Del Alma
3. Eclipse
I usually hyperventilate when I hear someone play the flute, but I was too busy headbanging.
Tempestad is really cool. Really energetic. The musical break is awesome. The flute is insane at 2:48, and really though the whole thing. Espejo really has a 70’s influence. This is where the Jethro Tull feel comes through the most. It’s not as much a s a rocker as the other two, but It’s still quite cool. Eclipse has a wicked Iron Maiden feel. That songs is amazing. I absolutely loved it. The solo section is pure Maiden, as it that ending. Wow!
Tempestad….8.5
Espejo Del Alma….8.0
Eclipse….8.8
Ave…8.4
Lonestar-Nemophilia
1. Rollin’ Rollin’
2. Raitei
3. Life
The first two songs had that low tuning I talk about, but the third song was outstanding.
Wow the bass hits you right in the face on Rollin’ Rollin’. Not a fan of the tuning. It’s a cool upbeat song. The gang vocals in the chorus for some reason remind me of Dora The Explorer. The solos crank. Raitei feels pretty intense. There’s in your face about this band. The chorus is really nice. A nice change from the intensity of the rest of the song. Life, though, is the money track. It’s kind of like a breath of fresh air, especially compared to the first two songs. The solo section is luscious. Great vocal and delivery.
Rollin’ Rollin’….7.9
Raitei….8.2
Life….8.8
Ave…8.3
Romdrums-VOLA
1. The Same War
2. Straight Lines
3. Stone Leader Falling Down
This is a little mechanical.
I can’t say I was a big fan of The Same War. Not much to grab onto for me, I guess. I was a bit concerned when Straight Lines started with that low tuning. It’s a better song building up to the chorus, which is pretty nice. I like the mellow part leading into the cool keyboard solo. Stone Leader isn’t a whole lot better than The Same War, except that it has a better chorus. Low tunings. Mid Tempo. Ugh.
The Same War… 7.3
Straight Lines….7.6
Stone Leader Falling Down…7.3
Ave…7.4
Dragon Attack-Spheric Universe Experiment
1. Final Fate
2. Defenders Of Light
3. Legacy
If The Enigma Division sounded like this, I’d have liked them a lot more.
What I like right off the bat, especially compared to The Enigma Division, or even Chad’s MI God submission, is that there’s just more room in the production. Even if there’s some low tuning, it doesn’t stick out to me. Final Fate, the first song is quite is really nice. I like the chorus and the musical break is cool. Defenders is really heavy and is filled with DTisms. The solo that starts at 3:30 is excellent though compact. Legacy really reminds me of Michele Luppi Era Vision Divine. And that ain’t no bad thing. I need to give this whole album a good listen. This was a really enjoyable submission.
Final Fate….8.6
Defenders Of The Light….8.6
Legacy….8.6
Ave…8.6
Reaper-Ola Englund
1. Stars & Ponies
2. Balegmah
3. The Sun & The Moon
Where the hell was this during the Instrumental Round?
I only have heard of Ola Englund from his Tea with John Petrucci interview. Apparently, he idolizes JP and he was a big influence on Ola. I can hear it in his lead playing. I though Stars & Ponies was a bit understated, especially compared to the Angel Vivaldi submission in this round. It was nice though. Balegmah has some cool grooves to it. The Sun & The Moon employs some low tuning for the rhythm. Other than that, it’s really quite pleasurable, especially in its mellow moments.
Stars & Ponies…8.0
Balehgmah…8.3
The Sun & The Moon…8.0
Ave…8.1
Buddyhunter-Kvelertak
1. Nattesferd
2. Blodtorst
3. Bratebrann
Gee, this would be awesome if not for the vocals.
Buddy even said I’d probably hate the vocals. They are not a strength, that’s for sure. They’re particularly challenging in Nattesford, which feels almost Nirvana-ish. I do like the music though. Kind of punky. Blodtorst is quite similar. When the vocals are not present, it’s really energizing. The money track here is Bratebrann, easily. Musicwise, it reminds me of The Sweet a little. The vocals are a tad easier to deal with for some reason, perhaps that this is a different album than the first two songs. It also has a really cool chorus.
Nattesferd…. 7.7
Blodtorst…. 7.6
Bratebrann…. 8.2
Ave…7.8
Vmadera-Angel Vivaldi
1. ._ _ _ _
2. .._ _ _
3. Sea Of Heartbreak
Tremendously Enjoyable.
So I wasn’t really sure who Angel Vivaldi was. I literally thought you sent me classical music. I was surprised to see it was hot shot guitarist. Interesting song order. I actually thought that each song built upon and added elements from the previous one. The first one chugged along pretty well. The second one just felt sweeter on the ears. About halfway through it ratchets up really nicely and intensely.
Sea Of Heartbreak has a nice build and really feels like it tells a story, culminating with a gorgeous ending.
._ _ _ _ …. 8.0
.._ _ _.... 8.2
Sea Of Heartbreak…8.4
Ave…8.2
Twosuitsluke-King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
1. Crumbling Castle
2. The Fourth Colour
3. Slow Jam 1
Geez, talk about throwing in the towel lol
OK..lets see what all the hubbub is about. Crumbling Castle at 10+ minutes is kind of a chore to get through. This might be something to experience live, or baked, but likely both. I think I would need way more than the 6-8 listens I gave it. The fiddle faddle through the whole thing. There is some cool drumming and it has an early 70’s kind of vibe. The Fourth Colour highlights that 70’s vibe even more. Kind of has a little beatnik style to it. This kind of reminds me of being a kid. It’s kind of cool. Slow Jam..it’s cool enough I guess. This band has a style that isn’t exactly in my wheelhouse. I can appreciate it for what it is, but it doesn’t quite appeal to me.
Crumbling Castle…7.7
The Fourth Colour…7.9
Slow Jam 1…7.5
Ave…7.7
Elite-Gojira
1. Flying Whales
2. Stranded
3. The Art Of Dying
This was groovy as shit.
Flying Whales leads off with a cool intro and freaking groovy as shit grove. The vocals are fine. A mid tempo song, but I think it has a nice pocket. Stranded is also pretty groovy, and has a decent chorus but is definitely the weak link here. After its percussive intro, The Art Of Dying gets going and feels like a beast. That first verse is awful, but then it’s really cool the rest of the way through.
Flying Whales….8.0
Stranded….7.5
The Art Of Dying….8.0
Ave…7.8
Tomislav-Fair To Midland
1. Dance Of The Manatee
2. April Fools And Eggmen
3. Walls Of Jericho
I wouldn’t call this heavy, but it was heavier than I expected.
I’ve seen Fair To Midland mentioned a number of times on DTF, but I’ve never checked them out at all. I was looking forward to this submission not knowing what to expect. I was very pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this. Definitely not heavy, but I thought they’d be a bit more alternative, chill.
Dance Of the Manatee is a cool tune. The singer’s high voice in the chorus is awesome. It’s a nice change from his quieter voice. April Fools is also a cool tune with an amazing chorus. Walls starts out a bit funky, but damn, this is a nice fucking song. What a voice. This dude owns the choruses. I thought he sounded familiar, but I was surprised to see this band is no longer active, nor has the singer ever really resurfaced.
Dance Of The Manatee…8.4
April Fools And Eggman…8.3
Walls Of Jericho…8.5
Ave..8.4
Faizoff-Skid Row
1. Riot Act
2. Eileen
3. Iron Will
This is one band that I have always overlooked for no good reason.
Riot Act is short and punchy. Reminds me a lot of Hanoi Rocks. I think I can say it’s not great and I like it at the same time. Eileen is kind of awful, truthfully. I like the riff to close it out over the last minute. I like Iron Will the most out of these three tracks. A bit like Mike Howe Era Metal Church. I didn’t take into consideration the quite noise that took up the last three minutes of the track.
Riot Act….7.9
Eileen….7.3
Iron Will….8.5
Ave…7.9
Crow-A Novelist
1. His Kingdom Is Vast
2. Acacia Crown
3. Caveat Lector
Didn’t know what to expect. I like it, but the vocals could be an issue.
I’ve seen Crow send A Novelist before many times in different roulettes. I had no idea what to expect. It’s heavy and progressive. The part at 1:10 of Kingdom sounds like something DT would do. The harsh vocals are..well, this guy might need a bib. The clean vocals are a nice break. Like Kingdom, Acacia Crown is awesome musically. I thought Caveat Lector was really good musically. It has a really cool intro, but like the other tracks, the harsh vocals are going to be kind of a challenge going forward. I do plan on checking other parts of this album though.
His Kingdom Is Vast….8.1
Acacia Crown….8.1
Caveat Lector….8.1
Ave…8.1
Lithojazzosphere-Wytch Hazel
1. He Is The Fight
2. I Am Redeemed
3. I Will Not
This has a strong Thin Lizzy influence.
Right off the bat, I hear a huge Thin Lizzy influence. Wishbone Ash too. This is comfort music big time. He Is The Fight is really nice and simple. Just so easy on the ears. I Am Redeemed starts off a bit more intense, but it settles in nicely. Great Lizzy solo section. I Will Not continues in the same vain. Probably the weakest track here until the awesome musical breakdown. but this is an album I will definitely follow up with.
He Is The Fight….8.5
I Am Redeemed….8.6
I Will Not….8.4
Ave…8.5
Ariich-Shadecrown
1. Aeon’s Still
2. The Ghost I Mourn
3. Incomplete
This hits a sweet spot in this genre.
This was a great submission. I really love this kind of thing. Aeon’s Still is so melodic. The harsh vocals aren’t overpowering. Definitely vocals I can deal with, especially with the music so grand. The Ghost is a bit more direct and heavy. It settles in with a really nice mellow part which leads into the last half of the song seamlessly. Nice piano outro on this. Incomplete has the perfect amount of mood in the first half and jump in the second half. This is actually a fantastic track. That guitar solo at the 5:30 is beautiful and it plays out wonderfully under the vocals that follow.
Aeon’s Still…8.6
The Ghost I Mourn…8.5
Incomplete….8.8
Ave...8.6
Wolfking- Savage Messiah
1. Hands Of Fate
2. Lay Down Your Arms
3. The Last Confession
This is..solid.
Hands Of Fate is definitely a head bobber. Love the chugging pace on this. Has a real nice chorus as well. Lay Down Your Arms is quite a bit weaker although I must say that it did grow on me, especially the chorus. The Last Confession starts out a tad iffy, but Holy Metallica Batman. It goes full on Metallica at 2:32. Real nice. It literally sounds like Lars is playing on this.
Hands Of Fate…8.5
Lay Down Your Arms…8.2
The Last Confession…8.5
Ave…8.4
Jingle Boy-M.I.God.
1. Spectres On Parade
2. Tears Of Today
3. Weight Of A Million Souls
One is too hard, one is too soft, and one is just right.
So first of all, I am not a fan of this production. It’s too loud and everything blends. Plus, they generally are tuned too low for me. This is evident on Spectres, but especially the beginning of Weight. As far as the songs themselves, Spectres is good. This would’ve fit perfectly on Judas Priest’s Firepower album. It’s pretty intense. Tears Of Today starts out..awful. I’m expecting the worse, but it settles into a really nice song with an excellent chorus. Weight opens and it instantly reminds me of Anthrax’s Tester. This is the best song of the three. Really nice chorus, and can someone please tell me where I’ve heard the solo that starts at 3:05 before?
Spectres On Parade….8.0
Tears Of Today….8.0
Weight Of A Million Souls…8.4
Ave…8.1