I didn't say it was a bad score that I didn't want to give...
10. Refused - Tannhauser / DeriveSent by Sacul
So… this track seemed really promising for the first couple minutes, and I had a good feeling about it. And then the vocals came in. I'm not quite sure what to say, so I'll leave it to Parama. "lethean absolutely would not like hardcore punk vocals and that's final." Yeah. I didn't know that they were called hardcore punk vocals, but whatever it is, he was right. Also, this is the track that wouldn't end. Just when you thought it was over, the screaming would begin again, kind of like in a horror movie, when it looks like the evil creature is dead, but it jumps up one or two more times.
9. Rhapsody - Holy ThunderforceSent by jingle.boy
This really isn't bad. Other than the lyrics, which might be the best-worst lyrics I've ever heard. Plus, although this isn't really my thing, I've certainly managed to have parts of it in my head on and off since I started listening to it. Especially that beginning part which then repeats a few times throughout the song. The stand alone vocals are good (and I like the way Fabio sings "oblivion"), but the chorus is what really doesn't do much for me. Not bad, I think I can see the appeal, but at the same time, I don't know how well I'd take to a whole album of this.
8. Rhapsody - Wisdom of the KingsSent by Kattelox
This track has a little more variety than I was expecting and although it's not rocking my world, it's been enjoyable. I heard jingle's song first, and since you said the tracks were kind of in the same vein, I was expecting more of the same overall. But this one was better. It takes its foot off the double bass gas a little more, which makes it a more enjoyable experience for me. I like the chorus a lot better too - just the melody and that it sounds less like… I dunno, a bunch of fantasy characters getting ready to march off to war, and you also get to hear more of Fabio shining through. But I was still hoping for and imagining something else from them; maybe I would like a ballad from them better actually, or something that has even more slower parts mixed in with the speed, and a few twists or something. Also, I'm not sure why you thought this was the #9 snippet about the vocals, but you may have a good point about listening to it with Andre Matos in mind…
7. To-Mera - MirageSent by Puppies
This is a really cool track, heavy, lots going on (in a good way), but I'm not at all sure how I feel about the singer. I was hoping maybe the vocals would grow on me, and they have somewhat, but maybe not enough. My curiosity has been piqued though - maybe I should try a couple more songs from them and see if the vocals work better for me. Instrumentally I liked it a lot.
6. Yes - Turn of the CenturySent by Stadler
I'm still not sure quite how I feel about this track. It's beautiful, but feels like it's going somewhere that it never gets to, and takes a long time doing it (Kattelox will be pleased that I can think a song might be too long). The day after I posted that snippet, and you were certain this was the one snippet that couldn’t be yours, I went back again and tried to listen to it differently to see what I was missing. This is probably on me then, but it still kind of feels that way to me. That having been said, I still think it's beautiful and I enjoyed it. The vocals sounded good and it's a much different experience than the track Puppies tried to send me would have been.
4. Flaming Row - Aim L45Sent by Evermind
First everyone thought this was going to do well, then they thought it wouldn't. This is a beautiful song. I feel like this would be a good track to play during the end credits of one of the LOTR or Hobbit movies, and this wasn't meant as some kind of put down. There was a song that closed out one of those movies that this kind of reminds me of (it probably sounds nothing like it, but just made me think of it); beautiful, sad melodies, the right instruments, etc. I'm not sure how many singers are on this track, but I think I like most of them.
3. Dvne - Crimson PathSent by Train of Naught
I really liked the intro of this song and right from the beginning I felt that it would be one that I really liked. It's nice and heavy and just has this mood that let's you know you're going to be in for a great 8 minutes. I'm not super fond of some of the vocal melodies, but they mostly seem to work well with this song after I'd spent some time with it. Sometimes I really like the vocals and other times wish they'd be a little bit different.
3. Spiral Key - Freeze TimeSent by TAC
This track has a really nice energy to it, and I like the vocals a lot. I'm not sure how much I like that main string part (see how great I am at describing music? But I imagine you know what I mean), but otherwise I always looked forward to this track in the playlist. I liked the little bass and keyboard break towards the middle to end followed by a nice beautiful melodic guitar solo.
2. Foscor - De Marges i MatinadesSent by Elite
I really liked this track a lot, and am curious about the rest of the album. I'm not particularly fond of the singer, but don’t dislike him either and his voice seems to fit well enough with the song. It's dark, heavy, somewhat different. The harsh vocals are OK I suppose and don't last that long, and actually both you and Parama should probably thank Sacul, because the harsh vocals on your songs sounded quite pleasant compared to what he sent. The end of the song takes a more atmospheric turn which sounds really nice as well.
1. Morrow - EmbersSent by Parama
Gloating is very unbecoming Parama, so don't do it. There's still one more round to go.
The instrumentation on this track is so beautiful. I like the lyrics too, although I couldn't have said what they were without looking them up (but I did look them up, which I haven't done much during this roulette). The track is almost 11 minutes but doesn't feel that long while you're listening to it. Why does stuff like this always have to have harsh vocals? Maybe that's the only way bands feel they can really make it work. I guess I can kind of see that in a way... This track is so sad, and there's so much anguish, and it's also so beautiful, that I always feel something, and sometimes it's a strong emotional reaction, when I listen to it. And that is why it deserves to get this score. Having said that, I don't see myself listening to this very often. I could be wrong, and maybe I will, but harsh vocals really get to me when I'm not in the right mood (which I certainly wasn't the first time I listened to it at 3 am or so).
Parama: 5 + 1 + 1 + 3 + 5 + 5 + 1 = 21
Elite: 1 + 10 + 4 + 1 + 5 + 3 + 2 = 26
Train of Naught: 3 + 4 + 3 + 8 + 3 + 6 + 3 = 30
TAC: 9 + 3 + 7 + 5 + 2 + 4 + 3 = 33
Puppies on Acid: 7 + 8 + 1 + 5 + 6 + 1 + 7 = 35
Kattlelox: 4 + 7 + 8 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 8 = 36
Evermind: 6 + 6 + 5 + 2 + 10 + 4 + 4 = 37
Stadler: 8 + 2 + 6 + 9 + 1 + 9 + 6 = 41
jingle.boy: 2 + 9 + 10 + 7 + 7 + 4 + 9 = 48
Sacul: 10 + 5 + 9 + 10 + 7 + 10 + 10 = 61