DreamTheaterForums.org Dream Theater Fan Site
General => Archive => General Music Archives => Topic started by: Crow on February 11, 2019, 07:02:47 PM
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Parama’s Roulette v4
The infamous EP roulette I’ve been talking about for a while now! EPs are always fun to make (at least for me) and I’m always more of an album listener than a song listener anyways, but also album roulettes are hard and frustrating and sometimes curated playlists of songs imitating actual albums are a good way to get into a lot of bands at once. So, let’s do that.
The Victims
1. ariich
2. Puppies_On_Acid
3. senecadawg2
4. TAC
5. Lethean
6. home
7. Train of Naught
8. Ghost Malone
9. romdrums
10. Kattelox
11. Indiscipline
12. Elite
13. Dacul
Useful links:
Rules and Round Structure (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2519111#msg2519111)
Banned List (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2519116#msg2519116)
Partially Banned List (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2519117#msg2519117)
Artists Banned During the Roulette (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2519118#msg2519118)
Tastes (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2519112#msg2519112)
EP Guidelines & Roulette Grading Scale (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2519114#msg2519114)
Roulette v1 (http://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=44434.0)
Roulette v1.5 (http://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=47943.0)
Roulette v2.5 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=50206)
Roulette v3 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=52411)
My RateYourMusic Page (https://rateyourmusic.com/~Parama)
Round Results
Round 0: First Impressions (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2521637#msg2521637) - Results: Part 1 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2527045#msg2527045) - Part 2 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2527113#msg2527113) - Part 3 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2527286#msg2527286) - Part 4 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2527341#msg2527341) - Part 5 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2527406#msg2527406) - Part 6 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2527499#msg2527499)
Round 1: First Impressions (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2530292#msg2530292) - Results: Part 1 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2535122#msg2535122) - Part 2 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2535259#msg2535259) - Part 3 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2535366#msg2535366) - Part 4 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2535489#msg2535489)
Round 2: First Impressions (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2538001#msg2538001) - Results: Part 1 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2541665#msg2541665) - Part 2 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2541775#msg2541775) - Part 3 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2541925#msg2541925)
Round 3: First Impressions (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2544318#msg2544318) - Results: Part 1 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2548592#msg2548592) - Part 2 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53404.msg2548677#msg2548677)
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Roulette Structure:
7 players max, with a preliminary round beforehand if more than 7 players want to join. Each round is an elimination round, with the bottom 2 of each round getting cut until there’s only one player left.
The only player who has a free pass for the elimination round is ariich, the winner of my previous roulette.
Preliminary round:
No length minimum, 20 minutes max, 3 songs by 3 different artists. Prove to me that you can organize something solid. Intro/Outro/Interlude tracks are forbidden, it must be three full songs.
Rounds 1 & 2:
30 minutes minimum, 40 minutes max, only requirement is that at least 3 different artists are represented with full songs, not just intro/outro/interlude tracks, but these tracks are allowed otherwise.
Round 3 (Final Round):
Concept album round. 45 minute minimum, 90 minute max, because Spectral Lore – III is the longest album I’ve heard that earns its full runtime without qualifications so objectively speaking nothing needs to be longer than it. At least 5 different artists must be represented, again with full songs. I will accept as many separate “discs” as you want to make your concept album, but it will likely be listened to as one album regardless. Having a concept is not optional but will not be weighted heavily, as long as an attempt is made. A good concept can add to an album’s overall effectiveness, though. You are also free to add concepts to your EPs but they are not mandatory.
All rounds will have a 1 week entry period followed by 2 weeks before results. I’m shooting for a “stuff happens on Sunday” schedule. This is to both give people enough time to put together an EP/album as well as give me enough time to properly digest and critique each EP/album.
Rules:
1. Send albums via PM. I’d strongly prefer mp3 downloads for EPs, whether you send your EP as a single file or a folder of songs. Spotify playlist links are also allowed but I would prefer you send on a platform with gapless playback. Youtube is heavily discouraged, especially for EPs.
2. The banned list is color-coded for your convenience.
Red means bands I have heard enough from to know I dislike them in general.
Orange means bands I don’t actively listen to or own music from, but find generally alright.
Teal means bands I have looked into and plan to get an album from, or have an album but haven’t listened to extensively yet.
Yellow means bands I like and own music from but don’t quite love.
Green means one of my favorites.
3. There is no limitation on how many people are allowed to send the same artist in a round. However, if the same song is sent by multiple people, only the first submission will be accepted.
4. I reserve the right to reject any song or artist not on the banlist, most likely because I either know the specific song or the band probably should be on my banlist (which I will update if so). I highly recommend auditing your EP candidates ahead of time. It’s no fun to have your EP ready to go
5. The maximum album length is 80 minutes flat, the length of a single CD album. Nothing longer is allowed. I would recommend not pushing too far past 60 minutes. The longer an album, the more likely it is to invoke…
6. The Instant Elimination Rule: If I cannot bring myself to finish an EP on the first listen, the person who submitted it is instantly eliminated and the rest of the round proceeds as normal. This would mean that if one person got rule 6’d, there would be only one elimination that round. If by some unholy miracle there are two people getting rule 6’d in the same round I have no clue what I’ll do.
7. The Angry Dragon Clause: Submissions are due within a week after the previous rounds’ results have been posted. If your submission has not been sent by that time, you will be burnt to a crisp by an angry dragon. I can’t keep this roulette running forever & it’s inconsiderate to other players to be held up by one person taking their sweet time to send. A week should be plenty.
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Tastes:
I feel at this point this section is a little redundant, but I’ll keep it brief:
1. I like music that emotes. More specifically, music that stirs up intense emotions. Could be just really beautiful tunes, or something intense and powerful. But sounding sterile and lifeless and lacking in emotion is the quickest way to bore me.
2. I don’t like stuff that sounds “generic”. The definition of this probably varies, but unless you’re doing a well-established sound especially well, it’s highly likely you won’t catch my interest without some element that makes your music stand out. Generic prog metal, generic black metal, literally anything neo-prog, post-rock, post-metal, or especially power metal tends to bore me as there are so many bands in these genres just recycling other bands’ sounds with absolutely no new twist.
3. Technicality is important but I also don’t like mindless wankery. Animals As Leaders blows. Music that exists to show off blows. Long strings of solos are less interesting than instrumental passages of instruments playing off each other in cool ways.
4. Most importantly, I need some melody. Be it a catchy chorus, a stick guitar hook, some really groovy basslines, whatever, but I don’t want shrill electronic noises or tuneless death/black/sludge metal songs that are either nonstop dissonant noodling or boring sludgy chugging. These elements both have their places as contrast to melodic moments, but they should rarely if ever be the main feature of a song.
I like metal the most, clearly. Pretty much open to most genres of metal, but I don’t really like sludge metal, thrash metal, deathcore, or djent, aside from the kind of stuff I already mentioned above. Black metal has been a favorite in recent years as has the more melodic side of technical death metal. I’ve also been on a post-hardcore kick for about a year. And as ever bands with progressive tendencies tend to be my favorite as they more often than not require a lot of the above mentioned elements to be present.
Aside from metal, uuhh, atmospheric pop stuff tends to be my jam, but I can also dig me some good ambient/drone and darker prog rock. You’re free to challenge my tastes if you want but I’ve had plenty of years and plenty of roulettes to really hone in on the kind of stuff I like and at this point any risk you take is your own liability.
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EP Guidelines
Just some things to keep in mind that make a good EP/album:
1. Flow – abrupt cuts or awkward transitions between songs takes me out of the experience and makes your EP sound less like a curated work and more like just a random Spotify playlist.
2. Cohesiveness – I don’t think putting Sigur Ros and Deathspell Omega on the same EP is going to work very well, is all I’m saying. It’s possible to go too far with this, however, thus…
3. Variety – The more each individual song stands out from the rest, the more interesting each song is, the more likely the EP is to do well. Again, it has to be kept cohesive enough to still work but having three songs doing the same thing is probably going to be at the expense of at least one of those songs losing my interest.
Again, none of these will be graded individually, but all of them are factors that will go into how much I like an EP/album overall.
Roulette Grading Scale:
While I do plan to grade individual songs for this roulette, ultimately the scores will not matter as this is a pure elimination roulette and the winners and losers will be determined by which EPs I like the most. None of that stupid garbage where Luke’s EP got fourth in my third roulette even though it was easily my second favorite of the round. I don’t think it’s realistic to mathematically weight EPs and albums like that and haven’t been for the past year of reviewing I’ve done.
0 is “Merzbow”
2.5 is “The Threshold Between Listenable and Unlistenable”
5 is “Completely Average And Unmemorable”
7.5 is “The Threshold Between Good And Great”
10 is “Literally Perfect And You Probably Won’t Get This Score”
Scoring will be done in intervals of 0.25 points.
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Banned List:
NOTE: I cannot promise the thoroughness of this list and I will attempt to update it with any artists I missed. There’s a lot I missed and I know that for a fact.
If you want to ask about one of the orange bands, feel free to. I may allow submissions from them if I don’t already know the song. Any other color is 100% off-limits, either I know them well enough to have a strongly formed opinion or I outright have all their albums already.
Also, I recommend checking my RateYourMusic collection (https://rateyourmusic.com/~Parama). Any artist I've rated 2 or more albums from is banned.
Absu
Actor | Observer
Admiron
Aenaon
Aethereus
Agalloch
Aghora
Akhlys
Alcest
Algiers
Alice in Chains
Alkaloid
Alrakis
Altar of Perversion
Amadeus Awad
Amendfoil
Amenra
Amorphis
Amplifier
Amy Shark
An Abstract Illusion
Anaal Nathrakh
Anabasis
Anathema
Ancestors
Anciients
Animals As Leaders
Antemasque
Aquilus
Arcane Roots
Arcturus
Arjen Lucassen
Ars Magna Umbrae
Art by Numbers
Artificial Language
Aseitas
Astronoid
At the Drive-In
Athiest
Augury
Auriga
Avantasia
Avenged Sevenfold
AVER
Ayreon
Baroness
Barren Earth
Bastille
Being
Ben Levin Group
Bent Knee
Bergraven
Between the Buried and Me
Beyond Creation
Beyond the Bridge
Billie Eilish
Big Big Train
Bing Satellites
Black Crown Initiate
Black Peaks
Black Sabbath
Blindead
Blotted Science
Blut Aus Nord
Blink-182
Bodies of Water
Brain Tentacles
Brand New
Bruce Springsteen
Burial in the Sky
Burst
Burzum
Caladan Brood
Caligula’s Horse
Callisto
Canvas Solaris
Carach Angren
Casualties of Cool
Chaos Divine
Ché Aimee Dorval
Chelsea Wolfe
Chimp Spanner
Chiodos
CHON
CHVRCHES
Cleric
Closure in Moscow
Cloudkicker
Cobalt
Coheed & Cambria
Coldplay
Converge
Cormorant
Corrupt Moral Altar
Counter-World Experience
Crippled Black Phoenix
Crisis
Crone
Cryptodira
Cult of Luna
Cursive
Cynic
Daughter
Daughters
David Bowie
David Maxim Micic
Day Without Dawn
Deafheaven
Death Cab for Cutie
Deathspell Omega
Deep Purple
Deftones
Der Weg einer Freiheit
Destrage
Destiny Potato
Devil Sold His Soul
Devin Townsend
Diablo Swing Orchestra
Dir En Grey
Dire Straits
Dissona
Dodecahedron
Dødheimsgard
Dødsfall
Don Caballero
Dordeduh
Dragonforce
Dreadnought
Dream the Electric Sleep
Dream Theater
Dreamgrave
Dvne
Dysrhythmia
Earth
Earthside
East of the Wall
Edge of Sanity
Eidola
Eight Bells
El Drugstore
Elder
Electro Quarterstaff
Eluvium
Eneferens
Enslaved
Ephel Duath
Equipoise
Eryn Non Dae.
Esben & the Witch
Even the Trees
Ex Eye
Exist
Exivious
Exotic Animal Petting Zoo
Explosions in the Sky
Extremities
Faith No More
Fallujah
Fates Warning
Fen
Flaming Row
Flying Colors
Foo Fighters
A Forest of Stars
Foscor
Fragile Edge
Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects
Frost*
fun.
Future Corpse
Gabriel Kahane
Gaerea
GEoRGiA
Genesis
Giant Squid
Ghost
Glassjaw
Goddess of Fate
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Gojira
Good Tiger
Gordian Knot
Gorguts
Grace Cathedral Park
Graviton
Green Carnation
Gregor Samsa
Grimheart
Guilt Machine
Gunship
Hacride
Haken
Hail Spirit Noir
Hammock
Hannes Grossmann
Headspace
Helrunar
Huntsmen
Hyperomm
Hypno5e
iamthemorning
Icarus the Owl
Ihsahn
Imperial Triumphant
In the Presence of Wolves
In the Woods…
In Vain
Indukti
Ingurgitating Oblivion
Insect Ark
Inter Arma
Intervals
Intronaut
Iron Maiden
Irepress
Irreversible Mechanism
Isis
Ivar Bjørnson & Einar Selvik
Jane's Addiction
Jethro Tull
Jesu
John Zorn
Jolly
Journal
Judas Priest
Julia Holter
Junius
Jute Gyte
Kaddisfly
Kamelot
Karnivool
Kauan
Kayo Dot
Keelhaul
Keep of Kalessin
Khariot
Khemmis
Khonsu
Killer Be Killed
King Crimson
King Goat
King Woman
Krallice
Judas Priest
Lacuna Coil
Le Grand Guignol
Leprous
Lesoir
Letters From the Colony
Levin Minnemann Rudess
Lluvia
Lo!
Lorde
Ludovico Einaudi
Lumnos
M83
Machine Head
Maladie
Mare Cognitum
Mastodon
maudlin of the Well
Megadeth
Megosh
Menace Ruine
Merzbow
Meshuggah
Messa
Metallica
Mew
Midnight Odyssey
Minsk
Mithras
Modest Mouse
Mogwai
Moon Safari
Moonsorrow
Mono
Monolithe
Monotheist
Morbus Chron
Mord’A’Stigmata
More of the Same Old Days
Morrow
Motörhead
Mouth of the Architect
Mr. Bungle
múm
Muse
My Chemical Romance
Nadja
Native Construct
Ne Obliviscaris
Need
Negură Bunget
Nerve End
Neurosis
Neutral Milk Hotel
Night Verses
Nightwish
Nine Inch Nails
Nirvana
Nothing More
A Novelist
Novembre
NUVO
NY in 64
Oak Pantheon
Obscura
Obscure Sphinx
Obsidian Kingdom
Oceans of Slumber
Oceansize
Odd Palace
Oddland
Ólafur Arnalds
Old Man Gloom
Opeth
opul
Oranssi Pazuzu
Orphaned Land
OSI
Our Ceasing Voice
OWEL
Paara
Pain of Salvation
Panegyrist
Panopticon
Pantera
Panzerballett
Parius
Paulson
Pelican
Periphery
Persefone
Phi
Piah Mater
Pijn
Pink Floyd
Planning for Burial
Poly-Math
Porcupine Tree
Portal
Primordial
Progenie Terrestre Pura
Protest the Hero
Pyramids
Quandary
Queen
Queensryche
Radiohead
Rage Against the Machine
Red Sparowes
Redemption
Revocation
Rishloo
Riverside
Rolo Tomassi
Rosetta
Rosk
Royal Coda
Rush
Russian Circles
Saor
Sacrificed Alliance
Scale the Summit
Schammasch
Schizoid Lloyd
Serdce
Seventh Wonder
Shade Empire
Shining
Sia
SIAMES
Sigh
Sigur Rós
SikTh
Skyharbor
Slash
Slayer
Sleep Party People
Sleepers Awake
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum
Slice the Cake
Slint
Slipknot
Slugdge
smallman
Smashing Pumpkins
Snakefeast
So Hideous
Soen
Soldat Hans
Solefald
Sólstafir
Somn
Sonata Arctica
Soundgarden
Speaking to Stones
Spectral Lore
Spires
Spirit Adrift
Spock’s Beard
St. Vincent
Star One
Stellardrone
Steven Wilson
Storm Corrosion
Structural Disorder
Subterranean Masquerade
Sufjan Stevens
Sulphur Aeon
Sunless Dawn
Sunpocrisy
Suspyre
Symphony X
System of a Down
Taylor Swift
Tengil
Teramobil
TesseracT
Tetrafusion
Textures
Thank You Scientist
The Angelic Process
The Antlers
The Beast of Nod
The Beatles
The Clearing Path
The Contortionist
The Dear Hunter
The Dillinger Escape Plan
The Drowned God
The Earth and I
The Faceless
The Fall of Troy
The Flight of Sleipnir
The Gentle Storm
The Great Old Ones
The Hirsch Effekt
The Human Abstract
The Mars Volta
The Ocean
The Ongoing Concept
The Postman Syndrome
The Receiving End of Sirens
The Reticent
The Ruins of Beverast
The Sword
The Thirteenth Sun
The World is Quiet Here
This Will Destroy You
Thomas Giles
Thoughts Factory
Thrice
Thy Catafalque
Toehider
Tool
Toothgrinder
Toska
Transatlantic
Turbid North
Twelve Foot Ninja
Twilight of the Gods
Ulsect
Ultar
Ulver
Uneven Structure
Unexpect
Usurpress
Vanden Plas
Vangough
Vattnet Viskar
Vektor
Venenum
Vennart
Virgil Donati
Voices
Voivod
VOLA
Wheel
White Walls
White Ward
Widek
Wilderun
Wills Dissolve
Wishbone Ash
Wolves in the Throne Room
WuW
Xanthochroid
Yakuza
Yes
Yndi Halda
Zeal and Ardor
Zinnschauer
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Partially Banned List
Only familiar with one album from these artists, have listed such. Feel free to send anything not from the listed album for these artists, but be warned that these are all acts I haven’t particularly been into in the past.
65daysofstatic (One Time For All Time)
A Flourishing Scourge (As Beauty Fades Away)
A F***ing Elephant (Dope Soaked and Wow)
A Perfect Circle (Thirteenth Step)
Adrift for Days (A Sleepless Grey)
Agent Fresco (Destrier)
Airbag (Disconnected)
Alter Bridge (Blackbird)
American Football (S/T 1999)
Anomalie (Visions)
Arcade Fire (Funeral)
Arena (Contagion)
Asunojokei (Awakening)
Be'lakor (Stone’s Reach)
Ben Folds (Whatever and Ever Amen)
Biffy Clyro (Puzzle)
Broods (Evergreen)
Cave In (Jupiter)
Chaos Echoes (Mouvement)
Chthonic (Bu-Tik)
Circles (The Last One)
Circus Maximus (Nine)
Codes in the Clouds (As the Spirit Wanes)
Cønstantine (Esthesia)
Damien Rice (9)
Disillusion (Back to the Times of Splendor)
dredg (El Cielo)
Ensiferum (From Afar)
Fishmans (Long Season)
Foals (Total Life Forever)
Fractal Cypher (Prelude to an Impending Outcome)
Gazpacho (Demon)
Ghost Bath (Starmourner)
Glen Hansard (Rhythm and Repose)
God is an Astronaut ("All Is Violent, All Is Bright")
Goldfrapp (Tales of Us)
Gorod (Æthra)
Gotye (Making Mirrors)
Have a Nice Life (Deathconsciousness)
He Is Legend (It Hates You)
Horrendous (Idol)
Ilúvatar (S/T)
Insomnium (Winter's Gate)
IQ (The Road of Bones)
Jakob (Solace)
Julien Baker (Turn Out The Lights)
Kimbra (Vows)
Kontinuum (No Need to Reason)
Kvelertak (S/T)
Kwoon (When the Flowers Were Singing)
Kyuss (Welcome to Sky Valley)
Low Roar (S/T)
Manchester Orchestra (Simple Math)
Mandroid Echostar (S/T)
Marillion (marbles)
Marketa Irglova (Muna)
Maybeshewill (I Was Here for a Moment, Then I Was Gone)
My Morning Jacket (It Still Moves)
Norma Jean (Wrongdoers)
Nostoc (Ævum)
Oathbreaker (Rheia)
Omnium Gatherum (Beyond)
Ordos (House of the Dead)
Pallbearer (Heartless)
Patrick Watson (Wooden Arms)
Premiata Forneria Marconi (Storia di un minuto)
Psycroptic (As the Kingdom Drowns)
Pure Reason Revolution (The Dark Third)
Purity Ring (Another Eternity)
Pyrrhon (What Passes For Survival)
Respire (Dénouement)
Rodrigo y Gabriela (11:11)
Royal Blood (S/T)
Rx Bandits (...And the Battle Begun)
*Shels (Sea of the Dying Dhow)
Slowdive (Souvlaki)
Soup (Duun)
Stortregn (Emptiness Fills the Void)
Susanne Sundfør (The Silicone Veil)
Swallow the Sun (Songs From the North)
Tangled Thoughts of Leaving (No Tether)
Tegan and Sara (Love You to Death)
The Cure (Disintegration)
The End (Elementary)
The Old Dead Tree (The Water Fields)
The Pineapple Thief (Variations on a Dream)
The Swell Season (S/T)
This Day & Age (The Bell and the Hammer)
Thumpermonkey (Sleep Furiously)
Thy Light (Suici.De.Pression)
Ulcerate (Shrines of Paralysis)
Unwound (Leaves Turn Inside You)
uSSSy (Voyage)
Votum (:KTONIK:)
Voyager (Ghost Mile)
Vuvr (Pilgrimage)
(Waning) (Still Hours)
Wardruna (Runaljod – Ragnarok)
Watain (Trident Wolf Eclipse)
We Made God (It's Getting Colder)
Whispered (Metsutan: Songs of the Void)
Windir (Arntor)
Winterfylleth (The Divination of Antiquity)
Woods of Ypres (Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light)
Zu (Carboniferous)
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Artists Banned During the Roulette:
Any artist who scores 7/10 or above will be added to the banned list.
Any artist sent 3 or more times in the roulette will be added to the banned list.
I may choose to add other artists to the banned list at my discretion.
Round 0:
Phoebe Bridgers
No Doubt
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Existem
Kingcrow
Bon Iver
Arms & Sleepers
Arcane
Pendulum
Breaking Orbit
Silversun Pickups
Cereus
Atoma
Round 1:
Great Leap Skyward
Altar Of Plagues
Angra
Cigarettes After Sex
Bill Callahan
3
Imperium Dekadenz
Foxy Shazam
Novallo
Khors
Post Malone
Anata
Conjurer
Bizali
Frank Ocean
Round 2:[/n]
The Protomen
Kardashev
Better Oblivion Community Center
Borealis
mewithoutYou
Nailed To Obscurity
One I Cinema
Katatonia
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Puppies is automatically eliminated for interrupting my opening posts :corn
@ariich for real though can you delete that post, I have links in my OP anyways but puppies is an ugly dog ruining my aesthetic
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Puppies is automatically eliminated for interrupting my opening posts :corn
@ariich for real though can you delete that post, I have links in my OP anyways but puppies is an ugly dog ruining my aesthetic
I got too excited and posted without thinking if you were going to use more opening posts :sadpanda:
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I do like making EPs but I don't really think I want to make (potentially) four in a row. At least not right now.
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I tried to keep the number of rounds short on purpose because any more rounds and y'all would get burned out too :P
but fair enough
also i forgot to mention it but signups are closing Sunday. I'll accept submissions through the end of Monday, though, to keep my one-week promise.
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I really want to send Darkspace, but it would never work in an EP format. Besides their albums really should be listened to as a whole. Perhaps just check out their Darkspace III album sometime.
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They should probably be on my banned list, actually, since I've listened to a few Darkspace albums and never liked any of them. It's been a while though so maybe I'll revisit them. Ehh.
Mostly I recall the production being kinda crap.
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They should probably be on my banned list, actually, since I've listened to a few Darkspace albums and never liked any of them. It's been a while though so maybe I'll revisit them. Ehh.
Mostly I recall the production being kinda crap.
I wouldn't necessarily call the production crap. The production they have is intentional, but they do have a sort of lo-fi sound to their albums.
-
Since the EPs don't have to have a concept, I'll give it a shot. There's a lot of my favorite stuff that isn't banned. You'll probably hate, but at least you'll hear 3 songs of it. :P
-
@Lethean Voyager isn't banned, but anything off Ghost Mile is, just FYI. I've listened to that album a few times and never cared for it, but I don't want to put them on the banned list for an album I'm only vaguely familiar with.
-
I want to suffer greatly in this roulette.
-
Can't spare the time for this one, too busy enjoying The Hirsch Effekt and Sunless Dawn :neverusethis:
Seriously though, I'll sit this one out.
-
@parama, curious what your take is on clean vocals in languages other than English?
-
It’s tempting to join and I will if you’ll have me, but that banned list is insane and encompasses like everything I would have banned myself as well. I’ll have to look through it bit more thouroughly to check if I actually have things to send.
-
@parama, curious what your take is on clean vocals in languages other than English?
puppies, one of my favorite bands is the hirsch effekt :P
language doesn't tend to matter to me much but a good concept is only gonna work on me in english. soulfully sung vocals transcend language though
and elite, like it says orange bands i wouldn't necessarily consider "fully banned" but i have at least listened to an album from most of them. i'd be surprised if you don't at least have something for me, i haven't heard nearly everything there is to hear y'know :P
-
Crap, you have Midnight Odyssey on your banned list. There goes one idea.... :corn
-
yeah i have shards of silver fade & i'm planning to get the 2011 soon-ish, actually, so they're very banned
-
I might like to join, but I have to look at the banned list and the rules more closely to see if it's even feasible.
-
Although I'm on a dire shortage of time these days, I'd really love to see whether our distance in tastes which worked wonders in my roulette could do the same in yours.
If I can send an EP your way by friday I'm in, deal?
-
I'm def in to send you a Kendrick Lamar EP or something and get banned from future roulettes :metardica:
-
Although I'm on a dire shortage of time these days, I'd really love to see whether our distance in tastes which worked wonders in my roulette could do the same in yours.
If I can send an EP your way by friday I'm in, deal?
i mean, as long as i have it by next monday you're good, yeah :tup
-
I sent something completely out of the ordinary for me and fully expect to get das boot pronto.
-
Yeah all three of those are allowed. Just depends on whether or not we even need a prelim round, only 5 people so far :P
I'm gonna send out "hey this roulette exists" PMs to some people when I get home from work, probably
-
Oh man. Nobody else sign up. Let me torture Parama at least long enough to get Fairyland, Aquaria, Twilight Force, and 3 different Rhapsodies in a single go.
-
I will not sign up because of the too long banned list but even this time I recognized new bands in red I sent in previous roulettes :lol
I remember I sent Down In A Hole from Alice In Chains which got a not so bad score, but I think you did not like at all the rest of the catalogue
-
Maybe I should cut down my banned list some then gosh :P
But then I'd get people sending me songs I'm already familiar with and complaining "but it wasn't on the banned list!!!"
I actually dunno why Alice in Chains is in red, I never checked them out further beyond that roulette but I'd heard a few of their songs in guitar hero
They're not really my kind of band but I don't hate them either, shrug
-
okay shot off a PM to everyone who's ever played in one my roulettes including like a dozen people who aren't even really active here anymore :P
hopefully we can at least fill up the 7 slots, if not i may just turn this into a normal roulette or something i dunnoooo :sadpanda:
also poll
-
I'm in as long as ariich isn't playing! :lol
Voted Nah it's fine.
-
I'm good with the banned list, but that's mostly because I still have a shit ton of music I can send you.
-
I’m in. Let’s do this!
-
I voted that I was fine with the banned list but it's also fine with me if you clean it up. Instead of removing entire bands you could leave those bands on the list but let people know that depending on the song, it might not be banned.
-
yeah i was gonna separate it out into "totally banned" and "partially banned"
-
Or the Pussy List and the Non Pussy List. ;D
-
Most of the banlist is noise so I have tons of options to send. :neverusethis:
-
also i put all the people who were like "ehh maybe" as potential entrants but that list gets cleaned out of whoever doesn't actually send by monday night
only one person has sent so far and if we don't need prelims they might have to resend so we'll see i guess :corn
-
I definitely want to resend if there are no prelims :corn
-
Down!
-
OK, got my new headphones in, I can now put together something for the first round.
-
Sent some extremely pretentious (and possibly really bad) storytelling for the round 1 EP. Yeah I know it didn't have to be a concept EP, but I couldn't help myself. :corn
-
yeah, two prelim-P's in
can the three people i listed as maybe's confirmed whether or not they want to join? right now i still can't be sure if we even need the prelim round, so :lol
maybe i'll run the prelim round anyways even if there are only 7 people and whoever wins gets immunity in the first proper round. dunno
-
Hey I won't be extremely active but surely I can send stuff on time
so yes I'm in!
-
Yes, ill play. At least, for a preliminary round :)
-
Seems you have enough people Parama. I'm taking a break. Thank you.
I also have it on good authority that you'll be receiving an EP from a mystery participant.
-
Yeah I'm going to have to use Spotify for this round, as well.
-
alright yeah we'll need the prelim round with this number of people for sure
-
SENT!
-
I'll try put something together and send it later today.
-
so a few things
1. gonna clean up my banned list and separate into fully banned and partially banned
2. gonna start listening to the submissions I have tonight
still waiting on elite to confirm whether or not he's playing but whoever doesn't send by end of Monday is probably just gonna get dropped from the participants list
-
I like the idea of this but definitely don't have time to do a whole roulette of EPs/concept albums!
-
fair, it's only four rounds of it though!! (Only 3 for you)
-
Ooh I didn't even notice that I get a prelim pass.
You're tempting me...
-
:corn
-
Almost there. I assume "my" monday morning is still on time, innit?
-
still waiting on elite to confirm whether or not he's playing
Playing!!
I have my first EP finished, but want to listen to it some more over the weekend to be sure.
-
by end of Monday is in PST, so that'd be like tuesday morning for you europers
-
Oh what the hell, I'll play, especially as I don't have to do a prelim so have more time to prepare for the first regular round.
-
apparently i have a mystery participant who i henceforth will be referring to as Ghost Malone
also whoops i forgot to clean my banlist yesterday, will do that today
-
reorganized my banned list. working on filling out the partially banned list but it's super boring to do so i got bored and didn't finish it yet
-
Still makes me sad to see Absu on the top of you banned list. I'm going to go listen to Absu now. :)
-
the antlers are better
-
Touché
-
Sent.
-
bless y'all, two of you both sent me songs that specifically tomislav sent in my 2017 roulette from artists i am very not familiar with :lol
i've listened through four of the prelims so far and have two more right now that are accepted. closing signups tonight and everyone's prelim submissions are due by the end of tomorrow
-
Oh just realized that I only have to send 3 songs by 3 different artists instead of an EP :facepalm: . Welp, this makes things easier. Now, go with a heavy selection or a soft one mnnn.
EDIT: Sent some soft tunes.
-
bless y'all, two of you both sent me songs that specifically tomislav sent in my 2017 roulette from artists i am very not familiar with :lol
Crap, I didn't even check what was sent in your old roulette's. I hope I didn't do that. :corn
Edit: Never mind, I just checked and I'm good. Although, Nocturnal Mortem was on my short list for the first round.
-
if you had sent something banned i would have told you :P
-
okay, so I have 9 prelim submissions right now + a 10th person who needs to replace one of their songs. And two people who haven't sent at all. I won't kick the 10th person if they don't resubmit on time since there was an attempt, but the other two need to send within 24 hours or they'll be dropped from the player roster by default.
Gonna try and get through the other prelim submissions I've received tomorrow, shouldn't take me too long since they're all like 15-20 mins each but i just ended up not really having the time today
-
My EP's ready, captain. In open defiance to rule 6, but ready nonetheless!
-
yeah looks like everyone is good
i don't have time to do it right now but hangman will start after i get home from work
-
Let's goooo it feels like I sent mine forever ago :corn
-
D
-
Alright, 36 songs from 12 participants in this first round, so I present... the moment you've all been waiting for...
HANGMANEN: PART 1: PROLOGUE OF THE D
???: ______ - ________
???: ___ ____ - _________
???: _______ - _______ D____
???: _______ - ___ _________
???: _______ - __ _ ________
???: ______ - ______
???: ________ _____ - _________ ____
???: _____ __ ___ _______ - ______
???: _____ ____ - D_____
???: _____ - D__
???: _________ - _ ___________
???: ___d____ __ ______ ______ - ___ ________
???: __d ________ - ________ ____ ____d
???: _________ _______ - _____ ______
???: _____ ______ __d ___ ___ ____ - __ __ ____ ________
???: _dd__ __dd__ - _______
???: _______ _____ - ______d_ ____’____
???: _________ - ___________ D___________
Letters Guessed:
D
TAC waits 3
Also, based on the three songs sent I already have a decent guess as to who Ghost Malone is but it doesn't really matter anyways as long as the music's good.
(Which it may or may not be - haven't listened to that one yet but I will tonight.)
First impressions either tonight or tomorrow night depending on if I get through all the submissions tonight.
-
yo gimme the O
-
A
-
C
-
???: A_ca__ - _____a__
???: _o_ ____ - _o_o_c___
???: _______ - _a_____ D__a_
???: _______ - ___ __c_a____
???: A_____a - O_ a _o___a__
???: C_____ - _ca___
???: ___a____ O____ - Co_c_o__ ____
???: _____ __ ___ _o___o_ - _a___a
???: A____ O___ - Do__a_
???: __c_o - D__
???: _a_a_o__a - A ____o____o_
???: ___d____ __ ______ ____o_ - ___ _o___a__
???: __d ________ - Ac______ _a__ __a_d
???: _________ __c____ - _a__c ____c_
???: _a_o_ ______ a_d ___ ___ ____ - __ __ ____ _a______
???: _dd__ __dd__ - _oc___
???: _a_____ _____ - __o_a_do ____’A__a
???: A_c______ - ___o____a__ Do__________
Letters Guessed:
DOAC
TAC waits 3
romdrums waits 2
Katt waits 1
i'm probably gonna put the rule in place that only three guesses between updates will be allowed because i don't feel like being here all day :corn
-
T
-
N
i don't feel like being here all day :corn
Yes you do :biggrin:
-
E
-
???: A_can_ - _____a__
???: _on ____ - _o_o_c_n_
???: _______ - _a___nt D__a_
???: ____t__ - T__ __c_a____
???: Alithia - On a Mountain
???: C_____ - _ca___
???: ___a__n_ O___t - Conc_o__ ____
???: ___n_ __ t__ _o___on - _ant_a
???: A_n__ O___ - Do__an
Kattelox: Tycho - Dye
???: Katatonia - A ____on_t_on
???: __nd____ _t _t___n ____on - T__ _o_nta_n
???: __d _______n - Ac______ _a_t _tand
???: ________n __c____ - _an_c ___tc_
???: _a_on ______ and t__ ___ _n_t - __ __ ____ _a______
???: _dd__ __dd__ - _oc__t_
???: _a___n_ __nt_ - N_otando n___’A__a
???: A_c______ - _n_o__nta__ Do______n___
Letters Guessed:
DOACTN
Puppies waits 3
Dacul waits 2
TAC still waits 1
Through 8 of the 12 now, taking a break before the last 4 :corn
I want to preface right now that I'm incorporating a vague ratings system into the first impressions & will be tallying the ratings I give to each song; the scale is:
BAD
MEDIOCRE
AVERAGE
DECENT
GOOD
GREAT
i could probably distinguish between "BAD" and "AWFUL" but if I ever have any reason to do that it's probably a rule 6 scenario, so I suggest not making me do so :P
Thus far the full scale has been used :corn
-
E
-
TAC still waits 1
-
TAC still waits 1
I'm going to bed in 5 minutes!
I expect to see an E in the morning! :lol
-
Tycho
Katatonia
-
Updated above, as I will be for artist/song/sender guesses unless there's like, a lot of them between posts
-
Katt sent Tycho
-
On A Mountain
No clue on the band
-
On A Mountain
No clue on the band
Alithia perhaps
-
Wheres my E??
-
Katt sent Tycho
Song is Dye
-
all correct except TAC doesn't get his E
-
E :hat
-
Kattelox:
Tycho - Dye
???: Arcane - Selfsame
???: _on __e_ - _o_o_cene
???: _______ - _a__ent D_ea_
???: E___te_ - T_e _ec_a__e_
???: Alithia - On a Mountain
???: Ce_e__ - _ca___
???: __ea__n_ O___t - Conc_o__ _e__
???: Bring Me the Horizon - _ant_a
???: A_ne_ O_e_ - Do__an
???: Katatonia - A Premonition
???: _end____ _t _te_en ____on - T_e _o_nta_n
???: Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
???: ____e___n __c____ - _an_c ___tc_
???: _a_on ___e__ and t_e ___ _n_t - __ _e _e_e _a____e_
???: Eddie Vedder - _oc_et_
Indiscipline: _a__ene __nt_ - N_otando ne__’A__a
???: A_c_____e - _n_o__nta__ Do__e___n_e_
Letters Guessed:
DOACTNE
romdrums waits 3
Puppies waits 2
Dacul waits 1
-
Arcane-Selfsame
-
Led Zeppelin-Achilles Last Stand
-
A Premonition
Eddie Vedder
-
How is Led Zeppelin not banned?
-
I suspect it's because I'm only really familiar with a handful of zeppelin tunes as I never really listened to them much
-
There's a lot of classic rock bands missing on his banned list.
-
The Mountain
-
There's a lot of classic rock bands missing on his banned list.
Honestly the only two classic rock bands my parents played a lot were the Beatles and, for whatever reason, the Steve Miller band. And I haven't though about the latter much in like, 15+ years at least, lol
Also @ TAC not quite
-
Willing to bet the second to last song is Indisciplines :corn
-
How could you tell :neverusethis:
-
Is Eddie Vedder...Indiscipline?
-
L
-
Willing to bet the second to last song is Indisciplines :corn
How the fock did you manage to guess that?
And I mean my song's ranking, of course.
-
Bring Me The Horizon :corn
-
Willing to bet the second to last song is Indisciplines :corn
How the fock did you manage to guess that?
And I mean my song's ranking, of course.
Heard it from a very reliable source :biggrin:
-
Bring Me The Horizon :corn
This is correct. Indiscipline did not send Eddie.
I'll update letters when I get home, can't really do it at work
-
Bring Me The Horizon :corn
This is correct.
Oh boy
:corn :corn :corn
-
Kattelox:
Tycho - Dye
???: Arcane - Selfsame
???: _on __e_ - _olo_cene
???: _l_____ - _a__ent D_ea_
???: E___te_ - T_e _ecla__e_
???: Alithia - On a Mountain
???: Ce_e__ - _ca___
???: __ea__n_ O___t - Conc_o__ _el_
???: Bring Me the Horizon - _ant_a
???: A_ne_ O_el - Do__an
???: Katatonia - A Premonition
???: _end_l__ _t _te_en __l_on - T_e _o_nta_n
???: Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
???: __l_e___n __c____ - _an_c ___tc_
???: _a_on ___ell and t_e ___ _n_t - __ _e _e_e _a____e_
???: Eddie Vedder - _oc_et_
Indiscipline: _a_lene __nt_ - N_otando nell’A__a
???: A_c_____e - _n_ol_nta__ Do__el__n_e_
Letters Guessed:
DOACTNEL
TAC waits 3
romdrums waits 2
Puppies waits 1
-
First Impressions:
The strength of the last song here is likely going to be enough to carry you through to the next round by itself, most likely. I do see potential for the other songs here to click on relistens, though.
I think my big issue here is that, while all these sound fine enough, this is a type of sound that’s only really going to work with me if the songs resonate emotionally and I don’t get the feeling any of these will for me.
I had pretty high expectations for your submission and I can safely say I was not disappointed.
One song that kind of irritated me, two songs that were solid enough but didn’t really do much to stand out for me.
I’m not versed enough in the weird types of music you like to really properly say if these all go together well but they all seem to be going for a different kind of aesthetic.
I don’t know if any of these songs are likely to leave an especially huge impact but it’s absolutely the kind of music I’m all for hearing more of.
I don’t expect this to end up one of my favorite EPs but I also don’t expect something like this to be unpleasant to listen to repeatedly, either.
In regards as to this working as an EP you pretty much hit the nail on the head, it’s just a shame none of the songs really stand out.
More than anything, I see this EP as a collection of songs that are all potential growers seeing as all three of them have landed in the same tier for me on first listen.
This feels like the most straight-up average EP of the entire bunch and I’m struggling to have anything else to say about it.
On the strength of the songs alone though it’s still a pretty decent listen regardless, even if they don’t form a cohesive whole.
This is kind of a weird impression because I neither really loved nor hated anything on this one, and I was expecting at least some of this to fall into one end or the other of that spectrum, but no, it’s all just pretty okay.
Note that these are all for the EPs, not any individual songs. I did do first impressions for all the songs but, again, there are 36 of them.
Speaking of those songs!
GREAT - 2
GOOD - 8
DECENT - 16
AVERAGE - 8
MEDIOCRE - 1
BAD - 1
This is about the distribution you'd expect when songs are sent specifically to try and match to my tastes; not a lot I disliked here, but less than a third of the songs that made a really positive first impression. There is one EP that has no songs that scored worse than GOOD though, I will say that much.
-
Yeah, all of those could be mine I guess.
-
I think my big issue here is that, while all these sound fine enough, this is a type of sound that’s only really going to work with me if the songs resonate emotionally and I don’t get the feeling any of these will for me.
I’m not versed enough in the weird types of music you like to really properly say if these all go together well but they all seem to be going for a different kind of aesthetic.
I don’t know if any of these songs are likely to leave an especially huge impact but it’s absolutely the kind of music I’m all for hearing more of.
Mine are most likely the first two, but I hope it's the third one.
Also gimme the R.
-
First Impressions:
I think my big issue here is that, while all these sound fine enough, this is a type of sound that’s only really going to work with me if the songs resonate emotionally and I don’t get the feeling any of these will for me.
One song that kind of irritated me, two songs that were solid enough but didn’t really do much to stand out for me.
I’m not versed enough in the weird types of music you like to really properly say if these all go together well but they all seem to be going for a different kind of aesthetic.
In regards as to this working as an EP you pretty much hit the nail on the head, it’s just a shame none of the songs really stand out.
This feels like the most straight-up average EP of the entire bunch and I’m struggling to have anything else to say about it.
This is kind of a weird impression because I neither really loved nor hated anything on this one, and I was expecting at least some of this to fall into one end or the other of that spectrum, but no, it’s all just pretty okay.
This is about what I was expecting. Most likely one of the last 2....
-
Kattelox:
Tycho - Dye
???: Arcane - Selfsame
???: Bon Iver - Holoscene
???: _l_____ - _a__ent Dream
???: E___te_ - T_e Recla__er
???: Alithia - On a Mountain
???: Cere__ - _car__
???: _rea__n_ Or__t - Conc_o__ _el_
???: Bring Me the Horizon - _antra
???: Agnes Obel - Dorian
???: Katatonia - A Premonition
???: _end_l__ _t _te_en __l_on - T_e _o_nta_n
???: Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
???: __l_er__n __c____ - _an_c ___tc_
???: _a_on ___ell and t_e ___ _n_t - __ _e _ere _a___re_
???: Eddie Vedder - _oc_et_
Indiscipline: _arlene __nt_ - N_otando nell’Ar_a
???: Archspire - Involuntary Do__el__n_er
Letters Guessed:
DOACTNELR
Dacul waits 3
TAC waits 2
romdrums waits 1
-
Bon Iver - Holocene
-
well, close enough
i'm gonna put up hangmanen part 2 tomorrow night, the way i plan to do it is that any letter guesses made will affect both hangman parts if the letter guessed wasn't already guessed in the first one, otherwise it will only affect part 2. and so on when part 3 (the EP titles) is added. there's a few EPs that aren't really titled though so that part is gonna be weird :P
-
I thought the song was called Holocene. Weird
I see something that looks like Nascent Dream.
-
Dream is right but Nascent is not. C is already guessed, anyways :P
-
Agnes Obel - Dorian
Archspire - Involuntary something
-
Agnes Obel - Dorian
Archspire - Involuntary something
Interesting, someone sent Archspire. I considered them for like a split second. I think they may end up being too overly technical for Parama's tastes, but what do I know? :corn I'm sure all my songs got a "meh" from him :biggrin:
-
if there's one thing i will give away about your songs:
there's definitely three of them
-
Indeed
Oh and that's Involuntary Doppelgänger
Existem - The Reclaimer
Did someone send Rings of Saturn along with Archspire?
-
Did someone send Rings of Saturn along with Archspire?
I feel so sorry for Parama for having to listen to Archspire
-
Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
-
Pendulum
EDIT: sniped :lol
-
I thought the song was called Holocene. Weird
It is. Never would've thought to send that to Parama either.
-
GREAT - 2
GOOD - 8
DECENT - 16
AVERAGE - 8
MEDIOCRE - 1
BAD - 1
Hold on a sec ... math may not be my strongest suit, but the above quote means I must have sent at least one AVERAGE song.
I already have my victory.
-
S
-
M
-
Kattelox:
Tycho - Dye
Slushii - Sapient Dream
???: Arcane - Selfsame
???: Bon Iver - Holocene
???: Existem - The Reclaimer
???: Alithia - On a Mountain
???: Cere_s - _car_s
???: Breaking Orbit - Conscious Self
???: Bring Me the Horizon - Mantra
???: Agnes Obel - Dorian
???: Katatonia - A Premonition
???: Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
???: Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
???: Silversun Pickups - _an_c S__tc_
???: _ason _s_ell and t_e ___ _n_t - __ _e _ere _am__res
???: Eddie Vedder - Soc_et_
Indiscipline: Marlene __nt_ - N_otando nell’Ar_a
???: Archspire - Involuntary Doppelganger
Letters Guessed:
DOACTNELR
romdrums waits 3
TAC waits 2
Dacul waits 1
y'all didn't wait long enough but nobody was guessing anyways so whatever
-
Slushii - Sapient Dream sent by Kat. I love that song!
Did Kat also send Alithia?
-
Silversun Pickups
-
Katt did not send Alithia.
-
Slushii - Sapient Dream sent by Kat. I love that song!
:tup So chill!
I see Breaking Orbit - Conscious Self.
-
Kattelox:
Tycho - Dye
Slushii - Sapient Dream
Part 1
???: Arcane - Selfsame
???: Bon Iver - Holocene
???: Existem - The Reclaimer
???: Alithia - On a Mountain
???: Cere_s - _car_s
???: Breaking Orbit - Conscious Self
???: Bring Me the Horizon - Mantra
???: Agnes Obel - Dorian
???: Katatonia - A Premonition
???: Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
???: Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
???: Silversun Pickups - _an_c S__tc_
???: _ason _s_ell and t_e ___ _n_t - __ _e _ere _am__res
???: Eddie Vedder - Soc_et_
Indiscipline: Marlene __nt_ - N_otando nell’Ar_a
???: Archspire - Involuntary Doppelganger
Part 2
???: ____ ___ ____ - ___ ____ __ _______
???: ________ - ________ __ ___ ____
???: _______ - _______ __ ___
???: ____ & ________ - __________ _____
???: ____ _______ - ___ _____ _________
???: __________ - ___ __ ____
???: _______ ___ _________ - __________
???: _________ - _____ ___ _____
???: _____ _______ - _____ __ ___ ___
???: __ _____ - ______ _______
???: ___ - ________
???: ____ ____ ______ - ______ ___ _____
???: _______ - __ ______
???: ____ ______ - ___ __ ___ _____?
???: ______ ________ - _______
???: ________ - __________
???: _____ - ________
???: _______ - ______ _____
Letters Guessed:
hangladesh
-
Trainy sent Pendulum
-
T on the bottom
-
Kattelox:
Tycho - Dye
Slushii - Sapient Dream
Lethean:
Katatonia - A Premonition
home:
Bon Iver - Holocene
Ghost Malone:
Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
Part 1
???: Arcane - Selfsame
???: Existem - The Reclaimer
???: Alithia - On a Mountain
???: Cere_s - _car_s
???: Breaking Orbit - Conscious Self
???: Bring Me the Horizon - Mantra
???: Agnes Obel - Dorian
???: Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
???: Silversun Pickups - _an_c S__tc_
???: _ason _s_ell and t_e ___ _n_t - __ _e _ere _am__res
???: Eddie Vedder - Society
Indiscipline: Marlene __nt_ - N_otando nell’Ar_a
???: Archspire - Involuntary Doppelganger
Part 2
???: ____ t__ ____ - ___ ____ __ _______
???: ________ - _____t__ __ t__ ____
???: _______ - _______ __ ___
???: ____ & ________ - T___t_____ _____
???: ____ _____tt - T__ ____t _________
???: _t________ - ___ t_ ____
???: _______ ___ _________ - __t_____t_
???: T________ - ____t ___ _____
???: _____ _______ - _____ __ t__ ___
???: __ ____t - T_____ _______
???: ___ - ___t___t
???: ____ __t_ ______ - ______ ___ ___t_
???: _______ - _t ______
???: ____ ______ - ___ __ ___ _____?
???: ______ ________ - _______
???: ________ - ______t___
???: _t___ - _______t
???: _______ - ______ _____
Letters Guessed: T
TAC waits 3
@dacul nope
-
A
-
TAC waits 3
if you keep doing that i'm gonna reveal exclusively just your songs so everyone can see you and shame you :P
-
Eddie Vedder -
we live in a Society. puppies?
ariich sent Agnes Obel. Lethean sent Katatonia. home sent Bon Iver.
-
TAC waits 3
if you keep doing that i'm gonna reveal exclusively just your songs so everyone can see you and shame you :P
I was guessing for Ghost Malone! :P :P
-
ariich is exempt from this round as the winner of my last roulette
puppies didn't send eddie
everything else is right
@TAC if ghost malone wants to guess he can come in the thread and guess himself
-
But he's a ghost..
-
Led Zeppelin = Ghost Malone?
-
First Impressions:
The strength of the last song here is likely going to be enough to carry you through to the next round by itself, most likely. I do see potential for the other songs here to click on relistens, though.
My last song is awesome ;D, so this could be mine..
-
Apparently I'm the only one picking letters.
Vannama, maybe just give us the RSTLN and E.
-
Not so fast, gimme the N in part 2. and results
-
Kattelox:
Tycho - Dye
Slushii - Sapient Dream
Lethean:
Katatonia - A Premonition
home:
Bon Iver - Holocene
Ghost Malone:
Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
Part 1
???: Arcane - Selfsame
???: Existem - The Reclaimer
???: Alithia - On a Mountain
???: Cere_s - _car_s
???: Breaking Orbit - Conscious Self
???: Bring Me the Horizon - Mantra
???: Agnes Obel - Dorian
???: Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
???: Silversun Pickups - _an_c S__tc_
???: _ason _s_ell and t_e ___ _n_t - __ _e _ere _am__res
???: Eddie Vedder - Society
Indiscipline: Marlene __nt_ - N_otando nell’Ar_a
???: Archspire - Involuntary Doppelganger
Part 2
???: ____ t__ __n_ - ___ _n__ _n ____n__
???: __n_____ - _____t__ __ t__ ___n
???: _______ - _____n_ __ ___
???: ____ & ________ - T__nt_n_n_ _____
???: ___n _____tt - T__ ____t _________
???: _t________ - ___ t_ ____
???: ____n__ _n_ _________ - __t_____t_
???: T________ - ____t _n_ _____
???: __n__ _______ - __n__ __ t__ ___
???: N_ ____t - T_____ __n____
???: ___ - ___t___t
???: ____ __t_ __n___ - ______ ___ ___t_
???: _______ - _t ____n_
???: ___n __nn_n - ___ __ ___ _____?
???: ______ ________ - __n____
???: __n_____ - ______t__n
???: _t___ - _______t
???: _n_____ - ____n_ _____
Letters Guessed: TN
Katt waits 3
TAC waits 2
I think y'all missed the part where I said you aren't guessing for individual parts, if you guess a letter that hasn't already been guessed in part 1 I'll give it to you in both parts, you don't have to specify which part you're guessing for :P
also as i outlined in my original post, results may take up to two weeks. i expect i'll have them done before then but i might do a gradual reveal just for the suspense factor :corn
i'm busier next week than i am this week but i should still have plenty of time to get listens in regardless
-
U
-
Cereus-Icarus
-
Someone sent No Doubt? Bold strategy.
-
Kattelox:
Tycho - Dye
Slushii - Sapient Dream
Lethean:
Katatonia - A Premonition
home:
Bon Iver - Holocene
Ghost Malone:
Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
Part 1
???: Arcane - Selfsame
???: Existem - The Reclaimer
???: Alithia - On a Mountain
???: Cereus - _carus
???: Breaking Orbit - Conscious Self
???: Bring Me the Horizon - Mantra
???: Agnes Obel - Dorian
???: Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
???: Silversun Pickups - _an_c S__tc_
???: _ason _s_ell and t_e ___ Un_t - __ _e _ere _am__res
???: Eddie Vedder - Society
Indiscipline: Marlene _unt_ - Nuotando nell’Ar_a
???: Archspire - Involuntary Doppelganger
Part 2
???: ____ t__ _un_ - ___ _n__ _n ____n__
???: __n_____ - __u__t__ __ t__ ___n
???: _______ - _____n_ __ ___
???: ____ & ________ - T__nt_n_n_ _____
???: ___n _____tt - T__ ____t _________
???: _t________ - ___ t_ ____
???: ____n__ _n_ ______u__ - __t_____t_
???: T________ - ____t _n_ _____
???: __n__ _______ - __n__ __ t__ ___
???: No Doubt - T_____ __n____
???: ___ - ___t___t
???: ____ _ut_ _un___ - ______ ___ ___t_
???: _______ - _t ____n_
???: ___n __nn_n - ___ __ __u _____?
???: ______ ________ - _un____
???: __n_____ - ______t__n
???: _t___ - _______t
???: _n___u_ - ____n_ _____
Letters Guessed: TNU
romdrums waits 3
Katt waits 2
TAC waits 1
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Someone sent No Doubt? Bold strategy.
While I do like some of their older stuff, this is an interesting choice for Parama. Depending on how well this song does, I may have an idea for a later round.
-
Wait. What is a Ghost Malone?
Also give me R
-
Kattelox:
Tycho - Dye
Slushii - Sapient Dream
Lethean:
Katatonia - A Premonition
home:
Bon Iver - Holocene
Ghost Malone:
Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
Part 1
???: Arcane - Selfsame
???: Existem - The Reclaimer
???: Alithia - On a Mountain
???: Cereus - Icarus
???: Breaking Orbit - Conscious Self
???: Bring Me the Horizon - Mantra
???: Agnes Obel - Dorian
???: Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
???: Silversun Pickups - _an_c S__tc_
???: _ason _s_ell and t_e ___ Un_t - __ _e _ere _am__res
???: Eddie Vedder - Society
Indiscipline: Marlene _unt_ - Nuotando nell’Ar_a
???: Archspire - Involuntary Doppelganger
Part 2
???: __r_ t__ _un_ - ___ _n__ _n ____n__
???: __n_____ - __u__t_r __ t__ ___n
???: ______r - _____n_ __ ___
???: _r__ & ______r_ - T__nt_n_n_ _____
???: ___n _____tt - T__ _r__t _______r_
???: _t_r_____r - ___ t_ ____
???: ____n__ _n_ ______ur_ - __t_r__rt_
???: T__r_____ - ____t _n_ _____
???: __n__ __r____ - __n__ __ t__ ___
???: No Doubt - Tr____ __n____
???: ___ - __rtr__t
???: ____ Rut_ Run___ - __r___ __r ___t_
???: _______ - _t ____n_
???: ___n __nn_n - ___ __ __u _____?
???: ______ _r____r_ - _un_r__
???: __n__r__ - ______t__n
???: _t___ - _______t
???: _n__ru_ - ____n_ R____
Letters Guessed: TNUR
Elite waits 3
romdrums waits 2
Katt waits 1
ghost malone is the name i gave a mystery participant TAC is sending for
speaking of, TAC, you can guess again :P
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Emma Ruth Rundle
-
A
-
Dark the Suns. Interesting...
-
Ghost Malone, Chad Malone?
-
John Lennon - How Do You Sleep?
and a song called ‘Portrait’ ?
-
E
-
Silversun Pickups song is Panic Switch
-
Kattelox:
Tycho - Dye
Slushii - Sapient Dream
Lethean:
Katatonia - A Premonition
home:
Bon Iver - Holocene
Ghost Malone:
Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
Part 1
???: Arcane - Selfsame
???: Existem - The Reclaimer
???: Alithia - On a Mountain
???: Cereus - Icarus
???: Breaking Orbit - Conscious Self
???: Bring Me the Horizon - Mantra
???: Agnes Obel - Dorian
???: Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
???: Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch
???: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - If We Were Vampires
???: Eddie Vedder - Society
Indiscipline: Marlene _unt_ - Nuotando nell’Ar_a
???: Archspire - Involuntary Doppelganger
Part 2
???: Dark the Suns - A__ En__ _n ___en_e
???: _anahe__ - _au_hter __ the _a_n
???: ___a_er - _ea__n_ __ A_e
???: Ar__ & _ee__er_ - T_ent_n_ne _a___
???: __en _a__ett - The _reat E__e_here
???: _tar_a___r - _a_ t_ _a__
???: _a_an_e an_ ______ure - A_ter_art_
???: Thre_h___ - ___ht an_ __a_e
???: __n_a _erha__ - __n__ __ the ___
???: No Doubt - Tra___ __n____
???: ___ - Portrait
???: Emma Ruth Rundle - _ar_e_ __r _eath
???: __e____ - _t _e__n_
???: John Lennon - How Do You Sleep?
???: _h_e_e _r___er_ - _unera_
???: __n__r__ - _h_e_eth_n
???: At__a - ______ht
???: _n_eru_ - _e__n_ Rea_h
Letters Guessed: TNURAEH
romdrums waits 3
TAC waits 2
Bolsters waits 1
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Jason Isbel and the 400 Unit- If We Were Vampires
-
H
-
Updated above.
-
I I cap'n
-
Arms & Sleepers-Twentynine Palms
-
Threshold - Light and Space
-
Threshold - Light and Space
Awesome tune!
-
Emma Ruth Rundle: Marked for Death
song is Funeral, no idea who the artist is.
-
Kattelox:
Tycho - Dye
Slushii - Sapient Dream
Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
Lethean:
Threshold - Light and Space
Katatonia - A Premonition
home:
Agnes Obel - Dorian
Bon Iver - Holocene
Ghost Malone:
Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
Elite:
Inferum - Beyond Reach
Vanaheim - Daughter of the Dawn
Puppies:
Arcane - Selfsame
Part 1
???: Existem - The Reclaimer
???: Alithia - On a Mountain
???: Cereus - Icarus
???: Breaking Orbit - Conscious Self
???: Bring Me the Horizon - Mantra
???: Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch
???: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - If We Were Vampires
???: Eddie Vedder - Society
Indiscipline: Marlene _unt_ - Nuotando nell’Aria
???: Archspire - Involuntary Doppelganger
Part 2
???: Dark the Suns - All Ends in Silence
???: ___a_er - _ea__n_ __ A_e
???: Arms & Sleepers - Twentynine Palms
???: __en _a__ett - The Great Elsewhere
???: _tar_ai__r - _a_ t_ _a__
???: _a_an_e an_ ______ure - A_ter_art_
???: _in_a _erha__ - _in__ __ the ___
???: No Doubt - Tra_i_ _in____
???: ___ - Portrait
???: Emma Ruth Rundle - Marked for Death
???: I_e_i__ - It _e_in_
???: John Lennon - How Do You Sleep?
???: _h_e_e _ri__er_ - Funeral
???: _in__r__ - _h_e_eth_n
???: At__a - ____i_ht
Letters Guessed: TNURAEHI
Katt waits 3
romdrums waits 2
TAC waits 1
-
Lethean totally sent Threshold
-
home sent Agnes Obel?
-
yes @ both, updated above
-
Dark the Suns: All Ends in Silence
The Great Elsewhere
Beyond Reach
Daughter of the Dawn?
-
Yep @ all those :tup
C'mon start putting some of these songs to names there's a lot of clean up still to do :metal
-
You won't let me pick any letters and since no one else is, my turn will never come up! ;D
-
You're still allowed to guess who sent what :P
-
Vanaheim - Daughter of the Dawn sent by Elite
And let me see the S
-
Yes
I'll give the S after work, don't have the full song list available atm
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No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom sent by Ariich ??? maybe
-
Ariich continues to not be participating in this round
-
did I send The Fountain ft. Stevie Wilsons
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Inferum sent by TAC
-
did I send The Fountain ft. Stevie Wilsons
How did you know
I actually don't remember who sent Inferum btw lol
-
It wasn't TAC.
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Dogs on LSD sent Arena - Selfsame?
-
Dogs on LSD sent Arena - Selfsame?
No, but I did send Arcane - Selfsame :biggrin:
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You're still allowed to guess who sent what :P
I have literally no idea..
-
Dogs on LSD sent Arena - Selfsame?
No, but I did send Arcane - Selfsame :biggrin:
:facepalm:
-
Puppies sent Silversun Pickups.
Owen Pallett- The Great Elsewhere
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Puppies sent Silversun Pickups.
They were on my Short-list, but no.
-
Puppies has also correctly guessed what he sent
Thanks TAC for not sending Inferum I mean telling me you didn't send Inferum yeah that one
-
did I send The Fountain ft. Stevie Wilsons
I totally forgot Steven Wilson collaborated with Pendulum on this song. Haven't listened to this album since it came out.
-
Vanaheim - Daughter of the Dawn sent by Elite
The only song I sent that scored well in your first roulette :lol
-
did I send The Fountain ft. Stevie Wilsons
I totally forgot Steven Wilson collaborated with Pendulum on this song. Haven't listened to this album since it came out.
That's an amazing album! The Fountain used to be my least favourite on it but I love it now :lol
Dacul send The Dountain?
Just on the basis that it's a fairly small Dutch band that doesn't make millennials music :corn, I will guess Elite sent Inferum
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Katt sent The Dountain like he said :P
Elite did send Inferum, just checked my PMs to make sure
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Train of NOT :neverusethis:
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Kattelox:
Tycho - Dye
Slushii - Sapient Dream
Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
Lethean:
Threshold - Light and Space
Katatonia - A Premonition
home:
Agnes Obel - Dorian
Bon Iver - Holocene
Ghost Malone:
Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
Elite:
Inferum - Beyond Reach
Vanaheim - Daughter of the Dawn
Puppies:
Arcane - Selfsame
Indiscipline:
Marlene Kuntz - Nuotando nell’Aria
Part 1
???: Existem - The Reclaimer
???: Alithia - On a Mountain
???: Cereus - Icarus
???: Breaking Orbit - Conscious Self
???: Bring Me the Horizon - Mantra
???: Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch
???: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - If We Were Vampires
???: Eddie Vedder - Society
???: Archspire - Involuntary Doppelganger
Part 2
???: Dark the Suns - All Ends in Silence
???: Voyager - Seasons of Age
???: Arms & Sleepers - Twentynine Palms
???: Owen Palett - The Great Elsewhere
???: Starsailor - Way to Fall
???: _a_an_e an_ _____sure - A_ter_art_
???: Linda Perhacs - Winds of the Sky
???: No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom
???: DGM - Portrait
???: Emma Ruth Rundle - Marked for Death
???: Icefish - It Begins
???: John Lennon - How Do You Sleep?
???: _h_e_e _ri__ers - Funeral
???: Kingcrow - Phlegethon
???: At__a - S___i_ht
Letters Guessed: TNURAEHIS
Puppies waits 3
Katt waits 2
romdrums waits 1
okay this should be updated with all the guesses + new letter now
this is prime hangmanen hours, boys
-
Starsailor-Map to Mars
Kingcrow-Phlegethon
-
Linda Perhacs-Winds of the Sky
Voyager-Seasons of Age
Icefish-it Begins
DGM-Portrait
-
Marlene Kuntz
-
all correct except the starsailor song
-
all correct except the starsailor song
Way to Fall
-
Ghost Malone is No Doubt and Alithia
John Lennon is Indiscipline
Voyager is Evermind
DGM is Lethean
Give me an L
-
Kattelox:
Tycho - Dye
Slushii - Sapient Dream
Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
Lethean:
Threshold - Light and Space
Katatonia - A Premonition
Kingcrow - Phlegethon
home:
Agnes Obel - Dorian
Emma Ruth Rundle - Marked for Death
Bon Iver - Holocene
Ghost Malone:
Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
Alithia - On a Mountain
No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom
Elite:
Inferum - Beyond Reach
Vanaheim - Daughter of the Dawn
Archspire - Involuntary Doppelganger
Puppies:
Arcane - Selfsame
Breaking Orbit - Conscious Self
Indiscipline:
John Lennon - How Do You Sleep?
Marlene Kuntz - Nuotando nell’Aria
romdrums:
Icefish - It Begins
DGM - Portrait
Voyager - Seasons of Age
TAC:
Cereus - Icarus
Existem - The Reclaimer
Dark the Suns - All Ends in Silence
Dacul:
Linda Perhacs - Winds of the Sky
Arms & Sleepers - Twentynine Palms
Owen Palett - The Great Elsewhere
Train of Naught:
Bring Me the Horizon - Mantra
Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch
Part 1
???: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - If We Were Vampires
???: Eddie Vedder - Society
Part 2
???: Starsailor - Way to Fall
???: Balance and Composure - A_ter_art_
???: Phoebe Bridgers - Funeral
???: At__a - S__li_ht
Letters Guessed: TNURAEHISL
TAC waits 3
Puppies waits 2
Katt waits 1
probably bad form to guess the songs of the person you're sending for but what do i know :P
Evermind isn't in this roulette, Lethean did not send DGM
-
probably bad form to guess the songs of the person you're sending for but what do i know :P
They weren't guesses! :P :P
Just trying to clear things up a bit.
-
Balance and Composure?
-
Breaking Orbit is Puppies
-
Balance and Composure?
Did my wife send that? :corn
-
Lethean sent Voyager Seasons of Age and I'm super happy about that 'cause that is an amazing song :2metal:
-
Lethean did not send Voyager :metal
-
Of course he didn't. He sent Kingcrow!
-
Romdrums sent Icefish and Voyager and DGM
Home sent Emma Ruth Rundle
TAC sent Existem, Cereus, and Dark the Suns
-
TAC sent Existem
Each time I saw this band on the hangmanen I thought it said Eminem :lol
-
all of puppies guesses are right
-
Phoebe Bridgers
Sacul sent Linda Perhacs, Owen Palett, and Jason Isbell Arms and Sleepers
Train sent Archspire, Bring me the Horizon and Silversun Pickups
-
all of puppies guesses are right
except archspire
i should do a new post but nobody is guessing letters anyways
-
all of puppies guesses are right
except archspire
i should do a new post but nobody is guessing letters anyways
And what about Silversun pickups?
So did Elite send Archspire?
-
you edited your post while i was updating
and yes
-
Yeah, Ghost Malone is jingly.chad
-
Balance and Composure?
Did my wife send that? :corn
:corn
-
i should do a new post but nobody is guessing letters anyways
I would guess but I'm stuck in traffic.
-
Balance and Composure-Afterparty
Is there an M?
-
G
-
Last song is Skylight, no idea on the band.
-
Last song is Skylight, no idea on the band.
Atoma
-
Kattelox:
Tycho - Dye
Slushii - Sapient Dream
Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
Lethean:
Threshold - Light and Space
Katatonia - A Premonition
Kingcrow - Phlegethon
home:
Agnes Obel - Dorian
Emma Ruth Rundle - Marked for Death
Bon Iver - Holocene
Ghost Malone:
Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
Alithia - On a Mountain
No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom
Elite:
Inferum - Beyond Reach
Vanaheim - Daughter of the Dawn
Archspire - Involuntary Doppelganger
Puppies:
Arcane - Selfsame
Atoma - Skylight
Breaking Orbit - Conscious Self
Indiscipline:
John Lennon - How Do You Sleep?
Marlene Kuntz - Nuotando nell’Aria
Starsailor - Way to Fall
romdrums:
Icefish - It Begins
DGM - Portrait
Voyager - Seasons of Age
TAC:
Cereus - Icarus
Existem - The Reclaimer
Dark the Suns - All Ends in Silence
Dacul:
Linda Perhacs - Winds of the Sky
Arms & Sleepers - Twentynine Palms
Owen Palett - The Great Elsewhere
Train of Naught:
Balance and Composure - Afterparty
Bring Me the Horizon - Mantra
Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch
Seneca:
Eddie Vedder - Society
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - If We Were Vampires
Phoebe Bridgers - Funeral
I'll put up part 3 tonight if the forum doesn't crash again
-
Did Indi send Jason?
-
No sir
There's one EP that still doesn't have any song guessed, too :corn
-
seneca sent Eddie Vedder, Jason Isbell, and Phoebe Bridgers???
-
Yes, and in that order even :tup
-
God damn I'm good. :hat
Puppies sent AtomA. Indi sent Starsailor, and Train sent Balance and Composure. Yes??
-
Done it
-
Lethean did not send Voyager :metal
Someone stole Voyager? :'(
-
Kattelox:
Tycho - Dye
Slushii - Sapient Dream
Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
Lethean:
Threshold - Light and Space
Katatonia - A Premonition
Kingcrow - Phlegethon
home:
Agnes Obel - Dorian
Emma Ruth Rundle - Marked for Death
Bon Iver - Holocene
Ghost Malone:
Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
Alithia - On a Mountain
No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom
Elite:
Inferum - Beyond Reach
Vanaheim - Daughter of the Dawn
Archspire - Involuntary Doppelganger
Puppies:
Arcane - Selfsame
Atoma - Skylight
Breaking Orbit - Conscious Self
Indiscipline:
John Lennon - How Do You Sleep?
Marlene Kuntz - Nuotando nell’Aria
Starsailor - Way to Fall
romdrums:
Icefish - It Begins
DGM - Portrait
Voyager - Seasons of Age
TAC:
Cereus - Icarus
Existem - The Reclaimer
Dark the Suns - All Ends in Silence
Dacul:
Linda Perhacs - Winds of the Sky
Arms & Sleepers - Twentynine Palms
Owen Palett - The Great Elsewhere
Train of Naught:
Balance and Composure - Afterparty
Bring Me the Horizon - Mantra
Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch
Seneca:
Eddie Vedder - Society
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - If We Were Vampires
Phoebe Bridgers - Funeral
Hangman Pt. 3!
???: ________ T_____ ___t _t___ __ _ ____t___ _______
???: T__ ____ ___t__
???: ______ _____
???: _______t ____
???: __________
???: T__ ____ ____
???: ___t_____ _______t_
???: _____ __ _______
???: _t______ _________, ____ _: ___ __ _t____t_
???: _____t__ _____t_ ______
???: ______ __ _.__.__
???: __t_t___
Letters Guessed: T
TAC waits 3
EP titles, my dudes
-
T
-
updated above
-
M
-
I see THE
-
I
-
E
-
Kattelox:
Tycho - Dye
Slushii - Sapient Dream
Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
Lethean:
Threshold - Light and Space
Katatonia - A Premonition
Kingcrow - Phlegethon
home:
Agnes Obel - Dorian
Emma Ruth Rundle - Marked for Death
Bon Iver - Holocene
Ghost Malone:
Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
Alithia - On a Mountain
No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom
Elite:
Inferum - Beyond Reach
Vanaheim - Daughter of the Dawn
Archspire - Involuntary Doppelganger
Puppies:
Arcane - Selfsame
Atoma - Skylight
Breaking Orbit - Conscious Self
Indiscipline:
John Lennon - How Do You Sleep?
Marlene Kuntz - Nuotando nell’Aria
Starsailor - Way to Fall
romdrums:
Icefish - It Begins
DGM - Portrait
Voyager - Seasons of Age
TAC:
Cereus - Icarus
Existem - The Reclaimer
Dark the Suns - All Ends in Silence
Dacul:
Linda Perhacs - Winds of the Sky
Arms & Sleepers - Twentynine Palms
Owen Palett - The Great Elsewhere
Train of Naught:
Balance and Composure - Afterparty
Bring Me the Horizon - Mantra
Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch
Seneca:
Eddie Vedder - Society
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - If We Were Vampires
Phoebe Bridgers - Funeral
Hangman Pt. 3!
???: ___i___s T___i_ __st St__d __ _ M___t_i_ _i__d_m
???: T__ ___d _i_t__
???: ____im ____d
???: Midnight ____
???: Missi__ _______, _______ Miss_d
???: T__ _i__ _i__
???: _m_ti____ ____imit_
???: _i__s __ __ss___
???: St______ _s___si__, ____ _: ___ __ _t___it_
???: _____ti_ ___i_t_ __im__
???: ____m_ __ _.__.__
???: __tit__d
Letters Guessed: TMISD
Dacul waits 3
Puppies waits 2
Seneca waits 1
-
s
-
D
-
Midnight ???
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Achilles’ Tragic Last Stand on a Mountain Kingdom
Geee I wonder which one that belongs to :lol
-
R
-
So, was I the only one who sent an EP full of harsh noise? That’s kind of surprising.
-
E
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Kattelox:
Tycho - Dye
Slushii - Sapient Dream
Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
Lethean:
Threshold - Light and Space
Katatonia - A Premonition
Kingcrow - Phlegethon
home:
Agnes Obel - Dorian
Emma Ruth Rundle - Marked for Death
Bon Iver - Holocene
Ghost Malone:
Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
Alithia - On a Mountain
No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom
Elite:
Inferum - Beyond Reach
Vanaheim - Daughter of the Dawn
Archspire - Involuntary Doppelganger
Puppies:
Arcane - Selfsame
Atoma - Skylight
Breaking Orbit - Conscious Self
Indiscipline:
John Lennon - How Do You Sleep?
Marlene Kuntz - Nuotando nell’Aria
Starsailor - Way to Fall
romdrums:
Icefish - It Begins
DGM - Portrait
Voyager - Seasons of Age
TAC:
Cereus - Icarus
Existem - The Reclaimer
Dark the Suns - All Ends in Silence
Dacul:
Linda Perhacs - Winds of the Sky
Arms & Sleepers - Twentynine Palms
Owen Palett - The Great Elsewhere
Train of Naught:
Balance and Composure - Afterparty
Bring Me the Horizon - Mantra
Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch
Seneca:
Eddie Vedder - Society
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - If We Were Vampires
Phoebe Bridgers - Funeral
Hangman Pt. 3!
???: Achilles’ Tragic Last Stand on a Mountain Kingdom
???: T_e ___d _i_ter
???: _re_im R___d
???: Midnight ___e
???: Missi__ __re_er, __re_er Missed
???: T__ _i_e _i_e
???: Em_ti____ _r__imit_
???: _i__s __ __ss__e
???: St_r____ _s_e_si__, ____ _: __r __ Eter_it_
???: _re_eti_ ___iet_ _rimer
???: __r_m_ E_ _.__.__
???: __tit_ed
Letters Guessed: TMISDRE
TAC waits 3
Bolsters waits 2
Dacul waits 1
-
Untitled
-
show me O
Ghost Malone sent ATLSOAMK
Prelim Round
The Fine Line
Untitled
Emotional ???
-
Show me N!
-
???: Missi__ __re_er, __re_er Missed
Looks like an Indiscipline styled title.
-
Kattelox:
Tycho - Dye
Slushii - Sapient Dream
Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
Lethean:
Threshold - Light and Space
Katatonia - A Premonition
Kingcrow - Phlegethon
home:
Agnes Obel - Dorian
Emma Ruth Rundle - Marked for Death
Bon Iver - Holocene
Ghost Malone: Achilles’ Tragic Last Stand on a Mountain Kingdom
Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand
Alithia - On a Mountain
No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom
Elite:
Inferum - Beyond Reach
Vanaheim - Daughter of the Dawn
Archspire - Involuntary Doppelganger
Puppies:
Arcane - Selfsame
Atoma - Skylight
Breaking Orbit - Conscious Self
Indiscipline:
John Lennon - How Do You Sleep?
Marlene Kuntz - Nuotando nell’Aria
Starsailor - Way to Fall
romdrums:
Icefish - It Begins
DGM - Portrait
Voyager - Seasons of Age
TAC:
Cereus - Icarus
Existem - The Reclaimer
Dark the Suns - All Ends in Silence
Dacul:
Linda Perhacs - Winds of the Sky
Arms & Sleepers - Twentynine Palms
Owen Palett - The Great Elsewhere
Train of Naught:
Balance and Composure - Afterparty
Bring Me the Horizon - Mantra
Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch
Seneca:
Eddie Vedder - Society
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - If We Were Vampires
Phoebe Bridgers - Funeral
Hangman Pt. 3!
???: The Good Winter
???: Prelim Round
???: Midnight Zone
???: Missing Forever, Forever Missed
???: The Fine Line
???: Emotional Proximity
???: _in_s o_ __ss__e
???: St_r____ Ascension, Book 1: War of Eternity
???: _reneti_ _n_iet_ _rimer
???: Parama EP 2.17.19
???: Untitled
Letters Guessed: TMISDREON
Puppies waits 3
Katt waits 2
TAC waits 1
-
Missing Forever, Forever Missed
Midnight Lone?
-
Midnight Lone?
Could also be Midnight Bone or Midnight Zone......Or Midnight Cone? :biggrin:
-
The Good Winter
-
Parma EP and probably submission date.
-
Yeah sure I'll give you that
-
Achilles’ Tragic Last Stand on a Mountain Kingdom
Geee I wonder which one that belongs to :lol
Ghost Malone sent ATLSOAMK
I thought my post (and the EP’s title) was obvious enough, but apparently it wasn’t.
-
I am a hangman robot and I can't understand English unless you specifically point out to me what you're guessing :corn
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Starsomething Ascension, Book 1: Jar/War/Car/Bar/etc. of Eternity
-
Emotional Proximity
-
Third Impressions - Song Snippets Pt. 1
1.
“The more I listen to this song, the less I like it, and I know exactly why.”
“It’s frustrating that this song is pretty good alongside two songs I don’t like.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a song be bad in this way and it makes me deeply uncomfortable.”
2.
“Every time I’ve listened to this song it made me want to listen to a specific artist in a completely different genre.”
“One of the most boringly decent songs of the round.”
“It didn’t hit me until this listen that I don’t like the singer much. Fine otherwise.”
3.
“For the genre, this singer’s voice sure sounds dispassionate and dulls any impact this could have had.”
“There’s something deeply ironic about this song’s lyrics.”
“Could use tightening up but by far the most satisfying song on this EP.”
4.
“This one doesn’t work for me but it’s not unpleasant.”
“I didn’t get this one on first listen. I was way, way wrong.”
“Utterly crushing.”
5.
“I like this one but I’m always a little bored of it by the end, too.”
“A bit too unassuming compared to the other two songs on this EP.”
“I was worried my impressions were colored by the initial surprise of this one but it’s just flat good.”
6.
“Solid song but has very little replay value for me. Already kind of tired of it.”
“On the flipside, this has grown on me a little, but I’m not wild about it either.”
“This is the weirdest production issue I’ve heard in a good long time.”
Dripfeeding some info on how this round is going so far, listened to half of the EPs tonight and I'll do the other half tomorrow.
The EPs are in a completely random order but the songs on each are in order here.
I feel like I'm giving away too much with these but, ehh, it's fun to watch you all squirm :corn
I will say that both my current favorite EP and least favorite EP ended up in this batch & in both cases I am already 100% certain they will make the cut/be cut respectively.
-
I on’t know which one is mine. Could well be it’s not in here.
-
I see mine!
Utterly crushing :angel:
-
At this point I'm assuming I failed to pass the prelim round, but I'm going to send you EP's for all the rounds anyway. I have a story to finish, dammit!
-
Okay, yours is the one that says ‘Book 1’
-
I don't know if mine's in that batch but if it is, safe to say Parama does not like my songs. :lol
-
7,
“An incredibly sufficient example of its genre.”
“This is so featureless I don’t really have anything to say.”
“You’ve put me in a tough place here because this one song is probably good enough to salvage the entire EP.”
8.
“One part of this I don’t really like but it’s mostly pretty good.”
“Fine enough but there’s one element here I just can’t get past.”
“I keep forgetting about this one, which is weird, because I like it pretty well enough.”
9.
“This is nice enough but I’m going to have a hard time remembering what it sounds like in a few weeks.”
“Easily better than what I’ve heard from this artist previously.”
“I feel this is definitely a grower, but I’m still not wild about it.”
10.
“I can’t tell how serious this is and that bothers me.”
“This is like the vague idea of what people perceive me as liking, but not actually something I care for in practice.”
“On the flipside this is actually something I do care for in practice, I’m just not crazy about this.”
11.
“Doesn’t really grab me the same way similar stuff has, but it’s pleasant enough.”
“Has some of the trappings of this sound that prevent me from being more into it that I could be.”
“I wonder if I like this more just because of the contrast with the other two here.”
12.
“One that’s shrunk on me a bit, but is still pretty fine.”
“Not my favorite song of the round but the song I most want to hear more stuff like.”
“One of the most boringly good songs of the round.”
I probably won't do this for future rounds (or at least not as thoroughly) as there are some songs I don't really have much to say about. Writeups are gonna be "fun".
Also since nobody is guessing hangmanen anymore should I just put up all the answers? :P
-
I have no idea which snippet is mine.
-
Uh oh were our submissions supposed to have a title for this round? Maybe I didn't read the instructions closely enough but I kinda thought we were sending 3 songs and those who got in would be sending actual EPs after that...
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EP Guidelines
Just some things to keep in mind that make a good EP/album:
1. Flow – abrupt cuts or awkward transitions between songs takes me out of the experience and makes your EP sound less like a curated work and more like just a random Spotify playlist.
2. Cohesiveness – I don’t think putting Sigur Ros and Deathspell Omega on the same EP is going to work very well, is all I’m saying. It’s possible to go too far with this, however, thus…
3. Variety – The more each individual song stands out from the rest, the more interesting each song is, the more likely the EP is to do well. Again, it has to be kept cohesive enough to still work but having three songs doing the same thing is probably going to be at the expense of at least one of those songs losing my interest.
Again, none of these will be graded individually, but all of them are factors that will go into how much I like an EP/album overall.
this applies to every round of the roulette, including the prelims :lol
i thought i made that clear but i guess not, though pretty much everyone sent decently cohesive EPs anyways :P
titles are never really mandatory but it's fun to have them for hangman
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I did try to at least follow #1 and make sure there was nothing jarring in the transitions, and I think mine follows #3 as well. But it didn't occur to me at all to make a title. :P
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you're not gonna lose points for not having a title so don't worry :P
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Results whennnnnn
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All rounds will have a 1 week entry period followed by 2 weeks before results. I’m shooting for a “stuff happens on Sunday” schedule. This is to both give people enough time to put together an EP/album as well as give me enough time to properly digest and critique each EP/album.
chill, it could be up to a week still
-
Is mine number 10?
-
9 would be the most obvious for mine
-
Results whennnnnn
This
:neverusethis:
-
gonna start docking points for people asking for results since i've had the expected timeline posted since the thread was made
:vomitard:
-
:splodetard:
-
docked points when
-
it only just hit me but of the 36 songs submitted this round not a single one is black metal (or even black metal-adjacent)
huh.
anyways today's update: listened to what were the top 6 from my previous listen. they all stayed exactly in order. the #6 may shift down depending on how kind i'm feeling to #7 and #8 tomorrow but the top 5 are all pretty set at this point imo
i will say there's overall only a few EPs i'm pretty consistently excited about, and only one i'd say i dislike, with the majority leaning more towards a middle neutral ground, but i'm also harder and harder to please every year so i dunno :P
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I think Vanaheim has some pretty clear black metal influences, but what do I know
-
yeah that one is definitely the closest to anything black metal i guess
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yeah that one is definitely the closest to anything black metal i guess
Don't worry, I have Black Metal lined up for you. Absu Unless you kick me, but then again if you kick me I'm just going to ignore that fact and send every round anyway. :neverusethis:
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Also judging by the poll, I think some Disturbed is in order for round 2 :biggrin:
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My EP for round 2 is ready to go!!! :metal :metal :metal
I think I spent more time on this EP than any other one I've done before. :corn
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Hnnnnnnnnnghhhh
-
i'm on writeup #9 of 12 as we speak. gonna finish these today and probably start posting the first results tonight
-
:corn
-
:corn :corn
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(https://media.gifs.nl/popcorn-gifs-M5PBwv.gif)
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(https://media.giphy.com/media/vjwACwDxB0hZ6/giphy.gif)
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Out of curiosity, is there a minimum number of bands that must be represented in the Concept Album round?
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oh, i should add that, it should be 5, somehow missed that in the rules
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Results, Part 1
1st Place: senecadawg2 – Emotional Proximity (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/46bjsbu4Bvm3Wc4221bdNc?si=Q983NemtS86aaClyjaxOyw)
1. Eddie Vedder – Society (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl4cLEToPfc)
First Impressions:
I know Eddie Vedder as the one big grunge singer who’s still, like, actually alive. Oops. But I mean, I’ve always liked Pearl Jam. Never loved ‘em, never been a huge fan of the grunge style of singing, but I’ve heard most of Ten and there’s some good tunes there, yeah. This obviously is far from grunge, more of a singer-songwriter type deal. The guitar work is pretty basic but the guitar lead that comes in during the middle of the song is pretty nice, yeah. And he carries the emotion of the song pretty well for what it is. I don’t know if I’d say it’s hitting me super hard, but I do like this, it’s pretty nice and there’s enough little touches to keep it from getting boring. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Yeah, my thoughts on this one didn’t really change too much. I think where this doesn’t work that the other ones do work is that all the lyrics and the sentiment of the song seem very… vague. I imagine him going like, “Oh society, you’re a crazy breed” rolling his eyes sarcastic-like. There’s just not a strong message to this one. And thus it feels like he’s oversinging a lot of the time, like, I can’t imagine getting this emotional over a sentiment like this. I do think the guitar solo in the middle does at least give a nice instrumental moment but pretty much the rest of the song is just chords, too. I dunno, it’s… vaguely pleasant, at worst. I don’t dislike it but it kind of pales in comparison to the other two tracks here. Not much else to say.
5.75/10
2. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – If We Were Vampires (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyiEJaf-IzE)
First Impressions:
So while I’ve never listened to him myself, I know a music critic/acquaintance big into his music, and this song in particular. And this is… nice, yeah. Again, going for the soft-spoken but emotionally potent route. The guitar work on this one is a little too basic for me though, honestly. His singing is good, for sure, and the message of the song is relatable, but for me it’s rare a song is going to be carried entirely by its vocals. And if it does it’s more in the context of the album that it works, rather than an isolated song. I can’t say I dislike it at all but it doesn’t really hit hard for me. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
So yeah on this one I think the issue was I didn’t quite -get- what the lyrical sentiment of this one is, on the first listen. But on the second listen I paid a little more attention and… oof, that’s pretty hard-hitting isn’t it. Especially that chorus and the line “Maybe time running out is a gift / I'll work hard 'til the end of my shift” especially. And it helps that he spends the entire song sounding like he’s on the verge of tears, and having the female accompaniment in the chorus which really sells the sentiment of the song. Also, I was like, kinda harsh on the music of this one? It’s simple, but the guitar lines do drive some good melodies mirroring the vocal lines, it’s delicate and effective for the mood the song is going for. So yeah. I don’t think this hits quite as hard now that I’ve given it as many listens as I have, which is kind of the risk this kind of song has, but I still can say it’s a damn good and very effective tune.
8.75/10
3. Phoebe Bridgers – Funeral (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcq5NlYz1PU)
First Impressions:
Okay, see, the first few lines of this song already have me more sold on this song than the past two combined. Ooh and the touches of strings in the background after the chorus… yeah. Mmm. It’s funny because this is more of a narrative piece than something general, which I should relate to a lot less, but y’know, usually it’s the opposite. I can really get strong emotions off this one even as soft-spoken as it is. Even if nothing else on this one really resonated strongly with me I’m glad you sent this one, yeah. (GREAT)
Final Thoughts:
The one thing about this song I’m not madly in love with is the chorus. It’s… technically the mood of the song, and it’s well-sung and usually has some instrumental swell backing it up but it’s not lyrically as strong as any of the verses. This is a nitpick. Since basically everything else about this is just. Incredibly effective. Verses 2 & 3 are a bit vague in the context of the lyrical narrative but they fit in tonally, and Verses 1 & 4 connect the main narrative of the song, especially that goddamn line “Wishing I was someone else, feeling sorry for myself / When I remembered someone's kid is dead” and the string swell that’s backing it up. God. It’s completely pointless to critically analyze something like this though, honestly, because all that really matters is that it’s really damn emotionally potent. Screw you.
9.25/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
Basically what I’d expect from you, really, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. To me, these are three very similar songs with the primary difference being the singer, and that means that one of them way overshadows the other two for me, but at the same time I do at least somewhat like all three. The strength of the last song here is likely going to be enough to carry you through to the next round by itself, most likely. I do see potential for the other songs here to click on relistens, though. I suppose the greatest obstacle for me is a lack of real variety, but I sort of suspect that’s hard to come by in a genre focused mostly on the lyrical content like this.
Final Thoughts:
This is the shortest EP, not even reaching 11 and a half minutes, yet it’s by a good margin the one that stands out most in my mind simply because it’s the only one that really struck a chord with me emotionally, despite having probably the most simple instrumentation of any EP in this round. And while, yeah, there’s one song here that didn’t really click for me, the other two did in a big way. This style of music isn’t one where I necessarily need the songs to flow into each other, and I think each song stands out enough with a different mood or lyrical sentiment to provide for enough variety to keep from getting boring. My only true worry is that maybe a full 40 minutes of basically playing russian roulette as to whether or not a song clicks with me emotionally could backfire but in terms of this sampler EP I’m completely on board.
12th Place: Dacul – Prelim Round (https://mega.nz/#F!3BFTyYxZ!1zlsl8Emljw3t-A6V_kgnQ)
1. Linda Perhacs – Winds of the Sky (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yUkEpyJ-8Q)
First Impressions:
Five seconds in and I already know this is gonna be some Zantera / Sacul Music™ alright. I will say this has a nice enough bassline. The singer makes me think of, like, Christian music or something though, she sounds nice enough regardless. The snare doesn’t sound very good though, reeeally blocky sound there, it’s mostly only notable when it does the BA-DUM BA BA-DUM thing every time the drums come back in but still. I dig the sound of this well enough, it’s plenty lush and atmospheric on top of having solid groove, but it does feel a bit too… long, for what it has going on. Like halfway through the song I was ready for it to be over and seeing there’s still over two minutes left makes me wonder how that time is going to be filled at this point. Apparently, with a guitar solo and a fadeout. Ehh. Yeah, it’s pleasant enough to be sure but it doesn’t… really… leave much of an impact or create much of an emotional connection. Also, I see she has Julia Holter on one of the songs here. I dunno why you didn’t send that one for the easy cred. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Hhh. Okay. So we’ve got to get this out of the way first. Is this… Christian soft rock? Because it sure does sound like it, both in terms of tones and the lyrical content. And look. Discussions of religion are a complicated thing I don’t want to get into here. And I won’t. But I will say that Christian music in particular has this habit of going out of its way to be as inoffensive and bland as possible. And yep, that’s certainly how this sounds. It’s very… nice and lush, I guess. You’ve got a bright, looping bassline, ethereal vocals, a really basic and bright guitar line. It sounds nice enough, yeah. But I don’t feel like this has any ambition or any intent to be anything meaningful. There’s nothing emotionally resonant about this. It’s 6 minutes of basically nothing. It’s incredibly repetitive, too. After like the first minute you’ve heard basically everything this song has to offer. It’s just… filler. I don’t know why you’d go out of your way to send me musical fluff. It’s not the worst-sounding song I’ve received this round, but it really begs the question why this exists at all.
3.75/10
2. Arms & Sleepers – Twentynine Palms (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwGZKWszvZM)
First Impressions:
Ooh, this started out kind of unassuming but the vocals and glitchy effects both work really well here. The effects make me think of mum a lot. The vocals make me think of… well, a lot of indie rock/pop tones, but both singers sound nice and work well together. I think… Gregor Samsa is maybe the particular act they remind me of, maybe mostly for the blending of the vocals. It’s like the hybrid of mum and Gregor Samsa I never knew I wanted. Because uhh yeah I do like this one a fair bit. I suspect maybe a full album of it could get drab for me, but this song in isolation, pretty dang nice, atmospheric without ever really getting dull or too repetitive. Even picks up the pace a little bit with trip hop-y percussion and folky guitar. Yeah this is just a whole huge mashup of sounds isn’t it, but they work and that really just makes it unique at the end of the day. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
This song is just everything the Linda Perhacs song is trying to be and fails to be. It’s simple and dreamy, but the instrumentation doesn’t sound stock, it’s a fairly solid blending of a few different styles into something that, at the very least, I’d never heard before. And the chorus is really nice and pretty memorable, the two vocalists harmonizing throughout is a cheap but effective trick and they sound especially good on the chorus. I’m not even quite sure what this song is supposed to -be- about but whatever it is, it makes me feel something. There’s even a very full-sounding outro to the song with some ethereal wordless vocals that’s exactly the right kind of climax for a song like this. It certainly doesn’t resonate as strongly as some of the most emotional tracks in this round but it’s still pretty dang nice regardless, I’ll probably check out this artist further.
8/10
3. Owen Pallett – The Great Elsewhere (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpX-T7rND2c)
First Impressions:
Well, a scare chord sure is a way to start off your song and transition from the chill previous track, isn’t it. Uuhh yeah this one kind of sounds like a hot mess to me so far. Is this what anxiety sounds like. The percussion is just all over the place, and you’ve got the frantic synth lines, but then you’ve got warm atmosphere and really straightforward vocals in the mix as well. And there was the whole thing about the scare chord at the start too. Like, man, I think this works well as a closer I guess but aesthetically I reeeeally did not like much at all about this one. The chill ending is nice I guess? Ehh. (BAD)
Final Thoughts:
Umm so I really dislike this song. Honestly it makes me kind of uneasy to even listen to it. This song sounds broken. The main synth lines throughout sound frantic and never resolve at the right times. The percussion sounds like bass-boosted samples lifted from some breakcore song. I sometimes have a hard time even finding what the main rhythm is supposed to be before the drums come in proper. That first third of the song is the worst by far. The middle of the song at least has a constant rhythm to it and I could almost see it working. I don’t like how janky and jagged the drums are, coming in and out. The vocals sound… nice, I guess but at the same time they sound practically robotic, the melodies are at least nice. The strings basically end up drowning out everything by the end and I’m thankful for that considering they’re like the one part of this that works well, and the song ends with a fairly nice string and piano bit but it’s not nearly enough to salvage how bad the first parts of this song are. I will say this though. I suspect I’m only giving this as high of a score as I am because it’s still better than Slint, but I probably overscored that Slint song way back when. Bleh. I’m stupid for ending my write-ups on what is by a good margin my least favorite song this round, I guess, woops.
2.5/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
So uhh yeah one song I was kind of meh on, one song I really liked, one song I did not like at all. Maybe it’ll grow on me on relistens but it’s kind of like, sensory overload in the worst way. I’m not versed enough in the weird types of music you like to really properly say if these all go together well but they all seem to be going for a different kind of aesthetic. First track is very organic and down to earth, the second is very ethereal and dreamy, the third feels really harsh and jagged and frantic. Thinking about it that way, they don’t really go together that well at all and only one of them I particularly liked, but I can’t fully dismiss this one either.
Final Thoughts:
Mmmm yeah we basically never have overlapping tastes anymore and while at the very least there’s one song here I like a good bit, the other two range from “no” to “dear god no”. This one was basically dead on arrival to me and while I guess I can’t say it isn’t completely incohesive as an EP I couldn’t imagine any of these artists working together because they’re all going for very different sounds – one seems terrified of having any personality, one has way too much personality to be enjoyable, one gets it just right and stands out without collapsing into a jumbled mess. I can’t say I’ll be revisiting this EP in the future though, I’m just gonna take the one artist that does work and leave the rest in the trash can. Sorry, haha.
Current Standings:
1. senecadawg2
2. ???
3. ???
4. ???
5. ???
6. ???
------------
7. ???
8. ???
9. ???
10. ???
11. ???
12. Dacul
Song Rankings:
1. Phoebe Bridgers – Funeral
2.
3. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – If We Were Vampires
4.
5.
6.
7. Arms & Sleepers – Twentynine Palms
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25. Eddie Vedder – Society
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35. Linda Perhacs – Winds of the Sky
36. Owen Pallett – The Great Elsewhere
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gonna do a gradual reveal but also I might post 5 through 8 in the same post, we'll see. I'm pretty set at this point which EPs are in the top 6 and which are not, there is enough of a gap between 6 and 7 that it's pretty easy to call at this point
anyways the unspoken bonus of scoring better is having a bit more time to prepare your next EP :corn
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anyways the unspoken bonus of scoring better is having a bit more time to prepare your next EP :corn
Funny that. I already have round 2 ready to go. I have a finalized song list for round 3 and I have the concept album almost complete. :biggrin:
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anyways the unspoken bonus of scoring better is having a bit more time to prepare your next EP :corn
Funny that. I already have round 2 ready to go. I have a finalized song list for round 3 and I have the concept album almost complete. :biggrin:
i hope you mean round 1, this is round 0 at the moment, round 2 won't be starting for another month
granted, you aren't safe yet, either
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also forgot to say it before but updated the post at the start of the thread: any artist scoring 7/10 or above gets banned.
addendum:
only 12 artists this round are getting banned
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anyways the unspoken bonus of scoring better is having a bit more time to prepare your next EP :corn
Funny that. I already have round 2 ready to go. I have a finalized song list for round 3 and I have the concept album almost complete. :biggrin:
i hope you mean round 1, this is round 0 at the moment, round 2 won't be starting for another month
granted, you aren't safe yet, either
Yeah, I keep calling this Round 1, even though it's the prelim round...
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Woohooo! ;D
I suspected that Society wasn't going to blow you away, I just needed a third song of a similar style to stick in there to set the mood for the two I really wanted to share. Those two songs and artists have been weighing heavy on me for months.
The bad news is that I probably won't send a pair of songs I'm more excited about from here on out.
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hey, your odds go from 1 out of 2 to 5 out of 7 next round anyways, so just keep sending good stuff and you'll be fine :corn
but it is a valid prelim strategy to send me your best song first because the whole point is to really impress me
...i wasn't too thrilled with a lot of EPs this round, to be fair :lol a few i liked, a few i disliked, most tended towards the middle though
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hey, your odds go from 1 out of 2 to 5 out of 7 next round anyways, so just keep sending good stuff and you'll be fine :corn
but it is a valid prelim strategy to send me your best song first because the whole point is to really impress me
...i wasn't too thrilled with a lot of EPs this round, to be fair :lol a few i liked, a few i disliked, most tended towards the middle though
To be honest, in hindsight, I'm not 100% happy with the EP I sent and I actually wish I could go back and redo it.
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tell me more :corn
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tell me more :corn
Well, my Concept album is complete :biggrin: Just put the finishing touches on this 90 minute monster that consists of just 7 songs by 6 artists. :metal
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Send help I can't wait any longer
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Okay, one more pair of results for tonight & the next pair when i wake up in the morning :metal
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Results, Part 2
2nd Place: TAC – Wings Of Passage (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3qGiGWkw1H41uOLoLsj3Ub?si=LQweFtBqSquXrJ3x6socTg)
1. Cereus – Icarus (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnMc9d6qt5c)
First Impressions:
I’m always interested to see what bands TAC has in store that I’ve literally never heard of. You’re like, the one true anomaly of DTF. A glitch in the prog matrix. This immediately starts off in a way that appeals personally to me, chill atmospheric bass-driven groove that I’m all but sure is going to explode into something huge at some point but I can’t really tell when that will be. Though at this point I’m kind of curious if I’m wrong about that “getting real loud” thing, this seems more content to build slowly and simmer. I don’t know if I’d say the vocals are super my thing, and dare I say it the bass might be just a touch loud in the mix (gasp!) but I’m content with the groove this is holding onto, I wouldn’t call it, supremely interesting but at the same time there’s enough movement within the song to prevent me from getting tired of it and the general sound is cool enough. Not as cool as the intro had me hoping for but I do like it a fair bit nonetheless. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
Yeah, I think the more I listened to this one the less it really worked for me. It’s absolutely not bad, to be clear. I just think it fails to really resonate emotionally. For as nice as it sounds it’s kind of dry in that way. I do think it is in part due to the bass kind of drowning out the other instruments, like I commented in my writeup – it’s a cool bassline but it just utterly dominates the mix. I also don’t know if it really necessarily needed to be 8 whole minutes long either. While it’s true the song doesn’t hold to one idea for too terribly long, there is still a decent bit of repetition and it’s a bit of a slow burn to get to the louder, more climactic moments towards the end, and then even when it gets there it can’t get truly heavy due to the bass. I know it’s fully capable to have bass loud in the mix without crushing the rest of the instrumentation – Intronaut and East of the Wall have basically mastered this – but it’s just not quite satisfying here. So yeah, I still stand by saying this is a good song, the general sound is something I can vibe with and there are moments here and there where everything clicks together but it’s not fully there either.
7/10
2. Existem – The Reclaimer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Diy5dCxMEPg)
First Impressions:
Oh those are some post-metal growls right there. The mix on this is pretty pristine except the drums sound kinda muted, my first takeaway. Guitars are clear, bass is clear, I can hear the drums for the most part but the cymbals in particular eeehh. Not a huge dealbreaker though, for a sound I’m pretty on board with. Yeah, these guys have definitely listened to a fair bit of The Ocean, but they don’t sound exactly like them or anything either. Mmm, that clean bit in the middle. The way it builds back up. The grooves. The guitar leads. I am so on board with this, not madly in love with it but I already wanna check these guys out more now. (GREAT)
Final Thoughts:
Honestly I like this more than most of the stuff on the latest The Ocean album. Silurian it is not, sure, but this is exactly. EXACTLY. What I’m looking for in terms of heavy music – dense and expansive soundscapes but still driven by melody – goddamn melody, have y’all ever heard of it? There’s basically always some kind of melody going on at every moment here, whether it’s in the forefront or a muted line in the backdrop of the mid-range guitar chords. The way the whole band slowly fades out to just a lone guitar line in the middle of track, subtly enough that you kind of feel it happening but don’t notice everything is gone right away. I will say that if there’s one other element I’m not super crazy about, the growls don’t sound that good all the time, but on the flipside the cleans and growls harmonizing towards the end makes for a great and really effective moment. I also get the sense from this song that they probably have better songs in them than this one, and I say that while also saying that this song is pretty damn good to begin with. It’s also, surprisingly, not really prog at all, pretty sure the whole thing is in 3/4 time, but it’s adventurous enough that it feels progressive anyways. Good tune though, one of the better metal tracks this round.
8.25/10
3. Dark the Suns – All Ends in Silence (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZIR0AWpE7o)
First Impressions:
Started out thinking this was gonna be a slower, chiller closer piece but nope this is going the route of big, bombastic melodeath, circa Barren Earth or Omnium Gatherum or something along those lines. Yeah I’m kind of a sucker for these kind of songs, more in isolation than in terms of entire albums full of ‘em, but it’s both a track I dig well enough on its own and that fits pretty well as a finale here. The only real gripe I have is that it doesn’t really have a ton of unique personality to it, but it’s emotionally-charged and powerful enough to overcome that, really. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
When I revisit this EP, every time I kind of forget this one is here too. I called it “boringly good” in my round three impressions thing. Because it really is. It’s the kind of song where you put it on and you have a good time the whole way through but it doesn’t have any element that really sticks with you either. When I think of Barren Earth, I think of the ending of On Lonely Towers which basically hits on this mood but with a really powerful refrain and an effective guitar solo. And this is basically the same sound as that but without either of those elements, so instead of really hitting home, it’s just “man this is pretty nice isn’t it”. It’s melodically driven, it’s heavy but fast enough to still be driving, the growls fit in well enough, there’s some nice melodic guitar work but nothing super memorable. I was gonna be like “I probably like this more than the first song of this EP” but thinking about it, at least that one has memorable grooves and melodies in it. This rounds out the EP nicely enough but as a standalone song I’m just not crazy for it. Still good though.
6.75/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
I had pretty high expectations for your submission and I can safely say I was not disappointed. I don’t want to speak to what others are thinking so I have no clue whether you put a ton of thought into this submission or not but the end result is three very different kinds of songs that still have a generally same sound to them and work well as a solid three piece of calmer intro, upbeat middle, slower, bombastic finale. And all three songs are good with at least one of them likely to end up among my favorites of the round. So uhh, yeah, this is the first submission that I could pretty much already call as making the cut. But I’ll give it the full listens anyways, since I like it quite a bit. How horrible, listening to music I enjoy.
Final Thoughts:
I’m actually less sure these all fit together that well after giving this a fair few listens. They’re all pretty strongly melodically-oriented but stylistically they don’t have much similarity besides that. One is an overly-bass-driven rock song more than metal, one of them is a really great slice of melodic post-metal, one of them is incredibly fine but pretty one-note in the end. They’re still effective as a start-middle-end suite, though, and they’re certainly more cohesive than at least a few other EPs this round. The baseline of quality for this EP is still pretty high compared to most other EPs – I haven’t done all the scores yet but I suspect this will have about the highest “worst” score out of any EP here, even the EPs that place above it overall, and at least two of the three artists I’m likely to check out a bit further after this, so I’d still say you did a pretty good job overall, there was never really any risk this EP wouldn’t make the cut at the end of the day.
11th Place: Elite – Frenetic Anxiety Primer (https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AMkC2qgpMaI4vow&cid=EDD136FE97D1180D&id=EDD136FE97D1180D%217435&parId=root&o=OneUp)
1. Archspire – Involuntary Doppelgänger (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lsnTQyGI78)
First Impressions:
Honestly your EP is probably the one I am most worried about because Archspire is a band I can’t really take serious and the title implies the entire thing is gonna be like them. They absolutely have serious chops, there’s no denying that, every band of the member plays… uhh… fast? But I think that’s the issue I take, they sound more like a parody of tech death than a legit tech death band. Admittedly this is not as insane as I remember them being, but I could be remembering a different song. The clean bit in the middle is cool, at least. Oh and then it ended. EHH. This was better than I expected, I didn’t love it but y’know it’s alright, even if my earlier comments still stand. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
So yeah, this is decently melodic as far as tech death goes, but at the same time… the melodies are all too frantic and fast paced to have any real chance at being memorable. And the super-fast delivery of the harsh vocals sounds kind of silly, honestly. Really the whole thing feels like a joke – the only part of this that makes me question that is the clean bit in the middle. The riffs exist but they neither have power nor groove. I have absolutely no clue what any of the lyrics here are. Thrash metal and speed metal and all those genres that tend to be particularly fast are genres of metal I’m not too into either, and while obvious I do like some “fast” metal I at least need there to be, like, melodies that work, riffs that have power, literally anything to connect with. There’s like, moments here where this is kind of cool, and yeah they cover a lot of ground in under 4 minutes. I’m just not really into most of the ground they cover. Ehh. It’s okay in the end but I have a hard time taking it seriously.
4.75/10
2. Inferum – Beyond Reach (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vahCnoaxNg)
First Impressions:
This one seems to be more riff-based than the last track for sure. That transition in the middle is kind weird but the groove they shift to is something I dig more than what came before ‘cause uuhh yeah the first half or so of this was fine but not really something I’m too crazy about really. I think this one is really lacking in melody for the most part which is a big thing I look for even in heavier styles of music because a lack of melody tends to mean a lack of much memorable. Like, the riffing here does seem pretty solid but it’s riffing I’ve heard before and it’s mostly a mix of chugging with dissonant chords or weird harmonics and bends interrupting it. Ehh. I liked the quiet middle of this but most of the rest was just kind of… there. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Yeah this song on the other hand is just pretty allergic to melody. I just remember this entire song as “chugging for five minutes”. I really don’t like Meshuggah, for what it’s worth. They are on my banned list bolded in red for a reason. I’ve really tried to understand their appeal but I just don’t. Djent is basically a dead genre to me though, it’s super rare anything good comes out of it. The middle section here I do like but I suspect it’s only by comparison – it’s got an okay groove going on and something close to a melody but it’s mostly just “atmospheric” and still rather lacking in melody at the end of the day. And it doesn’t really build to anything either, just a jagged riff. Which to be fair this riff is one of the more interesting ones in the song to me, but, again, that’s mostly by comparison. The main riff this song seems to return to is one of the most boring and basic ones too. DUDUDUH DUH DUH forevermore. Yeah, this one never really grew on me, it’s mostly boring except for like 45 seconds in the middle. Not awful to listen to but not interesting either.
4/10
3. Vanaheim – Daughter Of The Dawn (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fflQmIdi5S4)
First Impressions:
This last tune is a decently long one from the looks of it. Okay, so from the intro I was expecting something that took a bit more time to build up but nope, boom, just loud all of the sudden. This one seems to be going for a bit of a folk metal thing but it’s doing so tastefully enough that the folk elements don’t completely dominate the song, it’s still metal at its core first and foremost. One thing I got from just letting this one play for a bit is that transitions between different ideas continues to not be handled too well, the song does abruptly shift into a completely different riff or feel a bit abruptly. I feel this is probably the most interesting of the three songs here for me, although on first listen the riffs don’t feel particularly compelling and there isn’t a strong emotional connection here. Basically, it’s no Wilderun. But it’s at least satisfactory. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I’m being told I should like this one far, far more than I do. But okay, first and foremost. The production doesn’t flatter this song. I feel it’s another case of some really muddy production that, during the heavy moments of the song, just flattens out and buries the melodic work that’s going on here. The accordion(/bagpipe? can’t tell) bit in the second quiet moment makes me think of a song from Rayman Legends for some reason. This one riff has a melody really similar to Tragic Kingdom’s chorus somehow. The way transitions between musical ideas work always feels really awkward, either a harsh cut or pausing for a measure to readjust the meter while nobody’s looking. I’m being really down on this one aren’t I? That’s a bit unfair because I like it quite a bit more than the other two songs here, but to be fair that’s not difficult considering I don’t care for the other two much. At the same time this doesn’t really stick the landing either because there’s just not a lot that stands out in a positive way. No really memorable melodies, no hard-hitting riffs, nothing that really resonates emotionally. I’d blame the production for that to at least some extent but I doubt I’d be super into this song even without that problem. The thing is, I already have a Wilderun and they’re frickin’ amazing at this kind of sound, meanwhile this is just. Fine. Far from unpleasant, but just nothing particularly special either.
6.5/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
This is kind of a weird impression because I neither really loved nor hated anything on this one, and I was expecting at least some of this to fall into one end or the other of that spectrum, but no, it’s all just pretty okay. I’m not super sure these songs are united by much of anything other than all being pretty heavy tunes, but I mean that does make them fit together decently enough by default more than anything. And I’m not really bored listening to anything here either, though the middle track can come kind of close with its flat riffing style. But overall I’m somehow just, disappointed I neither hated this nor loved it.
Final Thoughts:
I’m honestly surprised at how little I ended up caring for this EP. At first I thought it was right on the threshold between safe and cut, but with each listen it’s fallen further and further. The weight of that is mostly on the first two songs for not being songs I’m particularly fond of listening to, but the third song here is also a bit of a disappointment in its lack of notably strong qualities. I should like it so much more than I do. I also guess you could vaguely say these go together, they’re all like “pretty heavy” I guess but that really seems to be the only throughline. Two of them are melodic, one isn’t. Two of them have solid production, the third is hurt by it. Two of them seems like pretty serious tunes, the third is borderline parody. I guess the first two you could both vaguely group into “tech death” though they are going for very different styles of it, but the third track is melodic death/black/folk metal whatever. Flows well enough I guess. Not that it matters much when I’m just not crazy about any of these tunes, though.
Current Standings:
1. senecadawg2
2. TAC
3. ???
4. ???
5. ???
6. ???
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7. ???
8. ???
9. ???
10. ???
11. Elite
12. Dacul
Song Rankings:
1. Phoebe Bridgers – Funeral
2.
3. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – If We Were Vampires
4. Existem – The Reclaimer
5.
6.
7. Arms & Sleepers – Twentynine Palms
8.
9.
10.
11.
12. Cereus – Icarus
13.
14. Dark the Suns – All Ends in Silence
15.
16.
17.
18. Vanaheim – Daughter Of The Dawn
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25. Eddie Vedder – Society
26.
27.
28.
29.
30. Archspire – Involuntary Doppelgänger
31.
32.
33.
34. Inferum – Beyond Reach
35. Linda Perhacs – Winds of the Sky
36. Owen Pallett – The Great Elsewhere
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You're gonna make me regret sending that first EP huh? :corn
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Shouldn't 7 be above the line? I thought there was going to be 7 players after the elimination round. Also, I'll look forward to seeing my results in the morning... right? :P
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there are 7 players, and one of them is ariich :P
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Oh well, I tried :)
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(https://i.imgur.com/OPArUFx.png)
honestly this feels like a repeat of when you sent textures in the prelims of another of my roulettes, and i didn't really like that one much either
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Which is a shame, because I did reasonably well in the album roulette you held last year. I was sure I had some stuff to send this time as well. I was hoping by taking the technical death/black whatever approach it would be different from the other participants and stand out in a good way. Alas, it stood out in a
decent / average bad way.
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I’m always interested to see what bands TAC has in store that I’ve literally never heard of. You’re like, the one true anomaly of DTF.
I’d still say you did a pretty good job overall, there was never really any risk this EP wouldn’t make the cut at the end of the day.
:metal :metal :metal
I did spend some time on it. I wouldn't have entered if I wasn't happy with it.
I thought you'd love the Dark The Suns song, and it was the first song I had and built the EP around it. I thought the Existem was a gamble.
I agree about the Cereus. It's pretty chill, but not much else. But it solidified my theme.
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there are 7 players, and one of them is ariich :P
Dammit ariich!
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*waves*
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existem is literally paramacore
like, "progressive post-metal" is literally the kind of stuff that coined the term, bands like intronaut, east of the wall, the ocean etc.
i like the dark the suns song but i'm not blown away by it. anyways time for more results brb
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Results, Part 3
3rd Place: Puppies_On_Acid – Starfall Ascension, Book 1: War of Eternity (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mDB1G4TjrzixWKOMJ-cd8NMwb7gkDGpQ/view)
1. Arcane – Selfsame (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfgQ000t5WI)
First Impressions:
So I did listen to this album before, like I said, in 2015 around when it came out. And this was right around when standard prog metal was losing its appeal for me and I was getting more into heavier bands like East of the Wall and The Ocean, as well as getting into black metal and the like. So I was just at the perfect place to find this album overly long and uninteresting, though I also vaguely recall liking the softer second disc more than the first one? I like this for the first few minutes, decent clean section that gives way to some more effective, emotive metal stuff. But this instrumental break, man… first you have some very dream theater-y guitar riffing, and the drums here just sound like crap, flat out. The mixing here is kind of bad in general, really. Aside from that break though I do like this one a fair bit. Kind of reminds me of Headspace, actually. Good emotive rock/metal sung moments with bland instrumental breaks. It definitely brings the song down a notch, though I still for the most part enjoy it a fair bit. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
Yeah, the entire first half or so of this song is genuinely great, it’s basically a sufficient enough instrumental accompaniment that has a nice slow build to it, and Jim Grey reminding me why I like him so much in Caligula’s Horse (even if the most recent album I wasn’t crazy about). When the electric guitars kick in at about a minute and a half, what a great moment. It’s not even really “prog” for this section of the song but there’s enough little rhythmic switchups, especially that bit with the string stings that’s really great. And I’m really feeling the song. And then… here’s a random (passable enough) proggy instrumental break. I’m gonna be honest, the quality of the instrumental break doesn’t even matter. What matters is that it’s just not the right time or place for it. It’s forced. Most of it actually sounds pretty cool, except the blastbeats on the drums sound flat terrible. Everything after that part is pretty good too, though not as good as the first four minutes or so. It doesn’t have the simple elegance that the first half has, and the tempo change is a bit abrupt but it’s a cool enough riff that I can’t be too upset. Headspace is a great comparison because I feel basically the same towards this as I felt towards Daddy Loves You when I got it in my first roulette – everything is good but the instrumental breaks are just out of place and honestly don’t add anything to the song, they only detract. The good parts are strong enough to bolster the score of this a fair bit though as I enjoy like 80% of it and I don’t hate the other 20%.
7.75/10
2. Atoma – Skylight (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTyWj2pymsM)
First Impressions:
Immediate first impression on this one is that wow the production is super muddy. And then the growls come in. Okay, I guess the production kind of aligns more with a prog death sound, but there’s kind of just an overwhelming amount of things going on at once here. I guess it sounds better once the immediate transition from the generally cleaner-sounding last track is out of memory. RYM wants to label this as post-metal which I don’t really hear at all, it’s way more in line with melodic/symphonic death metal. I think my other main complain here is a lack of any real melodies. Like, there’s a lot going on pretty much all the time but nothing really can break through the dense wall of sound. It’s not bad or even boring but it’s not the kind of song I see leaving much of an impact on me. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Yeah, the crushed, claustrophobic sound of the production on this just doesn’t work for me. It’s hard to even pick out distinct melodies when the song is just a constant wall of noise, and any melodies on the guitar and strings gets completely lost in the mix unless you’re really paying attention well. There’s occasionally some powerful vocal lines. I feel like some of this riffing really should be hitting harder for me, or the overwhelming atmosphere should be working, but what can I say, I’ve listened to this as much as everything else here and I just can’t find much to really get into. I want to like this more than I actually do, and it’s not unpleasant to listen to, but it just has no real “strengths” whatsoever.
6.5/10
3. Breaking Orbit – Conscious Self (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V0Yn7ce30A)
First Impressions:
Immediately this seems like the song here I’m going to like most. Jagged, bass-driven grooves and solid clean vocals, decent atmosphere. It again doesn’t strike me as having super strong melodies or hooks but the groove is there and it’s more than dynamic enough to not feel flat or boring. Admittedly I don’t know if it really adds many new elements in the back half and that could impact replayability some, but on first listen this is probably my favorite of the three here, yeah, I don’t think its strongest moments are as good as the Arcane song’s strongest moments but it doesn’t have a garbage instrumental section bringing the whole song down. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
This is another one of those that hasn’t really been on my mind much in the listens of these EPs, but is pretty dang cool when I have it on. The one thing I tend to remember about this one is the guitar riff that closes off the chorus, that’s a pretty cool riff that I can really -feel-. I also neglected to mention the drumwork which is pretty good across the song, very active and dynamic during the quiet verses to build some nice tension, more standard during the louder moments that are really driving the energy of the song. I do think the vocals can feel a bit weak throughout the song – not subtle enough to deliver an interesting performance during the verses, but not powerful enough to really drive the heavier chorus. My initial comment of the song not really having any surprises in the back half still rings true, though, after the first occurrence of The Riff there aren’t really any major new elements to the song, it’s got that verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus structure going on except the bridge just feels like an extension of the chorus. At the end of the day I’m always kind of biased to like a song that’s entirely (or at least mostly) in 7/8 and has good instrumental work across the board, but the weak vocals and general lack of movement throughout the song does bring it down a bit for me. Still pretty cool though, if not especially memorable.
7.5/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
Pretty sonically consistent, being just straight up prog metal that all has a tiny bit of an atmospheric angle to it. I will say the production isn’t super consistent – Arcane sounds mostly fine, Atoma sounds eeehhhh, Breaking Orbit sounds decent though maybe a tiny bit muddy as well. I do think this all flows pretty well and the transitions especially were well-executed, and as a whole I enjoyed listening to it even with the weaker middle track. I don’t know if any of these songs are likely to leave an especially huge impact but it’s absolutely the kind of music I’m all for hearing more of. Better than Absu.
Final Thoughts:
I honestly don’t know why you in particular were worrying so much about not making the cut, this isn’t super fantastic paramacore or anything but it’s up my alley enough to keep me interested the whole way through. Each song is a bit different in tone – the first song is mostly emotionally-driven and simple, the second is massive and intense, the third is frantic and jagged, almost to the point where it can feel more intense than the (admittedly hampered by its production) second track. I would say the Atoma track does feel a bit out of place stylistically though, and it’s not a particularly compelling song to boot, but I don’t mind it. It’s weird how every track here has a fatal flaw that holds me back from liking it more though. Also I did read into the story but admittedly haven’t looked carefully into the lyrics on any of these so I’ll take your word for it on this epic space battle ascension thing-y going on. Metal metal. But yeah this one was pretty safe from the word Go, too.
10th Place: Indiscipline – The Fine Line (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FZ3t6-P9pTB_vLeEY0shzbTx7CfI7zSR/view)
1. John Lennon – How Do You Sleep? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teD9t-lO_o0)
First Impressions:
As someone who has a really hard time putting a voice to each Beatle I’m glad to know pretty decisively that the one who always sounded like this on their later albums was John. Neat. This one had to have come out, like, right after The Beatles broke up, right? It really basically just sounds like a later-era Beatles slow jam. I’d definitely describe that main riff as “classy” though, I dig it. I don’t really know if I have a ton to say other than that? It’s a pretty solid tune. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I’ll always say that the first step to making a great song is to have some good hooks in there.
Really, something sticky and memorable should be the first thing you write in any song and the rest can come after, sure. And I’ll say that, for sure, the chorus guitar lick and really the chorus in general of this are pretty straightforward but really catchy. I also get that the tone of this is meant to be really pissy – apparently it’s directly at McCartney specifically? I don’t know why but the strings in the chorus are what make that tone obvious to me. The melody they hit sounds mocking and bitter. I realize I’m mostly talking about the chorus here but it’s probably because the chorus is the one part of this song I think works really well – the rest is far from bad, to be sure, but I don’t find it as memorable or as effective, it doesn’t really feel like it has a “mood” like the chorus does. It’s also definitely a bit too long for how static most of it is – a lot of Beatles tunes are effective in part because of their simplicity but also their brevity. Still, on the whole I like this one, though it could be better too with a bit more substance or a bit shorter runtime.
6.25/10
2. Marlene Kuntz – Nuotando nell'Aria (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8p3oWFSbrk)
First Impressions:
I have literally no clue what to expect from this one. Right off the bat I’m digging the percussion though. The answer is like, some kind of indie rock or something, apparently. The guitar leads make me think of the 90’s for some reason. Okay, this album was apparently released in 1994 so yeah that makes sense. And now the drummer is just going wild. I do like the drums on this one a lot but the dated and muddy production kind of harms the emotional power the louder parts of this seem to be going for. I don’t know. I feel like I should like this more than I do. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Hmm. I don’t really have any strong opinion on this one. The drum work is nice, for sure, and there’s like. An attempt at emotional resonance, but there isn’t any strong hook, there isn’t enough of a connection made, and not really a ton of direction in the song period. It just meanders at a base level for three minutes, gets loud, and simmers there instead. And ends as abruptly as it began. The singer doesn’t work for me especially, I just don’t hear any passion in his voice, even during the louder moments. There’s kind of a vibe I can get into here if I really try, and louder moments do at least drive up some sort of feeling, but on the whole I just don’t find much appeal to this.
5.5/10
3. Starsailor – Way to Fall (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWQBOsKHqpM)
First Impressions:
My immediate reaction hearing the very start of this was that it was going to be something Wilson-y. Like, vaguely if you squint on it but not really, it’s not as lush as he’d make it for sure. Is it just me or is there like, some vague doubling effect on the piano (and maybe the vocals)? It sounds suuuuper weird to me. I’m always kind of a sucker for 6/8 time signature vibes so at a base level I’m kind of obligated to feel positively towards this one, and the chorus itself kind of works, but that weird doubling effect, is that intentional? It’s reeeally bugging me and taking me out of this one. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
So I actually went and checked to see if there was a version on youtube that didn’t suffer from the doubling effect but as far as I can tell it’s there on every single version of this that I was able to find. And once I noticed it, it was basically impossible to stop noticing it. God, it’s so annoying. Like, straight up, this would be my favorite song on this EP for sure if not for that effect but it takes the organic, lush sound of the song and makes it sound so synthetic and fake just by what I have to assume is an editing error. And it seems to affect practically every element in the song too, though the piano and vocals are most obviously impacted. The melodies here are pretty good, the chorus is pretty memorable, it comes to a nice climax near the end, I could totally be feeling something from this. But I am not. And the production is to blame, flat out. Sorry, I guess, but this song’s score and honestly the entire EP are let down by that one element that I just can’t get past.
4/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
The general fidelity of all three of these tracks is pretty different but they’re all pretty much straightforward softer rock tunes at the end of the day and they flow together well enough as well. I don’t… really feel too strongly about anything this EP has to offer, I don’t think. Maybe it’s just the general exhaustion of having to take in 36 different songs and this EP being the last one I listened to, but I just don’t have a ton to say here. This feels like the most straight-up average EP of the entire bunch and I’m struggling to have anything else to say about it.
Final Thoughts:
Yeah, five listens in and my thoughts on all of these songs didn’t really change much from my initial impressions, really. If anything they got worse. I have no clue what the heck happened with that Starsailor song’s production, but even then I’m not wild about the other two here either. I will say I do feel like they fit together pretty well – Marlene Kuntz is maybe a bit more modern-sounding than the other two (despite Starsailor being the newest of the three) but they’re all pretty mellow rock songs and the structure of the EP works well enough for all three of them. But when the best song on display here is a very middling song at best, it’s hard for me to get excited about this set of songs, unfortunately.
Current Standings:
1. senecadawg2
2. TAC
3. Puppies_On_Acid
4. ???
5. ???
6. ???
------------
7. ???
8. ???
9. ???
10. Indiscipline
11. Elite
12. Dacul
Song Rankings:
1. Phoebe Bridgers – Funeral
2.
3. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – If We Were Vampires
4. Existem – The Reclaimer
5.
6.
7. Arms & Sleepers – Twentynine Palms
8. Arcane – Selfsame
9.
10. Breaking Orbit – Conscious Self
11.
12. Cereus – Icarus
13.
14. Dark the Suns – All Ends in Silence
15.
16.
17. Atoma – Skylight
18. Vanaheim – Daughter Of The Dawn
19. John Lennon – How Do You Sleep?
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25. Eddie Vedder – Society
26. Marlene Kuntz – Nuotando nell'Aria
27.
28.
29.
30. Archspire – Involuntary Doppelgänger
31.
32.
33. Starsailor – Way to Fall
34. Inferum – Beyond Reach
35. Linda Perhacs – Winds of the Sky
36. Owen Pallett – The Great Elsewhere
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(https://media1.tenor.com/images/c4b036354e1a6e6fedd3809a0c945003/tenor.gif)
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Results, Part 4
4th Place: Ghost Malone - Achilles' Tragic Last Stand On a Mountain Kingdom (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1E7UGrInV4QqNVAdDn55II?si=3mxx6F1oQaCZQ-ta30mWqw)
1. Led Zeppelin – Achilles' Last Stand (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t4KLOm7pO0)
First Impressions:
Oh boy this sure is an obscure band literally nobody has ever heard of. I mean, I know like, the real popular zeppelin songs, Stairway to Heaven is good, Kashmir is good, uuhh there are other ones too probably. I’ve never been a huge fan of Plant’s voice but he can emote well enough and there’s a solid enough groove to this as well. The zeppelin tunes I tend to like are the more downbeat ones though, as mentioned, this is more of a straightforward rocker and while it goes through a decent number of musical ideas it’s not really, like, “progressive”, just long. And I can see how it’d appeal more to people who dig jams, but for me personally I can’t really find much to say about it other than “yeah, it’s pretty nice”. Honestly by the end I’ve been ready for it to end for the past minute or two, at least. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I’m pretty sure the way you’re meant to listen to this song is to turn off your brain and just jam along to it and have a good, fun time. That isn’t really the way I listen to music, unfortunately. Or at the very least, if I’m going to have my fun music, I generally like it in much smaller bites than this track. I will definitely say this about this song. It’s long enough and repeats enough that I definitely find it memorable. And I’m not really sick of the repeating guitar lick that pops up throughout the song either. The vocal lines are also kind of weird melodically but I dig them, they don’t progress melodically like you’d expect them to, or at least what my brain wants to expect. But the thing is just. Okay, so I’m halfway into the song right now and I’m already pretty ready for it to end. I really don’t understand what this song serves to gain by being both this long and this repetitive. Yes, there are different elements coming in and out but the core of the song doesn’t change that much. There’s basically two main grooves it alternates between, with the triplet rhythm coming in every now and then between the two. And I don’t get much emotionally from this either. And saying all that… I’m still kind of into it, regardless? If I was at a live show watching them play this I’m sure I’d love it, at the very least. Sitting here at my computer desk listening to it in a relaxed environment and it’s just… fine. Way too long, but. Fine.
6.25/10
2. Alithia – On a Mountain (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=likJTafmB5Q)
First Impressions:
I’ve actually listened to a handful of songs from all the artists on this EP, though I haven’t delved particularly deep into any of their discographies either. This sure is quite the androgynous vocal tone, isn’t it. I can see that everyone who sings in this band is a dude but you could convince me either way. What I got from listening to their album last year is that they are pretty good at writing music that sounds good and has enough emotive presence behind it, but doesn’t really stand out of the crowd in any way, not too many memorable hooks and the vocals aren’t -that- strong either. The production also feels really… foggy, sounds like the word here. The song picks up some energy for the last third and I dig that, nice and propulsive, but the production kind of hampers the power and the singer doesn’t really nail those belting moments either. I can’t say I didn’t like it but it has too many problems for me to say it’s properly “good”. Still nice though. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Yeah, it does feel like it takes a little bit too long for this one to properly get going, at about the 2:30 mark is when the vocals hit their peak and then the more intense sections of the song come in after. And before that it’s got this nice, long build to it… but I don’t know. For this song to work, it would half to resonate with me emotionally. And it just… doesn’t. The production doesn’t help but I’m also not crazy about these vocals either. I don’t really have a ton to say about this, my first impression basically covered everything. It ain’t bad, it ain’t great either.
6/10
3. No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esyqRcEFDVI)
First Impressions:
Gwen Stefani has made some truly atrocious music in her career but from what I hear the general consensus was always that “yeah, No Doubt was pretty alright”. This starts out with kind of a showtune-y vibe and I dig this guitar line as well, kind of makes me think of cabaret music for some reason? Honestly the way this song always seems to be moving forward and progressing is actually pretty impressive considering I wouldn’t really expect that from this band from what I’ve previously heard from them. This -is- the same album pretty much all of their big songs came off of too. The only thing I’m not fully sold on here is Stefani herself, she’s not a bad singer but at the same time something about her tone of voice has always kind of irked me. She can’t -not- sound super catty and snide whenever she sings. Also dang, that ending, yeah. This one I liked, unquestionably. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
Honestly it’s so absurd that this song is both such a wild curveball as well as a genuinely cool song in its own right. That guitar riff during the verses is so damn classy and the drums play off it well. Then you get the back half of the verse where Stefani starts sounding pretty great too. She fits in pretty well with the other bit of the verse too though. And those horn stings, I dig ‘em. The chorus of this is genuinely heavier and more intense than a lot of the metal songs in this round, everything comes together well. The post-chorus has literally every single last element doing something cool all at once. And then whatever section you call this after where Stefani just sounds fantastic and the instruments are all doing cool stuff. There’s a goddamn synth solo in there too just because why the hell not. At this point the song would’ve absolutely earned its right to ride off all the musical ideas it’s established and still be dynamic and compelling. But NOPE. Here’s this calmer, vaguely jazzy break for you. And here’s an alternate version of the chorus that’s also kind of reprising the post-chorus bit. And you know what else? Let’s just speed the goddamn awesome post-chorus bit up until the entire song implodes in on itself.
I’m genuinely floored that a song this good and right up my alley came out of this band of all bands. I think the most disappointing part is that just looking at this track list I’m already familiar with four other tracks on this album and they are not nearly as interesting as this one, and I suspect most of the rest of the album isn’t either. Shame, but I’ll definitely take this one awesome tune.
9/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
I’d say the variety is on point and the flow is fine enough but what I can’t really see is how these songs really fit together. You’ve got the long, rocking jam session, a more compact power ballad, and then this weird and wild showtune-y rock closer, and while they’re all fine enough on their own I just don’t know if a record where Plant and Stefani are singing together is something I’m really on board with. On the strength of the songs alone though it’s still a pretty decent listen regardless, even if they don’t form a cohesive whole.
Final Thoughts:
There’s actually a lot wrong with this EP, in that it’s primarily dominated by the longest song of the entire round and one that doesn’t need to be as long as it is, full stop. And then you’ve got another song I’m kind of meh on. And if you’d kept part for the course this probably would’ve been a miss, but you just had to up and put one of the best songs of the entire round on the tail end of this thing and make it incredibly difficult to dismiss this submission. It’s a stylistic mess, too, none of these tracks go well together at all, though the structure & flow of this is on point enough that it’s not a complete failure as an EP. I still expect this one to sort out safe enough in the top half of the list that I won’t be cutting you, though, and it’s pretty much all thanks to that one song, but hey, one big hit is going to fare better than none.
9th Place: Kattelox – Missing Forever, Forever Missed (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0NmyGie3z93o6fSqfb7MxF?si=gTyuAvjwRmyp_M8kDQtHjg)
1. Tycho – Dye (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv7xMN-l4Nk)
First Impressions:
So just from the artists involved I know to expect electronic stuff of some variety. The inclusion of the guitar here makes me think more of David Maxim Micic’s chill stuff, though, especially on ECO. Considering ECO is my favorite project of his, that’s not a bad thing. This isn’t as interesting as 500 Seconds Before Sunset or anything but nah, I dig this, it’s chill and pleasant. Maybe a tiny bit too long though. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I can sit here and listen to this and this sure is nice “music” but it’s hard to really find much about this I care about as a “song”. It does ebb and flow and change up a little bit, but there aren’t really any melodic landmarks to this song – the guitar lines are nice but they sound less like a motif and more like variations on the same general type of melody. If I had this on as background music and wasn’t really actively listening to it, it might work somewhat for me. But the lack of a core motif and the lack of any real sense of direction means that at best I can find it a bit tedious to actually sit down and actively listen to. Again, the song I brought up before has a same general “sound” but it has a really strong core motif behind it and a fair bit more variation as well, even despite being longer. I dunno. I can’t be too harsh on this one as I don’t dislike it but I haven’t really gotten anything out of this on any of the relistens I’ve given it. And if I want chill music, I tend to prefer stuff that’s even more ambient, or infused with stronger emotions, hammock, sigur ros, eluvium, the like. This is just. Okay.
5.5/10
2. Slushii – Sapient Dream (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9eIcB-Q13A)
First Impressions:
Kind of the same vibe off this one as the last one, yeah, but this one seems to be more focused on the electronic elements. Bright synths, percussion has a lot more presence, there’s these breathy vocal effects that I actually don’t really like that much either oops. There isn’t really a ton of groove to this percussion either. Yeah, not really feeling this one. (MEDIOCRE)
Final Thoughts:
Okay, so this one does have a main motif to it, so at the very least I have to give it that much. But it’s also more electronic and a lot of the electronic elements present here are the kind I’m not super keen on. The bright chiptune-y synth tone isn’t my thing, the super loud bass is a constant gripe I have in electronic music, the breathy voice thing just sounds off. It also doesn’t really feel like it has a ton of substance to it either. It’s just a short little tune that’s vaguely atmospheric and simmers at a medium-low level of interest, then it ends. I dunno what to say, this just isn’t my thing. Not super unpleasant or anything, I’m just bored by it.
4.5/10
3. Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson – The Fountain (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0VwXqtL8X0)
First Impressions:
Okay, and immediately I get the impression this last one is not at all like the last two. For one, it’s a lot more upbeat and noisy. For two, it has vocals, from good ol’ Stevie boy. There’s definitely a lot going on with the production on this one but I dig it for the most part. It’s kind of bizarre to hear Wilson in something like this, too, but he doesn’t really feel out of place. There’s even vaguely an underlying rock vibe to this one, too. The bridge basically sounds like a Steven Wilson solo song. Yeah, I don’t have a ton of complaints about this one, it’s certainly the song here that most grabs my interest on first listen. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
Starting to think it was cheating to let you send Stevie Boy even if the primary artist I wasn’t familiar with because honestly he’s the main focus of quite a lot of this song. There are definitely other elements here that stand out – the main synth line and that plucky guitar bit that both recur, and the intense, driving percussion keeps up a sense of momentum and intensity throughout. None of the electronic elements here are the aforementioned ones I take issue with, either. It’s actually pretty melodically driven throughout. And then there’s the abrupt soft rock bit that somehow doesn’t feel out of place and builds back into the final chorus pretty well. This hasn’t really been, like, a huge standout song for me at any point in this round but it is well-constructed and compelling the whole way through and I certainly do enjoy it. I don’t know how much I’d enjoy other Pendulum stuff, to be fair, but that’s not that relevant here.
7.5/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
Pretty much got what I expected out of this one overall in terms of the electronic theming, and I suppose there’s a decent enough variety here, though the Slushii song just feels to me like a less interesting version of the Tycho track. The Tycho track also doesn’t really feel like a proper opener but the Pendulum track makes for a solid closer. I don’t expect this to end up one of my favorite EPs but I also don’t expect something like this to be unpleasant to listen to repeatedly, either.
Final Thoughts:
Mmm yeah the first two tracks haven’t really done much for me on any listens here, they aren’t really actively unpleasant but they are both kind of boring. The Pendulum song doesn’t really fit in with the other two much stylistically, being way more upbeat and noisy, but it does work as a closer in its own right and I certainly enjoy it a lot more than the other two. It’s not a song that can really carry the weight of the entire EP on its own though, unfortunately. I don’t really have too much else to say about this one. It’s all not really that up my alley so only one in three of the songs working isn’t too surprising.
Current Standings:
1. senecadawg2
2. TAC
3. Puppies_On_Acid
4. Ghost Malone
5. ???
6. ???
------------
7. ???
8. ???
9. Kattelox
10. Indiscipline
11. Elite
12. Dacul
Song Rankings:
1. Phoebe Bridgers – Funeral
2. No Doubt – Tragic Kingdon
3. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – If We Were Vampires
4. Existem – The Reclaimer
5.
6.
7. Arms & Sleepers – Twentynine Palms
8. Arcane – Selfsame
9. Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
10. Breaking Orbit – Conscious Self
11.
12. Cereus – Icarus
13.
14. Dark the Suns – All Ends in Silence
15.
16.
17. Atoma – Skylight
18. Vanaheim – Daughter Of The Dawn
19. John Lennon – How Do You Sleep?
20. Led Zeppelin – Achilles Last Stand
21.
22. Alithia – On a Mountain
23.
24.
25. Eddie Vedder – Society
26. Marlene Kuntz – Nuotando nell'Aria
27. Tycho - Dye
28.
29.
30. Archspire – Involuntary Doppelgänger
31.
32. Slushii - Sapient Dream
33. Starsailor – Way to Fall
34. Inferum – Beyond Reach
35. Linda Perhacs – Winds of the Sky
36. Owen Pallett – The Great Elsewhere
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fun fact: 5th and 6th place had the 5th and 6th best songs of the round respectively. i swear that's not how i'm picking the top 6 here, just that it shouldn't be too surprising the best songs ended up making some of my favorite EPs overall when each EP is only 3 songs long :P
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Looks like the last few results will pretty close in scores, since Ghost had 21 and Kattelox 17.5.
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just a casual reminder that the aggregate score doesn't actually matter (which is why i haven't been posting it)
i also think an 8/10 is twice as good as a 7/10 which is why most of my scores are really tending towards the middle here, you have to really start impressing me to get high scores here (or really disappoint me to get really low ones)
also, i didn't fuss over the scores that much anyways :P
the aggregate scores of the remaining four are 21, 19.5, 18.5, and 18, for what it's worth, but also be reminded that scores for individual songs don't matter as much since you could have a 9/10 song that's like 3 minutes long on a 20 minute EP and thus it wouldn't color my impression of an EP strongly, but a 10 minute 4/10 on a 20 minute EP alongside 8/10's is gonna feel a lot worse than a 20/30 score. i actually did take song lengths into account when assigning direct scores to EPs in the past but doing so + scoring flow points arbitrarily lead to results that didn't really match what my personal opinion was, which is why i'm not doing it here
basically: you can maybe vaguely call that a pattern but i wouldn't put much stock in it :P
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That's pretty fair. That's about what I expected, honestly, because I sent something totally out of left field and didn't try to overthink it.
So does that mean I don't make it past this round? :biggrin:
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Also I did read into the story but admittedly haven’t looked carefully into the lyrics on any of these so I’ll take your word for it on this epic space battle ascension thing-y going on.
I'd say, don't read too much in to the story of this first EP. I'm actually going to be steering the story in a bit of a different direction going forward (although still using the first EP as a baseline). I wasn't particularly happy with the direction I was leading it, so a change was needed (at least in my mind). Also I think this first EP suffered a bit because I was really trying to use songs with lyrics that 100% fit the story I had made up (which is why Atoma ended up on there). Going forward, the lyrics of the songs I'm using are going to be a little more vague, but can still be interpreted as part of the story.
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First off, I would read your write-ups all day. You're focking thorough and I wouldn't be surprised to find out you're a professional music critic outside this DTF life.
Secondly - and coincidentally - These are all pretty fair assessments. I'm glad you liked the first diss track in music history (that was the tune I was afraid being rule 6ed), I have more or less the same opinion about MK (honestly, I thought you could like it more than I actually do), and - about Starsailor - I totally agree that a single production issue can completely fock a song's enjoyment over. You were in my roulette, you have witnessed that almost every round.
I may send a special EP I was concocting in my mind for this roulette sooner or later, but only if it doesn't bother your already ponderous listening duty.
Good luck everybody and thanks for having me!
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you can send it but i probably won't listen to it until after the roulette, tbh
also i am like the polar opposite of a music critic irl, i'm a software developer lol
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After the roulette then :tup
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Give resluts
Baraba.
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resluts
:hat
i'm gonna post the next pair of results right before dinnertime and the last pair probably like 9 PMish PST just to piss you all off
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Results, Part 5
5th Place: Lethean – Untitled (https://www.sendspace.com/filegroup/EWeZbDoTY1ECQZRr%2Bcsx2Dfzzdh%2FzLAt)
1. Threshold – Light and Space (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKSy9BntpOQ)
First Impressions:
This is another case where I’ve heard at least a handful of songs from all the artists here, though I’m not super familiar with any of them either. Man, when was this recorded, this production sounds absurdly spacious like it was recorded in a freakin’ warehouse or something. I can’t say I like how the production on this sounds though, yeah. Other than that I don’t really have a ton to say about this. The riffs are fine. The vocals are okay enough but kinda generic. There’s a nice clean bit in the middle. It’s really the guitar tone (and the occasional synth tone) that puts me off this one a little, it’s so reverb-drenched and yet, like, super deep fried crispy. I know I’ve complained about this before but low-tuned melodies plus guitar tones like this just don’t mix, the end result is a muddy mess. I can’t really say anything else about it is bad but nothing about it is too strong except some of the lead guitar work. It’s fine enough. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Alright, look, I get that this is from 2001 and metal production has always been fickle as heck, but there are plenty of bands making better-sounding metal from this same period. Surprisingly it doesn’t totally kill the melody most of the time and the vocal production sounds fine, a lot better than recent dream theater albums to be sure. Anyways besides that this is…. serviceable. It’s got some solid melodies. They’re smart enough to not have too jagged or ugly of a groove, keeping the song rooted in 4/4 more often than not. You can kinda headbob to it. As far as prog metal goes it does all flow together pretty well, no rough transitions and it’s got some cleaner, more dynamic moments to break things up. As a song it’s more than well constructed enough, it’s just that I really, honestly don’t have any use for this. I have a lot of prog metal like this. There’s no especially strong melodies, no really excellent grooves, no particularly memorable hook. It’s super, duper “fine”. A bit above average, but I doubt I’ll remember it.
6/10
2. Katatonia – A Premonition (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6Sn6XhTUD4)
First Impressions:
Katatonia is a band I’ve gone on record that I’m just not a fan of them but you all are really aggressive about trying to get me to like them, huh. It’s not a great sign when your first choice was a song that I’d already previously listened to and felt rather meh towards, haha. There’s, like, a lot of stuff going on in the background of the track here that I don’t know if I’m too hot on, because none of it really works well together, it’s just noises happening behind a fairly standard tune. The guitar tone here is kind of in line with the first song as well but it works fine in this style of song so I’m not as bothered by it here. I just… got basically nothing at all out of this song despite my best efforts. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Look. I get it. You basically screwed yourself here, between the other two songs you only had about 4 minutes left and I rejected the first song you sent because I’d heard it before. And let me say straight up that I went back to that song and found it a lot stronger than this one. Not great, but maybe on the scale of that roulette I should’ve rated it ever so slightly higher than I did? I dunno. This just doesn’t do much at all for me. The entire first half of this is all sorts of different, not very memorable and honestly pretty clunky melodies all fighting for attention without ever coming together. The heavy riff that comes in reminds me of, for some reason, Alkaloid’s Funeral For a Continent. It’s a similar chord progression. I’ll say that, if nothing else, I do vaguely feel something during that heavy bit. An attempt was made. The vocals actually have a bit of passion there. The repetitive plucky synth line doesn’t fit in there regardless but if I ignore it it’s mostly fine. I just don’t see why anyone would choose to listen to this particular Katatonia song over any other song they have, I’m not sure what about it could possibly resonate strongly. I like about a minute of it and the rest either bores me or kind of low-key annoys me. It’s probably the most average song I’ve received this entire round, in all honesty.
5.25/10
3. Kingcrow – Phlegethon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnReLt4F7VQ)
First Impressions:
Well, immediately I get the sense the production on this one is better than the first two so that’s a step in the right direction. I do dig the riffing style of this one well enough and it’s certainly keeping itself varied enough to boot. The bit with the choir vocals and the really steady riffing was pretty neato. The bass is kind of downplayed throughout a lot of this tune, it’s a bit low in the mix and the tone isn’t great either, but it gets its moment to shine in the quieter sections of the song. This entire thing is just… low key good, honestly, pretty constantly moving and doing stuff I like but there’s not really a lot I love either, I do think I like it enough for the higher of the two ratings I’m bouncing between but that could change. Or it could grow on me too. Who knows. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
Goddammit not you too. Congrats, here’s an EP with two songs I’m kind of meh on and then you end with a song I really like, a lot. Start out with this jagged and melodic riff. Okay, djent bands. I get you like having fun with rhythm. But without any melody all your riffs sound the same. Just add! Melodic accentuations! Exactly like this! And it works! Jesus! Anyways then you get the verses. There’s a great sinister air to them, driven by bass and atmospheric synths, slowly building up with more guitar lines coming in until the second verse switches from being sinister to outright tense. And the chorus of this, I love the chorus of this. It’s so simple, too. Guitar hits on the off beat, chanting crowd vocals, incredibly straightforward percussion. This right here is something you can reeeeally headbob to, probably headbang to if you’re seeing it live. It’s maybe a little cheesy but they sell it really well and it serves as an effective payoff to the buildup of the song before it. The song pulls back for a moment for a quieter bit and then you get this really intense, energetic buildup. It’s pretty much just a power metal moment with the drums. And it resolves again to the chorus, which I’m totally on board for. The song pulls back again for a nice clean moment after that, building a fixed guitar groove up on top to keep the momentum going a little bit. I think if I had one complaint about the song, it’s that it feels like it might go on a touch long, though. The song basically just… fades out from there, and resolves on a kind of unrelated clean passage. I think it’d work just fine in the context of an album and it actually brings the EP itself full circle pretty well, mirroring the intro of the Threshold song, but it hurts the overall flow of the song just ever so slightly. It would’ve been really cool if over that last groove the song added in the chorus choir chants again, really just bringing the whole thing together and giving the song a familiar yet slightly different idea to end on. Just a thought. I’m really not super bothered by it when the rest of this song is as good as this is. It ebbs and flows well and keeps itself dynamic, having a three-part structure tied together by its chorus, both instrumentally and vocally compelling. It’s just good, man.
8.25/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
In terms of whether or not these three songs go together or work as an EP, they absolutely do. First song is solid as an opener, last song is solid as a closer, they all have a kind of sludgier but also straightforward metal sound to them, but each of them is a different kind of track as well. In regards as to this working as an EP you pretty much hit the nail on the head, it’s just a shame none of the songs really stand out. Even the one I do like a fair bit, it’s not the kind of song I see being a “favorite” of mine, just one that I find pretty pleasant to listen to. And the other two didn’t leave much of an impact at all on me. I could see every song here being a grower but the big concern is how overall flavorless this one feels.
Final Thoughts:
So while yeah it’s clear I’m not crazy about this entire EP, it ends on a pretty strong note, and I don’t really dislike the other two songs either, I just don’t get a ton out of them. I was at least right that one of the songs here ended up being a grower, and fortunately it was the one that mattered the most overall. And like I already said this works satisfyingly enough as an EP – the Threshold and Kingcow songs go together really well, both being pretty straightforward prog metal with a power metal flair, and even having atmospheric intros/outros to mirror each other. Katatonia maybe not so much, it feels really simple and out of place compared to the other two, but it’s not a huge curveball like some other EPs here end up having. Overall I do like at least half of this EP a good bit and I don’t mind the rest, it’s easy enough to listen to even if I’m not too convinced I’ll be checking out Threshold or Katatonia again.
8th Place: romdrums – Parama EP 2.17.19 (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1S87V95wnf-qsi5-k6307ZXTnXMkI43qK)
1. IceFish – It Begins (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkExYyD2nwE)
First Impressions:
Mmm. My very first impression here is that this opening groove is one of those “prog for the sake of prog” moments, it doesn’t really flow well and just feels like bits of guitar lines were chopped off a smooth groove arbitrarily. And that synth sound ain’t it. Or at least, not for metal, reminds me of the tones Ronald Jenkees uses on his upbeat, bright electronic tunes. Like yeah I’m sorry but that synth just kills this entire thing for me. There’s good stuff here, some of the grooves are alright and the vocalist sounds fine. It’s got the “modern prog” problem of lacking strong melodies, to be sure, but I can get past that if there’s enough groove to make up for it. And basically any part of this song lacking the synths is fine. I think it just ends up balancing out to being… fine. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Well, uhh, the chorus here is memorable, if nothing else. Like, not super powerful or anything but it’s catchy enough and I kind of feel it. This just has a lot of problems, doesn’t it. I’ve already called out the synth tone, let’s set that aside for a bit. I’ve already called out the grooves being weird but let me flesh out why that bothers me. Grooves are something you -feel- and generally they’re regular enough that once you pick up on a groove you can keep feeling it and riding it and enjoying it. Chopping off part of the groove arbitrarily just kills it outright. An unpredictable groove is honestly kind of useless to me. They don’t do it all the time but they do it often enough, especially in the verses, that I end up not really getting anything from them. And as far as melodies go this song has issues, really the only two elements driving melody for most of this song are the synths (which, eww) and the vocals, which I’m also not a huge fan of but they’re, fine enough. That groove after the guitar solo driven by the synths, I could imagine that being much better if it was a better-sounding instrument driving it, it’s kind of cool but again, that synth tone, what the heck were they thinking. It just ruins everything it touches. Ehh.At the end of the day this is just. Not my thing and surprisingly frustrating for how basic it is.
4.75/10
2. DGM – Portrait (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXUf0syqkE0)
First Impressions:
This one basically just seems pretty similar to the last one but with a generally better production (sounds a bit more full, guitar tones and synth tones especially are better). Like yeah it’s kind of standard power-prog and I again feel like it kind of falls victim to trying to have riffs & melodies with lots of notes before riffs & melodies with memorable moments. But it’s more than serviceable enough prog metal. The prog-wank midsection isn’t really my cup of tea though. It mostly just came and went without leaving a huge impact but I didn’t dislike it. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Right off the bat this fixes a lot of the issues I had with the previous song, actually. For one there’s no awful synths. The grooves are more stable, the guitar work is a lot more melodic, even the vocals are a bit of a step up. Granted, not one part of anything this song has to offer is particularly memorable for me – this is my fifth listen now and I can barely recall anything about it. The chorus is pretty good though, I like the chorus. Both the vocal lines and the instrumentation backing them fit together well and drive some decent power. Also I commented on the instrumental section before, I actually like it up until the point where the solos kick in but they’re the most basic “let’s play fast instead of playing with style” prog wank stuff. The melodic interplay bits before then though, they get a pass. I dunno, this song is. Pretty fine. I think its biggest crime is being a bit unmemorable but stylistically it works well enough and it has its moments.
6.75/10
3. Voyager – Seasons of Age (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImtGIvaTpBg)
First Impressions:
Voyager are like, the quintessential “romdjent” band to me for some reason so I’m not in the least surprised to hear them here. And uuhh. I have absolutely no clue what to say about this one either. I think it’s less that I dislike Voyager and more that their songs just… don’t have much personality to them. A little bit of djent, a little bit of prog metal, throw in some kind of hook and a decent emotive presence and you’ve got just the quintessential “yeah, this is nice I guess, but it doesn’t really grab me in any way” sound. I dig the heavy groove this one closes off with, at least. And I dunno, I’m always inclined to be nice and I can’t say I’d rather hear generic indie rock or generic pop or generic whatever else over generic djent-prog, and I don’t have anything really negative to say about this one, I just didn’t get a whole lot from it I haven’t heard before. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
There’s actually something kind of off about the vocalist here that I don’t quite like. On the verses at least, it feels like he’s kind of missing notes? Or maybe it’s just his tone of voice. On the chorus he’s actually pretty fine, it’s a pretty solid chorus that drives some decent power. Honestly this one I didn’t really remember much about either and again, fifth listen. It’s got those djent-y grooves to it but they’re melodically grounded and with other stuff going on over/under them so they’re not the main focus either and in that context I’m usually on board with that style of riffing. I just suppose neither the melodic work nor the riffing really strikes a chord with me. The slower riff that kicks in towards the end is a pretty good riff though, yep. I dunno. This one’s again, fine. It has a few elements I like, a few elements that bug me. I’m not crazy about it or particularly convinced I need to check out more Voyager after this but it’s again, pretty fine.
6.5/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
Yeah I would pretty easily say that everything here fits together well enough, mostly on the basis that it’s modern prog metal all the way down, boys. One song that kind of irritated me, two songs that were solid enough but didn’t really do much to stand out for me. I can see the potential for those latter two to grow on me with relistens but I’m worried the first one is gonna get even worse to balance it out. It strikes me as the “safest” EP out of the whole bunch, which could be for better or worse in the end, but I don’t think this has potential to be a favorite in the round either.
Final Thoughts:
Man, this EP is just the most unmemorable one of the entire bunch, I’m sorry to say it. I don’t particularly like nor particularly dislike anything here, either, it’s just that either way I don’t really get much out of these tunes. At worst they’re a little obnoxious but far from offensive. At best they’re pleasant with the occasional ear-catching moment but do little to stand out. In that regard this is one of the most perfectly-constructed EPs of the round, since all three sound just different enough yet still fit in pretty easily, there’s a solid sense of start/middle/end, everything in that regard is done well, it’s just that without any notable songs to stand out from the crowd everything here gets lost in the shuffle and doesn’t strike me as being particularly ambitious. You’re going to miss the cut not for any colossal misstep as much as just not having anything that particularly impresses, unfortunately.
Current Standings:
1. senecadawg2
2. TAC
3. Puppies_On_Acid
4. Ghost Malone
5. Lethean
6. ???
------------
7. ???
8. romdrums
9. Kattelox
10. Indiscipline
11. Elite
12. Dacul
Song Rankings:
1. Phoebe Bridgers – Funeral
2. No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom
3. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – If We Were Vampires
4. Existem – The Reclaimer
5. Kingcrow – Phlegethon
6.
7. Arms & Sleepers – Twentynine Palms
8. Arcane – Selfsame
9. Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
10. Breaking Orbit – Conscious Self
11.
12. Cereus – Icarus
13. DGM – Portrait
14. Dark the Suns – All Ends in Silence
15.
16. Voyager – Seasons of Age
17. Atoma – Skylight
18. Vanaheim – Daughter Of The Dawn
19. John Lennon – How Do You Sleep?
20. Led Zeppelin – Achilles Last Stand
21.
22. Alithia – On a Mountain
23. Threshold – Light and Space
24.
25. Eddie Vedder – Society
26. Marlene Kuntz – Nuotando nell'Aria
27. Tycho - Dye
28. Katatonia – A Premonition
29.
30. Archspire – Involuntary Doppelgänger
31. IceFish – It Begins
32. Slushii - Sapient Dream
33. Starsailor – Way to Fall
34. Inferum – Beyond Reach
35. Linda Perhacs – Winds of the Sky
36. Owen Pallett – The Great Elsewhere
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i hope y'all are appreciating the rainbow vomit song rankings board
trainy, homeboy, i request that you two fight to the death and the winner gets the last slot in the roulette
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(https://media.tenor.com/images/ae6657d190e6cc9fdf02fac4c21cfa33/tenor.gif)
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(https://media1.tenor.com/images/fdd73fc4651ffe15c7f052cc3a00ee1c/tenor.gif?itemid=5293170)
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OK, TAC you win this time... :vomitard:
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Results, Part 5
5th Place: Lethean – Untitled (https://www.sendspace.com/filegroup/EWeZbDoTY1ECQZRr%2Bcsx2Dfzzdh%2FzLAt)
1. Threshold – Light and Space (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKSy9BntpOQ)
Alright, look, I get that this is from 2001 and metal production has always been fickle as heck, but there are plenty of bands making better-sounding metal from this same period. Surprisingly it doesn’t totally kill the melody most of the time and the vocal production sounds fine, a lot better than recent dream theater albums to be sure.
I'll just say straight up that I don't care about production, and I'm not going to consider it for any song I send you, so if you like the production or don't, that'll just be good or bad luck for me. There may be a case where production has an effect on my enjoyment of something and I just don't realize that that's the reason why... but I never really complain about production. I suppose I thought Mangini should have been more up front in recent DT albums, but I don't have a problem with modern DT.
2. Katatonia – A Premonition (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6Sn6XhTUD4)
First Impressions:
Katatonia is a band I’ve gone on record that I’m just not a fan of them but you all are really aggressive about trying to get me to like them, huh. It’s not a great sign when your first choice was a song that I’d already previously listened to and felt rather meh towards, haha.
My forum name is taken from a Katatonia song. During the polar vortex, I listened to their non-harsh vocal discography in chronological order, and then for good measure, I went back and listened to their entire discography, harsh vocals and all, in order. Whenever Katatonia is not banned in a roulette where I'm a participant, I'm sending them. :P (That actually goes for Threshold too).
Final Thoughts:
Look. I get it. You basically screwed yourself here, between the other two songs you only had about 4 minutes left and I rejected the first song you sent because I’d heard it before. And let me say straight up that I went back to that song and found it a lot stronger than this one. Not great, but maybe on the scale of that roulette I should’ve rated it ever so slightly higher than I did? I dunno. This just doesn’t do much at all for me. The entire first half of this is all sorts of different, not very memorable and honestly pretty clunky melodies all fighting for attention without ever coming together. The heavy riff that comes in reminds me of, for some reason, Alkaloid’s Funeral For a Continent. It’s a similar chord progression. I’ll say that, if nothing else, I do vaguely feel something during that heavy bit. An attempt was made. The vocals actually have a bit of passion there. The repetitive plucky synth line doesn’t fit in there regardless but if I ignore it it’s mostly fine. I just don’t see why anyone would choose to listen to this particular Katatonia song over any other song they have, I’m not sure what about it could possibly resonate strongly. I like about a minute of it and the rest either bores me or kind of low-key annoys me. It’s probably the most average song I’ve received this entire round, in all honesty.
It's interesting, because when The Racing Heart was rejected, I actually started to think it was a good thing and you might like A Premonition more. Clearly I was wrong, but I thought there was a desperation to it that might appeal to you more than some of the other shorter songs I was considering. In any case, pretty much all Katatonia resonates with me, most of it very strongly. Even though - they were a bit of a grower band for me. When I first heard them I thought they were good, but I didn't make a strong emotional connection to them until a few years later.
3. Kingcrow – Phlegethon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnReLt4F7VQ)
First Impressions:
Well, immediately I get the sense the production on this one is better than the first two so that’s a step in the right direction. I do dig the riffing style of this one well enough and it’s certainly keeping itself varied enough to boot. The bit with the choir vocals and the really steady riffing was pretty neato. The bass is kind of downplayed throughout a lot of this tune, it’s a bit low in the mix and the tone isn’t great either, but it gets its moment to shine in the quieter sections of the song. This entire thing is just… low key good, honestly, pretty constantly moving and doing stuff I like but there’s not really a lot I love either, I do think I like it enough for the higher of the two ratings I’m bouncing between but that could change. Or it could grow on me too. Who knows. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
Goddammit not you too. Congrats, here’s an EP with two songs I’m kind of meh on and then you end with a song I really like, a lot. Start out with this jagged and melodic riff. Okay, djent bands. I get you like having fun with rhythm. But without any melody all your riffs sound the same. Just add! Melodic accentuations! Exactly like this! And it works! Jesus! Anyways then you get the verses. There’s a great sinister air to them, driven by bass and atmospheric synths, slowly building up with more guitar lines coming in until the second verse switches from being sinister to outright tense. And the chorus of this, I love the chorus of this. It’s so simple, too. Guitar hits on the off beat, chanting crowd vocals, incredibly straightforward percussion. This right here is something you can reeeeally headbob to, probably headbang to if you’re seeing it live. It’s maybe a little cheesy but they sell it really well and it serves as an effective payoff to the buildup of the song before it. The song pulls back for a moment for a quieter bit and then you get this really intense, energetic buildup. It’s pretty much just a power metal moment with the drums. And it resolves again to the chorus, which I’m totally on board for. The song pulls back again for a nice clean moment after that, building a fixed guitar groove up on top to keep the momentum going a little bit. I think if I had one complaint about the song, it’s that it feels like it might go on a touch long, though. The song basically just… fades out from there, and resolves on a kind of unrelated clean passage. I think it’d work just fine in the context of an album and it actually brings the EP itself full circle pretty well, mirroring the intro of the Threshold song, but it hurts the overall flow of the song just ever so slightly. It would’ve been really cool if over that last groove the song added in the chorus choir chants again, really just bringing the whole thing together and giving the song a familiar yet slightly different idea to end on. Just a thought. I’m really not super bothered by it when the rest of this song is as good as this is. It ebbs and flows well and keeps itself dynamic, having a three-part structure tied together by its chorus, both instrumentally and vocally compelling. It’s just good, man.
8.25/10
Well yippee yay. :) This song is totally awesome, and it is live as well. Live, they still end with that same melody that's in the fade out, but they make it heavy instead and it works really well.
In terms of whether or not these three songs go together or work as an EP, they absolutely do. First song is solid as an opener, last song is solid as a closer, they all have a kind of sludgier but also straightforward metal sound to them, but each of them is a different kind of track as well. In regards as to this working as an EP you pretty much hit the nail on the head, it’s just a shame none of the songs really stand out.
Whew - I've done a couple EPs now for roulettes, but I still feel like I have no clue what I'm doing. So while you didn't like the songs so much (even though you totally should have), at least the EP seemed like a good enough EP to compete with the others.
I wonder if this is the lowest scoring EP ever to not get cut (besides whoever's #6 of course).... :P
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My forum name is taken from a Katatonia song.
Hmm...
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My forum name is taken from a Katatonia song.
Hmm...
Uh oh, you've got TAC thinking...
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My forum name is taken from a Katatonia song.
Hmm...
Uh oh, you've got TAC thinking...
I hope he's thinking about listening to Lethean... :)
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i'm gonna post the next pair of results right before dinnertime and the last pair probably like 9 PMish PST just to piss you all off
I think we've been conned :corn
By the way, the rest of my ep's/concept album are all finished. Now I just need to write the story....
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i was playing kingdom hearts actually i just stopped a few minutes ago
anyways here's some results and suffering brb
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Results, Part 6
6th Place: home – The Good Winter (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4sUDAqtY17EhKVS2tPNo2T?si=NTBV6LYcSYm-0cD7BT24NA)
1. Agnes Obel – Dorian (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZN1HKn3Qus)
First Impressions:
Oh, this is pleasant. She has a nice voice, the piano lines are pretty and the tone is pretty good, the muted percussion fits the vibe nicely. I can definitely chill out to this one. I uhh. Don’t have much else to say about it. It doesn’t particularly stand out either? It’s a kind of song I’ve heard before and doesn’t really have any elements that make it stand out, nor does it resonate particularly strongly, it’s just… nice. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
This one I basically said all I really have to say about it in my first writeup, honestly. It’s a nice song that doesn’t really resonate emotionally, nor does it feel like it’s really trying to do so. Everything about this sounds “nice” but it’s a bit too sparse to really have a compelling atmosphere, and her singing is pleasant but a bit too low-key and “perfect” for lack of a better word to really emote. Lyrically it’s also a bit obtuse as to what the “point” of this is. Genius says that she says it’s about a relationship or something. I dunno. Like I’m vaguely trying to say – this one’s pretty nice to listen to but I really don’t get much else out of it besides that.
6/10
2. Emma Ruth Rundle – Marked For Death (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz90JZuOckM)
First Impressions:
Honestly I probably could’ve let you get away with sending the first song you picked simply because I don’t remember in the slightest what the song specifically sounds like. I remember it’s some singer-songwriter type ordeal but that’s about it. I certainly don’t remember it being as intense as this one gets during the chorus, I dig the heck out of that sludgy, roiling sound. It feels a little weird that her vocals don’t feel like they get particularly intense compared to the softer moments, though. Overall I feel like I like this more than the other song I’ve heard from her? It’s not blowing me away but it’s cool enough stuff. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
This one, my thoughts haven’t really changed towards either. For as kind of low-key as it is, it’s still got some intensity to it in the chorus and while the vocal tone doesn’t change massively between the verse and chorus there’s still a notable enough different to match the swell, though it’s not a big difference, yeah. The lyrically sentiment of this one is also a fair bit more straightforward and while I don’t personally connect with it I do get it and can empathize with it. It’s again a bit simple but I think it’s fine for it to be, it’s not one of the more strongly resonant songs of the round for me but it does stand out enough to be memorable, and much more so than the previous song I’ve heard from her.
6.75/10
3. Bon Iver – Holocene (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWcyIpul8OE)
First Impressions:
Bon Iver is one of those artists I’ve known about for a while but never really listened to. Apparently they have a song called For Emma? It would’ve been super funny if you sent that one. I pretty much don’t have anything to say about this song itself. He sings like he’s constantly using falsetto which I’m not a huge fan of. The song does pick up a bit of momentum and feels like it’s going to build to something but it cuts off before it reaches that? Then it kind of picks it up right at the end. I don’t know, despite my issues with it this one does make me at least, y’know, feel something. I end up putting all three of these in the same tier of my first impressions so I’ll lay out that this would be my second favorite, with Emma Ruth Rundle being the favorite and Agnes Obel being the least favorite, but it’s not a very wide margin. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I think I didn’t realize it until like, my fourth listen, but. I actually. Really like this one? The general vibe of this song just… clicked with me. It’s subtly mournful, not pounding you over the head with emotional intensity or really any intensity at all, but between the hypnotic and repetitive guitar lines, the driving drums, the harmonized vocals, the generally bright tone… it’s honestly hard to describe why this one does work for me and make me feel strongly about it. Heck, the lyrics are as obtuse as they could be. Genius is absolutely pretentious as hell about the lyrics to this one and there’s no way in hell I’m reading through all that. But. Anyways. Basically the point is that this song has grown on me with every listen and it makes me feel sadboy feelings and I don’t even know why, but I really do like it all the same.
8.25/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
Mmm, yeah, these are again all songs that are kind of in a similar vein but all have enough to stand out on their own as well. More than anything, I see this EP as a collection of songs that are all potential growers seeing as all three of them have landed in the same tier for me on first listen. At the same time, in my quieter music, I do tend to still gravitate towards stuff that has at least a little more payoff than anything these three offer, though the middle track at least gets close to this. I don’t know if I can comment on like, the flow or track ordering here yet as I can’t really tell whether the second or third track would make the better closer based on just one listen. Overall though this one is, yeah, pretty nice.
Final Thoughts:
I think in part one of the problems you run into here is that you’re competing with another low-key EP that’s based around strong emotional resonance, and the best song here doesn’t really hit me as hard as two of the songs on that EP, so this mentally got placed in my mind as the inferior product compared to that one. Which maybe is a little unfair, but still having said that this was overall one of the bigger growers of the round, to the point where it went from being a likely cut to a likely save by the end of it all. That’s just the thing though, stuff like this will always be fickle for me, and I’m honestly still not sure why that Bon Iver track works as well for me as it does. There’s definitely cohesion and decent flow at play here, too, hard to fault this from any angle as an EP. Just overall pretty solid.
7th Place: Train of Naught – Midnight Zone (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Os5SfoKinDPPBv33vH43l?si=VjjknVORQP2dceWLqpkl2Q)
1. Balance and Composure – Afterparty (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k62wtlsD25E)
First Impressions:
Ahh wow this is some indie rock isn’t it. I’m like a minute in and thus far this honestly doesn’t really have any personality to it. I figure on repeat listens I might maybe like this one more? The bassline is kinda nice, though it again isn’t anything too unique. Not much to say here honestly. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Yeah you’re really going to have to help me understand what’s notable or compelling about this one. I don’t think it’s the instrumentation – it’s serviceable enough but not really driven by any compelling melodies. I don’t think it’s the vocals – they sound half-asleep and especially compared to a lot of other examples in this round, hell, compared to the other songs on this EP, they just don’t stir up any emotion whatsoever. It’s so dry-sounding. I called another song here the definition of average in a writeup before I did this one but, you know what? This is it. The most average song of the round. One of the most average songs I’ve heard in a good long time, even.
5/10
2. Bring Me the Horizon – MANTRA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAXg78MKJcM)
First Impressions:
Oh one of these bands I’ve heard about plenty (mostly negatively) but never actually listened to. Immediately I will say this is more musically interesting than the last track, for sure. Dig that main riff. Don’t feel like he’s a great singer though, and I don’t dig the computer voice they used for the title drop. I don’t really feel like much else happened in this song after the first minute or so but it’s fine enough, sure. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I’m too goddamn old for this, I feel like. The lyrics are obviously an attack on religion, but at the same time the chorus feels… immature. The phrases they use are practically useless clichés, mantras in of themselves. I actually like a fair bit of the rest of this though. The verses have pretty interesting delivery, and the very subtle electronic vibes of the bridge actually fit in pretty well, plus the vocals sound more alive there than anywhere else in the song. And the main riff is solid, though I don’t know if the guitar work anywhere else does much for me. It’s a bit basic overall and not really the kind of post-hardcore I’m that into but it’s got enough elements that work for me to not fully dismiss it, either.
6.25/10
3. Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG8fugqFn9Q)
First Impressions:
So this is the one band of these three I’ve actually listened to before, though mostly because they’ve had a few songs in guitar hero. I think this song actually was in guitar hero, but as DLC so I never got it. I’ve always liked their drumming and this song is no real exception, though the bassline here is also pretty great. The vocals have never super been my thing though, I don’t feel like there’s a ton of power behind the singer’s voice. The fuzzy guitars make for decently dense soundscapes, though. I dunno with how long this song is, the bassline kind of has already worn on me a little bit, it’s… kind of repetitive isn’t it. Okay, the climax at the end of this one is pretty cool though. I actually feel something, gosh. Yeah, this is solid enough I suppose. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
They really should’ve changed up that bassline a bit more, I liked it at first but at this point I’m honestly a bit tired of it. Especially in the verses where it’s basically the only thing going on in the instrumentation. Aside from that this has grown on me a decent bit, though. The chorus isn’t super emotionally-charged but the melodies are really dang catchy and the wall of guitar fuzz certainly drives some degree of power too. I already commented on the drumming and while yeah it’s kind of repetitive this is honestly exactly the kind of drumming I’d love to play if I had my kit with me here, it sounds pretty fun. And yeah the climax of this one is genuinely pretty intense, though I feel like it takes a little too long for the song to get there. Overall though it’s by a good margin my favorite on this EP and I’m wondering if I should check out these guys further after like, literally a decade of knowing about them, haha.
7.25/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
So I would pretty much agree that these songs fit together pretty well stylistically. It feels a bit less like a cohesive work and more like just a playlist, I suppose, but the flow’s fine enough. Panic Switch makes for a solid closer given its ending. I think my big issue here is that, while all these sound fine enough, this is a type of sound that’s only really going to work with me if the songs resonate emotionally and I don’t get the feeling any of these will for me. Nothing here I really disliked and it’s a short enough set of tunes that I don’t really have time to get bored either but this is unfortunately a style of music I’m way too familiar with and rarely impressed by.
Final Thoughts:
Mmmyeah this one grew on me a little after relistens, I guess. Or at least two of the songs did. I really don’t get the Balance and Composure song at all, though. I will say that lately post-hardcore has been a big mood for me but specifically the stuff that’s 1. still reasonably melodic 2. very emotionally intense 3. actually decently heavy and I feel like while only one song here actually qualifies as post-hardcore it’s pretty easy to see why I like each of these more and more. All three of them meet 1) pretty easily. Bring Me the Horizon kind of meets 3). Panic Switch toys with 3) and has enough of 2) to work for me as well. None of these really blow me away but I do find them all easy to listen to and as an EP this does work pretty well too. I think an entire 40 minutes of music operating at this level might not work as well for me, though, but a 15-ish minute set? Yeah, sure. It’s an alright attempt.
Round 0 Final Standings:
1. senecadawg2
2. TAC
3. Puppies_On_Acid
4. Ghost Malone
5. Lethean
6. home
------------
7. Train of Naught
8. romdrums
9. Kattelox
10. Indiscipline
11. Elite
12. Dacul
Song Rankings:
1. Phoebe Bridgers – Funeral
2. No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom
3. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – If We Were Vampires
4. Existem – The Reclaimer
5. Kingcrow – Phlegethon
6. Bon Iver – Holocene
7. Arms & Sleepers – Twentynine Palms
8. Arcane – Selfsame
9. Pendulum ft. Steven Wilson - The Fountain
10. Breaking Orbit – Conscious Self
11. Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch
12. Cereus – Icarus
13. DGM – Portrait
14. Dark the Suns – All Ends in Silence
15. Emma Ruth Rundle – Marked For Death
16. Voyager – Seasons of Age
17. Atoma – Skylight
18. Vanaheim – Daughter Of The Dawn
19. John Lennon – How Do You Sleep?
20. Led Zeppelin – Achilles Last Stand
21. Bring Me the Horizon – MANTRA
22. Alithia – On a Mountain
23. Threshold – Light and Space
24. Agnes Obel – Dorian
25. Eddie Vedder – Society
26. Marlene Kuntz – Nuotando nell'Aria
27. Tycho - Dye
28. Katatonia – A Premonition
29. Balance and Composure – Afterparty
30. Archspire – Involuntary Doppelgänger
31. IceFish – It Begins
32. Slushii - Sapient Dream
33. Starsailor – Way to Fall
34. Inferum – Beyond Reach
35. Linda Perhacs – Winds of the Sky
36. Owen Pallett – The Great Elsewhere
-
also just a note: if ariich fails to send for round 1 i'm just gonna cut him and let train in
or tbh if anyone fails to send i'll just let train in
train this is your incentive to have one of the competition kidnapped or eliminated so they can't send
-
also just a note: if ariich fails to send for round 1 i'm just gonna cut him and let train in
or tbh if anyone fails to send i'll just let train in
train this is your incentive to have one of the competition kidnapped or eliminated so they can't send
I hear it's fairly easy to hire a hitman in Amsterdam....
-
Artists Banned During the Roulette:
Any artist who scores 7/10 or above will be added to the banned list.
Round 0:
Phoebe Bridgers
No Doubt
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Existem
Kingcrow
Bon Iver
Arms & Sleepers
Arcane
Pendulum
Breaking Orbit
Silversun Pickups
Cereus
Oooh oooh oooh <raises hand> does this mean I can send Katatonia next round too?
-
yes, if you really insist on repeating past mistakes
honestly katatonia had been on my banned list and the only reason i removed them is because i've never actually listened to an album of theirs but i have never once been impressed by katatonia before so you can send them at your own risk :P
-
I should have my next submission to you sometime later today. I just have to finish the write up for it.
-
I didn't realize "romdjent" was a thing but hey, I guess that's cool? :-\ :hat Anyway, I'm okay with being eliminated in the preliminary round. Next time!
-
also just a note: if ariich fails to send for round 1 i'm just gonna cut him and let train in
or tbh if anyone fails to send i'll just let train in
train this is your incentive to have one of the competition kidnapped or eliminated so they can't send
I hear it's fairly easy to hire a hitman in Amsterdam....
Damn shame I don't live in Amsterdam then :(
Glad you liked Panic Switch! It's their best song though but that's just like.. my opinion man
BMTH stopped doing emo metalcore shit and instead are making pretty well produced pop, still a bit cringy though (for example the title drop in Mantra like you mentioned)
-
I wouldn't really call mantra pop (more alt-metal/vaguely post-hardcore if you squint) but I mean yeah I don't suspect I'd like other BMTH stuff either lol
Better than Lo! and frontierer tho
-
I think Growing Old Is Getting Old is their best song tbh :biggrin:
-
I think Growing Old Is Getting Old is their best song tbh :biggrin:
I sent that in Stadler's roulette and got a fairly meh reaction for it. :-\
-
I think Growing Old Is Getting Old is their best song tbh :biggrin:
I sent that in Stadler's roulette and got a fairly meh reaction for it. :-\
Speaking of growing and getting old...
-
I feel personally attacked by posts on this page! :P
-
I think Growing Old Is Getting Old is their best song tbh :biggrin:
I sent that in Stadler's roulette and got a fairly meh reaction for it. :-\
Speaking of growing and getting old...
The songs I sent you were that bad huh? Oh wait, you don't know what songs I sent.... :biggrin:
-
sent something bold and danceable.
-
Appreciating how both entries so far have leaned towards the lower end of the length requirements, I'm gonna have 7 this time so that makes my job easier cause I'm gonna have like, 3.5 hours of music st the bare minimum :P
This coming from the guy who has sent 40:00 EPs more than once
-
Appreciating how both entries so far have leaned towards the lower end of the length requirements, I'm gonna have 7 this time so that makes my job easier cause I'm gonna have like, 3.5 hours of music st the bare minimum :P
This coming from the guy who has sent 40:00 EPs more than once
Mine is pushing right up to that 40 minute barrier. :corn
I'll shoot you a PM with my submission in just a few minutes. Putting the finishing touches on the story.
-
Cool cool
I'm not gonna start listening to these for a few days mostly so I don't go a week between first and second listens lol
-
And sent!
-
goddammit puppies you can't just send me 5 absu songs
-
goddammit puppies you can't just send me 5 absu songs
Darn, and I thought I was going to get away with it too. :corn
-
Add some Slint to go along with it.
-
and cardiacs ft. st. vincent
-
Is Cardiacs that bad?
-
Is Cardiacs that bad?
I think so
-
We have until Sunday right? I don't think I'll need that long, but just want to check my maximum.
I have some ideas already and will probably PM you tomorrow to audit before putting anything together.
-
Yup. End of Sunday is the due date but I'll start before then if everyone is in.
-
Woooo! Glad you liked Holoscene, I would be lost if you gave it a low score.
Basically the point is that this song has grown on me with every listen and it makes me feel sadboy feelings and I don’t even know why, but I really do like it all the same.
:angel:
Also I'm ready to get rule6'd next round, not kidding
-
Results when? :angel:
-
96th Place: Puppies_On_Acid - Some Crap
worse than absu
-
I'm going to have to change my poll answer now... :lol
-
Any of the rest of you slackers got your EP's in yet? :biggrin:
-
Mine has been in!
-
Mine has been in!
Yeah I forgot you sent already and apparently I missed the post where seneca sent.... :facepalm:
-
I'm only missing Ghost and ariich currently. TAC, it's your responsibility to bug Ghost for me :P
i have a handful of 2019 new releases to get thru atm but i'll probably start EP-listening tomorrow or later tonight if i'm feeling like it
-
TAC, it's your responsibility to bug Ghost for me :P
PM Sent!
-
okay, Ghost Malone said he's dropping out so Train is back in, sure :corn
@Train I'll give you until Tuesday since the deadline for everyone else is in only like 3 days and i don't think that's enough time
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This just means I have more competition now :biggrin:
-
This just means I have more competition now :biggrin:
:lol
-
(https://i.imgur.com/b7SpxWJ.png)
apparently this is my RYM compatibility list at the moment and no crap huh
-
I don't even know what I'm looking at.
-
Spoiler alert! Ryklav is going to win Parama's roulette. Apparently Ariich is placing 3rd and I'm placing 5th :corn
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lmao I also have squirrelman among my most compatible users :lol And Zantera is at #7, used to be at #3, huh
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Hey thank you Ivory Ghost! :metal I haven't checked the rules for next round yet but I think I can join this, will try to make something tomorrow or Sunday
-
the rules are literally just my standard EP round rules :P
i used to have a "maximum of 15 minutes by any one artist rule" and i removed that rule but that's like the only difference
-
I think I'm going to be changing my Concept album around a bit.
Also in related news....I'm going to have a ton of music to send you post roulette. Mostly stuff that made it to my shortlist, but didn't quite make the cut or it was stuff that I couldn't fit in to my story...
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(https://readysettrek.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/sleeping-gif-13.gif)
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i still need 2 EPs, y'all
i've listened to three of 'em so far, probably will do a fourth tonight
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Come on slackers, it's almost Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!!! :corn
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i mean, i know ariich is working on his and train has until tuesday bcuz of the late exchange
chill :corn
edit: aaaand #4 is listened. i'd listen to #5 tonight as well but i already know it's an EP with a very sleepy vibe to it and i'm already practically asleep since it's past midnight so yeeeah tomorrow
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I don't have the tools to 'create' an EP so I will sadly have to continue sending you a playlist without transitions, hope it's good enough.
-
literally one person this round has send me a single-file EP out of 5 EPs, it's fine lol
-
literally one person this round has send me a single-file EP out of 5 EPs, it's fine lol
:metal
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I've been out all day but am home now and will be sending shortly.
EDIT: Sent.
-
Hangman, Pt. 1
???: ______ - __ ______ __d ______
???: ______ - __-___
???: ____t ___p ______d - _____ ___ __ T____
???: __p_____ D___d___ - D__ _______
???: _____ - T__ ___d__ ___t__
???: _ - T__ __d __ _____
???: __d_ ___ ____t_ - _t_ D________
???: _____ - D_______ t_ _____
???: ____ ________ - ___ ____ _______
???: ______tt__ __t__ ___ - _p_____p__
???: __t__ __ P______ - ___t_: __ _ ____
???: ___ ______ - ____
???: ________ - ______
???: __d_ ___ ____t_ - __d_ ___t___
???: _____t _p_____p__ T__p
???: “_t’_ ___t _ ___d ________ t_ _ _____d”
???: _____ __ ______
Letters Guessed:
DTP
Puppies waits 3
TAC waits 2
ariich waits 1
I'm including the EP titles in these hangmanen since the hangman of EP titles by themselves wasn't very popular last time :lol
there will be three rounds of hangmane appropriately, 14 songs each
also first impressions should be up later tonight, just have the last two EPs to listen to and they're both just a bit over a half hour each. puppies is the only one who's really filled out the full 40 this time :P
gotta say the diversity this time is impressive, there's only two EPs even remotely similar to each other and they're still decently different, and then every other EP is just a completely different thing
-
D ALL THE WAY
-
T for TAC. ;D
-
P for PUPPIES!
-
nice, devin townsend project
-
nice, devin townsend project
:neverusethis:
One of them looks like Origin - Designed to Expire, but it doesn't quite fit.
-
yep, that's wrong :tup
-
Was just about to guess one and then realized that I sent it :lol
-
should've guessed it anyways, and then nobody would figure out you sent it
-
A
-
TAC waits 2
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It's just me and Puppies guessing. I'm trapped in a guessavarium.
-
Yeah, someone else needs to jump in here and get us a few more letters. I'm not sure on any of them except for mine....
-
yeah we have two weeks tho it's fine
-
yeah we have two weeks tho it's fine
TWO WEEKS? Stadler?
-
yeah we have two weeks tho it's fine
TWO WEEKS? Stadler?
To be fair, this was outlined in the OP's
-
i have 42 songs to listen through five times each, at least
-
:tup
-
First Impressions:
Even the songs I’d say are “decent” are all on the lower end of that spectrum and the stuff in this genre I do like is a lot more emotionally powerful than anything on display here.
I didn’t find most of it actively unpleasant but I didn’t really especially like anything here either.
This EP’s quality basically follows the shape of a mountain.
But at the same time I at least liked everything here, and aside from those songs not quite stylistically fitting, it all does flow pretty well and has a good start/middle/end feel to it.
I will say that listening to this late at night on a Friday probably helped its initial impression though ‘cause it’s good mood music for that context.
So yeah this… isn’t really that cohesive, honestly, yeah, I can see some similarities but they’re all pretty different styles overall.
I’m certainly at least inclined to look a little deeper into an artist I hadn’t really delved much into before, even after one listen, though.
I commented on how diverse this round is, but I will also say, that isn't all necessarily for the best :P
Song breakdowns:
GREAT - 1
GOOD - 10
DECENT - 17
AVERAGE - 9
MEDIOCRE - 5
BAD - 0
Really similar to the breakdown last round, except a few more songs below average, but there are a few more songs this round too, so...
-
I felt pretty confident predicting the first impression that matched my ep in the first round, but this time I have not a clue.
-
First Impressions:
I didn’t find most of it actively unpleasant but I didn’t really especially like anything here either.
But at the same time I at least liked everything here, and aside from those songs not quite stylistically fitting, it all does flow pretty well and has a good start/middle/end feel to it.
I'm kind of hoping its the latter one, but really it's probably the former. :'(
-
Woohoo none of my songs are bad. :)
-
tbh you really have to go the extra mile to get a "bad" score from me, i'm pretty patient with a lot of stuff
that being said there are a few EPs here that are just outright better than the others, or at least that i already know i like more
-
Woohoo! I get all 5 of the mediocre songs and the 1 great song :biggrin:
-
Although Im pretty sure ill be kicked this round, at least I'm not rule 6'd? That's good :angel:
-
Although Im pretty sure ill be kicked this round, at least I'm not rule 6'd? That's good :angel:
Yo, guess a letter :corn
-
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
-
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
-
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
:facepalm: :censored
-
Heey it's all good I didn't want Parama to stop you again:
ariich waits 1
-
Heey it's all good I didn't want Parama to stop you again:
ariich waits 1
:biggrin:
-
???: _o__an - O_ __na__ and _a_o__
???: ___a__ - __-___
???: ___at __ap ____a_d - __a__ __a o_ T____
???: Imperium Dekadenz - D__ _an____
???: An__a - T__ __ado_ __nt__
???: _ - T__ _nd __ ____n
???: __d_ ___ __o_t_ - _t_ D___n__on
???: _____ - D___o___ to A____
???: ____ _a__a_an - On_ __n_ _o_n_n_
???: ___a__tt__ A_t__ ___ - Apo_a__p__
???: A_ta_ O_ P_a____ - _a_t_: a_ a _o__
???: _a_ ______ - ____
???: _on_____ - _o__o_
???: __d_ ___ __o_t_ - __d_ _onta__
???: ____nt Apo_a__p__ T__p
???: “_t’_ ___t a _ond _a______ to a ____nd”
???: _a_o_ ao __a___
Letters Guessed:
DTPONA
TAC waits 3
seneca waits 2
home waits 1
-
N
-
Imperium Dekadenz
-
A
-
updated stuff above
-
S
Angra - The Shadow Hunter
Apocalypse
-
???: _o__an - O_ __na__ and _a_o__
???: ___a__ - __-___
???: ___at __ap S___a_d - __a__ S_a o_ T___s
???: Imperium Dekadenz - D_s _an___s
???: Angra - The Shadow Hunter
???: _ - T__ _nd _s ____n
???: Kids See Ghosts - _t_ D___ns_on
???: Sâver - Dissolve to Ashes
???: ____ _a__a_an - On_ __n_ _o_n_n_
???: ___a__tt_s A_t__ S__ - Apocalypse
???: Altar of Plagues - _a_t_: As a _o__
???: _a_ ______ - ____
???: _on_____ - _o__o_
???: Kids See Ghosts - __d_ _onta__
???: S___nt Apocalypse T__p
???: “_t’s __st a _ond _a______ to a ____nd”
???: _a_os ao __as__
Letters Guessed:
DTPONAS
Puppies waits 3
TAC waits 2
seneca waits 1
-
Sâver - Dissolve to Ashes sent by TAC?
Second EP title is Train?
-
yes, not sent by TAC
second EP title is not train
-
Altar of Plagues
-
Kids See Ghost Malone
-
10/10 yellow flannel confirmed
-
E
-
???: _o__an - O_ _ena_e and _a_o__
???: ___a__ - __-___
???: __eat _eap S___a_d - __a__ Sea o_ T_ees
???: Imperium Dekadenz - D_s _an___s
???: Angra - The Shadow Hunter
???: _ - T_e End _s _e__n
???: Kids See Ghosts - _t_ D__ens_on
???: Sâver - Dissolve to Ashes
???: ____ _a__a_an - One __ne _o_n_n_
???: ___a_ettes A_te_ Se_ - Apocalypse
???: Altar of Plagues - Ea_t_: As a _o__
???: _a_ ____e_ - ____
???: _on___e_ - _o__o_
???: Kids See Ghosts - __d_ _onta_e
???: S__ent Apocalypse T__p
???: “_t’s __st a _ond _a_e_e__ to a ___end”
???: _a_os ao __as__
Letters Guessed:
DTPONASE
TAC waits 1
everyone literally died so yeah w/e
-
I was waiting for people to guess a letter.
Give me an H!
Silent Apocalypse Trip?
-
ariich:
Bizali - Uh-Huh
Train of Naught:
Conjurer - Hollow
Lethean:
Angra - The Shadow Hunter
???: _o__an - O_ _ena_e and _a_o__
???: __eat _eap S___a_d - __a__ Sea o_ T_ees
???: Imperium Dekadenz - D_s _an___s
???: _ - The End _s _e__n
???: Kids See Ghosts - _th D__ens_on
???: Sâver - Dissolve to Ashes
???: ____ _a__ahan - One __ne _o_n_n_
???: Cigarettes After Sex - Apocalypse
???: Altar of Plagues - Ea_th: As a _o__
???: _a_ ____e_ - ____
???: Kids See Ghosts - __d_ _onta_e
???: Silent Apocalypse Trip
???: “It's Just a Fond Farewell to a Friend”
???: _a_os ao __as__
Letters Guessed:
DTPONASEH
Puppies waits 1
-
Bizali - Uh-Huh sent by Ariich
Conjurer - Hollow sent by trainy
-
Lethean sent Angra
-
all right alright
-
It's Just a Fond Farewell to a Friend
Cigarettes After Sex
-
taking a break from listening to roulette songs today to listen to some of the albums
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3164574832_10.jpg)
aside from motion sickness which just doesn't stylistically fit and you missed my heart which is... okay, so, i see it's a cover, i see why it's on the album, but this literally has so much reverb that it hurts to listen to, even if lyrically it's pretty good
but uuhh a lot of the rest here is pretty good. i don't think anything is on the level of funeral but scott street is pretty damn close. will probably at least relisten. but that cover is EEHHHH
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0801840621_16.jpg)
yeah, expected this to be pretty cool and it was pretty cool. they cover a lot of metal styles on this thing tho, some post-metal, some djent, some almost death metal stuff. definitely worth at least a relisten & likely a purchase
-
ariich:
Bizali - Uh-Huh
Train of Naught:
Conjurer - Hollow
Lethean:
Angra - The Shadow Hunter
Part 1:
???: _o__an - Of _ena_e and Fa_o__
???: __eat _eap S___a_d - __a__ Sea of T_ees
???: Imperium Dekadenz - Dis _ani__s
???: _ - The End is _e__n
???: Kids See Ghosts - _th Di_ension
???: Sâver - Dissolve to Ashes
???: ____ _a__ahan - One Fine _o_nin_
???: Cigarettes After Sex - Apocalypse
???: Altar of Plagues - Ea_th: As a _o__
???: _a_ _i__e_ - ____
???: Kids See Ghosts - __di _onta_e
???: Silent Apocalypse Trip
???: “It's Just a Fond Farewell to a Friend”
???: _a_os ao __asi_
Part 2:
???: F____ __e__ - _e_if_ied
???: _i__e______ ____e__ - _ ______
???: _______d ___ ___ - E___e_ F___ _i_e’_ _______
???: _____ - _____
???: _i___i - ___i_e
???: _____ - __e ______
???: _________ - __e _i___ __e ___ __i_ed ___e_
???: F______ - _____d E__e__ __d __e E____
???: _i__ ________ - _idi__ F__ __e Fee_i__
???: _____ - D______d __i___ I___ __d_e__
???: _____ - _______ __e _e___ _f ______ _____
???: _______ - __i_e ___e_i_
???: ___e___d - __ ____e, __ ____e
???: _ - __e ____d i_ ____e _f F___e
???: _e_’_ _____e
???: _e___ ____ ___e_
Letters Guessed:
DEFI
Puppies waits 1
also y'all are being real lax about hangman this time so have some more
-
D
-
E for part 2
-
F
-
I
-
updated above
-
G
-
This roulette is slower than mine :lol
-
L
-
A
-
ariich:
Bizali - Uh-Huh
Train of Naught:
Conjurer - Hollow
Lethean:
Angra - The Shadow Hunter
Part 1:
???: _o__an - Of _ena_e and Fa_o__
???: G_eat Leap S___a_d - _la__ Sea of T_ees
???: Imperium Dekadenz - Dis _ani__s
???: _ - The End is _eg_n
???: Kids See Ghosts - _th Di_ension
???: Sâver - Dissolve to Ashes
???: __ll _allahan - One Fine _o_ning
???: Cigarettes After Sex - Apocalypse
???: Altar of Plagues - Ea_th: As a _o__
???: _a_ _ille_ - ____
???: Kids See Ghosts - __di _ontage
???: Silent Apocalypse Trip
???: “It's Just a Fond Farewell to a Friend”
???: _a_os ao __asil
Part 2:
???: F_a__ __ea_ - _eigf_ied
???: _i__e______ ____e__ - _ _a____
???: _____a_d ___ ___ - E___e_ F___ _i_e’_ _a____g
???: Al_a_ - Al_a_
???: _i_ali - L__i_e
???: A_g_a - __e __a_a_
???: G_____a__ - __e _ig__ __e ___ _ai_ed ___e_
???: Fall___ - _____d E__e__ a_d __e Ea___
???: _ill _alla_a_ - _idi_g F__ __e Feeli_g
???: A_a_a - D____a_d __i_al I___ _ad_e__
???: _____ - _____g_ __e _eal_ _f ______ __a__
???: ___all_ - __i_e ___e_i_
???: ___ela_d - A_ A___e, __ Al__e
???: _ - __e ___ld i_ ____e _f Fla_e
???: Le_’_ G____e
???: _ega_ __ga ___e_
Letters Guessed:
DEFIGLA
home waits 1
-
T
-
E
-
E is already guessed
I'm at work with no song list at hand so I'll update when I get home
-
Hiding Fock The Feeling?
-
I meant s :facepalm:
-
B
-
ariich:
Bizali - Lucile
Bizali - Uh-Huh
Train of Naught:
Conjurer - Hollow
Lethean:
Bittencourt Project - O Pastor
Angra - The Shadow Hunter
Angra - The Shaman
Almah - Almah
TAC:
Great Leap Skyward - Black Sea of Trees
home:
Kids See Ghosts - 4th Dimension
Kids See Ghosts - Cudi Montage
Part 1:
???: _o__an - Of _ena_e and Fa_o__
???: Imperium Dekadenz - Dis _anib_s
???: _ - The End is Beg_n
???: Sâver - Dissolve to Ashes
???: Bill Callahan - One Fine Morning
???: Cigarettes After Sex - Apocalypse
???: Altar of Plagues - Ea_th: As a _o_b
???: _a_ _ille_ - ____
???: Silent Apocalypse Trip
???: “It's Just a Fond Farewell to a Friend”
???: _a_os ao B_asil
Part 2:
???: F_an_ __ean - Seigf_ied
???: T___sand S_n S__ - E___e_ F___ Ti_e’s _ass_ng
???: G__s__as_ - T_e Nig_t t_e S__ _ained N__es
???: Falloch - Beyond Embers and the Earth
???: Bill Callahan - Riding for the Feeling
???: Anata - D__n_a_d S_i_al Int_ _adness
???: ____s - T____g_ t_e _eal_ _f _nb__n Sta_s
???: N__all_ - __ite ___eni_
???: Copeland - As Above, So Alone
???: _ - T_e ___ld is B__ne _f Fla_e
???: Let's G____e
???: _egan __ga T_nes
Letters Guessed:
DEFIGLATSBN
puppies waits 1
y'all have to be able to get some stuff by now
-
Angra again sent by Lethean, but I dont recognize the song
Bizali - Lucille again by Ariich
Bittencourt Project - O Pastor
Almah - Almah probably Lethean
Is that supposed to be Frans Bak - Siegfried?
Copeland - As Above, So Alone
Hiding :huh: the Feeling
Might as well give me an N
-
Angra-The Shaman...Lethean
-
Bittencourt is totally Lethean too and that is a great song and album :)
-
Angra-The Shaman...Lethean
Which album is this on?
Bittencourt is totally Lethean too and that is a great song and album :)
I was going to say it was you, but then realized you aren't in this anymore. :biggrin:
-
updated the stuff that's right
Angra - The Shaman is about the oldest song in this entire round I think
-
Bill Callahan - Riding for the Feeling :facepalm:
Bill Callahan - One Fine Morning
Great Leap Skyward - Black Sea of Trees TAC?
4th Dimension Sacul?
Cudi Montage Also Sacul?
-
Angra-The Shaman...Lethean
Which album is this on?
Holy Land :)
Bittencourt is totally Lethean too and that is a great song and album :)
I was going to say it was you, but then realized you aren't in this anymore. :biggrin:
What? Did he send that to you in a roulette? If so, I totally claim a moral victory. :)
-
I sent Primeiro Amor in his first roulette :biggrin:
-
@Puppies, Dacul is a bit too eliminated to be sending songs anymore, unfortunately
-
I sent Primeiro Amor in his first roulette :biggrin:
I hope he liked it... :)
-
@Puppies, Dacul is a bit too eliminated to be sending songs anymore, unfortunately
Then Home
-
Falloch - Behind Embers and the Earth
-
that's close enough that i'm just gonna give it to you sure
-
Sending early Angra in a Parama roulette seems fairly risky, but you never know.
-
I tried sending power metal at the very last stage and the results were disastrous, better send early Angra early. :lol
-
My comments: :corn
I'm gonna do the third listen song impressions again but stick to three per EP since there's a variety of track sizes here atm and i don't wanna give away anything
-
Drunk Theater m e m e p o s t i n g
Enkel en alleen vochtige meems.
-
go drunk you're home
-
wanted to listen to a lot of music tonight apparently so i got through three EPs and two albums from last round
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51tbSY%2BteyL.jpg)
expected this but this one was fairly hit-or-miss for me. feels like most of the best stuff was frontloaded too. i might relisten to it but there's only like two or three songs besides the one you sent i liked that much tbh
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51IsWONxzQL._SX466_.jpg)
i kinda got distracted in the middle of this one but i mean still vaguely listening and it seems like a pretty solid prog rock/metal album overall. i recall the other album i listened to from these guys in the past not being as big on the metal elements but i appreciate the metal, especially the title track ofc. will relisten and get a better opinion on at some point tho i still like this well enough anyways
-
ariich:
Bizali - Lucile
Bizali - Uh-Huh
Train of Naught:
Conjurer - Hollow
Lethean:
Bittencourt Project - O Pastor
Angra - The Shadow Hunter
Angra - The Shaman
Almah - Almah
TAC:
Great Leap Skyward - Black Sea of Trees
home:
Kids See Ghosts - 4th Dimension
Kids See Ghosts - Cudi Montage
Part 1:
???: _or_an - Of Mena_e and Fa_o_r
???: Imperium Dekadenz - Dis Manib_s
???: _ - The End is Beg_n
???: Sâver - Dissolve to Ashes
???: Bill Callahan - One Fine Morning
???: Cigarettes After Sex - Apocalypse
???: Altar of Plagues - Earth: As a _omb
???: Ma_ Miller - ____
???: Silent Apocalypse Trip
???: “It's Just a Fond Farewell to a Friend”
???: _amos ao Brasil
Part 2:
???: Fran_ O_ean - Seigfried
???: T_o_sand S_n S__ - E__oe_ From Time’s _ass_ng
???: G_rs__as_ - T_e Nig_t t_e S__ Rained N__es
???: Falloch - Beyond Embers and the Earth
???: Bill Callahan - Riding for the Feeling
???: Anata - Do_n_ard S_iral Into Madness
???: __ors - T_ro_g_ t_e Realm of _nborn Stars
???: No_allo - __ite __oeni_
???: Copeland - As Above, So Alone
???: _ - T_e _orld is Borne of Flame
???: Let's Groo_e
???: _egan _oga T_nes
Part 3
???: _o____o - ____ _r_____ _ __o___
???: ______ - Ro___ __r__
???: ___r_m___ - ____ ___o__ _____
???: _r____o___ - ___ ______ o_ _o__ __ __o__
???: _r___ O____ - ___
???: _o__ _____m - ___ro / _om__ ____
???: M__ M____r - ____r_
???: _o__ M__o__ - O__r _o_
???: ____r___o - M__ ___r_
???: __ro_ - R___o____
???: _o__ _____m - ___ O___ ___ _o M_ ___r_...
???: _r___ O____ - _____
???: ___r_ - Om__ - _______ ______
???: _o____o - _ _m
???: __or____
???: ___r____ _______o_ _oo_ _: ________ o_ __m______o__ __ R______m
Letters Guessed:
MOR6
Puppies waits 1
still around a week until I'll have results ready btw, keep hanging :corn
-
M
-
updated
-
gimme mO
-
:yarr R
-
MOR
-
Round 3 Song-pressions
1.
1. This one is maybe a bit out of character for the rest of this EP but it’s one of my favorites on the EP so I ain’t gonna complain.
2. This is the requisite grower of the EP, I rated this pretty low at first but I kind of dig it now.
3. I like how this one sounds but the lyrics are… ehh.
2.
1. The first section of this is actually probably my least favorite part of your EP but everything after it rules.
2. I’d say this is another “boringly good” song but it’s more like “boringly great”.
3. This both feels out of place alongside the rest of this EP and isn’t something I’m that into to begin with, but it’s not bad either.
3.
1. I forgot to write a comment on this song while it was on and I’ve already forgotten what it sounds like, oops.
2. I think this isn’t the song you expected me to like the most off this EP but WELP. I dig the hell out of it.
3. A few of these EPs have the requisite “this closer is out of character with the rest of the EP” tracks but this is the only one here where that ends up working pretty well.
4.
1. This works pretty well as an opener but I also feel like it’d work just as well if not better as a closer.
2. This song is a bit two-faced and at first I didn’t like one side of it, but it’s grown on me a bit.
3. Probably the song with the least personality here and probably my least favorite as well, but it’s okay.
5.
1. So I actually listened to this album not too long ago. I didn’t finish it.
2. I kind of dig what this is trying to be, while at the same time wishing it went in a different direction with it.
3. I get more out of this one that some of the other tracks on here, at the very least.
6.
1. This one’s a bit out of place in the context of this EP but I feel like I’d like it more on its own or in the context of the album.
2. I kind of don’t even want to listen to this song on its own, this makes me want to just go and check out the full album.
3. This sounds cool, but there isn’t a ton to really grasp onto either, which is a problem a lot of this genre tends to have,
7.
1. Genuinely unsure why I hadn’t already checked out this artist.
2. Ahh, there’s the requisite “one element of this song ruins most of it” song this round.
3. I feel like I’m way, way too goddamn old for this, and I’m 25 for cryin’ out loud.
-
6?
-
there's a 1 in 7 chance you're right
alternatively - there are no 6's in hangman. there are a few other numbers, though
-
5!
-
no 5's in hangman
-
E-1
-
Hey Parama, are those impressions in order on songs 1-3 of the EPs or are they in random generalities?
-
E-1
Miss
-
Hey Parama, are those impressions in order on songs 1-3 of the EPs or are they in random generalities?
they are three arbitrary songs on the EP, but they are in order
i also made a point not to comment on the same artist twice for EPs that have repeat artists
also you don't need to guess letters on any specific hangman like I said, all guesses apply to everything currently up :lol
-
ariich:
Bizali - Lucile
Bizali - Uh-Huh
Train of Naught:
Conjurer - Hollow
Lethean:
Bittencourt Project - O Pastor
Angra - The Shadow Hunter
Angra - The Shaman
Almah - Almah
TAC:
Great Leap Skyward - Black Sea of Trees
home:
Kids See Ghosts - 4th Dimension
Kids See Ghosts - Cudi Montage
Part 1:
???: _or_an - Of Mena_e and Fa_o_r
???: Imperium Dekadenz - Dis Manib_s
???: 3 - The End is Begun
???: Sâver - Dissolve to Ashes
???: Bill Callahan - One Fine Morning
???: Cigarettes After Sex - Apocalypse
???: Altar of Plagues - Earth: As a _omb
???: Ma_ Miller - 2009
???: Silent Apocalypse Trip
???: “It's Just a Fond Farewell to a Friend”
???: _amos ao Brasil
Part 2:
???: Frank Ocean - Seigfried
???: T_o_sand S_n S__ - E__oe_ From Time’s _ass_ng
???: G_rs__as_ - T_e Nig_t t_e S__ Rained N__es
???: Falloch - Beyond Embers and the Earth
???: Bill Callahan - Riding for the Feeling
???: Anata - Do_n_ard S_iral Into Madness
???: __ors - T_ro_g_ t_e Realm of _nborn Stars
???: No_allo - __ite __oeni_
???: Copeland - As Above, So Alone
???: 3 - The World is Borne of Flame
???: Let's Groove
???: Vegan Yoga Tunes
Part 3
???: _o____o - ___e _r___t_ _ __o__e
???: ______ - Ro___ T_ree
???: ___rem___ - ___t _e_o_e _____
???: _r__e_o___ - T_e _e___t o_ _o__ __ __o_e
???: _r___ O_e__ - ___
???: _o__ _____m - __tro / _om__ ____
???: M__ M___er - ___er_
???: _o_t M__o_e - O_er _o_
???: ____r__to - M__ ___r_
???: _ero_ - Re__o____
???: _o__ _____m - T_e O___ ___ to M_ _e_rt...
???: _r___ O_e__ - ___e_
???: ___r_ - Om__ - ___e__e _____e
???: _o____o - _ _m
???: __or__e_
???: _t_r____ __e____o_ _oo_ 2: _e_t__e_ o_ __me_t_t_o__ __ Re_____m
Letters Guessed:
MOR#ET
TAC waits 1
-
also you don't need to guess letters on any specific hangman like I said, all guesses apply to everything currently up :lol
E-1
I was guessing E AND 1 ;D
-
well there are no 1's so same difference
i'm just gonna put up all the numbers because really whatever
-
Whatever, really.
-
Indeed
-
few more albums. arcane will be tomorrow i think because it's 2 hours long lol
(https://media.pitchfork.com/photos/5929afb313d197565213a317/1:1/w_600/d44901b5.jpg)
i liked this but i didn't love it. if holocene is anything to go by though it's a grower. so i'll revisit for sure
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0513172910_16.jpg)
oh this is just really pleasant, i dig it. not much else to really say
-
3-The End Is Begun
3-The World Is Borne Of Flame
Let's Groove
Vegan Yoga Tunes-Home
-
names are right, that's not home's EP title tho
-
Frank Ocean-Seigfreid
T
-
i'll give you another letter because everyone else is asleep but that's it until someone else guesses :P
-
C
-
ariich:
Bizali - Lucile
Bizali - Uh-Huh
Train of Naught:
Vorvaň – Of Menace and Favour
Conjurer - Hollow
Lethean:
Bittencourt Project - O Pastor
Angra - The Shadow Hunter
Angra - The Shaman
Almah - Almah
TAC:
Gürschach – The Night The Sky Rained Nukes
Great Leap Skyward - Black Sea of Trees
Thousand Sun Sky - Echoes from Time's Passing
home:
Frank Ocean - Ivy
Kids See Ghosts - 4th Dimension
Kids See Ghosts - Cudi Montage
Frank Ocean - Seigfried
Mac Miller - 2009
Part 1:
???: Imperium Dekadenz - Dis Manibvs
???: 3 - The End is Begun
???: Sâver - Dissolve to Ashes
???: Bill Callahan - One Fine Morning
???: Cigarettes After Sex - Apocalypse
???: Altar of Plagues - Earth: As a _omb
???: Silent Apocalypse Trip
???: “It's Just a Fond Farewell to a Friend”
???: Vamos ao Brasil
Part 2:
???: Falloch - Beyond Embers and the Earth
???: Bill Callahan - Riding for the Feeling
???: Anata - Do_n_ard S_iral Into Madness
???: Khors - Through the Realm of Unborn Stars
???: Novallo - White Phoenix
???: Copeland - As Above, So Alone
???: 3 - The World is Borne of Flame
???: Let's Groove
???: Vegan Yoga Tunes
Part 3
???: _o_v__o - __ve _r_v_t_ _ C_o_ce
???: ______ - Ro___ T_ree
???: S__rem_c_ - __st _e_o_e _____
???: _r_ve_o___ - T_e _e___t o_ _oss _s __o_e
???: _o__ S____m - __tro / _om_s ____
home: Mac Miller - ___ers
home: Post Malone - Over _o_
???: ____r__to - M__ S_cre
???: _ero_ - Re_co____
???: _o__ S____m - T_e O___ ___ to M_ _e_rt...
home: Frank Ocean - ___es
???: ___r_ - Om__ - S__e_ce __s__e
???: _o_v__o - _ _m
???: _corc_e_
???: St_r____ _sce_s_o_ _oo_ 2: Vest__es o_ __me_t_t_o_s __ Res____m
Letters Guessed:
MOR#ETCSV
Puppies waits 1
-
Frank Ocean x2
S
-
Mac Miller
-
Novallo - White Phoenix
Khors - THrough the Realm of Unborn Stars
Vorvan - Of Menace and Favour
Vamos Ao Brasil?
The Night the Sun Rained Nudes? :biggrin:
-
a lot of those are right except the one that's obviously wrong
-
Lets throw a V up there :)
-
vpdated
-
Thousand Sun Sky - Echoes from Time's Passing
Gurschach - The Night the Sky Rained Nukes
Post Malone
Frank Ocean - Ivy
-
:tup
we need more who-sent-what guesses to clean up this mess
-
Train sent Vorvan
Home sent Cigarettes After Sex, Mac Miller, and Frank Ocean and Post Malone
Thousand Sun Sky is TAC?
Gurschach may also be TAC
-
all correct except home didn't sent cigarettes
-
Mac Miller is a very interesting pick for any roulette but especially Parama's
-
L
-
(https://www.sputnikmusic.com/images/albums/182383.jpg)
known: i don't think any other part of this was as good as the first half of selfsame, but then no other part was as awkward/out of place as the middle of selfsame either. it's a bit long (70+ minutes) for an album that doesn't feel too diverse but i'll probably revisit it at least once all the same, I did like it
learned: hhhmm. I just didn't find much of this very compelling. I can deal with quiet albums just fine, but quiet albums from prog metal bands usually don't tend to be that interesting, damnation from opeth being a notable exception. this is basically just the same sound as the loud disc except not loud, though
-
What is it? If you post an album with no band name or title on the cover, at least put it in your post. :lol
-
ariich:
Bizali - Lucile
Bizali - Uh-Huh
Train of Naught:
Vorvaň – Of Menace and Favour
Conjurer - Hollow
Lethean:
Bittencourt Project - O Pastor
Angra - The Shadow Hunter
Angra - The Shaman
Almah - Almah
TAC:
Gürschach – The Night The Sky Rained Nukes
Great Leap Skyward - Black Sea of Trees
Thousand Sun Sky - Echoes from Time's Passing
home:
Frank Ocean - Ivy
Kids See Ghosts - 4th Dimension
Kids See Ghosts - Cudi Montage
Frank Ocean - Seigfried
Mac Miller - 2009
Part 1:
???: Imperium Dekadenz - Dis Manibvs
???: 3 - The End is Begun
???: Sâver - Dissolve to Ashes
???: Bill Callahan - One Fine Morning
???: Cigarettes After Sex - Apocalypse
???: Altar of Plagues - Earth: As a _omb
???: Silent Apocalypse Trip
???: “It's Just a Fond Farewell to a Friend”
???: Vamos ao Brasil
Part 2:
???: Falloch - Beyond Embers and the Earth
???: Bill Callahan - Riding for the Feeling
???: Anata - Do_n_ard S_iral Into Madness
???: Khors - Through the Realm of Unborn Stars
???: Novallo - White Phoenix
???: Copeland - As Above, So Alone
???: 3 - The World is Borne of Flame
???: Let's Groove
???: Vegan Yoga Tunes
Part 3
???: _o_vllo - __ve _r_v_t_ _ Cho_ce
???: ____l_ - Ro___ Three
???: S__rem_c_ - __st _e_o_e _____
???: _r_ve_o___ - The _e__ht o_ Loss _s _hole
???: _o__ Sh___m - __tro / _om_s ____
home: Mac Miller - ____ers
home: Post Malone - Over _o_
???: L___r__to - M_l S_cre
???: Hero_ - Re_co____
???: _o__ Sh___m - The O_l_ ___ to M_ He_rt...
home: Frank Ocean - ___es
???: ___r_ - Om__ - S_le_ce __s__e
???: _o_vllo - _ _m
???: Scorche_
???: St_r__ll _sce_s_o_ _oo_ 2: Vest__es o_ L_me_t_t_o_s __ Res____m
Letters Guessed:
MOR#ETCSVLH
Lethean waits 1
It's Arcane - Known/Learned, figured it'd be clear I was listening to & posting thoughts on roulette albums here :P
-
But if it's not one I sent, I have no idea! :)
-
it's two hours long don't you have results to write
your roulette is gonna finish before mine probably lol
-
H
-
Bump for a B
-
N
-
Scorched
Novallo - I Am
Labirinto - Mal Sacre
-
Supremacy
-
Novallo - Give Gravity a Choice
Braveyoung - The Weight of Loss is Whole
-
Downward Spiral Into Madness
Herod
-
ariich:
Bizali - Lucile
Bizali - Round Three
Bizali - Uh-Huh
Train of Naught:
Vorvaň – Of Menace and Favour
Conjurer - Hollow
Lethean:
Bittencourt Project - O Pastor
Angra - The Shadow Hunter
Angra - The Shaman
Almah - Almah
TAC:
Gürschach – The Night The Sky Rained Nukes
Great Leap Skyward - Black Sea of Trees
Thousand Sun Sky - Echoes from Time's Passing
home:
Frank Ocean - Ivy
Kids See Ghosts - 4th Dimension
Kids See Ghosts - Cudi Montage
Frank Ocean - Seigfried
Mac Miller - 2009
Part 1:
???: Imperium Dekadenz - Dis Manibvs
???: 3 - The End is Begun
???: Sâver - Dissolve to Ashes
???: Bill Callahan - One Fine Morning
???: Cigarettes After Sex - Apocalypse
???: Altar of Plagues - Earth: As a _omb
???: Silent Apocalypse Trip
???: “It's Just a Fond Farewell to a Friend”
???: Vamos ao Brasil
Part 2:
???: Falloch - Beyond Embers and the Earth
???: Bill Callahan - Riding for the Feeling
???: Anata - Downward Spiral Into Madness
???: Khors - Through the Realm of Unborn Stars
???: Novallo - White Phoenix
???: Copeland - As Above, So Alone
???: 3 - The World is Borne of Flame
???: Let's Groove
???: Vegan Yoga Tunes
Part 3
???: Novallo - Give Gravity a Choice
???: Supremacy - __st Be_o_e ___n_
???: Braveyoung - The Weight of Loss is Whole
???: Foxy Shazam - Intro / Bombs Away
home: Mac Miller - ____ers
home: Post Malone - Over No_
???:Labirinto - Mal Sacré
???: Herod - Rec_on_n_
???: Foxy Shazam - The Only Way to My Heart...
home: Frank Ocean - N__es
???: _n_r_ - Omn_ - S_lence _ns__e
???: Novallo - I Am
???: Scorched
???: St_r__ll _scens_on Boo_ 2: Vest__es o_ L_ment_t_ons _n Res____m
Letters Guessed:
MOR#ETCSVLHBN
TAC waits 3
-
Bizali - Round Three
-
wanna give it a shot guessing who sent that
-
I thought it was obvious...... Ariich :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn :corn
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Foxy Shazam - Intro / Bombs Away
Foxy Shazam - The Only Way To My Heart...
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more album listens
(https://img.discogs.com/uWlJ_4I0f1TVftWz0fatGKgnLxI=/fit-in/600x600/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-2279175-1274621232.jpeg.jpg)
i checked this out more out of morbid curiosity than anything tbh. i made it thru like the first three or so tracks before giving up but i did check the in flames track which sounded exactly like an in flames track alright
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3080269527_16.jpg)
this was not quite what i was expecting. nothing else on the album is as upbeat as conscious self, not even close. it's mostly like. kinda toolish? the random atmospheric interludes and the general vibe gave off that impression at least. didn't dislike it but it didn't inspire much in me either. might revisit, maybe not
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/815Sb%2BO4VGL._SY355_.jpg)
i listened through this whole thing and it really just seems like it's not for me. most songs didn't really evoke any sort of emotion, one or two were even a bit annoying, ehh.
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I would give Silversun Pickups first album a listen. There's a lot more passion behind it. A little bit more raw. And overall better and more consistent. I like Swoon, but Carnavas is my go to album.
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suppose i could but i'm already familiar with two songs from it, both of which are "nice but not that great"
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(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0513172910_16.jpg)
oh this is just really pleasant, i dig it. not much else to really say
Nice.
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(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/0013761645_10.jpg)
eeehhh this one was really quite bland. icarus was like the most energetic song on the record and it isn't exactly fast-paced to begin with, this whole thing just felt really dry especially for an hour-long record. oh well
technically this should be the last one on my list for the last round but tbh i wanna check out the atoma album too just to see if there's better stuff there because the sound absolutely is my style i just had issues with the production and the specific song used, not impossible there's cooler stuff there tho & i already know puppies doesn't intend to reuse them anyways so why not
also i'm gonna start writeups tomorrow so by friday night i should be able to start posting results.
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Yeah, I would give the album a listen. To me it's about a 7/10 album. And as I mentioned before, the only reason I used that specific song was for the lyrical content.
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you told me you had all your EPs and your concept album ready before i even posted prelim results so that's how i know you don't plan to reuse any bands across any of your submissions :corn
i feel like i could dig the style since that brand of melodic, atmospheric death metal is something i can dig if it's done well (read: mithras, irreversible mechanism, sulphur aeon)
just, the production, man :lol
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you told me you had all your EPs and your concept album ready before i even posted prelim results so that's how i know you don't plan to reuse any bands across any of your submissions :corn
i feel like i could dig the style since that brand of melodic, atmospheric death metal is something i can dig if it's done well (read: mithras, irreversible mechanism, sulphur aeon)
just, the production, man :lol
Yeah, the production is a little weak.
Speaking of having all of my EP's and album done. I'm actually scrapping my idea for this next round (maybe) and reworking a new EP from the ground up that has nothing to do with the story I've created so far. I've had a creative spark for a different short story, so to speak. I may save the original Round 2 EP as a post roulette submission. Plus I'll be returning to the main story for the album round.
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alright :metal
honestly from how you ended the story on this EP i don't even know where you'd go from there :P
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alright :metal
honestly from how you ended the story on this EP i don't even know where you'd go from there :P
I do have a conclusion/resolution for the album round, but this next round was going to be a prequel.
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well your concept is some kind of star war so maybe it's best to skip the prequels, yeah
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well your concept is some kind of star war so maybe it's best to skip the prequels, yeah
:rollin
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(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81pBcyuUzlL._SL1417_.jpg)
so like, no other track on this is like the title track apparently. it's more atmospheric and even decently electronic? and in that context the production works well for what it's trying to do, it's just on that one heavy track that it feels wrong and it definitely made it feel out of place on your EP too
but the album as a whole? i kinda dig this. dunno if i'm super into it but this feels like the arcane roots situation where the one song i heard was not really much like the rest of the album and gave me expectations for something that the album wasn't trying to be
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I love the pace of this roulette, makes me feel like I'm still a frequent poster :heart
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I love the pace of this roulette, makes me feel like I'm still a frequent poster :heart
OMG trains back! I haven't seen you in years!
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I love the pace of this roulette, makes me feel like I'm still a frequent poster :heart
When you have ~40 songs and ~4 hours of music to consider I don't know why you'd expect the pace to match a "10 songs in one round" roulette but alright :P
Honestly getting really annoyed at y'all considering the expectations were set before you even signed up, it's been in the rules since the very beginning
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Easy there tiger (sport(slick(buddy))) :biggrin:
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Don't Ragequit your own roulette :corn
By the way, I should have my EP for the next round to you later tonight. I just need to do the write up for it.
Of course if I get cut it wont matter.
Listen to it anyways!!!!
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i won't ragequit, i'll just rule 6 people if they keep complaining :angel:
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Pretty much have the concept album done. Still trying to figure something out for the next round.
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Sent for the next round :metal
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I love the pace of this roulette, makes me feel like I'm still a frequent poster :heart
When you have ~40 songs and ~4 hours of music to consider I don't know why you'd expect the pace to match a "10 songs in one round" roulette but alright :P
Honestly getting really annoyed at y'all considering the expectations were set before you even signed up, it's been in the rules since the very beginning
Hey, all I'm saying is that I like it. In a "10 song per round" roulette I'd be falling behind waaaay too much and dragging down the host's pace.
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:corn :corn :corn :corn
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Yeah four writeups are done as of last night, I'll try to do the last three tonight but if not then Saturday for sure
Lotta new releases this week to keep up with
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Am I eliminated yet or do I need to start putting the next EP together?
:corn
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Uhh I sent a hiphop EP, pretty sure youre safe :P
Edit: nevermind two people get kicked
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No comment on either of the above.
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sent my ep
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Results, Part 1
1st Place: Puppies_On_Acid – Starfall Ascension Book 2: Vestiges of Lamentations in Residuum (https://drive.google.com/file/d/11tcEefx7rIjzIQCbvffSOyrYwWdOg0cy/view?usp=sharing)
1. 3 – The World is Borne of Flame (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9lCCd3iQ9s)
First Impressions:
Hmm, not the kind of vocals I was expecting to get from you, to be honest. Also this is a really rad way to start an album in general. The acoustic guitar vibes build into electric guitar vibes and the drums come in to match the smooth flow that was built up. Only real gripe I have is that the percussive guitar hits at the very end don’t sound great. But yeah, for an intro track this does its job pretty well. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
Yeah, this is just a good buildup track, plain and simple. The vocals feel a bit less out of place after multiple listens and I’m pretty into the melodies too. Honestly this actually gives off some Coheed vibes, now that I think about it. I could absolutely see a song like this on, like, The Afterman. I dig how it builds up and I dig how it sounds. I can’t really fault it for kind of ending abruptly because on its own it’s not intended to be a full piece, so instead I can only really judge it on what it’s intended to be and in that regard it does a damn fine job.
8/10
2. 3 – The End is Begun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIwy5dIesq8)
First Impressions:
Honestly, I think when I rate these I’m going to combine them into one score because of the way they flow into each other & how pointless it kind of seems to rate them separately since the first track is very much an intro. Anyways. This doesn’t exactly leave off on the groove the previous track had and some of the sounds of the lower guitar tones I am still not keen on. It’s got a straightforward marching rhythm to it though which is good to keep the feel of the song driving. If there’s one gripe I have with both of these it’s that there’s maybe a bit too much of a disparity between how the acoustic guitar sounds vs. the electric. And I guess the vocals feel a bit weak against this music. It’s not a bad song but I don’t think it delivers on the promise the previous track built up, honestly. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Okay, so I think I was a bit harsh on this one the first time. It’s not really the same kind of track as the previous track, to be sure. But it is pretty damn catchy, as I’ve found, considering I’ve had “Shall I Die, Shall I Cry, Shall I Be Shot Through The Sky” on loop in my head for over a week now. I honestly don’t know why I didn’t see the Coheed comparison the first time, though they don’t have as good of a guitar tone and I don’t think they sound thaaat similar outside of the vocals. I still would say I’m not as into this one as I am the previous track, though, simply for a lack of driving energy, but I do like this one well enough regardless, it’s certainly been on my mind a lot more than I expected. I’m definitely gonna check out the album here.
7.5/10
3. Altar Of Plagues – Earth: As A Womb (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EbYWynjhUs)
First Impressions:
The big boi, a whole 12 minutes of black metal (to my understanding?). And like, the whole few first minutes are ambient and foreboding in just the way I like. You know the song’s going to kick in hard at any moment but you don’t know when. It seems to be in the good ol’ fashioned black metal tradition of lacking solid melody, but admittedly I really like the texture of the guitars and everything else sounds pretty good too, except maybe the drums mixed a little loud. It kinda holds steady to just the straight-up black metal song for a bit but gives it a break in the middle for a bit of variation. Black metal friggin’ sucks to write about because it tends to intentionally not be very musically complex. It’s just intense & hopefully pretty emotive and I mean, yeah, I don’t know if there’s much about this specific song that’s sticking out to me on first listen, but it certainly does “intense” well enough in its heavier parts and has a bit of more dynamic moments at the start, middle, and end. I’d check out the full album of this, for sure. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
So I made a comment in my third round impressions that this doesn’t really feel like a song intended to be taken outside of the album it’s on, because, well. For one you’ve got the whole “two minutes of ambient intro” thing which, you know, in a song by itself usually isn’t something you want. Like, I dig the hell out of it and it probably makes for a killer album opener, and it makes for a good transition here too. Anyways in terms of the black metal these guys play they just sound a lot like Der Weg Einer Freiheit to me. Which, considering I love the hell out of DWEF. Yeah. And DWEF is absolutely an albums band too, I can like some of their songs out of context but I don’t think I’ve ever put on a song from Stellar just on its own even as much as I love that album, and I’ve been spinning Unstille lately as well which is much the same way. And this song is basically just the full suite of stuff I love hearing in black metal. Got that rad ambient bit. Got a good chunk of that meaty, blastbeat-y heaviness. Got some nice, atmospheric clean moments. Got that more downtempo but still plenty intense heavier bit. The only thing it really lacks is a sludgy, doomy moment but that really wouldn’t work in this song in particular. But yeah. While I can’t say there’s anything or any part of this that really stands out in my mind, it’s just 12 minutes of a good-sounding song that sounds good, and I absolutely am going to check out this album.
8.25/10
4. Imperium Dekadenz – Dis Manibvs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WSTzpEKS-M)
First Impressions:
Following up the last black metal track is… another black metal track. This one reeeeally has that wall-of-sound effect going on but with more downbeat drums instead of blastbeats drowning out the texture of it and I appreciate that, the tone is rad as hell. I don’t really have a ton else to say about this one either. It pretty much gets more intense as it goes on, it isn’t super melodically-driven either but it has enough for me to be satisfied and it’s intense in the way I want black metal to be. Boring to say but it’s just plain good. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
The one unfortunate thing about this EP is that this song has the task of following up an already 12-minute, pretty strong example of black metal, with… more black metal, but just not quite as good. Granted, this is a German black metal band and, surprise, I’m gonna check out this album too regardless because even if this one doesn’t strike me as hard as the last one, I still do dig the hell out of it. When I mentioned that the one thing the previous track didn’t do was doomy, sludgy black metal? Well, the first half of this isn’t fully what I meant but it’s pretty close. The guitar tone is fantastic, to be frank, it’s got that great wall-of-sound texture to it without being too washed out either. I said at first this was a step down but I don’t really know if it is? I think the one thing is that it just isn’t quite as dynamic as the last track and maybe doesn’t have as good of a throughline to it, but it’s still pretty dang strong black metal and probably “sounds” better overall as well, so really, I dunno. It’s good, yo.
8/10
5. Anata – Downward Spiral into Madness (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaRwl5WknvY)
First Impressions:
And here’s some tech death ehh. Tech death has a bad habit of having audible bass in a death metal genre, which is a really dumb idea. I mean, who wants to hear cool bass licks and a more full sound on their metal albums? Rude. This seems to do well enough at having melodically-driven moments and seems to be wise enough to not just be an endless stream of disconnected ideas either. I reeeeally dig the bits where the two guitars are playing in unison but with different rhythms, it creates this doubling effect that sounds great, kind of reminds me of a thing Oceansize did a lot with their triple-guitar unisons. I think it lacks for really strong, memorable melodies and seems a bit emotively dry like a lot of tech death can tend to be, but it’s a solid enough example of the genre that still gets a fair few things right, so ehh. Could grow on me too. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I think ultimately the faults of this song keep me from really getting all that into it, or at least not as much as a good chunk of the rest of this EP. The bass almost seems a bit too loud, actually, to the point where it sort of crushes the guitars at times. The drums feel weirdly disconnected from everything else. And the vocals basically serve no real purpose, I get nothing at all out of them. The main, repeated motif throughout a lot of this song also isn’t particularly strong, but it’s serviceable. I think they’re smart enough to not go too wild and cram too many different ideas into one song, since there’s more than a few moments that are repeated or are just slight variations on other motifs in the song, but there’s enough diversity to keep it from getting stale too. I don’t know, though, it’s a bit out of place on the EP as the one song that fails to really resonate emotionally, and the kind of muddy sound of the song as previously mentioned I’m not too wild about. It’s still solid enough at the end of the day, I do like it, I’d probably at least listen a few songs deep into the album if nothing else. It’s just a step down from the rest of the EP especially after how strong the previous tracks are.
7/10
6. Falloch – Beyond Embers and the Earth (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcSJxr4nm2w)
First Impressions:
And closing out with more black metal. And clean vocals, gasp. This seems to have a bit of a symphonic swell going on too. I don’t like the textures of the guitar as much on this one as I did on the other two black metal tracks here but it still works well enough for the sound, I’m not complaining too strongly either. It’s more of a blackgaze-y sound and the cleaner moments kind of reinforce that but it’s kind of toeing the line a little. I will say that it’s probably my least favorite of the three black metal tracks here but only really by comparison, since overall I still dig it a fair bit. I guess the ending is a bit disappointing too, I feel like it should’ve gotten louder there before the quiet finish, but ehh. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
With the flute that shows up near the start I get a lot of Saor vibes off this, actually. That’s like, uhh. The one thing about this song that’s stood out to me across all three listens, mainly. Yeah, I dunno, this one didn’t end up having quite as much replay value? It’s the really pretty style of somewhat-folky black metal that I can like the sound of but I’ve consistently had trouble getting really into. And that’s not to say I dislike this, I don’t at all, it’s a pretty good example of the style. But it does run into the problem of sounding kind of muddy during the heavier parts in a way that the other black metal here doesn’t, though the clean stuff and all the strings and piano and whatever else gets thrown in there all sounds plenty fine. I also feel like that, as a closer, it isn’t really… climactic? It feels a bit directionless, not really going anywhere with its 8 minute runtime. I don’t know. I feel like this is the kind of thing I want to like more than I actually do.
6.75/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
So yeah one early comment is that the first two tracks and the fifth track don’t really fit in so well with the black metal tracks here, I feel. They’re also way outnumbered in terms of length, taking up like 12 and a half minutes of a full 40 minute runtime, and they also feel like the weaker tracks compared to the black metal track. But at the same time I at least liked everything here, and aside from those songs not quite stylistically fitting, it all does flow pretty well and has a good start/middle/end feel to it. It even comes full circle with quiet acoustic bits bookending the whole thing. Definitely one of the EPs I’m looking forward to revisiting, for sure.
Final Thoughts:
So yeah I guess this is probably the best EP I’ve been sent in any roulette so far? It’s like, just a lot of stuff that’s really well-fit to my tastes, particularly the two big black metal tunes in the middle, and nothing I really even come close to disliking here either. I still stand by the notion that the black metal stuff overpowers the other styles, but I do like the two 3 songs a good bit and the Anata song is heavy enough to not feel that out of place either, it’s organize to flow pretty well overall too, save for a lack of a satisfying ending. But still, this was the clear standout of the round for me from basically the start and I’m probably gonna check out an album or two from each and every band here, which is also a first for me and EPs. The bar has been set and the real goal for the rest of the roulette should be to top this one, y’all.
Current Standings:
1. Puppies_On_Acid
2. ???
3. ???
4. ???
5. ???
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6. ???
7. ???
Song Rankings:
1.
2. Altar Of Plagues – Earth: As A Womb
3.
4.
5.
6. 3 – The World is Borne of Flame
7. Imperium Dekadenz – Dis Manibvs
8.
9.
10.
11. 3 – The End is Begun
12.
13.
14.
15. Anata – Downward Spiral into Madness
16.
17.
18.
19. Falloch – Beyond Embers and the Earth
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
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ftr what i'm gonna do is post 2nd and 3rd place together later today, then 4th & 7th together and 5th & 6th together tomorrow :corn
there is a very wide gap between 4th and 5th this time but i'm also more than confident on what my two least favorites here are
as opposed to last round there are 15 songs that hit 7/10 or higher and thus the artists are gonna get banned - I'm also going to add the rule than any artist sent 3 or more times in the roulette gets banned, just because I realistically don't need any more music from them. And there's a case of an artist who I've heard before who scored not quite high enough to get banned but I kinda want to check out further anyways, so they're getting banned too.
anyways enjoy the suspense
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yay suspense!
Nice job, Pup!
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Redeemed from Absu! Nice.
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Redeemed from Absu! Nice.
:lol no kidding. Anything is better than that apparently.
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tbh if i were to go back now i'd probably cut Lo! in favor of Absu but ehh
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Results, Part 2
2nd Place: TAC – Scorched (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4o3Yf6wXKUXYRHlTMXHHSM?si=h_tw1b_2TKm41Smz3wIPqQ)
1. Gürschach – The Night The Sky Rained Nukes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lMyp1FXtYs)
First Impressions:
I’m ready for some brutal TAC-core. Jazzy intro plays. Haha. Heavy. Okay that was just a fakeout intro I actually kind of wish they developed that into something instead of the abrupt cut. I’m also not very into this vocal style at all. The production also seems… not great, but not terrible either I guess. Honestly this feels like something that could’ve come straight out of the 80’s considering the vocal style and the production style. This middle instrumental section I like more at least, solid instrumentation, solid soloing. Yeah this is one I feel like I’d be more into if I was bigger on 80’s thrash bands as that seems like the biggest influence, but thrash metal in general doesn’t really do it for me. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Really what is up with this intro? Why is it here? On its own it’s… certainly jazz. In this song it just… happens for about 45 seconds before the actual song starts. From a composition standpoint I just don’t understand why it’s here. Anyways what I actually didn’t comment on before that I really should have is how loud the drums are in this mix, like jeez. The bass is a bit loud too but not overly so, but boy the drums just crush everything else here. I actually dig some of the guitar work but half the time it’s hard to hear, and yeah, I’m still noooot really too into these vocals. The first half of the song basically then doesn’t have much for me, but the instrumental in the middle is at least, a fair bit better. Build the entire song around this and, well, I wouldn’t be super into it even still but I’d like it more than I do. The vocal bit that comes in after and the riffing at the end, again, I’m pretty fine with. Nothing I’m wild over, but still. The back half redeems the front half enough that I’m vaguely positive on this one, but it isn’t and won’t be a favorite here.
6/10
2. Supremacy – Just Before Dying (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YotAEY1LylE)
First Impressions:
Oooh now I’m worried did you sent me an entire EP of 80’s thrash throwbacks? Or at least, the vocals seem kind of like the previous track, though the riffing here is actually pretty strong. It’s basically nothing but guitar riffing so far but it has groove so I can’t fault it. Oh okay there’s the clean break. Now featuring slower chords and group vocals. Yeah, I’m a lot more into this song than the last one on just every aspect, actually. Oh this solo is rad as heck too. Yeah, like, aside from the vocals in the first half of this, I like this a lot. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
I think I said the first half of this was my least favorite part of your EP when I made thirdpressions but I dunno, it’s at least a step up from the first half of the Gurschach song if only for the production being a fair cut above that one. The riffing is alright too but I reeeally do not like these vocals. Basically a third of this song that I’m mostly pretty meh about. And then a rough transition into something much better. The vocal style here is more closer to like, Baroness or Mastodon which I am a lot more onboard with and the melodic guitar lines have a lot of class to them in a way I can totally get behind. The solo also goes a more feels-y route than a technical one. It really is like a bland thrash-y song got stitched together with a solid Mastodon tune and the end result is something I endorse two-thirds of pretty solidly and the other third I just wish wasn’t there. I think I was a little too generous with my initial ranking but there’s enough here that I do like that it still gets a solid score overall.
6.75/10
3. Great Leap Skyward – Black Sea of Trees (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANIRa4COZzY)
First Impressions:
So for this one, I’m pretty sure I actually did listen to this album when it came out because I recognize that album cover. I don’t think I followed up on that first listen, though. Right out the gate I am way into this riffing going on at the start, it has both energy and groove. I’m still a sucker for 6/8 so that probably helps. Ooh and there’s this whole break with the strings in the middle of it all? And now it’s One by Metallica. I mean sure. I think the only real gripe I have with this is that some of the transitions between sections are a bit awkward, but I like all the sections by themselves and they all have the same 6/8 feel at their core so it’s not too awkward either. I do like this a heck of a lot, though, I’ll say that much. Maybe I just didn’t finish this album the first time I tried to listen it, I see this is the closer so it’s possible I never got here. Shame, since this rules. (GREAT)
Final Thoughts:
That first riff is just. Friggin’ fantastic. Nails both groove and power without being melodically impotent either. And this is the first track here too I’d speak positively of the vocals, both the cleans and the harsh vocals work really well. Every song on your EP so far has fit into the “loud start, clean break in the middle” strategy too, but the break here is hhhoouugh, driven by the bass and the strings primarily and it’s both melodic and kind of unsettling as it goes on? Then suddenly DARKNESS IMPRISONING ME. Like okay it’s not a direct ripoff and they play with the rhythm of it a bit but thinking of Metallica every time that bit comes on is really the only knock against this song I can even muster up. I guess also the return to more standard melodic death metal stuff at the end is good too, it doesn’t have the strong riffing the front half had but it brings things full circle well enough and it makes for a solid finale. I’m just gonna outright say that this is the best metal song of the roulette up till now basically no question, I’m honestly worried I’m underrating it even still.
8.75/10
4. Khors – Through the Realm of Unborn Stars (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgRNrRNkZ8g)
First Impressions:
And now comes a song with the task of following up that last track, which would’ve made for a great closer to the EP I’m sure. Oh this is just, straight up black metal now. This EP is a kind of tour of lots of different styles of extreme metal, I guess? I do prefer my black metal a bit more melody-driven than this, they do have some elements come in on top of the guitars that add some more melody but the actual black metal elements seem a bit muddy or lacking in melody. I guess it’s just a question of whether the melodic elements on top do enough to compensate, which, I suppose they do? I’m enjoying this enough for what it is, at the very least. I’ve listened to enough black metal in the past few years to become really picky about it and I don’t know if an entire album of this would work for me but I don’t mind having this one song, either. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I feel like something slightly unfortunate here is that this song probably gets hurt a little by having to go up against some of the other black metal in this round. Though it’s not straight up atmospheric black metal like the other stuff I was sent so it’s distinct enough in that regard. The vocals I actually like, both the raspy growls and the deeper cleans, the song seems to be going for a spacey sound if its name is any indication and I think the vocals fit that sound pretty well. And it drives up enough of a groove while still remaining decently melodic even if it’s not consistently driven as such. It’s not exactly how I like my black metal and I’m not so sure an album of this would work for me but nah, I think this one’s grown on me at least a bit over the course of these few listens.
7.5/10
5. Thousand Sun Sky – Echoes From Time’s Passing (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjxf4iS1u9M)
First Impressions:
Ooh this is one of those electronic metal type ordeals isn’t it. Where the electronic elements just completely overtake the metal elements. Like they’re just mixed so much louder than the guitars here. I’m two minutes into this and getting the impression it’s an instrumental now. This is fine enough melodically that I don’t really mind it at all, there’s some bits here I would even say I kind of like, but it’s a bit… generic for lack of a better term, strip away the electronics and you have a very straightforward prog instrumental with basically no other flourishes, and I’m not really too keen on the synths to begin with, not a great tone here. Could be way worse though. I’ve heard way worse. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Basically the one issue I have with this one throughout its runtime is that the synth tones just don’t work for me, don’t feel like tones this crisp and bright belong alongside the muddy guitar tones they use here. I think the guitar riffing is better than I initially gave it credit for though, both the more fast-paced riffing that comes in when the electronic elements get pushed to the back as well as the straightforward riffing during the “refrain” are solid, and I think in a void the main motif the synths repeat is solid too. I think I have warmed up to this one at least a little bit from my initial listen, and while it’s not, like, anything incredible, it’s not offensive either and it’s, fine enough to listen to with a few moments I really dig.
6.5/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
This EP’s quality basically follows the shape of a mountain. Which is a bit unfortunate since the start and end are pretty important parts of any EP or album, in my opinion, but at the very least it also means I’m not getting bored in the middle either. I don’t really actively dislike anything here and I think going full-out “changing extreme metal genres between songs” works to make this cohesive within itself (kind of similar to what I did on my concept album for Puppies) but I honestly think this would’ve been better served with Great Leap Skyward closing it out since that’s a much stronger closer and a pretty dang cool track in general. Overall though I can see even the songs here I’m meh on potentially growing on me and I like the rest enough already.
Final Thoughts:
Yeah, I kind of see a throughline here between these songs but at the same time nooot really that strongly. The first two go together pretty well and I guess Great Leap Skyward and Thousand Sun Sky can be lumped together if you really squint, but then that’s still three different general sounds together on the same EP. And like, the quality of some of those songs is actually pretty solid, though only two of the tracks I feel like I can really get behind the whole way through. That’s then offset by one of the songs just being friggin’ excellent, though, which counts for a lot when it’s the longest track and place at the center of the EP as this glorious high point. I mean, it really should’ve been the closer because then the EP really would’ve ended on a high note, but I can see Thousand Sun Sky working as a closer well enough too. Overall, I mean, I’m not too wild about this one but you seem to be continuing the streak of sending mostly solid enough stuff with one track that really works and brings the whole package up a few notches all on its own.
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3rd Place: Lethean – Vamos ao Brasil (https://www.sendspace.com/filegroup/ugW%2BQLoC8HjFZ24DR7HYYI88O7sfr%2F7KvTArGaUxcBk)
1. Bittencourt Project – O Pastor (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a75pP_wbc0E)
First Impressions:
From what I know of the main artist on this EP I’m expecting power prog from all of these. And like, that’s what I feel like I’m getting here, yep. Except in a language I don’t understand, which could be for the better if the lyrics are like really cheesy or something. Basically a constant problem I find I have with power metal is that the riffing is really boring and the main riffing of this song, kind of is, yeah. It’s got okay enough groove but it’s hammering on just the same two notes and not with a guitar tone that makes it hit very hard. I don’t really have a ton else to say about it. It’s serviceable enough and he has a solid voice but it’s very featureless and honestly a little dull. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Okay the riffing is a bit less dull than I think my first impression made it out to be. I dig the little more melodic phrase that punctuates some of the phrases. That hits rhythmically and the strings play off it nicely for a moment that definitely gets me headbobbing. And some of the vocal lines work well enough too. I think the big issue I have with this one is that by like, the halfway point, I feel like I’m already pretty tired of basically everything the song has to offer and it doesn’t really add much else beyond that point either aside from that not very memorable synth bit. I don’t dislike it and I can kind of get some enjoyment out of this one from the moments that do kind of work but it’s not one of the songs in this round or on this EP that really does enough to stand out.
5.75/10
2. Angra – The Shadow Hunter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE3GkuykCKM)
First Impressions:
This guitar intro is already more interesting by itself than the entirety of the previous song, for reference. And I appreciate that some of it carries over even when the heavier guitars come in. The actual main meat of this song isn’t quite as interesting but it at least works to some extent. The drumming helps to keep up the energy without just being kick-spam all the time. And there’s certainly enough diversity to keep me from getting bored or tired of any given musical idea. It’s a well-made example of a style I’m not particularly interested in anymore but I will say I still do like it well enough. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I think this one somehow ended up in my mind as “the weakest one” of the three Angra songs here, somehow? It’s certainly the one I have the most trouble remembering out of the three. I think it might be because this one is decisively the most “standard prog-power” out of the three, a style which I have never been able to find too memorable or been too into. The a capella bit in the middle is genuinely kind of cheesy and a bit too silly for me though. That’s like the one bit of this I remember, I go “oh yeah, that bit” every time. I dunno, this one is basically the same as how I felt about DGM last round – it’s pretty solid and I can’t say I dislike it, there’s not even really anything wrong with it other than a lack of anything I really find that interesting or memorable. It all sounds nice, the production is fine, it’s decently melodic enough. But I’m just not really into it.
6.5/10
3. Angra – The Shaman (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu7K-wUUCas)
First Impressions:
I appreciate that you at least sent off three different albums for all this band’s songs, and three albums almost a decade removed each. And each with different singers, apparently? Production-wise this doesn’t even sound notably weaker, it’s slight but not really problematic. And I dig the inclusions of the horns on this one, they add a lot of personality to this track. It feels to me like there’s sort of a middle eastern vibe to this one in general but I could be imagining it. It definitely feels a bit more straightforward but honestly I think it almost works better for it? Or maybe it’s just I’m really digging the horns here. It’s probably just that. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
Okay it’s really funny to me that this was the one of the three here that people were like “why would you send that” to me. And it’s been my favorite on this EP from the very first listen. This is the grooviest song of the round by a handsome margin and honestly it’s just super dang fun to listen to. I love the 6/8 feel of the prechorus and the vocals there. And as previously stated I love the hell out of the horns in the chorus. Honestly, I’m gonna come out and say – the song that this reminds me most of in this roulette? Tragic Kingdom. From the mid-90’s? Check. Groovy and fun as hell? Check. Decently diverse and dynamic with multiple different feels throughout? Check. Horns? Check, check, check. I will say the one thing this lacks that that song had was a really intense climax, and I think the middle section that turns more atmospheric kind of drags a tiny bit. But like, those are nitpicks for a song that, on the whole, I dig a lot.
8.25/10
4. Angra – ØMNI – Silence Inside (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyyWlYSSl2I)
First Impressions:
This starts in a really similar way to The Shadow Hunter, apparently. But with added bass. This definitely sounds more in line with modern prog than the other two, chuggier and heavier. Honestly hearing the two so close together I really can’t help but think this is just an updated version of the aforementioned song. I think the “sound” of this appeals more to be but the actual content of what it sounds like not as much, the chugging isn’t very rhythmically interesting and the melodic runs, while nice, don’t have much personality either. It’s a lack of any melodically grounded hook, I guess. Sounds nice but isn’t super memorable, which is a problem I have more and more the more metal I consume, not so easy to stand out if your melodies aren’t very sticky. All that being said I don’t mind listening to this at all, it keeps itself busy enough to not get boring and at its core still sounds pretty solid. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Honestly, this does seem like just a modern prog update of The Shadow Hunter, even several listens later. And uuhh. It’s a grower, lads. This is actually the song on this EP I ended up finding most memorable somehow, even if I wouldn’t say I like it as much as The Shaman. The chorus in particular, is surprisingly sticky. And I can’t help but love the fretless bass that shows up a few times. It’s hard to really call this one power-prog, it’s just a lot more in line with the 2010’s prog metal scene. I actually really like the wah-drenched guitar lines that pop up a few times throughout too, though, that’s such a John Petrucci thing to do and I never get tired of it. Also that really over-the-top proggy midsection, I like it. I know I said I didn’t like a really similar section in that Arcane song but it’s context, you know? It’s not at all out of place here. And it doesn’t have crappy sounding blastbeats either, so. I am pretty sure I actually did check out this album last year when I dropped but I hardly remember it and probably didn’t get too far in it. Kinda want to go back and check it out again now, though. This doesn’t, like, evoke super strong emotions from me in any regard but it’s very solid prog metal that I’ve enjoyed every listen I’ve given it, so, yeah.
7.75/10
5. Almah – Almah (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-__i59_STy4)
First Impressions:
Three of the five songs have started off with that similar kind of acoustic guitar noodling here. I guess that’s a Brazillian thing to do. I ain’t complaining since it sounds nice in all three of them, and this one is going for a different vibe than the other two anyways. This isn’t even a metal track it seems, more of a ballad to close things off. Which, after four straight power-prog tracks, is a very smart choice. This is a nice cooldown track and I particularly appreciate the fretless bass here, it fits the dreamy vibe of this one really well. This doesn’t completely abandon prog tendencies either considering the switchup of the mood in the middle. No, yeah, considering it’s just past midnight now and I’m getting pretty tired this is putting me to sleep but not in a “boring” way but a “it’s pretty nice” way. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
Hmm, I have a hard time really adding much to what I said in my first impressions writeup about this one, really. I guess the one thing is that while I find this one pretty pleasant, I don’t exactly find it… that memorable, either. There’s no melodies that particularly stand out to me here, the fretless bass again I appreciate but it is a bit buried here and it isn’t really doing anything especially interesting when it is audible, anyways. I feel like this one is here more as a part of the EP than a song on its own, really, a lot of albums do this where there’s a pretty solid and chill softer track after an album’s worth of heaviness and it tends to be a song that doesn’t stand out on its own but in the context of the album works really well to close out the whole experience. And I do like the wall of vocals that the ending eventually devolves into, I can’t really imagine anything else ending this EP well. I feel like maybe my initial reaction was a bit too optimistic, this one didn’t really grow on me or particularly impress me on repeated listens but it’s technically perfect as the EP closer, too.
6.75/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
I mean, this is just an Angra and Friends EP at its core but across each of the five tracks there’s a different sound and there’s only the one track that didn’t really do much at all for me. I sort of feel like having the first Angra track as the opener instead and maybe moving Bittencourt Project to track #3 would’ve broken things up slightly better? That’s really the only comment I have since obviously this being a family tree of artists the cohesiveness is on point and the flow is pretty solid as well. I actually know I did listen to some of Omni last year but probably not the full thing. I’m certainly at least inclined to look a little deeper into an artist I hadn’t really delved much into before, even after one listen, though.
Final Thoughts:
So yeah, for really obvious reasons, this EP is cohesive as hell and flows pretty dang well too. I still don’t know if the Bittencourt Project song adds much to this one overall but that’s really my only gripe with it, I like all the other songs a fair bit and I’m definitely gonna check out at least the two albums the songs I particularly liked were off of. I don’t think I expect to be blown away by Angra but I liked this EP well enough, it’s very much more than the sum of its parts. It’s also kind of like a “greatest hits” mini-compilation, I guess, in a sense? I don’t think I’d ever do that kind of greatest hits round myself but this kind of snuck in by virtue of technically being three different artists, so, whatever. Good stuff, very easily going to make it to the next round.
Current Standings:
1. Puppies_On_Acid
2. TAC
3. Lethean
4. ???
5. ???
------------
6. ???
7. ???
Song Rankings:
1. Great Leap Skyward – Black Sea of Trees
2. Altar Of Plagues – Earth: As A Womb
3. Angra – The Shaman
4.
5.
6. 3 – The World is Borne of Flame
7. Imperium Dekadenz – Dis Manibvs
8.
9. Angra – ØMNI – Silence Inside
10.
11. 3 – The End is Begun
12.
13. Khors – Through the Realm of Unborn Stars
14.
15. Anata – Downward Spiral into Madness
16. Supremacy – Just Before Dying
17.
18. Almah – Almah
19. Falloch – Beyond Embers and the Earth
20. Angra – The Shadow Hunter
21.
22. Thousand Sun Sky – Echoes From Time’s Passing
23.
24.
25.
26.
27. Gürschach – The Night The Sky Rained Nukes
28. Bittencourt Project – O Pastor
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
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Lots of negative comments for 2nd place! :lol
I'm going to finish up my next EP this weekend. I have my album done. Can I just skip to my album?? ;D
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i mean as of now nobody has yet to get 7 or above with all their songs in one EP :P
i'm picky but there was a lot of stuff this round i did quite like
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Well, they are great writeups, I'll give you that. Of course you've had two fucking weeks to work on them :lol
I've been dying to use Gurschasch in a roulette. That album is awesome.
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i only start my writeups on the last listen but i need the five listens to be able to deliver satisfactory writeups, tbh
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Well, they're very well done..
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:o
I'm pretty sure that Kattelox has been digging my grave since I told him what I was sending. And part of me was absolutely afraid of that as well, but not afraid enough to not do it, and another part thought that maybe it could be just different enough to be interesting. (And I know the songs are awesome). I personally think Angra is very different than the "generic prog metal" tag that gets thrown around, but I also understand they can seem that way on the surface.
Maybe you're right and the Bittencourt track wasn't the best way to start, but I liked starting with something that got things going quickly rather than the long intros of The Shadow Hunter or Silence Inside. I knew I wanted to save Almah for last, so the order I chose seemed like the best one. I almost chose a track called Ego Painted Grey instead of The Shadow Hunter - but everyone loves The Shadow Hunter (me included) and Ego Painted Grey is more of a dark horse and I didn't know if there would be enough time for it to grow. I did want to send you all 3 singers too.
Glad you enjoyed it. I sent you another EP in case this one was banned since I was out of town when submissions were due. I may use it for the next round but I'll go back and review it first and see if I should make any changes.
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yeah i kept your PM with both EPs for this upcoming round that i'll use as a default submission if you don't send me anything
puppies is already in too so 2 of the 5 people are good to go already, technically :lol
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I'm pretty much all set. I'm not totally thrilled with the middle, so I'm looking at alternatives. Will definitely send tomorrow.
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Looking at the banned list.
What the f'n fuck is Chimp Spanner?? :lol
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Looking at the banned list.
What the f'n fuck is Chimp Spanner?? :lol
A fairly mediocre post rock/post metal/guitar shreddy one man band
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Looking at the banned list.
What the f'n fuck is Chimp Spanner?? :lol
A fairly mediocre post rock/post metal/guitar shreddy one man band
yep exactly this
that album is legit the album that killed djent for me, when i realized "oh hey wait this sucks"
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Looking at the banned list.
What the f'n fuck is Chimp Spanner?? :lol
A fairly mediocre post rock/post metal/guitar shreddy one man band
yep exactly this
that album is legit the album that killed djent for me, when i realized "oh hey wait this sucks"
In fairness, I do enjoy a few of his songs, but the majority is pretty bland.
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I'm still excited about my results. :)
Also - just to clarify - the next EP is due next Sunday, right? Not tomorrow?
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yeah you have a week
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Results, Part 3
4th Place: senecadawg2 – Silent Apocalypse Trip (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4WmYjj8RY7R7bZVL6HytzI?si=L6ss-QRvT_mQjS4r9vrWyg)
1. Bill Callahan – One Fine Morning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8nYgsR8Yu4)
First Impressions:
I don’t know what to expect from this EP in general except that I expect it all to be low key stuff but that’s, like, vague. Callahan’s voice immediately seems like a style of vocals I don’t tend to care for much but we’ll see. I think one issue I have with this is how loud the vocals are mixed compared to everything else. Or actually, no, I think it’s that the guitar is just mixed really low. I can see this working for me if I pay more attention to the lyrics (which I tend not to do so much on first listen) but it also seems like, maybe a bit long for what is essentially one singular mood for 9 minutes. I will say it’s decent Friday night mood music though, haha. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Okay, I really misread what about this would grow on me, huh? It’s not really the vocals, or the lyrics. More just… the mood. If you think of apocalyptic music as like, heavy and pummeling, then this is perfect post-apocalyptic music – quiet, empty, sorrowful. I get similar vibes listening to this that I get from an album like Earth’s The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull – it’s very chill and pretty repetitive where most of the motion is in the tiny details, and I don’t really want to think about it too hard, I just want to soak in the atmosphere and zone out. In that regard it’s really hard to judge this song by itself because I don’t know if actively listening to it and scoring it that way is even fair, because it’s really way more of a mood track that would work well on an album full of mood tracks. And I absolutely do enjoy it a fair bit in that sense. I’m not super confident in my ability to score it or rank it alongside the rest of the songs here, though.
8/10
2. Cigarettes After Sex – Apocalypse (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sElE_BfQ67s)
First Impressions:
There’s something about this sparse, low-key groove to the instrumentation I like a lot and I can’t explain why. I’m a bit less keen on the vocals, though I guess the band name is fitting since the dude sounds like he smokes a lot from how rough his voice is despite trying to sound smooth. I don’t really have a ton to say about this one though except that I dig the atmosphere of it a lot, even if it seems otherwise a bit generic? Still. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
So on first listen I called this my favorite here and then promptly forgot I had done so and I was planning to come into this one going “hey I think I underrated this one at first” but uuhh no, I did not. The vibe of this one is like. Insanely depressing, even for how “bright” the tone of the melodies are, and that chill bass groove complimenting it. I think it’s mainly the vocals, I like a lot of the melodies here and the low-key delivery fits that mood really well. I dunno, for how basic this one is it makes me feel like, really sad. It’s certainly the song here I feel like I remember the most.
8.25/10
3. Copeland – As Above, So Alone (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQwnR9FBYn0)
First Impressions:
This started out chill but then the drums came in and just completely changed the mood of the song. I will say this is the first song of the EP so far that I feel positively towards the vocals. I will say that on their own I would like these drums a lot but I think I prefer the parts of this song without them. Still not bad, might grow on me, don’t feel like I’m getting a ton out of it on first listen though. Oh and the weird glitchy effects towards the end I very much don’t appreciate. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Not much about my initial thoughts on this have really changed. The slower bits just work a lot better for the mood the song is trying to deliver, as well as just fitting in better with the rest of this EP. I don’t even think it’s that I dislike the more upbeat moments by themselves, it’s just that they’ve 1. given me something better to compare it with and 2. are so vastly different than anything else on this EP that they stick out like a sore thumb. But like, trying to take this song on its own? I dunno, it’s fine. The piano flourishes, I dig, and I like the vocals themselves, though not so much the effects that they put on them towards the end. And yeah that very last bit just plain sucks, the effect used there sounds so abrupt and, uhh, bad. I don’t really… mind this song but I don’t have much affinity towards it either.
5.75/10
4. Braveyoung – The Weight of Loss is Whole (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd_HN8VlnVY)
First Impressions:
Oh this has that 3/4 triplet feel that I’m a sucker for. I can’t even really hear the lyrics of this one at all because they’re both pretty muted naturally and really low in the mix but the mood this one carries I am pretty on board with, yeah. It’s chill enough but also builds up in intensity throughout, even if its peak isn’t, like, massive or anything. It does feel maybe a little directionless though? The ending feels abrupt, at least. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
This is honestly one of the least memorable songs I think I’ve ever heard. I do like the atmosphere of it and the vibe of it but there’s like. Nothing to this song. The one repeating guitar line that vaguely changes chords but only slightly. The muted vocal lines that barely have melody. The guitar leads in the background that get buried under the other guitars. The bassline that could drive some form of melody but gets a bit too buried to be effective. There’s just not a single thing here to really grasp onto. It’s fine to listen to and it does build well as it goes on, like I said before, but it’s just a buildup to nothing and all that really happens is that more layers of sound come in behind the guitar chords without really being distinguishable in any way. What this reminds me most of is Grace Cathedral Park which, kind of does the same thing, but the songs on that album have sections and the guitar leads are mixed loud enough to drive some kind of melody and the end result is that it does work pretty well as chill, zone-out music. This just… I don’t know, I feel like I’m ultimately being kind of harsh, but it doesn’t make me really feel much and it doesn’t stick in my mind, it’s just really hard to care about. A slight bump over the midway line just for a decent build but that’s about all I feel I can give it.
5.25/10
5. Bill Callahan – Riding For the Feeling (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYg6eIH7qR8)
First Impressions:
Two songs in a row with that same 3/4 triplet feel, huh? I don’t really have a ton to say about this one that I didn’t say about the other Bill Callahan song or about the Braveyoung song, honestly. It’s again a nice, chill, kind of sparse tune, I’m still not sold on his vocals, the lyrics might help this grow on me, etc. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
It also doesn’t help that this song basically completely invalidates the previous one on the basis of doing the exact same kind of thing but with better mixing and better melodies and at least something compelling happening. Granted, I don’t think this is nearly as good as the other Bill Callahan song, the atmosphere isn’t as compelling, simply by basis of actually having more happening and thus failing to hit that empty, post-apocalyptic vibe as well. That being said, it’s still pretty nice. Callahan’s rambly delivery is kind of what makes it work, though I feel the way the first title drop happens comes off a little awkward. But I subconsciously have a desire to sing along to the “chorus” or whatnot of this and I do like the guitar work throughout, it still gets points on the basis of being good “zone out” music even if it doesn’t quite hit the vibe that One Fine Morning nails. So yeah. It’s. Solid stuff, closes out the EP well, I dig it, don’t love it but I’ll probably check out this album anyways on the basis of the other song here so.
6.75/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
I feel it’s sort of hard to have much to say about this one on first listen because while nothing really particularly resonated with me I didn’t dislike anything either, and I see this one again being a grower of an EP. I will say that listening to this late at night on a Friday probably helped its initial impression though ‘cause it’s good mood music for that context. It’s certainly going to be a change of pace from most of the other EPs I’ve been sent, too.
Final Thoughts:
I feel like I’ve always kind of made it a point to listen to this one pretty late at night because it’s very much low-key, chill-out music the whole way through and I kind of feel like I need to be in the appropriate mood to appreciate it as such. That being said it does fall off a fair bit after the first two quite good songs and never really fully recovers, but nothing here is really unpleasant to listen to, it just gets a little dull in the middle is all. That pretty much puts it squarely in the middle of the pack here – for one, I’d have to be in the mood to enjoy it, for two, its heights aren’t the highest and I’m only really fully on board for less than half of the EP, but aside from the Copeland song it’s definitely a pretty cohesive listen front to back and I’d say at the very least you accomplished what you set out to accomplish here.
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7th Place: Train of Naught – Vegan Yoga Tunes (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Os5SfoKinDPPBv33vH43l?si=fuGMWyJFQVC25-r9ydXpSg)
1. SÂVER – Dissolve to Ashes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhPHB_IZJfY)
First Impressions:
I was expected post-metal and sludge metal stuff, not synthpop!! Haha no but after like 30 seconds the post-metal comes in. Admittedly this is still not as heavy as I was expecting from you but, also, that’s a good thing? I dig the dark atmosphere created here. And the synths make this somewhat unique for the style, though I also can’t say I think they fit in that well? Anyways the proper post-metal riffing kicks in and yeah, that’s a solid enough riff. I think some of the sludgier parts of this don’t really do much for me but they’re more like a natural payoff to the buildup so I don’t think they’re necessarily “wrong” to have. I’m not wild about it but it seems like solid enough post-metal overall, yeah. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Sitting here trying to have something to say about this one but I. Okay. I’m just gonna come right out and say it, I hate that Neurosis is considered the same genre as bands like Isis and Cult of Luna because they really do make very different music and there is a wide gap between how much I like the former and how much I like the latter. And so any time I check out new post-metal I have to worry if it’s more Isis or more Neurosis and increasingly it seems to be the latter of the two – boring, monotone sludge that seems to think being heavy is the only requirement for making good atmospheric metal. Or maybe being heavy and nothing else is the end goal. I was vaguely positive towards this in my writeup above and I think that, in comparison to some of the other stuff here, this is more listenable, but it is boring as hell and completely emotionally dry, too. Uhh. The bass grooves are kinda cool I guess? I barely ever remember anything about this one besides the synth bit and I think there’s a reason why.
5.5/10
2. Herod – Reckoning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxIsz3NYfLk)
First Impressions:
So I did listen to some of this album only a few weeks back and suffice to say, I did not get through it. I remember finding it the same kind of boring monotone sludge that a lot of other post-metal bands seem to have devolved into these days. Like Lo!, basically. Which ain’t a good sign. This song seems to get bored after just a minute of that kind of riffing and switches to being more chill and atmospheric and tolerable after. I do like some of the heavier riffing in the middle too, there's a buildup going on here that the riffing feels like a proper payoff too, but then it reverts back to the very dull downtuned riffing from the start and I kinda lose interest again. I like some of this but on the whole it’s not my thing, really. (MEDIOCRE)
Final Thoughts:
This literally just sounds like Lo! again and you know my thoughts on Lo! pretty well. The entire first minute is kind of a waste of time, a boring, non-melodic sludge riff on loop. The middle section is better, to be sure, and actually has some okay atmosphere it, but it doesn’t have, like, any driving melody to it. There really just isn’t a ton to this song and about half of it I don’t like at all, and the rest is not… bad, but not interesting either.
4.25/10
3. Vorvaň – Of Menace and Favour (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2pJICyBhoA)
First Impressions:
Well immediately I really like the tone of the guitars here. Very textured and heavy as hell. And there’s some drums driving a decent buildup and then… wall-of-sound heaviness without any real distinguishable elements to it, proper traincore alright. It’s kind of wild and frantic which I could like in theory but that’s if there were like, distinguishable notes rather than walls of heavy guitar chugging. Frantic, melodic tech death I can dig, the jagged but usually mid-range chord hammering The Hirsch Effekt like to do works really damn well, this is just… hard to follow and worse off for it. I dig the group chanting bit towards the end, at least? I liked some of this and was more bored by the rest than anything but it’s not terrible. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
I like that main riff here, it’s both heavy and solidly melodic and that’s, really all I’m asking for here, honestly… Basically the moment the vocals come in the song gets completely dominated by them and loses anything of intrigue, though. There’s basically not a single thing about the song I like until that main riff comes in again, and then that reprise and the group vocals are pretty cool, I dig that quite a bit, but it comes at the end of a song that I’ve had to sit through for over three minutes just to get to an interesting part… I genuinely don’t like a single thing about over half of this song and there’s like, one or two things I like about the rest. It has -a- distinguishable element so it’s better than Herod in that regard, but that’s about all I can say in its favor.
5/10
4. Conjurer – Hollow (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcOVLwdOGTY)
First Impressions:
I listened to this album too, actually. Twice, even, I think. Or well, tried to. I remember it also being really boring sludge. And like, so far it really isn’t? Yeah you’ve got the heavy riffs but there’s some melodic flourishes in there, and then it just cuts out to a sparse clean bit outright. I also appreciate how loud the bass is in the mix here, that’s something that often gets lost in bands trying to pull off the whole “sludgy heavy” thing. And this keeps itself fairly diverse, really? A more upbeat triplet groove in the middle I dig. I don’t know if a full album of this would’ve held my interest (well, obviously it didn’t) but this song I like well enough in isolation, yeah. Could still use some more melody though. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Okay, so, as much as this is, by a huge margin, the best-constructed song of this entire EP, I have a hard time really… remembering any of it? I don’t remember any strong melodies. I don’t remember any hard-hitting riffs. I don’t even really remember any moments of atmospheric intensity. I feel like this song is really close to being pretty damn great, though? Like, honestly, raise up the tones of the song by an octave and get out of the boring “gotta downtune everything to be heavy” mindset and there’s genuinely some solid riffing to be had here, I’m sitting here going “if I were to give any other song off this EP another listen, it would be this one” but then at the same time I realize its biggest flaw is that it’s diverse enough that it doesn’t have any real central, grounded theme to it, when I think “what does Hollow by Conjurer sound like?” the closest I can get is that first heavy riff, but that only shows up a handful of times in the song and isn’t really that representative of it either. Ultimately I’m gonna say that this is my favorite here by a healthy margin but I wish it was something I liked more, too. I can actually see something here that would appeal to me. I almost feel it’s partially the weaknesses of the songs surrounding it that impact my opinion towards this one since they do a lot of the same stuff soooo much worse. But I’m also not gonna lie and say this one is reeeally working for me, it’s solid though.
6.5/10
5. Labirinto – Mal Sacré (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1xyYH2AGIc)
First Impressions:
Two minutes into this and I really don’t have much to say about this one that I didn’t already say about the previous tracks here, honestly. It’s very standard post-metal. I will say that it least has a better grasp of melodies than some of the other tracks here. It’s also apparently an instrumental, which I’m totally fine with in this genre, a lot of time post-metal growls can sound… not good. Some artists have ‘em figured out but a lot more don’t, in my opinion. I think I’m bored by this one mostly by its proximity to the rest of the songs here and not really being notably distinct. I think on its own it’d maybe fare a bit better and I will say it’s not my least favorite off this EP either but it doesn’t really do much to stand out in the genre either even aside from in the context of this EP. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Yeah, I’ve got nothing for this one. It doesn’t have great production, it doesn’t really have either a main melodic motif nor a core “riff” to drive it. The entire first bit of this is just a straight flatline musically. Nothing of interest happens until the tempo change. And the riffing that starts after that, is certainly handily more interesting, if not for just have some rhythm going on besides a straight 4/4. This doesn’t really devolve into boring downtuned sludge at any point either so it almost gets free points on the basis of not being totally useless. But there’s basically two unique musical ideas to this 7 minute song and neither of them are that compelling either.
5.5/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
I’m not super surprised by this considering you know how I feel about this kind of stuff from your submission in my last roulette, but on the whole I wasn’t really too into this one. Even the songs I’d say are “decent” are all on the lower end of that spectrum and the stuff in this genre I do like is a lot more emotionally powerful than anything on display here. Or at least, a lot more musically interesting. I am so, so over post-metal because it, more than any other genre of atmospheric rock/metal, spiraled into devouring its own tail and going absolutely nowhere fast for the better part of this entire decade. I feel like all the bands in the genre saw the original few bands, and took away only the “we gotta play slow and heavy” part of those bands while missing the nuance that makes stuff like Panopticon and Somewhere Along the Highway great albums and this is where we’ve ended up. Not even like, super unpleasant music, just… boring.
Final Thoughts:
I feel bad for inviting you back into the roulette just to kick you right back out again, but, this was consistently and unquestionably my least favorite EP of the entire bunch, the only one to leave me pretty consistently bored with each and every listen. That’s the thing with post-metal, I don’t find it actively unpleasant but I do find most of it boring as hell. There’s only one track here that’s really particularly dynamic and it’s not even that impressive of a track, certainly doesn’t come toe-to-toe with the best metal I’ve received in this roulette so far. I guess there’s technically some differences between other tracks on this EP but they all bore me. And this is definitely less than the sum of its parts, as well, one or two of these tracks on their own wouldn’t score great but having to sit through a half hour of this is just such a drag. Sorry man but I didn’t like this EP much at all, haha.
Current Standings:
1. Puppies_On_Acid
2. TAC
3. Lethean
4. senecadawg2
5. ???
------------
6. ???
7. Train of Naught
Song Rankings:
1. Great Leap Skyward – Black Sea of Trees
2. Altar Of Plagues – Earth: As A Womb
3. Angra – The Shaman
4. Cigarettes After Sex – Apocalypse
5. Bill Callahan – One Fine Morning
6. 3 – The World is Borne of Flame
7. Imperium Dekadenz – Dis Manibvs
8.
9. Angra – ØMNI – Silence Inside
10.
11. 3 – The End is Begun
12.
13. Khors – Through the Realm of Unborn Stars
14.
15. Anata – Downward Spiral into Madness
16. Supremacy – Just Before Dying
17. Bill Callahan – Riding For the Feeling
18. Almah – Almah
19. Falloch – Beyond Embers and the Earth
20. Angra – The Shadow Hunter
21. Conjurer – Hollow
22. Thousand Sun Sky – Echoes From Time’s Passing
23.
24.
25.
26.
27. Gürschach – The Night The Sky Rained Nukes
28. Bittencourt Project – O Pastor
29. Copeland – As Above, So Alone
30.
31.
32.
33. Labirinto – Mal Sacré
34. SÂVER – Dissolve to Ashes
35. Braveyoung – The Weight of Loss is Whole
36. Vorvaň – Of Menace and Favour
37.
38.
39. Herod – Reckoning
40.
41.
42.
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fun fact: while the worst song is on 6th place (ie. eliminated), 40 and 41 are both on the EP that got 5th place and barely made it through
both the EPs left are 8 songs long and pretty inconsistent, basically
@ariich btw you don't have a color i can carry over from round 1, pick one or i'll give you, like, pink or something. home is yellow but everything else not already used is available :P
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The color I pick for arrich is Invisible. :P
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Bye Train :lol
If you want to ghost-participate in the final part of my roulette, the offer is standing open.
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Now I'm actually starting to feel a little hope...
also this poll makes me np-hard
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My favourite colour is purple if that's available, or if not then pink is fine. :P
Anyway just put me out of my misery.
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purple will do!
final results in a few hours probably around whenever i'm eating dinner or so
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You eat dinner at 3:30? What are like TAC's age or something?
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by a few hours i meant at around 5-6 PST :P
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You eat dinner at 3:30? What are like TAC's age or something?
Nothing better than oatmeal in the afternoon. Don't even need to put my teeth in for that.
(https://d2v9y0dukr6mq2.cloudfront.net/video/thumbnail/EGlhhmLs5likomxrw1/elderly-older-man-eating-oatmeal_n9zgulacl__F0000.png)
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Results, Part 4
5th Place: ariich – Let’s Groove (https://mega.nz/#!lfhjDSBR!PL-hDXVr3DvJyZz-n9vcL6buOnmH2gG3La8WAGMGF5Y)
1. Bizali – Lucile (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRM0HTgVNH0)
First Impressions:
This EP comes in stark contrast to the one I just listened to, in that it’s, like, fun, supposedly? Yeah, that’s a pretty solid groove right there. And the bass carries it on through the verse. She’s a pretty solid singer to, I hear the Bent Knee singer in her voice somewhat but Bent Knee also tends to not be very fun so she’s never really sung like this. It’s definitely a fun enough song though without looking into the lyrics I don’t feel it’s much else than that, and I can see myself getting a bit bored of it after a few listens, potentially. But for now, I like it well enough, yeah. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Mmm, yeah, I guess this song does have a pretty solid groove to it. That’s like… all it has for me, though. I can like more fun, poppier stuff well enough – had a fair bit of it in one of my previous roulettes that scored pretty well. And the groove here is pretty solid, yeah. But I’m just not… really feeling it, unfortunately. I don’t find this catchy, is the big thing. And the subject matter isn’t exactly fun or upbeat either, it’s a bit of a buzzkill really. Like, every element about this sounds fine – the vocals are good, the bass is slick, the synths fit the mood, it at least has a bit of variation. But it unfortunately just doesn’t really do much for me! That’s really all I can say about it.
5.75/10
2. Foxy Shazam – Intro / Bombs Away (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3EC1GOpmNA)
First Impressions:
Yeah that intro sure is a thing isn’t it. I feel like I’ve heard this specific melody before once the song kicks in proper, though I’m pretty sure I haven’t heard this specific song. I honestly don’t know why I haven’t looked into Foxy Shazam before, honestly, Oh Lord is a cool song and I dig their really cinematic vibe. They honestly have always struck me as a modern-day Queen, at least from what I’ve heard. This does feel more like an overture than a proper track, I’d say, but it’s a cool tune that I kind of wish you’d used as the opener proper. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
What is that motif from? I listened to Oh Lord again a few days ago and it’s still as good as I remember but it doesn’t use that motif so I don’t know why it sounds so familiar. Anyways this just flat rocks. The intro is pretty fun and pretty memorable and it builds up into the main song well enough. The main meat of this is driven by that motif and a ton of energy, alongside some really great and memorable vocals and just a lot of power behind the song in general. The only gripe I really have here is that it’s a bit too short to really feel satisfying – the intro takes up almost the first minute and then there’s basically only two minutes for the rest of the song to play out. It’s a three minutes I enjoy pretty thoroughly front-to-back though so I can’t fault it too much.
8/10
3. Novallo – Give Gravity a Choice (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLvLIpZ6gX8)
First Impressions:
Isn’t this the song I said I already liked previously when you used it in Puppies’ roulette? I didn’t listen to it a second time so I allowed it but I sort of wonder if I should consider that cheating regardless. I do like this but I also think the piano sounds kind of… cheap? It sounds really fake, whether or not it actually is. I honestly remember liking this more when I first heard it though. I don’t really have a ton else to comment? The vocals are pretty solid, the riffing is pretty fine, it’s not an especially… noteworthy song otherwise though. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Boy this song has taken a weird turn for me. When I commented on your album in Puppies’ roulette I said I liked it a lot. Then my first impression here was kinda mixed and underwhelmed. And then a few listens later I’ve looped back around to liking it a lot. Let me make it clear though that it is absurdly out of place on this EP. Like, I really don’t know why you included it on this EP, but also, I kind of wish the EP was geared more towards how this song sounds rather than the Bizali stuff or the other two Novallo tracks later on, because here we have another track on the EP that emotes well and has some good power to it. The… “chorus” here feels a little understated, I feel, but at the same time I find the melodies memorable so maybe it’s completely fine. There’s also some moments in the back half that really hit hard. It’s not like. A song that has ambition or does anything unique but it’s a cool song with a strong emotional crux that it does enough with to keep me interested in the whole way through. Kinda hard to fault it for that.
7.75/10
4. Bizali – Round Three (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O13r5Xj3efI)
First Impressions:
Hmm I’m not so sure about this guitar line, or at the very least, really not digging how every measure ends with that weird harmonic. I feel like every fourth beat an alarm is going off in the song trying to distract me from the rest of the song and it’s doing a really good job at that. Like, I like most of the rest of this, the strings are cool, the groove is solid, the vocals are great. Musically it’s got a bit more going on than the other Bizali song. But exactly one quarter of it irritates the heck out of me and kind of spoilers the other three quarters. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Okay, I think maybe I overplayed how bad the harmonic punctuation is, mostly because there are moments where it’s low enough in the mix that it can be ignored. It’s not quite 25% of the song that irritates me. More like… slightly below 20% or so. Not that that’s a great track record. And I snarkily put it that way but considering it’s an ongoing thing throughout the majority of this song it’s hard for me to enjoy much of this at all. I also commented that Lucile wasn’t particularly catchy in any regard. Well, I do find this one catchier… in the worst way, that awful guitar line has been stuck in my head and I’m reeeeally damn sick of it. Yeah, here’s the disappointing case of “otherwise totally fine but unspectacular song gets completely ruined by one stupid decision” again. Also doesn’t help that it again has the same dissonance between how it sounds and what the lyrics are about. Groove the night away while the rich oppress the poor hell yeah. But yeah sorry but I really did not care for this one much and honestly I think this one actively tainted my impression of the other Bizali songs too, which is even worse than just being a mediocre song in its own regard.
3.5/10
5. Bizali – Uh-huh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdfFImvJ-Ig)
First Impressions:
Well, this one sure doesn’t have annoying harmonics punctuating every measure so it’s definitely a step up from the last song. I pretty much don’t have anything else to say about the general sound of Bizali at this point so I’ll comment instead that ultimate how much I like these songs is going to come down to how catchy I find them, which will take a few listens to determine, most likely. That’s basically how I rate upbeat, fun tracks. Is this catchy? Does it make me wanna groove along just thinking about it? (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Of the three songs here this one’s definitely the most interesting musically. It’s the only one that doesn’t feel like one constant groove on loop, for starters. The percussion for some reason makes me think of, like, salsa, on the post-chorus bit. It isn’t really that catchy though, and I don’t really like the “uh-huh uh-huh” title drop that happens in the verses, I literally didn’t even notice it until the third listen and then I was like “ohh I don’t like this” the moment I did. This one, yeah, I guess it’s by a decent margin my favorite of the three Bizali tracks, but I’m still not wild about it either.
6.25/10
6. Foxy Shazam – The Only Way To My Heart… (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiN3o5wHO8k)
First Impressions:
I’m amused that of the three artists this is the one you sent the least of after I told you I was already familiar with one of their songs. Because, yeah, I do kind of love how bombastic & over the top this one is, quite a bit. I do feel like the delivery of “never let you know” feels a bit flat though. I also love how unhinged it gets by the end, it’s not a very, uh, sane-sounding tune but that’s why it’s fun. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
This song is just a massive, lumbering showtune basically. Unapologetically over-the-top and not really taking itself that serious but damn if it isn’t a good, fun time regardless. Also after looking at the lyrics apparently that one repeating line is “let me let you know”. Maybe that’s why it sounded a bit weird to me? I don’t know, that’s still the one thing about this I’m not too wild about, but aside from that it’s pretty cool stuff, yeah. Definitely gonna be checking this album out.
7.5/10
7. Novallo – I Am (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ed7iG_NhhU)
First Impressions:
Hmmm not so sure what I think about the synths here, but I think I don’t really like them. This sort of feels like… techno-metal more than anything though, there’s a lot of electronic stuff going on here mixing with the heavier riffing. Mostly noisier stuff. I dunno, this is fine I guess but I don’t think this fusion of styles is something I really needed or wanted. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Okay, I find the chorus of this one decently catchy, or at least the vocals. That’s a positive thing I can say about this song. Iiiiii don’t like much else about this, sadly. Is there even guitar in this one? The entire song uses a synth-tar sound for both the lead guitar and the bass, and the rest of the elements of this song are the percussion (which does at least sound real) and the synths. Also, the bridge can absolutely screw right off. Get your dubstep out of my ears. Get that awful squealy noise out of here. Yyyeeeah sorry but while this isn’t, uhh, terrible or super annoying, aside from the chorus there isn’t really much I have a positive opinion towards.
3.75/10
8. Novallo – White Phoenix (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1EsAxx9iRA)
First Impressions:
Ooh oh no not chiptune. Other than that intro this doesn’t seem to be as heavily techno’d as the previous track though. The riffing seems to kind of shoot for “technicality over groove” though, or at least from what I heard it certainly seems that way to me. It’s the kind of djent-ish riffing I can listen to and not be bored by since it’s not just CHUGGA CHUG CHUGA but I also don’t really “feel” it the same way I’d feel a good groove. It certainly makes for a better listening experience than the previous Novallo track even if I’m not totally into it yet. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
So yeah compared to the last one the tones are a lot better and while the intro is pretty awful (seriously, chiptune, one of my least favorite things – it belongs in retro or retro-styled video games and absolutely nowhere else). The chorus is also pretty solid, as straightforward as it is. It’s more in line with Give Gravity a Choice in terms of how it sounds. And there’s some okay groove here, I’m still not wild about the djenty riffing but it’s… amusing, at the very least. I haven’t really though about this song so much, it probably stands out the least of any song here except maybe Uh-huh, but y’know? I’m decently into it, I guess. The abrupt ending doesn’t do your EP a ton of favors though.
6.25/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
So yeah this… isn’t really that cohesive, honestly, yeah, I can see some similarities but they’re all pretty different styles overall. Bizali is the most odd out of the three, being primarily driven by acoustic guitars and funkier grooves. Novallo doesn’t seem super consistent stylistically within themselves either as all three tracks are somewhat different in style though there’s still a core sound there. And Foxy Shazam is wild and good and I probably should’ve already checked them out. And yeah, one of the styles here definitely does more for me than the other two. I also already commented a bit on some of the sequencing but I think it would make decent sense to not have any artist play twice in a row either, if that had even been possible. That’s how I’d sequence at least, but then that could’ve just made it feel more incohesive too so who knows.
Final Thoughts:
Man this one is just. All over the place. A few songs I really like, a few songs I didn’t like at all, a few songs I found nice but not that special. And yeah, I also don’t really feel like these three artists go together at all, like, in the slightest, this is by a good margin the least cohesive EP here, and I think that’s worked against my overall opinion of this one even aside from the songs I’m not a fan of. I feel like you reeeally wanted me to like Bizali but I just, don’t, really, I ain’t feelin’ it. And I don’t think I’d check out Novallo further since I get the impression they’re more like I Am than Give Gravity a Choice most of the time, and they don’t even have a full album out yet anyways, so. Foxy Shazam is almost cheating but you know, I sort of suspect this EP would’ve been cut if you had to replace them and I wasn’t as into whatever you did replace them with, so.
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6th Place: home – “It's just a fond farewell to a friend” (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0W28hEfgVlYZ9WacgEsXnC?si=boaB1GalQlOlHsbDFaiZog)
1. Frank Ocean – Nikes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fahxSXoXlsA)
First Impressions:
So a big part of why I can’t get too into hip-hop is that it’s a very lyrical genre and I am the type of person who very rarely pays much mind to lyrics. Anyways uuuhh those are some chipmunk’d vocals alright. Is he just gonna do the whole song in that style? The beat here is mostly percussion too which doesn’t tend to work for me, either. Okay finally something other than chipmunk vocals. Yeah man I dunno this felt really dry to me and the annoying vocals don’t help. (MEDIOCRE)
Final Thoughts:
Mmm, okay, maybe I was a tad harsh on this at first. I think some of the lyrics here are alright, at the very least? The bit with the shoutouts to dead friends (?) especially but it all at least… sounds alright, the chipmunk vocals didn’t really end up grating on me much at all surprisingly. Some of the lyrics feel pretty incohesive or all over the place though, as well. I dunno. It’s a nice enough sounding song that isn’t really unpleasant and it’s vaguely memorable but I can’t say I really particularly enjoy much of it either.
5.5/10
2. Frank Ocean – Ivy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE005nZeF-A)
First Impressions:
Alright, I like this one more right off the bat. For one the instrumentation is mostly atmospheric guitar bits and the vocals are in a proper register. There isn’t really any rapping in this one period, really. He isn’t a technically great singer but he can emote well enough and that’s what really matters. It sort of mostly just rides one vibe the whole way through, though, aside from a louder/annoying bit towards the end. It’s alright. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Aside from the line “I broke your heart last week / You'll probably feel better by the weekend” I don’t know if there’s much here that connects with me. It’s a pretty straightforward breakup tune, from what I’m getting from this one? It also doesn’t really have… any grounded melody to it. The background music is watery and jumbled, it’s clearly meant to give space to the vocals which is fine enough for this kind of music but then the vocals… I mean, yeah, he sounds nice but he doesn’t really have many good melodies, some of the chorus is okay but it’s only even vaguely recognizeable as a chorus too. I just. Don’t really get much from this. And the vocal effects towards the end reeeally sound bad. Meh. Slight positives, slight negatives, I don’t really have much of a strong opinion on this either way, ultimately.
5/10
3. Mac Miller – Ladders (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gzmFo8UiJQ)
First Impressions:
Gonna feel bad if I hate this because then I’m speaking ill of the dead, huh? The beat of this one I like, kinda funky. His rapping is like, half-sung half-trying to sound forceful and it ends up in this weird in-between space where it’s kind of neither and sounds kind of awkward. This song has an actual chorus at least which I appreciate. Yeah I think the instrumentation of this one is enough to give it a pass, and the chorus sounds fine enough too. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I forgot how it takes almost a full minute for this song to really start proper, considering the beat is by far the most interesting/compelling thing about this. Miller himself sounds pretty dang bad, though not as bad as he sounds on that… other… song here, we’ll get to that though. The bit with the horns that pops up a few times is pretty dang fun though. And when he’s rapping over the beat he rides it pretty well, still doesn’t sound great but it fits in fine enough. I do feel to some extent I like this song more by comparison to a lot of the other stuff you put on this EP, and like, probably? I’ve heard better in the vein of funky hip-hop too, though, so I’m not, blown away by this, but I don’t mind it.
6.25/10
4. KIDS SEE GHOSTS – 4th Dimension (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hj5tucYv1Q)
First Impressions:
Honestly these two are the ones I’m looking forward to the least because I just flat don’t like Kanye West as a person and don’t want to give his music the time of day. He’s at least decent at his delivery, Cudi doesn’t sound as good in comparison. The beat isn’t really my kind of thing, plunderphonics is a style that can go wrong really easily and while it doesn’t sound awful it doesn’t really… evoke any emotion for me. This isn’t actively unpleasant but there isn’t really anything here I like either. (MEDIOCRE)
Final Thoughts:
The beat is okay, I guess. Mostly it’s the whoa-oh’s. And the muted vocals in general. Buuuut there’s a lot about this I don’t like. The weird laughing bit in the middle is eeehh, Kanye isn’t very interesting, Cudi’s bit has grown on me a little though, I actually feel like he sounds at least decently “intimidating” for lack of a better word and fits the bassy production more. There’s something about that voice clip at the end that I like, take offense to on an artistic level though. It’s short enough that it feels more like a fragment of a song than anything and even the stuff about it I find… okay, comes with a catch, though. Not for me.
4.25/10
5. KIDS SEE GHOSTS – Cudi Montage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaTAlvbC_T4)
First Impressions:
I don’t even really get the title of this one. I’d expect it’d be like, just Cudi here but no, both of them are on here too. Again, not really anything about this production or beat that I like, the chorus here at least is solid? I’m really trying here, man, but this stuff just flat out isn’t for me. (MEDIOCRE)
Final Thoughts:
Okay, actually there’s some bits of this I do like. I like the modulated vocals on the chorus, or I guess what serves as the chorus? And the humming and synths that match up against it, it actually does create a pretty good atmosphere. I don’t like much of anything about the verses though, neither performer is very interesting and the weird guitar line doesn’t work at all. I think the chorus is enough to elevate this a little with a decent atmosphere, cut out the verses entirely and replace them with something better and I could see this being a genuinely good song actually but as it stands there’s about a third to a half of it I don’t care much for and I don’t like the chorus thaaaat much either.
6/10
6. Post Malone – Over Now (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFPoHUIRpvg)
First Impressions:
So I’m also decently familiar with Post Malone simply for how popular he’s been in the mainstream recently. A problem I’ve consistently seen with him is that even when his music is good, his content seems to get worse the better the song sounds, like I Fall Apart which could be genuinely good if the lyrics weren’t trash. In this case, well, he sounds more awake than a lot of the other stuff I’ve heard from him & the content, while probably not amazing, doesn’t have anything obviously awful about it either. It probably shouldn’t surprise me that the two most song-shaped tracks on this EP so far are the ones I’m enjoying the most. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Goddammit I’m so conflicted about this one. For one, it’s Post Malone. Who is just the most basic, unlikeable white guy coopting hip-hop culture to repackage and market to pasty-faced teenage white boys terrified of any skin tone darker than their own. That’s not the conversation for this thread though. And second, the lyrical content is just total trash. Third, Malone always sings like he’s half-drunk. So I don’t know why the hell this sounds as good as it does. His singing sucks but he’s got good melodies to work with, the awful content he somehow makes work with his delivery, and the production is pretty damn good, it’s got power, it’s got groove, it’s got atmosphere. I feel reeeeally bad about liking this one, but goddammit, I do. I am definitely not checking out the album, but what the hell, you win this time, Postman.
7.25/10
7. Frank Ocean – Seigfried (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWgpBlz16-s)
First Impressions:
Okay, I am actually pretty into the sparse and atmospheric guitar here matched with some more soulful, emotive delivery on his part. Also I see where the EP title comes from, now. The swell in the middle is pretty effective. Sort of falls apart after that though, I feel, like, any sense of rhythm just kind of disappears. Overall still pretty nice though, sure. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Technically of all three Frank Ocean songs here this one is the one that “sounds” the nicest. It’s guitar-driven and he’s got pretty good vocal melodies throughout. I don’t really find the melodies that memorable though, and the instrumentation feels just a bit too empty, especially since there is clearly meant to be a decent bit of intensity to the vocals here. The only bit that gets some swell is, ironically, the bit where the vocals lose any sense of rhythm and the song basically turns ambient for a bit. I think losing the rhythm kiiind of kills the flow of the song though, it turns the whole thing from a “song” to more of a “poetry recital”. The last little vocal bit at least kind of gets back on track but it’s a little too late to win me back by that point. I dunno. I don’t really actively dislike this one but there was potential for something better here and it doesn’t quite work for me. Probably my favorite of his three songs here but I can’t say I’m won over by any of them.
5.75/10
8. Mac Miller – 2009 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B3YwcjQ_bU)
First Impressions:
At first was wondering if this was instrumental. When the vocals came in I started wishing it stayed instrumental though, he sounds real bad, geez. Yeeeah I wouldn’t mind this beat on its own but I legitimately can’t even care about what he’s saying when the delivery is just this flat-out bad. There really isn’t much else to this song besides the repetitive beat and the vocals either sooo. (MEDIOCRE)
Final Thoughts:
This song is practically a Shakespearean tragedy. The intro is so dang good, such a pleasant piece of music and a solid emotional climax for this EP as a whole. And lyrically this song is pretty solid too, it’s self-reflective in a way that usually appeals to me. But dear god, most of this is pretty much just unlistenable from how awful he sounds. Barely on the rhythm, barely even melodic, I have to assume he was drugged up as hell when he recorded this. And he basically is just going nonstop for several minutes straight, not that the backing instrumentation is very good either. Sigh. And it’s sooooo long. And it just runs a full minute after the vocals actually stop, which I mean, makes it more tolerable, but. I could see this song being really good if someone else was performing it, and if the beat did more, and if it was shorter, and now that’s a lot of “ifs” to try and salvage a song that, in its current state, I really just can’t get much into at all.
3/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
Not really surprising to you or to me that I wasn’t super into this one. A few tracks I liked, a lot of this annoyed me or was a little boring. I didn’t find most of it actively unpleasant but I didn’t really especially like anything here either. The closest was, amusingly enough, the Post Malone track. I also don’t even know if it’s especially cohesive within itself, or at least, some of the tracks don’t really fit stylistically with the others – Ladders is way too upbeat and fun for the rest of the songs here, and the two Kids See Ghosts songs don’t really have the same general atmosphere as the rest here either.
Final Thoughts:
I never rule 6’d this because, for one, I don’t think it’s the weakest EP here, and it takes a lot for me to really want to rule 6 anything – St. Vincent was genuinely that bad and I stand by that decision. And anyways rule 6’ing in an album roulette is a lot different than in an EP roulette where participants actually have to put in some effort to send me something and I’d like to respect that. That being said. Yeah. There was no way this was ever going to end in anything but a cut. It’s not that I even actively dislike much of this, it’s just that very little of it works at all for me. There’s exactly one song that really makes me feel much of anything and it’s the one that’s a guilty pleasure. And like I said in my first impression this isn’t even that cohesive just inside the genre of hip-hop, I’m at least aware enough to tell that some of these tracks have vastly different goals than others. I will say that aside from, ahem, that last track, I don’t really find any of this unpleasant to listen to, but it’s not winning me over on a genre I’ve never been too interested in to begin with, either. Ehh.
Round 1 Final Standings:
1. Puppies_On_Acid
2. TAC
3. Lethean
4. senecadawg2
5. ariich
------------
6. home
7. Train of Naught
Song Rankings:
1. Great Leap Skyward – Black Sea of Trees
2. Altar Of Plagues – Earth: As A Womb
3. Angra – The Shaman
4. Cigarettes After Sex – Apocalypse
5. Bill Callahan – One Fine Morning
6. 3 – The World is Borne of Flame
7. Imperium Dekadenz – Dis Manibvs
8. Foxy Shazam – Intro / Bombs Away
9. Angra – ØMNI – Silence Inside
10. Novallo – Give Gravity a Choice
11. 3 – The End is Begun
12. Foxy Shazam – The Only Way To My Heart…
13. Khors – Through the Realm of Unborn Stars
14. Post Malone – Over Now
15. Anata – Downward Spiral into Madness
16. Supremacy – Just Before Dying
17. Bill Callahan – Riding For the Feeling
18. Almah – Almah
19. Falloch – Beyond Embers and the Earth
20. Angra – The Shadow Hunter
21. Conjurer – Hollow
22. Thousand Sun Sky – Echoes From Time’s Passing
23. Bizali – Uh-huh
24. Mac Miller – Ladders
25. Novallo – White Phoenix
26. KIDS SEE GHOSTS – Cudi Montage
27. Gürschach – The Night The Sky Rained Nukes
28. Bittencourt Project – O Pastor
29. Copeland – As Above, So Alone
30. Frank Ocean – Seigfried
31. Bizali – Lucile
32. Frank Ocean – Nikes
33. Labirinto – Mal Sacré
34. SÂVER – Dissolve to Ashes
35. Braveyoung – The Weight of Loss is Whole
36. Vorvaň – Of Menace and Favour
37. Frank Ocean – Ivy
38. KIDS SEE GHOSTS – 4th Dimension
39. Herod – Reckoning
40. Novallo – I Am
41. Bizali – Round Three
42. Mac Miller – 2009
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Dammit ariich!
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The Rivalry Continues...
banned list is updated btw! i probably should put the bands i've ordered stuff from recently on my main banned list also
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Looks like I'll need to scrape my way through each round and then scrape a victory over TAC in the final again! :P
Glad you're digging Foxy Shazam consistently, shame about the other two but no matter. Like I said, I won last time so no need to play it safe this time, so figured I'll just send stuff I love. I personally find these artists go well together as they've all got a lot of groove to their music, but I can see why you wouldn't feel that way.
By the way, I AM is all guitars, just with effects. Quite surprised you disliked it so much.
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home, you should've sent this EP against my power metal EP back then. :lol
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Bye Train :lol
If you want to ghost-participate in the final part of my roulette, the offer is standing open.
No thanks.
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This is honestly better than what I expected. Thanks for taking the time with these songs and spending time on the write-ups! It's kinda funny Post Malone got the highest score, I mean I like his music, but he's absolutely not on the same level as artists as Frank Ocean in creativity/musicality. But hey I'm glad something got higher than 7!
And I agree with that it isn't a very coherent EP, but I thought if I get more different artists on it there's a higher chance of you liking at least something :p
Honestly these two are the ones I’m looking forward to the least because I just flat don’t like Kanye West as a person
Same, but no denying he is at least a creative musician
Who is just the most basic, unlikeable white guy coopting hip-hop culture to repackage and market to pasty-faced teenage white boys terrified of any skin tone darker than their own.
wow... (but not a discussion for here indeed)
legitimately can’t even care about what he’s saying when the delivery is just this flat-out bad.
I actually love his "relaxed" delivery a lot, but hey tastes
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EP sent!
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Congrats Lethean. I was indeed digging your grave. Wasn't expecting Parama to score those anywhere near what he did, so I'm pleasantly surprised as well. Good tunes from a power metal band with some prog elements ;) :)
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On The Shaman yes
On The Shadow Hunter they are more prog than power but maybe
There is like no trace of power metal on Omni though that just sounded like (pretty solid) djent-prog
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I told myself I wouldn't get into this debate again and I'm going to stick to it. But there's a lot of power metal on the Omni album :biggrin: Also that's the first time I have ever read 'djent' being associated with Angra, so that's kinda funny to me :lol
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On The Shaman yes
On The Shadow Hunter they are more prog than power but maybe
There is like no trace of power metal on Omni though that just sounded like (pretty solid) djent-prog
I feel like you might actually enjoy a good portion of the album Temple of Shadows.....maybe...
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I put all three of the albums I was sent a song from on my listening queue so :P
I gotta get through a few relistens on my current list before I start spinning new stuff though & this week is brutal for new releases haha
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Also @ the two people who voted, this is an NP-Complete
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53333.msg2536095#msg2536095
Barely any growls so it should appeal to even the weak among us :metal
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Very glad you enjoyed it. :) I can see why someone would find some djent in Omni, but I would have said it's more an element that's been included as a flavor they can use rather than something that's really prevalent.
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both the EPs I have so far break the 40 minute barrier by over half a minute
y'all are great at following the rules :P
i have less EPs this round anyways so ehh i'll allow it but 41+ minutes is flat out
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Spotify said 40 minutes. Apparently they round down. :lol
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Preparing my ep. Will send tomorrow. Im glad (and surprised!) that you enjoyed Bill Callahan as much as you did. It definitely is mood music. Not as surprised about Cigarettes After Sex. I crushed on them really hard for a while.
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it's just really amusing to me that i'm probably gonna get that atoma album but neither the arcane nor breaking orbit albums, off puppies' first EP :lol
i have 4 albums on my revisit list and then i'll probably get to the new stuff after that, so it might actually not be until the weekend since thursday night a lot of new stuff i wanna check out is dropping :lol
right now 5 albums on my list of "very likely" purchases (Existem, Arms and Sleepers, Phoebe Bridgers, Jason Isbell, Atoma) and two more i need another relisten to (Kingcrow, Bon Iver) to really tell (which i guess out of 36 different artists doesn't sound that fantastic but i got like, a dozen at most albums out of my last roulette period 'cause of how few artists i was sent overall (another big part of why i ain't ever gonna do another album roulette, variety suffers))
anyways i'm looking forward to getting to these EPs tho, probably will start friday to ensure i have everything listened by sunday and we can dual-wield impressions and hangman :corn
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Arms & Sleepers = :metal :metal
That means 1 for 4 on Pelagic Records bands in this roulette, I’ll take it, cheers Sancul! (But Sâver is still better ;D )
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Still need ariich (and maybe Lethean)
Listening will start tomorrow either way :corn
Only 5 EPs this round so I may have results a bit sooner since the upper limit on music I can receive this round is just a bit over 3 hours
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Still need ariich
No you don’t.
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Huh? :lol
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You need me baby. :eyebrows:
Might be tomorrow but more likely at the weekend. It'll be by the deadline though.
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Make sure it sucks so that my decision is really easy
I feel like this time I'm probably gonna have to make an actually painful cut :lol
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Make sure it sucks
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQv7cwGT_Em-WT9okvwu7uqt-GBc5qIJ758W52g8k2o3vPkhkfJ)
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Still need ariich (and maybe Lethean)
I'm going to stick with the original one. I spent a bunch of time earlier this week going through songs and trying to decide if I should change anything, but nothing seemed right. You probably won't enjoy this one as much as Angra, but hopefully there will still be some songs that you like.
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listening to EPs literally right now, whenever ariich sends me his & it's all good I'll start hangmemes
maybe we'll actually finish this time if i start on a weekend :P
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also, some albums from the last round!
(https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/799499-500x500.jpg)
i guess this is the structural disorder of this roulette, in that it's a cool album from last year that i passed on the first time i listened to it, but is actually way up my alley? i do think the song you sent was indeed the best of them but front-to-back i found the album pretty solid and decently diverse too, i'm certainly looking forward to revisiting it & likely purchasing it
(https://www.metal-archives.com/images/2/2/5/0/225046.jpg)
ooooh yeah this is the kind of black metal album i want more of, decisively album-focused rather than song focused and i love the use of guitar drone ambience to bridge the tracks together. as well the "downtempo sludgy black metal" i commented on being absent on the first song is present elsewhere on the album so that's the full course meal of black metal right there. i dug the hell out of this though, only minor gripe is that the production could be a bit better & the vocals don't always sound that great but ehh minor, minor complaints at best
tomorrow i plan to go through all three angra albums. normally i wouldn't listen to the temple of shadows album but i'm curious in hearing it as a middle ground between the other two anyways & i suspect i'll still likely it well enough even if i wasn't wild about the one song
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I figured you would dig White Tomb. After that album they basically started copying Deafheaven. Actually it's more like Deafheaven started copying Altar of Plagues' post White Tomb sound, since Altar of Plagues was doing it first with their Tides EP, but I digress.
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that's disappointing then, i'll probably check out their other stuff at somepoint but i'm pretty committed to getting this one already :lol
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through listens for all four EPs I have and currently there are zero songs below average, yaayyy
@ariich this is to let you know that if any songs get mediocre or bad once i finish impressions you can instantly know it's one of yours. send your EP, dammit :getoffmylawn:
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Hey I'm going to meet the deadline. :P
I won't get a chance to actually put it together until tonight but I'll b able to PM you the song names shortly so you can start the hangmemes.
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through listens for all four EPs I have and currently there are zero songs below average, yaayyy
@ariich this is to let you know that if any songs get mediocre or bad once i finish impressions you can instantly know it's one of yours. send your EP, dammit :getoffmylawn:
:lol
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well ariich sent me his song list but not his EP so HANHMNHNGNHNEHJSBDG
hanhmnhngnhnehjsbdg pt. 1
???: A____a___ - __ ____ A__ _atr__
???: ___ _ _____a - _________
???: __tt_r ________ _______t_ ___t_r - _______
???: _a____ T_ _____r_t_ - Th_ A__rra_t H__t
???: __r_a___ - Th_ _h__t_ __ _________
???: _ar_a_h__ - __h___ __a___ A__ _____
???: __r_a___ - _a_t Th_ ____
???: ______r___ ___t___a - ___tr___r __ _r_a__
???: _ar_a_h__ - __t____ __a A__ ___
???: __r__a_ar - __ A _____r __r__
???: _____r___ - ___r _a__r_t_ _ar
???: ___ _a_'_ _h___ - __a___ __ Th_ __r__
???: ___ _ _____a - Th_ __rr_r
???: _atat___a - ___art_r
???: _ar_a_h__ - ______ ______ A__ _ha___
???: _____a__ __ _a_a - T__ _r_t_____ ________ __ _____
???: ___ H_rt___ _r_th_r_ - _____r_ A__ R__t
???: A____a
???: _a____ Th_ _a__ ___ta__ T____
???: __t'_ R___
Letters Guessed:
THRA
TAC waits 1
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T
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H
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R
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all updated above
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A
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LL
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Katatonia - Departer
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Sent by totally not Lethean
Old Man's Child - Slaves of the World
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Totally Not Lethean:
Katatonia - Departer
???: Allegaeon - __ ___d A_d _atr__
???: ___ _ _____a - ____d____
???: __tt_r __l_____ _______t_ ___t_r - D______
???: Nailed to Obscurity - Th_ A__rra_t H__t
???: __r_al__ - Th_ _h__t_ __ _________
???: _arda_h__ - __h__d L_a___ A_d _____
???: __r_al__ - _a_t Th_ ___l
???: ______r___ D__t___a - D__tr___r __ Dr_a__
???: _arda_h__ - __t____ __a A_d ___
???: __r__a_ar - __ A D____r __rld
???: __l__r___ - ___r _a__r_t_ _ar
???: Old Man's Child - Slaves of the World
???: ___ _ _____a - Th_ __rr_r
???: _arda_h__ - ____d_ _l____ A_d _ha___
???: Downfall of Gaia - T__ _r_t_____ _ll_____ __ _____
???: ___ H_rt___ _r_th_r_ - _l___r_ A_d R__t
???: Al___a
???: _a____ Th_ _a__ ___ta__ T____
???: L_t'_ Rock
Letters Guessed:
THRALD
ariich waits 1
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Let's REEEEEEE
Or probably Let's Rock, I dunno
Also Allegaeon, Tim's just sending it everywhere I guess.
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TAC did not send Allegaeon :tup
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:lol
...and twice on Sundays!
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Nobody's asked for the D, so I'll have the D.
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Nailed to Obscurity
Downfall of Gaia
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Ok, have sent the EP itself!
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Sent by totally not Lethean
:lol
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P = NP
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Totally Not Lethean:
Katatonia - Departer
???: Allegaeon - __ ___d A_d _atr__
???: ___ _ _____a - ____d____
???: __tt_r __l_____ _______t_ ___t_r - D______
???: Nailed to Obscurity - Th_ A__rra_t H__t
???: __r_al__ - Th_ _h__t_ __ _________
???: _arda_h__ - __h__d L_a___ A_d _____
???: __r_al__ - Pa_t Th_ ___l
???: ______r___ D__t_p_a - D__tr___r __ Dr_a__
???: _arda_h__ - __t____ __a A_d ___
???: __r__a_ar - __ A D__p_r __rld
???: __l__r___ - ___r _a__r_t_ _ar
???: Old Man's Child - Slaves of the World
???: ___ _ _____a - Th_ __rr_r
???: _arda_h__ - ____d_ _l____ A_d _ha___
???: Downfall of Gaia - T__ _r_t_____ _ll_____ __ _____
???: Von Hertzen Brothers - Flowers and Rust
???: Al___a
???: _a____ Th_ _a__ ___ta__ T____
???: Let's Rock
Letters Guessed:
THRALDP
Dacul waits 1
i'm gonna take that as asking for the P w/e
first impressions in just a minute
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First Impressions:
With each of your EPs I’m always worried going in I’ll somehow end up disappointed and each time by the end of the first listen I’m always pretty impressed and I don’t know why I’m even worrying anymore at this point.
Pretty much every song doesn’t feel like it has any “twist” or “unique element” to it, it’s just trying to be good in a standard way.
I feel like this one is going to be a grower purely for it cohesiveness alone, and that most of the songs in their own right don’t feel particularly immediate but could open up on relistens.
So this is, like, an entire EP full of a kind of music I’ve specifically said I’m never too into, and surprise! I’m not too into any of it.
Starts strong, ends strong, I wouldn’t say anything is “weak” per se but it’s at a consistently “alright” state that wears on me.
Song breakdowns:
GREAT - 1
GOOD - 7
DECENT - 17
AVERAGE - 9
MEDIOCRE - 0
BAD - 0
for as alright as that song breakdown looks this round feels a bit more... homogeneous than the last one, though there's certainly EPs I like more than others on first listen and most of these feel like growers. we'll see. I'll try to get this round out sooner simply due to the smaller amount of music here (though it's probably not that much shorter than round 0, realistically)
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Regarding the poll, I obviously voted ariich! ;D
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With each of your EPs I’m always worried going in I’ll somehow end up disappointed and each time by the end of the first listen I’m always pretty impressed and I don’t know why I’m even worrying anymore at this point.
Fucking ariich! :censored :censored :lol
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I'll claim the first first impression
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Von Hertzen Brothers
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yep yep :tup
someone go for a letter sheesh
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(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81ueRfLzvWL._SS500_.jpg)
i didn't really expect the rest of this album to be like the shaman and, yeah, it's mostly just straight power metal. not really for me, i'll just take the one fun & groovy song here. like, okay, i got through the entire thing but i hardly remember any of it, just wasn't too interesting
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81%2BxK%2BOzeaL._SL1200_.jpg)
i did not, however, get all the way through this one. technically by my rules i wouldn't have checked this out normally anyways but the rest of the album is more power metal than prog, again, and i already wasn't too wild about the prog sound of the song i had heard before. didn't find it unpleasant, just kind of boring
(https://direct.rhapsody.com/imageserver/images/Alb.294006017/500x500.jpg)
with this one at first i was like "oh no is this just gonna be all power metal too" but this album is weird in that it switches from more of a power metal album at first to more of a prog album as it goes on, with all of the last four tracks being basically just prog metal/rock with a power metal singer. i mean aside from the last track being a symphonic thing, but you know what i mean. i did overall like this one, it's not revolutionary or anything and i wish there had been more fretless bass 'cause mmm fretless bass. but of the three this is the one I do plan to revisit
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With each of your EPs I’m always worried going in I’ll somehow end up disappointed and each time by the end of the first listen I’m always pretty impressed and I don’t know why I’m even worrying anymore at this point.
Fucking ariich! :censored :censored :lol
No way. The last round was the first EP I've ever done for Parama and it only just scraped through, so this one isn't mine. All the others are less positive and could all conceivably be mine.
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VHB song is Flowers and Rust. Ariich?
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You may never like it, but the last thing Holy Land is is a straight power metal album.
Based on your reaction to the albums and how you feel about The Shaman vs The Shadow Hunter, I'd say that Holy Land would have a bigger chance of growing on you than Temple of Shadows. (But ToS is totally awesome too and also seems to need time to grow on some listeners.)
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G
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Totally Not Lethean:
Katatonia - Departer
???: Allegaeon - __ ___d A_d _atr__
???: ___ _ _____a - ____d____
???: __tt_r __l_____ _______t_ ___t_r - D______
???: Nailed to Obscurity - Th_ A__rra_t H__t
???: __r_al__ - The Ghosts of _________
???: _arda_h__ - __h__d L_a___ A_d _____
???: Borealis - Past the Veil
???: Conquering Dystopia - Destroyer of Dreams
???: _arda_h__ - __t____ __a A_d ___
???: __r__agar - In a Deeper World
???: __l__r___ - ___r _a__r_t_ _ar
???: Old Man's Child - Slaves of the World
???: ___ _ _____a - Th_ __rr_r
???: _arda_h__ - ____d_ _l____ A_d _ha___
???: Downfall of Gaia - T__ Gr_t_____ _ll_____ __ ____g
???: Von Hertzen Brothers - Flowers and Rust
???: Al___a
???: _a___g Th_ _a__ ___ta__ T____
???: Let's Rock
Letters Guessed:
THRALDPG
Bolsters waits 1
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Borealis - Past the Veil
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Dystopia
The Ghosts of
In/Of A Deeper World
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Conquering Dystopia - Destroyer of Dreams
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VHB song is Flowers and Rust. Ariich?
:tup
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Conquering Dystopia - Destroyer of Dreams
destroying my dreams of a quickly completed hangmanen :'(
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E
-
F
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What motherfucker picked me in the poll?? :lol
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Ariich, hopefully
I'll update hangmadangs after work
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Mwuahahaha.
No it wasn't actually, I voted for Trainy again. Someone wants you dead Tim, but it ain't me.
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Does someone want 2nd Place that bad? :lol
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What motherfucker picked me in the poll?? :lol
I plead the fifth :-*
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What motherfucker picked me in the poll?? :lol
I plead the fifth :-*
In my defense though, I was aiming for my own name when my aim strayed. Typing's hard on a little phone screen, innit? Once I saw what I did, I thought—what the hell, why not throw a punch?
-
Seems like it is now a combination. :lol
-
Totally Not Lethean:
Katatonia - Departer
???: Allegaeon - Of Mind And Matrix
???: __e _ ___e_a - __s_d___s
???: Better _bl_____ _______t_ _e_ter - D_____s
???: Nailed to Obscurity - The Aberra_t H_st
???: Borealis - The Ghosts Of Innocence
???: _ardashe_ - Beh__d Lea_es A_d ___es
???: Borealis - Past the Veil
???: Conquering Dystopia - Destroyer of Dreams
???: _ardaahe_ - Bet_ee_ Sea A_d S__
???: Borknagar - In a Deeper World
???: __l_er__e - ___r Fa__r_te _ar
???: Old Man's Child - Slaves of the World
???: __e _ ___e_a - Th_ __rr_r
???: _ardashe_ - Bes_de _l___s A_d _has_s
???: Downfall of Gaia - The Grotesque Illusion Of Being
???: Von Hertzen Brothers - Flowers and Rust
???: Al__ea
???: _a___g The Sa_e __sta_e T___e
???: Let's Rock
Letters Guessed:
THRALDPGEFBS
TAC waits 1
almost all of the F's were already guessed
-
Borknager
Borealis-The Ghosts Of Innocence-Lethean
The Grotesque Illusion Of Being
-
all right except lethean did not send that
-
The Allegeaon song is Of Mind And Matrix
-
only had time for one album listen tonight so picked a chill on
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2340015657_10.jpg)
on one hand i like how this sounds, on the other hand, basically every song sounds pretty much the same, just different melodies but really similar overall vibes. i don't, like, mind it and it could be a grower (apocalypse kinda was) but i could also see this being the kind of full-album experience that bores me on repeated listens
-
I agree. It grew on me for sure, but at the end of the day its somewhat limited. An excellent rainy-day album for drifting off, but not necessarily for active listening.
-
Yeah the majority of my listening tends to be active listening, I have enough ambient/drone albums for when I need some background noise anyways
Also y'all need to hang these mans better, I can maybe try updating from work but y'all aren't guessing anyways so :P
-
Gimme a B
-
S
-
Updated above and probably got everything right but I'm not certain :P
-
I can testify that modifying a hangman on the phone at work is a risky proposition.
-
M
-
Totally Not Lethean:
Katatonia - Departer
Puppies_On_Ariich:
Kardashev - Between Sea And Sky
Kardashev - Besides Cliffs And Chasms
Kardashev - Behind Leaves And Vines
???: Allegaeon - Of Mind And Matrix
???: _ne _ __ne_a - _ns_d___s
???: Better Oblivion Community Center - Dominos
???: Nailed to Obscurity - The Aberrant H_st
???: Borealis - The Ghosts Of Innocence
???: Borealis - Past the Veil
???: Conquering Dystopia - Destroyer of Dreams
???: Borknagar - In a Deeper World
???: __l_er_ne - ___r Fa__r_te _ar
???: Old Man's Child - Slaves of the World
???: _ne _ __ne_a - Th_ __rr_r
???: Downfall of Gaia - The Grotesque Illusion Of Being
???: Von Hertzen Brothers - Flowers and Rust
???: Al_nea
???: _a__ng The Sa_e __sta_e T___e
???: Let's Rock
Letters Guessed:
THRALDPGEFBSN
Puppies waits 1
bumping this. I'll put up the other set of hangjeans tomorrow afternoon
also i totally only made one tiny mistake in updating hangman on my phone heck yeah
-
Kardeshev-Between Sea And Sky
Kardeshev-Behind Leaves And Vines
Kardeshev-Besides Cliffs And Chasms
All ariich
Better Oblivion Community Center-Dominoes
-
all correct except ariich sent none of that
-
Kardeshev-Between Sea And Sky
Kardeshev-Behind Leaves And Vines
Kardeshev-Besides Cliffs And Chasms
All ariich
Really??? :biggrin:
-
(https://kronozio.blob.core.windows.net/images/card/0287a3a0819c41e598f2ccbd5e5deb69_front.jpg)
Puppies!!!
-
wow no way :jamaritard:
-
Puppies_On_Ariich:
:lol
-
Puppies_On_Ariich:
:lol
:metardica:
-
Give me an N :corn
-
realizing there's less of the hangman left than i thought, it just looks bad because y'all aren't guessing who sent what's much :corn
-
(https://media.pitchfork.com/photos/5929ae739d034d5c69bf454d/1:1/w_600/344223f1.jpg)
mmm most of this isn't really much like the one song on it i really like. a few songs i didn't like at all, some songs that were just okay, overall didn't find it too compelling though, just gonna take the one song i like and leave the rest on this one
(https://img.discogs.com/YycRk3t9QWBa845oJlrUHv7UiBM=/fit-in/600x597/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-3436139-1551562140-2819.jpeg.jpg)
the coheed comparison kind of holds up but they aren't as bombastic as coheed tends to get, this does sound kind of a little thin overall really. i liked it and will at least revisit it but most of it is a lot more straightforward than i'd have hoped and the ending is a little weird too, that last song just kind of... goes on
-
realizing there's less of the hangman left than i thought, it just looks bad because y'all aren't guessing who sent what's much :corn
Someone correctly guessed one of my songs a page or so back and you ignored it so :P
-
Wolverine - Your Favorite War
-
The curtain rose and burned
In the morning sun.
Love that album :angel:
-
realizing there's less of the hangman left than i thought, it just looks bad because y'all aren't guessing who sent what's much :corn
Someone correctly guessed one of my songs a page or so back and you ignored it so :P
and you wait like two days to tell me I missed this :P
-
Totally Not Lethean:
Katatonia - Departer
Puppies_On_Ariich:
Kardashev - Between Sea And Sky
Allegaeon - Of Mind And Matrix
Kardashev - Besides Cliffs And Chasms
Kardashev - Behind Leaves And Vines
Acid:
Von Hertzen Brothers - Flowers and Rust
Thrice Song Canine:
Better Oblivion Community Center - Dominos
???: _ne _ __ne_a - _ns_d___s
???: Nailed to Obscurity - The Aberrant H_st
???: Borealis - The Ghosts Of Innocence
???: Borealis - Past the Veil
???: Conquering Dystopia - Destroyer of Dreams
???: Borknagar - In a Deeper World
???: Wolverine - Your Favorite War
???: Old Man's Child - Slaves of the World
???: _ne _ __ne_a - Th_ __rr_r
???: Downfall of Gaia - The Grotesque Illusion Of Being
???: Al_nea
???: _a__ng The Sa_e __sta_e T___e
???: Let's Rock
Letters Guessed:
THRALDPGEFBSN
Puppies waits 1
-
realizing there's less of the hangman left than i thought, it just looks bad because y'all aren't guessing who sent what's much :corn
Someone correctly guessed one of my songs a page or so back and you ignored it so :P
and you wait like two days to tell me I missed this :P
I only just noticed that you didn't notice. :P
:P
-
Is Allegeaon Puppies?
BOCC sounds like an ariich band. Or Seneca.
-
Close enough
-
(https://images.genius.com/489a4527202130ed80aaafde2e12d111.1000x1000x1.jpg)
fun & neat little album, yeah. i uhh. don't have a ton to say about this or really any of the others i spun today in part because i've been kinda distracted all evening and just putting music on in the background but i liked this
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2886530279_10.jpg)
this one especially i had to like, pause in the middle of it and go out to do something and then i came back and was kind of distracted but like. this is the kind of black metal that's right up my alley anyways, definitely at least a relisten, seemed to be decently diverse too
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3132444813_10.jpg)
technically this is an EP not an album but w/e. anyways. not quite as up my alley as the last one but i still liked this too. sorry the album reviews are cruddy today i've had A Day, to say the least lol
edit:
oops did one more
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1293951597_10.jpg)
i sort of did this one because i was tired and was expecting to not be too into it but there's actually a lot of cool stuff here. don't like retch at all though and the closer, hadal, is kinda dull too and i suspect my initial reaction to this album was because of how dull i found the closer and that was my last impression so i was like "ahh the entire album must've been all/mostly boring sludge" but it's not. i don't like the tone of the really downtuned guitars though, that's pretty consistent throughout, but they have a pretty solid grasp of melodies and dynamics, at least for most of this. might follow up on it, might not, depends on how much of a dealbreaker i find the two tracks i'm not so keen on
-
Totally Not Lethean:
Katatonia - Departer
Puppies_On_Ariich:
Kardashev - Between Sea And Sky
Allegaeon - Of Mind And Matrix
Kardashev - Besides Cliffs And Chasms
Kardashev - Behind Leaves And Vines
Acid:
Von Hertzen Brothers - Flowers and Rust
Thrice Song Canine:
Better Oblivion Community Center - Dominos
Part 1:
???: _ne _ __ne_a - _ns_d___s
???: Nailed to Obscurity - The Aberrant H_st
???: Borealis - The Ghosts Of Innocence
???: Borealis - Past the Veil
???: Conquering Dystopia - Destroyer of Dreams
???: Borknagar - In a Deeper World
???: Wolverine - Your Favorite War
???: Old Man's Child - Slaves of the World
???: _ne _ __ne_a - Th_ __rr_r
???: Downfall of Gaia - The Grotesque Illusion Of Being
???: Al_nea
???: _a__ng The Sa_e __sta_e T___e
???: Let's Rock
Part 2
???: __l______ - ___s_
???: _____a_a_ - T__ _a_t_l___
???: __tt__ __l_____ _______t_ ___t__ - D_d_’t ____ __at _ _as __ ___
???: __ ________ - _ast __t____ S___s (T__ _la__ L_d__ ___s__t_d)
???: ___ ___t___ ___t___s - T_ T__ __d __ T__ ___ld
???: _______t_d - Sta_d__t
???: ____t___t___ - [D_____s_ S___s]
???: ___stt_d_ - ___al ____ (__st_____tal)
???: Kardashev - _____d S__ A_d ____
???: ______t_____ - S_ __a_l
???: __a___’s _as____t - L___ts __t __ L__d__
???: mewithoutYou – Julia (or, 'Holy to the LORD' on the Bells of Horses)
???: T__ _____ss - T__ _a_ __ __
???: The Protomen - The State vs. Thomas Light
???: ________ - ____ T__ _alls __ D___
???: La___a - ___st__t_al _ast__ss
???: T__ _____ss & D_la_ ____ - __t _a____d A______
???: __t _a____d A______
???: T__ D__ D_t_
Letters Guessed:
DSTAK
TAC waits 1
i was supposed to put up part 2 last night woops there it is now tho
-
Gimme the D!
-
I'll take S
-
T
-
A!
-
fortunately y'all guessed letters i'd already filled in on the first hangman so i didn't have to update that one at all :loser:
-
I see another Kardeshev song.
L
-
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2677636283_10.jpg)
to not my surprise, i wasn't very into this one. the rest after the first song tends to be even less melodic and kind of homogeneous really, i ended up a stopping a few tracks before the end because i was just kind of bored. oh well
onto new releases for this week now, and probably another EP listen or two tonight, doing thirdpressions
-
Try the last track, the title track, on that album. It's probably the one you would like the best.
-
eh. even if I like one or two tracks on an album i am almost exclusively an album listener and having to sit thru most of the album to get to the one good song ain't my jam. i might check it out later, maybe just put it on when i have like 10 minutes to kill or something. i dunno.
anyways i'm deep enough in listening to say that i really have no clue who is gonna survive this round atm. there's one EP i'm pretty sure on at this point but the other two spots, no clue. i'm not too wild about most of these EPs if I'm being honest, most of 'em are better than the bottom 3 last round but worse than the top 4
-
Fair enough. I'll admit I'm the same way. I don't usually just listen to individual songs. Which is probably why I don't return to that Anata album much these days.
-
mewithoutYou - Julia (longass title about bells and horses)
The Protomen - The State vs. Thomas Light
Can you just autofill the ones that were sent in my roulette maybe?
-
thank god i don't have to keep updating that mewithoutYou song in the hangman, it's brutal
there are a lot of weirdly long titles this round too and RNG put them all in the second set, because of course
-
N
-
Better Oblivion Community Center again
To the End of the World
Stadlern't Stardust?
Another mewithoutYou song?
Wolverine - Pulse?
-
Totally Not Lethean:
Katatonia - Departer
Puppies_On_Ariich:
Kardashev - Between Sea And Sky
Allegaeon - Of Mind And Matrix
Kardashev - Besides Cliffs And Chasms
Kardashev - Behind Leaves And Vines
Acid:
Von Hertzen Brothers - Flowers and Rust
Thrice Song Canine:
Better Oblivion Community Center - Dominos
Part 1:
???: _ne _ __ne_a - _ns_d___s
???: Nailed to Obscurity - The Aberrant H_st
???: Borealis - The Ghosts Of Innocence
???: Borealis - Past the Veil
???: Conquering Dystopia - Destroyer of Dreams
???: Borknagar - In a Deeper World
???: Wolverine - Your Favorite War
???: Old Man's Child - Slaves of the World
???: _ne _ __ne_a - Th_ __rr_r
???: Downfall of Gaia - The Grotesque Illusion Of Being
???: Al_nea
???: _a__ng The Sa_e __sta_e T___e
???: Let's Rock
Part 2
???: Wolverine - Pulse
???: Borknagar - T__ _a_t_l_n_
???: Better Oblivion Community Center - D_dn’t _n__ __at _ _as _n ___
???: In Mourning - Past October Skies (The Black Lodge Revisited)
???: Von Hertzen Brothers - To the End of the World
???: _n_____t_d - Stardust
???: mewithoutYou - [dormouse sighs]
???: ___stt_d_ - __nal ____ (Instrumental)
???: Kardashev - ____nd S_n And ___n
???: ______t___n_ - S_ __a_l
???: __a__n’s _as___nt - L___ts __t _n L_nd_n
???: mewithoutYou – Julia (or, 'Holy to the LORD' on the Bells of Horses)
???: Tim Bowness - The War On Me
???: The Protomen - The State vs. Thomas Light
???: Evergrey - When the Walls Go Down
???: La___a - ___st_nt_al _ast__ss
???: Tim Bowness & Dylan Howe - Not Married Anymore
???: N_t _a____d An_____
???: T__ D__ D_t_
Letters Guessed:
DSTAKN
Puppies waits 1
-
Tim Bowness & Dylan Howe - Not Married Anymore
Tim Bowness - The War On Me
-
you get a bowness point!
-
you get a bowness point!
:tup
I wasn't aware anyone else hear listened to Tim Bowness
-
this isn't even the first time i've been sent him in a roulette lol
-
How'd it go the first time?
-
pretty average, apparently (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=47943.msg2197216#msg2197216)
-
Von Hertzen Brothers
Evergrey - When the Walls Go Down
Borknagar again
-
Oooh Mewithoutyou! Their latest album is so amazing :angel:
The other song of theirs is [dormouse sighs]
-
In Mourning - Past October Skies (The Black Lodge Revisited)
-
Evergrey - When the Walls Go Down
Amazing track but not one that I considered because I'm not sure how well it would go down with Parama given it's all spoken word.
-
he pays attention :corn
-
Instrumental
:biggrin:
Genius of hangman, that's me.
-
Evergrey is Lethean?
Protomen-Seneca.
-
Totally Not Lethean:
Evergrey - When the Walls Go Down
Katatonia - Departer
Puppies_On_Ariich:
Kardashev - Between Sea And Sky
Allegaeon - Of Mind And Matrix
Kardashev - Besides Cliffs And Chasms
Kardashev - Behind Leaves And Vines
Acid:
Von Hertzen Brothers - Flowers and Rust
Thrice Song Canine:
Tim Bowness & Dylan Howe - Not Married Anymore
The Protomen - The State vs. Thomas Light
Better Oblivion Community Center - Dominos
Tim Bowness - The War On Me
HATE:
Lahmia - Existential Vastness
Part 1:
???: _ne _ __ne_a - _ns_d___s
???: Nailed to Obscurity - The Aberrant H_st
???: Borealis - The Ghosts Of Innocence
???: Borealis - Past the Veil
???: Conquering Dystopia - Destroyer of Dreams
???: Borknagar - In a Deeper World
???: Wolverine - Your Favorite War
???: Old Man's Child - Slaves of the World
???: _ne _ __ne_a - Th_ __rr_r
???: Downfall of Gaia - The Grotesque Illusion Of Being
???: Al_nea
???: _a__ng The Sa_e __sta_e T___e
???: Let's Rock
Part 2
???: Wolverine - Pulse
???: Borknagar - T__ Ea_t_l_n_
???: Better Oblivion Community Center - D_dn’t _n__ __at _ _as _n ___
???: In Mourning - Past October Skies (The Black Lodge Revisited)
???: Von Hertzen Brothers - To the End of the World
???: _n_e___ted - Stardust
???: mewithoutYou - [dormouse sighs]
???: ___stt_de - __nal ____ (Instrumental)
???: Kardashev - _e__nd S_n And ___n
???: ______t___ne - S_ __a_l
???: Heaven's Basement - Lights Out In London
???: mewithoutYou – Julia (or, 'Holy to the LORD' on the Bells of Horses)
???: N_t _a___ed An____e
???: T__ D_e D_te
Letters Guessed:
DSTAKNE
Evermind waits 1
-
Apparently I didn’t send anything.
-
E for Evermind
-
Apparently I didn’t send anything.
Nobody has guessed any of yours yet!
-
Lahmia - Existential Vastness sent by TAC?
-
Heaven's Basement-Lights Out In London
-
thumbs are up
-
Borealis sent by TAC?
-
no sir
-
Is Tim Bowness Seneca?
-
irl? no, i don;t think so
in this roulette? yes
-
irl? no, i don;t think so
:lol It would be funny if he really was.
-
thirdpressions be like
"wow"
1.
1. While this is probably my favorite song on this EP, I kind of resent it for giving me the impression this EP was going to be something that the EP isn’t really, at all.
2. On one hand, it’s a pretty clever gimmick, on the the other hand, it uhh. Is kind of a flatline, too.
3. This song is both weird and misshapen on its own merits, and suffers from being adjacent to a song that does the exact same thing, but better.
2.
1. Hard to pigeonhole this into a specific sound, which is weird considering it doesn’t really “stand out” either, but I dig it regardless.
2. Knowing what I know about your tastes, I’m actually really confused as to why you’d like this one. I don’t really have a strong opinion on it, myself.
3. There was a point last year where I would’ve liked this, or at least though I liked this, a lot more than I do right now. Heck, I even thought I liked this on first listen but now I’m not so sure.
3.
1. I feel like I missed this band at the point where I would’ve been really into them and now all I get listening to this is “mmm yeah, s’fine.”
2. I think this one kind of works for me, but I don’t really have anything to say about it besides? This band puts me in a weird place where I don’t know quite how to feel about them.
3. This isn’t quite like what I’ve heard from this band before, but I’d say I like it at least a bit more?
4.
1. While this is one of my favorite songs on this EP, I kind of resent it for giving me the impression this EP was going to be something that the EP isn’t really, at all
2. This song is totally fine, but it’s also the most shallow song in the entire roulette thus far. I feel like I got everything I could out of it on a single listen and I don’t really want to listen to it anymore.
3. This song has a cool vibe to it but it never really does anything with it. I still like it though but it could’ve been a lot better than it is.
5.
1. This could’ve been a really effective song if the music was, like, the slightest bit interesting.
2. The vocals pretty much sell this one but boy do they sell it. Whew.
3. I’m certain this song is basic as hell but damn if it doesn’t get me every time the song kicks in.
i'm wondering if some of these will need more listens, who knows. i know who first place is and i have an idea of who last place is but the middle three i have no clue
-
I haven't the foggiest...
-
The Earthling
Didn't Know That I Was An Ass
Beyond Sun and Moon
-
Didn't Know That I Was An Ass
:rollin
Didn't Know What I Was In For
Oh and give me an M
-
Totally Not Lethean:
Evergrey - When the Walls Go Down
Katatonia - Departer
Puppies_On_Ariich:
Kardashev - Between Sea And Sky
Allegaeon - Of Mind And Matrix
Kardashev - Besides Cliffs And Chasms
Kardashev - Behind Leaves And Vines
Acid:
Von Hertzen Brothers - Flowers and Rust
Thrice Song Canine: Not Married Anymore
Tim Bowness & Dylan Howe - Not Married Anymore
The Protomen - The State vs. Thomas Light
Better Oblivion Community Center - Dominos
Tim Bowness - The War On Me
HATE:
Lahmia - Existential Vastness
Part 1:
???: One _ __nema - _ns_d_o_s
???: Nailed to Obscurity - The Aberrant Host
???: Borealis - The Ghosts Of Innocence
???: Borealis - Past the Veil
???: Conquering Dystopia - Destroyer of Dreams
???: Borknagar - In a Deeper World
???: Wolverine - Your Favorite War
???: Old Man's Child - Slaves of the World
???: One _ __nema - Th_ M_rror
???: Downfall of Gaia - The Grotesque Illusion Of Being
???: Al_nea
???: Making the Same Mistake Twice
???: Let's Rock
Part 2
???: Wolverine - Pulse
???: Borknagar - The Earthling
???: Better Oblivion Community Center - Didn't Know What I Was In For
???: In Mourning - Past October Skies (The Black Lodge Revisited)
???: Von Hertzen Brothers - To the End of the World
???: _nre___ted - Stardust
???: mewithoutYou - [dormouse sighs]
TAC: Frosttide - __nal _o_r (Instrumental)
???: Kardashev - Beyond Sun and Moon
???: M_rrort_rone - So _ra_l
???: Heaven's Basement - Lights Out In London
???: mewithoutYou – Julia (or, 'Holy to the LORD' on the Bells of Horses)
???: The Due Date
Letters Guessed:
DSTAKNEMOR
Puppies waits 1
-
Alinea
Making the Same Mistake Twice
The Due Date
-
two for three
-
Not Married Anymore??
-
I haven't the foggiest...
I haven't the fogeyest.
-
O
-
updated above
doing some fourth listens today which i hadn't originally planned to do but i felt like it. i expect though that i will be taking an extra listen to all of these which will take probably an extra two days so i don't know if results will end up being earlier than usual like i originally planned :lol
-
Ah, Frosttide
-
Ah, Frosttide
Sent by TAC
-
Indeedly-doo
Most of the songs are guessed, y'all should guess more who-sent-whats
-
Wolfmother-Puppies?
-
wolfmother is definitely not an artist that was sent in this roulette
-
But Puppies is playing, right? :D
-
But Puppies is playing, right? :D
As far as I know :corn
-
Seneca's EP is Not Married Anymore
-
Give me an R! :yarr
-
It is given
-
I missed the fact that Spires is on your banned list... :yeahright
-
i literally sent them in TAC's roulette! :lol
i have two of their albums but i haven't gotten to spinning the whisperer quite yet, it'll happen soon
but yeah you definitely can't send them
-
AHHH! Eneferens is banned too! :corn
-
you've run into my wall of 2018 albums i liked
i hope your sudden scanning of my banlist isn't ruining your concept album :lol
-
you've run into my wall of 2018 albums i liked
i hope your sudden scanning of my banlist isn't ruining your concept album :lol
Well I removed a nearly 30 minute song that I'm trying to replace with 2 or 3 other songs. I'm hitting a wall with your banned list at every turn it seems. Although I think I found 2 songs I can use.
-
hmm, well, just to be clear this is the spires on my banlist
https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/spires_f1
i don't think they have a 30-minute song though, the longest i know of is 20ish
-
hmm, well, just to be clear this is the spires on my banlist
https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/spires_f1
i don't think they have a 30-minute song though, the longest i know of is 20ish
It wasn't a Spires song.
-
well eneferens doesn't have a 30 minute song either so is there a third banned artist i should be aware of here :corn
-
well eneferens doesn't have a 30 minute song either so is there a third banned artist i should be aware of here :corn
No I just decided one of the songs I originally put in the album I didn't want to use anymore. And in looking for songs to replace it I kept getting slapped down by the banned list. :P
By the way the Concept Album flows a lot better without that song too.
-
gonna try and start posting results tomorrow night. three writeups done and i have the top 2 + bottom 1 sorted right now, just need to sort 3rd and 4th. if i can't i might just throw up a quick tiebreaker round
i could do another listen to this round but honestly i find most of these EPs really boring and don't really want to do that. it is what it is
hopefully the last round is better :lol otherwise i might just ragequit or something
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If you do a tie breaker round, will it be a full EP or just a song?
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probably the prelim round rules again, it's quick and easy
having listened & done writeups for the two EPs i thought were kinda close though, i actually have a clear favorite of the two now, so i don't think it'll actually be close enough for that to be necessary
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Awesome! End my suffering! :metal :corn
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:soon:
:biggrin:
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busy tonight lol. sorry. this week has been busy for me in general. if i don't get to the last writeup tonight i'll do it tomorrow morning
technically they aren't due until sunday so i'm ahead of the curve :P
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:splodetard:
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Results, Pt. 1
1st Place: senecadawg2 – Not Married Anymore (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37UjmGmqCyb1SXzKlOlAuH?si=pGRb72UJTkWVZ3x5APXifA)
1. Tim Bowness & Dylan Howe – Not Married Anymore (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJk_j0QqBVQ)
First Impressions:
My only past experience with Tim Bowness was one song where he sounded like he was trying to rip off Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson in general. This song doesn’t really sound like that at all though. It makes me think of like, 80’s soft rock with the tone of that synth (or whatever it is?) Frustratingly I can’t find a lyrics sheet for this one which I think would help here, but. As far as this sounds it sounds kind of… filler-y, and the vocals I’m not super into either, but we’ll see how it fares on relistens. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Okay, I get the intent of this one. This song is supposed to be about the lyrics and the lyrical themes. And the lyrics are mostly pretty good! I think the opening line he starts with and the weird time the vocals comes in doesn’t quite work even if I know what picture it’s trying to paint, but it comes off as a bit… silly and cheesy. “SPAGHETTI ON THE FLOOR” sounds like a line from a weird al parody. Anyways that’s basically why this song doesn’t work for me. The lyrics are trying to set a tone but the sound of the song is just so goofy. That synth tone I just cannot take seriously. That’s basically all I can say about this one. It reminds me a lot of Steven Wilson’s Routine, which is also a horrendous mismatch of lyrics and music, but that song is way, waaay worse in that regard, like holy hell I hate that song. This, I just… don’t care about. It sounds nice enough, for as silly as it does sound, and the lyrics are pretty fine, but. Yeah.
5.25/10
2. Better Oblivion Community Center – Didn't Know What I Was in For (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNqBuxjLDlE)
First Impressions:
I don’t quite know whether or not I should allow Phoebe Bridgers again, especially from you, but I guess there’s enough other artists here that I’m allowing it. Or just one other artist. And I mean, I like Phoebe Bridgers, that album is pretty good! I’m probably gonna pick it up. This does sound pretty nice though I don’t find it as emotionally riveting as Funeral or a few of the other tracks off that album. The male voice here, as well, seems to only exist to harmonize with her, doesn’t seem to have any moments of his own and it’s hard to tell how compelling he’d be on his own. But I do appreciate the harmonizing, as they both have decently different voices. And this has solid payoff too, yeah. Usually on first listen I have a hard time paying attention to lyrics so it’s also plenty possible this is a grower on that aspect, but I already like it a fair bit. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I’m… still not quite sure what this song is actually about, honestly. The lyrics are kind of powerful, but I don’t really know what they mean, and that does weaken the blow a little bit. That aside though, the way this song flows & both the singers are pretty dang good, obviously. I wonder if I should’ve disallowed this because I just flat like how Bridgers sings in general, she’s really expressive and simultaneously down-to-earth. The music is pretty basic but it gets a bit of swell at the right time to feel like a suitable climax, and the last lyric does work as a closing line pretty well. I’m not like… in love with this one, like I was with Funeral, but I’ll probably end up checking this album out after the Phoebe Bridgers album I do plan to get.
7.25/10
3. mewithoutYou – [dormouse sighs] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvCZx21acQY)
First Impressions:
This band certainly appears to have some interesting song titles. I know the name but honestly have no clue what they sound like. And his voice is… interesting, kind of one of those rambly almost spoken-word styles, makes me think of La Dispute. Albeit the music here is not as loud as they can get, but there’s some decent swell and simmer to the guitar texture that I dig. It’s got plenty of power behind it. Yeah, hmm, I dug the hell out of this one actually, thinking about it. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
I don’t even know what quite it is about this song. It’s really… downplayed throughout, like it’s simmering and constantly on the verge of exploding but it never really quite gets there, and at the same time, it works really well? I like the singer a lot, his voice is menacing here without ever getting too aggressive. I again don’t really have any idea of what the lyrics here mean, but, you know? I like how it sounds enough that I don’t think it really matters. It’s also kind of catchy despite going out of its way to not really have any gripping melodies or proper chorus, it’s mostly grungy guitar chords and half-spoken, half-sung lyrics, but. It’s interesting. I dunno. I don’t feel super strongly about it but dammit I wanna check these guys out on the basis of this song alone, so.
7.75/10
4. The Protomen – The State Vs. Thomas Light (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJWXbtTBZ2I)
First Impressions:
There’s something really funereal about how this one sounds, between the dirge of the piano and minimal percussion and the vocals practically on the verge of a breakdown. Apparently this is off a concept album and taking the lyrics out of context I can’t say I fully know what the story is here but god the vocals get pretty dang intense. I already wanna check out this album now, even if it’s not all in this same style this is something I absolutely want to hear in context ‘cause even on its own without that context is pretty great, yeah. (GREAT)
Final Thoughts:
So yeah this is one of those songs that’s just making the rounds in roulettes now, ehh? I mean, I can see why. Apparently this entire concept album is based on mega man of all things? I guess I should’ve put that together from both the band name and the song title. But like. This is really dark for mega man. Maybe not the other series like X and Zero but anyways I’m off topic. I kind of said everything I had to say about this one in the first impressions, honestly, it’s a very immediate song just by its raw power. I guess I missed commenting on the climax where the female voices sing the “not” in “not guilty” which to me shows a dissonance between what the rest of the world thinks vs. the protagonist’s inner monologue. Blaming himself even though nobody else thinks he’s to blame. It’s a neat little touch that effectively conveys what the tone of the lyrics in general seem to be going for. But anyways yeah. This is like. Not your best song, it’s not hashtag “relatable” as much as it is just a good showtune but it’s damn effective for what it is.
8.75/10
5. Downfall of Gaia – The Grotesque Illusion of Being (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxtsHm4gR3g)
First Impressions:
Well this one is gonna feel incredibly out of place, but actually, after the quiet intensity of the last track? Maybe not so much? I know for sure I did check out this album earlier this year but wasn’t very into it. I will say, it’s pretty solid black metal. It’s just that it’s only “solid” in a genre I am really pretty oversaturated with, for all intents and purposes. It’s got some intensity, it’s got some nice clean moments in the middle, it’s solidly melodic and it has some groove to it at places. I guess if I had to really gripe the production is just a touch muddy for my tastes. I don’t really have anything negative to say about this one, it’s more the lack of really strong positives that keep me from loving it. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I’m sorry, I just don’t quite -get- why everyone is going hog wild over this band/album, I guess. I have to assume this is at least one of the stronger cuts on the album if you’d send it as part of your EP – and there’s plenty of time on this one for a longer song if wanted – so I just am left puzzled. I am not too into the vocal style, for one. It goes a bit too far on the raspy side, in that it sounds physically painful to perform. Which is to say, unpleasant. More like the vocalist is gasping for air rather than trying to strike terror into the listener. I… don’t really have much else to say about this one. I don’t mind it, not at all, it’s very satisfactory black metal in pretty much every other regard. I’ve just heard better. Again, I’m oversaturated on this genre and this ain’t nearly as good as the Altar of Plagues or Imperium Dekadenz songs from last round, is all I’m saying.
6.25/10
6. mewithoutYou – Julia (or, 'Holy to the LORD' on the Bells of Horses) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgCTwTV-IQ4)
First Impressions:
After the last track from these guys I’m definitely looking forward to the other, yeah. This one seems to just start loud and the vocals are more proper singing, I guess it’s realistic to call these guys post-hardcore. This certainly seems a bit more straightforward than the other track here from them and I don’t think I like it as much personally but it’s got a good enough feel to it that it’s got me headbobbing along even if I’m not super compelled by the melodies, and the production feels not quite right, a little muddy, the lead guitars a bit buried, y’know, stuff I have to nitpick about now that I’m going in with expectations. Solid but feels a bit lacking in power, mostly. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Whereas the other song from these guys was a weird, anti-pop kind of ordeal, this one is just poppy as hell, immediately hitting you with a big rock riff, having a very singable chorus and very melodic vocals overall, a wall-of-sound type of production. It’s definitely not as “unique” as the other tune, I feel like this kind of song any post-hardcore act could put out just fine. But I mean. It’s a pretty solid tune nonetheless! I like it, I just don’t have a ton to say about it. Except boy that’s a weird song title.
7/10
7. Better Oblivion Community Center – Dominos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97qrNYbte7M)
First Impressions:
Okay, there’s that Oberst guy on his own. His voice sounds kind of shaky but I think it’s intentional, it’s maybe a little overbearing? But I’unno, against this chill but resigned instrumentation it definitely works. I gotta say, as a penultimate tune on this EP this is pretty perfectly placed, it’d probably work as a closer too but it’s got that denouement feel to it after the run of more intense tracks. I think that context elevates the song beyond what it would be on its own, but even then, I do like this a fair bit more than the other song from them and I appreciate the fuzzier heavy guitar moments to give this a bit of a climax too. Good stuff. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
I sort of think Oberst oversings, kind of? His voice is intentionally really shaky throughout the entire song and while a little bit of that can be emotionally effective, I think he does kind of overdo it. Also, apparently this is a cover too? The lyrics certainly feel a lot more straightforward than the other song, it’s sort of abstract but at the same time I pretty well get what this one is about. But I can’t really give either artist involved here credit for that. Anyways the moment when the distorted guitar kicks in is fan-friggin-tastic and I’m honestly upset they do it twice instead of just building up from the first time because the second time can’t hit quite as hard as the first time, though even still it does work. This song just… naturally works, and while it being a cover does kind of sour the vibe of things (I really, do not like covers, y’all…) it’s still a damn fine song in its own right. It’s just got that “all things are coming to a close” sound to it. It’s the chords, probably. What a nice set of chords. Would probably rate higher if it wasn’t a cover. Still good.
8/10
8. Tim Bowness – The War On Me (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSfjzNS3--s)
First Impressions:
Mm. Halfway through this one and not too sure what to think about it. I feel like, aside from obviously the Downfall of Gaia track, his voice is the weakest and driest of any of the artists on here and the attempt at a chill closer track like this would work better with a singer I found more compelling. Lyrically though I like this one, from what I’ve caught of it. And when more instruments come in it’s certainly musically very… nice. But I can’t say it’s fully working for me either, especially after the strong run of tracks before it, definitely do feel the last song would’ve been a better closer overall but ehh. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Okay, this one’s at least not really silly-sounding like the other song from him here. It’s… pleasant, I guess. I barely remember the other song I was sent from him before but I do remember liking it a decent bit more than either of these. I like the bass here and the atmosphere in general is nice. The lyrics are kind of straightforward in a sense but in the same time I wouldn’t quite say they resonate as well emotionally. And the music does still feel a little too bright compared to the lyrics. I dunno. I can’t quite hate on this one but I can’t say it’s doing a ton for me either.
6/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
On the whole I do like how this EP is constructed; there’s symmetry in tracks 1-3 and 6-8, with the two most intense tunes in the middle, the calmer tunes at the start and the end, and mewithoutYou bridging the gap between the two. And aside from the one artist here who I don’t find as compelling as the others it’s pretty dang consistent with some particularly strong highlights. With each of your EPs I’m always worried going in I’ll somehow end up disappointed and each time by the end of the first listen I’m always pretty impressed and I don’t know why I’m even worrying anymore at this point. I do feel like this one is overall stronger than your last one though, if only for not being so frontloaded.
Final Thoughts:
So yeah, basically everything here is pretty good! Definitely a few artists going in my list of stuff to check out, even if one of them is, again, an artist you already kind-of sent and planning to check out anyways. The biggest disappointment is the Downfall of Gaia song but, honestly, I also kind of expected it. I’m just real picky about my black metal I guess and I feel like Puppies was super lucky that he found two artists I really dug in the same round. I also do feel this one doesn’t quite flow so well, mostly in the harsh cuts between some of the tracks, but the overall structure is solid and it doesn’t really feel that incohesive due to its structure – I mean, yeah, if you played Tim Bowness and Downfall of Gaia back to back that’d be weird as hell but there’s that rising and falling intensity throughout this entire EP that makes it work completely fine. Still not quite at the level of “Julia Holter and Vektor on the same EP” that I made work before, though. But yeah pretty much from first listen this was locked in as my favorite of the round and I have not had any reason to change my mind on that one. Not as strong as your first EP (well, three times as long, though), stronger than your second EP. Keep it up in the next round and you probably have this one in the bag.
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6th Place: Train of Naught - N/A
(https://i.imgur.com/ocGTzt2.png)
Well, the people have spoken.
Congrats on being the first user eliminated three tims in the same roulette, though!
Current Standings:
1. senecadawg2
2. ???
3. ???
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4. ???
5. ???
Song Rankings:
1. The Protomen – The State Vs. Thomas Light
2.
3. Better Oblivion Community Center – Dominos
4.
5.
6. mewithoutYou – [dormouse sighs]
7.
8.
9.
10. Better Oblivion Community Center – Didn't Know What I Was in For
11. mewithoutYou – Julia (or, 'Holy to the LORD' on the Bells of Horses)
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19. Downfall of Gaia – The Grotesque Illusion of Being
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25. Tim Bowness – The War On Me
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32. Tim Bowness & Dylan Howe – Not Married Anymore
33.
34.
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Looking at first places scores, it seems this was a bad round overall. I have much better stuff for the next round!
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for as much whining as i did about this round, it probably has the highest average score of any round simply due to the general lack of total crap (only two songs scored below 5, with 12 songs scoring 7 or higher - but there's a catch to that too, I'll get into later...)
mostly, i found this round really boring! i think at least five songs i had comments of "i literally feel like i'm listening to this for the first time" on my final thoughts writeup. not a good sign.
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I'm guessing Mirrorthrone scored less than 5.... :(
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i already called out in the thread one of the songs that ended up scoring less than 5 (the lowest scoring one, even)
but i didn't call out the other, it did get a thirdpression though
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Yeah, this Protomen song is pretty great.
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I was actually going to send a different Protomen song, which would have been my third different song from them, but it wouldve been over the time limit in that case.
Overall im not too surprised at your reactions, Downfall of Gaia did somehow feel a tad risky, and i was banking on Tim Bowness having potential for a high score while also being relatively inoffensive, failing that. Im glad you enjoyed it on the whole, im looking forward to seeing what i can put together for the final round. I dont mind telling you that ive already sent all the artists ive been crushing on in a big way recently, but i think i can put something nice together.
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2nd Place: Puppies_On_Acid – Alunea (https://drive.google.com/file/d/151yRLzTNuqtr0ChTp8exLniLYdzXkaxZ/view?usp=sharing)
1. Kardashev – Between Sea and Sky (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ETSGsgRQ44)
First Impressions:
You’ve gotta be confident as hell to send me four songs from one artist that are all off the same album. For your sake and mine I hope you’re right. I mean, I do dig how this sounds. Kind of djenty guitars but not entirely, solid mix of cleans & harsh vocals, nice audible bass, a sense of atmosphere. I did see these guys were tagged as deathcore on RYM and yeah those vocals definitely sound like that, at points. I’d say it’s an element I find detracts from the song since, honestly, deathcore vocals always sound goofy as hell to me, I can’t take ‘em seriously, but they’re not the prime element here. What I do feel like this lacks is, well, any kind of driving motif to it. Overall I do like how it sounds but I think it’s missing that something extra that makes it something I’m wild about. It’s borderline good though, probably will grow on me. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Yeah, my consistent thoughts on this one have been “it’s pretty good metal alright” and “it’s a nice calmer track to serve as an intro to the EP”. These guys seem to exist in that deathcore-adjacent space similar to Slice the Cake, though I don’t feel their music is as ambitious as that album nor does it have the unique vocals they have. Deathcore vocals, I guess, come off to me as the harsh vocal version of oversinging – trying so hard to sound intense and terrifying that it wraps right around to sounds fake, hollow, and flat. Some of the higher-pitched harsh vocals here are pretty fine, nothing special, but I just cannot take the low deathcore growls seriously at all. I like the general tone of how this sounds though, well enough, the bass tone especially is pretty great, the guitars are punchy, there’s always some layer of atmosphere going on. I don’t feel like it’s a song particularly intended to stand on its own, but I can jam to it to at least a decent extent. The last minute and a half or so, especially, just solid riffing and clean vocals that build up to a solid climax that has some weight behind it. I can feel that. Yeah, it’s alright.
7.5/10
2. Allegaeon – Of Mind and Matrix (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ts0ftm0OQY)
First Impressions:
So I saw these guys live once but the sound in the venue was so awful I couldn’t hear much of the lead work over the heavier guitars and drums and so they sounded kind of like a generic death metal band to me but I was also keenly aware that they’re one of those noodly tech death type bands. Tech death is a thing I’ve been slowly getting into over the past year but I’ve found that generally the kind of sound I get into is when it pushes in a bit more atmospheric of a direction, or is just completely over-the-top like Equipoise and Persefone. I think I left a similar comment on the Anata song from last round. There’s elements here I do like and it’s got some solid intensity to it too but I find this doesn’t really have much that stands out. It’s got so many different components to it and it’s constantly go go going, but it’s not quite the level of over-the-top or melodic to get to the level of the aforementioned bands. I do dig it nonetheless, though, but it’s not inspiring me to check out their other stuff, at least not on first listen. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I don’t know. This is going to be a trend throughout a lot of the write-ups for this EP and this round in general, but I don’t feel like much about this really stands out. I like the “chorus” of this, I suppose, with the straightforward drums and the melodic noodly bit going on in the background under the “I have awakened” vocals. There’s some solid power there, though I’m not crazy about this harsh vocal style either. Again it’s just a bit too low-pitched for my taste in growls, it’s in the range where everything sounds emotionally flat and a bit goofy. They definitely have decent chops, I can tell that much, but they’re not using it in a way that they really impress or go so over the top that it becomes a spectacle. Like, I gotta be honest. This is my fifth listen to this one and I feel like I’ve literally never heard this song before. I’m trying, man, but I just don’t find this one memorable at all. It’s got the pieces of “metal I would like” just fine, but I fail to see what makes this stand out in any way. It’s got one particularly notable bit, it doesn’t have any strong riffs, it doesn’t have any effective melodies, it doesn’t have the least bit emotional resonance. It’s not even remotely dynamic either, it stays at the same “medium-rare” heaviness level the entire song with no variation I can see. I’m honestly surprised I have this much to say about it. The best I can say is that “it sounds nice, yeah”. I don’t mind listening to it, but. That’s not a very high bar, that.
5.5/10
3. Kardashev – Beside Cliffs and Chasms (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrTCKwDv5s8)
First Impressions:
First of a double dose of these guys. This is distinctly different right out the gate though, much more intense. Hmm. Some of the grooves on this one are again pretty fine but it’s a little bit melodically lacking for me, at least for the first few minutes. The more chill midsection I am a lot more on board with, though. I feel like with this one I kind of went back and forth on how much I liked it but overall I thought it was pretty solid, yeah. Just not so keen on the heaviest stuff on offer here. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Nah, I changed my mind about saying even the first few minutes are melodically lacking. That’s not really fair. There are so moments of raw intensity but the guitar riffs are plenty melodic pretty much the whole way through. And they’ve got decent groove too. Okay, a tangent. It’s fine to have metal based wholly around the groove. But why do so many bands try to do so nonmelodically? Gojira, Meshuggah, whatever else, their riffs are all so downtuned and non-melodic there’s just nothing to groove to for me! Anyways I’m not even talking about this song now, which is… pretty solid! I actually don’t like how stiff the bass sounds in the middle bit, thinking about it. It’s got like, a clicky quality to it that I don’t really understand the reason for. You basically can’t hear it once the percussion comes in but play the bass on its own and it’s kind of distracting. One thing I can say about all this band’s stuff is that it’s dynamic in a way I tend to like, or at the very least appreciate. Some really intense moments, some standard groovy moments, some chordy chorus-like moments, and a clean break in the middle. I dunno, I don’t think this song on its own, again, is especially strong in its own right, but it’s at just the right level for me to be intrigued and want to keep revisiting it.
7.5/10
4. Kardashev – Behind Leaves and Vines (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6dwGVMK9Fc)
First Impressions:
The most free transition in the world, when two songs on your EP are also back-to-back on the album they originally came from. This one’s jumped around several times already only a minute or so in and I feel like the heavier stuff here works better in the context/short bursts it’s presented in – I actually really dig the bit of harsh vocals over quiet music (this is something I find I like a lot – East of the Wall and Actor|Observer do it both to great effect). I think this is the first one of the songs on this EP I feel like I’ve gotten some genuine emotional resonance out of and for that I’d say it’s my favorite, even if it lacks some of the cool clean bits the previous tracks had, also a fadeout eeww. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
That first bit of vocals is so. Damn. Powerful. The music cuts out almost entirely, you get a really well-delivered harsh vocal line and then it just slams you in the face with a big heavy riff. And there’s even some melody buried in the wall of sounds, even if I think the drums could serve to be a bit softer in the mix. I think, sitting down and listening to this one again, what these guys -really- do well, and hear me out on this – is atmosphere. There’s always some kind of wall of sound going on, whether it’s massive riffing or just some layers of pretty guitar drones. Sometimes it’s both. A lot of the times it’s both in this song, actually. The way I’d describe this song is… overwhelming. But it’s the kind of overwhelming I think I’m totally on board with. Honestly, I retract my initial statement about the clean bits. I almost feel like, here, they undercut the intensity. I don’t know, I feel like that’s nitpicking though. On the opposite side of the coin they serve to add some dynamic moments. But god, what I really love here is the huge walls of sound. It’s the kind of thing that usually doesn’t work for me, but here they’ve just pushed it to its breaking point and made it work somehow. I honestly didn’t realize until just this listen how much I absolutely adore this particular track, huh. It’s. It’s really dang good? It’s metal that makes me feel. That’s the kind I like the most.
8.5/10
5. In Mourning – Past October Skies (The Black Lodge Revisited) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD61rk4iGMs)
First Impressions:
The production on this sounds noticeably worse than any of the songs before it and that’s a little distracting, to say the least. I was sent these guys before but I remember that being a much more downtempo track than this one, though that’s literally all I remember about it. Anyways besides that I’m having trouble saying much about this one? It’s like, it goes through a lot of different moods of melodic death metal, which for the record is a genre I’m never too huge on by itself, without any real twists to speak of. I guess it’s progressive in the sense that it’s got multiple sections and feels to it but that’s kind of a stretch when the music itself is just so… average. I’m trying not to be biased against these guys based on my past history with them but they just haven’t ever impressed me. I’d say I like this marginally more than the last song I was sent from them except, again, I literally don’t remember it so it’s not really a valid comparison. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
I will say that, unlike with the Allegaeon track, I don’t feel like I’m listening to this one for the very first time on my fifth listen. I recognize that opening riff well enough. I don’t… know if I particularly like it, it doesn’t hit very hard and it doesn’t have a particularly memorable melody, but it is something, alright. The other bit about this I can kind of get into is the slow, moody middle bit. There’s some okay power there. The rest of this… again, unlike the Allegaeon, it does at least keep things dynamic. I can appreciate that much. I just… don’t feel like any of it is particularly unique, nor does it strike me as particularly strong. I really don’t have much else to say here.
6.25/10
6. Mirrorthrone – So Frail (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhhuaqLzxEk)
First Impressions:
After like, four pretty intense songs in a row this is seeming so far like a pretty chill track in comparison. Lush strings, clean vocals, gentle guitar melodies. I’m sure it’s about ready to explode at any moment though. And yep there it goes. Is it just me or is this… kinda quiet compared to the previous tracks, I feel like I have to turn my sound up to hear this one even though all the other tracks were fine volume-wise. More of a thing that affects the overall EP than the song itself really, but. I certainly appreciate how melodic this one is but it has the same problem a lot of symphonic metal tends to have where the strings overtake the actual melodic elements. Some bands can find a nice balance but I don’t hear it here. It’s still pretty solid though, at the end of the day, and the symphonic bits make for good transitions between tunes too. Sure. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
The clean vocals here really make me think of Einar. Is that just me. But mostly only during the intro. I think it’s just me. Anyways, this one. I also don’t really remember much about this one! I would say out of the three non-Kardashev songs here this is easily the one I’m most on board with in principle. The general sound of this is nice and full, pretty melodic, balances the harsh and clean vocals well. But that’s really all there is to say about it. It sounds nice. There isn’t really much of anything to grasp onto with this one either. The heavy moments don’t emotionally resonate, the clean-sung chorus doesn’t really have a ton of power, the technical elements they go for are mostly in the symphonic elements, which sound a little… cheap? The piano sounds kinda fake and hollow and it has some moments where it’s playing generic neoclassical-esque melodies that I just don’t find too interesting. Like, again, I don’t… dislike this one at all, as a song that exists to be listened to, I sure can listen to it alright. There’s just not much of anything here I find compelling, is all.
6.25/10
7. Kardashev – Beyond Sun and Moon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mEjN4Q6J7k)
First Impressions:
I know this is the one you sent TAC and he said the first half he didn’t like so yep it’s the heavy as hell half and I’m expecting more chill stuff later. Honestly I’m gonna have to agree with TAC here, the first half of this is heavy but not like… interesting heavy. But I dig the hell out of the back half, nice clean bit, big epic climax with ethereal vocals. Will see how it plays on relisten and it makes for a good ending to the EP overall but I’m not as sold on this one, yet. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Hmm. Okay, some parts of the first half do reach for the intensity that the last Kardashev song had, actually, and to some extent it works. I think the lack of sustaining that level of intensity, as well as not really feeling like it has as full of a sound, means this doesn’t quite get to those heights. It’s really similar to the second Kardashev track on here, really, in that it mixes grooves and heavier moments in, followed up by clean stuff after that. Keeping things dynamic but not so much consistent. The second half of this, does reach that level of intensity, though not quite in the same way – it basically does what the first Kardashev song was aiming for, but with a more bombastic feel to it. Just all the things. Heavy chords, booming drums, layers upon layers of sounds. It doesn’t even really need distinct melodies to work, it’s just raw power. And not in the boring, downtuned sludgy way. The first half does drag this down a little despite being, fine enough in its own right, but this still does at least stand above most of the other Kardashev here for the back half alone.
8/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
So yeah this is basically an abridged version of the Kardashev album with a few other artists thrown in for good measure. I think this one feels maybe a bit stylistically one-note compared to your past EPs, but I also feel that’s a bit reductive to say so. Pretty much every song doesn’t feel like it has any “twist” or “unique element” to it, it’s just trying to be good in a standard way. And for the most part… well, I’m not outright wild about anything on here, or maybe I’m just getting harder to please. I will say that the deathcore in Kardashev is apparently and pretty consistently not my thing, I do like that Slice the Cake album but that’s pretty much it for me as far as my interest in the genre goes, and they don’t come close to The Holy Mountain in terms of intensity either. It is very cohesive and flows mostly pretty well barring the slight production/volume shifts between tracks and there’s a very pronounced strong start and end too. I figure I’ll probably like this one more on relistens though it does strike me as fairly “safe” in sound overall, too.
Final Thoughts:
So. Hmm. I think the issue with this EP is of your own making. Kardashev doesn’t really feel like music that exists in the same realm as the other artists you’ve interspersed with this album. They’re going for atmosphere in a way that the other artists just… aren’t, even Mirrorthrone which has some elements of atmospheric metal isn’t really trying to be atmospheric first and foremost, more bombastic and powerful with its symphonic elements. And then Allegaeon and In Mourning really don’t have any comparison to Kardashev to be drawn at all. And that’s a problem when the good atmospheric stuff is what this EP seems to be designed to put me in the mood for. You set the stage with the first track and then Allegaeon isn’t a good payoff to that. The next two tracks build up further reaching a strong peak. In Mourning absolutely isn’t a payoff to that peak, either. Mirrorthrone sort of gets back on track, though it brings in its own problems. And then the final Kardashev song which is the payoff… to the fourth song on the EP. Basically – by loading so much of this EP up with one artist, it imbalanced the EP in such a way that I never really wanted to listen to any of the other songs, nor did I ever remember much about them on repeated listens. And to be fair! The Kardashev songs don’t strike me as “memorable” in that same way either, they just hit really hard and satisfy my atmospheric urges. The lack of memorability is really the big reason why I can’t rate them any higher, even the ones I do like a lot. I don’t stand by my initial comment that this EP is cohesive because it absolute isn’t, it’s bipolar as heck with two different sounds trying to accomplish two different things that only ends up highlighting the weaknesses of one half. Having said all that, I expect the strengths of the half-and-change of this EP I do like a fair bit will be enough to support it into the next round, and I will probably check out that Kardashev album (EP? it’s listed as an EP on RYM), but damned if I don’t still find this one kind of frustrating.
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5th Place: Lethean – Making the Same Mistake Twice (https://www.sendspace.com/filegroup/zmtyZS7zis8KhIVSx3oGruJ4I%2BNblx1p1uvY4qWbikI%2BiENxwKfi8w)
1. Borknagar – The Earthling (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9TJE3os0OQ)
First Impressions:
I find it interesting that you of all people would be sending Borknagar, considering what I’ve heard from them before (just Winter Thrice and nothing else, but, it’s uhh, heavier than I tend to expect from you, lol). I mean so far I dig this though it feels… a bit flavorless? Given what you’ve sent before I can actually see why you’d dig this even with the growls. But yeah, the riffing is solid enough and there’s some power to this too, it’s kind of stuck in a mid- to down-tempo rut though, for most of the song at least, though it picks up some more intensity near the end. Could see this one growing on me, it’s the kind of track that never immediately grabs me though. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Yeah, I don’t know… I can say straight up that this band is the one on your EP that most inherently appeals to me on the basis of their sound alone. But it’s firmly stuck in the “I don’t feel like I’ve ever heard this before despite this being my fifth listen” camp with a lot of other songs this round. There’s one riff towards the halfway point that does stick out a little, both melodic and kind of punchy. It shows up a few times too though it never seems to stick around too long when it does show up. Which is fine, gotta keep things diverse. And like, the way the song is constructed and builds up at the end, that’s plenty fine. I just struggle to find much about this that really connects with me in any meaningful way. It’s not heavy or intense enough, it’s kind of anthemic at points but not quite powerful enough, the riffs aren’t strong enough, the melodies not memorable or potent enough. I really feel like I’m repeating myself with a lot of write-ups in this round but that’s just genuinely how I feel about tracks like this. They’re… fine, but don’t have a lot to offer me.
6/10
2. Wolverine – Your Favorite War (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4igBOQXwIY)
First Impressions:
Oh, this is the band with that album cover that always makes me think of some other album that I’ve never quite remembered which it is. I honestly don’t know what to expect here but it seems so far like more mid- to down-tempo metal, a bit of an alt-metal feel to this one I guess. Uhh, definitely makes me think of Katatonia to some extent but a bit heavier than I usually hear them being. I certainly like this guy more as a singer, the style still isn’t really my thing, but he sells it a lot better, with a decent emotive presence to his voice. It’s solid. I suspect an entire album of this wouldn’t really do it for me though. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I think I know what it is about this song that doesn’t quite work for me. The vocal melodies all feel really… flat, they stick to a not particularly dynamic mid-pitch range. Very few moments where he reaches outside of that range and that’s just the right range to not have enough flavor or emotive presence to it to connect for me. Thinking about it, I think that’s the big issue I have with a lot of these gloomy, mid-tempo “feels metal” type affairs. Vocals that neither have emotive presence nor particularly catchy melodies. And it’s very clear with the music on this song that the vocals are absolutely intended to be the focus. I will say, towards the end, basically from the guitar solo onwards, the song does kind of click and start working for me, since he’s broken into a higher range with a lot of layers of guitar and synths going on in the background, even the vocals layered over each other by the end. It’s a genuinely cool soundscape that does at least make me feel something. I don’t think it makes the entirety of the song worth it, but I can absolutely see why this song would work real well for someone more into this kind of metal and why you’d pick it as a specific song to send. I think that’s enough for me.
6.25/10
3. Wolverine – Pulse (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7mLaVzGxjA)
First Impressions:
The “immediate first second” reaction I have for this one is “oh this is a techno song now huh”. But really I mean, it’s exactly what it says on the tin, there’s a constant pulse going on here. It’s clever. Not like, actually that interesting to listen to, even with the stuff going on on top of it, but, y’know. But okay for real there’s more to this one, yeah. Again, he’s a pretty solid singer and fits this kind of music well enough. I dig the guitar solo that kicks in a bit past the halfway point, it brings the rest of the band with it for the ride too. I think my issue with this one is that a good chunk of the song is a flatline for me and the good stuff that happens doesn’t quite make up for it, but it’s not bad. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
This one’s definitely memorable, I’ll give it that much. I actually like this one a fair bit more than I did on the first listen, honestly. I do think the vocals mixed with the lyrics themselves work pretty well, a bit better than the last song, really. My main gripe comes with the “pulse” of the song, in that it’s really dang flat and the repetitive piano (?) in the background kind of annoys me after a while. It’s not as big of a problem when the chorus kicks in and the guitars drown out all that, and it’s got more tempo to it to give it a nice, driving feel as well. The song again comes to a solid climax though not as strong of one as the previous track, in my opinion. But it kind of kills its momentum for a completely unnecessary outro, I genuinely don’t understand why the song runs so long at the end there. Ehh. Still a solid track overall, better than I originally expected.
6.5/10
4. Borknagar – In a Deeper World (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0MymPBq5hA)
First Impressions:
As opposed to the other Borknagar tune this one just seems to be a downtempo one all the way through and it basically just sounds like a continuation of the last two tracks, except with a bit of a symphonic swell during the chorus. And y’know what, I dig the guitar textures during the heavier moments here, it does sound satisfyingly intense. I will say that to some extent I do kind of miss the intensity of the other Borknagar track though, or maybe it’s just that I’m not super in the mood for this kind of downtempo stuff right now? But being realistic, yeah, this is pretty fine. I like it more than Wolverine, at the very least, for at least having a nice, full sound to it. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
The chorus of this one kind of stands out. I uhh. Pretty much said everything I had to say about this one in the first impression, again, this has a kind of folk metal feel to it almost which I’ve tended to find just really is a turn off, I really like Wilderun and there are a few other folk metal-y bands that do it for me but they seem far and few between the acts that I just find… cheesy, for lack of a better word. This song is just. Not nearly dynamic enough nor powerful enough to keep me invested throughout the whole 5 minute run, I feel. It’s not bad but eeehhh. Eh.
5.5/10
5. Evergrey – When the Walls Go Down (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56b737ksp8E)
First Impressions:
Hmm this kind of voice clip sample is something I usually do not like at all. From how this one is beginning I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a piano ballad all the way through, actually. It takes about 2 minutes for drums to come in, and another 30 seconds after that for any traces of guitar. Hmm, this is a weird one then. And I guess the voice samples are just gonna go on throughout the whole thing? It definitely seems more like a symphonic/piano track than anything metal with how little presence any other instrument besides the drums has. And like, in that regard I suppose it sounds fine enough, but uuhh. It also has the voice samples going on the entire time when I’d rather just listen to the instrumentation on itself, which is pretty nice and has some swell to it. Oh, okay, a minute of actual metal at the end. Alright. I dunno. This is a weird one. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
So yeah ariich commented on this in the thread, but. Voice clips/spoken word samples like this are just. Absolutely not my thing. I always skip the spoken word track on Caligula’s Horse’s In Contact. I don’t like the spoken word samples Godspeed You! Black Emperor likes to have. And especially ones that sound this… desperate. Maybe for some people it drives up emotional resonance but for me all it drives up is a sense of “oh god this man sounds miserable and now I feel awful too” and that’s just not a good feeling! That’s not how I wanna feel listening to music! Musically this is just a lot of nothing. The strings sound really fake, the piano drives the first third of this, the drums pretty much drive the entire second third, and the awful-sounding guitars drive the end. Like, that last bit especially just sounds really disconnected from the rest. On first listen I was pretty meh on this, on every subsequent listen I’ve just. Enjoyed it less and less, honestly. It’s not horridly unlistenable, to be fair, it’s just. Kind of unpleasant, not very interesting besides that.
4.25/10
6. Katatonia – Departer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCo-IkUDgfY)
First Impressions:
This marks the fourth time I have been sent Katatonia in a roulette. I hope you all are proud of yourselves. I’m probably gonna ban ‘em for the rest of the roulette after this round even if this wouldn’t get naturally banned, though. Literally a minute in and this is already a lot better than the other track you sent from them though. For one, like, actual atmosphere. This seems like the second song in a row that’s more of a piano/symphonic track than anything actually metal though, hah. In that regard it definitely compares favorably to the Evergrey track before it. A bit of guitars and stuff kicks in past the halfway point same as the last track, though it doesn’t stick around for very long. Yeah I guess this is solid too. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Oh yeah, this is way more like it. There’s some real haunting atmosphere to the quiet start of this one. And the soft-spoken vocal performance plays off it really well. I honestly wish it just stayed at that level with maybe some symphonic swell driving more intense moments but no percussion or guitars or anything else, because that’s a damn good sound and would’ve made for a fitting closer. But I mean, what we get after isn’t half bad either. It’s kind of a weird effect where the more elements this song gets and the more momentum it tries to build, the blander and flatter it sounds, though. I don’t know, the bit with the guitar in the middle especially is just… meaningless to me. Maybe just personal preference, but even still, this is definitely one of the better Katatonia songs I’ve heard, even if the quality of the beginning doesn’t hold up throughout the entire song.
6.5/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
So this is, like, an entire EP full of a kind of music I’ve specifically said I’m never too into, and surprise! I’m not too into any of it. Like, sure, there are some decent tracks here but most of ‘em are on the lower end of that spectrum and a lot of the songs here play in similar territories while still overshadowing each other, both of the last two tracks especially seem to be playing at the same sound. I don’t find any of it unpleasant to listen to, either, but aside from the one Borknagar song that has some decent energy to it, it’s all a bit… sluggish, for my tastes. We’ll see if any of it grows on relistens, though.
Final Thoughts:
So yeah as you can see… this one’s kind of been trailing the pack the entire time, less for anything really awful (though I don’t particularly like the Evergrey tune) as much as just a lack of anything that really sticks the landing for me, at all. It’s an EP made up mostly of mid-tempo gloom metal, which I know I’m already on record as saying I’m not a fan of. And like. It’s better than some examples of the genre, overall. Surprisingly Borknagar ended up not being one of my favorite artists on this EP by the end, though I think contributing to that is a general exhaustion of that specific sound of metal that this round has instilled in me. Like, as an EP itself it’s not badly made, but for my tastes it just kind of bores me.
Current Standings:
1. senecadawg2
2. Puppies_On_Acid
3. ???
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4. ???
5. Lethean
Song Rankings:
1. The Protomen – The State Vs. Thomas Light
2. Kardashev – Behind Leaves and Vines
3. Better Oblivion Community Center – Dominos
4. Kardashev – Beyond Sun and Moon
5.
6. mewithoutYou – [dormouse sighs]
7. Kardashev – Between Sea and Sky
8. Kardashev – Beside Cliffs and Chasms
9.
10. Better Oblivion Community Center – Didn't Know What I Was in For
11. mewithoutYou – Julia (or, 'Holy to the LORD' on the Bells of Horses)
12.
13.
14. Wolverine – Pulse
15.
16. Katatonia – Departer
17.
18. Wolverine – Your Favorite War
19. Downfall of Gaia – The Grotesque Illusion of Being
20. In Mourning – Past October Skies (The Black Lodge Revisited)
21.
22. Mirrorthrone – So Frail
23.
24.
25. Tim Bowness – The War On Me
26. Borknagar – The Earthling
27.
28. Borknagar – In a Deeper World
29.
30. Allegaeon – Of Mind and Matrix
31.
32. Tim Bowness & Dylan Howe – Not Married Anymore
33.
34. Evergrey – When the Walls Go Down
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Ooh the Katatonia song made it to the top 20. :) :metal
I would have been totally thrilled to do better and continue on. But at the same time I have absolutely no idea what I'd send, so this may be for the best.
I'm glad you didn't hate anything. :)
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Dammit ariich!
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Dammit ariich!
Damn, no epic final showdown this time!
May the best man win, Tim. (me)
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:corn
last batch of results tonight
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:corn
last batch of results tonight
If it's tonight as in pacific time, ariich will be sleeping, and I'll be going to bed. ;D
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like 5 PMish PST or so. whenever i get off work
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like 5 PMish PST or so. whenever i get off work
OK. 8ish here then.
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So even though I survived to the final round, I feel like I should have stuck with the original ep I had made. At the same time though, it started to feel like I was beating a dead horse with the story I started in the prelim round. I actually ended up repurposing a couple of the songs from that ep in to the concept album and I feel it made the album much better.
I understand what you mean by the ep not being cohesive. And again it was me trying to serve the story first and not the music. That's not happening on the concept album, even though there are 2 very distinct styles of music on it, but that is on purpose. You will see..... And hopefully it will make sense... :corn
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oh and just FYI - i'm not changing the send-by deadline for the concept album round, it will still be by the end of next sunday, the 21st
but if i have all the submissions before then, i'll start early. probably not before next wednesday though. i need some time off from EP listening between rounds :lol
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Results, Part 3
3rd Place: ariich – Let’s Rock (https://mega.nz/#!FOI3zSiY!hLCRmq3Uz67SA9ZXoURCwLUwN_XLqKSCgI3GUcefTsQ)
1. Borealis – Past the Veil (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU2-MSuQHnE)
First Impressions:
Honestly from how you described this EP, this first song wasn’t exactly what I was expecting to find, but at the same time, it’s better than what I was expecting to find so I’m not complaining there. Then again you put Give Gravity a Choice on an EP called “Let’s Groove” so what do I know. Honestly so far this just sounds like power metal with more melodic death metal-styled riffs. Might be the singer that makes me think that. Even kinda djenty guitar tones too. Ostensibly I guess this is progressive metal without really any prog elements, but I dig how it sounds more than some similar songs in this round so far, not wild about it either but wouldn’t mind revisiting this one, no. It’s got a little bit of a lot of different things. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I think across the entire round, this song is definitely one that has some of the most appealing riffing. Punchy, melodic, groovy, the way I like it. On the flipsie, there’s not a ton here I find… that memorable? Like, I know generally what this song sounds like, and I enjoy listening to it, but as with a lot of this round it doesn’t really have much to make it stick in my mind, I can only identify it as “that riffy melodic power-metal-type affair”. I like it fine enough, but it’s kind of in one ear, out the other.
6.75/10
2. One I Cinema – The Mirror (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2viUfD99p8)
First Impressions:
This too kind of has the djent-influenced metal style, without really being explicitly djent. I do like a lot of the lead guitar work here, even if it tends to also stick to the background. I sort of feel like how much this one will live or die depends on how memorable I find it or how strongly it hits emotionally, though. Maybe partially how catchy it is. I dunno, it’s alright but it’s not particularly doing it for me at the moment. Very low in this tier, but I’ll give it this much. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I think from the songs sent off this EP, this band is the hardest one for me to pin down. What does this band sound like? I know what both their songs sound like, for sure, but I wouldn’t be able to describe what kind of band these guys are by what I’ve heard, other than “uuhh they’re sure metal all right”. The chorus of this one is pretty bangin’ though. I don’t feel like the singer is especially strong but the melody itself is & the music does a good job backing him up. Besides that chorus and I guess some decent riffing, though, there’s not a lot about this one that really sticks out for me. Feels a bit too long for how little it really has to it, too.
6.5/10
3. Heaven's Basement – Lights Out in London (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVrX6KQ6Ig0)
First Impressions:
Ooh from how this one starts out it strikes me as something I’m not gonna be too into. The singer sounds a lot more modern than the music seems to be going for though and honestly that works better for me than a better-fitting singer likely would. I do like this chorus a fair bit. It is kind of a simple song for my tastes though and doesn’t really resonate emotionally aside from maaaybe the chorus. Not unpleasant to listen to or anything, just. Ehh. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Okay, the one thing I can say about this one is that I really think the singer sounds good, on the chorus. I don’t like the twang on his voice in the verses, but there’s some power to his voice on that chorus. He could make a good frontman for a post-hardcore outfit. But uhh. This isn’t that. This is a southern/country rock type of song and it’s like. Got alright riffs. It kind of hammers most of its pieces into the ground by the halfway mark though. Aside from an alright bridge. I feel like this is a song you can listen to once and enjoy well enough but after that there’s just not really much else to it. Pretty much got the gist of it after a single listen and didn’t even care for it much then, and on relistens it’s really had nothing new to offer me. Vaguely pleasant, but not for me. Mercifully it’s at least pretty short, though, which I’d count as another point in its favor.
5.5/10
4. Von Hertzen Brothers – To the End of the World (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0dlBnYHh-Q)
First Impressions:
Last I heard of these guys they had a really awful intro followed by a really great song proper. This song doesn’t have an awful intro so hopefully it’ll be a great song all the way through? Really this seems like a pretty straightforward one again, too. I’m not too into the vocals here either. The 4/4 riff played in a triplet groove is kinda neat at least, this whole instrumental middle bit builds up pretty nicely really. And there’s a solid payoff to that build too, alright. First two-thirds or so of this song, just alright, kinda nice, last third, pretty cool, I dig it. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Yeah, both of these songs are very different from what I’ve heard from these guys in the past, and like, not nearly as compelling, honestly. Like, there’s some okay riffing here, some okay vocals, but it’s a kind of basic as hell song up until that instrumental break, and not particularly impressive in what it is doing either. The technically cool bit in the instrumental section I pointed out is just that, technically cool but doesn’t actually sound to great, but they manage to build some real swell and carry it through to the end of the song after that, even the last chorus feels elevated above the earlier choruses riding off that momentum. Front-to-back I wouldn’t say I’m super into all of it, but it has its moments.
6/10
5. One I Cinema – Insidious (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyOEDjgWI-g)
First Impressions:
Now I’m at the point where I kind of have an idea of what to expect out of all these bands. And right away this is instantly a lot better than the other track from them, a nice and intense groove to kick things off. Was sort of feeling it felt a bit one-note as it went on though, but right when I was thinking that it kicked into a calmer and solidly atmospheric mid bit so I guess my mind was retroactively read or something. It's. Again, solid. Doesn’t quite thrill me but I don’t mind it. Also I thought that outro was the intro the next song but woops looks like it isn’t. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
This song, also, has more groove than a lot of the “groove” songs you sent on the last EP, haha. This ended up being one of the songs that stood out more on this EP and really in this round in general, it has that striking heavy riff in the intro and between verses mixed with the more straightforward groove of the verses and chorus, I can both feel that groove and that chorus connects pretty well too. I do stand by the assertion I made in both the first impression and the thirdpression I did about this one, in that it basically just has those two moods and really nothing else to it – yeah, there’s the quiet break in the middle but that’s really brief and honestly not particularly notable or effective. But like. I’m still gonna give credit where it’s due, this is definitely the most effective rocker of the entire EP, at the end of the day.
7/10
6. Von Hertzen Brothers – Flowers and Rust (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tAYCTZt6bA)
First Impressions:
Hmm this is… nice? I don’t really have a ton to say about this one, actually, it has decent swell to it and a solid chorus but again it’s not particularly… noteworthy. I legitimately don’t have anything else to say about this. I think it should be decent but for the utter lack of any response it instilled in me I can’t justifiably give it that. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
For as much as I didn’t have anything to say about this one the first time around, I do end up at least remembering how it sounds without having to listen to it. Like, I still do think it has that… “generic” kind of sound to it overall. The chorus has a good vocal line but the way the guitar line interrupts it feels awkward and kills the power it could have had. I’m not sure the music box-y bits do too much for me either. The pounding riff in the instrumental of this one, is alright. I feel like the guitars don’t have quite enough oomph to really realize it but it’s still a solid riff. I dunno, I think how stilted that chorus feels is the biggest problem with this one. It’s definitely better than my first impression gave it credit for, but it’s not making me wanna run out and check out these guys right away either, that’s for sure.
6.25/10
7. Borealis – The Ghosts of Innocence (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xHeVQKQNhI)
First Impressions:
Okay, this one looks like it’s a bit longer than the rest. And yeah. I get the impression that these guys just generally have a sound I like more than the other bands here, this and the other song from them are easily my favorites here. RYM does label them as power metal which, I mean, fair enough, but these guys go heavier than most power metal I’m familiar with. And they’ve got all those prog metal tropes even though, again, I wouldn’t really call this particularly prog other than that it has a kind of non-linear song structure to it. Like yeah, again, it doesn’t have a ton of unique flavor but it’s doing what it’s doing pretty well. I almost want to go back and retroactively give the first song from them here a good rating too, but that kinda feels like it’s only in comparison to the rest here. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
This song just has an ambition to it that a lot of the other songs on this EP really lack, and that I feel is more of what I’m looking for in music in general nowadays. Like… again, I don’t think this has the elements of “memorable” or “catchy” like some of the other tracks here but it makes up for it in spades with raw power, both in some hard-hitting riffs and emotive resonance driven primarily by a great vocal performance. These guys just have like, a good guitar tone. I don’t know exactly how to describe it, but Great Leap Skyward from last round have that similar guitar tone, where it accentuates the punchy, lower-note riffing while still giving depth to the melodic work and texture to the chords. It’s a very balanced tone that appeals to me. More than anything they’re actually doing I just think I like the way these guys sound. Oh yeah and there’s a kind of generic female sounding voice who still ends up fitting in really well here, too. I don’t know, this certainly isn’t as diverse as some of the better metal I’ve been sent in this roulette, but it has the kind of sound and power I tend to like in my metal and it certainly gets me more excited than anything else on this EP.
7.75/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
So yeah, uhh, a lot of the middle of this EP feels reeeeally vanilla to me. I could see a lot of these being growers on relistens though, the same way Give Gravity a Choice kind of was, since a lot of these kind of fit in the same vein as that one. But I really struggled getting through all of this on first listen, I feel like. Starts strong, ends strong, I wouldn’t say anything is “weak” per se but it’s at a consistently “alright” state that wears on me. Not much else to say. This also isn’t really for the most part what I’d consider “rockers” but at the same time I’m glad for that, lol, the closest song to that here is my least favorite by a decent margin so.
Final Thoughts:
So yeah, overall I’d have to say this is a notable step up from your last EP, even if I don’t think its peaks are quite as high. I get the intention of this one and at least two of the artists seem to work for me well enough, though I still really question the decision to include that Heaven’s Basement song because it doesn’t fit in with the rest at all and it’s the weakest cut by quite a decent margin. For the most part these were all kind of growers, though, even the song I liked the least I guess I’d say I liked slightly more than I did the first time. Borealis still seems far and away the artist I’d be most interested in, though I also get the sneaking suspicion they’re not a particularly varied artist in their output. But yeah. This isn’t gonna be my favorite EP ever or anything but comparing it to the direct competition, I think this one will end up making the cut by enough that I feel confident in letting you through to the finals with it, even if I’m not thrilled by it.
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4th Place: TAC – The Due Date (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3QinKr1zKtqX3xcToqZMVG?si=1OmUg2P5QeiJ1APlLaIF7A)
1. Frosttide – Final Hour (Instrumental) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu6gXsiIlPo)
First Impressions:
Coward you must be, for sending me the instrumental version of a song that should have vocals. What I’m getting from this one currently is that it has pretty good melodic riffing. And uhh, like, not a ton more. The symphonic elements are nice, I actually gripe about an imbalance of symphonic elements in metal a lot but no, this is balanced nicely. It does feel noticeably empty without vocals though, and I can’t say any of the riffing here is especially insipiring, it’s just, solid enough. Some of the most intense bits here really do feel like they’re missing harsh vocals to complete the package though, yeah. I reeeeally dislike instrumental versions of songs meant to have vocals, ahah. But this is fine, really. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
As of right now I still haven’t listened to the vocal version, only because I expect doing so would irreversibly change my opinion on this version of the song. Like, no matter how bad the vocals are, I honestly think having them would be superior to not having them in this song. Because there are very obviously parts of this where the mix feels empty or the riffing feels kind of flat because there’s supposed to be vocals there to fill in the gaps. This one is another one I have to chalk up to the “I’ve listened to this five times and I feel like I’ve never heard it before” list for this round, which is an unfortunately large list here, not gonna lie. I really don’t have much else to say about this. It sounds nice enough but it’s really bland for my tastes. Like, a decently full sound, solid but unmemorable melodies, some cool intense moments. But there’s nothing about this that really clicks, nor is there anything here that I feel I’ll remember in… honestly, a week’s time at most.
5.75/10
2. Nailed To Obscurity – The Aberrant Host (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ugm1BBX4Xg)
First Impressions:
Ohh hmm this is. Interesting. The first riff that kicks in isn’t super melodic but it’s got some pretty solid groove to it and the darker atmosphere of this one is working for me, yeah. The whispery vocals in the verses are also an interesting choice. Don’t know if I’m sold on them but they do stand out. And then we get the quiet bit in the middle, I guess this is gonna be the song from you that scores really highly from me considering the last two rounds, hah. Yeah, I’m not actually as wild about this as Great Leap Skyward or Existem, but it’s, you know, pretty dang solid stuff, I could see it being a grower too. The heavier bits of this kind of make me think of Spires, actually, now that I think about it, though not quite as melodic. Mmyeah, this is pretty cool. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
See, right out the gate this one is a lot better. I don’t find it, uhh, especially memorable in the sense that I didn’t really remember too well what it sounded like before this, other than a very general feel for the style. But that first riff kicks in and I’m like “oh yeah, this one.” Really, the big thing about this one that works well is the grooves, mostly. I can jam to this. The slower middle section isn’t quite as solid for me, but it’s not like I dislike it either, just that it’s maybe a bit dry. It’s not as outwardly inviting to me as some of the other stuff you’ve sent, not quite as up my alley, but there’s enough diversity here besides just the groovier moments and I’ve enjoyed listening to it each time even if I wouldn’t peg it as a favorite.
7.5/10
3. Old Man’s Child – Slaves Of The World (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJzfQVkpCX0)
First Impressions:
Sometimes I have stuff to say about a song right away. Sometimes it takes me a minute to find something to say. I’m over halfway through this one already and I just can’t find anything to really say about it? It’s like somewhere between black and death metal and it’s kind of intense, probably melodic enough, the vocals sound fine. There was briefly something similar to a tempo/feel change. The production isn’t half bad. It’s just not a song that really stands out in any way to me. Pretty much the definition of average. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Okay, well. I like the start of this one, I guess. The acoustic guitars that give way to some decently melodic riffing. There’s just something about the way this sounds that I flat don’t like, though. The guitar tone just doesn’t have any punch to it, it’s like… kind of crunchy but in a flat way? And the more intense moments everything becomes just a heavy blur with no real distinguishable elements. I guess there’s some riffing here that’s kind of neat, and towards the end that first riff from the intro comes back but like. I just. Really don’t find much of this remotely interesting at all, unfortunately, it’s not the worst I’ve heard but I’m really not into it at all.
4.75/10
4. Conquering Dystopia – Destroyer of Dreams (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emNkk7WvOW0)
First Impressions:
Another more downtempo type of track, or at least it starts out as one, with some decent atmosphere driven by the layers of guitars here. Okay and this first chuggy riff that comes in sounds so damn similar to The Rising Sign by Keep of Kalessin it’s almost uncanny, it’s just in 4/4 instead of 3/4. And yeah this pretty much stopped being a downtempo track, it’s more of tech death than anything, though it sticks to maybe a bit lower ranges than I tend to prefer? On RYM I see that this is an instrumental Jeff Loomis project, huh. Some of the chuggier riffing I’m not so sure I’m into but it has potential to grow on me too. I dunno, I end up subconsciously headbobbing to some of it too so there’s definitely gotta be something there, and the guitar shreddy stuff is used sparingly enough that it ends up working without getting overbearing. And then here’s some symphonic stuff just because why not. Yeah you know what. This song is basically just a 7 minute stream of riffs with no real cohesion, and it’s not quite melodic enough for my tastes, and yet I like it a lot, anyways? I dunno, this is cooler than it should be. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
Okay, some of this, I like. The first minute and a half or so sticks to some more melodic riffing and builds up some decent power with it. But the chuggier riffing… on first listen I apparently liked it a lot, but on every listen since it’s worn on me more and more. There are some bits where they play with rhythm in interesting ways, sure. But some of the riffs like where he’s just chugging away on quarter note hits, that ain’t interesting. A lot of the shredding is just shred for shred’s sake too, it sounds alright but I’ve heard the sound before and it’s not really something I can find impressive anymore. The ending of the song returns to the riffing of the start with some symphonic bits thrown in for good measure and I like that, at least, but. It’s a bit too little too late, this really starts to drag by the halfway point and I’m just sitting here waiting for it to finally decide to be over and that’s just not a great feeling. Some solid moments, enough to save it from a worse score, but I can’t say I’m interested in checking this out further.
5.25/10
5. Lahmia – Existential Vastness (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrYup6O1hO8)
First Impressions:
You know, I’ve heard a decent amount of downtempo, bombastic melodic death metal, and I’ve heard plenty of more upbeat, groove-driven melodic death metal, but this brand of mid-tempo melodic death metal isn’t something I feel like I encounter as much, which is a shame since it’s probably my favorite breed? It certainly comes off as the most diverse, as it has moments where it dips into a higher energy sound, and it has some moments that go more towards that downtempo, emotive style, but keeping that smooth 6/8 feel throughout. The vocals aren’t particularly impressive but the riffing is solid and the leads are solid too. Dunno, I feel compelled to rate this not quite as high as the previous track since I’m not quite as into it, but I kind of feel like that would be unfair, I liked this a lot. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
I called this one “good” on first listen but, honestly, you could’ve fooled me, because on relistens I have just… not even really noticed this one. Like, sitting here listening to it… I feel like, again, I’m listening to this for the first time. I’ve over halfway through this and nothing has caught my interest in any noteworthy way. The main riff repeats enough that I should know it, but it’s such a standard riff that I only really keep it in my mind while the song is going on and then it’s just… gone. There’s a clean bit in the middle which is… nice enough, but it’s not a particularly unique moment. I don’t know… I definitely like this -more- than some of the other songs on here as there’s nothing at all I dislike about this one, other than it is just so very… safe, unambitious, pleasant to listen to but not anything more.
6/10
6. Unreqvited – Stardust (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM1cptPKT2E)
First Impressions:
Hmm, not quite sure the production is there on this one. I do feel like this is going for more of an atmospheric feel than anything and RYM seems to corroborate that, but weirdly enough it feels like this is the heavier, vocal version of the Thousand Sun Sky track from last round, despite this not having any of that synth stuff, there’s a similar vibe to it? I don’t have a ton else to say about this one, I guess I’d say that the quiet outro with the female vocals serves as an EP finale pretty dang well actually, but this song itself isn’t really doing it for me. Might be a grower. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Ehh, I don’t especially remember this one either, but I guess I’d say it’s grown on me at least a little bit, sitting here listening to it. It’s honestly more interesting and more intense than most of the other stuff here, even if it’s generally downbeat. The piano that goes throughout, I still am not much of a fan of, it feels like an oddly synthetic element in this context. And while the song technically does have vocals, it’s preeetty much another instrumental, since all the vocals are just screams with no discernable lyrics. It honestly feels like this spends more time being quiet than heavy, too, but I kind of appreciate the ending for being at least a vaguely weird moment than stands out at least somewhat. I guess you have to take what you’re given. Even if, at the end of the day, it’s hard to say I’m too wild about this one, it’s solid enough stuff.
6.5/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
This is certainly a lot more cohesive than your past two EPs, I’ll say that much. And I think that while it lacks any track that really stands out like your last two EPs had, there’s plenty of stuff here I already liked a lot on first listen and nothing here I disliked like the parts of Gurschach and Supremacy from last round. It’s diverse enough within its own cohesiveness too, some more atmospheric tunes, some more technical tunes, a pretty consistent focus on melody. I feel like this one is going to be a grower purely for it cohesiveness alone, and that most of the songs in their own right don’t feel particularly immediate but could open up on relistens. It also feels maybe playing it a little safe, but that could just be me.
Final Thoughts:
Yeah, no, what I expected above to happen absolutely did not. It’s also bizarre how different my first impressions vs. my final thoughts on a lot of these songs were. Only one song really sustained its general feel for me, with most of the others getting worse on relisten, and only one track really improving over time, if only just barely. I feel like, more than anything, this entire EP suffers from playing things way too safe, to the point of boring me. Because, gotta be honest, going back over this one I was just mostly bored. There’s the one song that’s kinda cool because it understands balancing groove and melody, the rest are just. Bombastic power with no emotive power, or muddy messes of chugging that don’t appeal to me. A lack of riffs that really hit home, a lack of distinguishing flavor that would make these songs stand out, a lack of anything really memorable, even in the best tracks here. It’s frustrating to listen to for that alone. I wouldn’t say a lot of it is actively bad, sure, but it’s your weakest submission yet and honestly at the point of writing this I’m not quite sure it’ll be strong enough to get you through to the next round, I guess we’ll see.
Round 2 Final Standings:
1. senecadawg2
2. Puppies_On_Acid
3. ariich
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4. TAC
5. Lethean
Song Rankings:
1. The Protomen – The State Vs. Thomas Light
2. Kardashev – Behind Leaves and Vines
3. Better Oblivion Community Center – Dominos
4. Kardashev – Beyond Sun and Moon
5. Borealis – The Ghosts of Innocence
6. mewithoutYou – [dormouse sighs]
7. Kardashev – Between Sea and Sky
8. Kardashev – Beside Cliffs and Chasms
9. Nailed To Obscurity – The Aberrant Host
10. Better Oblivion Community Center – Didn't Know What I Was in For
11. mewithoutYou – Julia (or, 'Holy to the LORD' on the Bells of Horses)
12. One I Cinema – Insidious
13. Borealis – Past the Veil
14. Wolverine – Pulse
15. One I Cinema – The Mirror
16. Katatonia – Departer
17. Unreqvited – Stardust
18. Wolverine – Your Favorite War
19. Downfall of Gaia – The Grotesque Illusion of Being
20. In Mourning – Past October Skies (The Black Lodge Revisited)
21. Von Hertzen Brothers – Flowers and Rust
22. Mirrorthrone – So Frail
23. Lahmia – Existential Vastness
24. Von Hertzen Brothers – To the End of the World
25. Tim Bowness – The War On Me
26. Borknagar – The Earthling
27. Frosttide – Final Hour (Instrumental)
28. Borknagar – In a Deeper World
29. Heaven's Basement – Lights Out in London
30. Allegaeon – Of Mind and Matrix
31. Conquering Dystopia – Destroyer of Dreams
32. Tim Bowness & Dylan Howe – Not Married Anymore
33. Old Man’s Child – Slaves Of The World
34. Evergrey – When the Walls Go Down
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Dammit ariich!
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i feel like if i had done cumulative scoring it would've at least been a lot closer but honestly yours ended up closer to lethean's than to any of the top three after my relistens
i have no clue what happened with that conquering dystopia song. i liked it the first time and didn't like it a single other time. weird.
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I suppose finishing 4th out of 13 ain't bad. :)
Ariich could join my next roulette, and I'd still lose to him. :lol
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Well at this point in time, my ever changing Concept Album is sitting at about 89 minutes. I suppose I have until next Sunday to keep changing it..... I'm sure I can squeeze another minute in there. :biggrin:
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you can add You Suffer between every single track for those real flow & cohesiveness points :metal
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Damn, I really am the master of scraping through in your roulettes Parama.
Ariich could join my next roulette, and I'd still lose to him. :lol
I'd be pretty up for your next roulette actually, whenever that will be.
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you can add You Suffer between every single track for those real flow & cohesiveness points :metal
It's just going to be The Grand Conjuration repeated at differing tempos.
In actuality, I'm revamping my Concept Album again.....the only problem is it's too long now by 5 minutes. So I have to trim it somewhere. Needless to say, you are getting a massive post roulette song dump. Maybe I'll even make them in to EP's for you.....
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Well, ended up cutting out an entire 11 minute song to get it within the time limit. It's fine though, I was on the fence about the song.
Listening through it now to make sure it sounds good. Once I'm happy with it I'll do the write up and send it over your way.
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let me know what song it was :neverusethis:
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It was this song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaswveYyRyE
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without listening to the song and just looking at the album on RYM, i am suspecting that would not have done well :corn
but that's me being biased against anything tagged as thrash metal, none of those tags fill me with a lot of confidence though really
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without listening to the song and just looking at the album on RYM, i am suspecting that would not have done well :corn
but that's me being biased against anything tagged as thrash metal, none of those tags fill me with a lot of confidence though really
They are actually much closer in style to something like Mithras.
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i listened to the whole thing and i don't really hear it. the guitar solo at the very end comes vaguely close to sounding like mithras but that's about it
that being said it was solid but not something i see myself being especially into
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Incoming super pretentious (and poorly written :biggrin:) Concept Album/story. Typing up the PM now.
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It better be better than the one I sent you in your roulette :metal
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It better be better than the one I sent you in your roulette :metal
We'll see..... Let's just say, I'm super happy with how it turned out. I probably put almost 100 hours in to finding and compiling the concept album over the last month or so. Perhaps you won't like parts of it, perhaps you will like all of it, who know....
And sent! :metal
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Sounds like you worked way too hard on it :lol
Presumably I'm gonna like it unless you absu'd again
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Well, there's nothing on here that sound anything like Absu...so.... :corn
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Results when? :jamaritard:
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Puppies_On_Acid - Some Crap
Rule 6'd.
0/10
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Puppies_On_Acid - Some Crap
Rule 6'd.
0/10
Hey, at least I saved you an hour and a half of time :lol
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(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0920984657_10.jpg)
this is a weird one alright... okay so the concept is basically split into two halves here (reminds me of razia's shadow by forgive durden, which had a similar issue - ), the second half is not nearly as much my style as the first half and honestly feels like a lot of the songs there are way too long too, but the first half is pretty consistently great. i'm glad i followed the lyrics on genius while i was listening since it's pretty easy to follow the plot that way, and it's maybe a bit overwrought but makes for good music nonetheless. still not fully wild about this whole thing though, we'll see
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0583722335_10.jpg)
yeah i basically heard all the important parts of this one already, the three tracks you didn't send are all ambient-y atmospheric things. it's a better experience to listen to it this way than on the EP you sent though, that's all i really have to add
gonna try and power through a lot of these this week, hopefully
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I cant disagree with your assessment of the Kardashev EP. It's a great bit of music on it's own, but I had an epiphany while listening to it and out came the EP you got. :-\
The new album they are working on is supposed to expand on that sound and story. I believe they are trying to pull a Coheed and Cambria with a multi album story.
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one more for tonight
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1Ov3L13iLL._SL1500_.jpg)
mmm there's a few good tracks here but my assessment basically boils down to "well it's not as good as the phoebe bridgers solo album so i'm not gonna bother checking this out further until after i've gotten that one". dominos is absolutely the standout track among the bunch. a few tracks i was kinda meh on, especially the synthpop-y one
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(https://manofmuchmetal.files.wordpress.com/2018/03/bo_to-c_1500x1500.jpg?w=750)
i'm not super surprising by this but the rest of this album isn't as interesting as the song i was sent. it basically is mostly just... power metal, all right.
the djenty guitar tones are about the only notable flavor, i listened through half of this and was just bored, it ain't awful but not for me
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1770304495_10.jpg)
this album as a whole is kind of a slow burn and i feel like it'd need several listens for me to properly comment on it. i did enjoy it but i didn't love it either. i also kind of want to check out a few of their older albums just because but i might do that after getting this one (if i do) 'cause that takes time
i also started the nailed to obscurity album but got pulled into something else after the first song so i'll listen to the rest of that + the one i cinema album after that. don't have super high hopes for the latter there either but hey we'll see
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(https://newnoisemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/nailed-to-obscurity-black-frost.jpg)
on the whole i'd say that yeah, i do like, this, BUT. the sound is a bit dry and not really too dynamic. i'll get a relisten but I don't imagine myself ever getting too excited about this sound
(https://s.mxmcdn.net/images-storage/albums3/7/4/5/4/7/6/31674547_800_800.jpg)
liked this better than i was expecting, even if it's not super diverse. they're good at writing hooks and riffs in general, just that there's not a ton of meat to most of these songs and i suspect it would wear out on repeated listens quickly.
that's, uhh, it for the last round. oof
puppies sent me his concept album so i might do my first listen of that tomorrow. still waiting on the other two.
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Im going to try to get this in by the end of the day tomorrow. Having a hard time narrowing things.
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Im going to try to get this in by the end of the day tomorrow. Having a hard time narrowing things.
Tell me about it. My concept album started with a list of like 40 songs and I just had to narrow it down from there....
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Sent something devastating. Time to bring home the victory! :tup
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as seems to be this roulette's standard, ariich is the last to send :corn
will listen to seneca's tonight after i barrel through new release lists
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Yeah but I've always been on time, and will be again. :P Have actually been away this week but am back now.
Yeah the One I Cinema album is solid, I'd say give it some more listens and see if it settles well with you. So many great riffs and hooks.
And yeah Borealis don't have a great deal of variety so I'm not particularly surprised by your reaction. They're really really at what they do, just what they do is fairly limited. The other album I sent you a song from, Purgatory, is better IMO but you may still find it fairly samey.
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ok sent hangman when
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hangrich pt. 1
________ - T__ __nd____t _____
T___ ____ - ________ T__n__
T__ ____n _f __nd_ - D__t
T__ ___t__ - ____t__ __t__
_______ ___n ______ - ___ _____ ___
___d_ _f D_____t__n - T__n ____nd _____n
____d__n _f N___ - T__ ________t_ _f ____t
____ D__n_ - _____ _nd __ F_t_d _n _t’_ ____nn_n_
_______ ________ - _____d T__ ____
__n__ - ___n_d__
___d ____n - T__ N___t __ __t
____ _______n - _____d_
____n - T___nn_
_____ _t___n__n - ___t__ _f __t
N__t__n__ ___t__ - _’__ ___t ___ _n _n____t D___n___
_____ F___ - _t___ _f __
T__ ____n _f __nd_ - __t_ _f __d_
D__ F_____n D____ - _nd _f t__ ___d
________ - T__ __d_ _____t__ (______ _n_____)
Letters Guessed:
DTFN
Puppies waits 1
fun fact: seneca and ariich each sent 12 songs, puppies sent 11, but his album is by far the longest :corn
i'll do first listen to ariich's in a bit & put up impressions after that. i dunno how useful first impressions will be when i only have three albums & it's hard to form a strong impression on this much music right away
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Give me that D.
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T
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fun fact: seneca and ariich each sent 12 songs, puppies sent 11, but his album is by far the longest :corn
If you give me 90 minutes to work with I'm going to use it... :biggrin:
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Final Round First Impressions
Aside from one song I feel like this one is pretty cohesive as well as most of the artists bringing their own sound to the table, and on the whole it works pretty well.
It’s hard to comment on this one in a first impression context because I can already tell this is the kind of thing that’s either going to grow on me with relistens as I get more familiar with the songs, or lose my interest and start to bore me.
There’s certainly a few tracks here I’m looking forward to revisiting and I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some growers either but it’s not blowing me away either.
Song breakdowns:
GREAT - 0
GOOD - 7
DECENT - 18
AVERAGE - 9
MEDIOCRE - 0
BAD - 0
N/A - 1
y'all have gotten really good at finding stuff I like but don't love immediately :P
the N/A is an intro or interlude track I did not consider substantial enough to rate, is all I'll say, it doesn't mean anything else
also, hangmeme is updated
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Give me the F for Fuck ariich! ;D
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Show me N
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updated above
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Let's have an H for Haha Tim.
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:lol
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:heart
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There’s a reason there’s no great songs here. Just sayin’. :P
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______r_ - Th_ __nd____t __r__
Tori Amos - Precious Things
The Reign of Kindo - D__t
Th_ ___th_ - ____tr_ _at__
_r___r_ A_an __a___ - ___ __a__ _a_
___d_ _f D____!
___d_ __ D____at__n - T_rn ____nd R____n
Children of Nova - The Complexity of Light
H___ Dr_n_ - ___r_ _nd __ Fat_d _n _t’_ ____nn_n_
_
A___a__ _____a__ - ____nd Th_ ____
__n__ - ___n_d_r
__rd H_r_n - Th_ N__ht __ __t
A___ Ha___r_n - _r___d_
____n - T_rann_
_a_ra _t___n__n - _a_t_r _f Art
Nokturnal Mortum - _’__ ___t ___ _n An____t Dar_n___
_arah F___ - _t_r_ _f __
The Reign of Kindo - __t_ _f __d_
Dog Fashion Disco - _nd _f Th_ R_ad
______r_ - Th_ R_d_ _a___t__ (A___r_ An_____)
Letters Guessed:
DTFNHRAQ
Parama waits 1
-
Children of Nova - The Complexity of Light :tup
-
the complexity of right
-
I'm not sure which of those impressions is mine, but I'll take the first one.
-
i'm probably not even gonna put up hangman part 2 at this rate :corn
-
R
-
Phone update but I don't think I missed anything
-
The Reign of Kindo
Dog Fashion Disco
-
A!
-
Tori Amos - Precious Things
-
Correct things
-
Sarah Farron sent by Scar :neverusethis:
-
The Grand Conjuration is actually on all three albums I was sent :metal :metal :metal
-
Nokturnal Mortum
-
Give me Q
-
No Q's!
-
I
-
ariich:
Psion - Tyranny
The Reign of Kindo - City of Gods
Soilwork - The Ride Majestic (Aspire Angelic)
Soilwork - The Windswept Mercy
The Reign of Kindo - Dust
Dog Fashion Disco - End Of The Road
seneca:
Laura Stevenson - Master of Art
Tori Amos - Precious Things
Sarah Fimm - Story of Us
The Smiths - Cemetry Gates
Tori Amos - Precious Things
Jonsi - Kolnidur
_r___r_ A_an Isa___ - _i_ __a__ _a_
___ds __ D_s__ati_n - T_rn ____nd R_as_n
Children of Nova - The Complexity of Light
H___ Dr_n_ - ___r_ _nd Is Fat_d In It’s ___innin_
A_i_ai_ _i__ia_s - ____nd Th_ __i_
__rd H_r_n - Th_ Ni_ht __ __t
A___ Ha___r_n - _r___d_
Nokturnal Mortum - I’__ ___t ___ In An_i__t Dar_n_ss
Letters Guessed:
DTFNHRAQIS
Puppies waits 1
-
End Of the Road
-
S
Laura Stevenson - Master of Art
Psion - Tyranny
Soilwork - The Ride Majestic (Aspire Angelic) sent by Ariich
-
Will update the S's when i get home
Also y'all can guess who sent what whenever too, clean up this hangmess some
-
S
Laura Stevenson - Master of Art
Psion - Tyranny
Soilwork - The Ride Majestic (Aspire Angelic) sent by Ariich
Seneca sent Laura Stevenson?
Ariich sent Psion and Soilwork, in case you missed it.
Sarah Fimm - Story of Us sent by Seneca
-
Someone sent Poison to Parama? I thought Ghost Malone quit.
-
Someone sent Poison to Parama? I thought Ghost Malone quit.
:lol
you might want to get your eyes checked :biggrin:
Kindo - City of Gods sent by Seneca maybe
-
okay all updated now
-
The Smiths which must be Seneca because he sent them to me.
-
The Smiths which must be Seneca because he sent them to me.
The song is Cemetry Gates.
And no, I did not make a typo.
-
Other Kindo is dust. I'm guessing those are Ariich
-
Jonsi - Kolnidur probably Seneca
Soilwork - The Windswept Mercy - Ariich
Tori Amos must be Seneca
-
The Smiths which must be Seneca because he sent them to me.
The song is Cemetry Gates.
And no, I did not make a typo.
What do you mean? Song is spelled s-o-n-g.
-
Oh yeah, Dog Fashion Disco is Ariich
-
Tori Amos must be Seneca
Whats that supposed to mean? So what if it is? You trying to fight?
-
Tori Amos must be Seneca
Whats that supposed to mean? So what if it is? You trying to fight?
:lol
I just meant considering the other stuff you sent, it fits right in.... :|
-
:-*
-
I've just gotten word that seneca is Tori Amos in real life.
-
I've just gotten word that seneca is Tori Amos in real life.
This explains why he (she?) got so defensive... :biggrin:
Someone guess a letter, I have no idea what any of the rest are.... :corn
-
Nokturnal Mortum is surely Puppies, and probably so is Children of Nova.
-
ariich:
Psion - Tyranny
The Reign of Kindo - City of Gods
Soilwork - The Ride Majestic (Aspire Angelic)
Soilwork - The Windswept Mercy
The Reign of Kindo - Dust
Dog Fashion Disco - End Of The Road
seneca:
Laura Stevenson - Master of Art
Tori Amos - Precious Things
Sarah Fimm - Story of Us
The Smiths - Cemetry Gates
Tori Amos - Precious Things
Jonsi - Kolnidur
Puppies:
Nokturnal Mortum - I'll Meet You In Ancient Darkness
Children of Nova - The Complexity of Light
_r___r_ A_an Isa___ - _i_ __a__ _a_
___ds __ D_s__ati_n - T_rn ____nd R_as_n
H___ Dr_n_ - ___r_ _nd Is Fat_d In It’s ___innin_
A_i_ai_ _i__ia_s - ____nd Th_ __i_
Lord Huron - The Night We Met
A___ Ha___r_n - _r___d_
Letters Guessed:
DTFNHRAQIS
Puppies waits 1
-
Nokturnal Mortum is surely Puppies, and probably so is Children of Nova.
How dare you assume my bands!!! >:(
:splodetard:
-
I'll put up part 2 tonight btw, yeah
-
Aha, the Nokturnal Mortum song is I'll Meet You In Ancient Darkness, which seems to be a translation from its actual title which is in Russian.
-
Aha, the Nokturnal Mortum song is I'll Meet You In Ancient Darkness, which seems to be a translation from its actual title which is in Russian.
Yea, I figured that would work better for Hangmemes, instead of people trying to guess Russian characters...
-
Aha, the Nokturnal Mortum song is I'll Meet You In Ancient Darkness, which seems to be a translation from its actual title which is in Russian.
It's in Ukrainian, actually.
-
Aha, the Nokturnal Mortum song is I'll Meet You In Ancient Darkness, which seems to be a translation from its actual title which is in Russian.
It's in Ukrainian, actually.
That's what I meant :lol
-
Dammit, I make that mistake far too often. Apologies.
-
Dammit, I make that mistake far too often. Apologies.
I mean it didn't offend me or anything, just gotta give credit where it's due. ;)
Lord Huron - The Night We Met
-
For sure I didn't take it that way, and I found your post helpful, I just on a personal level don't like making simple mistakes that implicitly lump different groups of people together. :tup
-
I lump all music into two categories:
Paramacore
Bad music
-
ariich:
Psion - Tyranny
The Reign of Kindo - City of Gods
Soilwork - The Ride Majestic (Aspire Angelic)
Soilwork - The Windswept Mercy
The Reign of Kindo - Dust
Dog Fashion Disco - End Of The Road
seneca:
Laura Stevenson - Master of Art
Tori Amos - Precious Things
Sarah Fimm - Story of Us
The Smiths - Cemetry Gates
Tori Amos - Precious Things
Jonsi - Kolnidur
Puppies:
Nokturnal Mortum - I'll Meet You In Ancient Darkness
Children of Nova - The Complexity of Light
Part 1:
_re__r_ A_an Isa___ - _i_ __a__ _a_
___ds __ Des__ati_n - T_rn _e__nd Reas_n
H_pe Dr_ne - E_er_ End Is Fated In It’s _e_innin_
A_i_ai_ _i__ia_s - _e__nd The _ei_
Lord Huron - The Night We Met
A__e Ha___ren - Pre__de
Part 2:
_____ ____ - ___’t __ ___e
T__t_e____te_ - ________
___e _____e_ - ___e
________ E____t__ - __t__e__
________ - __t_e_ ___ ___, __t_____ T_e _____ __ ____
_____ - ______
P____ - _e____
___e ______e_ - _et __
___ _______ _____ - _t____ __ ____t____
_____ ____ - _______ __ee
______ _____ - _e__ _e_ ___e_
Pe___e____ ___p - ___p___e_ ________
_p_e_ T___ - ____e_t_e_
________ E____t__ - T_ T_e ____e_
__________ - P__e_
___t_____ ___t__ - _____
_t______ ___e_____ ____ _: T_e __ee_ __ _e_t___ T____
_______ __ee__
T_e _____e_
Letters Guessed:
ETP
Puppies waits 1
-
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
-
Updat-EEEEEEEE"'D
-
T
-
Show me P for Pneumonia
-
the Evin Townsend Project
-
Did someone send Phish?
or is that Piano - Legacy?
-
nobody sent phish, thankfully
your other guess is not correct either
-
In that case I have no idea what that one is. :metal
-
Roads of Desolation - Torn Beyond Reason
Abigail Williams - Behind the Veil
-
I
Perihelion Ship
-
Roads of Desolation - Torn Beyond Reason
Abigail Williams - Behind the Veil
Woods of Desolation, in fact.
And unless seneca's album is really schizophrenic, those are surely both Puppies. As is Perihelion Ship.
-
ariich:
Psion - Tyranny
The Reign of Kindo - City of Gods
Soilwork - The Ride Majestic (Aspire Angelic)
Soilwork - The Windswept Mercy
The Reign of Kindo - Dust
Dog Fashion Disco - End Of The Road
seneca:
Lord Huron - The Night We Met
Laura Stevenson - Master of Art
The Smiths - Cemetry Gates
Tori Amos - Precious Things
Sarah Fimm - Story of Us
Jonsi - Kolnidur
Puppies:
Hope Drone - Every End Is Fated In Its Beginning
Nokturnal Mortum - I'll Meet You In Ancient Darkness
Abigail Williams - Beyond the Veil
Children of Nova - The Complexity of Light
Woods of Desolation - Torn Beyond Reason
Moonsorrow - Pimea
Part 1:
_re__r_ A_an Isa___ - _i_ __a__ _a_
A__e Ha___ren - Pre__de
Part 2:
___i_ _r__ - _i_’t __ ___e
Puppies: Todtgelichter - ___i____
___e ____re_ - ___e
____r_i_ E___st_r - _it__e_s
_
S_i___r_ - __t_er ___ S__, __t__i__ T_e ___r_ __ ____
___r_ - ______
ariich: Psion - Re__i_
___e _____re_ - _et __
___ __s_i__ _is__ - Str___ __ _i__t_i__
___i_ _r__ - ____i__ _ree
I__ei_ _____ - _e_s _e_ S__er
Puppies: Perihelion Ship - _isp___e_ R_i_____
_p_e_ T_i_ - ____e_t_e_
____r_i_ E__st_r - T_ T_e ____es
Puppies: Nokturnal Mortum - _____
St_r____ _s_e__i__ ____ _: T_e __ee_ __ _esti__ T_r__
___i__ _ree__
T_e ___r_e_
Letters Guessed:
ETPISR
Ruba waits 1
-
Hope Drone - Every End Is Fated In Its Beginning, by Puppies
The Abigail Williams song is Beyond the Veil
Guessing the Lord Huron song is probably seneca.
EDIT: Oh and let's have an S for part 2.
-
Almost certainly messed something up updating from phone because S is a doozy
-
Gimme R. :yarr
-
Aye aye captain
-
Todtgelichter
-
Looks like another Nokturnal Mortum song from Puppies in part 2.
-
Another Psion song for Ariich
-
i'm sleeping but everything has been up to date for a bit :corn
thirdpressions should come tomorrow, i have one more album to do 'em for
-
Moonsorrow? I thought it was banned actually.
Just checked and yeah it's banned, so I guess not Moonsorrow. :lol
-
it is moonsorrow, someone asked really nicely
-
The song is Pimeä
-
Well that's obviously Puppies and presumably so is Todtgelichter.
-
Yeah
-
thirdpressions my dudes
1.
1. Bold of you to start your album with one of its strongest tracks. Wait, there’s nothing bold about that at all, that should be expected.
2. There’s a big sticking point about this one for me, but besides that it’s… fine, if not a bit underwhelming.
3. Stylistically right up my alley and I like it a fair bit but I’m still waiting for it to really “click” for me.
4. Okay, I admit I might have been wrong.
5. This is fine enough, I suppose, but it doesn’t work for me in the way that the best of this type of music does and I find it a bit uncompelling, even.
2.
1. There’s a side of this song I quite like, and then a side of it I’m kind of turned off by. Take a wild guess which side is more prominent.
2. Vaguely cheating, but I suspect this is more up my alley than most of this artist’s other stuff anyways.
3. This was already my favorite song of the round on first listen and it’s only gotten better on relistens. Really cool stuff.
4. Much better than what I was expecting from this.
5. This isn’t really bad at all but it’s a very uninspiring iteration of a well-worn sound. Still like it well enough but I doubt it’ll stick with me.
3.
1. A very straightforward song but effective at what it does. Bold of you to st- I already used that joke.
2. I didn’t “get” this song on first listen and didn’t like it very much as a result. I “get” it now, but I still wouldn’t consider it a favorite, or even close.
3. Ah, here we go, finally! A song in this roulette that’s completely ruined for me by the lyrics!
4. Can’t say I’ve ever heard a song quite like this one. I like it, but… actually yeah, that’s it.
5. This is basically cheating. Can’t say I’m complaining though, it’s the best song here.
i have a decently structured ranking in my mind. i know this because it's been the same ranking all three times.
also, i read the lyrics during the third listens, so
i'm definitely gonna comment on the concepts when i do my final writeups, even if they won't massively factor into scores or rankings
-
Pretty sure the first one isn't mine.
-
there is a 66.6% chance you're correct
-
Hmm... ive no idea
-
I see mine! :neverusethis:
-
btw I absolutely will leave hangmanen unfinished if y'all don't keep guessing stuff so, shrug
-
Serves you right for kicking me out. :P
-
i mean there are several people i've kicked out so far that i know have a lot more great stuff for me
just the way roulettes work :P
my next roulette is gonna be a proper scored, no elimination roulette tho
-
Alright, I'll guess D
-
ariich:
Psion - Tyranny
The Reign of Kindo - City of Gods
Soilwork - The Ride Majestic (Aspire Angelic)
Dog Fashion Disco - Struck by Lightning
Soilwork - The Windswept Mercy
The Reign of Kindo - Dust
Dog Fashion Disco - End Of The Road
seneca:
Lord Huron - The Night We Met
Laura Stevenson - Master of Art
The Smiths - Cemetry Gates
David Gray - Falling Free
Tori Amos - Precious Things
David Gray - Ain't No Love
Sarah Fimm - Story of Us
Ingrid Olava - Mens Jeg Sover
Jonsi - Kolnidur
Puppies:
Hope Drone - Every End Is Fated In Its Beginning
Nokturnal Mortum - I'll Meet You In Ancient Darkness
Abigail Williams - Beyond the Veil
Children of Nova - The Complexity of Light
Mandroid Echostar - Citadels
Woods of Desolation - Torn Beyond Reason
Todtgelichter - Oblivion
Moonsorrow - Pimea
Part 1:
_re__r_ A_an Isa___ - _i_ __a__ _a_
A__e Ha___ren - Pre__de
Part 2:
A__e _a__ren - ___e
_
S_i___r_ - _at_er And S_n, _at__in_ T_e ___rd __ D__n
___r_ - _____n
ariich: Psion - Re__i_
A__e _a___ren - _et __
Puppies: Perihelion Ship - _isp_a_ed Rain_a__
_p_e_ T_in - __n_e_t_e_
Mandroid Echostar - To The Wolves
Puppies: Nokturnal Mortum - ____a
Star_a__ As_en_i_n ____ _: T_e __ee_ __ Destin_ T_rn_
_a_in_ _ree__
T_e ___rne_
Letters Guessed:
ETPISRDNA
ariich waits 1
-
Mandroid Echostar-To The Wolves
-
There's a couple David Grays up there which must be Seneca
Ain't No Love
Falling Free
-
Show me N
-
all correct, all updated above
-
Ingrid Olava - Mens Jeg Sover sent by Seneca
-
Dog Fashion Disco - Struck by Lightning
-
Dog Fashion Disco - Struck by Lightning
sent by ariich
-
a shocking revelation
-
The Todtgelichter doesn't appear to match up to any of their songs. I thought it might be Oblivion but it needs an extra i for that.
Let's have an A.
-
nah it's a typo
-
Mandroid Echostar - Citadels
Puppies, presumably.
-
Kindo is performing next so let's pretend I'm listening to ariich's album tonight
-
Show me B in hangmang
-
And an O as well.
-
yeah i'm dead tired i'll update in the morning
TYS played a hundred-minute set where over half of it was new stuff so here's my early review of their new album it's great
-
yeah i'm dead tired i'll update in the morning
TYS played a hundred-minute set where over half of it was new stuff so here's my early review of their new album it's great
:tup
Looking forward to Friday's show!
-
i looked at some other setlists and it seems like they have played shorter sets elsewhere so you may not get the same full set but most setlists have at least the first single & title track on it alongside an as-of-yet unnamed instrumental :tup
anyways i'll update hangmeme tomorrow morning & also tomorrow night i'm gonna do the first writeup, results starting on saturday. pretty sure i already know who the winner is but i plan to post results in randomly-generated order just to keep the suspense going a little longer
-
Soilwork - Father and Son, Watching the World Go Down. That's ariich I guess
Aphex Twin
-
ariich:
Psion - Tyranny
The Reign of Kindo - City of Gods
Soilwork - The Ride Majestic (Aspire Angelic)
Psion - Recoil
Dog Fashion Disco - Struck by Lightning
Soilwork - The Windswept Mercy
The Reign of Kindo - Dust
Dog Fashion Disco - End Of The Road
Soilwork - Father and Son, Watching the World Go Down
seneca:
Lord Huron - The Night We Met
Laura Stevenson - Master of Art
The Smiths - Cemetry Gates
Bjork - Cocoon
David Gray - Falling Free
Tori Amos - Precious Things
David Gray - Ain't No Love
Sarah Fimm - Story of Us
Gregory Alan Isakov - Big Black Car
Ingrid Olava - Mens Jeg Sover
Jonsi - Kolnidur
Puppies: Starfall Ascension Book 3: The Wheel of Destiny Turns
Hope Drone - Every End Is Fated In Its Beginning
Nokturnal Mortum - I'll Meet You In Ancient Darkness
Abigail Williams - Beyond the Veil
Children of Nova - The Complexity of Light
Mandroid Echostar - To The Wolves
Mandroid Echostar - Citadels
Woods of Desolation - Torn Beyond Reason
Todtgelichter - Oblivion
Moonsorrow - Pimea
Part 1:
Ac_e Ha___ren - Prelude
Part 2:
Ac_e _a__ren - _o_e
Ac_e _a___ren - _et _o
Puppies: Perihelion Ship - _isp_aced Rain_a__
Seneca: Aphex Twin - __n_e_t_e_
Puppies: Nokturnal Mortum - _o__a
_a_in_ _ree__
The Journey
Letters Guessed:
ETPISRDNABOC
Puppies waits 1
-
Star_a__ Ascension Book 1: The Wheel of Destiny Turns
Not sure what the first word is, and not sure about the s at the end of "Turns" as S is already guessed. Another typo?
And this sounds very much like a Puppies title.
-
Go look at the round 0 or 1 results if you wanna know what the missing word is
It's not book 1, anyways
-
Oh cool, Starfall Ascension Book 3 then.
Honestly never looked at the EP titles and themes in previous rounds, just the songs and write-ups. :lol
-
I see Aphex Twin
Show me C
-
The Journey
-
Bjork Cocoon seneca
Aphex Twin is also seneca
That other Mandroid Echostar song is Puppies
-
Updated some crap
-
THe Psion song is Recoil. I'm pretty sure that second song in part one is called Prelude, but I have no Idea the artist :corn
Gregory Alan Isakov - Big Black Car, which is seneca
-
one writeup down.
i'm adding small comments on the concept & a score alongside that but don't expect that to factor into the rankings very much if at all. i kind of already knew going into these writeups what the final ranking of these albums was gonna be and it's pretty much irrelevant the quality of the concept alongside the music. the one that wins is the one i enjoy listening to the most
-
Win or lose, I had fun making the concept album. :metal
-
that's the idea :tup
i just really love putting together EPs/albums like this tbh. someone else host an EP roulette so i can have the time of my life. i was gonna make an ariich EP just for the lolz but he told me he's running a roulette fairly soon so i didn't
-
Perhaps I'll do a half EP, half 2019 missed albums roulette at the end of the year. 2-3 Rounds each :corn
-
that's the idea :tup
i just really love putting together EPs/albums like this tbh. someone else host an EP roulette so i can have the time of my life. i was gonna make an ariich EP just for the lolz but he told me he's running a roulette fairly soon so i didn't
Haven't decided when yet. Might give myself a bit more time to finish exploring artists from my last 2 roulettes (almost finished properly exploring all the 8.5+ scoring artists including from post-roulette submissions, but want to explore more of the 8.0s as well) and then start my next roulette in August when I get back from my holiday so I can dedicate time and attention to it. But yeah there's a good chance I'll steal Puppies' greatest hits and concept album ideas!
-
So I saw the new poll question...
seneca wins yet another round to nobody's surprise
puppies wins my roulette to ensure every one of my roulettes has a different winner
ariich wins again and TAC gets really angry about it
Nope..I'm good. I'm out now, which honestly is better than getting my guts ripped out in the finals. :lol
-
poll amended
-
Voted!
-
Option 1!
-
alright, i've got all three writeups done, just need to organize results & do the stack ranking & all that. gonna just post third place right now and second & first tomorrow morning, because...
long story short; there is a very clear third, second, and first place here. One of these I'm kind of meh on overall, another I liked well enough, the third being one of the best submissions of the entire roulette, maybe even the best, it'd be close. I also feel like that's gonna end up reflected in the stack ranking as out of the 8 songs that cracked 8/10 or higher, 5 are on the same album, and most of the lowest scores are on the same album as well, though the in-between of that is a bit more all over the place. It's kind of interesting & surprising how easily that slotted out.
-
Time to lose!
-
Time to lose!
-
Results, Pt. 1
3rd Place: senecadawg2 – Falling Freely (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2nBnXJhEWgYCsoA5nMEobR?si=WAXuHmcGSQ2HRRS0HImqXQ)
1. Lord Huron – The Night We Met (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGF7PswOENQ)
First Impressions:
As ever I have no real clue what to expect from your album. I know a few of these artists but I’m not particularly familiar with any of them. This has a nice simple, atmospheric guitar line but it’s really more about those layers of vocals than anything. Picks up the energy a bit in the middle but returns to the softer sounds by the end. I think paying better attention to vocals might help this one, especially considering the concept, but on first listen I still like it well enough, yeah. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Yeah, at the end of the day this is a pretty simple song, but it’s a pretty effective one for what it’s trying to do. I uhh. Dunno if I have a ton else to say about it. The vocals work for me and I definitely feel it well enough, though I don’t feel it as strongly as some of the other stuff you’ve sent. I enjoy it for what it is, though, for sure.
7.5/10
2. Laura Stevenson – Master of Art (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeH2-XA1k6Q)
First Impressions:
That most famous drumbeat to kick off this one, huh. I get why this one has the tone it does in the context of your album and I think it sounds fine enough, I guess, but it’s a bit… uninteresting, to me. I’m not a huge fan of her voice, mostly when she goes for some of those high notes. I don’t have the time to juggle lyrics sheets and doing write-ups, especially with songs this short, unfortunately, so maybe having lyrics would help this one, but then again who knows. It’s not unpleasant, I just don’t get much from it. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
This one grew on me a little, I’d say. The vocal melodies were a bit weird at first but I got used to ‘em soon enough. And while I’m still not a huge fan of her voice, she sings passionately enough that I can at least feel something from this. I don’t think I find it particularly memorable and aside from the vocals there really isn’t a ton to this one, though. It also feels like it goes one chorus longer than it needs to. I think an unspoken criteria that I’ve been applying to a lot of songs is that for something to be a 7 or close to a 7, it’s something I’d want to actually follow up on, on the basis of just the one song. And here, I am not feeling anywhere close to that, I feel like an entire album of this would make me sick, but this song in isolation… y’know, it’s alright.
6.5/10
3. The Smiths – Cemetry Gates (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5cZ-oLVJzY)
First Impressions:
This is possibly the most generic band name ever. Wow. No real clue what to expect from this one. And… I don’t really have much of anything to say about it, either. It sounds fine enough, again. Bright-sounding music in this vein is something that rarely clicks with me though. Uhh. I dig the bass work, if nothing else. It’s also really brief, too. Mmm. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
I basically echo my thoughts on the previous song towards this one. It’s… kind of a depressing topic for a song this bright and upbeat but then framed in a romantic way somehow such that it actually kind of works with the music? I’m again not a huge fan of the vocals, but the melodies themselves are nice. And it’s not as dry-sounding as I originally thought. It’s even more musically basic, though, and kind of one note in that regards too. I get the appeal of this, but it’s kind of outside of my wheelhouse enough that I can’t really imagine ever being too into these guys.
6.25/10
4. Bjork – Cocoon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqneaw3Vrzk)
First Impressions:
Bjork is one of those artists I’ve known about forever but never really dug much into, aside from the one song I got from her in my first roulette, and probably a few other scattered songs. The instrumental of this one sounds like a mum song, except maybe not as lush. And she has a nice voice, yeah. I feel it’s maybe a bit too mellow & lacking in dynamics so far, though. Yeah, I think I would like this more if there was a bit more to it, as it is it feels a bit too long for what it is, I like how it sounds though. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Sooooo this one crosses a line for me. I am asexual and explicitly sexual topics like this song inherently is make me super uncomfortable, I really don’t want to hear lyrics like these, at least not if I can actually understand them. Aaand… the song if you take away the vocals would be super dang boring, too. Like, she sings well enough. The song if you ignore the lyrics is pretty inoffensive musically, though not very interesting either. But Iiii really haven’t wanted to listen to this after like the second listens where I was actually paying attention to lyrics and figured out what it was about. Yeah, sorry, hard pass.
3/10
5. David Gray – Falling Free (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo7PWn7il_I)
First Impressions:
The one artist who has two songs, so let’s hope I don’t hate them. This one seems to be a piano ballad. Fair enough. He’s got a pretty emotive voice and the piano is kind of sparse but does enough to drive a mood. There’s not much else to say about it though. It is what it is. I liked it a bit more than the past few tracks, if nothing else. I can feel something off this one. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I still really don’t have a ton to say about either David Gray song, honestly. They’re nice enough piano ballads, performed pretty well. I can’t say I really feel much of anything off either of them though. I guess the climax of this one is at the very least got something to it. I guess songs about death make me feel a lot more than songs about love, huh? I don’t know, I feel inclined to be at least a bit kind to this one on the basis that it doesn’t really have anything wrong with it at all, but I honestly wouldn’t be able to tell you what it sounds like without listening to it.
6.25/10
6. Aphex Twin – Jynweythek (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrzVLU74itM)
First Impressions:
Another real short one here, I’d expect this to be an instrumental interlude? It’s uhh. A unique enough sound, I guess. I don’t really feel like it has any appeal to me, though. I don’t really get anything out of this. Don’t find it at all unpleasant to listen to, I’m just really wondering why it was included at all. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Okay, I know conceptually why this song was included. And it’s pretty short, so it’s not like it takes up a ton of time in the album, either. But uuhh. Musically this is nothing. I don’t dislike it, I don’t like it either. It’s clock sounds to symbolize the passage of time. I feel like you could’ve probably had that effect in a gradual way rather than hammer it home with this song’s existence and it would’ve both had a better effect conceptually and not wasted 2 minutes of my time each listen to this album, but. Whatever.
5/10
7. Tori Amos – Precious Things (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T71bPTAuCw8)
First Impressions:
Okay, this one starts off kind of quiet but it does pick things up a little bit, which I feel like this album was desperately in need of at this point. In general I feel like this has a more unique sound to it than pretty much everything up to this point, at the very least I can’t draw any comparisons to anything I’ve heard before with it. It’s got some singer-songwriter vibes, some rock vibes, and even a bit of country twang. I can’t say I’m super in love with it, but I like it more than anything else on this album up until now for sure. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Yeah, this one has been pretty cool on every listen to this album thus far. For one, it’s got a ton more swell to it than anything that came before it, and it’s just generally more dynamic. There’s some of those quieter moments with the tense piano line and even the muted screaming vocals. The percussion feels like it drives the mood the most and when some of the bigger drum hits come in for the louder moments it really makes them sound propulsive and effective. And when the song really kicks in around the three minute mark for a pretty solid climax… mmm yeah that’s good stuff. I sort of feel like I almost want it to get more intense than it does end up getting, but that’s maybe because of how much of a metalhead I am and this doesn’t sound quite powerful enough for my tastes. I still definitely get a lot more from this than a lot of the previous songs here though, for sure.
7.5/10
8. David Gray – Ain't No Love (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMSsvjVjOxs)
First Impressions:
Okay, so both songs from this guy seem to be piano ballads then. This one adds in a bit of orchestration to back up the piano and vocals too, though. I don’t have much to say about this that I didn’t already say about the last one. Still drives up some emotive resonance, he’s still a solid singer, it’s still pretty nice. I guess I like this one slightly more but it’s slight alright. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I feel like the main difference between this one and the other one is that that one is driven mostly by the vocals, whereas the music is pulling most of the weight on this one, while the vocals do sound nice here they don’t really reach the intensity, which I guess for the subject matter makes sense. Meanwhile there’s strings and choir vocals and some plucky instrument I can’t name. Again I don’t have a ton else to say beyond that. Still not that emotionally impactful, but, it’s nice enough.
6.5/10
9. Sarah Fimm – Story of Us (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3SXTUczrkw)
First Impressions:
A bit of a low-key electronic groove to this one, another pretty solid though not particularly unique vocal performance. I recognize this artist’s name but I’m not actually sure from where. It’s again a bit lacking in dynamics for me, seems to mostly be carried by the vocals and presumably the lyrics. This one does feel a bit long for what it’s doing, though, felt a little bit bored of it by the end. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Still not sure where or how I recognize the name. There’s something about the downbeat, chill vibe of this one that’s actually grown on me a little since my first listen. There’s actually some trip-hop vibes to this one, even. It is definitely a little dry and not particularly catchy or memorable, but I think it’s better than I originally gave it credit for if nothing else.
6.5/10
10. Gregory Alan Isakov – Big Black Car (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgumMOMHpns)
First Impressions:
Folksy acoustic piece here, something about the vibe of this one is really working for me though. Especially when those strings come in towards the middle. There’s just something to the laidback, chill groove that appeals to me. Kind of reminds me of the Bill Callahan songs from your earlier EP, though it’s not going for that same vibe. It’s working for me, though. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
This song has a nice vibe to it. I already said that like five times in my first impression. I dunno what else I can really add! I like his voice and I like the vocal melodies. The simple instrumentation accompanying it is again pretty effective, even if not that special, and there’s a few moments of swell throughout to keep it feeling at least dynamic enough. It’s pretty solid.
7.25/10
11. Ingrid Olava – Mens Jeg Sover (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntXHNWrg2Hw)
First Impressions:
Okay I already know I’m likely to have trouble with this one, it being a piano ballad type song in a foreign language to boot. The sparse percussion up against the pianos gives this at least a bit of a different vibe, though. It’s a nice vibe, though. And this is a bit more dynamic than some of the other piano tracks here which does make it stand out. I don’t think it has the raw emotion of the David Gray tracks but makes up for it with its own little bits of flavor. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I genuinely don’t know what to say about this one. I just don’t get much of anything from it. I don’t even know what I got from it the first time. It sounds… nice. A bit shallow, perhaps. I did look up the lyrics but I don’t really remember them and I don’t have them in front of me right now. Sure, it’s kind of dynamic, but it’s also just not something I can really… feel, especially with the language barrier.
5.75/10
12. Jonsi – Kolniður (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlB_8TYnt88)
First Impressions:
I’ve never actually checked out Jonsi’s solo work surprisingly enough but considering he comes from a Sigur Ros pedigree I’d hope it’s pretty good. There’s definitely a good atmospheric swell to this right off the bat. Ahh and then the way it kicks in towards the middle. Uhh, yeah, I like this one a lot. Is that particularly fair? I dunno. Who cares though. It’s definitely a good climax to close off the album aside from just being a good song in of itself. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
On the other hand, the language barrier doesn’t really affect this one, since a bit part of the appeal is very much the instrumentation. Also because I’m already familiar with his vocals from all the Sigur Ros I’ve listened to. And this does kind of have some of the same vibes as Sigur Ros. Unsurprisingly. This feels like it wouldn’t be too out of place on Takk in particular. But no, whew, I’ve been missing out by not checking out his solo stuff before, there’s just a lot about this one I like, by a very sizeable margin my favorite on your album.
8.25/10
Concept:
There’s a lot of really clever things going on with this concept album. For one, the way it’s structured to always be alternating between male and female perspective, with only the very first song being the one with both their voices, though it’s situated chronologically after everything else on the album. And the use of the Aphex Twin song for the passage of time is I guess a clever thing even if I feel a more gradual shift would have worked just as well. And your comment about how “by the end, they can hardly understand each another” being represented by two songs in different languages is actually incredibly funny to think about. The progression of themes across each song is also pretty clear. It’s a sad but realistic story conveyed well by the songs used to craft it. Maybe not a particularly unique one, and I do have minor gripes as I’ve pointed out, but on the basis of just the concept alone this feels like the best executed of the three albums I was sent.
9/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
It’s hard to comment on this one in a first impression context because I can already tell this is the kind of thing that’s either going to grow on me with relistens as I get more familiar with the songs, or lose my interest and start to bore me. Considering that I feel this album picks up significantly towards the end I’d hope it’s the former rather than the latter, and there’s nothing here I disliked, but it’s not as strong of a first impression as any of your previous submissions so far have left on me either.
Final Thoughts:
Yeah, it’s kind of plain to see, but this was not ever really in the running for my favorite of the round. Hell, I’d probably call it my least favorite of your submissions. The concept is well-executed and there are a few songs here I like a fair bit, but there’s a lot here I can’t find more than just “nice”, and one or two I’m not much a fan of. It’s cohesive enough and structured well enough and all the pieces of a solid “album” are there except for the fact that a large portion of this kind of stuff is very hit and miss for me and there just weren’t a lot of hits. I feel like you focused too much on the concept at the expense of the songs themselves, or maybe just ran out of the kinds of songs I really like in this vein after having sent a bunch in previous rounds. I still don’t dislike this album but I didn’t get as much out of it as I would’ve hoped to.
Song Rankings:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Jonsi – Kolniður
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12. Lord Huron – The Night We Met
13.
14.
15. Tori Amos – Precious Things
16. Gregory Alan Isakov
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25. Sarah Fimm – Story of Us
26. David Gray – Ain't No Love
27. Laura Stevenson – Master of Art
28. David Gray – Falling Free
29. The Smiths – Cemetry Gates
30.
31. Ingrid Olava – Mens Jeg Sover
32.
33. Aphex Twin – Jynweythek
34. Bjork – Cocoon
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For the record, there are 21 songs that scored 7/10 or above this round. Two of y'all sent a lot of stuff that worked for me pretty well, like I said it was obscenely easy to rank these this time, sorry seneca
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Oof
I thought he was going to win. :lol
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(https://i.imgur.com/IERWc4Z.png)
look at how awful my followup for this round is gonna be lol
this is excluding the below too;
does anyone have anywhere i could listen to the Dog Fashion Disco album Sweet Nothings? cannot find it anywhere on the internet :lol
maybe Adultery too since that one seems to be notably higher reviewed than the rest tho if I like Sweet Nothings enough I might just not bother for now
I ended up including all the 6.75's in the followup list too just because they seemed interesting enough that I at least wanna give them a shot
also blacked out two bandcamp albums to prevent spoilers since this is vaguely in order of my scoring for these
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I mean, does this work in your country? Might not work whatsoever because I pay for the subscription but hey, worth a try:
https://music.yandex.ru/album/2003294
https://music.yandex.ru/album/716097 (Adultery)
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google translated the page and
"YANDEX.MUSIC IS NOT PLAYING IN YOUR COUNTRY YET"
so, nope :lol
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(https://i.imgur.com/IERWc4Z.png)
look at how awful my followup for this round is gonna be lol
this is excluding the below too;
does anyone have anywhere i could listen to the Dog Fashion Disco album Sweet Nothings? cannot find it anywhere on the internet :lol
maybe Adultery too since that one seems to be notably higher reviewed than the rest tho if I like Sweet Nothings enough I might just not bother for now
I ended up including all the 6.75's in the followup list too just because they seemed interesting enough that I at least wanna give them a shot
also blacked out two bandcamp albums to prevent spoilers since this is vaguely in order of my scoring for these
I ended up picking up both of those Dog Fashion Disco albums after Ariich sent them in my roulette. I'll PM you.
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google translated the page and
"YANDEX.MUSIC IS NOT PLAYING IN YOUR COUNTRY YET"
so, nope :lol
Try VPN then, that's how I browse DTF. And also how I use Spotify. And pretty much everything else except for Yandex.Music. :lol
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fair lol
i could set it up but puppies already sent me the albums so i think i'm good :lol
only using 'em to check out the albums, odds are i'm gonna get at least one of them if they're available anywhere
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fair lol
i could set it up but puppies already sent me the albums so i think i'm good :lol
only using 'em to check out the albums, odds are i'm gonna get at least one of them if they're available anywhere
I found the albums in a local record shop. Amazon has the CD versions of those albums.
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oh, yeah, if amazon has 'em then no problem finding them at all
just weird they ain't anywhere else online :lol
i actually was completely stumped trying to find End of the Road online anywhere so it's the only song of the roulette i haven't provided a link to listen to on its own
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(https://i.imgur.com/IERWc4Z.png)
look at how awful my followup for this round is gonna be lol
this is excluding the below too;
does anyone have anywhere i could listen to the Dog Fashion Disco album Sweet Nothings? cannot find it anywhere on the internet :lol
maybe Adultery too since that one seems to be notably higher reviewed than the rest tho if I like Sweet Nothings enough I might just not bother for now
I ended up including all the 6.75's in the followup list too just because they seemed interesting enough that I at least wanna give them a shot
also blacked out two bandcamp albums to prevent spoilers since this is vaguely in order of my scoring for these
I ended up picking up both of those Dog Fashion Disco albums after Ariich sent them in my roulette. I'll PM you.
Great to hear, I'd say those are probably their best two. Ad Nauseum and Committed to a Bright Future are great too.
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I recognize this artist’s name but I’m not actually sure from where.
Still not sure where or how I recognize the name.
She's been used in roulettes before. I think I got one of her songs from Shadow Ninja originally.
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that's probably it then
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Probably also this (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=44434.msg2032227#msg2032227).
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i legit don't even remember that song, lol
but that makes sense too
also ftr i am actually already starting my album listening but will hold on any comments until after final results. but between having caught up on my backlog list atm + having so many albums this time around i figured it's reasonable to just go ahead and start, i wanna check out some of these pretty bad anyways
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Results, Pt. 2
2nd Place: Puppies_On_Acid – Starfall Ascension Book 3: The Wheel of Destiny Turns (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14D1NFZTliqpA33s2PUpQsDOeYH2UCE36)
1. Hope Drone – Every End Is Fated In It's Beginning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxlJPoEE9OA)
First Impressions:
My understanding is that the first stretch of this album is black metal all the way down. Right out the gate I am liking the general tone of this one. I don’t think the guitar tones are quite as sharp as I’d like them but it still has plenty of atmosphere. I think DWeF have basically become the standard for “what black metal tones should sound like” for me because I just love their tones so much. There’s enough dynamics to this one too, some buildup at the start and a chill bit in the middle, but for the most part it sticks to intense walls of sound. I figure at this point you know what kind of black metal I tend to like and this fits the bill pretty well, though I don’t think it matches Altar of Plagues either. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
Of all the black metal on this album, this is the one that I’ve consistently found to be my favorite of the bunch. And there’s, uhh, a lot of black metal on this album. But I mean yeah. This isn’t especially unique but it’s got that kind of sound I like in black metal. It’s intense while still being decently melodic too, and it’s got a very dense sound to it that I always appreciate. I don’t really have a ton else to say about it? I don’t like it as much as Altar of Plagues, to be certain. They are kind of similar though. It’s definitely the most comparable to that song out of anything else here. I don’t have much else to say about it though. It’s pretty cool.
8/10
2. Nokturnal Mortum – I'll Meet You in Ancient Darkness (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a774jIhEuE4)
First Impressions:
So I forget if I called it out when you sent your auditing list but when I saw the song titles I was like “oh yeah that band” because I know I’ve listened to “Голос сталі” before but I wouldn’t ban it since I don’t remember it in the slightest. I’m looking at the track length of this one and listening to the start of it and I’m just like “oh. this is an interlude track isn’t it”. Which is completely fine to add, to be fair. But I just have no clue what I’m supposed to comment on in this, it’s the kind of track I ignore whenever I do “best/worst” songs from an album because it’s not intended to stand alone! I refuse to rate this, but I’ll add it in hangman at least. (N/A)
Final Thoughts:
I’m skipping this one and including it as part of the next song’s review, I guess.
3. Nokturnal Mortum – Molfa (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lUTKO4zO1g)
First Impressions:
Right, these were those folky black metal dudes. Uhh. The production of this feels a bit… dense. The drums are absolutely mixed too loud, the guitars end up blending into the background as a result, the folky elements are nice to have and give this a bit of personality but half the time they aren’t really providing any distinguishing melodies, though the violin (?) on this sounds pretty great throughout. And there’s a complete tempo shift in the middle and the production works a looooot better for this more downtempo pace. Also really appreciate the ambient-ish bit towards the end. Yeah, my initial impression of this wasn’t too great but it’s pretty diverse, maybe a tad disjointed but overall enjoyable. Don’t know if it’ll have huge staying power, though. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
If I take the previous track as part of this track (which it is) then it’s kind of comparable to Altar of Plagues in that it has a long ambient opening before the song kicks in proper. Yes, I’m apparently just comparing everything you send to that one now. Deal with it. This otherwise doesn’t sound much alike though. There’s like one repeating melodic hook that plays throughout of the first bits of this that stands out as a kind of memorable bit. I also feel like after all the listens I’ve given this one I still don’t really… have much of a grasp on it. I will say the production quality feels at least a step below my standards, though it’s not awful either, not the worst on this album even. There’s that “hey hey hey” bit in the back half that shows up a few times I dig too. I still don’t know quite how I feel about this one overall though if I’m being honest. There’s moments where I’m like “yeah this is kinda cool” and then moments where I’m… not too sure. It still feels kind of like a disjointed mess overall, too. More like a string of song segments than a cohesive track. I’ve kind of struggled with it but I do like it overall at least a decent bit?
6.75/10
4. Abigail Williams – Beyond The Veil (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxpUQK7-2qQ)
First Impressions:
A band name like that gives the impression of some singer/songwriter type ordeal but I know who Abigail Williams is, I ain’t that allergic to history. Anyways this one’s hella long and I don’t plan to write nonstop about it for 17 minutes, but. Starts off pretty solid, if maybe a bit stereotypical sounding? The strings in the background I wish were a bit louder, but uuhh, the atmosphere building up here is rad. Aaaand… the production ain’t. Yeah wow this is some weak, muddled production when the song really kicks in alright, hmm. Oof, I’m really worried about this one. I talk about black metal production a lot when I talk about black metal because it matters so damn much and I have a hard time enjoying the stuff this song has to offer when the production during the louder parts is just… wrong. I think the rest of it at least sounds fine enough, it’s got the post-black metal vibes going on with the strings and clean guitar stuff while still keeping darker tones (legally distinct from blackgaze). It’s just. The sound, man. There’s even some good riffs here in the mid-level parts, but any time the wall of sound really builds up it’s just… nothing. And I mean… this is from 2012, they don’t really have an excuse. Even with my complaints there are enough nice moments here to outweigh the ones that sound weaker and the use of strings throughout remains pretty consistently good, but… there are definitely some stretches of this I consider a miss in my book. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Wooo boy. This one. If I had to make one broad, sweeping comment about this entire thing, it’s that the strings are very consistently the highlight and most interesting element of this song. And the buildup at the start before the song kicks in proper is a real solid build, some good melodies driving it and a growing sense of tension as it goes on. And yes like I said I totally do have problems with the heavier bits here having, kind of, muddy as hell production. It’s really only a huge issue in the moments where the blastbeat drumming is crushing everything else in the mix though, I don’t mind it as much in the more spacious moments, though they still don’t hit with the power or texture I feel they could otherwise. But then like, beyond like the few moments that sound that way? The strings keep killin’ it and the riffs actually have some power to them. Like, don’t get me wrong that the production issues continue being issues throughout the entire song, and I am absolutely holding it against this one, but it’s not as big an issue as my first impression made it out to be, yeah. Maybe it’s a bit overlong? I dunno, I kind of ran out of things to say now so it’s kind of on in the background. The stuff that makes it overlong is a lot of the solid string-y type stuff though, so. I dunno. This song is kind of. Huge, and hard to have cohesive thoughts on after only 5 listens. But, I dig it? More than I originally thought I would, at least.
7.5/10
5. Children of Nova – The Complexity of Light (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJB2jqToa2E)
First Impressions:
So we move away from black metal for a bit for two bands I know are proggy rock/metal type ordeals. I know I got a song from these guys before but I don’t remember it at all. I like the upbeat and jagged vibe of this one right out the bat. It’s kind of post hardcore-sounding actually. I guess I’m either wishing the guitar tones had a bit more punch to them so the riffs hit harder or there was a bit more melodic work going on. But I mean, they’re definitely leaning more towards the latter, and regardless I do dig how prominent the bass is throughout most of this too. Yeah, there’s a fair bit to this one too. I think I’m more enjoying the general sound than the actual song itself, but the song itself is still enough to get me interested in wanting to hear more from these guys. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
Seriously wondering about the other song I was sent by these guys before and if that was just an odd duck or if this one is the one that isn’t very representative, because I remember being pretty meh towards them before while this, on the other hand, has pretty consistently been one of my favorites, if not absolute favorite, on your entire album. The bass-groove driven chorus followed by the more full and immediate-sounding chorus is a good dichotomy you kind of see a lot in this kind of sound for a reason. It’s actually a surprisingly straightforward song structure when you get used to it and maybe not as diverse as I originally thought on first listen, but at the same time noticing the patterns and main elements of the song does make it feel a bit more cohesive. Only real gripe is that it’s maybe a bit dry? Sounds cool but I don’t really feel much listening to it. Ehh. And I don’t really think there’s anything about this I’m completely wild about, but I still enjoy it a good bit at the end of the day.
7.75/10
6. Mandroid Echostar – To the Wolves (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ1kXTqEZPw)
First Impressions:
I know I did listen to these guys before and I just remember them going all in on the super noodly guitar lines and sounding like protest the hero. The way their singer sings is a bit… weird, to me, I guess. He doesn’t sound bad but he sound kind of out of place here, I feel like? A problem I tend to have with this kind of sound is the use of reeeally basic melodies when they do those guitar runs, which definitely I notice here but the rest of the riffing and melodic work feels stronger besides those few moments. Uhh anyways. I feel like I didn’t have as much to say about this one but it also was a bit shorter, I liked it but I don’t know if it’ll be a standout either. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Those really fast noodly guitar runs feel kind of unnecessary. I said this the first time and I still stand by it. The rest of this though. Well, they have some pretty good riffing going on through a lot of this and while the calmer melodies aren’t, like, anything amazing or especially memorable, I still enjoy how they sound a good fair bit. And I do like the general sound of this one, I just don’t know if I can say this particular song quite does it for me? There’s some good vocal moments but I don’t think it ever gets to driving up the power I’d want it to. I also feel like this one just ended up overshadowed by the other song you sent from them because I have had a hard time remembering this one in particular, to be honest. But I mean. I don’t want to undersell it either, I do like this a decent bit. Just not as much as I feel like I want to.
7.25/10
7. Mandroid Echostar – Citadels (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84Ts-z9WOiY)
First Impressions:
Okay, the guitar run stuff on this one sounds a lot better, maybe because it’s not as fast so they’re able to wring more interesting melodies out of it. The singer sounds better here too? These are off the same EP, right? I feel like again with this one it doesn’t immediately jump out as something I’d love, but I do find it stronger than the previous track and I could imagine it being a grower as well. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Like literally the first thing this song does is kick in with a riff way cooler than anything in the previous song. And it keeps that darker tone throughout the first bit of the song, enhancing it with some pretty solid guitar runs and vocals that connect more too? This one does kind of go off on a weird short tangent that sounds… fine enough, I guess, the transitions don’t feel too awkward but they’re not super smooth either. It kind of separates the first half and the second half of the song which are basically completely different songs but both good in their own ways too. Really like the 6/8 feel and the twin guitar leads driving a lot of the back half, it makes for a good climax. And again, the vocals here just work a lot better for me too. This basically just fixes the issues I had with the previous song, apparently. I can’t say I’m in love with it enough for it to get a super high score but I do enjoy it a good bit, absolutely.
8.25/10
8. Woods of Desolation – Torn Beyond Reason (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSBcGVJbM2E)
First Impressions:
And here’s another band I know I’ve listened to before but that’s about all I remember about them, other than that they are black metal. I will say, it isn’t the worst-produced black metal song you’ve sent me, though it does still come off as a bit muddled. Black metal feels… a bit out of place on this stretch of your album, to be blunt, but not something I’m opposed to hearing in general. I uhh. Don’t have a ton to say about this one though. It has some solid melodic work and a decent driving force to it but it doesn’t really have a ton of personality either, it also does have to be compared to some of the songs that came before it on both this album and your second EP too though. I feel like commenting on it now is a bit futile so we’ll see where it ends up. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
This is black-metal shaped black metal that sure does sound like black metal alright. Like, I’m being kind of facetious, but I genuinely don’t have anything to say about this. It sounds totally fine but it doesn’t stand out at all. Black metal that sounds fine but doesn’t stand out is still gonna perform better than, say, melodic death metal that sounds fine but doesn’t stand out, and I feel like I enjoy this one more than Nokturnal Mortum for at least having solid production and for making me feel something. But also it’s so damn out of place in the tracklisting here it’s almost comical and I feel like that more than anything has harmed my ability to properly take this one in. I still feel like commenting on this is a bit futile. I feel like I’m overrating it even with the relatively conservative scoring I’m giving it/have been giving most songs this roulette. Ehh.
7/10
9. Perihelion Ship – Misplaced Rainfall (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eticUinh4KY)
First Impressions:
I… did not at all like the album I heard from these guys, but this isn’t from that album, I believe, so maybe I’ll like it more? I just remember the production being… bad, and not liking the vocals much either. When the guitars on this one kick in I can tell that, yeah, the production on this is pretty fine. So that’s one obstacle cleared. Uhh yeah, the vocals are fine but feel kind of low in the mix? The riffing on this is pretty solid, vaguely Opeth-y but not a clone or anything either. I don’t know how much of a standout song I’m going to find it though because while the riffs do change they all seem born of the same riffing style and it ends up not feeling very diverse. I also don’t know how much a fan I am of the thin-sounding synths/organ, dunno. I like this more than I was expecting to but it’s not a barn burner of a track either. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I… don’t know how much I care for the organ sound on this song. It’s like. Really reedy and kind of a piercing tone. Mostly the bit at the start I think is what I’m complaining about. When this kicks in after there’s some pretty good riffing. Like yeah these riffs have power and groove. Not especially noteworthy riffs but they do their job well. The vocals aren’t great but the chorus itself is kinda solid too. I feel like there was a bit in the middle of my listening where I was more into this one than I currently am. It’s kinda just the organ intro then 6 minutes straight of riffs though, isn’t it? Like, yeah, cool riffs and all but I feel like I’d appreciate a bit more diversity more than what I actually got here. I still like it well enough though, yeah.
7.5/10
10. Todtgelichter – Oblivion (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEsSepRCV1E)
First Impressions:
The transition into this song from the last one was so well-done I didn’t even realize at first the song had changed, wow. I remember getting something from these guys before and being kind of meh about it, another one of those “black metal type bands I don’t have a strong opinion on”. I like the doomier riff this kicks off with though. What it devolves into when the vocals kick in, uhh… that ain’t working for me, though. Yeah seriously what the heck are they doing there, that guitar riff just doesn’t work, mate. I’d honestly prefer straight chugging. Another song that just completely changes moods halfway through, too, sure, why not. Everything after the mood switchup is pretty solid, yeah, though nothing as cool as that first riff. But then nothing as bad as that verse riff. A fair tradeoff. Anyways I hate to keep this nonstop stream of “decent” scores going for this one, but, I mean, well, it is just that. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Seriously what’s up with that verse riff? I have no clue what they were thinking. I dig the hell out of the doomier riff and the off-kilter melody that accompanies it. That’s pretty much my review of the entire first half of this song because that’s about all there is to it. And here’s my review of the second half: It’s fine. It is absolutely a completely different song altogether and there’s barely a transition between the two halves, but it’s got good driving melody to it and the production on this one is probably the best on any of the black metal-type songs here (though this one is borderline black metal at best, honestly). Like, I know I’m kind of being reductive, here, because there’s more going on than that, but this song, while cool at times, mostly feels like the first half is a dichotomy of something I like and something I dislike, while the back half is a lot of solid stuff that’s kind of just there. Dunno. I like this one well enough I guess but it hasn’t really been a standout either.
7/10
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11. Moonsorrow – Pimeä (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3NvLZSxL-4)
First Impressions:
Okay I’m kind of making an exception allowing these guys at all so this one better at least be good or I’m going to be real disappointed. So far I’m like… kinda feeling it, yeah. They lean towards the folkier side of black metal, of course, but the production’s solid and the groove’s solid. I have their 2016 album which I did like but never loved, not enough to get me to check out any of their other stuff at least. Can appreciate that the bass actually gets some presence and a few brief moments to itself. I do feel that, for a 14-ish minute song, so far it does feel a bit lacking in diversity. I think a big part of why I liked that Paara album is that it was doing this style of black metal (with slightly better production, mind you), while not being afraid to at least change up things every so often within its songs. This is kind of just hammering on a similar mood throughout a decent chunk of its runtime and while the touches of folk elements are nice and the occasional dynamic shift does break up the pace a bit it’s not something I feel can hold my interest for this long of a playtime. I dig the guitar solo that kicks in around the 10 minute mark, but I also wish it was a bit higher in the mix? I can see this growing for me on relistens though, but it’s not doing a ton for me on this first listen. It’s… solid, but feels too long for the style. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I know this is the one you reeeally wanted me to like and the one I kind of let you cheat to send. And I kind of suspect that there’s a reason I never followed up on this band, huh. Like, again. This sounds completely fine. Let me state that outright. I have absolutely no clue why it needs to be as long as it is though. The riffs are solid but the whole thing just isn’t very diverse for a 14+ minute track. And it doesn’t even really stand out from other folkier black metal type sounds either. I have one Moonsorrow album. I have one Primordial album. In both cases I feel like I got my fill of the sound they have on offer with each of the albums I do have. With the rare exception this groovier type of folk metal just never seems to come across as deep or compelling enough for me to stay interested. Like, it’s entirely possible there’s actually a lot of different riffs and melodies and all that stuff in this song but I simply don’t hear it. There’s like. The one folky bit played on a ??? I don’t even know what instrument that is, that recurs a few times. That’s about the one main element of this that stands out to me. I can absolutely casually groove along to this and it’d probably be fun in a live setting, if not also a bit exhausting? Like. I dunno. I honestly think the length is the biggest problem with this one. And the lack of dynamics. I don’t even know what dynamics I was commenting on before because they flat aren’t there. 7-8 minutes of this sound I could be more into, but 14 minutes straight of it just ain’t it. Even the other Moonsorrow songs I’ve listened to off before off the album I have, I remember being more diverse than this. Eeehh. I’m honestly not even sure how to rate this, because it’s in that weird spot where it all sounds totally fine but I’m bored of it by halfway through. Iiiiii. Don’t know.
6.75/10
Concept:
So I know you’ve been building up this concept across most of your previous submissions and like. Damn, if ariich’s is just dark yours is totally nihilistic as hell, my dude! I definitely feel like there’s probably some tonal inconsistency to some of this – mostly the Children of Nova and Mandroid Echostar songs in general sound too bright and happy for the events they’re supposed to portray – and this definitely feels like a case where most if not all of these songs are taken out of context to fit a story that would be hard to derive from just the lyrics by themselves. But the story itself is done pretty cohesively and the majority of the music does at least fit with the story too. I can’t say I’m crazy for this kind of story as a whole but it works out well enough.
7/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
So full disclosure, on my first listen I opted to listen to each of the three parts with a bit of a break in-between them, and even then it did feel a bit overwhelming. I guess in part it’s because of how much black metal dominates this album, and how a lot of them fall into a kind of similar style of black metal. And I mean, I love me some good black metal, to be certain, but… well, a lot of this doesn’t stand out to me all that much. There’s certainly a few tracks here I’m looking forward to revisiting and I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some growers either but it’s not blowing me away either.
Final Thoughts:
So yeah, I do like everything on this album to at least some extent. But there’s one huge, huge issue. This thing’s too damn long. Yes, this is coming from the guy who sent you a two hour concept album, but the thing was that I sent you two albums. This is just a 90 minute solid wall that I don’t think I ever once listened to all the way through without at least a bit of a break between the three segments. I also feel like the track order hits a weird hurdle in the middle, where the Woods of Desolation and Perihelion Ship songs absolutely feel like they should’ve switched places, so that the first and last segment are all black metal-type stuff with the melodic, proggier stuff sandwiched in the middle, rather than Woods of Desolation ending up feeling way out of place on the tracklist. Either that, or it should alternate more so there aren’t huge chunks of black metal – but I don’t feel like any two songs in a row sound too similar to each other so I can’t say there would be a need for that approach, the way it’s structured. And it does kind of feel like two different sounds clashing, similar to both of your previous 40-minute affairs, with the balance heavily shifted towards black metal again, making the rest feel kind of like outliers, though pretty solid outliers at the very least. For as long as it is it still ends up being pretty consistent, at the very least, but the highs aren’t super high either and a lot of it feels like it drags, especially towards the end. I do like this album but I don’t think there was ever a point in this round where it ended up feeling comparable to the winner.
Song Rankings:
1.
2.
3.
4. Mandroid Echostar – Citadels
5.
6. Jonsi – Kolniður
7.
8. Hope Drone – Every End Is Fated In It's Beginning
9. Children of Nova – The Complexity of Light
10.
11. Perihelion Ship – Misplaced Rainfall
12. Lord Huron – The Night We Met
13.
14. Abigail Williams – Beyond The Veil
15. Tori Amos – Precious Things
16. Gregory Alan Isakov
17. Mandroid Echostar – To the Wolves
18.
19.
20. Todtgelichter – Oblivion
21. Woods of Desolation – Torn Beyond Reason
22. Nokturnal Mortum – Molfa
23. Moonsorrow – Pimeä
24.
25. Sarah Fimm – Story of Us
26. David Gray – Ain't No Love
27. Laura Stevenson – Master of Art
28. David Gray – Falling Free
29. The Smiths – Cemetry Gates
30.
31. Ingrid Olava – Mens Jeg Sover
32.
33. Aphex Twin – Jynweythek
34. Bjork – Cocoon
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1st place: ariich – The Journey (https://mega.nz/#!tTBQ2KKa!tPY3ovuSPaCLx-gKdULhtJo2YnNCJSA91qup4X2lZ2U)
1. Acke Hallgren – Prelude (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKItxk831y4)
First Impressions:
A good old fashioned symphonic opener track. I don’t really have a ton to say about this one on its own because it kind of feels like it isn’t meant to be much of a thing by itself. Will say the piano sounds a tad stiff, I guess? Don’t really have much to say about it though. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
It kinda just sounds like movie trailer music. Which I mean, fair. For the dark tone of the album in general I’d say it sets the stage well, especially for the track that follows it. One of the best transitions of the entire round too. And having this motif here is nice when it reoccurs in the final song of your concept album (which I assume the original album also does too). I mean, it’s hard to rate this much on its own as it isn’t meant to be taken on its own. But it’s. Pretty fine? I’m tempted to just not rate it but I feel there’s enough substance for it to count.
6/10
2. Psion – Tyranny (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYwLqmvnnw8)
First Impressions:
Nice transition there though, whew. I’m still trying to figure out where this slots between “2010’s prog metal” and “melodic death metal” and it feels kind of in-between the two, though closer to the former. Singer seems power metal-y too. It’s a good sound to have, though admittedly nothing about this I’m finding especially impressive so far, just… nice. There’s enough atmosphere to this production & just a lot of layers of… stuff going on in general. They hit upon some good riffs from time to time too, though some of it also feels a bit too chuggy for my tastes. On one hand I do like the progression it goes through during its runtime, but it’s hard to say it feels like it’s the same song by the end as it was when it started and I’m finding that’s something I tend to nitpick a lot nowadays. Dunno, I like it but it doesn’t strike me as a standout either. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Okay, now here’s the band of the round for sure. “It doesn’t strike me as a standout either” is one of the stupidest things I’ve said this round or even this roulette, what the heck. Maybe I just suddenly slid more into the mood for this kind of prog metal during this round, it’s entirely possible. But this is just a stream of great riffs, powerful vocals, and a generally dark and intense atmosphere that keeps the song feeling driving. That one riff has some great groove to it too. And it’s certainly a song with enough going on in it that it doesn’t get stale on multiple relistens. I’m sure there’s bits and pieces of this that still haven’t properly sunk in, but considering I’m probably just gonna blind-buy this EP on the basis of the two songs you on this album. Also I dunno quite what I was saying about how it doesn’t feel like the same song by the end, there’s very much a chorus and central theme to the first half of the track that serves as the jumping-off point for the faster-paced second half. However, I also kind of see why I may not have been as kind to this one on first listen – I do feel a lot of the instrumental jams in the back half don’t hit as hard as the stuff in the first half, though I don’t think they let the song down that much either. I feel I’m being a little conservative with my scoring here in part because I feel more strongly about the other song you sent from them, too, but. Y’know. Still pretty great tune.
8.25/10
3. The Reign of Kindo – City of Gods (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzjAQKrIUr0)
First Impressions:
Yeah I checked out these guys’ first album a while back (and I’m seeing ‘em in about a week and a half – might have already seen them by the time I put up these results!). Anyways this song itself. Uhh. Hmm. One thing I find is that it’s very rare any kind of piano-fronted rock works for me. Piano can absolutely be a fine element but overuse of it only ends up making any band sound more generic because of how generally overused it is and a fair bit of this feels driven by the piano lines I don’t find particularly compelling. I’m also not huge on the singer, he leans too close to the neo-prog sound I’m really allergic to. The instrumental section in the middle is kind of cool at least, though I don’t think it builds up a particularly strong groove, nor does it go on long enough to be satisfying. And the synths, I’m also not wild about. And it breaks into a completely unrelated groove at the end too. Yeah dunno, lukewarm thoughts about this one. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
I saw them last night at the time of writing this! Probably at about the same time last night that I’m writing this tonight, even. Uuhh. They were the weakest act of the night, even more so than the local opening act. I guess this one’s grown on me at least a little from the first listen I gave it, but… for one, it’s following up a much better track and followed up by a much better one too. They have some decent groove throughout the whole thing. I’m still not wild about the vocals but they aren’t Neal Morse-level grating. The instrumental breaks feel almost completely out of place in terms of songwriting even if they fit in with their sound technically, because they come and go so quick with little connection to anything. And I mean, they’re my favorite parts of this, but that’s not setting a very high bar either. It’s. Fine, I guess?
5.75/10
4. Soilwork – The Ride Majestic (Aspire Angelic) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao3pADlE4X0)
First Impressions:
Hey, another one from your puppies album I listened to. I remember this being associated with most of the Earth’s population being exterminated, funnily enough. My comment was “i like this last soilwork song more because it has proggier tendencies, naturally”. Listening to this one right now I’m not actually seeing those proggier tendencies though. It switches from 4/4 to 3/4 like once or twice? There’s some proggier melodic bits too near the start and end actually so fair, past me. Uhh but anyways. It does have intensity, groove, good riffs throughout. I already like this one and I feel like it could be a grower on relistens too. This band has been one I’ve known about for ages but never really had much appeal to me but I can dig this one well enough. Didn’t listen to their new album this year, though. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Okay yeah for one, a big thing I didn’t mention. That chorus slays. Great groove, great group vocals, it’s a fun chorus in the middle of an otherwise rather frantic and intense song and that contrast only makes it stand out more. I think the energy of this one is what makes the rest of it work, chorus aside. There’s some more melodic noodly bits, and then some bits that just go hard and take you along for the ride (majestic) (aspire angelic). And there’s enough twists and turns to this one too while still having some very strong core elements. So yeah. It’s just an all-around really solid metal tune. Honestly worry I may be underrating it even still. I know that not all their songs are like this one unfortunately but I at the very least want to check out this album now.
8.25/10
5. Psion – Recoil (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhvvycfsQaM)
First Impressions:
Oh man, repeating an artist before the last artist even gets a chance? Rude. Anyways this one has some kind of electronic grooves to it towards the start? Feels like a slower, heavier track when that first big riff kicks in, which I dig the hell out of. Sort of keeps up the feel of being a slower track throughout, but there’s a fair bit of calmer, atmospheric moments too. I don’t really feel like I have a ton to say about this one but it feels a lot more cohesive than the other song here from them and nails both the heavy and quiet bits to boot, I’d rather just sit here and enjoy it than criticize it. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
I didn’t give any song “great” in first impressions this round, but I regretted that almost immediately, because this song definitely deserved it. I mean like. The intense tension of that haunting opening. And it slowly builds up until it just slams you with the big chords & intense vocals. And it lingers on that a bit before slamming you a second time with the even bigger riff and the growls. If I had to gripe about soooomething, I think it’s that the riffy section goes on a bit too long before the moodier, quiet section kicks in, feel that could’ve shortened the track at least a little. That entire quiet section slowly building up and up until it explodes in another jagged riff is a great suspense/payoff scenario too. I dunno. I sort of feel like I’m in a weird place because I’m not super in the mood for this kind of sound at this specific moment while I’m doing this review, but at the same time my previous listens have already kinda proven to me this song is killer and my critical brain just needs to shut up about it. Still gonna call it the song of the round for sure, yeah.
8.75/10
6. Dog Fashion Disco – Struck By Lightning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJeo973H2R4)
First Impressions:
Okay I already know this band is a bunch of weirdos but I don’t really know a ton else. There’s like, a surf rock vibe throughout this but also some horns and cinematic touches as well. But it doesn’t just sound like random gibberish like your Mr. Bungles of the world. And then something that sounds vaguely like salsa but driven by organs, and with a sax solo over it. There’s, uh. A lot to unpack here, but I’m surprised at not only how cohesive this all is but how well it actually works as a song, it’s certainly one of the more interesting songs I’ve received all roulette just on pure style alone. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
Okay yeah this was about the best possible thing I could’ve expected from this weird as hell band. It’s honestly the kind of thing I’d expect from Sigh if they could ever get their act together properly? Like, I don’t hate Sigh at all, I like both albums they have, but this is one of those rockin’ Sigh songs with the weird elements, but just done better than Sigh ever has. Maybe it’s because they’re correctly using clean vocals instead of black metal rasps. But yeah, this just sounds like a fun, rockin’ metal track that they added some weird stuff to that only enhances the sound they were going for instead of conflicting with it. Nitpicky mode is going “well the last bit is kind of disconnected from the rest” which it definitely is, absolutely, aside from y’know, reprising the chorus, but it’s also a rad section on its own that prevents the energy of the first two-thirds of the song from getting overwhelming. Yeah, nah, this rules too.
8.25/10
7. Soilwork – The Windswept Mercy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvbXamauVnQ)
First Impressions:
Halfway through and everything from this point on is a repeat artist, which fair enough if you have songs from four artists across six tracks. This one doesn’t look like it’s off the same album you sent all of your songs for your puppies album off of, though. This one is a loooot more straightforward it seems. Big chorus, pretty straightforward riffing throughout. And I mean, it’s not bad, it just comes off as a bit… shallow, for my tastes. Not a ton else to say about it. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Ehh, okay, maybe I was being a little harsh on this one before. It’s still a fun enough rocker of a song, but it has to compare with the previous Soilwork song almost by definition and it doesn’t have nearly as much that appeals directly to me. The chorus is again pretty banging’ though, they have a good ear for choruses if the songs on this album are anything to go by. And there’s still a decent amount going on here even if a lot of it isn’t that complex or unique. It’s a lot better than a lot of the straightforward rockin’ stuff you sent last round though, even still. Not a favorite but better than “average” for sure.
7.25/10
8. Acke Hallgren – Home (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zrg3GFC_hso)
First Impressions:
Okay while technically this is a repeat artist it’s the first “real” song from them so fair enough. And it’s uhh. Just a really standard ballad track. I sat here and listened to the whole thing and then didn’t realize it was over when it ended. It’s a fine enough track and it’s nice to have a quiet reprieve after the heavier and more chaotic tracks preceding it but on its own it doesn’t do much for me. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts:
Okay, so, hear me out – you won’t believe it – but I guess this is better than a really standard ballad track. Or at the very least, it’s better than my first listen implied. That definitely didn’t happen with any other tracks on this album, did it? It’s not an amazing track by any means but it does its job in making me, y’know, feel something if nothing else. It’s still basic enough that I can’t say I’m huuuuge on it, but I like it, sure. Again, it sets up a great transition too.
6.5/10
9. The Reign of Kindo – Dust (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D04uNnm175Q)
First Impressions:
Okay, this one at least has some emotional resonance to it. Ironically moreso than the track before it which felt like it was exclusively going for that emotive sound. It’s also a much more straightforward track in general, no weird breaks or jazzy grooves or anything, there’s still a lot more of the same instrumentation but it’s more subdued. I guess I’d say I prefer it the other way in general but in this case I do prefer this one, it’s a case where the more stripped-back and simple track does work better. Not a favorite, regardless, but I enjoyed it. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
They didn’t actually play either of these songs when I saw them yesterday. I don’t know what that implies other than that I guess neither of these are expected to be fan favorites. Anyways this one. It’s more subdued but it has just as much groove as the other track when it wants to. Maybe even more. I think it’s the lack of the cruddy-sounding synths that helps. Also I will say, the first song they played last night that I actually liked a fair bit was a song off this album, that I kinda felt was better than either of the songs on display here? Wouldn’t be able to tell you which song it was unless I heard it again with the name. I’m getting distracted I guess but my first impression writeup kinda said it all about this one. It’s nice. I enjoy it. Got some emotional resonance, the music has at least enough going on to be interesting on its own, it’s kind of moody but doesn’t ever ruin its mood with an awkward instrumental out of nowhere. Not in love with it but it works for what it does.
7.25/10
10. Dog Fashion Disco – End of the Road
First Impressions:
Man this character in the story just has no luck whatsoever. Anyways this starts off with bluesy guitar. Mmm. Goes into a jazzier sound as it goes on because, well, they’re pretty closely related genres to begin with anyways so why not. I am admittedly a bit sad that this isn’t as wild or intriguing as the other song from them. I was gonna comment on how also I’m a bit sad this is the third quiet track in a row but it kicked into a heavier riff right about when I was going to start typing that comment, haha. The heavy riff is cool and builds off the mood of the song before it well too. Hmm yeah I can already tell I’m going to need to check out these guys further, huh. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts:
This is like the polar opposite of the other song sent by them in every way except quality. The music has a slow, laidback groove to it and a pretty dark atmosphere. And I mean, there’s a kind of fun, catchy quality to the guitar lines, but that’s almost ironically the case. I do kind of feel the sluggish instrumental in the middle does let this one down a little bit, it goes on a bit too long before the big, heavy riff kicks in towards the end. And here it’s not like the song is completely changing, that riff is keeping the same vibe and similar melody of the quiet half of the song, just with a lot more power, and the chorus sounds ever moreso frightening on top of the heavier instrumentation. I feel like in general this song maybe could’ve used a bit of tightening up but most of the stuff that gets dragged out is stuff I like a lot at its core so I’m not complaining too terribly much. I do prefer the more upbeat sound, for sure, but that doesn’t stop this from being a cool track.
7.75/10
11. Soilwork – Father and Son, Watching the World Go Down (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uNi-aperbQ)
First Impressions:
More of these guys huh. Well, I already like the riffing of this one and the chorus a lot more than the last one. I can groove/rock to this riff. I don’t really have a ton else to add about this one that I didn’t say about the previous one really. A bit shallow for me but I’m at least jamming along to this one, which I didn’t get out of the last one, so. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
I actually really like the ominous piano intro of this one, possibly even one of my favorite things about this song. Anyways, surprise, the chorus here rules. I think the big notable difference between this album and their previous album, from the small sample size of songs, is that the riffs here lean more melodic than just straight chordy stuff, and it feels like there’s always just one more layer of stuff going on here than there is on the windswept mercy. It’s the line between “yeah, this is fun, I guess this would kill live” and “this rules even not live”. I do remember this album getting a lot of acclaim around the time it dropped and I guess it’s about time for me to find out why, eh? This isn’t quite as good as aspire angelic on the basis of just not having the real intense, frantic elements that one has, but in pretty much every other aspect it’s a close match.
8/10
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12. Acke Hallgren – Let Go (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJUuGh3mc_E)
First Impressions:
I feel like I’ve heard the start of this before so either I suspect it just sounds standard enough that it sounds like something else I’ve heard before, or just that it’s a reprise of one of the earlier songs on this album. This isn’t an intro track nor is it a ballad track though, it’s a 10 minute closer, so hopefully there will finally be something noteworthy from these guys? I appreciate the heavier riff that kicks in and the bass solo that follows it. And the singer is pretty good, not amazing but, y’know, solid. It’s kind of a straightforward song on the whole but there’s a lot of little touches or moments of instrumentation here, as a denouement kind of closer song I get what it’s trying to do and I could see it resonating with me more on relistens. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts:
Yeah, after a bit of sleuthing, I can confirm: The start of this isn’t a reprise of either of the other songs sent on this album. There IS a reprise of the opening, with the piano that comes in. But that’s not what I was referring to with the bit that sounded familiar. So I’m not sure what I think it sounds like. But it’s a nice song. I feel like this song has kind of suffered from being not as up my alley on top of starting an hour into your album, at the point where I’m kind of exhausted from everything that came before. But I’ve at least passively enjoyed it on all my listens. I feel like the real intent of this one is for me to emotionally connect with it in some significant way. And I mean, it’s the kind of song where that emotional connection absolutely can manifest – Oceansize ended most of their albums this way to great effect, in particular. I, obviously, don’t have that level of connection with this one, but I do like it well enough. I feel like this is the song of this album that would most reward further listens though. There’s a lot of little movements to it with only a few repeated motifs throughout, and a lot of stuff I enjoy that I feel I haven’t fully taken in. Like, the bass sounds great throughout a lot of this, especially in the moments where it’s given more room to breath. It might just be that for the intensity of some of the songs that come before it, it just can’t feel like a satisfying finale even at its loudest moments? I’ve written a lot about this one and said very little. I guess my ultimate conclusion is that “I dunno lol it’s pretty good tbh sure”. It at least makes me want to check them out. So that’s 5/5 on this album. Crap.
7.5/10
Concept:
I like the concept of using each of the artists as characters in the story. The story itself, well. I think for the first half the story is pretty fine and the songs are used to narrate it pretty well. But a few of the characters feel… unnecessary, and don’t really even interact that much. It feels more like the characters are there just because you wanted to include the songs, which, fair enough, y’know, but. And there’s some tonal inconsistency between the story trying to be told and the songs themselves – the subjects of the last two Soilwork songs, in the context of the album, are pretty dang dark and depressing, but the songs are both upbeat rockers. And Struck By Lightning is way too fun to be about torture, though I’d totally believe it’s about sanity loss at the very least. I also feel that to at least some extent it’d be hard to determine the concept just from the lyrics themselves. And of course the story just ends really depressingly without any proper resolution. I definitely see the effort in trying to make this one work and for most of the songs it does well enough but without the context of the audio clips like you added for Puppies’ album (which, I mean, wouldn’t fit in with the concept here, for sure) it’s not as strongly cohesive as it could be. A solid effort though.
6.5/10
Overall:
First Impressions:
Aside from one song I feel like this one is pretty cohesive as well as most of the artists bringing their own sound to the table, and on the whole it works pretty well. A few of them even bringing different sounds to the table across their two or three songs each, even. Also amusing how this means Heaven’s Basement is the only artist you sent only a single song from across your three submissions. But yeah, I’m not “wow”ed by anything off this but it kept me interested the whole way through across a 68 minute runtime and I’m probably looking forward to revisiting this one the most out of the three albums after my first listen, so there’s that.
Final Thoughts:
Yeah, this stands out as probably the most musically cohesive album of the entire round, maybe even the entire roulette. And a lot of these songs definitely grew on me on repeated listens, as evidenced by all the unusually high scores. It feels like you spent two rounds of the roulette sending mostly okay-ish stuff specifically because you were saving most of the real bangers for this one. The only artist I’m let down by is Kindo, again, but I did at least like one of the two tracks here. And I can’t say I actively disliked anything present here, not even close. It’s a good solid nearly 70 minutes of a variety of styles that don’t ever feel too out of place with each other and all mostly drive up pretty strong feelings in me. Dunno if I could really ask for much better.
Song Rankings:
1. Psion – Recoil
2. Soilwork – The Ride Majestic (Aspire Angelic)
3. Dog Fashion Disco – Struck By Lightning
4. Mandroid Echostar – Citadels
5. Psion – Tyranny
6. Jonsi – Kolniður
7. Soilwork – Father and Son, Watching the World Go Down
8. Hope Drone – Every End Is Fated In It's Beginning
9. Children of Nova – The Complexity of Light
10. Dog Fashion Disco – End of the Road
11. Perihelion Ship – Misplaced Rainfall
12. Lord Huron – The Night We Met
13. Acke Hallgren – Let Go
14. Abigail Williams – Beyond The Veil
15. Tori Amos – Precious Things
16. Gregory Alan Isakov
17. Mandroid Echostar – To the Wolves
18. Soilwork – The Windswept Mercy
19. The Reign of Kindo – Dust
20. Todtgelichter – Oblivion
21. Woods of Desolation – Torn Beyond Reason
22. Nokturnal Mortum – Molfa
23. Moonsorrow – Pimeä
24. Acke Hallgren – Home
25. Sarah Fimm – Story of Us
26. David Gray – Ain't No Love
27. Laura Stevenson – Master of Art
28. David Gray – Falling Free
29. The Smiths – Cemetry Gates
30. Acke Hallgren – Prelude
31. Ingrid Olava – Mens Jeg Sover
32. The Reign of Kindo – City of Gods
33. Aphex Twin – Jynweythek
34. Bjork – Cocoon
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Congrats ariich!
This was a pretty fun roulette to run, moreso than my last one for sure, but I still dunno if I'd do it again because it makes each round of listening and results still a decent time commitment :lol
I did get a ton more music out of this one than the last one, I feel, though. Nothing ordered yet because I've been brickwalled by my huge backlog since the roulette started but I've already got a few things I'm definitely getting and a lot of others I'm pretty likely to get too. Gonna keep updating this thread with album listens as I go through them.
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anyways as previously stated i already started on album listens so yo
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0900319753_10.jpg)
actually tbh i only listened to the first two songs here, the other full song was also pretty great so yeah getting this one for sure, no further comment, these guys rule. excited for a full album whenever they put one out
(https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Soilwork-The-Ride-Majestic-01.jpg)
i don't think any other songs on this album are as interesting as aspire angelic, but i was into some of it. i can also see this growing on me too. dunno. i'm not checking out the other album by these guys because it's like a huge double album and i already know i absolutely don't need that much of this sound, but this was pretty solid
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Seems it was really close, scoring-wise. I'm curious how much the concept scoring factored in to it.
Congrats Ariich!
At least I didn't get eliminated in the first round like last time.
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it wasn't that close, song-wise, tbh
ariich's low scoring songs were mostly short tracks & there were, as previously mentioned, 5 songs that scored 8 or above :lol
and your song length on average was a lot longer too. just taking the flat average of the song scores is, again, something i would never do :P
the concept didn't really factor in that much but they were fun to have
also yeah no absu here. thankfully :P
i did like your album overall but it was kind of a slog to sit through five times, vs. ariich's whose i was looking forward to every time. that kind of feeling right there is what made it pretty easy to rank these
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Fair enough.
My main goal was to send at least a few bands that you would dig enough to look in to further. Seems mission accomplished.
My secondary goal was to turn you in to a Moonsorrow fan. Mission failed........The original concept album had 2 Moonsorrow songs on it. The other one was 26 minutes long.
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that sounds like it would've been a disaster :lol
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Seems it was really close, scoring-wise. I'm curious how much the concept scoring factored in to it.
Congrats Ariich!
At least I didn't get eliminated in the first round like last time.
At least I didn't get eliminated in the last round like last time! :neverusethis:
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Awesome! :D
Yeah I did save DFD, Psion and Soilwork in case I made it to the final. Really glad you dug them. I'd considered all of them for your last roulette, though I couldn't have sent the Psion anyway as the EP was shorter than your minimum length. Especially pleased you liked their two tracks so much, I was pretty sure you'd like them but wasn't sure how much. I don't return to the EP very often but every now and then I do and I enjoy it a lot each time.
I'm obviously extremely pleased but considering how many rounds in both of your last roulettes I've just scraped through, I don't feel particularly deserving of double champion status. :lol On the other hand, I'm pleased with my tactical approach saving my strongest options for the final.
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PSION
actually tbh i only listened to the first two songs here, the other full song was also pretty great so yeah getting this one for sure, no further comment, these guys rule. excited for a full album whenever they put one out
Awesome! You may have realised that the main songwriter is Tom Maclean, formerly of Haken. He tends to have a lot of different things on the go. Haven't spoken to him in a while so will need to find out when (and I guess if) we should expect more music from Psion.
SOILWORK
i don't think any other songs on this album are as interesting as aspire angelic, but i was into some of it. i can also see this growing on me too. dunno. i'm not checking out the other album by these guys because it's like a huge double album and i already know i absolutely don't need that much of this sound, but this was pretty solid
I mean, I love The Living Infinite and in a way it's a bit more varied in tone/energy levels, but yeah I can see how it might be a bit much. Their recent shorter albums are all pretty damn great though. Ride Majestic is my favourite but they're all a little different (I mean, all very much within the same style but with different nuances and emphases). Might be worth checking out the new one, Verkligheten.
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god, i already have way too much on my plate atm to add anything else, sorry :lol
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Oh I didn't mean right now, obviously. :lol I meant if later one you feel like checking another album of theirs out.
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(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61l1hPkqOEL.jpg)
a mix of a lot of different stuff here, as i expected. i didn't like all of it (some nu-metal-esque stuff that was eugh, one RHCP-ish song i didn't like) but there were a lot of other cool tracks here too. i'll at least check out the other album i wanted to listen to for sure. i kinda want to get something from these guys based on the intrigue alone but i'm not certain
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1349707031_5.jpg)
okay the intro of the album being what the title track reprises at the end is good to know. anyways i mostly liked this too, there was some djenty stuff in one or two of the tracks i wasn't so hot on and i'm sad it's only a brief EP, but, gonna be checking out their first album as well (which i think i did listen to once before but i don't remember it at all lol)
(https://www.slantmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/go.jpg)
hmm. again a few weird tracks i wasn't so keen on but in general i did like a lot of this. it does sound a lot like the kind of stuff late 00's sigur ros was putting out, though a bit more streamlined. i can't say i prefer that approach but i did like most of this a fair bit
maybe more tonight, we'll see, got other stuff i wanna do besides listen to music all day though :lol
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Fair warning on Mandroid Echostar's full length album, simply put, it's just not quite as good as that EP.
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duly noted, but i'll see for myself :P
in the meantime:
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1824379728_10.jpg)
oh this album is like a billion years long but DAMN does it sound good. inclined to say the song you sent was one of the weaker tracks off the album, tbh, just on first listen. i still don't know if this is quite altar of plagues-level black metal but it's not far behind. honestly the crushing length and maybe a bit of lack of flavor are my only real gripes but the core sound is so good i'm gonna be all over this one for sure
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(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2701302253_16.jpg)
i was sent another song from this album in like, my second roulette and i don't remember it at all even relistening to it here. so uhh anyways yeah i kind of dig this but there's nothing here that really... stood out to me, either, they write pretty solid music but i wasn't as into it as i feel i should be with the style. also it's super short lol
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3470595892_10.jpg)
well i like this more than i remember liking their second album. it's definitely kinda opeth-y throughout but not as strong as some other soundalikes. and the songs get kinda diverse, though i was always expecting to find their sound more... colorful than it seems to be. i liked this though. the closer ended kinda anticlimactically it felt? shrug
i found my "review" of the other album here (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=46858.msg2420427#msg2420427) and maybe i'll try relistening to this one but i don't have high expectations i was probably right a year ago
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Nah, your review is pretty spot on for Perihelion Ship's latest album. I was so disappointed in that album when it came out. The first one is where it's at. :hefdaddy
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Well rats... I obviously enjoyed playing and I'm glad you enjoyed the concept of my last submission, if not the songs. This has even a lot of fun though.
Congrats Ariich! Those are some badass Soilwork songs for sure.
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(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51oRULun4NL.jpg)
yeah i'm not surprised here but i wasn't too into this one. tbh i only got about halfway through it, this kind of folk isn't my thing, i liked the song that was sent well enough but it isn't really representative of the album & i don't like that song -that- much compared to some of the other stuff you've sent, either, so
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71FT+db3YIL._SS500_.jpg)
pretty solid darker prog rock, actually. interesting how there are other motifs that appear in let go throughout some of the other tracks before. also, i feel like let go is better out of the context of your concept album 'cause the lyrics (which i couldn't find a lyrics sheet for) don't quiiite fit the theme, but out of that context feels more effective? anyways, i wasn't huge on this but i do wanna relisten at the very least
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(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2167350284_10.jpg)
this is... okay black metal, i guess. didn't mind it but it doesn't stand out much except for the strings, and they're only really present on the first and last tracks iirc. the production issues are prevalent throughout and it just doesn't feel very interesting? might revisit but eehh there's definitely better black metal even in this contest alone
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61E%2B450EYyL._SY355_.jpg)
not surprised here at all but not much of this is for me. i honestly didn't finish the last few tracks 'cause i just completely lost interest. nothing else really has the intensity of precious things and winter is nice (was played in plug last week so i heard it there too) but a few other tracks i didn't like and in general just... not my thing
i said i had a lot of stuff to get through but like half the list is 7.5's and below, oops
i don't know how much other stuff there is here i'll want to follow up on but i guess we'll see
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(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61E%2B450EYyL._SY355_.jpg)
not surprised here at all but not much of this is for me. i honestly didn't finish the last few tracks 'cause i just completely lost interest. nothing else really has the intensity of precious things and winter is nice (was played in plug last week so i heard it there too) but a few other tracks i didn't like and in general just... not my thing
i said i had a lot of stuff to get through but like half the list is 7.5's and below, oops
i don't know how much other stuff there is here i'll want to follow up on but i guess we'll see
Fair enough. I'd suggest you'd listen to Me and a Gun though. Yes, it is uncomfortable, but it's one of the most emotional and harrowing songs I know.
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(https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.genius.com%2F1872c8833f63be1b2894d98b84b7cdf6.500x500x1.jpg&hash=dcb5601be3ff64aca28350088bb38d24f6067caa)
y'know what, this was pretty nice. just really chill folky songwriter stuff but i guess i was totally okay with that tonight
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61U5sgvr2-L.jpg)
iiii just don't get it. to me this is just the most inoffensive and uninteresting possible take on "jazz rock" but maybe i'm spoiled because TYS just does "jazz rock" so much better. they're talented enough musicians but there's hardly anything here that has any personality or flavor to it. maybe it's just me but i was just bored by this
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3436499708_10.jpg)
it feels like they're trying to do something completely different with each track which results in some working and others not so much. i dunno. it doesn't have the intensity i tend to look for in black metal, for the most part, but there were a few tracks i liked?
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a4054736484_10.jpg)
basically i echo my thoughts about the title track, this has a sound that i like but basically no personality to go alongside it. i still did enjoy it, more than the todtgelichter album, but it's also kinda short on top of not really... standing out
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(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/0010267895_10.jpg)
i kinda dig this but at the same time it feels overlong and way less diverse than it should be. ehh. i might revisit it but probably not
(https://img.discogs.com/_cgBGh0oB5bn0sYO5BGIVgGBW1U=/fit-in/400x400/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-2115402-1267745325.jpeg.jpg)
okay look i know this is like, one of your favorite albums ever puppies, but i just... don't get it. all of these songs are too damn long, and even the album itself is too long, going on like 10 minutes past the point where the last song "actually" ends. and pimea felt like the weakest of the main four songs too, though tbh i didn't relisten to it here because it's 14 minutes and i'm tired... i just wish I understood this album, or this band's sound in general, I guess? I have their 2016 album which is solid but I barely revisit it and this seems even less up my alley than that one. sigh. just gonna move on from this one, unfortunately
i'm gonna shelve the albums from repeat artists on this round's list for the moment (i have a few i wanna check out another thing from) since i have other stuff to do but
also gotta like, actually place an order soon, which i haven't done since like before or right around the time i started this roulette
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FWIW my favourite Moonsorrow albums are V: Hävitetty and Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa, which are sandwiched between the two you've heard. IIRC Hävitetty and Varjoina are clearly more melodic than them; I even had one song shortlisted for Evermind's EP round but didn't end up using it.
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FWIW my favourite Moonsorrow albums are V: Hävitetty and Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa, which are sandwiched between the two you've heard. IIRC Hävitetty and Varjoina are clearly more melodic than them; I even had one song shortlisted for Evermind's EP round but didn't end up using it.
While I would agree that they are more melodic, Verisakeet just nails the atmosphere I'm looking for perfectly (although V is very very close). Yes the songs are long, but to me it gives them the time and space they need to evolve and build up naturally.
Parama, I'm glad you gave the album a shot. I understand it's not for everyone, but I think everyone should hear it at least once to make an informed decision (and if I'm being honest, it took me several listens to finally "get" Moonsorrow). Perhaps it's something you can return to in a years time and it will click for you, perhaps not. Either way, it doesn't bother me that you didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped, since our music tastes overlap quite a bit across several genres. If you are looking for something more melodic and varied you could try the other Moonsorrow song I was going to send, Tuleen ajettu maa, from the V: Havitetty album.
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bumping this as i took time today to go through all the other roulette albums i had planned
(https://i.scdn.co/image/c16cc4cff8ebc56873a0d585d7189669d4e94178)
mmm yeah i didn't care much for this one either, only listened about halfway through it though. the style of metal they take most from is not a style that gels well with me. feels like ariich cherrypicked some of their absolute best stuff (or at least the ones that appeal most to me) that gave an impression they'd sound a different way than they actually do (and the way they do sound is a lot more in line with what i expected them to sound like, unfortunately). just not for me, oh well
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3147669430_5.jpg)
hmm, i dunno, i liked this one too. i don't feel particularly "wowed" by either of the albums/EPs I've listened to, but I enjoy both if nothing else. will probably not end up a purchase but we'll see
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2125384596_16.jpg)
okay, this wasn't as bad as i remember it being, but i definitely didn't like it as much as their first one. this one seems to mix the organs a lot higher & the guitars a lot lower, which isn't to my preference, though i guess it does seem a bit more diverse too? shrug. it's fine but if i'm gonna follow up with one of these it's gonna be the other one
(https://candyrat.azureedge.net/ImageGen.ashx?image=/media/10638/The-Reign-of-Kindo-Rhyhm-Chord-Melody.jpg&width=500)
wanted to revisit this one cause i haven't actually done so in a while and yeah, it's a lot better than their later stuff, i know you did originally want to send something from this one ariich and it probably would've scored better, though not like it really matters in the end. though i am curious which song (or songs) you planned to send. this one doesn't have synths and the drummer is consistently fantastic, among other things, though, so yeah i might revisit this one some more
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1565310929_16.jpg)
hmm. i was at the very least more into this than their latest one, though i wasn't blown away by it either? but uhh, the remaster specifically, the production sounded better than i remember their latest album sounding even though i think this remaster came out first??? anyways, yeah, it's a bit too long for sure but i enjoyed this at least a decent bit