Round 3 results! 0 to 5 for the song itself, 0 to 5 for the drumming. DISCLAIMER: like I said I'm no drummer so I have absolutely ZERO idea about drumming. My comments are probably technically off or whatever, I'm just describing how much I like it and how it makes me feel.
Zantera - Between the Buried and Me - Specular Reflection (9 points + 1 point for BTBAM)The song: Pretty good... an 11 minute song is a lot to digest in a single listen but the vocals were pretty good (yeah, that includes the harsh vocals) and the heavy / mellow dinamics were also nice. I guess they should remind me of Opeth but the guitar tone and harsh vocal styles are different enough that they don't really remind me of them. There are so many different sections here that the song feels almost like a suite - and the amazing thing is all of them are brilliant. Four points out of five only because I'm not used to this style of harsh vocals, but I NEED to check these guys out.
The drumming: It's complicated to focus only on the drums for 11 straight minutes but the drumming is really tight here. The song goes through so many different phases yet the drumming always fits perfectly and enhances the mood of each section. If I had to judge from this one song, I'd say this is a pretty versatile guy. I especially enjoyed the ambient-ish section around the five minute mark, the varied fills, the faster heavy sections... just an excellent job all around. Five out of five - hits the spot.
Ultimetalhead - Andromeda - Chameleon Carneval (6 points)The song: Even though this is not my style of music anymore I have to admit I enjoyed this song. The fast tempo kept it interesting throughout and the solos don't go overboard so it didn't make me feel tired of it which is what usually happens with this kind of stuff. Even though I have listened to only two or three songs by LTE, it kind of reminded me of them. Three points out of five.
The drumming: Very solid drumming, fast when needed and calmer and groovier on quieter sections. I especially enjoyed the little drumming interlude in the middle of the track and the little breakdowns throughout. Three out of five.
ReaperKK - Dave Matthews Band - Lying in the Hands of God (9 points)The song: The only thing I have ever heard by these guys is a remix of their "When the world ends" in the Matrix sountrack that I quite enjoyed. This was very different, I wasn't expecting such a relaxed and groovy song. I have been listening to other submissions in between listens to this one but still I keep the groove in my head, very good submission. Five out of five, outstanding.
The drumming: Groovy fella right here, even though it was really hard to focus on just the drumming because the song was so dreamy that I was drifting half the time. I love how he stands back when it's time for other instruments to shine. The one thing keeping it from five points is that the fillers feel kind of repetitive after a while. Four out of five.
LLTWM - King Crimson - Indiscipline (7 points)The song: Weird as fuck doesn't even begin to describe the song. It's a good kind of weird however, I was afraid that this would be more of a classic style of prog with overcomplicated instrumental sections and wankery, but it was a lot more experimental than that. In the end, "I like it!" so four out of five.
The drumming: This was also very hard to judge - the overall crazyness going on made it very hard to focus on the drums. On the fourth listen or so when I finally managed to do so I could appreciate the nice pattern that sounds kind of like a pendulum or something - I can't really describe it, it's like it goes back and forth with itself. It really must be a hard job to keep the instrumental passages together, the riff is barely discernable so it's all on the drums to keep a sense of tempo going on. Three out of five.
obscure - John Scofield - Drop and Roll (7 points)The song: Although I wouldn't mind getting into the genre, I'm not much of a jazz expert. The song was pretty cool, it has a nice groove and the guitar work is excellent. The length is enough to let the groove shine, leaving enough time for variation and solos to make it interesting before it becomes repetitive. Four points out of five.
The drumming: The first pattern is really awesome - my only grip is that it is repeated through the first half of the song with very little variation. I get the feeling that the song is meant to be a guitar work, allowing less space for other instruments to shine. The last couple of minutes are better in that regard - overall I give it three points out of five.
kári - And so I watch you from afar - Don't waste time doing things you hate ( points)The song: Great title! The mood of the song seems to match it too, it's kind of uplifting which is a change of pace from the post-rock I've heard until now which was mostly depressing and lowtempo. Even though the song lasts 7 minutes it never feels too long since there are so many different sections and riffs going on. The vocal touches are great too, adding a different twist without adding lyrics. Excellent song, four points.
The drumming: The drumming in the first half is solid (good fills, nice galloping during certain sections) but not outstanding. However, like you said yourself in the second half when the funky stuff beings they start shining a lot more, grabbing the song by the balls and forcing it to become *happy*. Excellent, four points out of five.
Gorille85 - Brad Mehldau - Paranoid Android (8 points)The song: I would have never expected a jazz cover of a Radiohead song, very surprising to say the least. From my limited musical knowledge I'd say this is a brilliant interpretation of the original song. Some parts are clearly recognizable and others are lush, almost improvisational passages. This kind of passages I can't fully appreciate yet, I guess I would need more listens and some more experience in the genre to be able to appreciate them fully, but I still enjoy them. Four points out of five.
The drumming: I love the lounge-y feeling during the first couple of minutes of the song, it's very relaxing and suits the music perfectly. The chaos during the busier passages is harder to judge (is there additional percussion beyond the drummer?) but there is some varied stuff there - sometimes it sounds latin influenced and sometimes it sounds almost like a big band. Four points out of five.
Elite - Planet X - Alien Hip Hop (7 points)The song: Good old Derek! Trial of Tears and Lines in the Sand are two of the few DT songs I still love and the hearing Derek's characteristic keyboard sound in this song brings that love back. All the instruments are awesome to tell you the truth but the odd sections near the end of the song are kind of a downer for me, they feel complex for the sake of it. 3 points, would have been a four without the last couple of minutes.
The drumming: Donati was one of the drummers I was rooting for when the auditions happened, I felt he was really unique and it was clear that he *breathes* odd time signatures. He knows when to restraint and play a simple beat and when to go all out with complex fills. Drumming wise this and BTBAM are the best submissions of the round, but I didn't get that "I want to be the drummer in this band" feeling with this one so it's four points. Donati is still a beast though.
black_floyd - - ( points)The song:
The drumming:
As you can see, there wasn't much variety in the drumming scores - nothing was bad enough to warrant a 0, 1 or 2 and only one was so outstanding that deserved a 5. Solid round by everyone.
Rankings:
Topic: Xanthul's boring and unimaginative Roulette - Zantera wins!! (Read 21658 times)