RESULTS – FINAL (PART ONE)Ok, so here are my thoughts.
Lonestar – IQ (Frequency, The Seventh House, Common Ground)
I’ve never really listened to IQ before. I think I heard one song once, and it didn’t really interest me at all, and so I sort of wrote them off as a second tier prog band. These three songs haven’t elevated them to top tier as such, but I feel that I know much more about their sound now and, actually, they’re pretty good. Nice melodies, tasteful playing, generally quite a good feel. Maybe slightly middle of the round, in that nothing particularly stands out, and as with some of your previous submissions, the songs feel a little unnecessarily long. But nicely done, and pleasant to listen to.
Favourite of the three: Frequency
Score: 2.5
Heretic – Kvelertak (Blodtørst, Utrydd dei svake, Offernatt)
I have absolutely no idea what’s going on, but this is really enjoyable! Not sure I really get that much of a punk vibe, but the blend of black metal and straight forward rock’n’roll works surprisingly well, and their playing is really very, very slick. The big downside is that it does get quite grating after a while.
It has definitely entertained me enough to want to check out their album, and as I get used to their style I may start to love it, but right now three songs in a row was a bit much, and the middle one in particular didn’t hold my attention so well.
Favourite of the three: Offernatt
Score: 2.5
So, basically, I genuinely can’t decide between these two bands. They’re almost the polar opposites of each other, but each has its own qualities and downsides, and really I can’t decide. So, over to the mystery judge to cast the deciding vote…