Alright, here are the final results. I want to thank everyone for playing, you all introduced me to some pretty awesome stuff at least once!
This round has been given points out of 10, not ranked.
Artist: Ulver
Song: Porn Piece or the Scars of Cold Kisses
Sent by: SigzThis song was more ambient and atmospheric than anything, and while that is certainly something I enjoy, this didn't really hold my attention throughout, sadly. I did like how the band used electronic instruments a lot, and the vocals were very pleasant, but I always had to actively focus on this song if I wanted to actually be able to say something about it at the end, while the other songs grabbed me, so I won't give this more than
5 points.
Artist: Riot
Song: Storming the Gates of Hell
Sent by: UltimetalheadThis song started off cool, but the moment the singer came in, I was just wishing throughout that he would shut the fuck up. Instrumentally, this song was top-notch, featuring some creative and intense riffing, actually audible basslines and some pretty sweet horns, but the vocals made it hard to bear the first time. After a few listens, I started warming up to the vocals a bit, but they're still the weakest link of this otherwise pretty cool band.
6 points.
Artist: Pagan's Mind
Song: God's Equation
Sent by: NekovAnother song where the vocals were a little grating at first, but they didn't bother me as much here as in UMH's submission. This is some killer prog metal, with some intense riffing throughout and an awesome, awesome guitar solo that had me failing abysmally at air-guitarring from the first listen. The last minute or so, however, doesn't hold my attention anymore, because nothing really new happens. Still a great song,
7 points.
Artist: Orphaned Land
Song: The Birth of the Three (The Unification)
Sent by: WindMasterMy first exposure to Orphaned Land was checking them out on YouTube after hearing of them on DTF, but I hated growls back then, so I quickly discared them again. This song shows that I should probably try them out again, as it features many of the things I like a lot: very good growls, great guitar playing, both acoustic and electric (DAT GUITAR SOLO) and some tight musicianship throughout. I've actually read the comparison that they are kind of like Opeth with Middle Eastern influence, and that's pretty close. The one gripe I had was the clean vocals were nowhere near as good as the growls (something that can't be said for Opeth), but I still enjoyed it a lot. Another
7 points.
Artist: Voyager
Song: The Meaning of I
Sent by: wolfkingThe first thing I noticed about this song was the great intro (duh!) and how it leads into that heavy, almost djenty riff - which is awesome, by the way. In fact, this whole song features awesome musicianship, mainly on the guitar, throughout. The vocals where a little off-putting on the first listen because they are pretty monotonous, but they fit the song well and I warmed up to them slowly. Great song, take
8 points for it.
Artist: Twelve-Foot Ninja
Song: Coming For You
Sent by: ariichYou're the guy in the roulette that's been tickling my somewhat whacky fancy, and you did it again here. Awesome song, which starts out as a metal attack but you've barely blinked and it's suddenly swing! How awesome is that? Well, granted, it has to be well-done, but those dudes do just that, so it's awesome. The video that I found for this on YouTube is pretty fucked up, but that doesn't hinder my musical enjoyment. A whoppin'
8 points for the Brit.
Artist: Pain of Salvation
Song: Iter Impius
Sent by: EliteWith most artists, I have a "three-strikes-rule": if I try them three times and they don't stick or at least improve, then they're probably not for me. I had tried out PoS twice before and they had leftly me largely scratching their head, so I was both excited and a little skeptical when this song arrived in my mailbox - but POS don't have to worry, because while they didn't stick the first tries, they nailed it here. The way that the song begins with some simple piano and one of the most emotional vocal deliveries, only to segue into a great climax when the electric guitars enter is nothing short of astounding. The guitar solo is a thing of beauty as well. Great, great song, I'll definitely try out Pain of Salvation again!
9 points.
Artist: Incura
Song: Here to Blame
Sent by: lonestarI knew that you had it in you to blow me away, and finally, you delivered. This song is pretty short, barely longer than four minutes, but damn, this is awesome. The intro sounds lifted from a classical piece of which I forgot the name and it's pretty cool, but it's only when the riff breaks loose that you really recognise just what a monster you have here. The vocals are awesome as well, especially when they go a little into the realm of screams. Generally, this is a frantic, high-energetic piece of music all the way through, and it is one of the best of its kind. A full
10 points to you, good sir.
Final standings27 points: lonestar, Sigz
28 points: wolfking, WindMaster
30 points: Elite, ariich, Nekov
31 points: UMH
As you can see, this was fucking close in the end - four measly points seperate the winner from those in last place, so once again, you were all awesome.
And by a smidgen of a hair, the whole roulette goes to...
ULTIMETALHEAD!!! Congrats bro, you're awesome. You can feel good about yourself now, or something.
That's it, I think. Once again, thank you and peace out.