ROUND 7 RESULTS
Onno: The Omega Experiment - FurorEh... It might've been a better idea to send something by a band you had known for longer than one day
The song has a few cool moments, but I've mostly grown out of this kind of over-technical music and therefore the crazy sections get on my nerves. Shame, because I can see some potential here...
5.5/10
Nekov: Von Hertzen Brothers - Always Been RightIn Finnish music circles VHB have been compared to the legendary Kingston Wall, but judging by this song I wouldn't put them on the same line. The mandolin in the intro is neat, the keyboard solo and the talk box section are cool and the storytelling in the lyrics is nice, but the vibe of the song is a bit too cheerful for me and I'm not crazy about the singer's voice.
7/10
Dark Castle: Fallujah - The Dead SeaI have mixed feelings... This song has some good melodies and I like the mellow interlude a lot, but the heaviest parts with the machine gun drumming are a bit too brutal and generic for my taste. Worth listening nevertheless and the good parts are really good!
6.5/10
MoraWintersoul: Enochian Theory - This Aching IsolationGorgeous clean guitars, string arrangements (or is that just a keyboard?) that aren't too bombastic, emotional vocals and a powerful chorus - what's there not to like?
This song has a "Riverside meets Anathema and says hi to Porcupine Tree" vibe, but doesn't sound like a rip-off or unoriginal. On the top of that the length of the song is suitable and effective, not dragging on but not ending too quickly either. To quote my comment on the Pure Reason Revolution song Nekov sent earlier in the roulette:
Not a perfect song, but pretty close!
9.5/10
WindMaster: Ne Obliviscaris - As Icicles FallAnother great song! There's a lot of atmosphere, both the clean and harsh vocals are good and the use of violin is interesting. Maybe this song could've been just a little bit shorter, but it's still impressive. I have a feeling this band could become big in the metal scene!
9/10
Lolzeez: Deafheaven - Dream HouseMajor key black metal? Ok... The screaming is pretty monotonous and the drummer wouldn't have to play a blast-beat for 4 minutes. The quiet bit in the middle is nice, but apart from that I can't see anything great in this song, so your prediction that I'd hate this wasn't totally off
5/10
LieLowTheWantedMan: The Drones - I See SeaweedThe disturbing intro sounds pretty evil and I like it, but the vocalist's half-talking approach kind of turns me off. The structure of the song is kind of weird, but there's some cool guitar work here and there.
6/10
Scorpion: Ne Obliviscaris - Forget NotScorp was a bad boy and broke the time limit rule by sending a 12-minute song, but I didn't want to delay the results and disappoint you guys so I swallowed my pride and listened to the song. I'm glad I did, because it's awesome! The vocals could come in a bit earlier than the 6-minute mark, but the build-up is great and the contrasts work. I actually liked this song a bit more than the one WindMaster sent, but due to you breaking the rule I feel obliged to rate it a bit lower - sorry!
8.5/10
Current ranking:
MoraWintersoul - 56
Scorpion - 55.5
Lolzeez - 55
Nekov - 55
WindMaster - 53
LieLowTheWantedMan - 52
Onno - 51.5
Dark Castle - 50.5
The ghost takes the lead, but the scorpion is right behind her and Lolz and Nekov may also return to the top. Exciting, isn't it?
(sorry if some write-ups were short, I was in a hurry!)
ROUND 8: FuneralThe roulette is getting closer to the end and soon it'll be time to say goodbye
Because of that and my love for dark music I want to hear something overwhelmingly sad and beautiful - your song doesn't specifically need to be about death, but I want the music to have a melancholic funeral vibe. This time I give you 3 days to send your submissions, because I need to work on a text analysis and Friday will be a busy day for me for other reasons.