Results time!
Longer write-ups again. Skim/skip/deal with it.
SomeoneLikeHim: Frost* - ‘Hyperventilate’
Well, I said earlier that I was open to giving these guys a second chance if somebody wanted to take the risk of sending another one of their songs. It took a couple rounds, but SomeoneLikeHim has stepped up to the plate! Ballsy move!
My main issue with the other Frost* song was that I didn’t think it flowed very well, and I certainly can’t say the same here. This one has a great flow to it; it’s not predictable, but it grows organically, with every moment feeling like a natural progression of the one that came before it. So for me this song is a big improvement on that front. The ending is a little abrupt for my taste, but I’m guessing it flows directly into the next song on the album, so I’m not going to dwell too much on that petty quibble. And musically, there’s a lot of great stuff here. The piano in particular is wonderful, with haunting melodies and rich textures. Some awesome guitar passages, too, during the faster-paced sections. And the song as a whole just has a really nice, dreamy atmosphere to it. I’m still not totally sold on these guys, but I like this one.
adace: Scale The Summit – ‘Odyssey’
Outstanding. Obviously the guitars are the central focus here, and that works out well, because the guitar playing is divine, with great tones, a lot of feeling, and a ton of energy. As soon as the song starts, you can tell from the intro that it’s going to be full of tasty guitar parts, and it doesn’t disappoint. Some great bass parts, too. And for the most part, the song is also very well-crafted. I say ‘for the most part’ because I’m not a fan of the ending; it’s a nice enough tune in its own right, but after the soaring guitar driven energy of the rest of the song, it kind of feels to me like it goes out with a whimper. But that’s a minor complaint, and one I can easily overlook in light of the powerful performances of the rest of the song. I say it again: outstanding.
lonestar: Beyond the Bridge – ‘Triumph of Irreality’
… Okay, yeah, this is pretty fucking amazing. Going in, I had very high expectations for this song, and it still managed to utterly blow me away. Repeatedly. Just when I think it can’t get any better, it does. Just when I think the pace has reached a fever pitch, the song changes lanes and accelerates. And when it runs out of lanes, it just leaves the road altogether and flies for a while. It’s a hell of a ride. The build-up is spectacular, and the climaxes are out of this world. I wish it didn’t end so abruptly (feels like a rollercoaster coming to a screeching halt without any warning), but as with the Frost* song, I’m sure it works well in the context of its album, so I’m not going to dwell on it. Instead, I’ll focus on all the wonderful stuff in this song, such as… well, everything in the song. The instrumentation is masterful all around, and it feels incredibly epic for its length. Simply phenomenal.
jingle.boy: Ayreon – ‘Chaos’
‘Chaos’ indeed. This song is pulsing with barely contained energy; it feels like it’s constantly on the verge of exploding out of control. Some of the guitar playing is downright insane, and the drumming is madness, perfectly suited to the chaotic atmosphere. I gather from the spoken-word intro that the concept of the album is that somebody is travelling back in time to the big bang, and this song does a really good job evoking that setting: you can just about picture comets and asteroids flying past, narrowly missing the ship as it journeys back through time and space toward the ultimate explosion. The ending wraps it up very nicely, with the last few notes hitting with a lot of power and then everything descending into tense silence, as if we’ve passed the big bang and arrived at the nothingness at the beginning of time. All in all, the concept is executed brilliantly, and the song is fantastic.
Buddyhunter1: Periphery – ‘Zero’
I’ve listened to this song probably a dozen times just trying to figure out how exactly I feel about it. It’s a style I’m really not familiar with (I’m guessing this is djent? Heard the term, heard it associated with Periphery, never knew what it actually was), so it’s been a little bit of an adjustment for me. At first, I found it a little overbearing, almost oppressive at times. You’ve got these chunky distorted riffs and this machine gun snare, loud and heavy, up front and in your face, assaulting your senses, and it was honestly a bit difficult for me to listen to the first time around. But now that I’ve listened to the song more and gotten a little more used to the style, it’s… actually pretty cool. The song has an interesting layered feel: yes, it has those riffs on the top layer, but if you dig a little deeper, there’s a lot of awesome stuff going on beneath the surface, including some really impressive soloing. Kinda feels like a song within a song, and it’s a neat effect. I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about it overall, but it’s definitely growing on me.
kingshmegland: Steve Morse – ‘Cruise Missile’
This is another one I had pretty high expectations for. I’m not familiar with much of Steve Morse’s work, but I love Flying Colors, and his playing there is terrific, so I was looking forward to hearing the guitar here, and it didn’t disappoint me. He’s definitely a great guitarist. He’s technically sound, he’s got a nice style, and he plays with a lot of feeling. The bass player is incredible too, as you promised me he would be. As for the song itself, I do think it’s somewhat lacking in the songwriting department; to me it feels more like a jam session than an actual proper song. That being said, it’s still awesome. Great rhythm. The main bassline is excellent, and the guitar playing is top-notch throughout. I think it could be composed a bit better, but overall, great stuff.
wolfking: Yngwie Malmsteen – ‘Far Beyond the Sun’
Damn. He really makes that guitar sing. I’ve heard a lot about this guy, some of it positive and some of it negative, but I’ve never actually taken the time to check him out before now. After listening to this song, I can easily understand why he’s so often mentioned alongside names like Vai and Satriani. I’m not entirely sold on his ability as a songwriter (to me, the song basically feels like a series of guitar solos stitched together), but as a guitarist I’d say he definitely lives up to the title of ‘virtuoso’, and this is some of the best shredding I’ve ever heard. Very impressive.
Round Five rankings:
1. lonestar
2. jingle.boy
3. adace
4. wolfking
5. kingshmegland
6. SomeoneLikeHim
7. Buddyhunter1
Sorry Buddyhunter. You kinda saw this coming and predicted that you might get eliminated this round, and I’m afraid that prediction is coming true. Honestly, though, you’ve got nothing to be ashamed of; this was just a really, really strong round. Truth be told, I’m really intrigued by that Periphery song, and I think I could really get into that style, maybe even grow to love it. But I’m just not quite there yet, and there was too much tough competition this round. So, sorry, but you’re out. But thank you very much for participating (and for getting me started on Devin Townsend; I’ll be picking up Epicloud within the next couple weeks, I hope). I appreciate your time and interest, and I hope you had fun.
Meanwhile, the chef is back on top. Congratulations to lonestar! That song is incredible, and I’ll probably be buying the album as soon as I can get my hands on it. You’ve got immunity in the next round.
And speaking of the next round…
Round Six: Whatever
I’m starting to run out of ideas for themes, so I’m going to be lazy and just call this an open round. Send me whatever you want.
Just so everybody knows, I’m going to be pretty busy this week. I’ll try to find time to spend on this, but to be honest, I may not have results ready until next weekend. Please be patient with me. That being said, feel free to submit your songs whenever you want, and try to get them in by January 24th.
Topic: Jaffa's Prog Rock and Metal Roulette - Final Results posted!!! (Read 42773 times)