And speaking of DX crotch chops... [Triple H voice]ARE... YOU... READYYYYYY?[/Triple H voice] [Road Dogg voice]Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages...
D-Generation X Jaffa proudly brings to you,
it's WWF Tag Team Champions of the wooooorld...[/Road Dogg voice] the results of round nine.
... Okay, so that was preposterously lame of me. The point is, results time.
SomeoneLikeHim: Riverside – ‘Escalator Shrine’This song is downright hypnotic. It is very atmospheric, and it does a great job establishing its atmosphere right off the bat with the acoustic intro. With a smooth flow and a great rhythm, it sucks you into its world and never lets you go; as soon as the mesmeric main riff kicked in, I was spellbound. The singer enhances the effect with smooth, dreamy vocals that fit in beautifully with the texture of the music. The bass plays a pretty important role, too; some of the bass playing is just terrific, and it really holds the song together. And then you get to the first little instrumental passage, and the song really comes alive. On first listen, I was actually disappointed when the music slowed back down again, but I’ve come to appreciate the flow the song has as a whole, the way it builds. It’s very fluid, with ebbs and flows and highs and lows, but it always maintains its ambience and its identity. Very impressive. This one doesn’t really have any major standout moments for me, but it’s consistently very good.
lonestar: Kingcrow – ‘The Hatch’Actually, I would say some of the same things about this one as I said about the Riverside song. This, too, is very atmospheric, with the vocal harmonies establishing a really interesting mood right off the bat, and the music here also has a somewhat hypnotic quality to it. But while the Riverside song feels a little subdued, this one is a lot more explosive and energetic at times, especially during the chorus and some of the heavier guitar passages. And speaking of the heavier guitar passages, I have to give the guitar player a lot of credit; he displays a lot of range in this song, from the softer and lighter playing early on in the song to the crunchy riffs and awesome solos that kick in later. The singer also does a good job adapting his voice as the music progresses. His voice has a unique style to it, and it works just as well during the soaring chorus as it does during the sort of voices-in-your-head harsh-whispers passage a couple minutes into the song. No real complaints, here. At first, some parts of the instrumental passage felt a little out of place to me, but I think they actually fit in pretty well with the somewhat chaotic feeling that underlines the song. Pretty sweet!
jingle.boy: Magnus Karlsson – ‘Not My Saviour’
You and I do seem to be on the same page when it comes to the fast-paced heavy-metal rockers, and this song is no exception. Pretty fucking awesome. I feel like it’s a fairly straightforward song, at least by prog standards; the structure is pretty simple, and there’s very little fluff. It’s concise and lean, taking an aggressive no-nonsense approach that, in my experience, isn’t very common in the genre. Not that it's simple, because it isn't; there are lots of flourishes here and there that keep things interesting. But it’s short and sweet and to the point (again, by prog standards). Driven by pounding drums and superb guitar playing, this one packs a hell of a punch. Definitely would have been a contender in the adrenaline rush round. I’m also really impressed with the vocalist. His voice has a distinct gritty edge to it, but he still sings with a lot of passion and emotion, striking a great balance. Very powerful vocal performance. And I know I already mentioned the guitar playing, but I’m going to mention it again, because damn. The solo in particular is fantastic. He really rips it up. This is a song with a lot of high points and no real low ones. Great stuff all around.
Round Nine rankings:1. jingle.boy
2. lonestar
3. SomeoneLikeHim
Yes, well done, Chad, ya cocky bastard.
Not My Saviour definitively won the round, earning jingle.boy a spot in the final round. Well played, good sir.
After that, the other two songs were pretty neck and neck for second place. Both songs are great, but neither really blew me away. They’re also somewhat similar in ways, in that they’re both very atmospheric pieces of music with distinct moods holding them together. Bottom line, I had trouble picking a clear favorite between the two. In order to make a decision, I ended up taking previous rounds into consideration. When I think about all the songs I’ve received in this entire roulette, Frequency, Triumph of Irreality, and Retrospective are all favorites of mine, and at the end of the day, I just need to see what lonestar has left up his sleeve for the final.
Sorry, SomeoneLikeHim. It was a tough call, but you’re eliminated. I hope you can be satisfied with making it this far, because you’ve got nothing to be ashamed of; you played very well. You’ve sent me some absolutely wonderful songs yourself, and I’m truly grateful. I’m so glad you decided to sign up for this! Thanks so much for participating, and I hope you had fun.
… And then there were two.
Round Ten: The FinalThis is it, folks. RJ vs. Chad, lonestar vs. jingle.boy, the Chef vs. the Deceased Dictator. A match-up for the ages.
It comes down to two roulette veterans. A bit boring of me, I guess, but you’ve both earned your places in the final. You’ve played very well, and this should make for a pretty epic showdown. Good luck to both of you.
No theme for the final round. I'll go ahead and discontinue the ten minute warning, too. Just hit me with your best shots, gentlemen.
Topic: Jaffa's Prog Rock and Metal Roulette - Final Results posted!!! (Read 42808 times)