Sorry for the slight delay here at the end, I had finals. I know this has been a long roulette, and I thank you guys for having the patience to stick it out with me. I tried to keep it moving at a decent pace, and I think that we did a fine job of that for the most part. Even still, 10 rounds with this many people is a lot to get through, so THANK YOU! Next time I do this I'm going to keep it a bit shorter, but I have no regrets on this one! I discovered a ton of music thanks to you folks, regardless of your scores, and I couldn't be happier.
Moving on to business, this has been a great round. Here are the results! I'm not ranking them, because that is impossible. You all sent fantastic songs and I refuse to rank them
Instead, in the order that I listened to them:
Dr. DTVT Ice Age- Perpetual Child
Epic, epic, EPIC! Ten minutes and thirty seconds of pure epic. The sound is huge, the singing is so powah!, and the solos are super duper impressive. The keyboards cut through the air in a way that demands attention, rather than get lost in the sound as is far too frequently the case with progressive metal. This is the shortest song I received this round, but that doesn't mean much of anything. Because if we're going purely by a bang/buck ratio, this song is the most epic! I really don't have much else to say about this one; it's incredibly strong and consistent throughout and I love it. THANK YOU!
Dark Castle HARK- Clear Light Of…
Your submissions have always diverged a bit from the rest of the crowd, and that's why it's been such a joy having you participate. For the most part, it's been hit or miss (sadly, more misses than I would have liked), but when you hit you land me flat on my ass. This song is no different, and let me tell you- it definitely qualifies as a hit. It took me a little bit of time, I'll admit, and I suspect that it's only going to grow more, but for now it measures up as an excellent song. As I've come to expect from you, this is an especially heavy and aggressive song! At the same time, it seems to lean more towards the playful side of things, as opposed to ultra-serious and/or angry. In that sense, and putting aside the language barrier, it reminds me a little bit of Kvelertak. The vocals, while admittedly one-dimensional, are perfect for this song. I don't know much about drumming, but that's also really solid and keeps the song moving along really well. The guitar solo is fantastic. It's soooo good! And the riffing! The song is obviously built around that riffing, and it's an incredibly sturdy foundation. It's gyrating against my eardrums in the most sensational way. THANK YOU!
jingle.boy Affector- Harmageddon
I am not a Christian. In fact, I've grown up altogether opposed to the institutionalization of religion. So when I saw this one and heard the lyrics, my first thought was
poor jingle.boy- he's screwed. I gave it a listen anyways, and tried to keep a very open mind, because that's only fair. I gave it another listen, after that, because it was excellent. I gave it another listen, and another (this went on for a couple hours
). I can listen to it now without having to ignore the lyrics, because they're actually not bad at all. Not something I'm normally into, but not nearly as much of a turnoff as I would have expected (given my past experiences with Christian rock/metal). Musically, I am very impressed. I'm an aspiring piano player, and have been playing for about 12 years, so I always appreciate good keyboard work. This does not disappoint in that regard! And that last guitar solo, it's the perfect blend of technical prowess and surging emotion. The song also has great dynamics, with breathers at all the right moments. Consequently, it doesn't buckle under its own weight, while still feeling incredibly epic. Not the most epic song of the round, but certainly up there. You've done a really good job introducing me to new music, and this one might take the cake. THANK YOU!
lonestar Maestrick- Lake of Emotion
Above the 20 minute mark, and from a band I've never heard of! It does a number of things really well, and there are some things that I'm not quite as fond of. The interplay between the male and female vocals is really beautiful. The way they're blended in with the rest of the instrumentation is also really beautiful. The music and the vocals do a really good job of mirroring each other throughout the song, I think. The keyboard really sticks out to me, as it plays a very strong and effective role throughout the song. Those are all good things, or more accurately REALLY good things, about this song. There are a few moments that really shine out above the rest. A couple examples: around the 7 minute mark, the guitar work at around the 11 minute mark and following keyboard bit as well. Not a big fan of what follows that though, at around the 12:30 mark. It's a little witchy, the way she delivers that one line (I imagine you know which one I'm talking about). In all honesty though, I'm being a bit nitpicky. It's a great song, and I really appreciate you sharing it with me. The most touching moment comes around the 15 minute mark, with the vocalists duo reminding me a little bit of Beyond the Bridge (love, love, LOVE their album). So yeah… THANK YOU!
shadow ninja Devil Doll- The Girl Who Was… Death
AAND, the longest song of the roulette (obviously). Coming in at about 40 minutes, it's difficult to know where to begin. Maybe with some adjectives that come to mind… Insane. Demented. Ridiculous. Beautiful. Terrifying. Wacky. Experimental. Sad. It's a journey, and those are all stops along the way. I will say, I'm not entirely sure it deserves to be called a single song. Conceptually, it feels more like an album, comprised of smaller tracks stuck together, created by a relatively pretentious musician. There may have been drugs involved, I really don't know. Of course, while it may feel a touch pretentious in regards to its structure and presentation, all the pieces are there and they are all working for me. Most of the vocals are almost laughable, but I keep coming back for more! I can't say why for sure, they're just so interesting. The strings are superb, and the atmosphere the induce are out of this world. This is excellent, you really have gone out on a bang. THANK YOU!
Elite Transatlantic- Duel With the Devil
I doubt anyone is going to be upset with me going ahead and saying that this was my favorite song of the round, and one of the best of the roulette. More likely, y'all are going to be upset with me for not having heard it before, and not having Transatlantic on my banned list. For the record, I have heard a few pieces, and do own Kaleidoscope. I wanted more, but was always a little too intimidated to know where I ought to dig my teeth in. Hence their absence from my list... Maybe some of you just assumed that it would be there, and didn't even check. I was expecting to get a song from them at some point, but got pretty worried as we approached the end. Thankfully, Elite delivered. And looking at the survivor thread now, I can see that he delivered what many consider to be the best (or at least, least least favorite-what a mouthful) Transatlantic song of all. What to say? It's long, it's epic, it's impressive, it has an interesting progression, its got mind numbingly good instrumental sections. Most importantly, especially given its length, is that this song has a number of clearly defined movements that are at once unique and cohesive when stuck together. I will never be able to do this song justice in a little paragraph, so I'm going to stop trying right now. Point is, I like it a lot. THANK YOU!
black_floyd Symphony X- Through the Looking Glass
Sweet! Along with Transatlantic, this is another one of those bands that I've heard about so often, listened a bit to, but always strayed away from. When I listen to new music I get a bit obsessed, and I need a lot of motivation to dive headfirst into an entirely new artist with a deep discography. I guess this isn't THAT deep of a discography, but it's still enough to scare me off for a bit. As you know, though, I have listened to The Divine Wings of Tragedy, and that's an excellent one. I think I may also agree with you that it may be the better track. Still, this one is also superb. Michael Romeo has some excellent solos and the keyboardist (not sure who he is) also does a great job. The highlight for me, though, is definitely Russell Allen. I've always loved his voice, particularly in the Allen-Lande project, so that came as no surprise. He's packing an incredible set of pipes! THANK YOU! So now that you've got my attention, where should I start? The Divine Wings of Tragedy? Twilight in Olympus? V?
LieLowTheWantedMan Swans- The Sound
You sly rascal you- once again sending me something very unique yet shockingly familiar. I can taste a touch of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and I love that taste so much. You, quite clearly, excel in sending me dreamy music, and this is the dreamiest of them all. And yes, it most definitely is epic. Not in the same way that Transatlantic is, or Ice Age, but in an equally astonishing fashion. It builds and builds and builds, until the waves start crashing down on me. Waves upon waves upon waves. Crucial to that process is the production, and I love the way this song is produced. It has an almost aquatic feel, which reminds me of the water portion of Thrice's Alchemy Index, but also conjures images of a desert with gusts of dry wind blowing in my face. Speaking sonically, 'enveloping' comes to mind. It's also drones quite a bit, which could have very easily gone wrong, but nonetheless works really well in this context. Speaking of which, within the context of this song, you can find me on the inside. THANK YOU!
Final Scores
jingle.boy 42+7=49
Elite 40.5+8=48.5
Dr. DTVT 38.5+7.5=46
lonestar 36+7=43
black_floyd 34+7.5=41.5
LieLowTheWantedMan 31.5+7.5=39
Dark Castle 27.5+1= 28.5+7.5=36
Shadow Ninja 23+7.5=30.5
The consistency this round was absurd, all of you sent me stellar songs. As a result, the rankings from last round haven't changed
Congratulations Jingle.boy!