Don't worry guys, I won't make you do another round centered around my other instrument (the trombone)
ROUND 2 RESULTS
Shadow Ninja 2.0: Dredg - Information - I thoroughly enjoyed this song. It was very catchy, and in a good way. The drums sounded like a lot of fun, and next time I come home from school I'll most likely give this a go. The vocalist was very good as well. Can't think of anything negative about it, which for me is pretty unusual
. Great song
Grade: 8.5
GentlemanofDread: Nico Vega - Beast - I didn't like this song at all on my first listen, but it definitely improved over time. The vocalist was probably my least favorite part, as her screams didn't sit that well with me. The drums started out pretty basic, but the part in the bridge sounded really cool. Good song, but not quite as good as the White Wilow tune you sent last round.
Grade: 6
Big Hath: Tower of Power - Squib Cakes - Ahh. You managed to send probably my favorite type of jazz, in that it had a funky feel to it. This song was excellent the whole way through, with some really impressive soloing. That said, I think the non-solo sections were actually my favorite; in particular the unison part at 6:50 coming out of the solos. The drums were consistently great throughout, but my favorite part was when he starts hitting the bell of the ride cymbal like crazy. There was some really tasty bass and guitar background parts too. Fun song to listen to all around.
Grade: 8.5
Lonestar: The Deadstation - Subsistence Defined - Wow, this song explodes out of the gate. I can't quite put my finger on why, but I find this to be more than just a "generic prog metal" song. The guitar solo is very impressive, and the drums (especially the beginning) are solid. Do you know if when they play it live the guy sings and drums at the same time? Because if so, then he is unbelievably talented. Speaking from experience, that is one of the hardest things to do, especially with a drum part as difficult as this one. Speaking of this immensely talented guy, I also like his vocals, although they weren't anything amazing. Also, in the Youtube video there was a link to download the whole album for free, so fuck yeah
Grade: 8
Adace: The Reign of Kindo- Nightingale - This one, like Shadow Ninja's, had a rather poppy feel to it, and just like SN's, I really liked it. I like to think that there are few 4/4 drum parts that I can't do, but this sounds really challenging, and I'll definitely give it a shot when I go home next time. I also thought the piano parts were really good. And I liked the vocalist also. Screw it, I just liked the whole thing.
Grade: 8.5
Senecadawg2: Journey - Of a Lifetime - Wow. I literally had no idea Journey played good music. I'm one of those guys who can't stand Don't Stop Believing, etc., and so it never dawned on me that they might have written some good stuff earlier on. This song sort of reminds me of Wetton era King Crimson, albeit a little more accessible. The guitar solo at the end is pretty fantastic, and like you said in your description, the drums really pick up in that final section, and sound like a blast to play. I'll definitely have to check out more of their earlier stuff now.
Grade: 8
Mikemangioy: Destrage - My Green Neighbor - This was another song that took a little bit to grow on me. The beginning sounds ridiculously hard on the drums, and for the most part, the music is very good. The vocals are good in spots and not so good in others. This normally isn't a big problem for me, but I found the lyrics to this song just so ridiculous that it actually detracted from my listening experience. There's some seriously good potential here, but a couple things are dragging it down from being a great song.
Grade: 6.5
Jingle.boy: Shadow Circus - Whosit, Whatsit & Which - You made me take two clicks to get to this, which is one more than I like, so I'll deduct 4 points for that
. Nah, this song was another excellent one. The intro is very atmospheric, and then the main guitar line comes in, and its a really catchy line. The vocalist has a pretty unique voice, and not in a bad way. I actually think the chorus might be my least favorite part, but that speaks more to how good the rest of the song is. I really like the drums when they first come in and in the verses.
Grade: 7.5
Lucien: David R. Gillingham - Whirlwind - This was a really impressive song. Everything was so tight in terms of their playing. There were spots in here that I really enjoyed, like at 4:42 for example, and other spots were just average (in terms of my own personal enjoyment, not the difficulty of the parts). So despite your fears, I really did enjoy this song, just not as much as some of the others in this round.
Grade: 6
Elite: Karnivool - Set Fire to the Hive - This was a good example of a song that I found good, just not great. There's absolutely nothing I didn't like about it. Some standout things for me were the opening drum line, which was pretty sick, and the pre-chorus? (whatever 1:40 is). So yeah, I don't have anything bad to say about it, but it wasn't quite as good as some of the others this round.
Grade: 7
Tyrias: Russian Circles - Youngblood - I really really like the beginning of this song. It sounds super dark, which is one of my favorite tones in music. Although the beginning is probably my favorite, there are a lot of really good sections in here. Ok, I'm listening to this while writing the review, and it's growing like crazy on me. Pretty much from 4:10 to the end is pure gold. Kind of has an Isis feel to it, which is definitely a good thing. The weird part is that my least favorite part is from after the beginning to 4:10, and that's where the drums are the coolest, which typically is the opposite of what I normally like, but whatever.
Grade: 7.5
Sacul: DJ Shadow - Number Song - This is definitely not something I normally listen to, but I must admit it's pretty good. The drums are definitely the highlight, and sound like a lot of fun to play along to. I also think those are Orion samples in there? My only complaint here would be that it stayed a bit too constant throughout the whole thing. A change up here and there would've been nice. Still, I liked this song better than I expected after the first impression.
Grade: 6.5
STANDINGS
1. Senecadawg2 - 16
2. Lonestar - 16
3. Big Hath - 16
4. Shadow Ninja - 15.5
5. Elite - 14.5
6. Adace - 14.5
7. Sacul - 14.5
8. Tyrias - 14.5
9. Jingle.boy - 14
10. GentlemanofDread - 13
11. Lucien - 12.5
12. Mikemangioy - 12
Kind of a logjam at the top, but that's what you get for sending such high quality stuff. And if I make a math mistake please let me know.
This round kicked ass, nicely done gents
I'll make Round 3 a little easier for you all and go with a pretty common theme around here: dark
Topic: Tom Bombadil's Roulette v. COMPLETED (Read 19002 times)
