Tom Bombadil's Roulette v. COMPLETED

[Elite]

That's fast!

[Lucien]

That's fast!

[Tom Bombadil]

Well the amount of schoolwork I'll have is probably going to increase tremendously over the next few weeks, so I figured I might as well go fast while I can.

[Tom Bombadil]

Ok here we go:

ROUND 1 RESULTS

Tyrias: Arstidir - Shades - Similar to your description, I have no idea what genre this is, but regardless, I enjoyed it. The emphasis on strings was really interesting and made this song very unique. I'm a stickler when it comes to vocalists, but this guy was really good. My only complaint would be that it stayed a bit samey, but for a 4 minute song that really isn't much of a complaint. Good song, but not exactly great.
Grade: 7

Sacul: David Maxim Micic - Where is Now - I remember seeing this band show up in your top 50 list a lot, and now I understand why. This song was pretty great. Very progressive with some pretty great riffs. The majority of this song had a really uplifting vibe to it, and it really made it fun to listen to. It wasn't perfect, and there were a couple sections that seemed a little out of place, but overall it was one of my favorites for the round.
Grade: 8

Lucien: Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue - I instantly recognized the main theme to this song, and a couple other sections sounded familiar, but the majority was unfamiliar. Some seriously great piano parts in the beginning (the whole song, really). Lots of interesting movements going on here, but they always came back to that main theme. My only problem was just that it was a bit too long. The section from about 10-12 minutes in was freakin epic and would've been a great ending in my opinion. Still quite enjoyable to listen to, although unfortunately the Tchaikovsky piece you sent first would've scored higher if I hadn't already played it.
Grade: 6.5

GentlemanofDread: White Willow - Sally Left - This was another very interesting tune. I really liked the continual build up in the beginning, and the guitar solo (which sounded very Gilmour-esque) was fantastic. I'm not entirely sold on the vocals, but I probably say that about 80% of all music. All in all it was a decent song with a really really good solo.
Grade: 7

Senecadawg2: The Antlers- Palace - The beginning of this song is incredibly beautiful, and that continued throughout the song. The vocals weren't anything amazing, but they fit the song well and weren't a detriment. Not really a whole lot to say about it, but it was definitely a good song. The intro remains my favorite part.
Grade: 8

Big Hath: Myrath - Sour Sigh - Maybe it's just me, but the intro to this song sounded really similar to Lost Not Forgotten, not that that means anything good or bad, but I found it interesting. The song really takes of when the guitar comes in, and there are some pretty excellent riffs throughout the tune. I like the Arabic twist they put on some of the sections. The guitar solo was really impressive.  Nothing too special in this song, but no complaints either.
Grade: 7.5

Adace: Threshold - Ashes - I've known of Threshold for quite some time, but never really checked them out. The music here is great, but unfortunately I'm not too big on the vocals. The chorus sounds good, but during the verses his voice just didn't click for me. It's kind of a shame, because I really want to like this song since the music is so tight. That soaring guitar line in the outro is excellent.
Grade: 6

Lonestar: Frost* - Hyperventilate - Another band I've heard of from my time here at DTF but never checked out. There is a lot going on in this song. The keyboardist is stunning and provides a lot of great highlights. I especially enjoyed the parts that had a softer tone to them. My only issues are some of the changes are abrupt, and occasionally they go into "Dance of Eternity mode". The majority of this song is excellent, though.
Grade: 8

Elite: Agent Fresco - A Long Time Listening - I think you won the vocalist award for this round, Elite. I really like this guy's voice, and most of the song in general. The music too was very good, and I liked the heavy part in the middle a lot. I wasn't a big fan of the group singing parts, which kind of unfortunately was a big part of the song.
Grade: 7.5

Jingle.boy: Circus Maximus - Alive - Most people on this forum seem to refer to Circus Maximus as "generic prog metal" and unfortunately, I kind of see where they are coming from. Nothing really surprised me here, although there were some parts that I really enjoyed (0:28-1:08 just to name one). The acoustic/piano unison at 1:53 is really nice too. And once again I wasn't too fond of the vocalist.
Grade: 6.5

Mikemangioy: Rhapsody of Fire - Fire Ad Infinitum + From Chaos to Eternity - The intro to this song with the Christopher Lee narration was pretty sick. His voice is just mesmerizing. It kind of went downhill after that, though. The majority of the song just sounded pretty cheesy, as most power metal seems to for me. Outside the intro, the highlight for me was the hot guitar lick at about 1:30, which was really cool. There were some other neat bits here and there, but the majority of it wasn't my cup of tea.
Grade 5.5

Shadow Ninja 2.0: Dan Swano - Uncreation - You went the risky route with harsh vocals, and unfortunately missed. Similarly to Adace's song, this had some really excellent music, but the vocals really dragged it down. The music was amazing though, and it could've been my favorite song of the round if it had vocals that I enjoyed more.
Grade: 7

Standings:
Sacul - 8
Senecadawg2 - 8
Lonestar - 8
Big Hath - 7.5
Elite - 7.5
Tyrias - 7
GentlemanofDread - 7
Shadow Ninja 2.0 - 7
Lucien - 6.5
Jingle.boy - 6.5
Adace - 6
Mikemangioy - 5.5

Pretty impressed with the first round, keep up the good work!

I play the drums, so for Round 2 send something that you think has a really interesting/challenging/fun to play drum part. It can be any genre.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

sent

[Lucien]

...Drum part?

Oh man, this will be tough.

[GentlemanofDread]

Right, this is gonna require a bit of thought.

[lonestar]

Yeah, gonna have to dig for this one.....

[Big Hath]

Round 2 sent

[jingle.boy]

Funny, I almost sent Frost*. Not to fond of Michael Eriksen's vox huh???

Think I know where I'm going with some stellar drumming. Old school.  Time for an 'experience'

[Tyrias]

I will have to think about this for a bit. Also, I think you missed me in the ranking

[Lucien]

"My only problem is that it was a bit too long."


Oh the irony. 

[Elite]

Elite: Agent Fresco - A Long Time Listening - I think you won the vocalist award for this round, Elite. I really like this guy's voice, and most of the song in general. The music too was very good, and I liked the heavy part in the middle a lot. I wasn't a big fan of the group singing parts, which kind of unfortunately was a big part of the song.
Grade: 7.5

Yeah, that vocalist is amazing. I'm going to see them live at ProgPower Europe next weekend and I'm very much looking forward to this band in particular (as well as some other greats at the same festival). The album is truly a contender for AOTY for me and if you liked this track, I can wholeheartedly recommend the rest of the album too. Yeah, the group singing is a big part of the song and I can see why it can be a hit or miss, but it's practically the only track on the album that does this. Glad you liked it

[adace]

Shame you weren't fond of the vocals. Don't give up on Threshold though. You should definitely check out the Mac period, especially Subsurface.

Sent.

[Elite]

^ And apparently I failed when I said the album could be AOTY for me. Although Spotify says it was released this year, it turns out the album has been around since 2010... :')

[senecadawg2]

I'm glad you enjoyed the song  I'd highly recommend checking out their album "Hospice" if you get a chance.

[mikemangioy]

What a good start - anyways, round two sent.

[Tom Bombadil]

^ And apparently I failed when I said the album could be AOTY for me. Although Spotify says it was released this year, it turns out the album has been around since 2010... :')

Well that explains how it was on YouTube 3 years ago

[Sacul]

I remember seeing this band show up in your top 50 list a lot, and now I understand why.

It's actually a single guy writing all the music, and happens to have some outstanding guests here and there. That album made my #10, so yeah, it's fucking awesome.

[Tom Bombadil]

Still waiting on a few for Round 2

[GentlemanofDread]

I sent, right?

[Tom Bombadil]

I sent, right?

yeah

[Lucien]

Sent. Definitely getting the lowest score possible this round.

[Tyrias]

Sent. An Instrumental. Despite you saying that you weren't fond of instrumentals. 

[Tom Bombadil]

Ok everyone's in. Results will be up sometime this weekend.

[Tom Bombadil]

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

[GentlemanofDread]

I'm trying not to just send Prog so I strayed from my comfort zone haha

Dark how, though?

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

sent

[Tom Bombadil]

Dark how, though?

Everybody has their own definition of dark, so just send whatever fits your description of it. You won't get graded on "how dark I think it is".

[GentlemanofDread]

Now do I play that band now or someone else, hmm..

[Tom Bombadil]

Hehe. Decisions decisions...

[Big Hath]

Don't worry guys, I won't make you do another round centered around my other instrument (the trombone) 

awe, come on.  I have plenty for this!

[Sacul]

Dark, huh? I sent you a risky choice, but I'm sure you'll find it pleasing.

[lonestar]

As far as Ikknow, they haven't done a live set yet, though I do know that episode 2 is in production. Free shit always helps thescore, ddoesn't it? Enjoy, it's a killer album. 

Now dark will be tricky since IQ is my token dark band and they're on your banned list. Decisions decisions.....

[Lucien]

Sent. I'm a bit more confident.