Round 2 Results:
Shadow Ninja 2.0 – "Carnival of Rust" – Poets of the Fall
Alright man, this song just doesn’t do much for me. I hate to use this word, but it almost has that generic kind of feel to it. Sometimes, that isn’t a bad thing, but it just doesn’t rub me the right way this time. I’m not a fan of the vocalist, and I honestly find this song a bit boring. I wish I could like it as much as you, because I feel like it is a well-made song, I just don’t find it appealing to my ears. Though, really, it’s not a bad song, it just falls in the meh, category for me.
6/10
Parama – “A Gentleman Caller” – Cursive
“The fuck?” was my first thought when listening to this. I’m still unsure how I really feel about it. It’s got some cool parts, but some flat out weird parts. The beginning makes me want to slam my head on an ice sculpture, but maybe that’s good? This is definitely the weirdest of all entries, and I’m not really surprised to be honest. There’s some cool sections at the beginning of the song, the mini riffs are nice, and the vocals are decent in a certain loosey goosey garage band kind of way. The second half of the song is definitely better though, and it makes up for the “okay” first half. The vocals improve, and the strings give it a nice buildup moment. It’s definitely a strange choice, but much more deserving than a four.
6.5/10
kingshmegland – "Ladybird" – Tears for Fears
Wait, this is the same band that did Everybody Wants to Rule the World? Interesting, this sounds completely different. The chorus of this one is absolutely fantastic, as there’s just so much energy. Something about the atmosphere makes me want to just flap my wings and fly into the sky, like a bird, maybe I’ll be Manbird. I don’t really know how this band sounds considering the two I’ve listened to sound completely different from one another. My favorite part is surely the chorus and just the vocals in general, cool tune.
8/10
Tom Bombadil – “The New Auld Lang Syne”– Less Than Jake
I know I’ve heard of this band somewhere, and this song sounds strangely familiar, maybe from a Tony Hawk videogame or something. Punk is a hit or miss genre with me, but in this case, it works. It’s a fun, quick song, like most punk, and I really like the vocals. He’s got the kind of aggressively unserious singing style, if that makes any sense. It’s a pretty silly track, but they have a tight sound, and I like the inclusions of the brass instruments. My favorite part of it is probably the introduction, actually. Cool song for sure.
8/10
splent – "Beginnings" – Chicago
What I’ve heard of Chicago I really love, especially 25 or 6 to 4. One thing I really appreciate about this band is their fusion of rock and jazz into one, it’s great stuff. The vocals on top make it even better. Everything in this song is just really, really good, and for some reason I’m having a hard time putting it into words why I enjoy it so much, just that it has that good ol’ classic rock feel to it, with more cool vibes from the brass instruments and other percussion instruments. Cool song, and yet, another band I need to check into more.
8.5/10
Scorpion – "Morpheus" – Steve Rothery
I love me some good atmospheric, instrumental rock. This is not something I really listen to often honestly, but it does make for some really good study and driving music (both not at separate times of course). The guitar work is fantastic, and the addition of the good drumming and piano melodies make this a fantastic piece of music. From start to finish, this song is a fun, smooth ride, and it keeps me interested for the eight minute entirety.
9/10
Train of Naught – “Architect of Fortune” – Circus Maximus
Oh here we go, another praised band on this site that I have yet to check out. I’ve heard them described as a “watered down” Dream Theater, or maybe some prog metal-by-the-numbers, but I’m going to give it my own description. I can definitely hear some DT influence in this, but that’s definitely not bad. The guitar solos are really clean and fresh sounding to me, and it has some very cool structure changes. If I had to choose a weaker link, it would be the vocals. They aren’t bad, but they don’t necessarily stand out to me. However, the music is really awesome, so that kind of outweighs that. I will say the vocals are much better than many progressive metal bands I’ve listened to. Really the only two in that genre I listen to regularly are Dream Theater and Haken, so it’s clearly not one of my favorite genres despite my love for those two bands. Maybe I’ll add some Circus Maximus though, this song kicks ass for sure. I love the solo at 7:10, I keep coming back to that. Nice song.
9/10
Elite – "Grace" – Jeff Buckley
I’ve been meaning to check out Buckley for a long time, and the only thing I ever heard from him was Hallelujah. Based on this song, I can already tell he’s a great vocalist and guitarist. This song really has kind of a haunting atmosphere to it, and I didn’t expect that. The guitar work is excellent and not excessive, and his singing is top notch, as his high notes are incredible. He’s definitely one hell of an influential musician, it’s a shame he had to die so young. This song is great, and one of the best of this round. I’m definitely going to be listening to this album soon, I’m very eager to hear it.
9.5/10
Sacul – "Where We Start" – David Gilmour
Gah, David Gilmour. He’s my favorite guitarist of all time, but strangely, I’ve been procrastinating about listening to his solo work, and boy was I missing a lot. This is everything I love about Pink Floyd, but just Gilmour, and it’s perfect. Something about his playing just really gets to me, his tones, just the way he plays. I’ve always been a huge fan of his soft and relaxing vocals as well. This song is amazing in every regard. Sometimes when listening to Gilmour, I can really hear where Steven Wilson gets some of his influences from. This stuff is just perfect. It takes me away into a world in which I don’t want to leave.
10/10
Senecadawg2 – "Bird of Sorrow" – Glen Hansard
Wow, this is pretty much the definition of gorgeous. The soft piano melody, delicate vocals, and warming lyrics combined together make this one a gem. It only gets better as it goes on, and I really do find myself wondering what my favorite thing about it is, whether it’s the music, vocals, or lyrics. I guess that’s what is so great about this song. The climax of it is perfection, with the string arrangements and the emotional vocals mixing together. This is a style of music I’ve never really given much attention, but I feel like I’m starting to really appreciate it, and I’m very eager to check out more. Great! P.S. It's also my favorite song of the round.
10/10
Another great round, though it's a bit of a wider range this time.
Standings after Round 2:
1. Sacul (20 Points)
2. senecadawg2 (19 Points)
3. Elite (18 Points)
3. Train of Naught (18 Points)
5. kingshmegland (17.5 Points)
5. Tom Bombadil (17.5 Points)
7. Scorpion (16 Points)
7. Splent (16 Points)
9. Parama (15 Points)
10. Shadow Ninja 2.0 (14 Points)
GO AHEAD AND SEND FOR ROUND 3