Round 9 Results!!So these songs aren't ranked from worst to best, don't sweat it Shadow, you did great this round
The first paragraph is just the same thing I posted earlier, so if it looks familiar, just read the last part.
Shadow Ninja 2.0Jon Gomm – Passionflower:
Interesting, acoustic guitar-singer with an eccentric twist. This might be the single most talented person I’ve gotten in this roulette, he is pretty much playing guitar, drums and singing all at once, I wouldn’t believe it if this wasn’t a live recording. Enough about him, the music is just.. beautiful, even if it was an entire band I’d be impressed.
I already have huge amounst of respect for this guy, his musical talent is beyond anything I’ve heard, and it’s not only technical, obviously I had to try and listen to this without the video to see how I felt about just the music, and it’s still a beautiful song. I’m not a guitar expert but the way he plays guitar is definitely interesting, gotta wonder how that even works. I don’t have very much to say but it doesn’t mean I’m not appreciating, I am appreciatin‘ alright.
9/10SplentTriumph – Magic Power:
Still not sure how I feel about classic rock, it differs a lot, and I think the closest something came to this song in my roulette was Journey in round 1. Overall, the first half of the song doesn’t do a whole lot for me, it gets a lot better starting from 3 minutes though. Not a winning round 9 song by any means so far, but it’s a good rocker!
Hmm, not really a grower, it was still a good song, but the singer skyrockets above everything else in the first half of the song, for me it might’ve aswell been a capella for the first 2-3 minutes, didn’t care too much for anything else there. But yeah I already said this, but it does get way better near the end, I dig the guitars in the end especially, drums are energetic as hell too, bass I barely noticed in the last part of the song, and the moments I did hear it in the song I wasn’t too fond of. So some parts I liked, some I disliked, I feel about the same way about it as I first did, maybe even a little less appealed though.
7.5/10SaculIgorr – Tout Petit Moineau:
You’re damn right you took a risk, but why the hell not? The roulette is almost over, time for some whacky shit. So maybe as a song this can really weird people out, but I think this song particularly, and probably Igorrr in general, is looked at as a form of art more than anything. I don’t see myself listening to this kind of stuff though, it’s a tad bit overwhelming for someone who has just listened to it once. I doubt it will suddenly
click with me too, I applaud you for your courage, but I don’t think the over the top electronic elements and the all over the place singer will be a grower.
I definitely think it’s a grower, the mix of electronic bits and her over-the-top voice actually blend pretty well. That said, I don’t believe a few days is enough for something like this to click, it’s.. too much, and that’s saying a lot, because I even liked the Destrage song, which is about as crazy as it gets, you really pushed it this round
. Part of me liking this is because I miss Dour and this Igorrr show was done at the stage I basically could be found 24/7. So this did get better and I think you might be pleasantly surprised that your song is not getting a 5/10.
7/10
MikemangioyRush – Headlong Flight:
Hmm, first impressions: Is this their newer stuff? I could never really get into most of their older stuff but I quite like this. The singer is IMO more tolerable here, and the music is more straightforward, so it’s not that hard to follow what’s happening musically. It has that in-your-face rock edge to it that I really enjoy, along with some likable vocal melodies. I’m liking this.
This song still sticks out, I love the riffs and verses most, they’re packed with energy, something I didn’t expect from a band that’s been around for as long as Rush. I tend to like modern rock/metal more than the classics in general, with some exceptions of course, but I’m more drawn into this Rush than most of their classic works.
8/10
TyriasThe National – Afraid of Everyone:
I’m not very familiar with Indie Rock, I listen to one or two bands that could be classified as Indie. On first listen I’m not getting a whole lot out of this, vocals are pretty good, I like the guitars. Drums, not so much, they’re there, nothing especially interesting IMO. So overall it’s ok, but I don’t think this will be a round winner.
Sorry, this is one of your favorites, but I’m not on the same page, I would never go out of my way to listen to songs like this, so it probably has more to do with the genre in general (even with the bands from the genre that I listen to, I’m not too crazy about most of their songs) than with the song you chose. I still think it has okay parts, but it’s not something I’d keep on if it came up on shuffle.
6.5/10LordCostVangough – Separation:
I have all the confidence in the world that you will manage to deliver another amazing track, you’ve been doing phenomenal in a lot of the rounds, with a few oddballs. Liking the intro, pretty energetic metal stuff. The verse feels like it’s just there, not too special, but the way it built up to the chorus is great, and the chorus itself is awesome, with epic backing vocals and just some good metal lead vocals. The overall style of pure agression in the middle of the song is perfectly executed, you can really feel the anger. Ending is just great aswell, keeps up the quality with one last blast. I got a good feeling about this song.
intro, still digging it. I’ve pretty much covered everything I want to say about this song though, but what now stands out even more is the chorus, with the epic backing vocals. You seem to be nailing choruses in general, cause they always seem to be my favorite part of your songs, Rishloo, The Human Abstract, Jolly, now Vangough, off the top of my head those all had fantastic choruses. The only thing I want to add to my writeup is how the harmonic near-ending section is, makes the song even more epic than it was.
I hate seeing you out of the top 3, I think you’ve won the most rounds out of anyone (if I count the epic round, which technically Parama won but it was so close I could’ve gone either way). Too bad your lows weren’t consistent enough to keep up with the leaders, if you believe in wonders, round 10 could be the magic round to get you in those finals. You’ve already sent, so all you can do is wait and hope.
9.5/10ParamaIntronaut – Killing Birds With Stones:
Apparently Intronaut are sludge metal, no idea what that is, I guess I’ll find out. First thoughts: I actually thought this band was full-on harsh vox, the clean verses are quite nice, but I was expecting heavy shit. That instrumental section starting at like 3 minutes in actually kinda bores me, it’s going nowhere. The second half of the song is better, but I still am not very impressed by this song, maybe you were afraid to send me some of their heavier stuff and went for something more accessible instead? I did like the vocals, but the song overall hasn’t really wowed me at any point. Maybe it’s a grower.
Well it’s not a grower, atleast not over the course of a few days with a couple of listens. I noticed that I said the exact same thing in round 8, but eight minutes seems well overdue. The ending is pretty epic, I gotta give you that, and for just that I think it might be the best part of the song, but it took like 6 minutes to lead up to that. I should also say that I was pretty hyped for this song after the first minute, an 8 minute piece with a pretty cool, kinda heavy intro, from a band that I was already pretty hyped for? Sure. But as soon as the pace slowed down and the vocals came in my the hype collapsed, and pretty much the rest of the song except for the ending I felt the same way. So overall, good beginning and ending, maybe I just don’t like this particular song, but if this album is anything like the main style of this song I don’t think I’m eager to check out this album, I’ll still browse through their new album though because I’ve heard good stuff about it.
7/10BolstersWhitesnake – Crying in the Rain:
Don’t know a lot of Whitesnake songs, but after my first listen of this song, I honestly thought they were way softer than this, like your average 80’s rock band, but this is just some juicy hardrock, even getting some metal vibes from it. I’m liking the husky vocals, very different from the other Whitesnake songs I heard. Guitar solo isn’t doing much for me, but the rest of the guitarwork on this song is pretty strong.
Cool. All I can think of, cool. This song sounds so subtle, they go through all these short groovy guitar passages like it’s nothing. One of those songs I would hear in the background and wouldn’t think very much of, but paying attention to it there’s phenomenal stuff going on everywhere you look. Now the chorus, it’s hella catchy, it reminds me of Toto – Hold the Line a bit, in a positive way. So overall this song has ‘great‘ labeled all over it, not a round-winner, but it’s above average easily.
8.5/10
425Bon Iver – Skinny Love:
Nope, never heard this song. I was a bit underwhelmed after the first minute, but it gets tons better after that. From what I’ve heard now, this song does the “chill acoustic“ style you’re going for better than the last song, and that one was already pretty good. Musically this is a pretty simplistic song, but that’s alright, I’ve been into a lot of straightforward stuff for all my life. The vocals are powerful enough to make this not just another simple acoustic song. So far so good.
Still a great song, I get that this was a popular song around the release, it’s got a very radio-like sound. With songs like these it’s always kind of a risky move, if I’m not too fond of the singer, you’ve lost my interest on a huge part of the song, but with the approach you’re taking in the last two rounds, it was definitely not for naught. You know your chill acoustic songs, the last one was peaceful and dark at the same time, good fit to the theme without being too predictable, and this song is also very peaceful, but came off as a very bright song. The singer for sure did not ruin the experience here like I said could be a risk, the vocals are SO good, especially in the chorus. This is all just great stuff.
9/10EvermindBlind Guardian – Wheel of Time:
Goo’old power metal
sure why not? You’ve oddly managed to make it work a couple of times already. First thoughts: I was just hoping the vocals wouldn’t be a total disaster, and they weren’t, maybe I like power metal more than I thought I did. Also a big fan of eastern stuff in music, this song has loads of it. That quiet middle-section is beautiful, you’ve got your shit together when it comes to long songs, this ties it up very nicely. I won’t really be going into the story yet, I don’t mind the cheese, because musically this song is awesome, and that’s what it’s about for me at the moment. Having heard your song, elite’s song and seneca’s song now, the rest better have some juicy tracks to keep up with the leaderboards.
I could always just return to your submissions if I’m looking for some great epic tunes, it’s incredible how wide ‘a variety of epic songs you have in store, with both different approaches of instrumentals, and very distinct singers. This singer in particular, definitely not my favorite after having listened to it more, but he fits to the music, and that’s what matters here. Still a huge fan of the little instrumental tidbits and passages, it’s not only what makes this Blind Guardian song different from most power metal I’ve heard, it makes the music in general very unique.
8.5/10
Senecadawg2Soilwork – The Ride Majestic:
Melodic death metal? Awesome, been looking for a good one anyway, maybe this’ll fill that hole. You might’ve noticed Gojira on my list, indeed a lot of harsh vocal songs have scored high, but they are a bit risky sometimes, this is a style of growling that I find easier to tolerate however, it’s that kind of growling that’s kind of a blen between screaming and just singing very loudly (if it’s not clear what I mean by that, Gojira and Machine Head both have the style I;m talking about).
But yea on to the song, on first listen, I’m pretty damn impressed at how well this song transitions from the almost-relaxing guitarwork into the melodeath-style verses, over and over. I quite like the chorus and it’s pretty catchy, not my favorite part of the song though, I’m more into the verses and these short calm guitar passages. Will he secure a top 3 spot? Will he even push for the top spot?
Yo Train, no more fucking around.
Find out, in 1 or 2 days.
Dude this is amazing, I was already pretty pleased, but on top of that, this was probably the biggest grower of the round. Too bad for you LordCost is amazing and wins the round by a hair yet again. I definitely want more of this, starting with TRM seems like the logical thing to do. Almost everything I said with my first thoughts remains the same, I love the heavy verses, the calm parts, and most of all, the chorus, which was a huge grower, very powerful stuff.
9.5/10EliteEpysode – Obsessions:
Is this really what thrash metal sounds like now? I guess I have no idea what thrash is anymore, but what the hell, whatever genre, this is a great song! The guitars during the verses are mind-boggling, it adds so much power to the vocals. Overall I like how this song gets straight down to business, it has the progressive edge, but no unnecessary instrumental sections, all business. Which gives the song plenty of time to get everything done in just 4 minutes, they do squeeze in a guitar solo, an amazing one at that, but that aside, it’s pretty straightforward.
Still feel the same about this song, my favorite parts about it are the verses (so powah) and the guitar solo near the end. The chorus is alright, but I don’t feel the same way you do about how its catchiness. For this type of song, I’m glad you chose a 4 minute one, cuz if they did stray away from the standard structure too much I’m pretty sure it would take away from the song. So, still a great song, not a grower for me, but the impression it made on me remains.
8.5/10Just reposting the last round theme to make sure none of you missed it:
Round 10: This is the EndIt's been a great experience guys, and every single one of you has at least gotten me to really like a song so much that I want to check out the album. Sadly, 9 of you have to leave, and it's coming down to this round. Send me your closing songs! Great album closers, or songs that could close an album very well, whatever works for you.
So now that's all said and done, let's look at the standings one last time before we start the last round:
Current Standings:Elite: 70.5 + 8.5 = 79
senecadawg2: 69.5 + 9.5 = 79
Evermind: 70 + 8.5 = 78.5425: 67.5 + 9 = 76.5
Bolsters: 66.5 + 8.5 = 75
Parama: 67.5 + 7 = 74.5
LordCost: 64.5 + 9.5 = 74
Tyrias: 67.5 + 6.5 = 74
mikemangioy: 66 + 8 = 74
Sacul: 66.5 + 7 = 73.5
splent: 63 + 7.5 = 70.5
Shadow Ninja 2.0: 61.5 + 9 = 70.5
Out of the three people who were tied behind the top 3, 425 takes the lead and is still very much in the race for the finals. I'd say Bolsters and maybe Parama, LordCost, Tyrias and Mike have a chance, but seeing how consistent the top 3 have been it would take a miracle. Which brings me to the next topic:
The final round!!So our finalists are still yet to be decided, but in advance, let me give you a heads-up of what’s going to happen. Of course like all the other final rounds, 3 of you will be sending me a piece you formed consisting of multiple songs from different artists, but it's not exactly 3 totally separate EP's I'll receive. These pieces you'll be sending will form one big listening piece for me which will be listened to in full (more about this in the last part of the post). There’s no set amount of songs you have to live up to, but of course there's a time limit. Keep in mind I will be grading your piece as follows:
- The score you get will be an average score of all your songs, squeezing in more songs just for the sake of it is obviously not a legit strategy.
- I will grade the songs separately, but in the final score, I will also take into account: EP flow/overall EP quality, a potential theme you want to carry on throughout the EP shouldn’t be disrupted by an odd song that doesn’t fit into that category. For all I care you could have the best songs ever that just don't fit together, and you'll still get great separate song scores, but the bonus points you get for the EP flow/quality will suffer from this.
Now for the length, I’m thinking of 20 minutes minimum, 30 max.
We’ll get to that later on, here’s the catch regarding the #1 advantage: Scores will not reset, so the advantage #1 has built up compared to #2 and 3 remains (this doesn't look like it's gonna be a huge game changer according to current standings though). On top of that, I will be listening to the three EP’s in one run everytime I’ll make time for a listening run, in the same order, kinda like one big piece of 60-90 minutes (depending on your EP lengths).
What we’ll be doing is, before you send me the songs, I will let #1 decide if he wants his EP to be my 'album opener', the middle one, or the 'album closer'. This will all be before you send the songs, so you can still adapt to the position your EP will be in. Maybe the #1 contestant has a collection of epic tension-building songs and an amazing closer prepared, maybe he wants me to listen to his EP first because he thinks these songs can make a great first impression on me, it’s up to whoever claims the #1 spot. (of course tactical cockblocking is also a great strategy) I think it’s self explanatory that the #2 will then continue to choose one out of the last remaining choices, and the #3 is left with the other.
Overall, not a big twist, but I think giving the person who has won the original 10 rounds should be given the edge, albeit ever so slightly.
PFAQ (Potential Frequently Asked Questions): Will the #2 and #3 also suffer from not fitting to a particular style that the #1 chose to send? No, the only advantage he gets from this is having the opportunity to pick the opener/middle/closer, scores won't be affected by a change of musical style between the pieces.
Train dude tell us what the maximum score will be and how many bonus points can be awarded at max for overall flow? Give me an hour or so.
Topic: Train of Naught Debut Roulette - And the winner is... (Read 47511 times)
