I know I look like I'm too generous this round, but well, I was always generous with the songs I liked, and who can blame me that I gathered the twelve participants that I knew will be able to send me amazing songs in every round? Also, I warned you about a lot of high scores in this round, didn't I? Well, here we go.
Round 5 Results:
Bolsters: Edenbridge – The BondingYou know, maybe some people thought the long songs won’t work in this roulette because I rated some of those quite low; and other people still think that on the prog forum the longer the song is, the better. I can’t confirm any of this, and the fact the longest song of this round ended up being the best… well, you can’t attribute that to the length. It’s just the song was that amazing.
Saving this for the EP round would’ve been a great call – provided you had some other short songs from different bands to fill the EP with – if only you weren’t in such a dire situation on the verge of elimination. In the EP round, this song might’ve secured you the victory… in this round though, this song secured you a perfect score. I’ve been thinking about this score a lot, it was an instant love at first listen worth 10 out of 10, then I began to find the minor flaws in this song and reduced the score to 9.5; in the end, I think I’ve grown to love even the moments I disliked before, and the score became perfect again. Because it’s simply awesome.
This is one of the most excellent symphonic metal songs I’ve heard. It really has it all, the initial build-up, the back-and-forth acoustic / aggressive middle section where the female and the guest male singer trade off their lines, the simple – but not simplistic – and quite magnificent and glorious acoustic instrumental section, and the highly grandiloquent ending in the vein of DT’s Octavarium, everything is polished to perfection in this song. Curiously,
“I’m beyond belief” / “How can I feel you if it’s all beyond belief?” trade-off in the middle makes me chuckle just a bit – the male vocalist appropriately sounds a bit pissed; and I can’t help but mention that this guy – judging by his very first note where he goes
“ooooh” – kind of sounds like Jorn. I like how his voice plays in contrast with the beautiful female vocals. I love the instrumental breakdown. Damn, it’s easier to say what I didn’t like about this song in the end – that would be nothing. I didn’t look on the scoreboard, and I don’t remember the standings, but I think you just improved your chances on making the cut dramatically.
By the way, does she sing
“It’s not penis, it’s not warmth” at 13:38?
10/10
Train of Naught: The Dear Hunter - The Bitter Suite IV and V: The Congregation and The Sermon in the SiltThe Dear Hunter. It’s one of those bands I always was interested in, but never checked out. In case of TDH though, I’ve heard King of Swords (Reversed) from this very album, and I was not impressed at all, so I, well, not exactly gave up on them, but just put them out of my mind for a time. I knew you were a huge fan of them, so obviously I expected you to send them at some point. And I really don’t mind some oddballs in my roulette too, because with the right song picked out, you may get me into some bands I wouldn’t give any serious consideration otherwise. In fact, that’s part of the reason you made it in the main competition with that A7X song… and now that decision of mine paid off.
I suspect the metalheads and fogies and fogey-metalheads alike will be disappointed with me regarding this song, but I liked it a bloody lot and I can’t help it. This is just infectious to the point of ridiculousness. I’ve spent all these days starting from Monday humming the whole song quietly to myself. And what’s even better, the melodies are not infectious in annoying way, not at all – it’s rather they’re infectious in a “hell yeah” way. This song is a lot of fun, it’s playful and quirky, yet melodic and predictable enough. This was the most refreshing song of the round. Among all the rock and metal, this was one of the stand-outs.
The intro is quite slow here and it’s what keeps this song from getting a 9.5, but when all the gears get into motion on 1:35, I’m pulled into the song and it’s like I’m watching a scene in the theater unfold. Amazing song and I thought I will be checking more of this band, until – in fact, it’s ironic considering how you properly introduced me to them – you left me no chance to buy the most acclaimed Acts 3 and 4 from Bizkit. Maybe later then, if at all. I’ve bought some Haken and PT albums instead.
9/10
bl5150: Teramaze – An Ordinary Dream (Enla Momento)So as I told you, I’ve heard the title track from this album before, and I wasn’t too impressed… but I guess the epic has slightly more potential to impress me than just an ordinary short title track. Because while this wasn’t a killer song in a way Dave’s tune was, this was much more impressive than Her Halo.
I still think there’s something off with this band, and I can’t quite pinpoint what. I think it’s probably the production – they sound kind of muddy during the choruses – especially during the choruses – the singer sounds a bit unconvincing and it’s like, I don’t know, the sound is kind of layered? Because the other instruments sound just fine, and the vocal melodies themselves are fine too, it’s just the singer sounds somewhat unnatural and he’s got exactly the sound I tend to dislike in a lot of power metal bands.
But this song totally redeems itself after the usual verse-chorus-verse-chorus routine. When it gets to the calm part, the singer does a few lines and they we get to that piano-fronted section with the samples… there are some songs where the spoken parts are my favourite parts of the whole composition – Song of Myself and When The Walls Go Down are good examples – and this one could’ve been on the verge of joining them. This voiceover is so short and yet so sad. But still, that stunning guitar solo that follows after takes the cake for being the best part of this song. That’s where this track begins to shine in earnest. And, well, when it gets more intense once again, the song suddenly sounds very fresh and exciting. Somehow, the guitar solo works wonders here, and of course the ending is quite impressive too. Chad really should’ve picked this one if he wanted a nine.
9/10
Dr. DTVT: Subsignal – Finisterre Songs like this make me glad you’re still participating in this roulette despite your overall business with your musical and whatnot. This is much better than your previous two entries from Orphaned Land and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum *shudder*.
This reminds me of that Sieges Even song you’ve sent me in the very first round. True, it’s a bit darker in some calmer moments, but when this song comes alive in full force, it features the same happiness and just explodes with the flurry of keyboard notes, buzzes with that blissful, positive activity. The atmospheric instrumental break filled with some acoustic arpeggios is gorgeous too. It seems this is the kind of progressive music I somehow unconsciously tend to expect from you, not something I usually listen to, but also not too far from my comfort zone, and this time you delivered just fine. Not sure if it will help you in the long run, since you’re dead last and all – I remember that from the standings – but this is a great song.
9/10
TAC: Vision Divine – Mermaids From Their MoonsYou chose Iris Divine over this? I know, going with your heart instead of your head and all that, but this song is of the kind that should be a no-brainer in my roulette. You really should’ve sent this song earlier, could’ve gained you more of those points everyone seem to be so crazy about. But seeing how you’re still above the elimination line, I guess you know what you’re doing.
As you said, this is a catchy power metal song, and it’s excellent at what it’s trying to achieve. The chorus is fantastic – that’s what I want from power metal song’s chorus, not the overblown
“BEYOND! THE GATES!”; it’s melodic and it’s quite an earworm. It sounds even better in the intro, where they do a quiet acoustic version of it. The verses ain’t too shabby too. My only complaint is the pre-chorus, which seems kind of not so melodic with some of the notes they chose, but it’s small enough to warrant this song a fine score.
8.5/10
Big Hath: UFO – Love to Love (live)Hey Tim, here’s that fucker who sent UFO!
Well, seriously, this is a great call. You could’ve seen I have a soft spot for the music from 70s, and while of course modern albums prevailed in my Top 50, the 70s are still my favourite decade of music from the previous century. That wasn’t too obvious from my roulette, and it’s slightly more obvious from my banned list. I rated Journey – Of a Lifetime with 10 points in my previous roulette. I often end up liking the songs from 70s, and your song isn’t an exception.
This is a wonderful rock song. I’m not sure if I can call it a ballad – it probably would’ve qualified for Round 2 with a stretch, so I will just call it a rock song. Some very soulful vocals and vocal melodies, wistful chorus:
“Misty green and blue / Love to love to love you”. Gorgeous stuff. Besides the chorus, the highlights for me are the keyboards in the lengthy intro, and also the ripping guitar solo in the end. You said it wasn’t in the studio version – I didn’t have time to check it out, honestly – but this solo added at least half a point to your score.
I wouldn’t say you’re precisely on fire, but if you don’t count that Odyssey song, you’re doing extremely well so far.
8.5/10
senecadawg2: The National – Slow ShowYou mentioned this to be another whiskey and cat piece, and hey, I agree, this fits that approach like a glove.
This is a nice acoustic tune that gives me some Mark Knopfler-vibe musically, with the deep, almost speaking and not singing voice fronting the tune, but then the lyrics here are absolutely not Mark Knopfler-like, so this comparison only gets me that far. Still, this song has a lot of fantastic elements, such as the singer, the acoustic guitar and clarinet – I think it is clarinet and maybe some other unusual instruments too – and also the piano runs you mentioned in the second half of the tune. I know you said it’s your favourite out of the ones you sent, but I think I liked The Antlers tune just a bit more. Still, this is quite great and I’ll be checking out these guys, but as for the score, I think 8.5 is just right for this one.
8.5/10
lonestar: Prospekt – The Great AwakeningYou seem quite diverse in your entries this time around, because first you hit me with some excellent progressive metal, then you go with folk power metal, a rock song, an eclectic instrumental, and now back to the progressive metal I see. Well I don’t know if it’s any coincidence (hint: it probably isn’t), but it seems your vaults of progressive metal are where it’s at for me.
Still, this song isn’t quite that amazing as My Soliloquy was. My main complaint about this song is the vocalist I guess, he sounds like he’s really straining to hit those high notes in the chorus, and while the instrumentation (which reminds me of djent on some points) and the vocal melodies are pretty much spot on, the singer makes it just a bit difficult to get into the song. Regarding the instrumental part, I do think the fast-paced part could be a bit trimmed before it all gets slow and Opeth-like. Damn, even the album cover looks a bit Opeth-like. The singer sounds much more confident and in control when he sings here, too. Overall, the calm part and the way they write it up right into the chorus are my favourite sections of this song. I wish the singer sounded more convincing, but still, this is a solid song.
8/10
jingle.boy: Consortium Project – Enemy WithinYou thought it would be refreshing among the sea of longer songs, but it didn’t happen really – I’ve got only two songs over ten minutes and another one clocking at almost ten minutes too – but that’s about it.
But still, wow, without a doubt, this is by far the most intense song of the round. At some points I can’t help but acknowledge this might be just a bit too intense for me. The verses and pre-chorus are fine, but the chorus, when the mechanical sounding keyboards are kicking in, is too much for me. On the other hand, I like the aggressive vocals and I like the vibe of the song overall, it’s just it overdoes it just a tad. It’s like a train on the full-speed, it goes forward with such a momentum nothing is able to stop it. I wish this song had a few more minutes to add a bit more variety, but I guess that’s just the point of this tune – a constant, relentless, pounding heaviness. And that’s something I can enjoy in moderate doses.
You’re actually getting a good score, but with how well other people scored in this round, this is probably going to be small consolation for you. I don’t know how the standings look like, but if it’s all bad for you – and I suspect it is – will you be going out with the bang or is it Animotion time?
8/10
wolfking: Cans – Beyond the GatesWell, this might’ve been a good entry in theory, but the thing is, I rarely listen to HammerFall these days, and I’m not even sure I can compare this one to their output now. But still, it was quite a good song.
The best part here by far was the acoustic intro, and after that things started to go downhill. The verses were still quite fine – because they basically repeat the melody in the intro, and the chorus was where I started to question this song. That
“BEYOND! THE GATES!” thing was mildly ridiculous and such an easy way out for the chorus ending, I found myself disliking it immensely. Overall, that’s some nice – if somewhat generic – power metal song where the quality of verses equalizes the chorus. This is good and maybe just slightly more than good, and that’s about it.
8/10
Tomislav95: Klone – NebulousI can see you’re pretty obsessed with this band lately, sending different songs from them in various roulette, and while I can see why it can be appealing to someone, to me this is actually a bit like that Bon Iver entry, only a bit better. This has that relaxing atmosphere with the nice vocals. The singer isn’t trying to hit some incredible high or low notes, and just sings his soul out all the while sounding like he’s barely breaking a sweat here.
And yet it still has that Bon Iver problem I described earlier. The vocal melodies are actually memorable this time – but this song is still, well, I don’t know. I can’t say it’s emotionless, because it clearly isn’t, but it just doesn’t click with me that much. It’s a nice relaxing listen, but it doesn’t evoke any strong feeling in me – and it’s a must for any song like this, otherwise the high score won’t be earned. The Antlers song from the previous round? Yes. The National song from this round? Yes. The Idol from Round 2? Fucking yes. This one? There is something, but that’s just not enough. Still a good song, and I feel I didn’t quite justify why it didn’t get a high score, but, well… I’m just not feeling it. It’s kind of like that Mayan Factor song in spirit too, only it’s less intense and more bland.
7.5/10
ErHaO: Beyond Twilight – ShadowlandIf I had to describe your game in this roulette, I would say “terribly inconsistent”. You didn’t get too many points in the first two rounds, and then you sent me two brilliant tunes with Suspyre and Lyriel, getting your well-deserved points, and now this. I’m not sure who’s frustrated more because of your choice for this round, me or you, but it’s definitely not your fellow competitors.
Well, don’t get me wrong, this song has some redeeming qualities. I quite like the chorus, except it doesn’t really fit with the brooding, plodding nature of the verses. The pre-chorus is acceptable too, but the verses, well, they’re close to being unlistenable for me. I like Jorn, but I mostly can’t stand him in those slow-paced, heavy, plodding songs like he puts out on his solo records. It takes a good or great songwriting to make Jorn shine, and I’m not sure who wrote this one, wouldn’t be surprised if it was Jorn himself, but the verses are even worse than mediocre, they’re just bad as far as I’m concerned.
As I said, there are some good parts in this tune, but nothing great, and the bad parts are quite bad indeed. Maybe Crying is a better song, but this one is definitely not something I can enjoy. I’m genuinely surprised – I didn’t think I could rate the song with Jorn at the mic that low. Even your Agnes Obel song was more enjoyable than this. Sorry.
5.5/10Bands added to banned list:Edenbridge
The Dear Hunter
Teramaze
Subsignal
Vision Divine
UFO
The National
Prospekt
Consortium Project
Cans
Klone
The scoreboard:wolfking - 44.5
Big Hath - 43
bl5150 - 42
TAC - 42
lonestar - 42
Bolsters - 40.5
senecadawg2 - 40.5
(the cut-off line, will matter after Round 6)
Train of Naught - 39.5
jingle.boy - 39
Tomislav95 - 39
ErHaO - 37.5
Dr. DTVT - 36.5
Topic: Evermind's Second Roulette v. The Aftermath (Read 124968 times)
