Bolsters™ The Roulette, v2 ★ THE CONCLUSION ★

[splent]

Or maybe I hate all of your songs and just want this to be over sooner.

Then just post the results now.

[Crow]

i'm dying of not being cut. literally on life support. end me.

[splent]

At this point I'm probably cut, I fail at roulettes even more than parama

[Bolsters]

Then just post the results now.

Last place: splent

Last last place: Parama

[splent]

YAAAS IM NOT LAST LAST

[Crow]

i did it, i savbed the worl

[Bolsters]

Okay, here are the results. All of the songs have been ranked from my favourite to least favourite, so you should have a good idea of how much I liked your song compared to the others. Although as I said this was a strong round and there weren't any truly bad songs here. Unfortunately, I have to stick to my guns and eliminate three of you, and another four in the next round.


Standing On Solid Ground
You have impressed enough this round to be in the top 10. You will have a slight advantage in the second qualifier under certain circumstances.

splent - M83 - Ok Pal

• This kind of 80's-inspired synthpop has really been doing it for me lately, so it should have been no surprise that this song did well, although apparently it is. This has got it all; the synths, the clean-almost-funky guitars, the bouncy bass, and great vocals with just the right amount of quirkiness going on. It might miff a few people that this song topped the round, but I don't give a fuck. Well done, you're definitely moving on to the next qualifying round.

Evermind - Within Temptation - See Who I Am

• This is some solid symphonic metal here. I've obviously heard of these guys but it's been years since I last gave them a shot, and I don't remember anything I heard before making such an impact. This has just the right amount of balls to it aswell; I like my symphonic metal to have a bit of an edge to it, and these guys have that. Nice lead singer and I dig the choir doing backing vocals aswell. You definitely played it safe, but it has payed off for you.

jingle.chad - Epysode - Forgotten Symphony

• You're probably surprised to see this song so high in the rankings. Well, this song made a better first impression than I remember any other Epysode song I have heard has made, and I did mention that some songs this round were growers, so your song ended up here. At first I did have a bit of a hard time getting into the heavier sections in the verses of this song as it reminded me of the style on the first album which I have mentioned I have a hard time getting into, but this song has some stuff that made a good first impression; the chorus in particular, and also the symphonic elements. I think this song has a bit more breathing room than I remember other Epysode songs having, which definitely helped it. I also found that I got a grasp on the song more as I listened to it - perhaps something I need to do more with this band in general. Anyway, you've impressed enough to come 3rd and make it into the next round rather comfortably.

wolfking - Nocturnal Rites - Still Alive

• This is some solid metal. Not a great deal to say about it since I'm trying not to write huge writeups, this is just really solid, well-written melodic metal that I enjoyed immensely. It's got the right amount of heaviness and a great almost-anthemic chorus. It looks like sending an Evermind hand-me-down has worked out for you...this time.

Elite - Caligula's Horse - Marigold

• My first reaction to this song was "wow this a bit too similar to Hex Omega " and I still have to agree. But Hex Omega is a great song and this one manages to still have an identity despite being a bit of a rip-off of the aforementioned Opeth song. I've tried a few times to get into Caligula's Horse in the past and failed to be interested - never this album though, and I liked this pretty much immediately, so I will have to check the album out when my roulette concludes.

Sir Walrus Cauliflower - Caligula's Horse - Rust

• The second Caligula's Horse song of the round, and from the same album no less. I did like the song Elite sent more, but the quality was very close and this one ended up being ranked immediately after his. Getting two solid songs just reaffirmed that I have to check this album out. Anyway, on this song the singer has a bit more attitude as he isn't channeling Mikael and I really like the verses in this one.

senecadawg2 - Dream Evil - Chasing the Dragon

• Some solid, heavy melodic rock here. On first listen I thought the chorus was a bit weak but it turned into a bit of an earworm after only the first listen, so I had to concede that I may have been wrong. The verses are probably the highlight for me though, nice crunchy guitar work, and the pre-chorus aswell.

Parama - Coheed and Cambria - Number City

• Even though you aren't in the #1 spot, I have a feeling you're going to be more surprised at where you came than splent is. Like a few other things I received I've given Coheed many chances over the years and not thought much of any of it. This song though made a really good first impression; the bouncy bassline is the first thing that jumps out but then it's followed up with some nice vocals and some subtle electronic and brass elements. But dat chorus...I love that chorus, the way the bass ascends with the vocalist, and the brass really elevates the song here. Do their other songs contain brass? I don't really remember, but if so I might enjoy their music a lot more now than I have in the past when trying to get into them. I think I like this more than the Thank You Scientist song I got from you in my last roulette...this might be the best song you've ever sent me.

Shadow Ninja 2.0 - Angels & Airwaves - Heaven

• When this song started I thought it was going to be quite a bit heavier, given the loud distorted chords in the intro. But I'm kind of glad it took the direction that it did, because this was a really good 90's-styled pop rock song - I guess that's not surprising given who some of the members are though. Instantly recognised the singer from Blink 182 and he sometimes has a tendancy to annoy me, but he gives a good performance in this song. The lighter build-up to "heaven, must be just like this" is easily my favourite thing here.

bl5150 - Tak Matsumoto Group - King For A Day

• This was one of the harder songs to get a read on this round. While there's nothing bad here, it just took a while to grow on me, and the sound quality definitely hurt the song a bit I think. But like the dawg's submission this was just the kind of melodic hard rock that appeals to me, so I got over my initial skepticism and ended up enjoying this song. Still, you round out the top 10 so there's definitely room for improvement.

On The Thin Ice
Your song was good enough to get through to the second qualifier and avoid elimination, but you weren't in the top 10, so you'll need to impress to make it past the next round.

Tomislav95 - Klone - Immersion

• Despite being on thin ice, I did really like this song. As mentioned, the round was incredibly strong and so some good stuff had to fall into this category, and unfortunately your song was one of those. Anyway, this song has loads of atmosphere, it's got some chunky, almost-doomy rhythm guitar going on, and I like the juxtaposition of that with the clean guitar playing in the higher register. This is groovy as fuck aswell, especially in the verses, which is another plus. I'm not even sure if I have heard of this band but I'll definitely be saving this album for later.

Tyrias - Muse - Butterflies and Hurricanes

• I've heard a decent number of Muse tracks over the years, but never been impressed. Infact I have a friend who is into Muse and DT and I made a funny and said to him once that Never Enough was my favourite Muse song. I'm not sure if it's my ever-expanding tastes or just this song, but I liked this song on first listen, and far more than any other Muse song I've heard. Vocally this is strong, and I like the subtle synthy-ness of the bass throughout this track, especially when it's less subtle. The little breakdown around the middle mark with said bass, the piano and the strings is my favourite thing here and I like how it leads into the piano/violin section. While you are on thin ice, this was still a high quality submission, so don't be deterred.

Scorpion - Ghost Ship Octavius - Pendulum

• This song is solid but I had a bit of a harder time getting into it than a lot of other songs this round. Although there's nothing I actively dislike about this, it just wasn't strong enough to rise in the ranks, so unfortunately I ended up having to put you on thin ice. Anyway, I like the choruses in this and the vocals are nice, and the breakdown in the middle with the piano was nice - too bad it was so short though. I guess this song just lacked that "something extra" to elevate it. Still, I enjoyed it and you're definitely making it through to the next round, but you'll have to do better to make it into the top 10 and the main competition.

Train of Naught - Rival Sons - You Want To

• Modern hard rock? That's definitely what this is. I'm instantly reminded of bands like Jet and Wolfmother when listening to this, and while they aren't bands I go out of my way to listen to I don't mind them when I do hear their stuff. Anyway, the chorus on this song is good stuff, as is the calm build-up in the second half of the song. While I'm not blown away by this song it's definitely good enough to get you into the next qualifier - but you are ranked quite low, so you're going to really have to impress in order to make it into the top 10 of the next round.

Fallen Through
The ice broke under your feet, you fell in and drowned - you have been eliminated from the roulette.

Nekov - Amason - Älgen

• I said I had one very difficult decision this round, and deciding between this song and Naught's was that decision. Despite having to say goodbye to you here, I did actually like this song quite a bit. I like the somewhat dreamy atmosphere combined with a more frantic rhythm section. I could take or leave the male vox but the female lead was nice. The middle section where the violin comes to the forefront is great. In the end I gave the edge to Naught because the chorus in his song kills, and because your song is a little on the repetitive side, the drums especially. But I am very sorry to see you go after just one round, and I am going to save this album for later. But unfortunately I have to eliminate four people in the next round already, so I pretty much had to take out three of you here. Sorry bruh.

twosuitsluke - Larry and his Flask - Ready Your Roomates

• You mentioned your desire to send stuff out of the box and this definitely qualifies, because this sort of bluegrass stuff is not something I ever expected to receive in a roulette. So on the plus side of things, these guys have a lot of energy and it's quite infectious, and I dig this singer's voice and he puts on a good performance here. On the negative, the song is a bit full-on the entire time, it's a bit repetitive (anyone who played in my first roulette can tell you how much they hate this word ), and the fast chicken-picking (at least I think that's what it is) style of guitar playing wore thin on me a bit. Still, at 2:42 the song doesn't really have a chance to wear out its welcome. Anyway, this round was very strong and I'm sorry that your first venture into roulettes had to be so short.

Fluffy Lothario - Wildbirds & Peacedrums - The Offbeat

• The unfortunate thing about ranking systems is that someone has to come last. Today, I'm afraid it has to be you. On the plus side of things, this song has some tasty production; it sounds raw, but there's a lot of clarity to it, and it's very dynamic so there's tons of punch in the drums. It's pretty much perfect for this kind of song where the beat is the star of the song. On the negative, I had a hard time with the vocalist. I can hear the talent there definitely, but particular style in this song appealed to me very little, although she did have some moments I liked. The other negative is that this song is awfully repetitive; I crave variety in music, and this song is just the one drum beat through the whole song with only some additions here or there, so it wore thin on me very quickly when I listened to it. Still, even though this song is ranked last and I've got some negative things to say about it, it's not a complete failure - I definitely received worse songs in my first roulette. Anyway, I'm sorry you have to go after just one round but thanks for throwing your hat in anyway and giving it a shot.

Alright, that's that. Those of you who made it through, start sending your songs for the second qualifying round.

[Evermind]

Haha, Larry and his Flask didn't make it.

Good to see Chad, Kade and Brent are through too.

So, now that I've got the second place in this round and considering I won your first roulette, I'll have to totally shit the bed in order to get eliminated, and that isn't happening. I think.

[Crow]

glad you liked it 
now i actually have to think of a second song to send, darn

also no Number City is a unique song as far as Coheed goes, there's some brass in Peace to the Mountain but it's triumphant brass more than bouncy playful brass

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

sent

[Bolsters]

also no Number City is a unique song as far as Coheed goes, there's some brass in Peace to the Mountain but it's triumphant brass more than bouncy playful brass

That's a little disappointing.

[bl5150]

Pretty much as I had expected.......very good, solid song but nothing brilliant.  Gets me through and allows me to get a read on what you liked without using any real ammo.  Good to see you through too Ruslan

[wolfking]

Coolio.

Oh, told ya Chad.

Will send tonight.

[Crow]

also no Number City is a unique song as far as Coheed goes, there's some brass in Peace to the Mountain but it's triumphant brass more than bouncy playful brass

That's a little disappointing.

i'm sorry. it's just such a good song tho
now i have to find at least one more song to send so i can gain the right to send however many more songs that there are rounds for
or just send a dud and get kicked out 

[bl5150]

Good to see I managed to be the only one not on Spotify again   

This time I'm sending a band that never fails to pop up in roulettes these days - might as well get it out the way

[Elite]

Good, Marigold did better than Rust

[Sir Walrus Cauliflower]

Before I send this round, what's the limit for how many times we can send the same band during this roulette? Or do qualifying rounds not count towards that?

[Bolsters]

Before I send this round, what's the limit for how many times we can send the same band during this roulette? Or do qualifying rounds not count towards that?

Any artist that has already been sent is automatically banned, even if I didn't like it. The qualifying rounds most definitely count towards this. So, one.

The banned artists list post has a section for things banned during the roulette, which I will update now.

[Sir Walrus Cauliflower]

Alrighty cool. This adds some interesting strategy

[Crow]

ok i seriously need to figure out what kind of metal bolsters likes though

what i've picked up between this last round and the first roulette:
1. vaguely power/symphonic metal that's proggy
2. djent with a melodic lean

that's like all i know tho

[Evermind]

You mean I can't send Within Temptation ten times in a row? Damn.

[Sir Walrus Cauliflower]

I wanna send some instrumental stuff but ehhh I don't know if that's a good idea

[Bolsters]

I wanna send some instrumental stuff but ehhh I don't know if that's a good idea

Well there is an instrumental bonus category which I said I would post some tips on. If you don't want to hold on to the song in question for that bonus, I don't have a problem posting a sneak peek now:

I think the two things that detract from instrumentals the most for me are firstly: If the song is predominently self-indulgent wankery, it's probably not going to appeal to me all that much. Secondly, I tend not to like it when an instrumental sounds like it should have vocals but doesn't.

[Tomislav95]

Yay, I'm still in
Will have to dig deep for next round, I don't want to be eliminated now

[Fluffy Lothario]

Lol, last. Probably should have sent a different song.

Oh well, thanks for listening.

[Train of Naught]

Oh CRAP, did not expect to end so low!

OK I'm gonna get out the big guns, sending now.

[Evermind]

I just realized Green Carnation isn't banned and we can send one song without any length limit in the main competition.

[Train of Naught]

I think the two things that detract from instrumentals the most for me are firstly: If the song is predominently self-indulgent wankery, it's probably not going to appeal to me all that much. Secondly, I tend not to like it when an instrumental sounds like it should have vocals but doesn't.

Damn, I didn't read future Bolsters' thoughts on instrumentals before sending. Ah, what the hell, this is not really an instrumental anyway, and I think it fits these demands alright, I need more than alright to get through though 

[Sir Walrus Cauliflower]

I will send tomorrow. Gotta think on this. Glad you liked the CH songs though, bloom is absolutely wonderful.

[Tyrias]

Well, should have gone with Within Temptation after all. I toyed with this very song . Anyway, sent with a high chance I'll have to resubmit.

[Bolsters]

You know what, I don't think there's any reason to hold off on posting this until the end of the second qualifying round. So here are the tips & guidelines I wrote for the bonus categories to perhaps help some of you make the right choices when going for them.

As always, important information will be listed in the OP, so if you need to find this post later just look there.

• Symphonic/Orchestral: A song doesn't need to be completely symphonic or orchestral to qualify, it just needs to have "significant" contributions from such instrumentation. Symphonic metal type stuff will do fine if you've got something like that you think will appeal to me. I would prefer ensemble, but as far as single instruments go - I may or may not accept them for that bonus; it depends on how "important" I think the instrument is to the song. If I get a fairly normal rock song with a violin that sounds like it's just been thrown in for the sake of it, I won't award the bonus to it. On the other hand if the song seems like it was built around the violin and that the song wouldn't work all that well without the instrument, I will let it pass.

• Ballads: I think this is pretty straightforward and I don't have any specific advice here.

• Instrumentals: I think the two things that detract from instrumentals the most for me are firstly: If the song is predominently self-indulgent wankery, it's probably not going to appeal to me all that much. Secondly, I tend not to like it when an instrumental sounds like it should have vocals but doesn't.

• Pre-80's: I'm familiar with a shitload of the hits and most popular songs of a lot of bands in the 60's and 70's, so you will need to avoid sending obvious stuff because it will more than likely be rejected. Deep Purple isn't banned for example but that doesn't mean I will accept songs like Highway Star or Smoke on the Water. Also my library thins out going back from 1980 but my pre-80's collection isn't non-existant - infact some of my all-time favourite albums were released in the 70's - so do check the banned list before sending. As for 70's prog...there are a couple of bands I like but in general I've had a hard time getting into most of it, so I would consider it a risk to send such music, but there's plenty of gaps there if you think you can change my mind on something.

• World Influence: Like the ruby star a song doesn't need to fit solely into this style; any song with reasonable influence or instrumentation considered "world" will qualify, although I may be less strict with this bonus. African, Eastern, whatever...but it's probably worth noting that I have a soft spot for Celtic stuff.

• Synth/Electronic: This one is a bit more broad since I didn't want a purely electronic category that only one or two people would exploit and get some easy high-valued stars from. On the synth side of things I will accept rock songs containing guitar, but the primary instrument must be a synth. Rush's mid-80's output is a good example, as is a lot of Van Halen stuff. I'm also accepting pop music here aswell but only if it is synth-driven; guitar-driven pop songs won't be eligible. On the electronic side a couple of tips: I find a lot of electronic music to be quite repetitive and I'm not fond of that, you'll do better to send songs with some variation in them. I'm a stickler for good production in general but especially so when it comes to electronica. Finally, I do like instrumental stuff but my favourite electronic albums generally feature vocals to some extent.

• Multiple Vocalists/Choir: There needs to be more than one lead vocalist here - backing vocalists don't count towards the number of vocalists in a song for the purposes of this roulette. Or if you are going the choir route instead, similar to the ruby and garnet stars the song needs to have "significant" contribution from the choir to in order to qualify.

[jingle.boy]

Good to see I managed to be the only one not on Spotify again   

This time I'm sending a band that never fails to pop up in roulettes these days - might as well get it out the way

Oh fuck off!  I wanted to send them.

[Bolsters]

Well I allowed two Caligula's Horse songs in the first round, you can send a different song than him. But if a third person tries to send the band in question, they're shit out of luck.

[jingle.boy]

Well I allowed two Caligula's Horse songs in the first round, you can send a different song than him. But if a third person tries to send the band in question, they're shit out of luck.

Maybe... we'll see - unless someone else sends 'em in before I can submit.

[Tyrias]

Changed my entry. Hope that's fine, but I think I'd rather play it somewhat safe for now and not send the more hipster stuff