Here we are, as promised.
Semi final results, 1 of 3--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Luke vs ParamaFirst impression: Both these albums are pretty strong. In both cases, I wasn't entirely convinced at the start, but once they got going they were pretty great for the most part - not amazing and wholly consistent, but solid. This is going to be difficult to decide which one to eliminate.
Final opinions:
Luke: Earthside – A Dream in Static (2015) These guys are very impressive and sound extremely accomplished for a new band (particularly considering the strength and stature of the vocalists they worked with). I can only assume they were already fairly established before this particular project. Anyway it's great stuff. I don't consider it an instrumental album at all as half the songs have vocals - other instrumental bands have done similar and it can work well (Olafur Arnalds’ For Now I Am Winter and Long Distance Calling’s TRIPS come to mind). Musically I probably find this stronger than either of those, it's top notch stuff, and the songs are varied, well written and well performed. Where it's not as strong as those other albums, though, is that as an album it doesn't feel particularly coherent to me. The use of different singers contributes heavily to that (I find that vocals play a big part in music's identity), but also the style is quite different in each track. So each song has its own identify but it doesn't feel like the album has one. So yeah, individually the songs are pretty much all awesome and the instrumentals are solid, but I think they'd really benefit from working with the same vocalist(s) across the songs and crafting more of an album.
Score: 8.0Parama: Dreamgrave – Presentiment (2014)You described this in the thread as proggy melodic death metal, and while there are for sure clear death metal influences (particularly in the harsh vocals), I'd say this is very much a prog metal album. The blend of influences sort of reminds me of Epica at times, although with a melodic and harmonic approach that I find more appealing. The start of the album isn't all that exciting, but it's OK. However, from halfway through Momento Mori, it suddenly gets really great and stays that way for most of the rest of the album. There's nice variety, with hints of Opeth at times and echoes of Anathema in the glorious final track, but in general the album has a fairly unique feel. There are other moments that are merely decent, but a lot of the album is really good. It's surprisingly fun in the proggier moments, really heavy at times, at gorgeously atmospheric at others. For a debut album, it's excellent and shows a ton of promise.
Score: 8.0The verdict: There’s so little in this, I’ve really struggled to decide, and annoyed that I chose this pairing to focus on first. I considered whether to take someone through based on who I’m more interested in having in the final, but I can’t decide that way either because I’m really interested in what both of you have to send me. So I gave both albums a further listen and forced myself to decide. And the very slight edge goes to…
Winner: Parama. Congrats on scraping through to the final this time!
Luke, what a brilliant comeback, to go from very nearly getting eliminated in round 1, to topping the table at the end of the group stage and then only missing out on the final by the very narrowest of margins. I’ve loved the variety of stuff you’ve sent me, including styles that nobody else seems to have even considered - I really feel that there’s a great overlap in our tastes. Lots of very likely purchases, particularly the three 8.5s but probably also The King Blues which is a really enjoyable album. I hope you’ll still participate in the 4th-place match!
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Topic: ariich’s new album roulette, v. totally mad (The End Again: post-roulette Train) (Read 81621 times)