Why not rationing the news while you send me ear poison?
I suffer, everybody suffers.
Round 4 Results, 1 of 5:
Evermind - Cockroach Sympathizers:Pain of Salvation – Iter Impius:Bus Impression: “That way of singing is as authentic as Pamela Anderson's floaters”
As far as sheer songwriting is concerned, this puppy should be right up my doghouse. Constructed like many quintessential show-stopping musical theatre male stool ballads, elegantly orchestrated, with a steady but smooth crescendo as dramatic as they come. We're talking about a 10 so far, now let's talk about what makes up the 4 bringing the average down. I swear (and I'm sorry if I read offensive), I can't stand the vocals. From languid soft to passionate angry, they're everything I would define as utterly phoney. I can't hear a speck of emotion in the actual (weak) sound, everything is on mannerism. Plus, the middle vocal melody is quite, ehm, ugly, really. I've always stayed away from this act due to some sort of generational distrust, and maybe my instincts weren't so wrong. I'm not surprised the singer is the same fellow who annoyed me to death with his continous diva poses while playing background utility parts in the Live Whirlwind DVD.
Vote: 7.0 – Please, someone make Drew Sarich sing this.
TAC - The aTACkers:Lost Horizon – Highlander:Bus Impression: “An attempt to cram Manowar's discography inside a single song”
I have two guilty pleasures in life: Manowar and Sacher Torte, and they both must adhere to a strict formula in order to be successful: no shame over the top all out all the time bordering on ridicule (offensive epicness and overwhelming chocolate/orange jam, respectively). Anything but that and they're just ok pleasures, no middle ground. Speaking of this song, a lot of yummy ingredients are there: the heroic vocal melodies, the hooks, a steam powered cyborg drummer we can compare to the great (underrated) Scott Columbus. Alas, the chef was a bit shy. The guitar is underused (the beautiful hint of outro makes you wonder where the guy's been the 10 minutes before), the keyboards are childish and sound like a toy, and the focking “hey” that should bring the house down is wimpy, almost self-conscious. Plus, if even the great Eric Adams needs double-triple tracking to brig the point across, who does this (very gifted) guy think he is to never resort to backing vocals?
Vote: 7.0 – All man play on 10, below that you get just an enjoyable ok demo.
ariich – Sexin'-You-Laters:Von Hertzen Brothers – Angel's Eyes:Bus Impression: “Julian plays dice while Victoria nad Edward get naughty: the elaboration”
Songwriting-wise, this is a nice compact little beauty, made both interesting and flawed by a strange underlying tension between straightforwardness (is it a word?) and confusion. I'm a real sucker for arabian scale based riffing, and this one delivers its goods, BUT it's not terribly original. The chorus hook is solid, BUT vocals suffer from a certain lack of personality. There is a constant droning buzz messing the verse up, BUT it works like a charm during the potent instrumental interlude. The guitar solo's tone before the final chorus is bloody painful, BUT it redeems itself with that beautiful baroquish super-arpeggio section. A lot of BUTS, both positive and negative. Call me a musical pervert, but I can't shake the feeling this entire tune would fit gorgeously in the middle of Home, replacing the hideous dicing & moaning notorious lazy waste of time segment. I haven't checked and may be wrong, but my ear suspects it's even in the same key.
Vote: 7.0 – You were almost there with the classy jazzy path you had taken.
Shadow Ninja 2.0 - Wayward Vagabonds:Avantasia – Another Angel Down:Bus Impression: “The criminally unappreciated Wild Ranger would ask: is this generic heavy metal?”
Funny piece, composed with undeniable craftmanship and mastery of the genre's Xs and Os. Musically speaking, everything is pleasing and everything is incredibly formulaic. For example, you can find the same exact main riff in every post-reunion Maiden album (I would quote titles if I were willing to deal with post-reunion Maiden albums), while the main chorus is simply fun 80's vanilla metal's common denominator. I promise I've heard a slight variation of that “We Rock The Ball” in at least a score of my brother's records, and I could listen to those only when the ogre was absent, risking my own incolumity. Nice double guitar solos, so nice I'm mildly disappointed by the lack of a glorious harmonised section. The singers turn this tune from not bad to somewhat memorable. They're perfect for the style, milk every last drop from their lines, and show an exciting competitive edge reminding me of Larry and 'Nique lighting up the Eastern Playoffs in the mid '80's. I feel I have to mention my sister could have written the lyrics at 14.
Vote: 7.0 - We need a poll
Topic: Indiscipline's Roulette v. The Dirty Aftermath (Read 128503 times)
