So, since most of you took the theme challenges, a reminder: any song that gets over a 9 gets a bonus point. And I have to say I'm blown away by the songs sent this round, which is partially why it took so long for me to get these writeups done, I actually felt I was being too generous with the scores. But this could somehow be stronger than round 3. I *loved* listening to these songs and added a bunch of these to my favorites playlist.
Going to release these in short spurts since I'm still finishing them, in hangman order because I'm too lazy to switch these up.
I will post the map with updated spots when all results have been posted.
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After a week on the road, the party has begun talking to each other less and less. The roads, empty and cold beneath a tumultuous yet silent, black sky, are already taking their toll on the weary travelers' feet. Some have begun contemplating eating their shoes, for the vegetation has begun to rot from an evil miasma spreading throughout the land.
TAC from TACsylvania, Owl Screech the Kenku Assassin, Evrys the Talespinner, and Nekov, the annoying wizard from the South, decide to take off in the middle of the night, feeling uneasy about their current location. They leave their companions behind and begin to move, unaware that the road will fork soon ahead, and unsure if the group will splinter once more.
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TAC
1. Sinbreed - Creation of Reality 9.4This song sounds like the best Deris-era Helloween, complete with a massive chorus. Just the right kind of classic speedy power metal for me. I have no complaints about this song, it's just my kind of metal.
2. Divine Weep - Tears of the Ages 8.6The band name is bad, but the song is not. It doesn't quite hook me like Sinbreed, but it's a balls-out heavy metal tune which is cool. The vocalist goes a bit too wild sometimes for my taste though.
3. Innerwish - Rain of a Thousand Years 9.0This is more like it. While I feel like I've heard the verse a thousand times, it's still fun, and the chorus has the kind of melodic phrasing that I enjoy out of power metal. It has a break in the middle that risks halting all the momentum of the song but it doesn't and that's good. Great use of choirs on this one. Big choruses are one of my favorite things about metal. This one is huge.
Current Score: 25.23 [+2 BP]
Round 4 Score: 27.00 [+2 BP]
Average: 9.00
Movement: 9 spaces
NEW CURRENT SCORE: 34.23 [+4 BP]
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Puppies_On_Acid
1. Magnitude 9 - Lies Within the Truth 8.6This gives me a Queensryche vibe, like it's on the border of both rock and metal. It has groove and harmony and all kinds of tasty musical stuff but big guitars and drums and shreddy but musical solos (which I am very big on as opposed to mindless shred). This is a really good jam. Never heard of these guys before but I want to check this album out.
2. Mastodon - Hearts Alive 8.2I didn't realize this was almost 14 minutes until it ended. Holy cow. First two minutes - brilliant, love the creepy chords they choose to riff on, and the tension that results from them holding on an extra bar or two before repeating or moving on. Next section - nice riffing. Vocals come in - oh no. I don't like this guy much. The only other Mastodon song I know is Sleeping Giants and he does a decent job there, but I can't get into his voice and all the screaming and growling. It says something that I was entertained enough to never check the time on this song because the instrumental side is so strong and I love what I'm hearing, but the vocalist drags it down for me. Special shout out to the drummer who is a blast to listen to during the whole song. This was cool because I had no idea Mastodon had any 'epic' songs.
3. Marillion - Neverland 9.8I perhaps should have banned Marillion after my first roulette, but they have so much material with various musicians that I can't help but allow more. Steve Hogarth, is it? I really, really like his voice. The singer on early Marillion is good but sometimes gets a bit too theatrical, whereas Hogarth sounds more emotional. Anyway, this is a great song. Lovely chord progressions and restrained instrumentation deliver some measured emotional beauty. And what touching lyrics - I'm guessing this about someone being driven on by the love he's receiving from another, but I'm not sure why the Peter Pan references are here. However Ilove the "But when you're gone, I never land in Neverland" lyric. And once the song begins to echo the vocals with that silky guitar and the synths and bass comes out... Man, I just love everything about this. Extraordinary song that only loses .2 points for the chimes going on too long at the end.
Current Score: 26.53 [+3 BP]
Round 4 Score: 26.60 [+1 BP]
Average: 8.67~
Movement: 9 spaces
NEW CURRENT SCORE: 35.20 [+4 BP]
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Nekov
1. Vasudeva - Thought Pool 9.8I'm so happy you sent this song. It's like the lovechild of a couple different Maybeshewill songs I like, a couple Joy Formidable tunes, and some Kings of Leon guitar style sprinkled on top. Not sure where you found this but this is just an utter delight to listen to, I just wish the ending wasn't so abrupt and clearly connected to another song, otherwise it's flawless. I had this playing when a friend came over the other night and he also loved it.
2. Kiev - Ariah Being 9.6I am so impressed with how chill the song is as a whole, but how it seamlessly goes through a couple jazzy breaks before coming back home. Very easy to vibe to this song. Great tempo for relaxing without worrying about too much distortion - the little guitar break is jazzy too but not overwhelming and doesn't kill the mood, thankfully. This song really grabs my attention and I hope they have a lot more songs like this.
3. Kiev - Tube Orms 9.1I don't find this as arresting as Ariah Being, but it's still awesome. The tempo again is perfect and I love the upbeat drums keeping the song moving while the bass is free to lay down meaty grooves. Going to save this album for future listening because I'm impressed. It might not look like I have much to say about these songs, but because they stick to their groove and don't change it up too much, there's not much more to say. These are just groovy, dark tunes with a vibe that I really enjoy.
Current Score: 25.70
Round 4 Score: 28.5 [+3 BP]
Average: 9.50
Movement: 10 spaces
NEW CURRENT SCORE: 35.20 [+3 BP]
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Evermind
Arion - Shadows 9.0Is this considered power metal? I have no damn clue what is going on with that genre anymore, but I bet it is. That singer sells the shit out of the transition as the rest of the band comes in, that's how it's done. The synth solo is so rad it made me smile. This sounds fresh and unique.
Flaming Row - Burning Sky 8.5I feel like I've heard these singers before. One early on especially sounds like one of the vocalists on Ayreon's 01101001, it's a high raspy and very powerful voice. And I think that voice lends an Ayreon-like quality to the backing choirs. Good tune, nothing I dislike here, but that singer is the main attraction for me.
Lunatic Soul - Gutter 9.6This is a strong complement to the other two songs here and once again the kind of music I'm so attracted to. Dark, mysterious, kind of cold and funky. The best part is that despite its length is remains interesting. Rhythm section keeps it pushing along and the singer is just right for the music. I really do love this.
Current Score: 23.96 [+2 BP]
Round 4 Score: 27.1 [+2 BP]
Average: 9.03~
Movement: 9 spaces
NEW CURRENT SCORE: 32.99 [+4 BP]
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Topic: Katt's Roulettes & Dragons v. Final Results (finally) - thank you for playing :) (Read 96800 times)