#7. jingle.boy
Lighthouse - One Fine Morning 8.6 I can smell the 70s on this song. I like horns, groovy bass, and smart playing... this is nice. Total hippie rock jam. Nice piano solo, for a minute it taps into the vibe I love so much about fox capture plan, the band Nekov sent a few rounds ago. Not a whole lot to say about this - I wish classic rock radio played more stuff like this because it's funky and the bright horns add a lot of character.
April Wine - Bad Side of the Moon 7.6 Hmmm. Yeah, this isn't bad, it just doesn't have much of a vibe to me. I think it's better served as a background track for [insert activity here] than active listening, 'cause there's not a lot to chew on here. The playing is fine, there's nothing wrong with the lyrics, it just sounds like a standard old school rock song.
Triumph - Fight the Good Fight 8.1 All I know about Triumph is that I don't like the guy's voice and the riffs are boring. Most of this song doesn't sound familiar but I KNOW I've heard the chorus (fight the good fight, every moment...) before, so this probably played a lot at my old job. The solo is nice, and I like the faint synth holding down a couple notes in the background. And the guy's certainly hitting the notes. There's just something about this... It's not fast enough or heavy enough and I don't like the lyrics. But it's not bad. It's just... Triumph/10. Honestly, it's way better than the two other Triumph songs I know which annoy the shit out of me.
Current Score: 76.02 [+6 BP]
Round 10 Score: 24.30 + 6 BP = 30.30
Average w/ BP: 10.10
NEW CURRENT SCORE: 86.12
Final Thoughts: Man did I get a buttload of awesome bands from you in this roulette. You have a killer taste in prog and power metal and helped me regain a lot of enthusiasm for power metal specifically.
#1 favorite submission: Soul Secret - Behind the Curtain
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#6. Puppies_On_Acid
The Earth and I - She Abandons the Grey 6.6 I think this is another song that is just way too long for its own good. I saw this band at ProgPower last year called Oceans of Slumber and this reminds me of them: really dull during the soft bits, with sudden bursts of intensity. Though this is a bit more active, and I really enjoy the guitars in the 7 minute area where they play this slick bit over the bass. But beyond that, I struggle. Again, it's just too long for what it is.
Pendragon - Paintbox 9.5 Amazing. I love the bright synths. The vocal part at :50 that pops up throughout the song shimmers with beauty. 3:15 is where I really get into it. The bass groove at 4:05 rocks too. But the synth lead at 4:15, holy crap dude. That section is incredible, and it only gets better for another 2 minutes. I'm not saying the rest of it is bad (it's excellent, actually), but that instrumental section is magical and I wish it was longer. Playlist. [+1 BP]
Pendragon - Eraserhead 8.8 This was a bit confusing because it doesn't sound much like Paintbox. The playing is top notch all around. There's a little darkness to it that is a bit disappointing because the cheerful vibe of Paintbox is much more powerful to me. Clive Nolan's solos are awesome though, and the vibe isn't bad, it's actually quite good, I just expected more of that saccharine sound. This reminds me of bits of Steven Wilson, Opeth, Katatonia, Riverside - it's a little cold, but very good.
Current Score: 75.41 [+7 BP]
Round 10 Score: 24.90 + 8 BP = 32.90
Average w/ BP: 10.96~
FINAL SCORE: 86.37
Final Thoughts: I'm glad you took the opportunity to send several bands I wanted to hear more of: King Crimson, Marillion, Type O Negative, and lots of stuff I've never heard of. Even with stiff competition you sent several knockout tracks.
#1 favorite submission: Marillion - Neverland
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#5. TAC
Frozen Crown - Fail No More 8.2 Generic power metal, in a kind-of-good way. Sounds like another Stratoclone band, but not a bad one... The female singer is weak as hell though and the chorus suffers for it, which sucks, but the rest of the song is classic power metal done well, so maybe the singers will grow on me. I've heard about this band recently so I need to keep an eye on them.
In Victory - You Are The One 7.5 Generic power metal, in a this-could-be-worse-I-guess way. At least it has some symphonic depth to it, but not overbearing like a lot of recent bands are trying to be. It just takes a template that's been done a million times and executes it well. Not very inspired but that solo section has a lot to love and it's a good gym track...
Lux Perpetua - The Legend 8.4 Generic power metal, in a this-is-just-right way. There's absolutely nothing here that reinvents the wheel or stands out as unique in any way but it's got it all, the production, the shreddy bits, the energy, it's a nice power metal tune. Even the name of the song and band are generic as all get out yet I like this. The harpsichord and brass have a lot to do with that.
Current Score: 76.45 [+8 BP]
Round 10 Score: 24.10 + 8 BP = 32.10
Average w/ BP: 10.70
FINAL SCORE: 87.15
Final Thoughts: It boggles my mind how much heavy/power/speed metal you listen to and are aware of, but you didn't get into Blind Guardian last year. Almost every band you sent was a band even I hadn't heard of. That's nuts. Yeah man, you consistently sent new headbangers every round and that's pretty awesome to me.
#1 favorite submission: Dreamtale - Refuge From Reality
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#4. kingshmegland
Tower of Power - What Is Hip? 9.2 Let me tell ya, bud - I am SORELY lacking on this kind of music in my collection. My go-to for horns-based funky music is this British acid jazz group called Incognito, but Tower of Power is a group I've thought about for years, and this is cool as hell because this reminds me of Incognito in every way, from the female singer's voice to the horns and funky grooves in the rhythm section, with a lot more 70s Hammond in the mix. This is the kind of stuff I love to play around the house, good weekend jams. This rules, thank you for sending this group to me. [+1 BP]
Chicago - Questions 67 and 68 8.3 25 or 6 to 4, If You Leave Me Now - those are two Chicago songs I'm certain I know, and I really like them. I've wanted to explore them for a long time. This one doesn't quite hit me like If You Leave Me Now but I really like the brass section and piano together and the upbeat vibe it gives off. I should know the singer's name but don't - I like him. Maybe I should just pick up a Greatest Hits from Chicago, 'cause I have yet to be disappointed.
Thank You Scientist - Caverns 8.6 One of these songs is not like the others... Parama sent me their first album in my album roulette but this has a totally different vibe at first. It starts off nice and subdued before getting into heavier, more familiar territory. But it kind of sucks too because that guitar part in the first verse never comes back and that's SUCH a cool vibe, it's almost criminal to just abandon it and go back to the distorted riffs. The rest of the song is good, the instrumental part is totally TYS and it's a vibe nobody else seems to have, but I just wanted that first verse riff to be the glue that held this song together because it's the best part of the song. Still, it's really good.
Current Score: 76.42 [+8 BP]
Round 10 Score: 26.10 + 9 BP = 35.10
Average w/ BP: 11.70
FINAL SCORE: 88.12
Final Thoughts: The variety of music you sent alone is kickass, but what I like even more is that they're all songs you really like for one reason or another and thought I would like.
#1 favorite submission: Freaky Jelly - Nothing To Feel
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Topic: Katt's Roulettes & Dragons v. Final Results (finally) - thank you for playing :) (Read 97079 times)