2nd Place: Puppies_On_Acid – Alunea1. Kardashev – Between Sea and SkyFirst Impressions:You’ve gotta be confident as hell to send me four songs from one artist that are all off the same album. For your sake and mine I hope you’re right. I mean, I do dig how this sounds. Kind of djenty guitars but not entirely, solid mix of cleans & harsh vocals, nice audible bass, a sense of atmosphere. I did see these guys were tagged as deathcore on RYM and yeah those vocals definitely sound like that, at points. I’d say it’s an element I find detracts from the song since, honestly, deathcore vocals always sound goofy as hell to me, I can’t take ‘em seriously, but they’re not the prime element here. What I do feel like this lacks is, well, any kind of driving motif to it. Overall I do like how it sounds but I think it’s missing that something extra that makes it something I’m wild about. It’s borderline good though, probably will grow on me. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts: Yeah, my consistent thoughts on this one have been “it’s pretty good metal alright” and “it’s a nice calmer track to serve as an intro to the EP”. These guys seem to exist in that deathcore-adjacent space similar to Slice the Cake, though I don’t feel their music is as ambitious as that album nor does it have the unique vocals they have. Deathcore vocals, I guess, come off to me as the harsh vocal version of oversinging – trying so hard to sound intense and terrifying that it wraps right around to sounds fake, hollow, and flat. Some of the higher-pitched harsh vocals here are pretty fine, nothing special, but I just cannot take the low deathcore growls seriously at all. I like the general tone of how this sounds though, well enough, the bass tone especially is pretty great, the guitars are punchy, there’s always some layer of atmosphere going on. I don’t feel like it’s a song particularly intended to stand on its own, but I can jam to it to at least a decent extent. The last minute and a half or so, especially, just solid riffing and clean vocals that build up to a solid climax that has some weight behind it. I can feel that. Yeah, it’s alright.
7.5/102. Allegaeon – Of Mind and MatrixFirst Impressions:So I saw these guys live once but the sound in the venue was so awful I couldn’t hear much of the lead work over the heavier guitars and drums and so they sounded kind of like a generic death metal band to me but I was also keenly aware that they’re one of those noodly tech death type bands. Tech death is a thing I’ve been slowly getting into over the past year but I’ve found that generally the kind of sound I get into is when it pushes in a bit more atmospheric of a direction, or is just completely over-the-top like Equipoise and Persefone. I think I left a similar comment on the Anata song from last round. There’s elements here I do like and it’s got some solid intensity to it too but I find this doesn’t really have much that stands out. It’s got so many different components to it and it’s constantly go go going, but it’s not quite the level of over-the-top or melodic to get to the level of the aforementioned bands. I do dig it nonetheless, though, but it’s not inspiring me to check out their other stuff, at least not on first listen. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts: I don’t know. This is going to be a trend throughout a lot of the write-ups for this EP and this round in general, but I don’t feel like much about this really stands out. I like the “chorus” of this, I suppose, with the straightforward drums and the melodic noodly bit going on in the background under the “I have awakened” vocals. There’s some solid power there, though I’m not crazy about this harsh vocal style either. Again it’s just a bit too low-pitched for my taste in growls, it’s in the range where everything sounds emotionally flat and a bit goofy. They definitely have decent chops, I can tell that much, but they’re not using it in a way that they really impress or go so over the top that it becomes a spectacle. Like, I gotta be honest. This is my fifth listen to this one and I feel like I’ve literally never heard this song before. I’m trying, man, but I just don’t find this one memorable at all. It’s got the pieces of “metal I would like” just fine, but I fail to see what makes this stand out in any way. It’s got one particularly notable bit, it doesn’t have any strong riffs, it doesn’t have any effective melodies, it doesn’t have the least bit emotional resonance. It’s not even remotely dynamic either, it stays at the same “medium-rare” heaviness level the entire song with no variation I can see. I’m honestly surprised I have this much to say about it. The best I can say is that “it sounds nice, yeah”. I don’t mind listening to it, but. That’s not a very high bar, that.
5.5/103. Kardashev – Beside Cliffs and ChasmsFirst Impressions:First of a double dose of these guys. This is distinctly different right out the gate though, much more intense. Hmm. Some of the grooves on this one are again pretty fine but it’s a little bit melodically lacking for me, at least for the first few minutes. The more chill midsection I am a lot more on board with, though. I feel like with this one I kind of went back and forth on how much I liked it but overall I thought it was pretty solid, yeah. Just not so keen on the heaviest stuff on offer here. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts: Nah, I changed my mind about saying even the first few minutes are melodically lacking. That’s not really fair. There are so moments of raw intensity but the guitar riffs are plenty melodic pretty much the whole way through. And they’ve got decent groove too. Okay, a tangent. It’s fine to have metal based wholly around the groove. But why do so many bands try to do so nonmelodically? Gojira, Meshuggah, whatever else, their riffs are all so downtuned and non-melodic there’s just nothing to groove to for me! Anyways I’m not even talking about this song now, which is… pretty solid! I actually don’t like how stiff the bass sounds in the middle bit, thinking about it. It’s got like, a clicky quality to it that I don’t really understand the reason for. You basically can’t hear it once the percussion comes in but play the bass on its own and it’s kind of distracting. One thing I can say about all this band’s stuff is that it’s dynamic in a way I tend to like, or at the very least appreciate. Some really intense moments, some standard groovy moments, some chordy chorus-like moments, and a clean break in the middle. I dunno, I don’t think this song on its own, again, is especially strong in its own right, but it’s at just the right level for me to be intrigued and want to keep revisiting it.
7.5/104. Kardashev – Behind Leaves and VinesFirst Impressions:The most free transition in the world, when two songs on your EP are also back-to-back on the album they originally came from. This one’s jumped around several times already only a minute or so in and I feel like the heavier stuff here works better in the context/short bursts it’s presented in – I actually really dig the bit of harsh vocals over quiet music (this is something I find I like a lot – East of the Wall and Actor|Observer do it both to great effect). I think this is the first one of the songs on this EP I feel like I’ve gotten some genuine emotional resonance out of and for that I’d say it’s my favorite, even if it lacks some of the cool clean bits the previous tracks had, also a fadeout eeww. (GOOD)
Final Thoughts: That first bit of vocals is so. Damn. Powerful. The music cuts out almost entirely, you get a really well-delivered harsh vocal line and then it just slams you in the face with a big heavy riff. And there’s even some melody buried in the wall of sounds, even if I think the drums could serve to be a bit softer in the mix. I think, sitting down and listening to this one again, what these guys -really- do well, and hear me out on this – is atmosphere. There’s always some kind of wall of sound going on, whether it’s massive riffing or just some layers of pretty guitar drones. Sometimes it’s both. A lot of the times it’s both in this song, actually. The way I’d describe this song is… overwhelming. But it’s the kind of overwhelming I think I’m totally on board with. Honestly, I retract my initial statement about the clean bits. I almost feel like, here, they undercut the intensity. I don’t know, I feel like that’s nitpicking though. On the opposite side of the coin they serve to add some dynamic moments. But god, what I really love here is the huge walls of sound. It’s the kind of thing that usually doesn’t work for me, but here they’ve just pushed it to its breaking point and made it work somehow. I honestly didn’t realize until just this listen how much I absolutely adore this particular track, huh. It’s. It’s really dang good? It’s metal that makes me feel. That’s the kind I like the most.
8.5/105. In Mourning – Past October Skies (The Black Lodge Revisited)First Impressions:The production on this sounds noticeably worse than any of the songs before it and that’s a little distracting, to say the least. I was sent these guys before but I remember that being a much more downtempo track than this one, though that’s literally all I remember about it. Anyways besides that I’m having trouble saying much about this one? It’s like, it goes through a lot of different moods of melodic death metal, which for the record is a genre I’m never too huge on by itself, without any real twists to speak of. I guess it’s progressive in the sense that it’s got multiple sections and feels to it but that’s kind of a stretch when the music itself is just so… average. I’m trying not to be biased against these guys based on my past history with them but they just haven’t ever impressed me. I’d say I like this marginally more than the last song I was sent from them except, again, I literally don’t remember it so it’s not really a valid comparison. (AVERAGE)
Final Thoughts: I will say that, unlike with the Allegaeon track, I don’t feel like I’m listening to this one for the very first time on my fifth listen. I recognize that opening riff well enough. I don’t… know if I particularly like it, it doesn’t hit very hard and it doesn’t have a particularly memorable melody, but it is something, alright. The other bit about this I can kind of get into is the slow, moody middle bit. There’s some okay power there. The rest of this… again, unlike the Allegaeon, it does at least keep things dynamic. I can appreciate that much. I just… don’t feel like any of it is particularly unique, nor does it strike me as particularly strong. I really don’t have much else to say here.
6.25/106. Mirrorthrone – So FrailFirst Impressions:After like, four pretty intense songs in a row this is seeming so far like a pretty chill track in comparison. Lush strings, clean vocals, gentle guitar melodies. I’m sure it’s about ready to explode at any moment though. And yep there it goes. Is it just me or is this… kinda quiet compared to the previous tracks, I feel like I have to turn my sound up to hear this one even though all the other tracks were fine volume-wise. More of a thing that affects the overall EP than the song itself really, but. I certainly appreciate how melodic this one is but it has the same problem a lot of symphonic metal tends to have where the strings overtake the actual melodic elements. Some bands can find a nice balance but I don’t hear it here. It’s still pretty solid though, at the end of the day, and the symphonic bits make for good transitions between tunes too. Sure. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts: The clean vocals here really make me think of Einar. Is that just me. But mostly only during the intro. I think it’s just me. Anyways, this one. I also don’t really remember much about this one! I would say out of the three non-Kardashev songs here this is easily the one I’m most on board with in principle. The general sound of this is nice and full, pretty melodic, balances the harsh and clean vocals well. But that’s really all there is to say about it. It sounds nice. There isn’t really much of anything to grasp onto with this one either. The heavy moments don’t emotionally resonate, the clean-sung chorus doesn’t really have a ton of power, the technical elements they go for are mostly in the symphonic elements, which sound a little… cheap? The piano sounds kinda fake and hollow and it has some moments where it’s playing generic neoclassical-esque melodies that I just don’t find too interesting. Like, again, I don’t… dislike this one at all, as a song that exists to be listened to, I sure can listen to it alright. There’s just not much of anything here I find compelling, is all.
6.25/107. Kardashev – Beyond Sun and MoonFirst Impressions:I know this is the one you sent TAC and he said the first half he didn’t like so yep it’s the heavy as hell half and I’m expecting more chill stuff later. Honestly I’m gonna have to agree with TAC here, the first half of this is heavy but not like… interesting heavy. But I dig the hell out of the back half, nice clean bit, big epic climax with ethereal vocals. Will see how it plays on relisten and it makes for a good ending to the EP overall but I’m not as sold on this one, yet. (DECENT)
Final Thoughts: Hmm. Okay, some parts of the first half do reach for the intensity that the last Kardashev song had, actually, and to some extent it works. I think the lack of sustaining that level of intensity, as well as not really feeling like it has as full of a sound, means this doesn’t quite get to those heights. It’s really similar to the second Kardashev track on here, really, in that it mixes grooves and heavier moments in, followed up by clean stuff after that. Keeping things dynamic but not so much consistent. The second half of this, does reach that level of intensity, though not quite in the same way – it basically does what the first Kardashev song was aiming for, but with a more bombastic feel to it. Just all the things. Heavy chords, booming drums, layers upon layers of sounds. It doesn’t even really need distinct melodies to work, it’s just raw power. And not in the boring, downtuned sludgy way. The first half does drag this down a little despite being, fine enough in its own right, but this still does at least stand above most of the other Kardashev here for the back half alone.
8/10Overall:First Impressions:So yeah this is basically an abridged version of the Kardashev album with a few other artists thrown in for good measure. I think this one feels maybe a bit stylistically one-note compared to your past EPs, but I also feel that’s a bit reductive to say so.
Pretty much every song doesn’t feel like it has any “twist” or “unique element” to it, it’s just trying to be good in a standard way. And for the most part… well, I’m not outright wild about anything on here, or maybe I’m just getting harder to please. I will say that the deathcore in Kardashev is apparently and pretty consistently not my thing, I do like that Slice the Cake album but that’s pretty much it for me as far as my interest in the genre goes, and they don’t come close to The Holy Mountain in terms of intensity either. It is very cohesive and flows mostly pretty well barring the slight production/volume shifts between tracks and there’s a very pronounced strong start and end too. I figure I’ll probably like this one more on relistens though it does strike me as fairly “safe” in sound overall, too.
Final Thoughts: So. Hmm. I think the issue with this EP is of your own making. Kardashev doesn’t really feel like music that exists in the same realm as the other artists you’ve interspersed with this album. They’re going for atmosphere in a way that the other artists just… aren’t, even Mirrorthrone which has some elements of atmospheric metal isn’t really trying to be atmospheric first and foremost, more bombastic and powerful with its symphonic elements. And then Allegaeon and In Mourning really don’t have any comparison to Kardashev to be drawn at all. And that’s a problem when the good atmospheric stuff is what this EP seems to be designed to put me in the mood for. You set the stage with the first track and then Allegaeon isn’t a good payoff to that. The next two tracks build up further reaching a strong peak. In Mourning absolutely isn’t a payoff to that peak, either. Mirrorthrone sort of gets back on track, though it brings in its own problems. And then the final Kardashev song which is the payoff… to the fourth song on the EP. Basically – by loading so much of this EP up with one artist, it imbalanced the EP in such a way that I never really wanted to listen to any of the other songs, nor did I ever remember much about them on repeated listens. And to be fair! The Kardashev songs don’t strike me as “memorable” in that same way either, they just hit really hard and satisfy my atmospheric urges. The lack of memorability is really the big reason why I can’t rate them any higher, even the ones I do like a lot. I don’t stand by my initial comment that this EP is cohesive because it absolute isn’t, it’s bipolar as heck with two different sounds trying to accomplish two different things that only ends up highlighting the weaknesses of one half. Having said all that, I expect the strengths of the half-and-change of this EP I do like a fair bit will be enough to support it into the next round, and I will probably check out that Kardashev album (EP? it’s listed as an EP on RYM), but damned if I don’t still find this one kind of frustrating.
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Topic: Parama's EP-onymous Roulette v4 (Final Round Results) (Read 41707 times)