ariich’s roulette 5.0 – The End (again (the actual end this time (really)))

[Crow]

My predictions are always right 30% of the time.

[Luoto]

Yay, I won something for once

Oddland are technically the most different band out of all the others I sent in this roulette, so it's not terribly surprising they were your least favourite. Their catch is often in rhythmic grooves as much as vocal melody, and Ire mostly improvises over one chord progression. Diablo are more like slightly proggy thrash, though I can see where you got the melodeath vibes from.

Another interesting note is I considered sending the Moonsorrow album Huuto is on. Definitely my favourite of theirs.

[Crow]

Ire is probably my favorite song from them so far, tbh, both those albums are pretty good though

Honestly looking back at the round 5 scores it's a minor miracle I was able to go from 8 points behind Luoto to only one point behind in the span of a mere 3 rounds, I'm proud of that if nothing else 

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I'm super stoked that you enjoyed Moonsorrow so much. So much so, that I couldn't care less if you even liked the rest of the songs on my album 

Even though I sent you Huuto, I would recommend listening to the Kivenkantaja album all the way through first and then work your way forward chronologically. Don't forget the EP Tulimyrsky that was released in 2008. The title track alone is worth it, but the other tracks (covers and re-recorded demos) are awesome as well. My favorite album is Verisakeet, but they are all excellent. Even the albums before Kivenkantaja.

[TAC]

My predictions are always right 30% of the time.

Since you are the holy guide of the 4/10, wouldn't that be 40%?

[Crow]

My predictions are always right 30% of the time.

Since you are the holy guide of the 4/10, wouldn't that be 40%?

it's a reference that nobody will get 

[ariich]

I'm super stoked that you enjoyed Moonsorrow so much. So much so, that I couldn't care less if you even liked the rest of the songs on my album 

Even though I sent you Huuto, I would recommend listening to the Kivenkantaja album all the way through first and then work your way forward chronologically. Don't forget the EP Tulimyrsky that was released in 2008. The title track alone is worth it, but the other tracks (covers and re-recorded demos) are awesome as well. My favorite album is Verisakeet, but they are all excellent. Even the albums before Kivenkantaja.

I'm too excited by the songs you and Tomi sent (Huuto and Jotunheim especially) to not start with those albums, so I'm doing that. But don't worry, I'll work my way through them.

By the way, as ever people are welcome to send me post-roulette things to check out as well (I will check out probably everything that got eliminated in the prelim) but just a heads up that my next roulette will be sometime in maybe earlyish 2020 (basically once I finish working my way through everything from this one) and it'll almost certainly be an inclusive, no frills, no eliminations, no prelim song roulette with as many participants as want to play (I can handle 10 albums, so I can easily handle 20+ songs if it comes to it). So if you'd be interested in that, it might be worth avoiding Cyril's usual mistake of leaving nothing to send next time.

[Crow]

hey, i called out in my PM that i saved all the stuff i had confidence in! i had 15 albums and cut it to 10 to keep the once i think you'd like most, so yes, i have 5 albums lined up for next roulette

[ariich]

Ok so I'm going to be providing some post-roulette updates over probably the next few weeks. I have a bunch of stuff to check out from various different categories:

1. All the albums that contain the songs that were sent in the prelim.
2. A whole load of albums (at least one per artist, probably more) from the greatest hits round.
3. A whole load of albums (not every artist, but most of them) from the concept album round.
4. Cyril's usual collection of post-roulette albums (nine of them... he sent me ten but one is already covered in category 3 above).

I'll probably largely go through them in the order above, but I'm not going to be strict about it and in fact there were a few artists from categories 2 and 3 I was desperate to check out first.

[Crow]

Let me find a 10th one for you then 

Edit: sent #10

[ariich]

Post-roulette updates, part 1/?

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Jingle
Mystery – Lies and Butterflies (2018)
Category 1: Prelim elimination
Dude, turns out your lack of success in the prelim was just due to your choice of song. It’s nicer in the context of the album, but overall I still find it the weakest of the bunch. This is a really strong album and it’s improved my opinion of Mystery significantly, such that I’ll check out at least some of their other albums as well now. The stuff that really stands out is the proggier material. Looking for Something Else is probably my favourite as it’s just an all-round excellent song - if you’d sent me that, you’d have definitely made it past the prelim. Other favourites are Something to Believe In (which has a brilliant instrumental) and Chrysalis (which is a great closer).
Rating: 8/10

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Luoto
In Mourning – The Weight of Oceans (2012)
Category 2: Compilation artists
Yep, this is really great stuff. Doesn’t have quite the same atmosphere as my very favourite melodic death metal, but then it does other things and has some good variety including pretty nice use of clean vocals at times. Every song is solid and some of them are fantastic, including the two you included in your compilation. Based on the quality of both this album and your compilation, I’m definitely going to be checking out every album of theirs, including the new one which I’ve heard very good things about.
Rating: 8.5/10

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Puppies & Tomi
Moonsorrow – Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa (2011) & Verisäkeet (2005)
Category 3: Concept album artists
Ok so yeah these guys could end up becoming a favourite of mine. Both albums are pretty amazing. I gather that Verisäkeet is considered one of their top albums while VKKM is slightly less popular. But there’s something about the latter that I just find really special - everything that I adored about Huuto is there in spades throughout the whole album. It’s just really rich and beautiful while still being heavy. Don’t get me wrong, Verisäkeet is excellent too but I definitely find it a little less immediately appealing and accessible. These are only early thoughts though, excited to continue to get to know these and their other albums better.
Rating: 9/10 (VKKM) & 8.5/10 (Verisäkeet)

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Cyril
Shade Empire – Poetry Of The Ill-Minded (2017)
Category 3: Concept album artists
Damn this is an amazing album. The song from your concept album is an amazing centerpiece, but it’s all fantastic. The style is an interesting one too, a sort of blend of symphonic black metal with aspects of melodic death metal (to my ears, anyway). I can only assume you were saving this for your concept album from earlier on, because if you weren’t then I don’t understand why you didn’t send. One of my favourite discoveries of the roulette.
Rating: 9/10

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[Crow]

I didn't save anything for my concept, I just personally don't like any of the other songs nearly as much as the one I sent

It's also an album I've had since your first album roulette so good to know I've been sleeping on for three roulettes now 

[Sacul]

Don't forget the greatest hits I sent you

[ariich]

Don't forget the greatest hits I sent you

I haven't forgotten! It's on my list as part of category 2.

[ariich]

Post-roulette updates, part 2/?

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TAC
Idle Hands – Mana (2019)
Category 1: Prelim elimination
I’ve found myself enjoying this a fair bit more than I thought I would based on the prelim song. Like with the Mystery that Chad sent, this has a combination of the song working better in the context of the album, and also it being, to my ears, one of the weaker ones on here (mainly because of that counting bit which I still find a little corny). While it may still not quite hit the 8/10 mark for me, most of the album is really solid and there are few strong songs like the closer which ends on a high note.
Rating: 7.5/10

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Romdrums
In the Presence of Wolves – Thalassas (2014)
Category 1: Prelim elimination
Yeah so my feelings about the album are exactly as they were about the prelim song. These guys have so much potential and there’s so much to like about this album, but it’s just massively let down by weak vocals. The instrumental performances are top-notch, the writing is pretty exciting and dynamic, and the production is punchy and professional. Considering all of that, I just find it so bizarre that the vocals are so much below the standard of everything else. There are some great moments (especially in Hypoxia) but there are too many lines where the singing is uncomfortably out of tune.
Rating: 7/10

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Elite
Major Parkinson – Blackbox (2017)
Category 1: Prelim elimination
This is another one with tons of potential but an execution that doesn’t quite work for me. My opinions on the prelim song pretty much apply to everything else. The songs all have some nice build up, but it feels to me like they never actually reach the thing they’re building up to. I think perhaps the very restrained (often whispered) vocals may play a part in that. There’s still lots to like though - it’s got a great, dark moody vibe to it, a really unique sound, and on the rare occasion the music does actually break a little (particularly in Isabel) it’s pretty great stuff.
Rating: 7.5/10

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Stadler
The Cult – Sonic Temple (1989)
Category 1: Prelim elimination
Yeah this is pretty much what I expected from the prelim song - very enjoyable late 80s hard rock but nothing that massively grabs me. The sound and performances are really slick and there are few strong songs, especially in the first half of the album (Sweet Soul Sister I particularly enjoy). I do find it all a little samey though and some of the songs don’t have particularly strong hooks, and so I lose interest a bit in the second half of the album.
Rating: 7/10

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[Buddyhunter1]

The second In The Presence Of Wolves album is much better. The vocals sound pretty different on it too.

[Crow]

i like both a lot myself & prefer the vocals on the first album, tbh 

[Buddyhunter1]

Same kinda, which is why I said "different" and not "better"  But if Ariich doesn't like the vocals on the first he might like them more on the second, who knows.

[ariich]

Yeah I think I might well give it a listen at some point. To be clear, it's not the vocal style that bothers me, it's the fact that he sings out of tune too much.

[Crow]

if he sings out of tune i guess i never really noticed it 
their other release is really just a 30ish minute EP so it'd be pretty quick to check out if you wanted, too. they were pretty fun when i saw 'em with TYS earlier this year, anyways

[Buddyhunter1]

They fucking SLAY live.

[ariich]

Post-roulette updates, part 3/?

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Sacul
Slowdive – Souvlaki (1993)
Category 1: Prelim elimination
Yeah this is nice stuff, but I feel the same way about the album as a whole as I did about the prelim. It's warm and atmospheric, and there some particularly nice moments where it goes a little more downtempo. I also appreciate that the album was clearly quite influential in the 90s shoegaze movement. With engaging vocals I could see myself really liking this a lot, but as it is the melodies and the delivery are just a bit bland and they let the music down.
Rating: 7/10

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King
Mile Marker Zero – The Fifth Row (2018)
Category 1: Prelim elimination
This is another one that unfortunately seems to have suffered due to the choice of song. Not that there's anything wrong with it at all, it's a decent opener that does a good job as prelude/intro to the concept album, it's just not as interesting as some of the material that comes later on. There's loads of good stuff throughout the album and it feels pretty coherent, despite being quite proggy and varied. It doesn't blow me away or anything, but it's a strong album overall and the sci-fi concept, while not the most original perhaps, is done pretty nicely.
Rating: 8/10

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BIZKIT
The Pineapple Thief – Dissolution (2018)
Category 1: Prelim elimination
I feel I should like this album more than I do - there's not a single specific fault I can find with it… I just don't find it especially interesting. And it hasn't shifted my perception of TPT as being PT-lite. It has a nice groove, it's really thoughtful and the production is lovely and clear. But it doesn't have the intensity of PT's later stuff, nor does it have the harmonic richness of their mid-era material. It's consistently pleasant but it's never exciting, and for what is clearly a thoughtful and emotional album, it never quite does enough to make me really feel that emotion (although All That You've Done comes closest, lovely song).
Rating: 7.5/10

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That's all the prelims done, and I'm really glad I checked them all out as there were some really nice surprises and two 4 star albums that I'll probably end up getting. Will probably move mostly on to compilation artists now.

[Crow]

Well. You're already done with my compilation artist 

[Sacul]

That's a fair assessment, I don't know why I sent it, guess I had to try, but prob not a good idea on a prelim round

[Crow]

hot damn they put my greatest hits compilation on a CD and sold it in japan
https://unearthly-vision.bandcamp.com/merch/1-3-japan-special-edition-cd

[ariich]

That's a fair assessment, I don't know why I sent it, guess I had to try, but prob not a good idea on a prelim round

I love that you send me all sorts of interesting and different things, but yeah not sure it was the best idea for a prelim.

As I've said before, my next roulette will be open to everyone and have no eliminations at all (so it'll need to be songs rather than albums but my current thinking is two songs by the same artist) so all those who have been unlucky with tactical decisions on what to send when will have the chance to send me whatever they like in whichever round.

hot damn they put my greatest hits compilation on a CD and sold it in japan
https://unearthly-vision.bandcamp.com/merch/1-3-japan-special-edition-cd

You're a visionary!

[ariich]

Post-roulette updates, part 4/?

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Sacul
Nicolas Jaar – greatest hits & Sirens (2016)
Category 2.5: Post-roulette compilation
You’re so good at sending me really interesting, unique stuff, and sometimes it works for me and sometimes it doesn’t quite. This sits right alongside Om (which you sent via Ruslan) in the middle of the spectrum. It’s really cool and engaging, and he has a great sense of experimentation and uses such an array of different sounds and styles. His production sounds pretty damn top-notch too. The stuff that seemed most interesting was the songs from Sirens, so I decided to check that album as well, to get a feel for it feels like as an album. In both cases, I dig his music and his style, but I don’t find myself liking it as much as I wish I did.
Rating: 7.5/10 each

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Clortho
Blue October – Foiled (2006) & Sway (2013)
Category 2: Compilation artists
You’ll remember that I loved the compilation you put together from these guys and remarked that they seemed like a really consistent band because I couldn’t identify songs from any particular album that stood out. I did pick a couple based on a couple of particularly memorable songs plus RYM ratings, and I still get that sense of how consistent they are. Not every song on these two albums is killer, and I do think you seem to have done a great job of picking some of the strongest, but both albums are consistently enjoyable and have a number of cracking tracks, despite the fact that their style clearly developed in the seven years between them. I’ll certainly continue to delve into their other albums too.
Rating: 8/10 each

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Katt
Kings of Leon – Only By the Night (2008) & Walls (2016)
Category 2: Compilation artists
If your intention when sending a compilation of Kings of Leon, having sent an album by them in my last roulette, was to try again to turn me on to them, then despite your relative weak performance in the round, you have in fact succeeded. As I said in that round’s write-up, the songs from these two albums really stood out above the rest and they were the obvious starting point. And they’re both really great. OBTN doesn’t seem as consistently strong, but it has a youthful energy and some real highlights. Walls has really impressed me - it seems to have more maturity and warmth to it, and it’s definitely up my alley. I’ll check out another album or two but even if these are the only two I end up liking enough to get, it’s enough to say thank you for trying again and succeeding this time!
Rating: 8/10 each

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[Sacul]

That's fair, what were your favorite songs overall? I reckon Sirens took a bit to grow on me, I recommend you check out the extra tracks on the deluxe edition, they're great.

[ariich]

I like the experimentation on Sirens. Killing Time is probably my favourite on the compilation you made, and No and Nazareth have some really cool stuff in them too. From what you included from Nymphs that sounds a little more straightforward stylistically but nice too, Why Didn't You Save Me is my favourite of those.

[ariich]

Post-roulette updates, part 5/?

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Nekov
Kyte – Love to Be Lost (2012)
Category 2: Compilation artists
Yep, this is some really nice indie synth pop. The overall quality is probably similar to your compilation - the standouts from that are some of my favourites here too, but there are some other really cool songs and the general vibe of the album is very warm and enjoyable. I honestly don’t have much to say about this, it’s just a really solid album and I’m looking forward to checking out the other albums at some point.
Rating: 8/10

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Seneca
Bill Callahan – Apocalypse (2011)
Category 2: Compilation artists
Overall, my feeling towards this is similar to your compilation, although I think the quality is more mixed. I picked this to check out as it contained my favourites from your album, and indeed Drover is still a fantastic opener, and One Fine Morning works well as a closer. Most of the rest of the album is fine, pleasant enough, some interesting ideas. Callahan’s voice still doesn’t interest me much but most of the album is solid enough. On the downside, though, I honestly find America! just genuinely irritating. I think I get the ironic vibe the song is going for (I’m guessing/hoping so anyway), but it’s not at all enjoyable to listen to and does bring the album down a bit.
Rating: 7/10

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Evermind
Frequency Drift – Over (2014)
Category 2: Compilation artists
Ok so I’ll tell you what I love in here, and that’s the celtic and medieval stylings in the use of harps and strings. These folky elements work so well, and give the album a pretty unique sound. Overall, the album is a little hit and miss. It starts pretty well and there are some solid songs, but the quality isn’t consistent and it’s a very long album, so I can’t help finding some of it a bit filler. Thankfully the album ends strongly - Memory doesn’t have the most exciting start but the instrumental sections starting with the metal flute solo are fantastic, and then Disappeared is a gorgeous, delicate closer that really embraces the side of their sound that I dig most.
Rating: 7.5/10

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[Crow]

Yeah I think America singlehandedly made me not wanna listen to that Bill Callahan album a second time too

[ariich]

Yeah I think America singlehandedly made me not wanna listen to that Bill Callahan album a second time too

I'm listening to all the post roulette albums at least twice each, but yeah the second time through that song was a slog.

[Sacul]

I like the experimentation on Sirens. Killing Time is probably my favourite on the compilation you made, and No and Nazareth have some really cool stuff in them too. From what you included from Nymphs that sounds a little more straightforward stylistically but nice too, Why Didn't You Save Me is my favourite of those.

I love Killing Time, it's my fav of his . Nymphs is all over the place, I sent you the accessible bits, the rest is far more experimental and varied.

[Evermind]

That's a fair review.

[ariich]

Post-roulette updates, part 6/?
Category 1: Prelim elimination (complete)
Category 2: Compilation artists (complete)
Category 3: Concept album artists
Category 4: Cyril's extravaganza

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Puppies
Depeche Mode – Music For The Masses (1987) & Ultra (1997)
Category 2: Compilation artists
Your whole compilation was really strong so I wasn’t entirely sure which albums to start with, so I went with one from the 80s and one from the 90s. It’s really interesting that each album sounds very much of its time. Despite occasionally being accused in my roulettes of not liking 80s music, it's certainly my preference here. The songs have such a brilliant mood and the album as a whole has a great coherence of style. I really am so pleased with this discovery. Ultra is solid enough as well, kind of a more 90s downtempo vibe to it and I enjoy it, but there are some grungier sounding moments that don’t quite do it for me. But I’m going to go back to their early albums and work my way forwards, so it’ll be interesting to see how the album fits into their development over time.
Rating: 8.5/10 (MFTM) & 7.5/10 (Ultra)

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Cyril
The Physics House Band – Horizons/Rapture (2013), Mercury Fountain (2017) & Death Sequence (2019)
Category 2: Compilation artists
Kind of an odd one this as I heard all three albums in full as part of your “greatest hits”, but I wanted to listen to them separately and get a feel for them as individual albums. I was actually kind of surprised at how much I prefer Mercury Fountain to the other two. The others are still solid, but a little lacking. Horizons/Rapture has lots of energy and cool ideas but it’s a bit all over the place. Death Sequence is much more cohesive but doesn’t have the same energy or dynamism for my tastes. MF seems to get exactly the right balance and do everything really well. I’ll definitely be getting this album.
Rating: 8.5/10 (MF) & 7.5/10 each (H/R & DS)

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Train
A Swarm of the Sun – Zenith (2010) & The Woods (2019)
Category 2: Compilation artists
I think you maybe have partly suffered from song choices here, or possibly they don't work so well for compilations. On Zenith especially, there are a load of really strong tracks, the album is well paced and varied, and there's some use of recurring themes that as an album makes it more engaging (Lifeline is still superb, and its main theme is reprised really nicely in the title track). The Woods doesn't grab me so much - they've clearly developed as a band and I appreciate how much thought they've obviously put into the songs, but it's slower going and other than a few great moments, I don't find myself as interested as I do with Zenith.
Rating: 8/10 (Zenith) & 7.5/10 (TW)

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Tomi
Woods of Ypres – Woods 4: The Green Album (2009) & Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light (2012)
Category 2: Compilation artists
Compared with Trainy, I think you may have benefited from strong song choices, because checking two albums each you get the same scores, but you ranked a fair bit higher in the round. In general, the quality of their music is pretty consistently strong - the thing that lets down Woods 4 for me is that it’s just so… damn… long. There’s not nearly enough variety of tone or style to warrant the length and it really drags so much, despite there being some really good songs. Woods 5 definitely feels more my thing - it’s a bit puchier and more concise (I mean, it’s still an hour long though) and even more consistent in quality. Incredibly depressing and emotionally heavy music. Something very engaging about it. I’ll check out the earlier ones at some point too.
Rating: 8/10 (Woods 5) & 7.5/10 (Woods 4)

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That's all the prelim and compilation artists finished, which means I have the rest of the concept album artists to go (have only done Moonsorrow and Shade Empire so far, and I've set aside another 19 to explore!), plus Cyril's extravaganza. I'll probably jump between the two categories for the rest.