ROUND 4 RESULTS
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Tomi
Wishbone Ash – Argus (1972)
First impression: A nice discovery.
Final opinion: This really crept up on me. I mean, I very much liked it on first listen, but I didn’t at all think it was a possible round winner. I’ve heard of Wishbone Ash, of course, but I’m not sure I’ve ever listened to anything of theirs. So what a fantastic discovery for me! I enjoyed the 70s prog vibe right from the start, but it was only on my third listen that I realised just how much I was loving the whole album. There’s a nice mix of influences from earlier bands (I definitely hear some Beatles in there) along with styles and ideas that were clearly new at the time and influenced bands that came later. It’s also really accessible - there’s proggy stuff sure, but it’s all pretty restrained and there’s such a focus on melody that sits really well with me.
Rating: 8.5/10
Score: 10 + 1 bonus = 11 points
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Luoto
Chaos Divine – The Human Connection (2011)
First impression: Rather exciting prog.
Final opinion: I thought this would probably be the round winner until right at the end when it was just pipped to the top spot. I’ve seen them mentioned before, but never heard them and didn’t know anything about them until now. My album roulettes are proving great for discovering Australian prog metal bands I was only vaguely aware of (Caligula’s Horse the first time, Voyager last time and now these guys this time). I like pretty much everything about this - it’s exciting, heavy, has good riffs, great tunes, top notch performances and strong production. Right from the first song, the blend of harsh vocals, strong melodies and a generally proggy sound works so well and had me pretty hooked. The album is nicely varied and balanced too, but always pretty consistent in style.
Rating: 8.5/10
Score: 9.5 + 1 bonus = 10.5 points
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Katt
Shattered Skies – The World We Used to Know (2015)
First impression: Cool guitar work.
Final opinion: The guitars on this album really are very cool and stood out to me on first listen. My main reflection on this album is that it highlights how much a lot of music benefits from good vocal lines. If you took the vocals out, I think this would sound so much like a lot of instrumental djent bands that I’d likely never rate above a 7. But the general style here - which has some fantastic groove by the way - combined with slick and enjoyable guitar playing and some strong vocal melodies ends up more than the sum of its parts. And that’s another thing that stands out to me too, the groove. The riffs in songs like 15 Minutes and Saviors get me grinning like a goon. The only slight downpoint is that the production isn’t the strongest, but otherwise this is a great album.
Rating: 8/10
Score: 8.5 + 1 bonus = 9.5 points
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Cyril
Irreversible Mechanism – Immersion (2018)
First impression: Intense, atmospheric, engaging.
Final opinion: Your attempts to send me tech death have finally achieved an 8/10! I’ve always liked what you’ve sent me before but generally found it quite cold and distant, but not with this. You said it was a grower (and I mean, maybe it will be) but right from the off I found it immersive and interesting. Melodically, it’s still what I’d describe as “not obvious”, so from that point of view it’s not super accessible and does take a bit of getting used to, I suppose. But everything is very nicely in balance - the riffs, the growls, the atmosphere, the melodies - such that I got used to it within that first listen. And I didn’t fully appreciate it on first listen, but I’ve come to really like the guitar work as well - not just the playing, but the way the riffs and lead lines are crafted.
Rating: 8/10
Score: 7.5 + 1 bonus = 8.5 points
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Seneca
Jason Isbell – Southeastern (2013)
First impression: Oddly upbeat melancholia.
Final opinion: A lot of the subject matter on this album is clearly very melancholic (which is evidently your thing) and he pulls it all off with a gorgeous amount of emotion, but there’s also something I find strangely uplifting about the album too. Not entirely dissimilar to the Phoebe Bridgers you sent in round 1, there’s something I like about artists who explore sad subjects in a way that doesn’t wallow but still emotes. My collection doesn’t have much American folk/country in it, but this will be a great addition. The album has so much warmth and compassion. There are some songs that are a little less exciting, but even in those his delivery makes it engaging. At its best, the songs really tug on the heart-strings.
Rating: 8/10
Score: 7 + 1 bonus = 8 points
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Evermind ft. Lucases
Om – Advaitic Songs (2012)
First impression: What is this.
Final opinion: Like, seriously, what is this? As far as I can tell it’s a fusion of religious chamber music and stoner rock. It’s a really bizarre combination, but I do rather dig it. Especially the more chamber-infused stuff actually - it creates such a unique and unusual sound and mood, almost psychedelic at times. There are things I’m less keen on - the vocals are ok but don’t entirely do it for me, the heavier section in State of Non-Return sounds quite muddy, and in general the songs all feel quite long. I guess that’s part of the vibe, but for my tastes I think they could do with more build-up and development. Still, it’s a cool album and nothing like anything else I’ve heard.
Rating: 7.5/10
Score: 6.5 points
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Puppies
The Gathering – How to Measure a Planet? (1998)
First impression: Familiar, yet surprising.
Final opinion: This feels familiar not just because of Anneke’s voice, but also because the general style is for the most part fairly straightforward. But at the same time, within that general style there are a number of surprises and it feels a little different - heavier, darker - to similar bands (possibly a leftover from their earlier style). As much as I like Anneke’s performances in more recent things I’ve heard her in, I think her voice suits this music better. It’s really good. If I have one detraction, it’s that I find it slightly plodding at times. I’m not sure it’s about the album being long so much as a few of the songs feeling like they never quite get going.
Rating: 7.5/10
Score: 6 points
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Nekov ft. King
Papir – IIII (2013)
First impression: Little stood out.
Final opinion: You’ve not been having much luck since Round 1! Once again, this is good, but I don’t find it that great. Instrumental prog isn’t generally an easy sell for me. What I like a lot here is the post-rock vibe - the songs have a good atmosphere and some nice dynamics. It never quite gets going though, and doesn’t have the same peaks and troughs as the best post-rock does. Nor does it have the excitement or quirkiness of the best instrumental prog/fusion. It’s like it’s quite good at everything it does, but nothing stands out as particularly interesting to me.
Rating: 7/10
Score: 5 points
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Clortho
Sanctuary – Into The Mirror Black (1989)
First impression: Somewhat dated, perhaps.
Final opinion: I definitely find it fairly dated, but it’s pretty cool. There’s not a huge amount of 80s thrash I enjoy, and in general the stuff I really like (such as Metallica and Megadeth) stands out for having strong melodies, which feel mostly lacking here. But the riffing is great and helps the album still be really enjoyable. Also really interesting is the vocals - at first I thought of them as pretty 80s metal type vocals, but there was also something different and oddly familiar about them. On discovering it was in fact Warrel Dane, it all makes sense (and Loomis too!). Quite different musically to Nevermore, but I can hear the origin of their music here, and there are various places where Dane sings in exactly the same way as he did right up until he passed away. Glad to have heard them now, but don’t see them becoming a favourite.
Rating: 7/10
Score: 4.5 points
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Train ft. Elite
Like Lovers – Everything All The Time Forever (2019)
First impression: Hard to grasp.
Final opinion: I guess I can see why they’re defined as pop, but it’s not really pop and not super accessible. It’s pretty cool though, quite experimental and unusual. I especially like some of the harmonised vocals, like in the opening title track but also throughout the album. There are lots of great moments. It all just feels quite inconsistent. This is particularly noticeable in Health, which has one of the best melodies on the album (“I’ve been in love, but I feel better now…”) but otherwise I find quite boring. So yeah, a solid album definitely, but ends up at the bottom of the pack because of the strength of the competition.
Rating: 7/10
Score: 4 points
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Scores after Round 4:
1. (^) Luoto = 7.0 + 7.0 + 11.0 + 10.5 = 35.5
2. (^) Tomi = 7.5 + 5.5 + 8.0 + 11.0 = 32.0
3=(v) Train ft. Elite = 9.5 + 8.5 + 9.0 + 4.0 = 31.0
3=(v) Clortho = 12.0 + 10.5 + 4.0 + 4.5 = 31.0
3=(^) Evermind ft. Lucases = 5.0 + 9.5 + 10.0 + 6.5 = 31.0
6. (v) Puppies = 4.0 + 11.0 + 9.5 + 6.0 = 30.5
7. (v) Cyril = 9.0 + 6.5 + 6.0 + 8.5 = 30.0
8. (v) Seneca = 8.5 + 4.5 + 8.5 + 8.0 = 29.5
9. (^) Katt = 6.5 + 6.0 + 5.5 + 9.5 = 27.5
10.(v) Nekov ft. King = 10.0 + 4.0 + 6.5 + 5.0 = 25.5
Luoto is basically guaranteed to progress but the other four places are very much up for grabs!
Topic: ariich’s roulette 5.0 – The End (again (the actual end this time (really))) (Read 59062 times)