jingle.boy's Top 50 - Roulette songs ... My final obsession

[wolfking]

Skyforger is such a fucking good album. At least the first 7-8 songs. Under The Red Cloud and Queen of Time have some good songs but nothing quite like that Skyforger run. Wish they had another that clicked with me like that record.

Yeah it is indeed a beautiful album in all aspects.

[Lethean]

I'll wait until both Evermind and Kattelox have sent their Sonata songs and then maybe I'll add a few.

[jingle.boy]

20 - v3 / bl5150 / The Poodles** / Before I Die…. The real appeal here is Jakob Samuel’s voice – dude’s got a smooth as 18-year old scotch voice.  It’s a very simply written and performed track – again, nothing overly flashy. A perfect metal tune that’s driven by absolutely some absolutely beautiful melodies. 

19 - v4 / Indiscipline / Temperance* / Daruma's Eyes (Pt. 1)...  Nice keyboard intro, that leaves a slight pause before a fantastic buildup into all hell breaking loose!  That main and recurring guitar melody/riff (that doubles as the chorus melody) gives me chills.  Italian prog-power metal… how can you go wrong?  Well, you didn’t  - it’s the best song from this most recent roulette of mine.  Helluva instrumental section as well.  Heavy, lots of diverse pieces to it that are woven together.  7 minutes of bliss.

18 - v3 / Elite / Theocracy** / I Am… hope it was worth the wait, and I hate to break it to you, but this is the only Elite entry.  But holy shit, it’s a beaut.  It didn’t score super high in the roulette – I think because I had a skewed opinion of what Theocracy was.  YtseBitsy sent them (Laying the Demons to Rest) in v1, and I did not like it at all – still not a big fan of that song.  This was way better, and over the years, has become my favourite Theocracy song.  That vocal breakdown in the middle – and seeing Matt perform it live at PPUSA was absolutely mind blowing.  I ended up buying their “I Am” tee-shirt.  Matt is a definite Top 5 male-vocal crush at the moment.  He could sing recipes for me and I’d swoon.  You had quite a few other ‘bubble’ songs on the list (Sacrum, Myrath, Andromeda) but over the years, it seems our tastes diverged just a few degrees.

[The Walrus]

Very surprised to see Elite sending a Theocracy song... wow. That's a good one. I think Laying The Demon To Rest is a freaking great song (better than I Am, personally, and one of my fave Theocracy songs in general) and I was so happy they played it and several other favorites of mine at PPUSA this year. Matt Smith killed it live. Great band.

[Elite]

I’m actually surprised at least one of my sent songs is supposedly in here, although I have a feeling which one it’ll be..

Turns out I was right (with no way to prove it)! I figured it would be the only song that would have a shot at being in this list. Must have been years ago that I sent it. It’s honestly the only Theocracy song that I ‘remember’, but I recall it being very good obviously.

Yay!

[jingle.boy]

My 3rd roulette was in 2015... so yeah, a few years back.

[Evermind]

In my excuse, this Temperance song didn't exist when I sent them to you.

[Evermind]

I'll wait until both Evermind and Kattelox have sent their Sonata songs and then maybe I'll add a few.

Here's what I sent.

Sonata Arctica for Dummies Chad
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3VP4xNqWpMf7povdAypODt

1. Abandoned, Pleased, Brainwashed, Exploited [Winterheart's Guild]
2. Gravenimage [Winterheart's Guild]
3. 8th Commandment [Ecliptica]
4. The End of This Chapter [Silence]
5. It Won't Fade [Unia]
6. Don't Say a Word [Reckoning Night]
7. Caleb [Unia]
8. My Land [Ecliptica]
9. Flag in the Ground [The Days of Grays]
10. Kingdom for a Heart [Ecliptica]
11. The Misery [Winterheart's Guild]
12. Blood [Pariah's Child]

I... don't really think Chad would be much into progressive Sonata. I picked my share of progressive with two Unia tracks and I feel that's about enough for what I know of Chad's tastes.

We'll see!

[The Walrus]

It's funny because I expected Ev to send more progressive tracks, so after seeing what he sent I chose some more... questionable? picks  but some of my all-time favorite Sonata songs are on my submission.

Larger Than Life
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7HzuMH8loeoG7cXCiHSRSi?si=wvPmcCxqTk-3tsJFx26iOw

1. Deathaura [The Days of Grays]
2. The Dead Skin [The Days of Grays]
3. In Black and White [Unia]
4. Somewhere Close To You [Stones Grow Her Name]
5. The Day [Stones Grow Her Name]
6. Larger Than Life [Pariah's Child]
7. Wildfire, Pt. II - One With The Mountain [Stones Grow Her Name]
8. The Harvest [Unia]
9. Wildfire, Pt. III - Wildfire Town, Population: 0 [Stones Grow Her Name]

[wolfking]

That Poodles track is wonderful.

[The Walrus]

That Poodles track is wonderful.

That was one of the best songs you sent me in my 2.0 roulette.

[jingle.boy]

That Poodles track is wonderful.

Their whole discography is fantastic.

[jingle.boy]

Things were a little hectic yesterday.  Here's one batch, and I intend to have another one up later tonight so I can wrap this up by next weekend.

17 - v2 / TAC / Glass Mind* / Haunting Regrets… no, you haven’t been fired – just relegated to the top 20.  I could’ve put all 3 tracks you gave me from these guys in to a single entry, but figured I’d call out this one specifically.  I’m really not sure why people have routinely slagged the singer – I totally dig his voice, how unpolished it is at times, and he does a pretty good job with his high-end screams… not pushing himself out of what he’s capable of.  I wish they hadn’t reverted back to being an instrumental band only.  Production is a little thin, but that’s to be expected by a nothing band with very little budget.  It’s very reminiscent of early DT.  Lots of skill in the musicianship on display here.  Nothing else they’ve written has come close to the quality of this album.

16 - v1 / Zydar / Bloodbound / Nosferatu…  if you weren’t so hit-and-miss in v1, you could’ve made it to the finals.  This was a BIG hit.  I’ll say it again (pretty sure this was part of my original writeup), if imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, then Iron Maiden is flattered as shit over this one.  Everything about this song and structure just oozes Maiden influence… the slow/moody intro, the galloping beat, the repetitive chorus, Urban’s vocal range, the lyrical theme.  Put it all together, and it’s a home run.

15 - v1 / Obscure / Mind's Eye* / Feed My Revolver… from a prog-metal concept album about an assassin.  Nothing overtly original, but the song is 10lbs of prog-metal in a 5lb bucket.  Flawless, and it fits perfectly in with the album.  I keep meaning to check out the rest of the catalogue, but routinely get side-tracked.  I think I’ve sampled a few things, but (as usual), it pales in comparison with the stuff the DTF community lays on me.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

15 - v1 / Obscure / Mind's Eye* / Feed My Revolver… from a prog-metal concept album about an assassin.

I am not awake yet this morning and I read this as "a prog-metal concept album about an asshole." 

[Lowdz]

That Mind’s Eye album is a belter 🤘

[Kwyjibo]

15 - v1 / Obscure / Mind's Eye* / Feed My Revolver… from a prog-metal concept album about an assassin.

I am not awake yet this morning and I read this as "a prog-metal concept album about an asshole." 

That's probably what the prog-world needs, Geoff Tate could write the lyrics to that. 

[jingle.boy]

14 - v1 / Zydar / Hellfueled / Let Me Out…. If Maiden was flattered over Nosferatu, there Ozzy is infinitely more flattered over this one.  I mean, the similarities vocally, as well as the guitar tone/style to Zack is out-of-this world.  Seriously, just listen to this track and you’d be hard pressed to convince not instantly think it's really a b-side unreleased Zack-era Ozzy single.  3:40 of pure bliss, and takes me back to my memories and feelings of hearing solo Ozzy for the very first time.  Makes me all giddy inside.

13 - v3 / Zook / Black Fate** / Weight of the World…. Second song of the exact same round that had Roy Khan … I mean, Vasilis Georgio on vocals.  Upon first hearing it, I thought for sure this was some side project from the 00s that Khan was part of that I’d never heard.  This made me an instant fan of Vasilis.  Great album, and I’m pretty sure that a few other songs from this disc have been regularly used in roulettes. 

12 - v3 / bl5150 / Rox Diamond* / Familiar Stranger…. Taking it back down a notch on this countdown and heading down a very simple rock path.  Smooth, simple, straight-forward… but with some high octane vocals powered by killer melodies.  Straight out of everything I loved about the late 70s and 80s AOR style of rock music.  Rhythms are simple, hooks are catchy, guitar solo is scrappy, and the vocals just carry this wholesome vibe about them – very Steve Perry-like in some regards. 

[lonestar]

...

[wolfking]

That Hellfueled song is so good.

[TAC]

17 - v2 / TAC / Glass Mind* / Haunting Regrets… no, you haven’t been fired – just relegated to the top 20.  I could’ve put all 3 tracks you gave me from these guys in to a single entry, but figured I’d call out this one specifically.  I’m really not sure why people have routinely slagged the singer – I totally dig his voice, how unpolished it is at times, and he does a pretty good job with his high-end screams… not pushing himself out of what he’s capable of.  I wish they hadn’t reverted back to being an instrumental band only.  Production is a little thin, but that’s to be expected by a nothing band with very little budget.  It’s very reminiscent of early DT.  Lots of skill in the musicianship on display here.  Nothing else they’ve written has come close to the quality of this album.

 

That album is so incredible. And the singer sings with so much passion.

[jingle.boy]

11 - v3 / Big Hath / Arion* / Shadows …. This one now ranks ahead of the 3 songs that it scored below from the Roulette qualifying round from which you gave it to me.  I’m starting to be at a loss for new words and ways to describe how good these songs are, and how much they resonated with me – so I’m gonna steal from my original writeup.  nice lyrics, fantastic vocals with some wicked screams blended in with some beautiful harmonies, and a wonderful guitar/keyboard duel.  Got me some investigating to do with these guys.  And investigating I did.  This isn’t even my favourite tune on the album – Top 3 maybe – it’s a cracker of an album. Their follow up release was a little disappointing though.

10 - v1 / Lonestar / Beautiful Sin* / Take Me Home…  Well, you called it – top 10, and Maggy starts it off.  Up until this point, most of the ‘metal’ female voices I knew were either symphonic/operatic, or very distinctly *female*.  Magali changed all that.  With a rasp and aggression that is unique and undeniable (perhaps it’s the French accent coming through?), she commands instant attention.  This was probably the first 'cheat' in my roulettes (since a song with Matty on it kicked your ass earlier in the roulette), and may have been the source of my Roulette motto.  This album is 5* top to bottom, even the French version of one of the tracks.  If Maggy is on the mic, jingle.boy’s wallet is gettin lighter - pretty sure I've purchased everything (metal) that she's performed on.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

That whole Arion album is amazing!

[wolfking]

Beautiful Sin is one time I actually don't mind female vocals.

Confident I have 2 songs in the top 10.

[lonestar]

Well I'm done here....and nailed my prediction of 6 


Now to see if I guessed the right no.1 with Epysode.

[wolfking]

Well I'm done here....and nailed my prediction of 6 


Now to see if I guessed the right no.1 with Epysode.

I reckon you're on to something mate.  Top 3 at least.

[lonestar]

Oh yeah, I remember when Nem sent it, Chad had a woody for a week.

[jingle.boy]

Beautiful Sin is one time I actually don't mind female vocals.

Confident I have 2 songs in the top 10.

You need more Maggy in your life.

Well I'm done here....and nailed my prediction of 6 

Indeed you are. So, since pretty much everyone else underestimated themselves and know they've missed their prediction, it's no surprise that you and Stads were the only ones to accurately predict their number of entries.

9 more to go, then let me know which album piques your interest.

[TAC]

I guessed 7 and am up to 9 so far. I think I'm done, because I don't remember you liking anything more that Glass Mind.

[Bolsters]

I guessed 6 and am on 7 now, also reasonably certain I have one more to come.

[wolfking]

I lost count again.

[jingle.boy]

Ok, let's keep this going.

9 - v2 / Bolsters / Stratovarious* / Unbreakable… Stratovarius was mostly a ‘miss’ for me when I was first exposed to them – Episode and Fright Night.  It in the early ‘00s, right around the time I was exploring a shit ton of new PROG metal, so it didn’t really click.  However, with this tune, and my greater appreciation and love for POWER metal, everything fell in to place.  Great tone in every instrument and vocally, straight-forward power metal structure, with that nice key change / step up coming out of the guitar solo.  Timo is at the top of his game here.  I definitely prefer later Strat over earlier Strat.  I bought Nemesis and Elysium, and explored everything post Infinite – all excellent… but it’s just a lot to digest, and I don’t find myself going back to them very often – come at me Katt.

8 - v1 / wolfking / Axel Rudi Pell** / Fly to the Moon… actually, THIS tune was the first ‘cheat’.  Knowing my love for Johnny Gioelli was a good call to drop this one on me.  ARP is a guitar virtuoso, but if you’ve heard one ARP album, you’ve heard them all.  Still, this was my first experience, and it gave me reason to dig deep into ARP, especially with the variety of vocalists he's had sing for his albums.  On this tune, not only did that opening riff grab me by the balls, but when Gioelli comes in, I was all .  Frantic drum fills add a nice feeling of what I would describe as controlled panic.  Naturally, a killer solo, which ended up as the cherry on the top of this sonic sundae.

[The Walrus]

At least you have some sense to like Unbreakable that much, because it's a fucking fantastic song.

Also, you misspelled their name 

[wolfking]

Okay, maybe I have 3 songs in the top 10.

[jingle.boy]

7 - v3 / senecadawg2 / The Chronicles Project* / Forever… the second song with Vasilis Georgio in the very same round, but this was a far better tune.  With the intro track that has the same narrator as we hear on the Vanden Plas / Netherworld albums, it set the tone wonderfully.  The concept of the album is really cool.  This song is (as Kade put it when I gave it to him – “I thought Kamelot was banned”) so reminiscent of Khan-era Kamelot, it’s uncanny.  But, it’s as good if not better than the best that Kamelot put out with Khan.

6 - v2 / TAC / Glass Mind* / Crepusculum Vehementus… ok, take everything I said about the Haunting Regrets above, and it’s like this tune says “hold my beer” – but not in the redneck, ‘ima ‘bout to fuck everything up’ way… more like ‘anything you can do, I can do better’ kinda way.  This is the song of the album for sure, and I did have to call out each tune separately.

[The Walrus]

I am very surprised to see Crepusculum Vehementis rank this high.