Cyril's Roulette v6 (Final Results)

[TAC]

TAC's are way easier for what it's worth

 

i mean he solves his own after he gets bored so fair enough

 

[Crow]

Round 6 Results
Round 6 Playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3O6FRl961PlsJeWDkF1FMR

Dacul: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Sun Forest
Theme: 2019 Ambient

First Impressions:
I vaguely have the gist of what this album is about from hearing about it elsewhere so my expectation is that this is going to be Feels City. My only history with Nick Cave is hearing a few songs from him I didn’t like, and generally not being a fan of his voice in general. It takes a while for his voice to come in here but it does and it’s still basically how I remember it being, though a much more solemn tone. I do like the music here a lot though, it’s lush and evocative, if maybe a bit shapeless. The entire song kind of feels like spoken word poetry read over an “emotional” background track though, at least to me. The chorus at least works pretty well. The vocals have always been the sticking for me with this artist, and the same holds true here, but I like this stylistically a lot more than what I’ve previously heard from them at least.

Final Thoughts:
Look.

Looooook.

I get it. I understand why this song and this album works for some people. I know the backstory behind this album and Nick Cave’s previous album as well. I understand that it comes from a very real place. I understand how emotionally vulnerable this music is and how much it means to the artist in question, as well as a lot of people listening to it.

And I see a lot about this song to like. The instrumentation is, honestly, great. Very nice soundscales, melodic piano and synth work, swells and power in all the right places and an overall dynamic flow to it. The instrumentation on its own may not have made for an amazing song, but it would still have made for a pretty good one.

But, here’s the thing.

I just. Do not like this man’s voice. Never have. I didn’t like it in 2015 when I got a song from him in my first roulette. I didn’t like it in 2013 the first time I heard a song from him. And I still don’t like it now. He’s got both too deep a tone and a lack of any sort of melodic delivery, it’s basically spoken word poetry and that just does not appeal to me.

Also, I just can’t find “a spiral of children” more than a humorous-seeming image, no matter how hard I try. I understand what he’s going for, again, but that’s just, not what my brain pictures.

Basically, I just can’t really emotionally connect to the vocals of this song in any way. The music, though, it’s pretty good, yeah.

Reward:
Bonus:



Elite: Liquorworks – Then To Hell With You
Theme: None

First Impressions:
This is puppies-approved so I sure hope it’s good. I’m getting the sense that this is heavy and chuggy type stuff, thus far at least, but not great at melody. Like… yeah, it’s just like nonstop chugging riffs? There was this brief frantic guitar bit but then it went back to a low-tuned djenty riff. It’s frustrating because I can see the talent buried in his band from the occasional moment something cool happens but this is like… some of the most bog-standard and uninteresting riffing I’ve heard in a while. Even the mixing is confused, whenever something melodic does happen it’s stuffed in the background of the loud, low-tuned riffing. But why. Some actually solid piano stuff comes in followed by some synth stuff that has a nice swell to it… but the moment the guitars come back in again the melodies end up in the background for whatever bizarre reason. The guitar solo at 5:45 is like the one well-mixed lead of the entire song & I like how they’re playing with rhythm after that bit too, at least. What I hear is a band with a ton of talent that doesn’t seem to have any clue how to wield it effectively, and a really confusing mix doesn’t help matters.

Final Thoughts:
I think what I always ask myself regarding any song I’m sent in a roulette is, “what is special about this song?”  That’s probably always going to be a make-or-break question to me, whether I’m consciously thinking about it or not.  Maybe not every song really deserves that, but I’d like to at least assume the best out of everyone playing in my roulettes and that they generally are going to send songs they feel strongly about or feel are special in some way. It’s definitely an element I look for in the music I seek out, at the very least.

This song is… competent. I feel I was a bit harsh on it in my first impression – I still don’t think the mix flatters the song very well, and I don’t think the djenty riffing is particularly compelling, but there’s still solid riffing in there, and some solid melodic moments as well. It’s very well-played and pretty much every member of the band gets at least a moment or two to show off at some point in the song.

But there’s like… a lack of feeling to this song, it all feels very robotic and stiff. The riffs are all angular and jagged, but the chugging doesn’t feel like it has any groove to it, it’s rhythmic but not frantic or driving any sort of momentum. And there’s very, very few moments in the song where a note falls off the 16th-note cadence – it’s very mathematical to the point where it sounds like you could auto-generate this song and it’d come out basically the same.

Even the really cool piano bit towards the middle, while interesting and certainly more organic than most of this, still consistently falls into that stiff 16th-note cadence, without even any gaps between the notes, just an endless stream of notes with rhythmic cadence but no groove to it. Pretty much any other melody in the song is just like this. Notes, notes, notes but no tune to speak of, no melodic hook. The time signature change and guitar solo towards the end are the only part of this that feel like they matter in any capacity.

And it’s not that any of it is particularly unpleasant to listen to. I’m inclined to be nice to this since some of the slower riffing towards the middle is solid, the piano bit is neat, the faster-paced bit towards the end is pretty cool, and the sinister clean guitar motif that pops up a few times does set some kind of mood, even if the rest of the song never capitalizes on it. There are elements here that work, and nothing that really sounds awful to my ears, just mostly pretty average.

So I guess I’m just not really seeing what’s so special about this song. It’s fine, but I’ve just… heard it before.

Reward:



Nekov: Amason – Kelly
Theme: None

First Impressions:
Is this disco. This has like, a disco groove to it. It’s not disco. I could see that guitar line being from a disco song, though. Like, get a full orchestra to play that and it’d fit right in. Disco’s underrated but also really samey, it’s fun in small doses. Anyways. This is another one in the pile of “I find this solidly pleasant right now but let’s see how it sounds two-three listens later and whether or not I’ll have it stuck in my head by then”. Saxophone makes everything better, also. Right now I find this solidly pleasant with some neat touches but really it’s going to live or die by how memorable I end up finding it.

Final Thoughts:
I mean, it’s kinda catchy.

I dunno, this song’s fine. It’s such a 6/10 song in basically every element though. It’s got enough melodic hook to at least have a few bits stuck in my head, but nothing about it is really “a bop”. The vocals sound pleasant, but both of their voices sound a bit too similar and they’re less harmonizing more than singing the same notes in different octaves, nor do either of them seem to have a distinct voice on their own.

And the music, it’s got a bit of a groove to it. The one repeated guitar line that still makes me think of disco is the most notable element here besides the sax solo towards the end, and the sax solo is, yeah, fine enough, it’s a nice element to have. It’s the only element of this entire song that really feels like it comes alive, though. The rest of the song seems… terrified to emote, or have any real dynamics to it. It’s weirdly stiff and muted consistently, even the guitar hook feels kind of robotic after the dozenth iteration.

I listen to this one and I’m inherently inclined to compare it to all the other straightforward synthpop-y type songs that have been sent in this roulette, despite this song not really being synthpop itself. And I can’t say this one really compares to a single one of them, even the ones that I liked but wasn’t wild about. It’s just not fun enough, not bright enough, not loose enough, not catchy enough.

It is kinda catchy, though.

Reward:



Puppies_On_Acid: The Joy Formidable – Whirring
Theme: None

First Impressions:
Huh… this is not what I’d have expected from a Puppies entry. A few minutes in my impression is “well this is a pretty fun rocker but how the hell is it going to sustain 7 minutes?” I genuinely don’t know. Especially since thus far most of the instrumentation besides the drums hasn’t really stood out much. It’s uhh… going on, alright. I don’t think there’s really enough movement to work for me, especially since it’s mostly driven by a changing guitar line that isn’t that interesting to begin with. It does at least build some swell but it’s not driven by any real melody, almost entirely texture. And it speeds up, but it doesn’t really change the sound that much when it does either. Kinda just frustrating, I feel like, I’m sitting here impatiently waiting for it to end, which the 16 minute song didn’t even make me feel. Weird that this song in particular is the one in this round that feels too long for its own good.

Final Thoughts:
I dunno, I guess this one’s grown on me a little. When I know what the song is going for coming into it, it works a lot better than when I’m trying to see where it’s going and it ends up not really going much of anywhere for a long time and leaving me impatient. I’m going to take a shot in the dark and say you sent this because of how well that As Tall As Lions song did a few rounds ago – or at the very least, this song is definitely more similar in sound to that than any other song in this roulette so far.

And I think the bits with vocals are pretty good, here. I still wish they didn’t feel the need to constantly harmonize instead of having any sort of vocal interplay or unique voice, but the melodies are pretty fun and they emote well enough, there’s both some fun and some power in the vocal bits. They pretty much piss off entirely after the 3 minute mark though, which… well, honestly, regardless of how good the buildup at the end could’ve been, it was always going to be way too long.

And like… yeah, alright, there’s some power to that wall of sound they build, and there’s definitely some momentum as it goes on. At around 4:40 they actually introduce a rhythm for a bit instead of the shapeless blur of texture and that bit, for as monotone as it is, still does better at driving energy than the moments before it, and after that is when it just speeds up and up and there’s at least some degree of thrill to be had coming off that.

I just wish they were more melodically inclined. Wouldn’t it have been fantastic to see a subtle melody built up since the start of the song get faster and faster and start sounding more like an instrumental freakout by the time the song reaches its full cadence? Or to have the 6-minute mark sound different from the 3-minute mark in any way other than just a tempo difference? But all we get is wall-of-sound guitar fuzz on top of some pretty strong drumming that sadly isn’t enough to really make the long build land home on its own.

I do get what this song is going for but the lack of any real dynamics or melodic hooks throughout its back half really cripple the song in a pretty unfortunate way that the strength of the front half can’t quite compensate for. I’d say the first three minutes are a solid 3/5 and the last four are a mid 2/5 at best, and the whole experience is probably somewhere in the middle. If this were 5 minutes it’d be a better song, sure, but I still don’t think it would be that much better either.

It’s no “In Case of Rapture”, regardless.

Reward:



Evermind: Eastern High – Afterglow
Theme: None

First Impressions:
A “forgot to send” entry could go pretty much any way, let’s see. Wow, this definitely isn’t Used by Pain of Salvation, you lied to me. Two minutes in and it seems like, a low key folk-type song but just rock-y enough that I’m not sure? Alright, it is picking up and becoming, like, metal-level music by the end. It does all seem to be kind of built around that one looping melody though. The guitar solo is solid. I don’t know if I have really strong feelings about this one nor do I know if I’m likely to develop any sort of strong feelings about it but I think it’s, at least, solid enough. I think it takes a bit too long to get going but the payoff is solid, even if I’m not too into it either.

Final Thoughts:
The last few minutes pretty much sell the entire song on their own, really. I do understand why someone could love this song. I don’t, if its middling placement in a very middling round doesn’t make that clear, but I do like it, and the last few minutes are pretty much to blame for that. The song builds up this motif throughout its first half and then capitalizes on it in a big way with the heavier reprise of its main motif, followed up by a genuinely killer guitar solo to cap things off. It’s a climactic ending, for sure.

I just don’t quite feel the song gets there fast enough, or at the very least, the first half isn’t interesting enough to me for the back half to quite feel worth it. It’s like… folk-Katatonia.  Folkatatonia. A very melancholy feel with a lower-pitched vocalist, but the acoustic guitar lines are less “I’m sad” and more “help I’m trapped in a cold forest”. Like, frankly, even the heavier riff when it comes in very much sounds like it could be a Katatonia riff, but also, it’s probably better than any Katatonia riff I’ve ever heard, so, y’know. And there’s just a great texture to that guitar tone.

Taken as a linear build throughout the runtime of the song, I think it’s probably sufficient looking at it objectively. The song maybe builds up a bit slowly at first but there’s still elements coming in and a sense of swell to the quieter first half, even if it’s a bit sluggish in doing so, and the second half does amp things up a bit abruptly at first (though, good, the loud bit hitting hard when it comes is a good trope), and it still does build from there too, so the overall result is satisfying.

I still don’t know if I’d say the song really wows me overall – even the parts of this I do like, well, Scarlet Stories did better three rounds ago – but, nah, I’m inclined to be nice to this one because it is a genuine and noticeable step up in enjoyment from the songs preceding it in this round. I don’t know if you’ll be relieved, or disappointed in this song’s score, but there’s one thing that’s certain:

You got a score this round.

Reward:

[Crow]

Train of Naught: Anna Von Hausswolff – Ugly and Vengeful
Theme: None

First Impressions:
I have basically no clue what to expect but I have some fringe familiarity with darkwave epics by way of Midnight Odyssey, I guess. I’m four minutes in and my early thoughts are “this would’ve qualified for & won the female ambient bonus in round 1” but that bonus is long since RIPed. I worry that this is gonna lack replay value but it does, like, go somewhere else around the 6:30 mark. Okay and then around the  minute mark it gets reeeaaaal good. After that we get some like, post punk-y sounding bit? With some Dissonance Mode coming in. I like Dissonance Mode if it’s not the entire sound of the song/artist. I think like, everything 11 minutes & onwards is actually pretty good atmospheric metal, or close enough to it. I dunno if I’d have given the bonus point for that, but. I do dig it. It’s hard to really tell with this one right now because it’s, uhh, A Lot. This has the same issue as Darkspace where I have no clue how to compare something like this to the more conventional songs or how to score it, but I do like it a fair bit even on first listen.

Final Thoughts:
I take back the Darkspace comparison.

This is way too conventional to be in that same ballpark. Weird and out of the norm, to be sure, but it’s still falling within the conventions of what most musical artists are trying to achieve. That’s not a dig at this song in any way, there’s absolutely nothing “wrong” with being “a conventional song”, ‘cause I mean, that’s what the vast majority of music is and really most of my favorite music is “conventional” so. I don’t really know where I’m going with this. I guess I’m trying to say the “freshness” factor of this one wears off really quickly.

Like, the first 6 minutes or whatever are… fine enough ambient sounds. I like my ambient to be a bit more lush than this, I guess. I’m addicted to Eluvium’s Static Nocturne recently, and there are a fair few other longform ambient pieces from Eluvium that I like quite a lot, moreso than what this song has to offer in that category. It’s probably pointless to say it feels too slow-paced, but I’m gonna say it anyways.

Anyways, after that is the transitional piece that’s like, downtempo post-metal with organ. It feels like the song stagnates here a little too long since this loop doesn’t really change until like the fifth repetition, but it’s a solid sound. The bit right around the 9-minute mark is, without question, the best moment of the entire thing. What a goddamn excellent swell, just the right texture, the vocals are powerful despite how lost they get in the mix, and the sound feels like it just keeps getting louder and more distorted as it goes on.

Of course once a song has climaxed by the 10 minute mark and has 6 minutes left to go it’s uhh, a bit hard to build that momentum back up after, unfortunately. I do like the guitar and organ dissonance that comes in here but once you realize a lot of it is mostly a five-note loop, it kinda… doesn’t really keep being that compelling. The vocals during this last 6 minutes have some strong moments, though, at the very least. I feel like this last section would honestly be a pretty compelling song in its own right with its own build and twisted sound, but it sort of gets overshadowed by the titanic climax that comes before it and isn’t quite able to reach that height. It’s certainly more compelling than the first 6ish minutes, though, by a long shot.

Weirdly I do feel like I have a firmer grasp on the overall shape of this song more than I do songs half its length I’ve been sent this roulette, though, but I think that may just be the pacing to blame. I’m not even really sure how you’d “fix” this song. Maybe make the ambient bit shorter? Swap around the placement of the big triumphant climax and the long build after it? I don’t know if that’d work that well, though. I don’t think the song is necessarily wrong for being arranged as it is, and I still do find it overall an enjoyable listen, but the weak opening stretch combined with how long it is overall and how it peaks too early does make it drag a bit and bring it down for me.

Reward:



ariich: Ark – Just a Little
Theme: None

First Impressions:
NOW! That’s What I Call FLAMENCO GUITAR! Nah, that makes for a pretty cool intro and it transitions into the rest of the song well enough too, that guitar style seems kind of prominent throughout at least the earlier moments of this. Oh these vocals and melodies are incredibly late 90’s/early 00’s, you can really tell. It’s got that hook factor to it I can see being really memorable though. Honestly the guitar work in this song freakin’ slays and the bass ain’t shoddy either. This is pretty fun and enjoyable overall, really. A bit cheesy but I don’t mind. Phenomenal guitar work can go a long way, especially if the rest of the song is pretty enjoyable too.

Final Thoughts:
So I figured out specifically what this song makes me think of. This. Which is… a comparison, alright.

I said in my writeup that phenomenal guitar work can go a long way… but I think it’s also easy for that initial impression to wear off when the rest of the song… kinda loses its luster over the course of relistens, which I definitely feel like this song did for me. I like the guitar work a lot, still. But it’s only one element of the song. The basslines are good, too, but the bass tone ended up feeling a bit… weak after I’d heard it a few times. I do like how prominent it is but it sounds like the bass has literal rubber strings.

Really though the vocals are the element here that wore on me the most. This style is cheesy as hell, and incredibly 90’s, yeah. Oh, it’s catchy. But after a while I stopped wanting to have that chorus in my head. Sure, in part because of the song it reminds me of, but just because it’s a hook that gets grating after a bit, and I can’t say I’m wild about the verses either.

The instrumental section in the middle does still kinda slay, though, like all three major parts of it. The organ solo is pretty cool, and I love the way the heavier riffs explode out of it into the big guitar solo. And the jagged unison that follows, with that frantic guitar run transitioning back into the last chorus… yeah, that’s pretty good stuff too. The last chorus as well, I can kind of see the original appeal of the song in it. I think the song has a pretty strong ending overall, I guess.

I also can’t see myself wanting to check out this band further, though, from what I’ve heard of their sound. It’s not pre-00’s but it still feels a bit dated all the same, and straight-up prog rock in this vein is something that’s way more miss than hit for me overall, though in small doses such as this I can still enjoy it, obviously. I do still like this song a fair bit, it’s one of the better ones in the round, but it’s not the round winner I initially thought it was lined up to be, either.

Reward:



Buddyhunter1: Gallowbraid – Oak And Aspen
Theme: None

First Impressions:
I think sometime back in 2015 I listened to a lot of “the usual suspects” when it comes to folky black metal, like these guys, Agalloch, Ulver, Wolves, Saor, Negura Bunget, Caladan Brood, etc. I don’t really remember much from this one though since I didn’t ever end up picking up anything from them. I definitely see the Agalloch comparisons since these harsh vocals are probably the closest I’ve ever heard to Agalloch’s rasps, which, for the record, is one of the big reasons I can’t get too into Agalloch – the vocals just don’t work for me there. They’re mixed lower here, so we’ll see. My general reaction to this sound is that it tends to be “nice, but doesn’t resonate”, same as with that Nechochwen song last round. It’s going to take some time to really break all of this one down but it does seem to at least be decent adventurous/not too repetitive, though I also can’t say it does a ton to really establish its own identity. Will take time to unpack and feels a bit derivative but I can’t say it’s anything less than solid and enjoyable.

Final Thoughts:
Yeah, I definitely feel kind of similar to Nechochwen about this one, but I do feel like this one works more for me despite being less intense? It feels, at the very least, more well-constructed, rather than an endless march of new ideas, there’s moments that repeat and add to that sense of cohesion, alongside the moments that show up for a brief bit then disappear afterwards. And yeah, the song is a bit slower paced but there’s still some moments of black metal intensity mixed in with the cleaner and folkier moments and the more methodical, downtempo metal moments.

I still feel like it’s a song where it’s hard to really pick out individual moments, or recall the specific sound of any moment at the very least – though generally a fair bit of black metal, even the stuff that I do like, can tend to be that way – but I at least have to give special mention to that guitar lead that recurs with a few different variations in the second half, and has this heavy chord riff groove going on under it. That’s probably the most interesting bit of the entire song for me. I do feel like I generally like the back half of this more than the front half, as a whole, though.

I’m still not wild about the harsh vocals on this, either, but the cleans are pretty solid. Not especially powerful but they do some solid harmonizing and they fit in with the aesthetic of the song pretty well. They do have that Agalloch-y sound to them but Agalloch never really tries to “rock” in the way that parts of this are clearly going for, they’re all about that wintry atmosphere, whereas this isn’t much of a wintry song at all to my ears, so I think there’s at least enough of a distinction to be made here.

It’s hard to really have strong feelings about this one, regardless, because while it’s good, it’s not really convincing me on this band or this sound in general. This is like, pretty close to a 4, but it’s just… missing that next extra level, wherein I actually get excited about the song listening to it. I think that’s the barrier of entry between a 3 and a 4 for me that this one doesn’t quite surpass, but it’s good all the same.

Reward:



TAC: Aenimus – Between Iron And Silver
Theme: None

First Impressions:
I did listen to this album like once or twice, I think, and I remember it being solid melodic/prog death metal type stuff. The vocals are… not the right kind of harsh vocals for the more atmospheric sound the start of this song seemed to be going for, but maybe that’s just not the general sound of this band/album? I don’t really remember. But I mean so far, yeah, this sound in general I vibe with. Reminds me of Fallujah and Irreversible Mechanism though maybe not as melodic? The song also… stops two-thirds in for an unrelated outro, which probably works fine enough in an album context but it’s a little weird here. I like the overall sound but it feels a bit rough structurally and the vocals don’t quite match the style, either.

Final Thoughts:
This is probably the song this round that suffers most from “I find this pretty enjoyable but don’t remember much about it” syndrome, but to be honest I did feel the same way about Irreversible Mechanism and I ended up loving that album, so you know, who really knows?

This does have an actual memorable and pretty compelling chorus to it, though, which is something I can’t recall hearing in similarly-styled bands. I think it balances that out by having kind of chuggy and non-melodic verses that don’t do much for me, but they’re “fine” really, they are what they are. That’s really the only part of this I’m “meh” about, anyways.

A lot of the guitar work, especially the soloing, in this song is pretty nice. It’s got that djazz-y sound to it I guess, but there’s some nice heaviness to the music backing it and it’s pretty tasteful too. I also like the huge and intense outro with the dissonant guitar under it to close out the track.

I’m not really considering the interlude in the score for this since, well, it’s interlude music, but it’s nice enough? It’s just kinda piano with some strings backing it up but it’s a nice, chill melody and there’s some swell built up in it. On its own I’d say it’s a pretty solid piece of music, though it really is not connected in any way to the metal song that prefaces it.

I dunno. I feel like there’s not a ton to say about this song, other than that it’s a sound I’m just generally inclined to like? I can’t say I feel it’s an especially strong take on the style, and even in the context of an album I’d feel that the main meat of the song and the interlude feel pretty disconnected from each other, nor does the song quite feel fully fleshed out on its own as it does feel like it gets cut a bit short, but. It’s good metal that I enjoy listening to and it does make me wanna revisit this one to see if I’m missing out.

Reward:



Bolsters: White Moth Black Butterfly – Tempest
Theme: None

First Impressions:
I’ve listened to one single song from these guys before. I don’t think I ever listened to any album from them though. The song I got was a rock-type song though whereas this seems to be a (pretty lush) piano ballad, and uhh, yeah, I think I like this a lot more than I remember liking the last thing I heard. His smooth vocal style pairs really well with this kind of sound. It builds a pretty solid amount of swell too. Another track this round with a detached outro, though, huh. Pleasant overall sound and a nice driving feeling as it goes on, but I can’t help but think it feels a little hookless.

Final Thoughts:
This song is kind of boringly good.

What does that mean? I don’t really have much to say about it in general. There’s not really any notable faults I can point out in this one. It’s a very lush piano with a very clean but gentle sound to it. The piano itself sounds great, the orchestration that comes in to provide more texture and just general atmosphere all sounds great, and the restrained but passionate vocals sell the mood of the song well.

I will say I do think I like the first minute and a half before the percussion comes in the most out of any part of this song – there’s something about that specific sound that appeals to me more than the swells of thumping toms and soaring strings that come after it, and the vocals don’t quite match the louder moments in the way it feels like they should, but they still work well enough. The song also doesn’t quite feel like it ever truly reaches a climax, which is the closest I can really come to criticizing it.

I also can’t say I feel as strongly about it as I do any other round winner in the past. This one’s good but it would’ve gotten trumped by any other round winner so far, and even a handful of other 4’s in the roulette had it gone up against them. I kind of already know what this band generally sounds like but I do still wanna go and check out this one regardless of knowing that not the entire album is going to be this way (though frankly that could be for the better).

It just feels like a bit of an anticlimactic victory though. It is a very good song but it’s not even as good as two of your entries before it. Oh well.

Reward:
Round Winner Bonus:



Current Standings:
Bolsters: 25
Elite: 22
ariich: 21
Evermind: 21
Nekov: 20
Dacul: 20
TAC: 20
Puppies_On_Acid: 19
Train of Naught: 17
Buddyhunter1: 16

[Elite]

Stagnating

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

oof

[Crow]

also since i'm worried people are starting to suffer from burnout in this roulette, wondering if i should lower the berry threshold again to 25 
of course this needs to be decided now rather than later since, well, bolsters is already there. i'll think on it but i'll prooobably just leave it as is, i'd still expect most players would be able to get to that number in the next three rounds but who knows, meh
send by, let's say, 8 AM PST on Thursday, the 21st.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

also since i'm worried people are starting to suffer from burnout in this roulette, wondering if i should lower the berry threshold again to 25 
of course this needs to be decided now rather than later since, well, bolsters is already there. i'll think on it but i'll prooobably just leave it as is, i'd still expect most players would be able to get to that number in the next three rounds but who knows, meh
send by, let's say, 8 AM PST on Thursday, the 21st.

I wouldn't say I'm burnt out on this roulette, just disappointed my picks aren't going so well.

Going to try for the female fronted Black Metal bonus theme for the next round. I have nothing to lose at this point. 

[Crow]

you're two points behind third place and a bonus point is literally a free berry
also let me express my frustration that nobody has yet tried for a single post-hardcore berry, literally my favorite genre as of late y'all need to stop being so old and get angsty with me

the usual stuff (berry count, bonus themes, banned during roulette) all updated, inbox cleared, etc, let me have it

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

you're two points behind third place and a bonus point is literally a free berry
also let me express my frustration that nobody has yet tried for a single post-hardcore berry, literally my favorite genre as of late y'all need to stop being so old and get angsty with me

the usual stuff (berry count, bonus themes, banned during roulette) all updated, inbox cleared, etc, let me have it

I would go for some post hardcore, but you have literally every band I could think of sending on your banned list 

[Crow]

i mean fair enough 

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Sent

[Train of Naught]

I didn’t look at the theme board last round, I probably would have applied for that but it’s also like you said not entirely ambient, I’ll take 3 berries sure

Disagree that Tempest is better than Rising Sun though

[Evermind]

I don't know what post-hardcore is so there's that

Glad I didn't go with Sun Forest!

I'm actually quite sure I won't get to 30 in the next three rounds so have fun in the finals guys

[Bolsters]

I'm reasonably certain that nothing I listen to could be described as post-harcore.

[Nekov]

That was not what I expected 

Bolsters took the lead but everything else seems pretty tight. I'll send some stuff later today or tomorrow.

[Elite]

I'm actually quite sure I won't get to 30 in the next three rounds so have fun in the finals guys

I was doing quite decently for a few rounds in a row and the last two haven't been too good. I hope I can catch up still! Got stuff lined up and I'm debating whether or not to keep stuff for a possible final round or send stuff right now.

[TAC]

also since i'm worried people are starting to suffer from burnout in this roulette,

No burnout here.

Threshold to 20!


Will send something later today.

[Buddyhunter1]

Still *Einar whining*

Well, time to further cement my position in last place! Will send sometime today.

Also I'm fine with keeping the threshold at 30 - I'm not running out of stuff to send you yet, even though a lot of it you probably won't like

[Crow]

Alright, we'll keep it at 30 then 

[Buddyhunter1]

Sent something from last month.

[Sacul]

Yeah I don't usually like his deep voice but on this album he usually sings on a higher pitch for most of it, and it's really moving. Oh well. Will send later.

[TAC]

Sent!

[ariich]

Glad you liked it and especially the instrumental work (as I thought you would) - shame it didn't have the staying power though! I do recommend giving that album (Burn the Sun, their other album isn't really very interesting) a listen at some point to see what you think - it's mostly more prog metal than prog rock and there's a mix of more catchy stuff like this song and less obvious melodic approaches.

[Crow]

Yeah I put it on my queue, all the top 4 from this round are gonna get listens I think

[TAC]

I do agree with what you said for the Aenimus song. If you can get through that first batch of vocals, it's pretty good.

[ariich]

Sent!

[Evermind]

Sending in 24 hours, hopefully still not too late.

[Crow]

24 hours is before 9 AM PST on November 21st, so you're fine

[Crow]

i'm trying to avoid doing "corrections" like i did in some of my previous cumulative-score roulettes but there's one song here that looking back on it i underrated & is my favorite of the roulette now

i won't redistribute the round-winner points because i feel that'd be unfair (i will never reduce anyone's score post-results, no matter what) but i do wanna give it an extra berry that i feel it deserves. i'mma think about it some more.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Alright! Quo Vadis finally getting the score it deserves!

[Crow]

no, it's a 4/5, and from the first half of the roulette. i'm not gonna say any more atm though

[Sacul]

Sent some ariich-core

[Nekov]

Sent

[Crow]

atm i have everyone except evermind, who said he'd be sending sometime in the next few hours so

[Evermind]

Yep, you'll get mine in an hour or so.