ROUND 4 RESULTSMain theme of this round: these vocals aren't really my thing, but I can somewhat tolerate them.
IMPRESS ME DAMNIT
Honestly, I've had a lot of time with these songs as I've been super busy lately. I have been listening to these songs more than of any round but simply didn't get to the write-ups yet. So the scores may not be 100% accurate to the comparisons I posted before.
Elite: PreHistoric animals – Burn the groundThere's something to be said for the rhythm section in this band. It's solid. But everything else screams generic prog/alt metal to me. The vocals are okay but definitely on the side of what I would call a poor man's Daniel Tompkins. It took multiple listens to notice how there's a pretty soft build in the main theme as the song progresses, with little additions in the background in the last chorus. Altogether, it just doesn't really feel like anything new at all, and that's okay if it is memorable in a good way, which for me is also a no.
5.75/10Kattelox: Omnium Gatherum – FrontiersSo I've seen this band name around here and there, and always figured by the people that mention them, artwork and titles etc. that it would be something too much on the 'power' side of the melodic deathmetal genre for me. And wow I was pretty dead on.
I guess I don't necessarily dislike any of this – the lead guitar does some cool things over the chorus, the rhythm section is pretty cool and surprisingly thick. Reason for the latter probably being that the vocals literally just sound like an extra layer in the rhythm section.. I don't mind that sometimes but it's a very give or take situation, I find myself not really caring for any of the vocals. To me they are like Solution. 45 without the cool catchy cleans to mix it up. This band in general sounds like a less memorable Solution. 45.. wish I'd like this more to be honest.
6.25/10home: Mac Miller – Self CareThis song has really grown on me slowly but surely. I really dig the production, it almost reminds me of Flume with those ghastly sounds. His voice is just kind of annoying and it's not something I can get past easily. Regardless, there's a really nice vibe to the chorus that makes me not care too much about the vocals anymore. I'd rather use the term 'tolerate' than 'enjoy', but if a song leaves a positive impact on me near the end and makes me want to return to it, that's never a bad sign! I think the second half is a bit glued to the first half and not quite as memorable, but I still enjoy everything all the way through.
6.75/10Sacul: The Knife – NeverlandThat main theme of the song is really nice, I'm enjoying the hell out of the synth motif. The vocals are fucking weird and I'm sure that's something that will grow over time, but after plenty of listens I can't say they do much for me. I can tolerate them sure, but beyond that they're still somewhat of an obstacle for me. If I disregard that though, I'm pretty sure there will be plenty to like for me by this band. There's a really cool retro synth vibe to their sound, like something I could imagine being played in a nightclub almost. I want to rank it higher but the replay value for me is just mainly for certain elements in the song and not for the entire thing. Still really want to check out this album if you believe it's worth it.
7.25/10ariich: Novallo – I AmSongs like this I find a bit hard to comment on. There's a really nice groove, almost Vector (Haken) like, and cool vocals. I've also been a big fan lately of pop-influenced stuff, so not just pop itself, and this does a good job at that. Somehow despite the overall appeal I can't say I'm the biggest fan of the overall sound, the keyboard is a bit grating and the vocals aren't always hitting the spot (especially the faster parts). But it is a promising sound and I'm pretty excited to at least check out this album.
7.5/10Cyril: The Number Twelve Looks Like You – The Garden's All NightersI'm just going to compare these two songs to each other in my head all the time, it's inevitable. So when I look at this one, I see The Dillinger Escape Plan all over it. I think these guys do the stylistic changes throughout the song a bit subtler than Dillinger personally, but the vocals are undoubtedly not as strong. Speaking of both the melodies and the way his voice sounds. But this bands creates really cool rhythms and almost sounds like a combination between Intronaut and Dillinger in their instrumental sections.
7.5/10TAC: Anabasis – Human Supremacy IllusionThere's a certain Between the Buried and Me nod to the style here. From the harsh vocals, to the dynamic instrumentation, to the ever-changing direction of the tune. I'm super impressed with basically everything here except for the clean vocals. For my money they're a bit too.. theatrical? But the way this song builds initially into the first time the main theme comes in, all the way through the end of the song when the song is about to conclude on that dj0nt riff. It's just cool the whole time, such a good groove, never gets boring throughout the entire 7 minutes though regardless could maybe do with a bit of trimming. Only for the fact that it seems to derive a little too much from the 'core' of the song, if that makes sense. I'm still pleasantly surprised with what at first seemed like kind of a progpower band and song name.
7.75/10Puppies: The Number Twelve Looks Like You – Jay Walking BackwardsI find this song a little more interesting on the whole than The Garden's All Nighters. First off, it sounds more like its own thing than a band that wears their influences on their sleeves. Second, I'm finding this one more appealing to return to. It has an overall thicker sound, a little less cookie cutter mathcore-y in a way, some of the riffs sound very epic and more post-y. The vocals on both songs aren't quite my thing, but it's still something I can tolerate and will be able to look past when digging into this band. For reference though, I listened to the new album earlier this year once and was thoroughly impressed. I'm not sure why I never went back, but I may just start with that album as I recall enjoying it a lot.
8/10Evermind: Eastern High – AfterglowThe more folky bits of this do very little for me, but the way the song builds, just like when you sent me that Mothers of Millions song, is just fantastic. There's some very epic melodies and a very smooth climax. Kind of a shame they chose to do a guitar solo over it though.. but I still can't fault this song for much. In a lot of ways I keep thinking about Artefact, the climax isn't quite as hardhitting but the vocals are more intriguing. Still, the vocals while intriguing aren't exactly my type of vocals if that makes sense? I'm gonna go ahead and 8/10 the hell out of this anyway cause the rest of the tune is just so good.
8/10Bolsters: Purity Ring – begin againThis is just a great catchy synthy pop tune. I can't fault anything about it. The synth sound is really thick and dreamy, the vocals are just very catchy and I really love how the chorus isn't just some basic 4 sentence ABAB structure. Definitely up to par with the awesome artwork, wish you had sent this back in that roulette, this is right up my alley!
8.75/10StandingsEvermind: 31.5
Sacul: 30.75
ariich: 30.25
TAC: 29.75
home: 29.25
Cyril: 29
Puppies: 28.25
Bolsters: 27.5
Elite: 26
Kattelox: 25.75
Topic: Big Big Train of Daftness Roulette! POST-ROULETTE CEREAL HOURS (Read 33123 times)