ROUND 6 RESULTS--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tomi – Corrosion of Conformity1. Albatross
2. Clean My Wounds
3. Broken Man
4. Seven Days
First impression: Reminds me of a band I’ve not heard for years, and was only ever lukewarm on.
Final opinion: Alright so I know they’re not really the same style as CoC are more stoner rock, but the “90s southern rock, just heavier” vibe reminds me so much of Monster Magnet. Overall, I find this more interesting, as there’s a sweet groove to the music (especially in Seven Days) and these four tracks are generally more consistent and interesting than I used to find MM. But on the downside, the vocal lines are severely lacking in hooks, which I kinda feel are needed to really make the style work.
Score: 7.5--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lethean – Andromeda1. Periscope
2. Ghosts On Retinas
3. Blink of an Eye
First impression: Exactly what I expected – a bit more exciting, but I don’t think it’s by a huge amount.
Final opinion: Compared with their first two albums, which I only rated 3 stars back when I heard them years ago, a 7.6 is a very respectable score, even if it is rather low for this roulette. These songs, especially Periscope, are certainly more interesting than I remember the other albums being – there’s a good proggy sound to it and some nice ideas. But ultimately it still feels like second-tier prog – a good version of it, but not that exciting to me I’m afraid.
Score: 7.6--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nekov – Telefon Tel Aviv1. The Birds
2. Helen of Troy
3. Lotus Above Water
4. John Thomas on the Inside Is Nothing but Foam
First impression: I can see what you’re going for, but not sure I’m entirely feeling it yet.
Final opinion: This grew on me a bit, and I’m definitely feeling the general vibe now. The big positive is the really interesting and original use of different sounds to create something pretty unique, at least to me. The last two tracks are lovely, and I’ll almost certainly check that album out. The other two are ok, but they use that sort of intentionally-slightly-out-of-tune style that is really hard to get right, and doesn’t work for me here, plus the vocals in them are really bland and kind of pointless which I find disproportionately irritating.
Score: 7.8--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stadler – UFO1. Heel of a Stranger
2. Doing It All For You
3. Love to Love
First impression: One fantastic track, the rest perfectly pleasant but not very exciting.
Final opinion: Right, so the first two tracks here really do strike me as very middle-of-the-road 80s hard rock. It’s all very competent and there’s some nice enough guitar work, but even that doesn’t sound particularly special. But then Love to Love is a whole different beast. It’s still in the same style, but it has a moody tension to it, particularly thanks to a more unsettling rhythmic approach, which immediately makes it a whole lot more interesting. The minor key seems to suits this band much better, the song has stronger hooks, and the solo at the end has a ton more emotion.
Score: 7.8--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jingle – Led Zeppelin1. The Rain Song
2. No Quarter
3. That’s the Way
First impression: A little different to what I expected, but not sure it’s that much more exciting.
Final opinion: Part of the thing that’s always held Led Zep back for me has been the fact that, with a couple of exceptions, their vocal lines were just sooooooooooooooo boring. And unfortunately, these songs aren’t going to change my mind on that. I just don’t get any sense of melody from them. Instrumentally, though, this is a nice and surprising selection of songs. I like the folky side of The Rain Song and That’s the Way, and I like the whole groovy sound of No Quarter which is probably my favourite here.
Score: 7.8--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indi – Elio e Le Storie Tese1. Plafone
2. La Canzone Mononota
3. Pagano
4. Ritmo Sbilenco
First impression: Highly entertaining!
Final opinion: There’s a bit of a language barrier here, only that in order to be able to fully enjoy it, I need to be following along with translated lyrics. When I’ve done so, some of it is really genuinely funny, particular the single note song which is pretty genius in its composition. The others are also very entertaining, if not as witty. Musically speaking, it’s all pretty good and there’s some great stuff – I think Ritmo Sbilenco/Odd Meter is one I enjoy most as it has a great groove to a lot of it, plus it’s the slickest production- and performance-wise, making it easier to enjoy simply as a song, rather than as a piece of comedy.
Score: 8.0--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sacul – Justice1. Genesis
2. D.A.N.C.E
3. Newjack
4. Phantom Pt. II
5. DVNO
First impression: The sound is AMAZING, but not yet sure if the music matches up.
Final opinion: The sound and style of this group are just so damn awesome. There’s obviously a huge dose of Daft Punk in there, but the sound is fatter and, for want of a better word, filthier. It’s like a cross between Daft Punk and Pendulum. For a lot of it, the music itself isn’t really very interesting. There’s a great groove of course, but melodically and harmonically it’s all pretty basic and average. Thankfully the sound is just so damn great it compensates to still create something very enjoyable overall. I also appreciate this was their debut, so I’m interested in whether/how they’ve developed since.
Score: 8.1--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Katt – Burden of Life1. Sealing Our Fate
2. The Makeshift Conqueror, Pt. II
First impression: Very enjoyable – more power metal than I was expecting.
Final opinion: When you told me you were sending melodeath, I was really curious to know what it would sound like as you’ve never sent me any before and I’m not sure we’ve ever discussed the genre either. So anyway I probably shouldn’t have been THAT surprised to find a strong power metal influence in there.
There’s actually a nice mix of styles in here as well, little bits of thrash as well in some of the riffing. I’m not sure it blends the styles together quite as smoothly as I’d ideally like (the cheese and the br00tal do clash a little at times), but it’s all nicely done and overall a couple of really enjoyable metal songs.
Score: 8.1--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evermind – No-Man1. All Sweet Things
2. Truenorth
First impression: Incredibly attractive but might feel a little backgroundy at times.
Final opinion: As you know, I checked out the album before the one these songs are from quite a while ago, and wasn’t particularly impressed – as I recall I just found it quite boring. Maybe I should give it another chance, because these songs are so much better. You mentioned that All Sweet Things was the song that prompted you to send me this, and man is it a really gorgeous, mellow tune. Truenorth is also lovely, but I do find the long ambient sections drag quite a bit.
Score: 8.1--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buddy – Gorillaz1. On Melancholy Hill
2. Aries
3. Empire Ants
4. Magic City
First impression: This has a lovely warmth to it.
Final opinion: I remember when Damon Albarn first started this animated “band”, it was a cool idea and their first few singles were good. I never did give them a proper listen, and then when the novelty wore off in the UK mainstream, I didn’t really hear much about them or pay any attention. Anyway, seems it’s been moving into new directions since then. When it comes to electro-pop, I tend to be more interested in that which has either a lot of emotion or a bit of grit, but despite not really having either, this has a great warm vibe to it that I can’t help really like a lot.
Score: 8.2--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Luoto – Ensiferum1. Iron
2. Victory Song
First impression: Similar in style and quality to something that scored fairly well in round 1.
Final opinion: For some reason, I was expecting Ensiferum to be on the more atmospheric side of folk metal, but I’ve no idea why I thought that. Turns out that, much like Atlas Pain in round 1, they’re more on the power metal end of the genre. So I quickly recalibrated and have been enjoying this immensely. They’ve really gone for the medieval melodic approach, which I can find cheesy sometimes but they seem to do it more convincingly than a lot of bands, and the overall sound ends up being excellent fun.
Score: 8.2--------------------------------------------------------------------------
wolfking – Lord1. Reborn
2. Eternal Storm
3. Someone Else's Dream
First impression: Not very original, but nicely brings together an enjoyable range of metal influences.
Final opinion: These songs have just got better and better with every listen. The lack of originality probably held it back initially – for example, everything in Reborn sounds exactly like either Iced Earth (the verses), Blind Guardian (the big harmonised choruses) or Metallica (some of the riffing). But once I got over that, firstly the songs are simply really good metal songs. And secondly, it’s clear that there’s actually quite a range of different influences and styles thrown into the mix (like the melodeath in Someone Else’s Dream) in a very coherent way. So while each section might be derivative, the way they’ve blended them all together doesn’t really sound like anyone else.
Score: 8.2--------------------------------------------------------------------------
king – Sting1. If I Ever Lose My Faith in You
2. Love is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)
3. Seven Days
4. Shape of My Heart
First impression: Turns out I know and love one of these songs, and the rest sound nice too.
Final opinion: You won’t be surprised, I’m sure, that the song I was referring to is Shape of My Heart. I’ve heard it lots of times (although I’d completely forgotten it was Sting), and it’s just such a beautiful song. The other tracks aren’t nearly as special, but they’re all really good still in their own way, and what I also really like as well is the variety of styles on display that still feel really coherent. He has a great voice and a really nice emotionality to his music. My dad is a huge Sting fan, and it might finally be time I properly check his stuff out.
Score: 8.2--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Puppies – Arena1. The Hanging Tree
2. The Butterfly Man
3. Ascension
First impression: There’s a theatricality that makes it more exciting than a lot of music in this genre.
Final opinion: Neo-prog really isn’t a big genre for me. Frost* are the huge exception, but I don’t think the description captures the breadth of their sound. Normally I find what I’ve heard in the genre to be either a bit bland and middle-of-the-road, or to be theatrical but lacking in strong melodies. But I think you may have found another exception here, because this has both hooks and theatrics in spades. The first two songs are brilliant, Ascension is less exciting but still solid.
Score: 8.3--------------------------------------------------------------------------
romdrums – Like Thieves1. Wake From Eternal Sleep
2. Brave the Day
3. Picture Perfect
First impression: Pretty much what I expected (which is great) with some other cool elements thrown in (also great).
Final opinion: You told me that this was the band that Clint Boge formed when he originally left The Butterfly Effect, and yeah it definitely carries on a lot of their sound. But there are also some other elements that I don’t really associate with TBE, particularly in the first song here which is more intense and chuggy than they usually were, but which excellently. None of these songs blow me away in quite the way the TBE’s absolute best songs did, but they are consistently excellent and I’m pretty confident I’ll be buying this album.
Score: 8.3--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elite – Perihelion Ship1. The Sad Mountain
2. New Sun?
First impression: Starts alright, but only gets more exciting as it goes.
Final opinion: I honestly find the first few minutes of Sad Mountain pretty average prog metal – the main motif is pretty good, but everything else is just kinda… there. But the song gets better and better as it goes, and it’s super immersive by the end with some really fantastic guitar soloing. New Sun? then continues the quality right from the start, and is excellent throughout. It’s pretty heavy, a little technical, quite melodic – none of those features are pushed to their limits but rather brought together in a way that’s really well-balanced, punchy and exciting.
Score: 8.3--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Train – Psychonaut1. All I Saw as a Huge Monkey
2. Sananda
First impression: Big, immersive sound that I’m definitely digging.
Final opinion: This music is huge. The core style is post-metal, but it’s more richly melodic than a lot of the genre is. You described it as “psychedelic / spiritual post-metal” and I can definitely see that, it’s got a strong emotionality to it, particularly in the guitar work. The instrumental track was risky as I don’t often find instrumental post-metal very interesting, but it’s really epic and engaging. And then Sananda is much more proggy and varied, and really quite exciting (and that ending is glorious).
Score: 8.3--------------------------------------------------------------------------
LordCost – Fjokra1. Slyrex
2. Love, Thrust, Burn
3. Psycho For The Sake Of It
First impression: This is an absolute blast!
Final opinion: I can see what you mean about this band having some similar vibes to Mad Lollipop, in the sense that it’s rock music that occasionally gets heavy and brings all sorts of other styles in (pop, electronic, funk, reggae!). This is considerably less bonkers than Mad Lollipop in terms of how quickly it shifts between ideas, instead taking a much more groovy and melodic approach to bringing these genres in. And if anything this works even better – it’s still super quirky, but the songs end up being more memorable!
Score: 8.4--------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAC – Illyria1. Swansong
2. Kenopsia
3. Autumn Fades Away
First impression: Intense and atmospheric – this is excellent.
Final opinion: Here is the first of our Illyria submissions. I’ll start by briefly saying that it’s not quite as great as Cyril’s choices, but it’s still pretty amazing melodic black metal. Swansong is absolutely wonderful, it’s intense and yet harmonically melancholy which is a gorgeous mix. Autumn Fades Away is fantastic too. Kenopsia is also solid and provides some nice variety with a slightly more blackgaze kind of style, but it’s the least interesting of the bunch and ultimately the difference between your and Cyril’s scores.
Score: 8.4--------------------------------------------------------------------------
lonestar – Allegaeon1. Tsunami and Submergence
2. Apoptosis
First impression: Tight, heavy, proggy… it sounds pretty thrilling.
Final opinion: You sent me a song of theirs in a tiebreaker round in my v3 roulette, and it was fantastic. I then checked out that album, and it was solid but nothing was as good as that song. Now you’ve sent me two songs from their latest album, and they’re even better. The music is just so heavy and epic, the performance and production is super-tight which makes it that much more engaging, and the proggy side makes it really exciting. I just hope the full album matches up this time!
And perhaps I should give the previous one another go.
Score: 8.5--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cyril – Illyria1. Resurgence
2. The Carpathian Summit
First impression: Intense and atmospheric – this is excellenter.
Final opinion: Alright so I love TAC’s songs from this album, but I love these even more. I can see that Resurgence is the album opener, and what a fantastic opener it is. It’s somehow very heavy, very atmospheric and very melodic all at the same time. I like this on a par with Swansong from Tim’s submission, but the difference here is The Carpathian Summit which is amazing and the best song of the bunch. It has everything that the others songs have, plus some really cool jazz influences which work surprisingly well alongside everything else.
Score: 8.6--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shadow – Sleeping At Last1. Light
2. Hearing
3. Saturn
First impression:
Final opinion: It’s very rare, but just occasionally, someone sends me something really special (this is only the second time I’ve ever rated something above a 9.0). I’m fully aware that a lot of people would listen to these songs and think “yeah ok, nice enough but a bit boring”. But the joy of music is finding something that really speaks to you on every level, often in ways you can’t fully explain. I think here, what I find so encapsulating – on top of how utterly gorgeous the music is – is how wonderfully it simultaneously captures both the personal and the universal. Anathema are the only other band who have done this in a way that completely sucks me in, and it’s the same here. Both musically and conceptually, the songs are based on huge ideas (the beginning of the universe and dawn of life on earth) but in a way that is very individual and emotional. Everything about the music and sound in these songs is just so beautiful.
Score: 9.4--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Topic: ariich’s inclusive roulette (v6) – EPic final results! (Read 187308 times)