FINAL ROUND RESULTS, ranks 12-14--------------------------------------------------------------------------
12th place (joint)
Indi – The Fourth Caravel1. Savatage – The Ocean
2. Jason Robert Brown – On the Deck of a Spanish Sailing Ship 1492
3. Savatage – Underture [extract]
4. Lucifer's Friend – Spanish Galleon
5. Savatage – The Storm [extract]
6. Crack the Sky – A Sea Epic
7. Savatage – The Storm [extract]
8. Wuthering Heights – The Mad Sailor
9. Savatage – The Ocean [extract]
First impression: The storytelling and general build-up here seem pretty magical. The music is nicely theatrical and it all sounds at least pretty good, some of it even great.
Final opinion: I’m going to break trend here and talk about flow first. It’s superb, among the very best of the round. The four main songs cover three different genres (music theatre, prog rock x 2 and folk/power metal) but they all have a big theatricality to them. There’s a strong thread through as well, with each song a little less “show tune” and more rocking in style. Plus of course there’s the lyrical narrative which is executed brilliantly and helps add another layer on top of the musical flow. And finally, the way you used the Savatage extracts to segue seamlessly between each song was great.
As for musical quality, it’s all really good, and just as with the flow ramping up the energy throughout, so does my enjoyment increase. The Jason Robert Brown is very good, although the harmonic approach isn’t always all that accessible to my ears, so it ends up ranking bottom of a strong set of songs. The Lucifer’s Friend and Crack the Sky songs are both great and pretty level in quality – the former being more of an epic journey and the latter being more focused and punchy. If I had to choose between them, I’d probably go with A Sea Epic just because I really love that main guitar motif. And then the Wuthering Heights song is just so much fun. I’ve no idea what I’ll think of their music in general – it’s quite possible I’ll find it a little corny – but this song just has such a charming energy to it, and a ridiculously catchy chorus.
Music quality score: 8.3
Flow score: 4.5
EP total: 12.8
Roulette total: 69.4Your consistency in this roulette has been remarkable, with all of your scores coming in a range of 0.4 (7.9 to 8.3) which is by far the narrowest range of the roulette. You perhaps never quite managed to blow me away, but you also never once failed to interest, entertain and/or move me. And to have done that with among the riskiest submissions of anyone is mighty impressive. In fact, I think you’re the lowest ranking player for whom every single artist you’ve sent me I want to check out more. So I’m not going to just list them all out, but I will say that the ones I’m most excited about are that Dire Straits album, and Crack the Sky and Wuthering Heights from your EP. I’m so happy you played this time, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know each other’s tastes much better in our respective roulettes this year.
You win the award for: Most Consistent
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12th place (joint)
Elite – Ecstasy: Through Ghosts of the Past Towards a Dark Future1. Obsidian Kingdom – Oncoming Dark
2. Obsidian Kingdom – Through the Glass
3. Obsidian Kingdom – Cinnamon Balls
4. Misþyrming – Og er haustið líður undir lok
5. Hamferð – Frosthvarv
6. Hamferð – Hon syndrast
7. Obsidian Kingdom – Last of the Light
8. Misþyrming – Alsæla
First impression: Moody, weighty, but actually pretty accessible and really immersive. One of these artists sounds so much better than my previous experience with them.
Final opinion: Gosh, this is a really bleak and tonally heavy EP.
It’s all doom/black metal, and all three artists sound really fantastic and have their own unique flavour. I’m particularly pleased with Obsidian Kingdom – you sent me another of their albums way back in my v3, and I didn’t like it very much, but this is so, so much better. It’s still heavy and depressing, but it’s punchy, immersive, varied and oddly accessible, and all four of their tracks here are the big highlight for me. But that doesn’t mean the rest isn’t also great. Initially I thought the first Misþyrming song might be slightly run-of-the-mill doom metal, but the atmosphere in the second half is fantastic. I noted Frosthvarv as the least best only because something had to be, but there are no weak songs here, it’s all very high quality and the best thing you’ve sent me all roulette!
The flow is also great. Like most EPs there’s no specific theme or narrative, but it’s extremely consistent and coherent, and the track ordering works really well. It starts more riff-driven, moving more slow and bleak in the middle, some more atmospheric moments (I love the trumpet in Last of the Light) and then back to some real intensity for the final song. There are a couple of slightly jarring transitions but nothing major and it doesn’t stop this from being a really engaging EP.
Music quality score: 8.7
Flow score: 4.1
EP total: 12.8
Roulette total: 69.4It’s been so great having you in my roulette again, after your unfortunate prelims in the last two. You may have finished mid-table like you did in my v3, but the quality was so much higher and more exciting this time, and it’s only because the competition was so fierce that you didn’t rank higher. You definitely saved the best to last as well, sending one of the best EPs of the round. As well as all three EP artists, I’m also particularly excited about Scarlet Stories and Perihelion Ship. Plus I’m looking forward to exploring more Messa, giving Blindead another chance, and checking out more Kamasi Washington although I’m a bit daunted by the prospect of a 3-hour album called The Epic.
You win the award for: Longest Songs
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12th place (joint)
lonestar – The Epic Italian Prog Metal Album1. Secret Sphere – Portrait of a Dying Heart
2. Stargate – Save the World
3. InnerShine – Always Late
4. Kingcrow – Night's Descending
5. Absolute Priority – Dead Man Walking
First impression: The theme is fun, though might be at risk of backfiring somewhat. Everything sounds enjoyable and talented but not much stands out.
Final opinion: Ok so it turns out I was being unfair when I said that nothing stands out. Actually, the Kingcrow really stands out for two reasons. Firstly, it’s by far the strongest track here – it’s so emotive and immersive – genuinely excellent. Secondly, while being a similar style to what I’ve heard from Kingcrow before, it’s far superior (Gildenlow’s vocals help, sure, but the song generally is just great all round). The other song that has grown on me a little is the Absolute Priority track, where I’m rather liking the epic stuff, and I think I’ll want to check out an album by those guys. The first three tracks are all fine – talented and enjoyable enough as I said in my first impression – but they all just feel very standard mid-tier prog to me. And while the theme genuinely made me smile, fitting these tracks into the typical “Italian prog metal” formula, it does sort of highlight the formulaic approach.
That said, the theme does help with the flow of the EP, which is great. Nothing mindblowing, in that there’s no strong sense of build or direction as such, but the songs are very consistent in style, tone and production, and the track order benefits from the fact that the common formula is common for a reason: because it works.
Music quality score: 8.0
Flow score: 4.1
EP total: 12.1
Roulette total: 69.4It’s been brilliant having you on board again, and this time for a full roulette – you skipped my last two and only survived for half of my v3. You struggled a little in some of the middle rounds, not that you sent me anything bad at all, just lower than most of your competitors which saw you drop down the table a little. But you pulled it back with a lot of style to finish in a very respectable position. From the evidence of this roulette, it seems perhaps the area our tastes overlap most is on the heavier side, which was where all your highest scores came from – Aeternam, Deadly Circus Fire, Allegaeon and Ninjaspy especially and a couple of the EP artists too. But I also really appreciate you sending me some of your other non-metal favourites, which may not have hit the mark quite so well but gave me a fuller understanding of your tastes!
You win the award for: Most Targeted By Ruslan’s ESP
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Final rankings:12= lonestar = 8.4 + 7.9 + 8.0 + 7.8 + 8.2 + 8.5 + 8.5 + (8.0 + 4.1) = 69.4
12= Elite = 8.1 + 8.5 + 7.6 + 8.1 + 8.1 + 8.3 + 7.9 + (8.7 + 4.1) = 69.4
12= Indi = 7.9 + 8.2 + 8.3 + 7.9 + 8.1 + 8.0 + 8.2 + (8.3 + 4.5) = 69.4
15= Nekov = 8.2 + 7.8 + 8.5 + 8.3 + 8.2 + 7.8 + 8.2 + (8.2 + 4.1) = 69.3
15= romdrums = 8.0 + 8.7 + 8.0 + 8.1 + 8.3 + 8.3 + 8.1 + (8.1 + 3.7) = 69.3
17. Sacul = 8.1 + 7.1 + 8.2 + 8.3 + 8.3 + 8.1 + 8.4 + (8.3 + 4.0) = 68.8
18. king = 8.2 + 7.8 + 8.2 + 7.7 + 8.0 + 8.2 + 8.4 + (8.0 + 3.9) = 68.4
19. Tomi = 7.3 + 8.1 + 7.9 + 8.5 + 8.1 + 7.5 + 8.5 + (8.1 + 3.9) = 67.9
20. LordCost = 7.2 + 8.8 + 7.3 + 8.2 + 7.5 + 8.4 + 8.0 + (7.9 + 3.7) = 67.0
21. Lethean = 7.6 + 8.0 + 8.5 + 8.4 + 7.4 + 7.6 + 8.2 + (7.6 + 3.4) = 66.7
22. Stadler = 7.4 + 7.8 + 7.9 + 8.1 + 8.4 + 7.8 + 8.0 + (7.3 + 3.7) = 66.4
Poll
Topic: ariich’s inclusive roulette (v6) – EPic final results! (Read 161176 times)