ariich’s inclusive roulette (v6) – EPic final results!

[ariich]

FINAL RESULTS??

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3rd place?
Katt – To Lands and Kingdoms Far Beyond
1. Twilight Force – Flight of the Sapphire Dragon
2. Twilight Force – There and Back Again
3. Aquaria – Judgement Day
4. Fairyland – Score to a New Beginning

First impression: Almost every single thing about this is EXACTLY what I expected. It's over-the-top, but I can't help grinning from ear to ear.

Final opinion: Ok so I'll start by saying that I do understand why you thought this would be risky. It's not that it's power metal, which I hope I've demonstrated I do like, but it's that particular big, over-the-top, symphonic, "dragons n shit" power metal that admittedly I'm not typically into. Then again, there aren't many bands in that vein I've listened to properly. Rhapsody is one, and I'm not a fan. However, what I did always enjoy with Rhapsody was the big, bombastic epics, and so this EP surprised me with how many of the right notes it hit for me. It was never realistically going to be in the high 8s, but it's all just so damn fun. Sapphire Dragon is definitely the weakest – it's a little too happy cheese-fest for me – but I can't deny the chorus is super catchy. But the other three songs also have some incredibly catchy stuff, but also have a richer sense of melody and harmony, and a grander scope and sound that is really very enjoyable. I guess I can see what you're saying about the middle of Judgement Day, but perhaps it's because by that point in the EP, I've got into the dragon-cheese mood and it works fine. And the epic first half of that song was the real standout. Anyway yeah, I can't say it blew me away, but I've thoroughly enjoyed every listen.

It's also good flow-wise – simple but effective. Sapphire Dragon works well as a "you're going on an adventure" opener, the vibe of which continues into There and Back Again. Judgement Day then seems to be the dramatic middle act where things take a darker turn, before Score to a New Beginning is the grand finale. The only jarring thing is the fact that the Twilight Force songs are a lot quieter than the other two, but otherwise it works well.

Music quality score: 8.2
Flow score: 4.0
EP total: 12.2

Roulette total: 70.7

Dude, I just have no idea why you've struggled somewhat in my previous roulettes. You just sent me hit after hit after hit in this one – even your absolute weakest submissions were 8/10, and I'm going to be diving into every single artist you sent me. Maybe it's a feature of us getting to know each other and our respective tastes better. I'm obviously most excited about Night Flight Orchestra and exploring more of Chopin's piano works, and I've already listened to that Monica Heldal album and loved it even more than the selection of songs you sent me. But honestly, everything was great.

As for your position, well... you'll need to read on. In terms of scores, you place in 3rd just slightly behind the other two. But the other two are tied, and need to settle a winner. And because I've decided to have some fun with it, there's just a small chance that you could still take the title...

You win the award for: Most Second-Guessing Yourself

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1st place (joint)?
Buddy – Construct, Crumble, Ascend
1. Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – Cornflake
2. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Crumbling Castle
3. Phideaux – Wake The Sleeper [interlude]
4. Lauri Porra – Dislocated
5. Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – Denmark / Van Gogh & Gone

First impression: Nice mix of epicness, atmosphere and groove that somehow doesn't feel disjointed. Not yet convinced by the ending, but the rest sounds excellent.

Final opinion: Just like TAC's, this EP was a huge grower, and I love it more than I thought I would. Cornflake, Crumbing Castle and Dislocated are all amazing in different ways. Cornflake is some of the funkiest, grooviest rock music I've ever heard, I just absolutely love the riffs, and the psychedelic sections work surprisingly well alongside them. Crumbling Castle I already highlighted as my favourite, it still has a bit of groove to it but also a moody, quirky epicness that is right up my alley. That band sound absolutely bonkers, but as hopefully you've seen in this roulette, my tastes are pretty diverse so I can't wait to explore the madness. And then Dislocated is more atmospheric again, and much simpler really, almost post-rock in style. It reminds me of some of my favourite stuff by God Is An Astronaut, with a gorgeous mix of atmosphere and energy. And then the closer I do still find the weakest – the slightly out-of-tune synths at the end I'm not wholly sold on, but it has definitely grown on me and works great as a closer.

I also love the flow in this EP. If I think about each track individually, they're all quite different in style (even the two that are by the same band), but it's never felt that way when I'm listening. There's a really nice journey from maximum groove at one end to quite an ethereal, nebulous sound at the other, and it all flows really smoothly to get there.

Music quality score: 8.6
Flow score: 4.3
EP total: 12.9

Roulette total: 70.9

This has been the most competitive roulette I've ever run, and so for a complete newbie to my roulettes with minimal prior knowledge of my tastes to have got the joint highest score is pretty amazing really. You were someone I'd hoped would sign up, and I'm so so glad you did because you never stopped sending me amazing music – even Dir En Gray who earned your only sub-8 score is a band I want to explore more. Everything else I'm definitely diving into enthusiastically, and unsurprisingly the ones I'm most excited about are Destrage, Elder, the EP artists and Ghost's newer albums.

But have you won? Well, as you'll find out shortly, that's partly up to you...

You win the award for: Best Newbie

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1st place (joint)?
Evermind – A Frail Road
1. Lee Abraham – Realisation
2. Sunburst – Remedy of My Heart
3. Conception – Feather Moves
4. Oceans of Slumber – No Color, No Light
5. Invadable Harmony – Memory

First impression: Powerful, proggy and very emotive. There's a nice variety of styles but it's incredibly consistent tonally, which makes it feel very convincing.

Final opinion: For the final time, I'm going to start by talking about the flow, particularly as this is a very story-driven EP. In general, it's really good. The narrative is very emotive and pretty damn depressing. Both musically and lyrically, I wasn't entirely sold on the role of the Conception song at first, but I've come around on it. There's one slightly jarring transition as Realisation clearly leads into another track in the album it's on, but that doesn't affect things too much.

The songs are all really good too, but the quality isn't uniform and this is another EP where I can rank every song. Easily my favourite is the Sunburst. It definitely has a large hint of Kamelot in there, particularly because of the singer of course, but also in the harmonic approach – but it's also crunchier than most Kamelot, and really is very epic and engaging. My second favourite is the Oceans of Slumber – the song is strong but actually isn't even anything special, but I absolutely love her voice which elevates it to another level (the Tom Englund guest performance is also cool – that's twice he's appeared in this round!). Next is Memory, which is a gorgeous, sombre instrumental closer. Feather Moves is nice – definitely more interesting than what I've heard from Conception before, but a clear step down from the other three songs I've mentioned. And then the Lee Abraham song is fine, it works well as an opener but isn't especially interesting in itself.

Music quality score: 8.3
Flow score: 4.1
EP total: 12.4

Roulette total: 70.9

Considering your strategy (until the final anyway) was to not care too much and just send stuff that you liked based on whatever came into your head, your performance has been quite incredible. You started amazingly, and while you never peaked so high again, your consistent high quality kept you at the top of the table and has landed you on the joint highest score. I'm not going to list everything you sent me because it was all great, but the ones I'm most excited to explore about are Marketa Irglova, Beyond the Black, Sunburst and Oceans of Slumber. I didn't include Evan Carson in that list simply because I've already bought his album and it's amazing.

But have you won? In my v3, you won the most rounds and had the highest average score, but were unlucky in the final and the rules meant you came second? Will the same thing happen again? Well, that will be partly up to you. Read on...

You win the award for: Least Fucks Given

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So wait, who the hell won?

Well, there's a tie. So, there are a few options:

Option A: A tiebreaker. I don't really want to do this as it's a pretty unsatisfactory way to end a roulette.

Option B: Joint winners. I'd considered this as it would fit the inclusive nature of this roulette, but you all convinced me it might be anti-climactic.

So that leaves option C. What is option C? Well, this roulette will be settled by...

Prisoners' dilemma

Buddy and Evermind, you each have two choices: Share or Steal.

If you both choose to Share, you will be joint winners.

If one of you chooses to Share but the other Chooses to Steal, the Stealer will be the outright winner, and the Sharer will come 2nd.

If both of you choose to Steal, neither of you wins and the title goes to Katt.

You don't need to rush, but please PM me your choice as soon as you're able and definitely today. You can of course confer with each other either here or in private, but how much would you trust what the other says...?

[Buddyhunter1]

CALLED IT

[Evermind]

Sent

[Buddyhunter1]

My decision has been made.

[King Postwhore]

Rich has now turned into Montie Hall.  Let's make a deal.  Door #1, Door#2 or Door#3?!

[The Walrus]

Hey thanks in advance for both of you so generously choosing steal!

Dude, I just have no idea why you've struggled somewhat in my previous roulettes. You just sent me hit after hit after hit in this one – even your absolute weakest submissions were 8/10, and I'm going to be diving into every single artist you sent me. Maybe it's a feature of us getting to know each other and our respective tastes better. I'm obviously most excited about Night Flight Orchestra and exploring more of Chopin's piano works, and I've already listened to that Monica Heldal album and loved it even more than the selection of songs you sent me. But honestly, everything was great.

As for your position, well... you'll need to read on. In terms of scores, you place in 3rd just slightly behind the other two. But the other two are tied, and need to settle a winner. And because I've decided to have some fun with it, there's just a small chance that you could still take the title...

You win the award for: Most Second-Guessing Yourself

Yeah I'm pretty stoked that you liked the power metal, I was hoping you'd appreciate the grandiose nature of the songs I chose. I'm amazed at how well I did in this roulette honestly. Thought I was gonna tank early on. I lucked out a couple times like with NFO and Chopin. I'm stoked that you really liked everything I sent and I hope you enjoy checking them out further; I'd be happy to make suggestions if you'd like. NFO in particular I would suggest that Amber Galactic album for starters. Then maybe the new one, Aeromantic. Monica is my girl 

Second guessing is my #1 hobby! Totally happy with #3/22, that's sooo much better than I ever expected to do. Hooray!

[King Postwhore]

I'm going to pull a "Chad" here.


Wow, we have something in common Mike.  I'm second guessing you in your roulette.

[The Walrus]

I'm going to pull a "Chad" here.


Wow, we have something in common Mike.  I'm second guessing you in your roulette.

How so? 

[King Postwhore]

My scores.

[Buddyhunter1]

We've both made our decision, yeah?

[Indiscipline]

Brilliant move, Rich!

Congrats Katt 

[ariich]

We've both made our decision, yeah?

Results coming up shortly...

[Evermind]

We've both made our decision, yeah?

I definitely sent mine. Refreshing this thread on my train now 

[lonestar]

wtf 

[ariich]

FINAL RESULTS!

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3rd place: Katt

It was always a long-shot that both Ev and Buddy would take the selfish approach, so 3rd place it is and everything I said in my last posts stands.

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2nd place: Evermind

You chose: Share

Ah my friend, you were too nice. That's now twice you've been the highest or joint highest scorer in my roulettes but not won! Thanks again for all the amazing music, maybe you'll win next time!

You win an additional award for: Most Unlucky

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1st place: Buddy

You chose: Steal

Sometimes, being a bastard pays off.

Congrats on winning your first ariich roulette!

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Final scores:

1. Buddy    = 8.1 + 8.2 + 8.6 + 8.6 + 7.9 + 8.2 + 8.4 + (8.6 + 4.3) = 70.9*
2. Evermind = 9.0 + 8.1 + 8.7 + 8.2 + 8.1 + 8.1 + 8.3 + (8.4 + 4.0) = 70.9
3. Katt     = 8.5 + 8.0 + 9.0 + 8.1 + 8.6 + 8.1 + 8.2 + (8.2 + 4.0) = 70.7
4. TAC      = 8.3 + 8.3 + 8.1 + 7.7 + 8.5 + 8.4 + 8.7 + (8.6 + 4.0) = 70.6
5. Shadow   = 8.0 + 6.9 + 8.2 + 8.1 + 9.0 + 9.4 + 8.0 + (8.7 + 4.2) = 70.5
6= Cyril    = 8.1 + 8.1 + 8.6 + 8.2 + 8.3 + 8.6 + 7.9 + (8.2 + 4.3) = 70.3
6= Luoto    = 8.3 + 8.1 + 8.2 + 8.2 + 7.7 + 8.2 + 8.2 + (8.9 + 4.5) = 70.3
8= Train    = 8.9 + 8.1 + 7.5 + 8.2 + 8.5 + 8.3 + 8.3 + (8.4 + 3.8) = 70.0
8= jingle   = 8.1 + 8.7 + 8.0 + 8.1 + 8.6 + 7.8 + 8.4 + (8.2 + 4.1) = 70.0
10. Puppies  = 7.8 + 8.2 + 8.5 + 8.4 + 7.8 + 8.3 + 8.4 + (8.3 + 4.2) = 69.9
11. wolfking = 8.2 + 8.2 + 8.0 + 8.9 + 8.2 + 8.2 + 8.1 + (8.1 + 3.8) = 69.7
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= romdrums = 8.0 + 8.7 + 8.0 + 8.1 + 8.3 + 8.3 + 8.1 + (8.1 + 3.7) = 69.3
15= Nekov    = 8.2 + 7.8 + 8.5 + 8.3 + 8.2 + 7.8 + 8.2 + (8.2 + 4.1) = 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

*Wins due to Prisoners' Dilemma decisions.


* Round 9 = Prisoners' Dilemma

[Evermind]

Congrats Buddy!

[The Walrus]

Damn it Ruslan  Congrats Buddy!!

This was a super fun roulette, Rich, thanks for hosting, glad you enjoyed what I sent. 

[Evermind]

That's the second damn time I've been in the lead in ariich's roulette for most of the time and lost in the final round this time it wasn't even the final round, it was after that!

Not going to lie, if I was going to lose, I'd rather gone out with  an additional song.

[Lethean]

Not that it matters, but I at least consider you a joint winner. That's how the scores are in reality.

[The Walrus]

I was considering sending a Matrix-themed EP using electronic metal like MASTER BOOT RECORD and a couple Erik Ekholm pieces and one or two other things, but I had to squeeze some power metal in. Was also considering a smooth jazz EP. Very curious how those would've fared.

[ariich]

That's the second damn time I've been in the lead in ariich's roulette for most of the time and lost in the final round this time it wasn't even the final round, it was after that!

Yeah seriously, your bad luck in my roulettes is unfathomable. But your strategy was amazing, I'd definitely urge to you use it again in future.

Not going to lie, if I was going to lose, I'd rather gone out with  an additional song.

I'm not a fan of tiebreakers, but I couldn't resist the cruel mindgames.

Also, you did choose Share partly on the basis of not giving the win to Katt, so

[Elite]

I'll take 'Third best EP score'.

[Buddyhunter1]

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH


First of all, sorry Evermind. My reasoning was that Katt and I had one and zero wins respectively, whereas you've had six. Also I'm a selfish bastard who doesn't like sharing, I suppose.

I've had pretty poor luck with roulettes in the past so beating 20 other people in terms of score for my first victory is pretty surreal. It's been a blast. Thanks for running this thing, and I BETTER SEE YOU as a participant in my next roulette whenever that is.



Also, glad you liked the EP! Definitely check out that Psychedelic Porn Crumpets album. There's some more great tracks on there (Cubensis Lenses, ...And The Addled Abstraction Of Being) that couldn't make the cut. That Lauri Porra album is a great listen as well, and very varied (thanks Katt!)

As for King Gizzard, they uh, have quite a few albums out there. Crumbling Castle is from Polygondwanaland, one of five studio albums they released in 2017. Honestly the rest of that album is really boring IMO, but hey, you might like it. Here's some other recommendations, in chronological order:

I'm In Your Mind Fuzz (2014) - One of my favorites. Very psychedelic and energetic, with a good amount of variety too. Has a very low-fi sound, but unlike some of their other albums I think it works well here.
Nonagon Infinity (2016) - The production on this album is ass but if you can get past that it's definitely one of their best. Really shows off their "typical" heavy psych sound, and the gimmick of the record is that you can play the whole thing in an endless loop and it'll stay completely seamless.
Microtonal Flying Banana (2017) - A pretty trippy record that sees the band dabbling in some microtonal instrumentation. Pretty eastern-sounding as a result.
Murder Of The Universe (2017) - Sound-wise this is very similar to Nonagon Infinity, but it's broken up into three stories that are told through lyrics and spoken-word narration. The spoken word can be a bit annoying at times but it's definitely worth a listen, especially for the ending.
Gumboot Soup (2017) - All over the place stylistically, but one of their most song-oriented releases.
Infest The Rats' Nest (2019) - They made a thrash metal album and it's way better than it had any right to be. One of my favorite releases from last year.

[ariich]

Not that it matters, but I at least consider you a joint winner. That's how the scores are in reality.

Without wanting to go too far down the "participation award" route, everyone feels like a winner to me because everyone sent me a lot of great music. But the top 5 in particular were really something else.

[King Postwhore]

Now down that dark rabbit hole Rich of checking out so many bands discographies that you like from this roulette.  That's a daunting task. 

[ariich]

I've had pretty poor luck with roulettes in the past so beating 20 other people in terms of score for my first victory is pretty surreal. It's been a blast. Thanks for running this thing, and I BETTER SEE YOU as a participant in my next roulette whenever that is.

Definitely!

Now down that dark rabbit hole Rich of checking out so many bands discographies that you like from this roulette.  That's a daunting task. 

The starting point will be every single artist rated 8.0 or higher, and some of the more intriguing ones in the high 7s, I'll listen to at least one full album. I'm hopeful that many of them will stay 8 or higher for full album(s) but I'm definitely expecting some to drop a little lower. If I sufficiently like what I hear from that, I'll then dive into their discographies.

So yeah, as with previous roulettes, this will take me months.

[jingle.boy]

As a person with an Economics degree, this Prisoner's Dilemma resolution was brilliant.   

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Congratulations to everyone, this has been a lot of fun. And I didn't even send Devil Doll once.

[ariich]

As a person with an Economics degree, this Prisoner's Dilemma resolution was brilliant.   

Thanks Chad, I have to say when I first came up with the idea yesterday I couldn't stop chuckling.

Congratulations to everyone

Well said!

[Evermind]

That's the second damn time I've been in the lead in ariich's roulette for most of the time and lost in the final round this time it wasn't even the final round, it was after that!

Yeah seriously, your bad luck in my roulettes is unfathomable. But your strategy was amazing, I'd definitely urge to you use it again in future.

I sure will, probably not in your roulette though. On one hand, this was well-run and a lot of fun, but on the other hand, I'm not sure I can stand another defeat like this.

Not going to lie, if I was going to lose, I'd rather gone out with  an additional song.

I'm not a fan of tiebreakers, but I couldn't resist the cruel mindgames.

Also, you did choose Share partly on the basis of not giving the win to Katt, so

Well yeah, because he had fewer points than me and Buddy, not because I wanted to screw him over! It's all good though.

First of all, sorry Evermind. My reasoning was that Katt and I had one and zero wins respectively, whereas you've had six. Also I'm a selfish bastard who doesn't like sharing, I suppose.

Holy shit, it was your first win? I feel a little better then (although you still would've had it had you shared )

[The Walrus]

My first roulette victory was in Buddy's roulette, now Buddy has his 

[Evermind]

I actually won one his roulettes too I think. Probably his first too, stuff like Pain of Salvation wasn't banned back then.

[Buddyhunter1]

My first roulette victory was in Buddy's roulette, now Buddy has his 

And if we both had stolen, I would have been at least partially responsible for both of your victories!

Holy shit, it was your first win? I feel a little better then (although you still would've had it had you shared )

Yeah, I know. But where's the excitement in that? If Indiscipline's roulette taught me anything, you gotta play things up for the crowd.

I actually won one his roulettes too I think. Probably his first too, stuff like Pain of Salvation wasn't banned back then.

Second, actually. I don't know if you even sent Pain Of Salvation in that roulette, but I know you sent The Scarecrow in the double-points final round and that pretty much gave you the victory because that song kicks ass.

Also I haven't had Pain Of Salvation banned in any of my roulettes. I've tried to get into them a couple times and I have not reacted well to a single full album of theirs. Road Salt One and BE I couldn't even finish because they were so sickeningly over-dramatic. Remedy Lane was better but I can't really recall much about it and I don't have much desire to revisit it again.

I still feel bad about you somehow being the first one eliminated in my last roulette, so I hope you come back for my next one!

[Evermind]

I actually won one his roulettes too I think. Probably his first too, stuff like Pain of Salvation wasn't banned back then.

Second, actually. I don't know if you even sent Pain Of Salvation in that roulette, but I know you sent The Scarecrow in the double-points final round and that pretty much gave you the victory because that song kicks ass.

Yeah, that was the one, I don't remember there being a double-points final round but there probably was if you say so.

My most ridiculous victory was when I sent Blind Guardian - Wheel of Time in Sacul's roulette and got like 19/10 because of the ridiculous scoring system.

I still feel bad about you somehow being the first one eliminated in my last roulette, so I hope you come back for my next one!

I will if it's not happening in the next few months, I think I'll take a little break from roulettes after this one.

[Buddyhunter1]

My most ridiculous victory when I sent Blind Guardian - Wheel of Time in Sacul's roulette and got like 19/10 because of the ridiculous scoring system.

What the fuck

I mean that was probably the best song you sent me in my third roulette if I'm remembering correctly, but what?