FINAL RESULTSTAC
Alizarin
Elegy Simulacra
A Wreath of Temperance
4 pointsThis is some fairly competent prog metal. Musically they lean away from being particularly technical, but they don’t seem to replace it with many interesting ideas or catchy sections, and they fall into the trap a lot of modern prog metal bands do of writing fairly flat vocal lines. The vocalist is… fine, but not really memorable in any way. It’s not bad overall, but it doesn’t seem to offer anything that other bands in genre aren’t already doing better.
The Walrus
Cellador
Leaving All Behind
Never Again
Honor Forth
Good Enough
This Means War
4 pointsI’m just really not feeling this at all. First off, I assume the first two songs are from a debut album, because the production on those is complete dogshit. Everything kind of mushes together. The production on the other songs is much better, but the songs themselves still feel a bit uninspired. There’s some typical power metal guitar and drum work, but the vocals are pretty thin most of the time, and none of the chorus melodies really work that well which is generally the lynchpin for this kind of music.
Puppies_On_Acid
Ulcerate
Withered and Obsolete
Cold Becoming
There Is No Horizon
4 pointsI’ll be honest, I don’t really get this at all. It’s not
bad and I don’t mind listening to it, but I can’t manage to get anything out of it either. The songs feel kind of directionless for the most part; there’s just bludgeoning drums and guitars and guttural vocals for a while and then the song ends. I do think the build up at the beginning of There is No Horizon is pretty cool, though.
wolfking
Crypt Sermon
Christ is Dead
Snake Handler
4 pointsI’m not super into thrash metal in general, but I enjoy some here and there. Musically this is all right when they’re riffing or soloing, but much of the time seems to be spent on these sort of plodding sections, where the vocals are front and center, and unfortunately I think the vocals are just really poor overall; the singer’s voice isn’t very strong and there doesn’t seem to be much of a melodic sense to the lines. There is some nice guitar work in the solo sections that I enjoy, but as a whole the songs don’t do much for me.
Cyril
The Hirsch Effekt
Agitation
Cotard
5 pointsI think I listened to one of these guys’ albums back when we were doing the album of the week thread, and my impression was more or less that it was fairly good prog metal. That’s pretty much the same way I’m feeling about these songs here; fairly good, but nothing exceptional. It’s the problem I have with most prog metal these days, although having the vocals in German is pretty neat. And there are definitely some really nice moments here and there, but as full songs they’re not really moving me.
Buddyhunter1
Poppy
I Disagree
BLOODMONEY
Anything Like Me
Fill the Crown
Don’t Go Outside
6 pointsOffhand, I think you’ve probably sent me the weirdest submissions in this roulette, and you seem to be continuing the trend here. The sound is a mix of heavy guitars and industrial sounds with vocals that mainly alternate between light and melodic and a sort of rhythmic yelling, although there are some other styles in here as well. There’s a lot that’s interesting here, and a lot to like, but there’s also a fair bit that doesn’t really work for me at all, which results in a sort of middling score.
Tomislav95
The Pineapple Thief
In Exile
The Final Thing on My Mind
Bond
6 pointsI’ve heard of this band here and there, mainly because they are (or were, I guess) on the same label as Porcupine Tree. I can see the stylistic similarities, probably derived from the common ancestor of Pink Floyd? They create a great atmosphere and sonically it’s really good, although I don’t think the songs themselves stand out much beyond being fairly good. The best part here is the finale of The Final Thing on My Mind, but it feels like they take way too long to get there.
Stadler
Night Ranger
Interstate Love Affair
Walk in the Future
When You Close Your Eyes
Penny
Sing Me Away
6 pointsThis is pretty fun, ballad-y rock music. It’s very smooth, both in terms of the music and the vocals, although this kind of work both for it and against it, as I think a bit more of an edge would be beneficial at points. Penny actually does, and as a result it ends up being my favorite song of the bunch. None of the others are bad, but I think most of them tend to get a bit repetitive near the second half which pulls the score down some.
romdrums
Peter Gabriel
Red Rain
Intruder
I Have the Touch
Kiss That Frog
7 pointsThis is a (mostly) nice set of songs. Red Rain and I Have the Touch have a 80s sort of pop/rock sound to them, and Kiss That Frog goes for more a funky feel which is a lot of fun. Intruder is the most ‘out there’ and experimental, and while I appreciate the effort, in this case the song just doesn’t really do much for me. On the other songs, though, Gabriel’s vocals are consistently excellent and the instrumentation is very nicely varied and unconventional.
Luoto
Dvne
Thirst
Scion
7 pointsI’m pretty into the harsh vocals here, although I think they could have used a bit more variation. He uses the same guttural roar most of the time, but it works well, and I think the rest of the music stays fluid enough to counterbalance any sense of monotony. The slower, chiming-guitar sections are really nice, but even when the songs are staying heavy, the riffs evolve and change enough to stay engaging. I do think the clean vocals on Scion are a bit of miss though; they don’t seem very strong and I don’t know that the song would lose anything if they weren’t there.
Sacul
Glen Hansard
Bird of Sorrow
Philander
Don’t Settle
I’ll Be You, Be Me
7 pointsI’ve seen this guy get sent in a lot of roulettes over the years, but I don’t think I’ve ever listened to any of his stuff. It’s an indie sound with a bit of a folk/singer/songwriter feel to it, where the main emphasis is on the vocalist. He’s got a nice, distinctive voice that goes from the low, half-spoken parts to the belting sections really well, and I think the two songs that make the most use of that contrast (Bird of Sorrow and Don’t Settle) are the best ones here. The other two are nice, but don’t really have enough variation to stay engaging.
ariich
Bear Ghost
Sickness for Nothing
She-Wrecks
Paradise
Funkle Phil
Prelude
8 pointsThis is a really creative sound, both in terms of music and vocals. They’ve got electronic bits, heavy bits, funky bits, and a really great, versatile vocal performance. I’ve always been a fan of that vaudevillian, Dear Hunter-esque dramatic vocal style, and this guy does it really well on these songs, as well as mixing in other styles like on Funkle Phil and Sickness for Nothing. Not everything they try works for me, but a lot of it does, and the more I’ve listened to these songs the more they’ve grown on me.
Elite
Talking Heads
Slippery People
Swamp
Once in a Lifetime
Crosseyed and Painless
8 pointsOK, I guess I’ve actually heard the chorus of Once in a Lifetime before, but I didn’t remember until I heard it, so I figure it’s fine. Anyway, this is really cool, funky stuff. The vocal approach is pretty atypical and I could see it being a detriment, but I’m pretty into it for the most part, and they balance the partially-spoken parts with more melodic sections. The bass is a real standout here as well that always keeps the songs moving.
HOF
Prefab Sprout
Goodbye Lucille #2
Appetite
When Love Breaks Down
Bonny
Ineffable
8 pointsThese guys have a really interesting sound. There’s a very 80s-pop feeling to the instruments and production on Lucille and Appetite, but the song construction and vocal style feels new wave-y to me. The two acoustic songs are naturally a bit more stripped back but still feel pretty unconventional in the way the instruments interact, and the singer’s style is pretty different but still works quite well. and then Ineffable is a totally different, orchestral kind of piece. I’m not totally sure how well it works with the other songs, but on its own it’s a nice bit of music.
Evermind
Mark Knopfler
Redbud Tree
The Scaffolder’s Wife
Dream of the Drowned Submariner
Wherever I Go
9 pointsI’m vaguely familiar with Knopfler via Dire Straits, and have always really enjoyed his guitar work, and unsurprisingly it’s excellent here as well. He’s got a very distinct style that’s really expressive and avoids being showy at all. That said, the songs here are mainly focused around the vocals, and while I’ve just been lukewarm on that aspect of Dire Straits, his voice here has a great full sound to it that suits the songs really well. I’m not sure if he was the singer in Dire Straits, but if so, I definitely prefer him here. The second vocalist on the last song is great as well, and her voice and his complement each other quite well.
FINAL STANDINGS
ariich 69
Tomislav95 65
Luoto 64
romdrums 64
Evermind 62
Buddyhunter1 61
Sacul 60
The Walrus 59
Elite 55
HOF 55
Stadler 53
TAC 50
wolfking 50
Cyril 50
Puppies_On_Acid 49
Congratulations Rich!!!!
And thank you to everyone for participating! I have greatly enjoyed having each of you in my roulette, and you've given me a lot of music to ponder for the next few years until I do another one of these.
Topic: SN's Homestuck roulette: jpeg hero (final results) (Read 56919 times)
