Alright lads, here's the results. A lot of strong contenders this round -- and if your track didn't rank quite as highly as you expected, there's still a shit ton of rounds to go
ROUND ONE ---
The Plot in You: Pillhead / Better Vibes
Shadow Ninja 2.0The first song started off a bit cringy for me, but the vocals kept building in a way that reminded me of Silent Planet, a band I quite enjoy. I was a fan of how the intensity seemed to be building, but then it would kind of disappear -- it was very erratic and didn't seem to have a consistent sound throughout, but it was definitely engaging overall. Despite that, it didn't strike me as something I'd want to add to my collection, but thankfully the next song improved upon that impression! 2.5/5
Better Vibes really lived up to its namesake because it certainly had an improved vibe throughout. The melodic elements were very welcome - was more reminiscent of post-hardcore. The melodies were quite catchy, and the general atmosphere of the song was excellent. I quite liked this one. 3.75/5
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Caligula's Horse: Graves / Salt
ariichI am only somewhat familiar with Caligula's Horse, having listened to a couple of their songs on the fringe, and their most recent album a record one time. I must admit it was not a super thorough listen, as I was working while listening to it, so this was a good chance to reacquaint myself with their sound. The first song "Graves" you described as one of their best songs, and an epic, so I was unquestionably interested to see how this one would pan out.
Overall, it was very melodic, so already a positive. The instrumentation was quite well-done, with the part around 5 minutes in being utterly fantastic. The one thing that was a bit off-putting, which I assume was my original issue with CH, is the vocalist doesn't really stand out -- his voice is solid, but it doesn't amaze me in the way that Tommy Karevik or OG Labrie or even Spencer Sotelo (I know some may disagree with this
) does. The chorus was not quite as explosive and catchy as I felt the song was begging for, either. Despite that -- I absolutely ADORED the section around 6:50, and you knowing my immense love of Haken's a capella and multiple harmonies sections might have given you favor in that regard. Regardless, the vocals were certainly not that big of a detriment overall, because the song had solid transitions, excellent rhythm, and it left a very positive impression on me. 4/5
"Salt" started out with a beautiful piano intro, and then transitioned into a section that sounded like it could be right at home on Haken's Visions. The vocals were better on this for me than the previous song as well, perhaps the melodies suited him better? I wanted to start singing the intro to a couple times, so I understand the Haken comparisons. The section around 3:30 where the song slows down was a genuinely nice touch, and the melodies here were quite strong. A really solid song overall, one I actually have heard before, but didn't really recall. Makes me want to revisit their discography. 4/5
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Moonsorrow: Jumalten Aika / ruttolehto Sis Paivattoman Paivan Kansa
Buddyhunter1Interestingly enough, I have listened to Moonsorrow before, but only here and there. I figured their sound would be one I enjoyed, and I honestly expected someone to send them at some point during the roulette anyways, haha!
The first track was a pretty standard black/folk metal combo, with excellent riffs, a nice woodlands atmosphere, and powerful harsh vocals that fit the instrumentation quite well. I loved how suddenly the harsh vocals came in after the intro, and the composition of the song, despite being long, was interesting enough to keep me engaged throughout its runtime. 4/5
The second track was pretty much in the same vein for me, but they definitely have a sound that they stick to, so it wasn't really anything detrimental. I enjoyed the listen for this one, but by the end of the track I couldn't really emphasize one part that really caught my attention or had me absolutely floored. Despite that, it was an enjoyable black metal affair, and I definitely need to become more acquainted with their music. 3.5/5
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Monica Heldal: Boy from the North / Follow You Anywhere
The WalrusThe first song, "Boy from the North," truly had some gorgeous melodies. Monica's voice isn't one that I typically enjoy, but it wasn't too grating for me, it rather fit the tone fairly well. I didn't like it as much when she increased her volume -- I felt like the more quiet, softer tonality fit her voice a lot better. The instrumentation was excellent, and the overall atmosphere of the song had a bit of a "campfire" feeling to it, so it felt somewhat nostalgic. Definitely quite a beautiful song, though, and definitely not something typically up my alley, so kudos for that. I felt like it ended up overstaying its welcome a bit, though -- I would have ended it at around the three-minute mark personally. 3.5/5
"Follow You Anywhere" continues in the same vein, being mostly acoustic and containing some lovely melodies. Again, the vocals don't suit my taste very well, and I felt like the lyrics here were a bit weaker than in "Boy." Overall, the more positive tone to the song paired with the once-again solid instrumentation made it an enjoyable, if rather forgettable, listen. 3/5
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Sweet Billy Pilgrim: Just Above Midtown / A Shelter of Reeds
HOF"Just Above Midtown" started off with quite a nice groove, and that continued throughout the track. The melodies were strong, and overall, it just felt very eclectic and unique. Really loved the occasional piano chords in the background. Overall an enjoyable, exciting, catchy track. Awesome. 4/5
"A Shelter of Reeds" started off quietly, piano chords played somberly in the background. The female vocalist did not add much to the song for me -- I really enjoyed the original vocalist, and was excited to hear more of him, so having her interspersed throughout the track kind of brought it down a bit for me. After a quick bit of research, it was made apparent that she is an integral member of the band, so I was a bit offput by that, not being a huge fan of her overall sound.
The instrumentation meandered a bit, as if the song was drifting, and I actually quite liked that. It added an atmosphere that felt like a slow-burn, and when it began building, I was drawn, once again, to the strong harmonics. The orchestration in the background was a thoughtful addition and kept my attention throughout the track. Oddly enough, parts of it felt a lot like modern Biffy Clyro to me, in a strange way. I did feel a bit letdown overall, as the build-up seemed to promise a bit more of a climax than was offered by the conclusion of the track. 3.25/5
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Obsidian Kingdom: Last of the Light / Away Absent
EliteWow, wow, wow. This first track, it was just absolutely stunning. I have always been meaning to give these guys a listen but have never gotten around to it. The vocals are ferocious, the music fast-paced, and the atmosphere crushing at first -- but it all shifts into a much more melodic, jazz-y cavalcade of instrumentation. The soundscape created is just absolutely enthralling. The ability to shift back and forth from black metal, to post metal, to post rock, to jazz, and all within 4-and-a-half minutes without seeming disjointed or interrupting the flow makes me give a ton of credit to this work. Really just fantastic. 5/5
The second track didn’t' do QUITE as much for me as the first one. The vocals sounded a bit grainier and not quite as powerful as in Last of the Light. It kept a lot of the things I loved from the first track, but it didn't quite reach its highs. Despite that, still a really nice track, and I'm definitely allured to the band now. 3.75/5
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Nightwish: The Islander / Ghost Love Score
425Nightwish has always been one of those "oh, yeah, them!" kind of bands for me. The few tracks I have heard have been pleasant, but nothing that overwhelmingly drew me into the music, making me yearn for me, so I was excited to see if these picks could potentially change that.
The Islander begins with what strikes me as a folk metal-inspired intro, something that I reasonably enjoy. The vocals that come in here are not remarkable, but they are quite solid, and I really love the harmonies that are weaved throughout the track. Interestingly enough, while I don’t particularly love the female vocals on the second track, the way they blend with the first vocalist in this track is much more pleasant for me. The atmosphere is appealing, and overall I really enjoyed it! 3.75/5
Ghost Love Score starts out with quite a bang, lots of orchestration and a nice focus on melody. Unfortunately, I am just incredibly picky with female vocals. There's only a handful of female vocalists that I absolutely adore, and this one does not reach the heights of those. It is definitely not a bad voice, of course, but it's just not the style that I really enjoy -- but the accompaniment is quite nice. The melodies are all quite excellent, and the dynamics are enjoyable as well. It is quite a fun romp throughout, and again, I love the instrumentation, and the way that the song ends is extraordinarily compelling, love the ending. Just couldn’t quite get into the vocalist. 3.5/5
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Faith No More: Everything's Ruined / A Small Victory
StadlerAnother band that I can say "hey, I've listened to a few of their songs!" without truly exploring their discography.
Everything’s Ruined started off with a dissonant piano, building into some engaging guitar riffs, and then into the verse. The atmosphere at this point was very tense, and I was enjoying the vocals, but the advent of the spoken verse was quite grating for me. I’m not a fan of nu-metal, and though this isn’t exactly in that vein, it was certainly less enjoyable than the chorus, which I enjoyed. Luckily, the entire song was not comprised of that, and as such it was an interesting listen. The guitar solo was very melodic and memorable, and as the overall tone of the song shifted, I enjoyed what it had to offer. 3.25/5
I was quite taken by the intro of A Small Victory – from the first major note, it had my attention. What followed was an overall enjoyable listen, and whilst the occasional spoken vocals weren’t my favorite, the overarching vibe of the song was just, admittedly, a ton of fun, so it ended up a bit higher than the first track for me. 3.5/5
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Sunless Dawn: Biomorph / Sovereign
CyrilMan, you weren't wrong in your PM saying you thought I'd enjoy this band, haha. Listening to just those two tracks prompted me to listen to the entire album, so, if that's not a clear sign than I'm not sure what could be.
Biomorph is a three-part suite, but I felt fine including it as one piece as I stated time length was not a factor here. Everything is excellent in this suite, and it is quite the display. Excellent melodies, beautiful orchestration at times, crushing riffs, oustanding drumming, and a powerful vocal performance. I really loved the occasional synths, and even the lyrics were very interesting. Overall, it really hit the sweet spots that my taste really loves. A fantastic send. 4.5/5
Sovereign has the same strengths that the rest of the album holds, and while maybe not as diverse as the "suite", it is still quite powerful in its own right, and kept my engagement throughout the song. Again, the excellent riffs, the melodic focus, and the variety throughout the song are things that helped it stand out from other songs this round. 4.5/5
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Ereb Altor: A Fine Day to Die / With Fire in My Heart
TACThe first track started off quite promising – I’m a huge fan of slow builds, and while admittedly I’m not a huge fan of doom metal, I really enjoyed the atmosphere created by the intro. When the riffage exploded, though – that was when the song got truly interesting for me. I was reminded a bit of classic Opeth, a bit of Bathory, all of which are huge positives in my book. The clean vocals were okay, nothing to write home about, nor comparable to someone like Akerfeldt, but they were passable. The harsher vocals, however, were excellent, reminiscent of old-school black metal, and I would’ve been keen to have heard more of them throughout the track. The instrumentation, while not exceedingly technical or mind-blowing, was still quite proficient, and I was not surprised at all to learn the group was Swedish – it shines through the music! Generally, the riffing got a bit repetitive, so I was struck by the moments where they departed from the overarching rhythm, like during the guitar solo. Overall, an excellent track. 4.25/5
With Fire in My Heart starts out similarly to the first track, though with a more foreboding tone, a bit more sorrowful. Again, similarly to the prior track, it builds into a faster-paced affair with a heavy focus on melody. I am a huge fan of the mixture of harsh and clean vocals at once, it always adds a certain amount of weight to music, making the vocals feel more powerful. There’s a lot of similarities here to folk metal, and it was another solid outing – both tracks make me want to check out more of the band’s work for sure. 3.5/5
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Der Weg einer Freiheit: Ein letzter Tanz / Skepsis
Puppies_on_AcidThe first track started out with a melancholy intro that I really enjoyed – it created an immensely somber, wandering feeling, something that I usually quite dig in any song. I did feel as though it almost dragged a bit too long, but that’s always subjective.
As soon as the riffs and drums hit, though, I was floored. In came the absolutely crushing harsh vocals, not much else to say about them – they’re outstanding. The blending of black metal and post metal is just done so cohesively here (not that the two genres are THAT far apart, after all). That, paired with the more ambling ambient sections just creates a track that entices me to download their entire discography. The second closest anything has come in this round to absolute perfection in terms of my taste. 4.75/5
Skepsis, pt. 1 and pt. 2 are separate tracks, but you mentioned they were supposed to be paired together, so I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt! The intro of pt. 1 is incredibly chaotic and crushing, and after hearing their first track, I’m not surprised that this piece is incredible. The vocals, again, fit the music to a tee, and the instrumentation is just colossal. The piece definitely needs to be heard as a whole, as pt. 1 doesn’t quite have a resolution. The second part, again, is just outstanding. Can’t really find much to complain about with either of the tracks from these guys, fantastic send! 4.5/5
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Nine Inch Nails: The Wretched / Hurt
SaculAlright, well, this one might be a little unfair, as I have heard both of these tracks (Hurt extensively). Despite that, I decided not to include any bands whom I had heard a bit of, because I was hoping people would send things that would make me raise my eyebrow and say "huh, why didn't I give these guys more of my attention?!"
That being said, I do not really recall anything about The Wretched. Listening to it again, I like the off-putting sound the instrumentation provides, but I am not big on the spoken vocals in the beginning. This trend continues throughout the track, and despite some interesting electronic stuff and an overall enjoyable atmosphere, I just can’t quite overlook my distaste of the vocals here. 2.5/5
Luckily, Hurt doesn’t follow the same vocal trend. Being a huge fan of the original Johnny Cash version, and having heard this once or twice before, I knew mostly what to expect going in. The atmosphere is just fantastic here, and though the vocals aren’t a strong point, they fit the unnerving feeling that the song strives to convey. A wonderful track, all things considered – I know it is a cover, but NIN really stands to make it their own here, and it works out pretty damn well. 4/5
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Paradise Lost: Death Unites Us / No Hope in Sight
Tomislav95You were correct in stating that I've heard of these guys, but I couldn't honestly name a song or a note of their music. The first track started off well, a very nice melody, and the vocals were quite strong. The way the song built was quite nice, and though it parts of it seemed a bit generic to me, I still quite enjoyed it. 3.5/5
No Hope in Sight was definitely stronger, however. I really like the melodic intro, and though again it was a bit generic at times, I dug the harsh vocals, the overall melodies, and the instrumentation was nice. I can see myself checking out an album of theirs in full, if you'd like to recommend whatever you think is their best work. Overall, a solid submission! 3.75/5
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STANDINGS AFTER R1:
1st: Puppies on Acid - 9.25
2nd: Cyril - 9
3rd: Elite - 8.75
4th: ariich - 8
5th: TAC - 7.75
6th: Buddyhunter1 - 7.5
7th: HOF + 425 + Tomislav - 7.25
10th: Stadler - 6.75
11th: Sacul + The Walrus - 6.5
12th: Shadow Ninja 2.0 - 6.25Let me know if there's any incorrect math here, I might have changed something here vs. in my Word doc that I didn't notice. And on to round two! Looking forward to everyone's tracks*.
*unless you are Cyril and you blew your entire song load already 
Topic: Heretic's Song Roulette 2 - ROUND 2 RESULTS ARE FINALLY IN! (Read 9072 times)
