The time has finally come. Results 3/3 is now here!
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Lethean
Angra
First impression: This is only the first time I've listened to this, but this could potentially end up as one of my favorite artists of the whole roulette.
Final review: Angra is so, so good. I could tell you to just go listen to it right now for proof of that and stop the review right here, but I’ve gotta do it some justice with my words! So, Angra makes progressive rock/metal music, and it has a unique aesthetic that I don’t usually hear in other music. The first time I heard “Carolina IV”, I thought it was great. I think what tipped me off that this band (or at least this song) was something special was that when the song ended (which is over 10 minutes, by the way), I was disappointed that it was over. And upon repeated listens, it just got better and better. I love how progressive this song is, in terms of the various styles and changes it goes through. It starts off pleasant and upbeat, but then it changes to being fast and more guitar-driven. The vocals in this song are amazing, and in general they’re amazing. There’s this absolutely beautiful part, where the vocals and music create this sort of dreamy atmosphere (“I’ve been such a fool, I’ve been so afraid”). The tempo drops as the song enters a great instrumental section, with a pretty good guitar solo. There’s a piano solo to cap it off, and then it slows down and the song stops… but it doesn’t end there! There’s not too much new after another energetic instrumental section (featuring an even better guitar solo than the last one!), but this song is so fantastic, it doesn’t really need any more ideas than what it’s already got. Now, Carolina IV is easily my favorite song out of what I’ve heard, but all four of these other songs are really great, too. “The Shadow Hunter” is another progressive track that’s somewhat lengthy. It’s not as energetic as Carolina IV, but it manages to be great through other means. The vocals on this song are really good as usual; there’s a section where the band quiets down a fair bit, and the following verse (“What does a man gain from his work?”) is just so good, and I wish it was longer. But there’s great instrumental work here, too. The highlights are the instrumental section following that verse I love so much, and there’s this really cool part at the end of the song that I feel could’ve been fleshed out more. They could’ve extended that part by two minutes, and I would’ve loved every second of it. To talk about one more song (because going into detail about every one could take a while), “Upper Levels” is another favorite of mine. It has this really cool bass intro, and it goes through some exciting changes from there, both heavy and melodic. And have I talked about how Angra songs always have good vocals? Because that’s just how it is with Angra songs. I had no specific expectations for Angra going in, but they are easily one of the best bands I’ve been sent in this entire roulette. Fantastic stuff. And because this review will only get longer, I’m just gonna end it here and ask that you please listen to this band now, especially if you never have before.
Carolina IV - 9.5/10
Acid Rain - 8.5/10
The Shadow Hunter - 9/10
Ego Painted Grey - 8.5/10
Upper Levels - 9/10
Roulette score: 8.9
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Elite
Cardiacs
First impression: This is some of the strangest and most insane music I've ever listened to.
Final review: Before, I didn’t even know it was possible for a band like this to exist. The music that these people make is so bizarre and insane. This is nothing like anything I’ve ever heard in my life. But you know what? Something like this is perfectly fine by me, because I really like this. I have no idea whether I should be surprised by that, but I’m certainly not complaining. It’s honestly hard to describe what the music actually is, just because of how unique it is. I mean, I guess you could call it some form of rock, but Cardiacs doesn’t feel like any particular genre. Cardiacs is just… Cardiacs. That’s all there is to it. “She is Hiding Behind the Shed” is as good a showcase as any as to what this band does. It starts out normally enough with an energetic keyboard riff, but then the first verse begins and you’re treated to the vocalists singing/yelling. The vocals are strange, but they’re charming and fit in really well with the music. The music is consistently really catchy, and this song in particular is something of an earworm. “Dog-Like Sparky” is very absurdist not just with its music, but also with its lyrics. Not that the other songs have normal lyrics, but this one’s really over-the-top. One thing I really enjoy about this song musically, which I wish I heard in more songs, is a constant change in tempo. It starts out slow in the first verse, then the chorus gradually gets faster, then it gets slow again as it goes to the next verse. There’s some parts with a female singer (at least, it sounds feminine; I can never be too sure with Cardiacs) that really mess with the tempo, and it’s just so good. “Duck and Roger the Horse” is the craziest out of all the songs I’ve heard. It’s just shy of four minutes of erratic, enjoyable madness. This is a song that I can’t really describe at all beyond that; you just have to hear it to figure out what’s going on here. “Dirty Boy” is the most normal song here, but it’s certainly got that eccentric charm that makes Cardiacs so great. The last two minutes or so of this song is really interesting. It sounds like when the singer ends the last verse, he just keeps holding the last note for the rest of the song. And it’s a pretty high and loud note, so if that was actually done in one take for two minutes straight, that is VERY impressive. That’s a word to describe this artist as a whole for me, too. For how bizarre Cardiacs is, I really enjoy this. This is basically the antithesis to my mentality on listening to music before doing this roulette. Before, I thought that I may as well just stick with my favorites, because I’ve pretty much seen all there is in terms of good music. Cardiacs proves that not only is that statement wrong, but also that I don’t think I’ll ever truly see everything there is in music in general, unless I were to literally listen to every song by every artist ever made.
She is Hiding Behind the Shed - 8.5/10
Dog-Like Sparky - 8.75/10
Duck and Roger the Horse - 8.25/10
Dirty Boy - 8.5/10
Roulette score: 8.5
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romdrums
Meshuggah
First impression: There's so much energy here that it's crazy... and I like it!
Final review: This band is… intense, to say the least. Meshuggah is all about extreme energy and technicality. The music’s very heavy, the vocals are particularly aggressive, there’s a slower section on occasion, and it’s all written in such a complex way. I don’t understand music theory at all, but from listening to these songs, it’s clear that they’re all pretty complex in composition. Sometimes the music can sound like a disorganized mess, but everything really does come together here. Even if I didn’t like this band, I’d still easily recognize the sheer talent that goes into composing these songs. And yeah, I like this band quite a bit. “Future Breed Machine” is amazing. It is just such a satisfying listen every time I listen to it. The intro with the beeping noise leading into that brutal riff is so, so good. I am disappointed that I lack the writing skills to really convey how awesome the chorus is. There’s even a part where the intensity stops and goes into a more melodic section, and it manages to do so without killing the momentum. The other songs may not reach the heights that Future Breed Machine does, but they’re still really good. “Clockworks” would be my least favorite. There’s not really anything wrong with it; it’s just a good, enjoyable Meshuggah song (much like any Meshuggah song, I’d assume). I just think seven minutes might be a little too long for the song. There’s not really anything I’d want cut out, but I think if they’d made this song and it ended up being one or two minutes shorter, I don’t think anything of value would’ve been lost. “Bleed” is an interesting one. A large part of the guitar’s contribution to the song is a repetitive riff with not much variety in how it sounds most of the time. But the band somehow makes it work quite well! The vocals keep things interesting, there’s a slow soundscape-ish section, and they do give some variety to the guitar to keep it from having just one note being played. But good songwriting is kind of to be expected from Meshuggah. Honestly, the only downside with the band (and this is a very minor one) is that with the style of music they do, and how it’s all composed, the songs do kinda sound the same. But the songs do have their own distinct qualities; it’s not as though I feel like they’re writing the same song over and over again. It doesn’t really bother me, though, since with a band like this, it’d probably be hard to make things really diverse while not straying from your core sound. So, yeah… I like Meshuggah. Very good and impressive band.
Future Breed Machine - 9/10
Clockworks - 7.75/10
Rational Gaze - 8/10
Bleed - 8.25/10
Roulette score: 8.3
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425
Metallica (Live with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra)
First impression: The symphonic elements here are great, and add a lot to the already pretty good music.
Final review: A bit of background here, since I am talking about a band as well-known as Metallica: I’ve actually barely ever heard Metallica’s music in my life. I think I listened to the song Master of Puppets once, but since my parents never had any interest in them (I hear them say they think Metallica is a bad band quite a bit), I guess I just never bothered to seek them out for the most part. So I’m basically new to Metallica, and I’ve never heard any of the songs that I was sent before this roulette. So while I can’t judge the original versions of these songs, I can at least say these live symphonic arrangements are pretty enjoyable! “The Call of Ktulu” is a pretty good instrumental. While it’s not something I find particularly memorable, it’s an enjoyable and interesting listen from start to finish, and I never find myself bored despite its 9+ minute runtime. “The Outlaw Torn” is also pretty good. I admit I don’t have much to say besides that I like the chorus and that the guitar riff in the intro is really good, but like The Call of Ktulu it’s consistently interesting and enjoyable to listen to. Oh, and the instrumental section at the end is pretty cool, too. Now, there is one song here that I like more than the others, and that is “One”. Not only is it my favorite of the four Metallica songs I’ve heard, but I think in terms of the symphonic arrangements for each song, they used the symphony to its best potential here. The song is a bit somber for the first half, and the orchestra helps to convey a little extra emotion in this part of the song. Since I haven’t mentioned it yet, I will say that Hetfield’s vocals are good. Nothing special, but they’re definitely good, and he has some great moments during the more aggressive parts. Speaking of that, the second half of this song gets a lot more energetic. There’s a couple verses which are sung quickly, and at the end is a cathartic “NO, NO, NO NO NO!”, and afterwards, the band just goes into overdrive, and it’s amazing. What’s even better, the orchestra is even utilized really well here! They’re playing at just about the same speed as the band is. And it keeps going and going and doesn’t let up until the end of the song. Great stuff right here. Metallica is a band I’ve not been familiar with at all until now, but I think after hearing some of what they’ve got to offer, even in a different fashion from normal, I’d say I’m quite interested in seeing what else they’ve got to offer, both with their original studio releases and these live symphony performances.
The Call of Ktulu - 8.5/10
One - 8.75/10
Hero of the Day - 7.75/10
The Outlaw Torn - 8/10
Roulette score: 8.3
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Cyril
Mithras
First impression: Not bad by any means, but it is a bit of a step down from the other artists that I've been sent by the person who sent this.
Final review: I’ll admit, the first time I listened to this, I did almost think that Cyril blew it with sending this one. The music wasn’t as interesting as the other stuff I’d received from him, and I found the vocals really strange. However… This one has grown on me considerably! Mithras is an unusual band, but listening to them again and again, I’ve come to think that this is really good. Musically, it’s pretty diverse. It’s got a death metal style to it, but there are times when it’s more melodic, and at times it’s even quieter and more relaxed. But then there’s also points where the intensity goes so far, it becomes just as brutal as something like Meshuggah. While not every part is consistently enjoyable, there’s so many individual parts of these songs that I really like. The opening riff of “Why Do We Live?”, the verses of WDWL? (in which that very question is asked), the fast-paced intro of “When the Stars Align”, the “Who could know the mysteries of life itself?” verse in WtSA, the almost relentless stretch of music that is “The Outer Dark”, the extreme moments in “Inside the Godmind”, the reprise of WDWL? In “On Strange Loops”... I could probably keep going with examples of good moments from the songs I’ve heard. There are moments I’m not as fond of, though. For instance, while “The Statue on the Island” has some nice melodic moments, as a whole it’s not quite as interesting as the two songs that preceded it. Inside the Godmind is really brutal, which I like, but then towards the end, they take it too far by having these really weird growling vocals, and they just don’t sound that good. Plus, the words just become an intangible mess at that point. The vocals are otherwise pretty good, and it’s easy to tell what’s being sung. But here, I almost can’t make out anything at all in this section. Fortunately, the rest of Inside the Godmind and The Outer Dark is really good, so it doesn’t hurt the enjoyment of these songs too much. Another thing I like, though, is this sort of “outer space” vibe I get from the music, which I’m guessing was intentional based on the album cover of On Strange Loops. Mithras isn’t a favorite of mine, but the positives here definitely outweigh the negatives. All things considered, I think this is some great music.
Why Do We Live?/When the Stars Align/The Statue on the Island - 8.25
Inside the Godmind/The Outer Dark - 8.5
On Strange Loops - 8.25
Roulette score: 8.3
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twosuitsluke
Thank You Scientist
First impression: Really interesting stuff here! I think this will end up as one of my favorites of this round.
Final review: I was pretty excited to listen to this band when it got submitted to me, and Thank You Scientist certainly doesn’t disappoint! I do feel like I should enjoy these guys a lot more than I do, but considering that I really like this band already, I’m sure their music will just keep growing on me over time. There’s not really any flaw to be found with this band that I can see. There’s great compositions, a lot of memorable moments, a great singer, a variety of instruments, interesting instrumentals… Yeah, Thank You Scientist has just about everything I love to hear in this type of band. Honestly, it’s hard to pick a favorite song out of three I’ve listened to. They’re all about equally great. “A Salesman’s Guide to Non-Existence” is an accessible song that shows you just what this band’s like. There’s some brass instruments throughout this song (and the others), and they feel like such a natural fit for the songs. The vocals are quite pleasant. They remind me of Claudio Sanchez from Coheed and Cambria, both in general sound, and also how it can sound like both a male and female voice. I can’t really think of any one highlight for this song, but that’s probably because I greatly enjoy every single part of it. It’s just a fun, energetic song. “FXMLDR” kinda feels like a follow-up to A Salesman’s Guide to Non-Existence, though that might just be because they have similar intros. FXMLDR goes in different directions, though. While it keeps the core sound of the band, there’s more atmospheric moments, and the chorus is more anthemic than in ASGtN-E. I really like the burst of energy at around 2:28, especially with the fast guitar playing. “Psychopomp” is quite a bit different from the other two songs. The intro has this slightly ominous feel to it, and it’s pretty cool. The song in general also has a more metal sound to the guitars, in contrast to the rock sound that the other two songs have. The chorus is rather long, but considering it’s one of the most satisfying parts of the song for me, that’s no problem to me. The ending’s kinda weird; it’s this crackly static noise, and a man contemplates the meaning of his existence. It’s odd, but I’m assuming this makes more sense in context of the full album. But it’s not as though I don’t like the ending, because I think it’s a pretty good ending all the same. This might not be the highest-scoring submission of the roulette, but I think by the time I’ve gone through and absorbed their discography, Thank You Scientist will likely be among my favorite artists. Without a doubt, this is a very great band.
A Salesman’s Guide to Non-Existence - 8.75/10
FXMLDR - 8.75/10
Psychopomp - 8.75/10
Roulette score: 8.8
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And that is all the results of Round 5. It’s been a long time coming, but we’ve finally reached the end! Final standings coming in the next post...