Kwyjibo
The Coma Machine....7.9
Interesting song that I can’t even link to early BTBAM that I have heard.
Tough to put my finger on the beginning. The dreamy section at 1:17 sets up the next section really well. Is it me, or do I hear CCR’s Up Around The Bend under the vocals? The sections in this song all transition really well. This might be the easiest on the ears song in this round. Really pleasant.
Condemned To The Gallows....7.4
Really nice song with bits that don’t hit you over the head.
This is actually a decent song, but it is really unremarkable. There’s no part that really jumps out at me a differentiates itself. There’s really nothing I don’t like about it, but I just didn’t find it all that memorable.
7.9+7.4=15.3=7.65
Wolfking
Specular Reflection...8.3
The cleans in this were excellent. Fantastic ending.
The beginning reminds me of the storm in Empire Of The Clouds.
A harsh section to start. I feel like it’s an initiation where that you have to go through to get to the good part of the song. But right at 1:38 with the syncopated section is awesome with fantastic drumming.
The harshies from 1:59-2:19 really do a good job of being right on the rhythm underneath. At 3:45 we hear that great clean vocal line for the first time. It really sticks. The harsh vocal section around 7:00 has song great playing underneath culminating in Anthrax style at 8:20. The next section is really cool. Gotta live through some more harshies until the payoff at 9:48.
I really like a lot of this song, might be my favorite clean vocal, even if it’s a repeated line.
Lunar Wilderness....7.9
I couldn’t wait for this to end. That is, until I got to the ending.
The beginning of this reminds me a bit of Lock Vostock’s Expiry Date Of The Soul Of Man. Vocal part is ..ugh. Classy solo at 2:17. Lots of fast playing harsh vocals for the next few minutes which is not pleasurable in any way. Badass riff at 5:10. A much needed ear cleansing begins around 6:20. The guitar underneath the cleans here at the end of the song is excellent.
8.3+7.9=16.2/2=8.10
Ariich
Lay Your Ghosts To Rest....7.4
I have no idea what I just heard.
Jeez, jumps right in, doesn’t it? Once the first 90 seconds of hazing is complete, I like what’s going on. Kind of light hearted. The section at 2:30 is great. Nice vocals. I could do without the harsh vocal section that follows. It’s too fucking much. The vocals on top of the blast beats is simply a wall of sound that is practically unlistenable. 6:30 to the end of the song is outstanding.
Really struggled with what to do with this song. I liked everything except for the harsh vocal sections.
Silent Flight Parliament....7.8
Well, that was extremely musical.
The minute and a half intro sounds promising. The harsh vocal section for the next few minutes is not good vocally, but there is some sick playing underneath, especially the drumming. A hectic part follows..tough to break down, really, but again, crazy ass playing. The section at 7:40 is a nice respite. The acoustic at 9:29 is a great touch. The clean vocal at 10:10. Cool instrumental section and the cleans that come after are excellent. Ooh Anneke! Er..what..what’s not Anneke..ok but they are interesting tio mix. Even the harsh vocals have a steady rhythm underneath which makes them more palatable. Grand ending that even those harshies at the end can’t ruin.
Overall, I really liked this. Great playing throughout. Not a fan of the harsh section early on. That was the only hurdle.
7.4+7.8=15.2/2=7.60
Evermind
Astral Body....7.3
Has some older elements to it.
The intro to this is excellent. The harsh vocal really isn’t that bad, because the music underneath it doesn’t compete with it. The middle clean section is nice enough. I like the second harsh section less than the first. Did I miss an instrumental/solo section? This feels kind of incomplete. I see it’s the first track on the album, so it’s leading in to something else. As a stand alone song, it feels a bit short.
For the second round in a row, the most sent song feels kind of…disappointing.
Revolution In Limbo....7.8
Musically this is amazing.
After its harsh opening, The clean “Over and Over” line is welcomed, as is the nice clean section that follows. I really like the music under the harshies at 4:28. The Bolero part is pretty decent, and the return of the clean chorus. Great guitar here towards the end. This would make a fantastic instrumental.
7.3-7.8=15.1/2=7.55
Vmadera
Extremophile Elite...7.8
I hear a lot of Dream Theater in this.
Musically, this is pretty crazy. I hear a lot of DT in this. Moment Of Betrayal at 3:00 for instance. At the end of the day though, I don’t think I can give this a sufficient amount of listens to truly break this down. I like the “Surround Me’ part around 6:30 and the instrumental section that follows is excellent. I hear some Home when the vocals come back in.
I would really need to live with this one for a while. My reaction here is that it’s pretty good. Something that could grow over time. Time we just don’t have right now.
Fix The Error....8.1
This goes from Megadeth to Moby Dick to Helloween..and that’s just the first three minutes.
I love this song. This has a total Megadeth feel to it to start, and the drum solos are freaking awesome. I love the cowbell that keeps it continual. Right into a Helloween-ish section and solo. This song has a great pace that doesn’t hit you over the head with excessive playing.
7.8+8.1=15.9/2=7.95
Elite
Lay Your Ghosts To Rest....7.4
I have no idea what I just heard.
Jeez, jumps right in, doesn’t it? Once the first 90 seconds of hazing is complete, I like what’s going on. Kind of light hearted. The section at 2:30 is great. Nice vocals. I could do without the harsh vocal section that follows. It’s too fucking much. The vocals on top of the blast beats is simply a wall of sound that is practically unlistenable. 6:30 to the end of the song is outstanding.
Really struggled with what to do with this song. I liked every thing except for the harsh vocal sections.
Voice Of Trespass....7.8
The reminds me of Riot’s Privilege Of Power and just when did David Lee Roth join BTBAM?
The horns at the beginning reminds me Riot’s Privilege Of Power. Sounds like Dave Mustaine in the beginning. I do like the feel of this. It is definitely different than anything else. Cool part at 4:22. I like the use of the bells after the “Wake Up”. The “Comdemned To The Gallows part is great. The guitar underneath is really classy. This song starts off kind of hokey but ends epically.
7.4+7.8=15.2/2=7.60
Buddy
Astral Body....7.3
Has some older elements to it.
The intro to this is excellent. The harsh vocal really isn’t that bad, because the music underneath it doesn’t compete with it. The middle clean section is nice enough. I like the second harsh section less than the first. Did I miss an instrumental/solo section? This feels kind of incomplete. I see it’s the first track on the album, so it’s leading in to something else. As a stand alone song, it feels a bit short.
For the second round in a row, the most sent song feels kind of…disappointing.
Memory Palace....8.2
The part right before the actual ending is Schenkeriffic!
Another 90 second intro that is really inviting. I like the ix between the harshies and the cleans in the beginning. The harshies used for effect. This guys cleans are really nice, so much more than other bands that go back and forth. The part at 7:48 reminds me a lot of Michael Schenker. I like the section after that closes the song.
7.3+8.2=15.5/2=7.75
Chadler
Astral Body....7.3
Has some older elements to it.
The intro to this is excellent. The harsh vocal really isn’t that bad, because the music underneath it doesn’t compete with it. The middle clean section is nice enough. I like the second harsh section less than the first. Did I miss an instrumental/solo section? This feels kind of incomplete. I see it’s the first track on the album, so it’s leading in to something else. As a stand alone song, it feels a bit short.
For the second round in a row, the most sent song feels kind of…disappointing.
Condemned To The Gallows....7.4
Really nice song with bits that don’t hit you over the head.
This is actually a decent song, but it is really unremarkable. There’s no part that really jumps out at me a differentiates itself. There’s really nothing I don’t like about it, but I just didn’t find it all that memorable.
7.3+7.4=14.7/2=7.35