The TAC Roulette V.5...DTF Faves..WTF Am I Missing?? MastoDONE!

[TAC]

So, just remember my scoring system.

8.5+...I love!
8.0-8.4...I really like
7.5-7.9...I like
Below 7.5...Ugh

There were 5 songs over 8.0 and 4 songs below 7.5. That means everything was bunched up in the 7.5-8.0 range, not unlike most rounds.


I really found something to like in pretty much every song, with a handful that really stood out.

I have a few thoughts on Mastodon...

One of the vocalists..the Cobain Guy, is AWFUL. I mean, he's almost unlistenable for me. There's no personality. I make a couple comparisons to Nirvana in my reviews, but this guy is not in Cobain's league vocally.

The other vocalist..the Ozzy Guy, is so much better. He's memorable because he really reminds me of early Ozzy Era Sabbath. Those particular songs benefitted.

It's not that the drummer overplays...it's more that the band simply doesn't keep up with him. He's the only musician in the band I cared to listen too. Other than the bass player. I found the guitars pretty boring on the whole. They imitated Schenker and Iommi in spots but other than that, they did nothing for me.

I found a lot of the songwriting pretty terrible. Either they didn't know how to end a song, or they'd have a 1 minute + intro for a 4 minute song. In a few tracks, the song would be halfway through before it actually mattered.

I ain't gonna lie. This was my least favorite round. The scores will resemble the other rounds on the whole, but in reality, the whole playlist could be downgraded by 2-3 points total. That said, everyone is graded relative to each other so it doesn't really matter anyway. I just wanted to get that off my chest.





Finally, I wanted to thank everyone for playing. I was ready to run a roulette, but I like to have some sort of concept behind it, as most of you know. I realize that this was an odd one, but I really enjoyed it, and these playlists are roadmaps to these artists that I can travel on. I know in a number of rounds, some of you were winging it, but that's OK. I think Evermind was winging it in every round. *Spoiler Alert* Evermind came in last, so there's that. 
 As long as we had some yuks along the way, it's all good. I appreciate the wide range of tastes here. I got something excellent from everyone here along the way.

[TAC]

Round 8 Results!!



Romdrums

Chimes At Midnight...7.9

Cool intro. I like the chorus and the part from 2:42-2:56. I like how the drums blend into the musical lines. The intro returns as the outro. I like that. The verses hold this back a bit.

Steambreather...8.0

Enjoyable enough verse. What’s this? A melodic chorus? There’s a brief guitar line right before the chorus. Reminds me of 80’s Rush…right before the chorus of Between The Wheels or something. This has a cool pace.
7.9+8.0=15.9/2=7.95



Cyril

Colony Of Birchmen...7.4
These vocals are awful. I don’t know what else to say. There’s no musicality to this. This sounds like a bunch of teenagers in their parents’ basement. Such rudimentary riffing. The last minute is pretty decent but sounds like no more than a bad Sabbath cover band.

Capillarian Crest...7.8

The first minute reminds me of mid 80’s crossover punk/metal. The next minute and a half fucking rocks.  Cool part at 2:59. I like the uptempo ending, but I’m seriously getting a snare drum overdose.
7.4+7.8=15.2/2=7.60



Buddy

Black Tongue...7.7

This is a quick and satisfying little rocker. Don’t love the vocals. Solo is cool. Love the harmony coming out of the solo at 2:28. Not nearly enough of this kind of thing in this playlist. I like the interesting rhythm that’s played in this too. Cool song.

Halloween...8.4

I liked this on first listen. The verse & chorus move along quite nicely, with good pace. The chorus has the Ozzy styled voice on it. The instrumental section/solo is excellent.
7.7+8.4=16.1/2=8.05



Vmadera

Chimes At Midnight...7.9
Cool intro. I like the chorus and the part from 2:42-2:56. I like how the drums blend into the musical lines. The intro returns as the outro. I like that. The verses hold this back a bit.

Ember City...8.5

This song gives me Thin Lizzy vibes in the leadup to the verse. I like the nice melodic chorus. Right at 2:59, I hear Thin Lizzy’s Massacre. I love that there’s a second solo section. Sounds like Gorham/Robertson in the outro to me!
7.9+8.5=16.4/2=8.20



HOF

High Road...8.0

Wicked Ozzy vibe in the chorus. Great guitar line at 2:51. While I don’t have a ton to say about this, I really liked this song.

Ember City...8.5

This song gives me Thin Lizzy vibes in the leadup to the verse. I like the nice melodic chorus. Right at 2:59, I hear Thin Lizzy’s Massacre. I love that there’s a second solo section. Sounds like Gorham/Robertson in the outro to me!
8.0+8.5=16.5/2=8.25



Kwyjibo

Black Tongue...7.7

This is a quick and satisfying little rocker. Don’t love the vocals. Solo is cool. Love the harmony coming out of the solo at 2:28. Not nearly enough of this kind of thing in this playlist. I like the interesting rhythm that’s played in this too. Cool song.

Creature Lives...7.4

That’s quite an intro. 25% of the song? This song was almost uncomfortable to listen to.  Seems like a B-side, with its goofy lyrics. That’s a nice solo at 2:52 though.
7.7+7.4=15.1/2=7.55



Wolfking

Crystal Skull...7.8

Don’t love the vocals to the vocal lines, but damn, that’s some great music underneath. Cool lick at 1:22.  At 2:30, it feels like Geezer Butler is teeing up the solo which is half Iommi half Schenker.

The Motherload...8.5

Loved this song right out of the gate. Has such an Ozzy vibe to it in the verse, but especially the chorus. And that chorus might be the most memorable line in the playlist. Mid 70’s Ozzy! The instrumental section is really interesting. Listening to both guitars…do I hear 70’s Rush in my left? Nice harmony coming out too.
7.8+8.5=16.3/2=8.15



Elite

Capillarian Crest...7.8
The first minute reminds me of mid 80’s crossover punk/metal. The next minute and a half fucking rocks.  Cool part at 2:59. I like the uptempo ending, but I’m seriously getting a snare drum overdose.

Megalodon...8.2

Frantic opening, reminds me of something like S.O.D. Then BAM at 1:26. What a great freaking part! Reminds me of when Welcome Home (Sanitarium) kicks in, but faster. Nice clear double kick. Another ode to Metallica at 3:01. Cool song.
7.8+8.2=16/2=8.00



LudwigVan

Crystal Skull...7.8

Don’t love the vocals to the vocal lines, but damn, that’s some great music underneath. Cool lick at 1:22.  At 2:30, it feels like Geezer Butler is teeing up the solo which is half Iommi half Schenker.

The Hunter...7.5

Oof, these vocals in the verse are horrible. Was the guy taking a shit while recording? I do like the gloomy beat of this. It’s a bit different than most of the songs here. The second solo from about the 3:40 mark on has an Iommi-ish feel to it.
7.8+7.5=15.3/2=7.65

[TAC]

Kingshmegland

Jaguar God...8.0

The first half of this song is a tad uneventful. I like the second part a bit more than the first.  At 4:38, things really get interesting. The step down at 6:27 is a nice touch. Has kind of a Schenker feel towards the end though.

Pushing The Tides...8.0

Energetic number here. The first minute or so brings a frantic verse with some great drum rhythms. This definitely rocks. Not sure where this is supposed to take me though. Just kind of goes limp.
8.0+8.0=16.0/2=8.0



Evermind

Naked Burn...7.5

Cool little energetic song with some great drumming. Don’t really have much to say about it.

Octopus Has No Friends...7.5

This song has a Nirvana feel to me. At least vocally. Kind of mundane verses. The music is almost too busy for this. The lyrics are soothing, but the music is anything but. Strange song.
7.5+7.5=15.0/2=7.50



Ariich

Roots Remain...8.2

Pretty aggressive verse..don’t love this guys voice at all. But the Ozzy guy comes in with a nice chorus. The part at 3:24 is really cool. Gets eerie at 4:27, but it is interesting at least. Real nice solo. The second half of this song is excellent, much better than the first half. Still, a good song.

Gigantium...8.0

The first half of this song is really sludgey to get through. Kind of Devin Townsend-ish. A bit of U2ish effects in the guitar that stands out. The song really brightens at 3:26. That Schenker solo at 5:08 hits me right in the nads. Was a grower.
8.2+8.0=16.2/2=8.10



Lonestar

Stargasm...7.5

This has a cool intro. 25% of the song though? Don’t care for the verses really, but the Ozzy chorus is cool. There does seem to be some jamming going on under the verse though. Did I miss the solo?

Roots Remain...8.0

Pretty aggressive verse..don’t love this guys voice at all. But the Ozzy guy comes in with a nice chorus. The part at 3:24 is really cool. Gets eerie at 4:27, but it is interesting at least. Real nice solo. The second half of this song is excellent, much better than the first half. Still, a good song.
7.5+8.0=15.5/2=7.75



Puppies

Sleeping Giant...7.4

That’s in interesting intro. I can’t quite place it. Some God awful vocals though. I do like the part at 4:22 when it changes up a bit before the solo. Can’t say I’m a huge fan of this.

Capillarian Crest...7.8

The first minute reminds me of mid 80’s crossover punk/metal. The next minute and a half fucking rocks.  Cool part at 2:59. I like the uptempo ending, but I’m seriously getting a snare drum overdose.
7.4+7.8=15.2/2=7.60



Professor

Fallen Torches...7.3

I think I’d rather just listen to Nirvana.

Roots Remain...8.0

Pretty aggressive verse..don’t love this guys voice at all. But the Ozzy guy comes in with a nice chorus. The part at 3:24 is really cool. Gets eerie at 4:27, but it is interesting at least. Real nice solo. The second half of this song is excellent, much better than the first half. Still, a good song.
7.3+8.0=15.3/2=7.65



425

The Motherload...8.5

Loved this song right out of the gate. Has such an Ozzy vibe to it in the verse, but especially the chorus. And that chorus might be the most memorable line in the playlist. Mid 70’s Ozzy! The instrumental section is really interesting. Listening to both guitars…do I hear 70’s Rush in my left? Nice harmony coming out too.

Ember City...8.5

This song gives me Thin Lizzy vibes in the leadup to the verse. I like the nice melodic chorus. Right at 2:59, I hear Thin Lizzy’s Massacre. I love that there’s a second solo section. Sounds like Gorham/Robertson in the outro to me!
8.5+8.5=17.0/2=8.50



Stadler

Steambreather...8.0

Enjoyable enough verse. What’s this? A melodic chorus? There’s a brief guitar line right before the chorus. Reminds me of 80’s Rush…right before the chorus of Between The Wheels or something. This has a cool pace.

Jaguar God...8.0

The first half of this song is a tad uneventful. I like the second part a bit more than the first.  At 4:38, things really get interesting. The step down at 6:27 is a nice touch. Has kind of a Schenker feel towards the end though.
8.0+8.0=16.0/2=8.00

[TAC]

Round 8 Standings!!


425...8.50
HOF...8.25
Vmadera...8.20
Wolfking...8.15
Ariich...8.10
Buddy...8.05
Elite...8.00
Stadler...8.00
Kindshmegland...8.00
Romdrums....7.95
Lonestar...7.75
LudwigVan...7.65
Professor...7.65
Cyril...7.60
Puppies...7.60
Kwyjibo...7.55
Evermind...7.50





Final Standings!!!



Puppies...8.60+8.15+8.25+8.35+8.20+8.35+7.95+7.60=65.45
Ariich...9.0+8.15+7.60+7.85+8.05+8.45+7.95+8.10=65.15
VMadera...8.45+7.35+7.95+8.30+8.60+8.20+7.95+8.20=65.00
Cyril...7.55+8.25+7.95+8.45+8.35+8.30+8.40+7.60=64.95
Romdrums...8.25+7.65+8.25+7.8+7.80+8.50+7.60+7.95=64.80
425...7.90+7.40+7.65+8.45+7.85+8.35+8.0+8.50=64.10
Wolfking...7.80+7.6+8.10+8.0+7.90+8.50+7.95+8.15=64.00
Professor...8.20+7.6+7.0+8.05+8.30+8.80+8.20+7.65=63.80
LudwigVan...8.35+7.55+7.35+7.90+8.30+8.45+7.75+7.65=63.50
Kingshmegland...7.70+8.25+7.85+7.85+8.20+7.90+7.50+8.00=63.25
Buddy...7.05+8.15+7.75+8.05+8.20+8.20+7.55+8.05=63.00
Kwyjibo...7.80+8.75+7.65+8.15+7.60+8.05+7.40+7.55=62.95
HOF...7.65+7.50+8.05+7.60+7.95+7.90+7.95+8.25=62.85
Elite...7.50+7.75+7.60+7.90+7.80+8.65+7.45+8.00=62.65
Lonestar...7.80+7.25+7.85+7.40+8.0+8.20+8.10+7.75=62.35
Stadler...8.50+7.75+7.35+7.55+7.85+7.85+7.50+8.00=62.35
Evermind...8.20+7.75+7.55+7.45+7.80+7.90+8.0+7.50=62.15





Feel free to check my math!!

[TAC]

Congrats Chris! You were the most consistent, never letting up. Until the last round 

[Lonk]

I'll take 3rd place for my first roulette 

[TAC]

I'll take 3rd place for my first roulette 

Very impressed, brother. Nice job.

[Lonk]

Now go watch the music video to The Motherload and make sure no kids are around lol

[Elite]

14th place!!


And my song won the Opeth round. I did my part. Glad to have played, thanks for running this!!

[TAC]

Now go watch the music video to The Motherload and make sure no kids are around lol

That is some serious slo-mo!

[wolfking]

Thanks for having me once again Tim.

With Mastodon though, there's actually 3 vocalists in total, but not that you really give a shit now anyway. 

[TAC]

With Mastodon though, there's actually 3 vocalists in total, but not that you really give a shit now anyway. 

 


Well, he sucks too!

[King Postwhore]

Thanks Tim.  Always love your roulettes.

Puppies, congratulations!!

[TAC]

Thanks Joe. I'm glad you were part of it.

[HOF]

Awesome, not last! I’m pretty sure I did the best in the rounds where I didn’t know the artist at all. This was a fun exercise that forced me to listen to some bands I ordinarily wouldn’t. I may not be buying any Mastadon or Coheed albums any time soon, but I was able to find things in them that I enjoyed. I think BTBAM is the only band here who I probably will never ever listen to again.

[TAC]

I’m pretty sure I did the best in the rounds where I didn’t know the artist at all.

 

That's beautiful.

This was a fun exercise that forced me to listen to some bands I ordinarily wouldn’t.

Yes it was. Glad you listened along and were part of my roulette.

[wolfking]

With Mastodon though, there's actually 3 vocalists in total, but not that you really give a shit now anyway. 

 


Well, he sucks too!

   I walked right into that one.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

But in all seriousness, this was a fun roulette! Thanks for running this! Now for my victory dance...

[wolfking]

Well done mate.  A nice challenging roulette to win. 

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

And I almost threw it all away in the last round. Ariich brought the heat!

[TAC]

And I almost threw it all away in the last round. Ariich brought the heat!

You almost had your fatal round in the last round. That would've hurt for sure.

Lucky for you, Cyril tanked too.

[Crow]

sorry that mastodon are a very mid band at best 

it seems like you had a bias towards their more recent stuff as far as i can tell, of which i have listened to exactly none of, the last mastodon album i bought was the hunter back in 2011 and i didn't even like that one much 

[TAC]

Cyril, thanks for playing. I appreciate it.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

sorry that mastodon are a very mid band at best 

it seems like you had a bias towards their more recent stuff as far as i can tell, of which i have listened to exactly none of, the last mastodon album i bought was the hunter back in 2011 and i didn't even like that one much 

Yeah, The Hunter is where I got off the Mastodon train. Everything after Crack the Skye was just downhill.

[Crow]

Cyril, thanks for playing. I appreciate it.

the highlight of this has to be me winning the round & getting my best score of the roulette with the only artist here i don't listen to 

[TAC]

Cyril, thanks for playing. I appreciate it.

the highlight of this has to be me winning the round & getting my best score of the roulette with the only artist here i don't listen to 

 

It's a beautiful thing.

[lonestar]

Nice one... Glad not to finish in the cellar.

[Buddyhunter1]

Oh hey, Halloween did better than I thought! With your comments about the solos and the vocals I thought that would tank. Really cool song, probably their most underrated.

This was a really fun roulette - some really questionable scores, but the discussions about the respective artists each round, and all the contestants coming together to shit on Tim's tastes really made up for it. (it's all love)

Thanks for having me! Keep us updated on your dives into some of these artists!

[Lonk]

Oh hey, Halloween did better than I thought! With your comments about the solos and the vocals I thought that would tank. Really cool song, probably their most underrated.

This was a really fun roulette - some really questionable scores, but the discussions about the respective artists each round, and all the contestants coming together to shit on Tim's tastes really made up for it. (it's all love)

Thanks for having me! Keep us updated on your dives into some of these artists!

I gained new appreciation for Halloween with the released of the instrumental version on Medium Rarities. Some really great guitar work going on there 

I almost sent Fallen Torches but glad I didn't, given the score it got

[Kwyjibo]

Congrats to puppies and thanks to Tim for running this and letting me participate. It was a lot of good fun and I plan to listen to the playlists for the artists I don't know that well (BTBAM, C&C, Mastodon) too see if there's anything worth checking out.

And a happy New Year to everyone.

[TAC]

Congrats to puppies and thanks to Tim for running this and letting me participate. It was a lot of good fun and I plan to listen to the playlists for the artists I don't know that well (BTBAM, C&C, Mastodon) too see if there's anything worth checking out.

And a happy New Year to everyone.

Thanks for playing Harry!

[romdrums]

Congrats Puppies!! 

Stoked to see I finished in the top 5, and that you enjoyed nearly everything I sent, TAC.  Thanks for having me!

[TAC]

Glad to have you, Aaron. Nice job too!

[ProfessorPeart]

Been trying to decipher who he thinks is who on vocals. I'm pretty sure he has Brann, the drummer, down as his Ozzy. I'm confused by the Nirvana reference. That's either Troy or Brent or both. 

Of course, he threw a Nirvana reference on Fallen Torches and that has the usual guest spot from Scott Kelly on vocals.

[TAC]

Who's Scott Kelly?



Yeah, the drummer is the Ozzy Guy. I saw that in the Motherload video.