Deadeye21’s Song Roulette - Round 9 Results

[Elite]

Should declare, after this round I will be on hiatus for a week as I’m travelling overseas. Take your time to send fir round ten when we’re done. I may not respond, but yeah.

Shall we not do round 9 first though?

[wolfking]

Should declare, after this round I will be on hiatus for a week as I’m travelling overseas. Take your time to send fir round ten when we’re done. I may not respond, but yeah.

Shall we not do round 9 first though?

You expect him to postpone his trip until December?

[Deadeye21]

May have forgotten we were only on round 8. May also be listening to a few songs right now.

[wolfking]

May have forgotten we were only on round 8. May also be listening to a few songs right now.

Yes, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

[Deadeye21]

May have forgotten we were only on round 8. May also be listening to a few songs right now.

Yes, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Being honest thiugh, I’m wondering if I can get away with making this one the last round before the albums and getting it over with? I’m just eating up room where someone else could be running a better kept roulette at this stage coz I keep procrastinating like a mofo.

[Buddyhunter1]

Everyone agree to do a 3 minutes or less round?

[Elite]

May have forgotten we were only on round 8. May also be listening to a few songs right now.

Yes, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Being honest thiugh, I’m wondering if I can get away with making this one the last round before the albums and getting it over with? I’m just eating up room where someone else could be running a better kept roulette at this stage coz I keep procrastinating like a mofo.

Your roulette, your choice. But it’s not as if there’s a huge line of people waiting on you to finish before they can start their own roulettes.

[Deadeye21]

Everyone agree to do a 3 minutes or less round?

Didn’t we do that though?

Your roulette, your choice. But it’s not as if there’s a huge line of people waiting on you to finish before they can start their own roulettes.

Yeah, but to be fair, I’m not great at keeping this flowing, so the other reason is to just get it done and stop wasting everyone else’s time. I’m conscious of it, I just suck at getting off my own ass to do anything about it.

[Buddyhunter1]

Everyone agree to do a 3 minutes or less round?

Didn’t we do that though?

Yeah, and it went super fast!

[TAC]

Should declare, after this round I will be on hiatus for a week as I’m travelling overseas. Take your time to send fir round ten when we’re done. I may not respond, but yeah.

Shall we not do round 9 first though?

You expect him to postpone his trip until December?

 

[wolfking]

Should declare, after this round I will be on hiatus for a week as I’m travelling overseas. Take your time to send fir round ten when we’re done. I may not respond, but yeah.

Shall we not do round 9 first though?

You expect him to postpone his trip until December?

 

I felt bad after posting that one I gotta say.

[TAC]

Should declare, after this round I will be on hiatus for a week as I’m travelling overseas. Take your time to send fir round ten when we’re done. I may not respond, but yeah.

Shall we not do round 9 first though?

You expect him to postpone his trip until December?

 

I felt bad after posting that one I gotta say.

No you fucking didn't! 

[wolfking]

Should declare, after this round I will be on hiatus for a week as I’m travelling overseas. Take your time to send fir round ten when we’re done. I may not respond, but yeah.

Shall we not do round 9 first though?

You expect him to postpone his trip until December?

 

I felt bad after posting that one I gotta say.

No you fucking didn't! 

..........

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I still think we should do round 9. It might be my one chance to crawl into the top half of the standings.

But we need to finish round 8 first....

[lonestar]

Oh we definitely need a Rd 9....I got some serious stuff to send man...

[Elite]

Sent Round 9!

[Deadeye21]

Sent Round 9!

Luckily you send differently, my inbox is full.

I'm gonna have to sit here tonight and do this round. I have to or I'm just gonna stay lazy.

[Deadeye21]

While it’s another 3 hours before I start, I’ll quick fire these off first

How Long

Man, that intro hits beautifully. I really love how it can go from the synthy intro into that drum groove so seamlessly. The track seems hopeful and longing at the same time. The sax solo reminds me of Another Day, but I way prefer this one.
The piano that sets off the back half is brilliant too. I love that middle eastern groove. Man, this track is just great. That chorus really solidifies everything for me too. Great way to start it off.

4.75 + 1

Ljudet Innan
This intro reminds me of Haken’s “As Death Embraces”. It doesn’t really grab my imagination much, but it’s a nice beginning to the proceedings. The instrumental that follows is intriguing though. A swirling of strings and piano, very nice. Although, I have to say it feels like it takes a little too long to really kick off.
When the beautiful guitar chords do kick in though, they are pretty worthwhile. The subdued drum groove leading to the guitar lead is a nice touch.
My main problem with this song though is it feels like it’s all trying to build but stay subdued as well. I feel like it may be a little light on the lyrical content, which is a shame since I enjoy the singer’s voice. As the song draws to its end, I feel nothing of the journey I’ve been on has really reached a point where it all became worthwhile and that’s kind of a shame. Everything was great, but felt like it lacked a final impact. Sorry mate, not a favourite.

3.5 + 1

[Deadeye21]

At the End of the Day

Can you describe a more epic buildup to a song? No, you can't, don't lie to me!

It's hard to really put into words why this song works so well for me in the early half. Everything just clicks. It's heavy, yet optimistic. The vocal is awesome (but it's Neal so did that even need to be said?). I love that really cool patch he uses at the end of the second chorus. And I love where it goes from there. That Latin percussion and acoustic met up with the organ sound? Genius! And then it heavies up that groove. Man, this just slaps!

I'll say it here, I think I regret listening to this one so early on, as this sets an extremely high bar for everything else to come in this session.

Oh, and we need to have a word about that riff at 10:50. Like dude, I just started the results after another three/four week wait, you're not allowed to kill the host from facial melting!!

5 + 1

[Deadeye21]

It would appear I have grossly miscalculated how long the playlist is. Definitely not gonna get through all of them in one go as theat would mean I'm staying up til nearly 2am. I will do a few more before I hang it up for tonight and come back fresh in the morning

How about we look at a classic next.
Close to the Edge

That intro promises majesty, but I think the opening instrumental of this are actually a little messy if I'm honest. But I think a lot of that is the lead behind the focal point. When we land into what feels like a main melody at the 3 minute mark, everything seems too meet up again and create a really beautiful sound.

When we at last arrive into the first verse, man, what a great groove! The vocals are great, I'm loving the harmonies.

Within the first six minutes though, I'm finding something I'm not as keen on. I don't really love how often it feels like they're transitioning out of a section and then it just comes back in where they already were. It's an odd thing, and what the false transitions are sound nice and are placed well, but they just feel really off to my ear.

The start of the third movement does lose me a bit, I must admit. It actually feels very out of place with the rest of the song preceding it. This feels like a whole new song, nice in it's own right, but also kinda disjointed to where we came from.
The church organ starts to pipe up again and I feel like we're about to get right back into the thick of it. But we go into a bit more of a swung version of the main chorus of this section.

Part 4, The Seasons of Man, really kicks it up again though. A great riff that gives way into a really cool organ solo! And at this point, I'm realising the bassist is really the hero of this whole track. Those little high pitch slides he rocks during the solo are so cool!

It all wraps up real nicely, but I honestly think that the third smovement really slowed this song down for a bit too long. I had a better time with this than Turn of the Century, but I don't believe I'm gonna turn into a huge Yes fan any time too soon.

4 + 1

[Deadeye21]

I'm knackered so maybe two more and then I'll keep going tomorrow and Monday as needed.

[Deadeye21]

Hybrid Times

Man, that piano riff gives me massive Dream Theater vibes. And when the band kicks in, if it wasn't for the change in voice, I would totally believe this is a leftover from the View sessions.

This track kicks off into high gear real quick, then refuses to take prisoners as it goes on. Instrumentally, this gives me everything I like. Hell, it even has some quick bas leads sprinkled in there for good measure. The vocalist hits all the marks for me too, even when he hits the harsher notes, it's done tastefully and really lands for me.

If there's one vocal section I really want to call attention to, it's the "I'll never give up again". I love the way the "give up";s are a little harsher and echoing in the background and brings the vocal to the full centre when it comes up to the "again".

And then the other 5 minutes of this are a great instrumental. Man, that guitar solo around the 7:35 mark gives me such JP vibes. This really gives me Mangini-era DT vibes all throughout and I really hope I'm not the only one hearing it. Hell, it sounds like there's even an app solo towards the 8"20 mark!

I don't know if it's a great insult to a band like this to say I really feel like it could be someone else's song, or a compliment that they're reaching the heights that I associate with that particular band? Towards the ending, it goes a bit more Haken to my ear with that keyboard and effected drums section. I feel like this song could almost be used as a "greatest hit" of what the genre sounded like in the 2010s. And seeing as this came out in 2007, I'd have to say this makes me think that Riverside were the pioneers of all that would come.

Ending was a little weird though.

5 + 1

[Deadeye21]

Sacred Sound

Man, I love the intro on this again. You guys really nailed the intros on this round.

I didn't really know what to expect out of these guys, but I really like this. I can't really say this reminds me of any band in particular, but I get an old school prog sound out of this one and I love it.

This has such an optimistic sound until we get to that instrumental break. While that becomes a little darker sounding, I just fall deeper in love with it as it progresses.

It's hard to really say much about this song, but everything really clicks for me. I think you've really hit the nail on the head with this one. A surprising lead taker, but a welcome one.
5+1

[Buddyhunter1]

 

[lonestar]

You lost points for not completely adoring Close to the Edge...but got a few back for loving IQ.

[lonestar]

Sent for Rd 9

[Deadeye21]

Be advised I’m 100% full at this time and do not intend to empty until end of round. Cheers.

[lonestar]

Did you get mine though? It said it was sent successfully.

[King Postwhore]

At the End of the Day

Can you describe a more epic buildup to a song? No, you can't, don't lie to me!

It's hard to really put into words why this song works so well for me in the early half. Everything just clicks. It's heavy, yet optimistic. The vocal is awesome (but it's Neal so did that even need to be said?). I love that really cool patch he uses at the end of the second chorus. And I love where it goes from there. That Latin percussion and acoustic met up with the organ sound? Genius! And then it heavies up that groove. Man, this just slaps!

I'll say it here, I think I regret listening to this one so early on, as this sets an extremely high bar for everything else to come in this session.

Oh, and we need to have a word about that riff at 10:50. Like dude, I just started the results after another three/four week wait, you're not allowed to kill the host from facial melting!!

5 + 1

Oh hell yeah!!

[Sacul]

Hell yeah . I only listened to that DT album like once so I'm not sure about the similarities, but I like to think of Riverside as a sort of polish Porcupine Tree rather than a Dream Theater one tbh. Check that album out, it's brilliant.

[Deadeye21]

Did you get mine though? It said it was sent successfully.

Successfully received

[lonestar]

[Deadeye21]

Jotunheim

Well, the intro was certainly epic. Actually, most of the instrumental was fairly bloody on this one. But, I think it probably goes without saying that the lyrics held this back.Save the chorus, where the choir utilisation was BRILLIANT, I kinda stopped listening to the vocals and tried to focus in on the instrumental.I definitely remember him cawing like a chicken at one stage though.

When it goes back to the mellow with that choir effect, I'm really taken in by it. Again, the riffs that follow this are pretty great, but that main vocal just sets me off in the wrong direction. It makes it really hard to rate the song overall when there is so much good being offset.

Halfway through, I'm really reminded of Blaze Bayleu era Iron Maiden by the lead guitar riff, it actually reminds me a lot of Sign of the Cross, which is great coz I love that song.

I really love the sound of the guitars and drums on this track. The tones are really well crafted and suit the song perfectly.

I respect this is your tradition to send each new Roulette host a song by this band, I'm kinda glad I got to check 'em out. I just wish you maybe had an instrumental by these guys as it would have paid off better for you.

Problem is, I don't really know how much to deduct from the vocal performance. I don't want to be too harsh since the song is pretty great otherwise. I hope this is more satisfactory than what you thought you'd be getting at least.

4 + 1

[Deadeye21]

The Dripping Tap

Uh? Yeah, ok, I'm confused as to what exactly I'm listening to. That intro is so off to the amazingness of the instrumental section that follows. Actually, I guess let's tackle the lyrics first. I'm guessing there's probably some kind of metaphor that I completely missed in there, but if there isn't these are some really weird lyrics. I feel like they're getting somewhere with the second verse, but then it starts feeling like just words again when he starts the "left the tap on" refrain.

The instrumental sections though? They're insanely good. As you'd kinda hope when they take up a solid 15 of the 18 minute runtime here.
But, I think that this kinda isolates the problem. This is just a big jam session. And while that can be great, this is kinda pushing it into quite a long one to listen to.

I kinda stop enjoying myself when the whole "drip. drip, from the tap, don't slip" thing starts happening. I feel like I've been here for way too long now and I'm not really getting anywhere new. this was worth the listen once, but I don't know I'll be hurrying back to this one.

3.75 + 1

[Deadeye21]

The Presence of Goddess

Thankfully, I can't see the cover when I'm typing.
I gotta say, the intro does start out real ominous and foreboding. I love that bass tone peaking it's head out over everything else. The opening does seem to drag out for a little while, I feel like the first five minutes are really just starting to set up all that lays ahead. The drum fills are really cool.

This song seems to stay kinda mid-paced for a long time and I really felt like I wanted it to ramp up in the midsection. With the lyrics staying fairly similar throughout it's run, I feel like this needed more change instrumentally to warrant the length.

Hey, at least you snuck a cool little bass solo into it.

3.5 + 1