Here we go!!!!
Kingshmegland - Crimson On the HorizonPeter Schilling – Major Tom (Coming Home)
Kansas – Icarus - Borne On Wings of Steel
Cellar Noise – Omega
Styx – Red Storm
Styx – The Outpost
First Impression - I was initially unsure how well these songs would go together musically, but the keyboards, surprisingly, were what bound a lot of it together.
On first listen, I wasn't sure if the first track would stick out compared to the rest, but in hindsight, I think it works quite well as the opener for this EP and for the story overall. I mean, let's be honest here, that initial keyboard motif to start off the song screams '80s cliche from the get go. Now I know this is a kind of bastardization of David Bowie's Space Oddity (which, coincidentally, was also sent in this round) and I will say I like the original better, but this is still a decent song. I have heard this song before, but not for many years and I didn't recognize it initially, until the chorus kicked in. Upon repeated listens I found myself singing along with it. The next song, Icarus, is another that I'm familiar with, but again hadn't listened to in many years. I think I need to dig out my copy of Masque and give it a spin soon. At any rate, I've always liked Kansas even though they have a handful of songs that I got sick of because of radio overplay (Carry On My Wayward Son, I'm looking at you!). This song is a great proggy styled classic rock song, with some more forward keyboards to kind of tie back into the previous song, even though they are obviously different styles. Omega is next and is probably the biggest departure stylistically from all the other songs here. Having said that, I still think it fits quite well. Especially with how it starts with that very cinematic intro and then flowing into a very neo-proggy sound. The biggest difference is this song delves more into the Progressive Metal side than anything else on here. I like how the song takes the time to breathe in places and slide in and out of different moods. It reminds me a bit of IQ in some respects. This is probably my favorite track on this EP, and I will definitely be checking out the rest of this album. Next is Red Storm and The Outpost, both from the album The Mission. I'm also familiar with these songs and really enjoyed the album when it was released back in 2017, but haven't listened to it in a while. I'll have to rectify that after this roulette. I like Red Storm a lot more than The Outpost, but I can see why they were both chosen for the story and it's not like The Outpost is a bad song, it just has some parts that I don't like all that much. Like the beginning is the part that always bothered me the most, because the keyboards sound so cheesy and out of place. But.....they do tie in quite well with the cheesy '80s keyboards of Major Tom....so there's that. Having said that, this song is what sounds closest to classic Styx out of the two on this EP and if I remember correctly also out of all the songs on the album it's from.
Song Score - 7.6/10
As far as the story goes, Major Tom sets the stage for our protagonist and works quite well. It's upbeat to signify the anticipation for the journey ahead, in which the protagonist is tasked with leading a mission to Mars, in which he is supposed to be the first human stationed there. Icarus works well to create some tension and showcase the stress the protagonist is under with a mission of this magnitude and the anxiety caused by the contemplation of failure and possible death. Storywise Omega is next and is used as a flashback on what our protagonist has left behind, what he has endured to get to this point in his life, and the loss of loved ones. The emotional nature of the song helps with the sentimentality of the story at this point. The last two tracks are where the astronaut finally gets to Mars and has to battle his way through one of Mars' notorious red sand storms, through howling winds to get to the outpost where he will be staying. Now, obviously this story is very inspired by the many movies that have to do with missions to Mars, but that doesn't bother me that it's not wholly original. You also kept the story fairly simple and let the songs do the heavy lifting, which works for the most part. Although it could have used a bit of fleshing out. I'm curious what you will end up bringing to the table for the rest of the roulette.
Story Score - 7/10 + 1 for bonus theme
The way this EP flows is actually pretty good despite not editing anything. The styles all work fairly well together. Although it helps when Major Tom fades out and Icarus starts with a nice mellow keyboard part, then Icarus also fades out, to which Omega starts with another mellow keyboard part.....wait a minute, I see what you did here...
The only part I could see needing some editing would be the transition from Omega into Red Storm, but that is a minor quibble. Also I'd say fadeouts are a lazy way out (never did like when artists did that), in this case it's not really your fault since that is how those songs were recorded.
Flow Score - 8/10
Overall Score - 23.6/30
Stadler - Lost In Space?Elton John – Rocket Man
Pink Floyd – Interstellar Overdrive
Black Sabbath – Into the Void
Kiss – 100,000 Years
Beatles – Across the Universe
First Impression - I'm fairly certain the protagonist was just stoned and he imagined the whole experience.
OK, starting off an EP with Rocket Man is a ballsy move. Lucky for you I didn't ban this album and I love this song. Just a great classic song. Then the EP starts to fall apart. Interstellar Overdrive works well narratively, however, it was never a song I enjoyed much. Granted I haven't gone back to Pink Floyd's first album much over the years. I just think Pink Floyd did the spacey psychedelic rock much better on later albums, like on Meddle or Saucerful of Secrets. So much of the song, I just find more irritating than interesting. We move onto Into the Void, which is quite an enjoyable Sabbath tune, but stylistically it clashes a bit with what came before. I really like the low growl of Butler's bass on this track, especially in contrast to Ozzie's more nasally vocals. It makes for a nice dichotomy. Then the fast part is pretty cool and gets me headbanging. Stylistically, 100,000 Years works in conjunction with Sabbath (although Sabbath is way better), but I just don't like this song. The vocals are bad and the song is a little too simple. Across the Universe is next and is a huge departure from everything before it. Although, I like it ended the EP as kind of a coda to the story.
Song Score - 6.8/10
So another EP that starts with the protagonist heading to Mars. Did you guys all get together before hand and decide to make Mars the theme of the round?
At any rate, Rocket Man tells the story well enough about a man wanting to get away from Earth and go somewhere new. And the song does mention Mars. Works for me, so far. Interstellar Overdrive is supposed to denote the journey and subsequently when everything goes wrong. The fact it's instrumental doesn't help with storytelling, but the chaos of the song helps a bit. Makes it sound more like a the soundtrack to a trippy '60s space movie. Into the Void tells why our protagonist left Earth, it's basically destroyed and under Satan's control, but the protagonist decides to come back to try to improve things with the knowledge he has gained on his trip. 100,000 years signifies that he has been gone a long time and things have changed a lot while he was gone and he is not remembered, but he still tries to make things better with the wisdom he has gained in his trip across the universe..........However, I'm fairly certain he was stoned and imagined the whole thing...
I don't know, in some respects all the songs make lyrical sense, but at the same time it sort of feels disjointed and rushed. Perhaps you tried to cram too much story into an EP length album. I do look forward to what you have coming next. I always feel like you are a wildcard in roulettes
Story Score - 6/10 +1 for bonus theme
The way this flows is mostly OK. There are some problems with varying volume levels between songs. Interstellar Overdrive is a bit too loud and the last 3 tracks were too low. The transitions from Rocket Man-Interstellar Overdrive-Into the Void are all fine enough. I had to go back and listen to Into the Void from the original album to see if it also ended the same way, it does not and I wish you hadn't just done a hard fadeout where you did, it was really jarring. You weren't time limited, so I'm not sure what your reasoning was for that. The final transition is fine, although that probably could have done with a brief pause, given the change of style and tone. Just my 2 cents.
Flow Score - 6/10
Overall Score - 19.8/30
Topic: Puppies (Re)Discovery EP Roulette V.4 (The Final Art!) (Read 79649 times)
