Round 4 ResultsRound 4 PlaylistHOF: Amplifier – Two Way MirrorI actually wasn’t gonna call this the worst song of the round, since I do like this style more than Overkill, but… no, this is just a mess. What the hell’s up with the drum production here? They sound, like, deep fried. The entire song is awash in buzzing static that just sounds ugly. And I’m not… sure? What the point of this is? What’s this song meant to evoke in the listener?
Like, Amplifier used to be great at building atmosphere. Haven’t gone back to it in a while, but I remember The Octopus covering a wide range across its runtime, between the spooky, the groovy, the abrasive, the crushing, and everything in between. Meanwhile, Two Way Mirror sounds like radio rock sludge that doesn’t even have the decency to be catchy. It’s like… the blandest possible version of Oceansize’s Catalyst.
This writeup probably sounds more negative than I intend but that might be because I had expectations from these guys and this just doesn’t live up to them. Some of the riffs are kiiiinda cool but they all blend together and never really amount to anything, the song goes on for a bit but kinda just… ends abruptly. I’ve liked this one less every time I’ve listened to it and I’d probably have been happier for banning it and asking you to resend, bleh. Too late now, though.
5.5/10Faizoff: Overkill – BattleThrash metal, sludge metal, nu-metal, please don’t.
I mean, can’t say I didn’t warn you. This isn’t even the faster-paced thrash metal that
occasionally has a chance to work for me, either, it’s a bit more midtempo in spots and maybe a bit bassier than your average thrash, but those guitar tones, those unpleasant vocals, those melodies and chugging riffs… yep, this is a thrash metal song alright.
I don’t even really find anything about this particularly egregious other than maaaaybe the vocals – it’s not the worst song of the roulette or even the round, for sure – but there’s also just not a ton for me to latch onto here? I think it’s pretty good for what it’s trying to be but what it’s trying to be is a style that just doesn’t interest me in any way.
I dunno, never been here for the beefy, gruff, tough guy metal (a problem shared with the other genres I listed above!) Struggling to really say much else about this that I haven’t already said in other write-ups in this roulette, honestly. Just lacks in color or emotion and subsequently isn’t for me. Shrug.
6/10Stadler: Geezer Butler – Dogs of WhoreThis song basically has one real problem, but unfortunately, it’s a problem that persists throughout most of the song. That, like… scraping/scratching sound in the main riif. It’s reeeeally unpleasant. And I can’t just, like, tune it out or anything because it goes on throughout almost the entire song!
…I also find it weird how that riff, like… cuts off in the middle of a note in a few places. Not even just, the last note properly ends, I can hear the audible cut in the track. It may just be a loop of the exact same riff played ad infinitum. It’s really distracting.
It’s a shame because beyond that, I could… kiiiind of see this working? Don’t think it’d ever be up my alley as far as heavier rockers go but the riff does have a cool groove to it, the hook switching to a more ominous atmosphere with a solid tune to it is nice, all the other riffs that aren’t the scratchy one can go pretty hard – especially dig the bridge/breakdown towards the middle – there are
parts here I can gel with but the song always comes back around to, the riff.
Granted, it’s in a similar lane as Overkill in the “GRAAWRRGH TOUGH GUY METAL YEAAHH” camp that’s got a pretty low ceiling for me, but that I can at least jam along to it a little saves it from a worse score and placement. Kinda.
6/10Reaper: Rabea Massaad – Brute ForceActually, I changed my mind from the original impression – this is definitely in a similar lane as the Ola Englund song from round 1, but it’s less colorful, less memorable, less… just less. There is less of it. It’s got solid riffs, solid leads, but the song’s over so fast none of them have any room to breathe and none of them really, like, stick in my memory even a tiny bit.
It’s pretty much devoid of negative traits, which is to say… kinda generic, I’ve essentially heard this exact song a hundred times over, but it’s a sound I’m at least a bit more fond of that the aforementioned TOUGH GUY METAL RAAUUGH. Not by much, because djent and djent-isms have ruined so many genres, but you could do soooo much worse in this lane. I just…. there isn’t really much else to say about it! It’s fine!
6.5/10TAC: Memphis May Fire – Sleepless NightsOn the subject of djent ruining everything. So, you can pretty much boil down a lot of modern post-hardcore and metalcore into two camps – the ones that stuck to the classic sounds of the 90’s and 00’s and took them to their logical next steps, and the ones who hopped on the djentwagon and fell into The Formula, and Memphis May Fire is firmly the latter.
Like, the production isn’t as… lifeless, as some djent, but I recognize these riffing styles, I recognize this “hardcore screams over chuggy riffing verses” follow by “whiny-voiced obvious pop hook chorus” and Sleepless Nights is just, like. The most song of all time. With all the strengths and weaknesses of this specific breed of metalcore, and it’s just not… special, in any way.
And obviously, I like the former of the two camps I listed more – Actor | Observer obviously, but also acts like La Dispute, Birds in Row, Touché Amoré, even more obscure picks like Tripsitter and Sparrows, and I can even gel with some of the other, “modern metalcore” breed like Counterparts and Silent Planet, but Memphis May Fire are just, doing the bare minimum here. It’s a sound I’m always gonna have a slight bias towards, but beyond that… there’s nothing here.
6.5/10Buddy: Horrendous – The IdolaterSo yeah, I already knew this band and album for what it’s worth. Checked it out back when it first dropped because I was right in the middle of my tech death exploration phase and while this isn’t, exactly, that… it was adjacent enough that I was curious. And, uhh, that I listened to this album all the way through several times and didn’t remember this one at all… and still don’t really remember it too well even after a few more listens… kinda speaks to the problem right there.
I sort of suspect this was an attempt to recapture what worked so well for me with Chapel of Disease in round 1, what with the more old school death metal sound and the focus on sick guitar riffs and leads, and like… yeah, I mean, the riffs are cool, the leads are cool, but I feel like they’re all just being poured on top of me with no real rhyme or reason or even structure. The song just kinda happens.
It’s getting elevated above some of the lower-rated tunes just for being a bit more melodic than the mindlessly heavy stuff here, but I can’t really distinguish it
that much from them, either, ‘cause there’s just not a lot to latch onto here. Everything is solid but none of it really stands out or builds to anything, then it just ends. It’s. Fine! Not making me eager to revisit this album, though.
6.5/10Vmadera: Gojira – Born for One ThingGojira are a band I’m never gonna love and I’ve pretty much accepted that. I uhh. I liked Flying Whales. And maybe a few other songs off that album that I can’t name off the top of my head. This falls back into the “tough guy metal” – more, like, groove metal or somesuch, heavier Pantera or whatever the basis of that genre is, so you’ve got your chugging riffs, gruff vocals, and lack of tunefulness.
Except, uhh, I guess this one at least grew on me because you can at least tell Gojira know what the hell they’re doing in this lane? The guitar and drum tones have just the right level of crunch, the mix is perfectly balanced, the riffs actually have some groove, the drumming is phenomenal, there’s even a good, kinda catchy hook buried in the mess of riffs.
I dunno, I can at least kind of respect this? It’s got more meat on its bones than most if not all the songs rated lower, but it’s also just kinda weird, shapeless, and mostly tuneless in a way that has never been my thing. For the crowd who loves pure loudness and aggression I can see why this would pop off, but it’s just never gonna be my thing.
6.5/10King: Stabbing Westward – Save YourselfThis is technically in the “accidental cheating” category since I already knew this one, but also not really since I don’t, exactly, love it. It’s, uhh. Very standard modern radio rock. It’s pretty fine in that lane, nothing remarkable, but like, gets the job done. Uuhh. Umm. Can I end the writeup there? What else can I really say?
Well, uhh, I can at least give this credit for being the first song here with like… an actual groove, a hook, something I can latch onto, even if it’s not amazing in either of those aspects? I actually remember how this one goes when I’m done listening to it! Maybe it’s just getting points by default simply for being one of the most tuneful songs this round, even if realistically the tune itself isn’t actually, that, good, but like… it’s something! I guess.
6.5/10Litho: Harakari for the Sky – Us Against December SkiesThis song is like a microcosm of why this round has been so rough for me to listen to or write about. It’s like. yep. This is… this is black metal. That’s so true, bestie! Black Metal by John Blackmetal himself! What… do I say about it? What about this most painfully basic take on this pretty good genre could even register as interesting or noteworthy to me?
Uuhh. The riffs are. Okay. The production and mixing are… not great, actually, the drums are too loud – pro-tip, all extreme metal bands ever, do NOT mix the drums above the guitars, that tells me you’re prioritizing loudness over texture and it
always sounds worse for it, that bit around 5:30 sounds
especially awful, man! – but like, yep. It’s got the 6/8 groove. It’s got the crunchy guitars. It’s got the wails of agony.
It’s the most milquetoast black metal song of the round, and it’s subsequently scoring the lowest out of all of ‘em! That’s all I got to say about this one!
7/10Luke: Better Lovers – 30 Under 13Apparently this band is adjacent to The Dillinger Escape Plan and Every Time I Die and… yeah, that sounds about right. Not bands I’m especially into, but, to be fair, I have been way more into, like… friggin’ stupid hardcore & metalcore as of late so this is at least hitting
some notes for me!
And putting this up against Memphis May Fire in this round, it puts in stark perspective how much more willing to be abrasive and, frankly, creative these guys are, and the end result is that they actually cultivate an enjoyable heaviness out of it, even if it’s a faaaaairly shallow one. There’s not as much of a tune here, but… there
is a tune, at least a little bit.
It’s not the most, shaped, song here, but the ways it goes hard are ones I find more appealing and interesting than a lot of the other more aggressive songs here. And it’s… a bit lacking in tempo at the start, but it kinda gets there in the end. In an almost thrashy way, ironically. Wonder why it works for me here but not with actual thrash metal. Anyways, yeah, this was a fun listen, even if I’m not head over heels for it I at least wouldn’t mind checking out this album when it releases.
7/10Lonestar: Ov Sulfur – Death Ov CircumstanceYeah, what, like, how is this deathcore? This is like, the symphonic-est, death-est symphonic death metal I’ve ever heard. Which isn’t, like, my favorite genre ever or anything but… frankly, I’m not sure any other metal song this round even has symphonic elements, somehow? Which is fairly surprising, actually. It’s got that going for it.
It’s also just one of the better sounding songs this round, period? I can’t exactly say it has the most
unique sound, but it’s loud and crushing without blurring into a wall of sound, there’s a melodic aspect by way of the strings mimicking the guitar groove, it’s definitely pretty straightforward in its brutality, but it’s a kind of brutality I can mosh to. Or whatever it is the kids these days do.
Like, yeah, probably could be a bit deeper, probably could do a bit more to stand out, it’s kinda just paint-by-numbers symphonic death metal at the end of the day, but hey, I’m
fine with that. I dig it. Not… sure it’s gonna stick with me, but, ehh, I’ll take it.
7/10Dacul: Floex – Prelude IYeah, see, if this had been submitted by anyone else other than you, or Seneca I guess, this probably would’ve been rejected, but that’s where the “relative” aspect of loudness comes in! ‘Cause, like, in terms of heaviness, this is… about on par with KANGA from last round, the non-rock/metal round, so… yeah. To be fair, that also makes this stand out by default. Which is semi-cheating?
Speaking of KANGA, this kinda feels like a midway point between that song and Ooyy – where it’s got the clattering percussion and industrial undertones of the former, but it doesn’t… quite… do a ton with them? Like with Ooyy. It definitely does
more, at least, there’s a tension and progression to this and the sound’s just straight up cooler and more unique, but it’s not particularly… memorable or sticky. Kinda forget what it sounds like the moment it ends.
It’s one of the few songs this round that actually, like… excites me, though. Even… hell, all of the songs I’ve rated higher, frankly, I’m not sure I’m interested in them enough to actually follow up on checking on the album… since most of them are just More Black Metal. This one though? It’s cool and unique enough that I’m at least curious! Counts for something.
7/10Puppies: Gaerea – MemoirI feel like this sits comfortably alongside Harakiri for the Sky at the “John Blackmetal” table, complete with the exact same production issues. In hindsight, it’s actually slightly less pronounced here, but… I mean, it is pronounced. Why are the drums and
especially the hihats so loud that they crush and muddy everything else? Why would you
ever mix black metal, hell, any black metal, that way? Godddd.
Anyways, I do like this one more than Harakiri ‘cause it’s more, like, straight atmoblack, with that slow-burn build leading to an explosive wall of sound, it’s got both more intensity and also just straight up more tempo. If it were mixed better I honestly could see myself being way more into this, and it’s at least grown on me a little after a few more listens, but… it
is kinda just bog-standard black metal beyond that, y’know? It’s good. Quite good. Not…
interesting, though.
7.5/10Seneca: Lingua Ignota – If the Poison Won't Take You My Dogs WillWhoo boy. So I know the backstory behind Lingua Ignota’s projects & I don’t. Particularly feel like discussing it here, but I know how it colors her output, which, yes, I’ve listened to both this album and Sinner Get Ready so this isn’t, shocking to me, but I’ve never really… revisited either, in part because the style doesn’t quite do it for me, in part because the music is… visceral and uncomfortable in ways that make it hard to revisit. On purpose, but, still.
This isn’t the loudest song of the round, to be sure, but it’s obviously the most intense. I’m not… sure that it translates to emotional potency, mind you, even with the lyrics in front of me and knowing
what it’s about it’s never quite,
hit for me, but… I mean, it’s still pretty chilling to listen to even devoid of all that context, because it just. Sounds like that, y’know?
Also I dunno what I was on calling the quieter moments weaker, they’re probably the most vocally intense moments of the song where Lingua goes between practically weeping and demonic screaming, and then the cooldown between the extremity of the start and end keeps the song dynamic, keeps the intensity from wearing out its welcome. It’s just… a lot. This song is a lot. I’m still not 100% sure if I’ve made up my mind on it, but I mean… I like it, so…
7.5/10Tomi: Respire – TempestOf the black metal songs in this round, this is probably the one that stands out the most, simply by also having a ton of screamo elements to it, and screamo and black metal are two genres that go together like peanut butter and chocolate if acts like Svalbard are any indication. Mmm. I want some Reeses now. Reesespire. Heh. Anyways, yeah, this band has always had a “cool sound” even if I’ve also never fully, like, loved them either.
Which yeah, spoilers and shock – three of the four black metal bands in this round, I already knew of! I’ve heard a
lot of this genre, y’all, it’s super hard to impress me with it nowadays. But I mean, this is still really good all things considered. Funnily enough, it’s got… basically the same structure as the Lingua Ignota song with an intense start and end and a quieter moment in between, and while that quiet is more… pretty, than anything here, it still functionally serves the same purpose.
And like, yeah, this ranks slightly higher just because I straight up like this sound more. Soaring, melodic, and tight with some really visceral moments but even the prettier moments have a lot of appeal to them. The violin that’s kinda buried in the mix is a nice touch. It’s probably the best-produced black metal of this entire bunch! I’m not, like, busting down the walls to go listen to more Respire, but it was the most immediately exciting metal tune of the round for me, even if it didn’t quite end up being my favorite of the round, if only just barely.
8/10Ariich: The Ember, The Ash – Consciousness Torn from the VoidMaybe it’s because, unlike the other black metal submissions this round, I didn’t know this band at all – or at least, I don’t think I’ve ever heard ‘em before – but this ended up being my favorite of the bunch! Not for being, like, particularly special, but this just
sounds better than Gaerea or Harakiri for the Sky… because the mix is great and the guitars sound phenomenal.
As far as black metal goes, is there much else that stands out about this one to me! Nope! Nothing at all! It’s just, John Blackmetal but cooler. It’s actually got that kinda spacey sound to it I really dig, the synths in the background help fill out the mix, it’s pretty dynamic, it’s neither too lo-fi nor too pretty… I could actually see myself enjoying a full album of this! I don’t know if I need more of it in my life, but, yeah, this is just doing the basics really damn well!
8/10Standings:Ariich – 30.5
Tomislav – 30.5
Puppies – 29.5
Seneca – 29.5
Buddy – 29
TAC – 29
King – 28.5
Litho – 28.5
Vmadera – 28
Luke – 27.5
Stadler – 27.5
HOF – 27
Lonestar – 27
Reaper – 27
Faizoff – 26.5
Dacul – 25.5
like previously stated I’m gonna be taking at least a week off from this since 1. it’s my bday 2. I’ve been at this for two months and need a break 3. this round was kinda exhausting. the longest round for probably the overall worst experience, i think y’all hyperfocused on loudness itself over, like, tunefulness! not a single extreme prog metal song this entire round despite that absolutely being on the table!
Topic: Crow's Overdue Roulette v8 - FINAL RESULTS!!! (Read 46956 times)
