ariich's DARK TO LIGHT roulette (v8) - Post-roulette updates (ongoing)

[faizoff]

Not surprised at all by the drop.

[jingle.boy]

Poor Elite.

[lonestar]

Even is good.. As long as I don't fall...

Feel very confident in my next 2 rounds.

[Buddyhunter1]

Well, a downside to being this consistent is I'm not really able to catch up to first.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I have a feeling I'm about to be sad...

[ReaperKK]

Awful lot of red this round, luckily I'm green

[jingle.boy]

Awful lot of red this round, luckily I'm green

It ain't easy being green.

[ariich]

Yes there is a fair bit of red this round.

Still a solid round though. Scores currently averaging a tiny bit higher than round 1 but a little behind rounds 2 and 3. Will see what happens on final listens but it feels like the current scores are more spread out - a few more on the lower end but also in the 8.3-8.5 range, and not much in the 8.0-8.2 range that has generally been pretty dominant in previous rounds.

[Crow]

hell yeah 8.5

[HOF]

I definitely wasn’t expecting my score to go up this round (or stay level), so no surprises here.

[Glasser]

[ariich]

I preferred you when you were a dancing orangutan.

[TAC]

I preferred you when you were a dancing orangutan.

That's how he sucks you in. Then the shit flies!

[Glasser]

I preferred you when you were a dancing orangutan.

Me too. 

[Sacul]

Hope my score is more of a 7.9

[Glasser]

I preferred you when you were a dancing orangutan.

That's how he sucks you in. Then the shit flies!

I just suck.

[lonestar]

[romdrums]

I preferred you when you were a dancing orangutan.

That's how he sucks you in. Then the shit flies!

I just suck.

Hell of a throw, though. 

[ariich]

Results will indeed be this evening once the kids are in bed and I can finally sit at my computer.

[King Postwhore]

And a lot of slinging after. Lol

[lonestar]

*calculates time zones*

[TAC]

It's dinner time over there.

[ariich]

Yeah ifs 6:15pm here, so maybe in a couple of hours?

[King Postwhore]

Yeah ifs 6:15pm here, so maybe in a couple of hours?

Tim disapproves. 

[TAC]

Nope. I'm good. My disapproval depends on what's posted once the kids go to bed.

[King Postwhore]

 

[ariich]

Metalcore sucks lol 6.0/10

[TAC]

Kingshmegland sent metalcore?

[King Postwhore]

Metalcore sucks lol 6.0/10

 

[Crow]

 

[lonestar]

Sent Rd 5 while waiting 

[romdrums]

Sent Rd 5 while waiting

Same.

[Elite]

Poor Elite.

Have you listened to what I sent though?

I wasn't really expected this to do very well to be honest

[ariich]

ROUND 4 RESULTS

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faizoff – Meshuggah
1. Combustion
2. Pravus
3. Shed
4. Marrow

First impression: I can see the appeal of this more than other things I’ve heard from this band, but I’m still not sure it’s my cup of tea.

Final opinion: Making a strong claim for the “most inconsistent” award this roulette! It’s always going to be a risk sending me something where I’ve rated the artist quite low in the past (in this case, an earlier album and EP each getting 2.5 stars which equates to 5.0-5.9) unless there is something fairly markedly different about what they’re doing. I feel pretty confident that Meshuggah just isn’t really for me. Don’t get me wrong, I like this significantly more than anything I’ve heard from them before, and it’s definitely given me an appreciation for why people are into them. As you said in your submission, there is a groove here that’s quite cool and some of the rhythmic riffing is enjoyable. The production is also quite punchy which lends itself well to the intensity of the sound. In this small 18-minute burst, those qualities are enough for me to enjoy this somewhat. But they’re not enough to compensate for the complete lack of melody or, really, even much in the way of atmosphere.

Score: 7.0

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Elite – Imperial Triumphant
1. Chump Change
2. Merkurius Gilded
3. Paranoid Android

First impression: There’s a pretty good chance this will be too weird for me, but there was something strangely compelling about it.

Final opinion: Not dissimilar to the Meshuggah entry, I can see the appeal (albeit for different reasons) but I’m finding this hard work. There is a strange atmosphere to this that’s kind of interesting. The music is weird as hell, and not in a quirky fun way that I often like, but in more of a “were they even trying to write music or were they just interested in the sounds?” way. It’s definitely not something that I would normally go for and to be honest I would often not give it much attention at all, either just switching it off or ending up giving it a genuinely low (not just low-for-ariich-roulettes) rating. But what I like about this format is that it forces me to pay close attention, and give extra listens, to things I otherwise wouldn’t. The dark, intense, freaky vibe here is engaging to a point, with some pretty creepy moments in Merkurius Gilded with the choirs and saxophone. But even then, the first two songs are so dense and impenetrable that alone I’m confident they’d have scored below 7. It’s somewhat salvaged, though, by the bizarre version of Paranoid Android, which sounds nothing like the original but has enough snippets of the strong hooks from that song that, combined with the overall creepy sound, kind of works to make something oddly compelling.

Score: 7.2

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Stadler – Mother Love Bone
1. Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns

First impression: I can see the lyrical weight of this, but I was hoping for a little more emotional impact.

Final opinion: This is a strange song that I have quite mixed feelings about. There are aspects that I like a lot, but that get held back by weaker elements. A good example of this is the intro. The piano theme is great, and really feels like it’s setting up an emotional and slightly theatrical bit of prog or AOR. But the vocal line is quite bland and even awkward at times, and the overall effect just doesn’t quite work. Similarly, reading the lyrics in light of what you told me about Andrew Wood, I can see the lyrical weight of the exploration of someone giving up and resigned to their fate. But both in composition and delivery, I just don’t feel any of that emotional weight. Maybe it’s something about this particular stylistic approach that just doesn’t grab me - I’ve never been particularly impressed with what I’ve heard from Pearl Jam either. The more energetic last couple of minutes of the song are more engaging, but overall it doesn’t do enough to excite.

Score: 7.4

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HOF – Marathon
1. Beyond the Veil
2. The Seventh Dimension
3. Open Field

First impression: As far as neo-prog goes, this is perhaps not as warm as my favourites but it's more riff-driven and there’s a nice crunchiness to it.

Final opinion: I’m not sure I was quite right to say this isn’t warm. Actually I think there is plenty of warmth to this, which is one of its strengths really. It’s a bit dated, definitely sounding overall very much like the 90s neo-prog it is, but also with some nice guitar work more in the forefront, not entirely dissimilar to what some of the early prog metal bands were doing (at least in their more upbeat tunes - I’m thinking of things like DT’s Surrounded). It’s a rather nice effect and they do it well. I can’t fault these songs and I enjoy them a good amount, but ultimately they don’t do enough to really jump out at me. The melodies are nice but aren’t the strongest hooks. The warmth is there but it’s not overly emotive. The riffing is good but nothing special. It’s like it does quite well at pretty much all the things I look for, but not well enough at any of them to stand out.

Score: 7.7

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Puppies – Lykathea Aflame
1. Land Where Sympathy is Air
2. Bringer of Elvenefris Flame
3. A Step Closer

First impression: Ferocious yet tonally bright - it's a weird combination that will take some getting used to.

Final opinion: Did you and Elite get this round confused with Crow’s upcoming “weird” round? The absolute intensity of the sound at times, combined with very upbeat music in major keys, is so odd to me and I still wouldn’t say I’ve got my head around it - and perhaps I never will. I’m pretty confident this was a better shout than the banned Warforged songs you tried sending at first (not that I’ve tried rating those specific songs, in fairness) as I do have a general preference for this more melodic approach. The main stumbling block I have is those vocals. I’m just not a fan of that really deep grunting. It’s not just that I can’t make out the words - it’s so unintelligible that I can’t even work out if words are being said. Kardashev (who you’ve also sent me before, with more success) have some of that too at times, but not all the time and the music is rich enough to get past it. But I’m not a fan of the style. The music here isn’t quite rich enough to entirely compensate, but it’s not far off and even though I wouldn’t say I wholly get the tonal juxtaposition, I’m really digging the more melodic and less grunty bits. I’m not expecting this album to be a winner but I’ll give it a listen for sure (if I can find it).

Score: 7.8

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Sacul – Have A Nice Life
1. Bloodhail
2. Deep, Deep
3. Holy Fucking Shit: 40,000

First impression: This is pretty bleak - my first thought was that it might be too cold for my tastes, but it does get more engaging once it picks up.

Final opinion: This ended up growing on me a bit, but not as much as I had hoped. The first song especially is quite droney for my tastes. It’s an interesting sound and the bass motif is cool once you settle into it, but it kind of drags on quite a lot and doesn’t really go anywhere or do anything particularly interesting. Deep Deep is more engaging - the main riff is a little bland and the opening bass line comes straight from an Offspring song, but it has a strong chorus, especially with the way the synths come in and enhance the main tune. And then the last song is better again, more mellow and melancholy in vibe but the most musically rich of the lot, quite evocative, and the way it builds up in the second half is very nicely done.

Score: 7.8

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King – Sevendust
1. Denial
2. Praise
3. Ugly
4. Enemy
5. Prodigal Son

First impression: Not a genre I generally expect to receive, and if I had to guess who would send it to me, your name definitely would not come to mind.

Final opinion: Not only did I get sent late 90s/early 00s nu-metal, it was Joe who sent it to me? What the. I’m not sure if I’ve heard any Sevendust before, but it absolutely reminds me of a lot of the music I was hearing in those formative late teens when I started gigging with my mates and discovering music on my own, so it’s quite possible I have heard the odd song before. That feeling of nostalgia is not unpleasant. But also more generally these songs are all solid, if nothing special. I suppose I’d say the same about all the different aspects of it too. The riffs and verses are nothing special, but they’re solid and crunchy and kind of fun. The choruses aren’t super catchy but they’re all accessible and enjoyable and there are some nice hooks, especially in the later songs which, combined with the tighter production, make these easily the ones I enjoy most.

Score: 7.8

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luke – Worm
1. Bluenothing
2. Invoking the Dragonmoon
3. Shadowside Kingdom

First impression: Not sure what to make of this yet, it's fairly harmonically dense - some of it sounded great while other bits were quite sludgy and lo-fi.

Final opinion: Not sure I’ve moved on that much from my first impression, to be honest. There’s a lot that I like but it’s a mixed bag. The intro is fantastic, great mood and big soaring guitars. But then most of the rest of that (long!) first song is sludgy and the rhythm guitars are really weak and low in the mix, and it just sounds very… amateurish? If the music were rich and accessible it might not have mattered too much, but the combination of the two makes it hard to get into. I don’t dislike it but I don’t feel it quite works. The soaring guitars return later in the song though and those sections are nice, but overall the song isn’t really my thing. Dragonmoon is a great little 2-minute guitar instrumental with a lot of atmosphere - again this seems to be where this band’s strengths are. Shadowside is easily my favourite here - the first few minutes are some nice buildup and again great guitar work with some good hooks, and then once it kicks in it’s a strong bit of black metal where the mix is clearer and it’s generally a pretty great song.

Score: 7.9

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Reaper – The Paper Sons
1. The Restless
2. Blackout
3. Set In Motion
4. Fall Apart

First impression: This is emotive in an alt-prog/post-hardcore kind of way, and there's a slight theatricality to some of it that hits the right notes for me.

Final opinion: This is an odd one for me - on first listen I definitely thought I’d like it more than I ended up doing, but that’s not to say I don’t still like it quite a lot. The general sound is one that I tend to enjoy, that sort of alt-prog that derives quite heavily from post-hardcore. The last song especially is really great, and is probably what left me with such a strong impression at the end of my first listen. It’s energetic, a little emotive, has strong hooks and a slightly dramatic flair - definitely a strong example of this style. The other songs all feel like slightly lesser versions of the same style, especially the vocals which aren’t quite as strong. At times the melodies are slightly unusual - almost Deftones-esque, which is an odd combination although it creates an interesting effect. But in fairness, they’re all still really good songs even if they don’t jump out at me like Fall Apart does.

Score: 8.0

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Glasser – Anima Tempo
1. The Infinite Eye
2. Confessions

First impression: Doesn’t really deviate from most djenty prog metal, but it sounds good - tight riffing and playing, and solid hooks.

Final opinion: I wouldn’t say that anything here particularly blows me away, and yet it’s all rather tasty stuff just the same. Highly competent and fast-paced prog metal with a strong djent leaning, with very tight, skilled playing and solid (if pretty standard for the genre) sound production. There’s a little bit of that Haken influence again in places, especially in Confessions, although not in nearly as exciting a way as what Nospūn did with it in the last round. Stylistically, it sounds pretty much like a dozen other bands I’ve heard, but thankfully it benefits from good hooks and some nice bits of instrumentation. In particular, the keys make a lot of use of strings, and this organic sound balances out the quite cold and technical sound of the guitar work to make something pretty engaging.

Score: 8.2

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TAC – Atropas
1. Snow
2. Vacuum

First impression: This is rather more metalcore than I’d have expected to receive from you, but it also has aspects of genres I associate more with you and the combination seems to work well.

Final opinion: On your harsh vocals journey, you’ve come a long way my friend. The core sound here is very much melodic metalcore, and solid metalcore at that - it just surprised me to receive it from you. But then I think there are also quite a lot of stylings and influences from prog metal and from the more atmospheric side of extreme metal (melodic death metal, etc) in the mix, so I can see why it appeals to you. Indeed, it’s a combination that works rather well. The big anthemic choruses, crunchy metalcore riffs and more ambient sections are all individually done well, and the contrast between them is effective at keeping the songs pretty dynamic and interesting. I wonder how many more 8.2s you can collect this roulette.

Score: 8.2

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lonestar – Hanabie
1. Neet Game
2. Invisible Wall
3. Love Renpu
4. Ghost Mania
5. Pardon Me, I Have to Go Now

First impression: Great energy and intensity, and a fun fusion of two quite distinct styles/tones, although it might have been even better if the two were more balanced.

Final opinion: I’ve been on a bit of a journey with this one. At first I liked the fusion of metalcore and cutesy j-pop, if perhaps wanting a bit more of the latter. On the next couple of listens, I felt that qualifier more strongly, coming to the realisation that apart from the last song this is pretty much just straight up metalcore, with only little poppy nods in some of the intros and interludes, and I felt kind of disappointed. But I came to terms with that and just enjoyed it for the solid metalcore that it is. Some of the hooks could be a little stronger perhaps, but then those small poppy infusions do make up for it by creating a pretty fun effect. And really, that last song is a winner. Funnily enough, it doesn’t even really have much melody to speak of, but it’s a proper bringing together of the two genres in a way that’s an absolute blast. Which brings me back to my first impression - this is what I’d love to have heard more of.

Score: 8.2

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[ariich]

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Vmadera – Fit for An Autopsy
1. When the Bulbs Burn Out
2. Far From Heaven
3. Black Mammoth
4. Two Towers

First impression: Good grief this is pretty relentless, and yet there’s probably just enough sense of melody to make it work.

Final opinion: Deathcore is not a genre I get sent very often. I guess in principle, the intensity of it makes it quite risky? But then again the only ones I can think that would largely fit in that description are Kardashev (from Puppies in my v6) and Slice the Cake (from Train in my v4), both of which I liked a lot. With both of those, the relentless ferocity is there, but it’s balanced out with moments of ambience and held together with enough of a melodic approach - generally with a pretty epic slant - to work really well for me. And it’s exactly the same here, albeit in a slightly different way. These songs don’t have much in the way of ambient moments, but there’s a melodic richness throughout that is very compelling when combined with the heaviness, and then there is that less intense section towards the end of Two Towers that’s incredibly immersive and has some gorgeous guitar work.

Score: 8.3

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Crow – Gospel
1. Bravo
2. Deerghost
3. Hyper
4. S.R.O.

First impression: Didn’t love every aspect of this right away but the instrumentation is unusual for the genre and works great, and each song seems to keep getting better as it goes.

Final opinion: This is not entirely dissimilar to your first round, in the sense of being on the spectrum of hardcore to post-hardcore and reasonably raw in sound. I think one of the main differences here is that this is even more raw and, for want of a better word, noisy in style. The vocals especially are kind of messy and frantic at times, especially early in the first song. My first impression was a bit of a reaction to those features, mainly, but once I got used to them, I’ve found so much to like here. There’s a kind of proggy influence that contrasts interestingly with the rawness of the overall sound but also adds variety and melody. Related to this, the instrumentation is also quite rare for the genre in just how much use they make of keyboards right up in the forefront. The one that stands out most is the organ, which adds a big immersive sound to some of the more climactic points, but there are some great moments with other sounds as well like electric piano and even some 80s style synths.

Score: 8.3

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romdrums – Obsidious
1. Under Black Skies
2. Iconic
3. Delusion

First impression: I tend to find this subgenre a little cold, but this might break the mould with some strong choruses.

Final opinion: There aren’t all that many tech death bands that I’m into - even some of those I’ve liked initially have worn a little thin, and part of the issue I think is that it’s often quite cold and mechanical. But this is the first of three submissions this round that demonstrate why I don’t like closing myself off! As I said via PM, this isn’t the first off-shoot of Obscura that I’ve been sent (indeed it’s the third, and yet I’ve never heard the original band!) but previous efforts haven’t really hit the mark, suffering from the same issue I often have. So this is a nice discovery for me because it has all the intensity and complexity that can make the genre exciting, but expands on it with huge melodic choruses that inch the overall sound a little more towards prog metal. Really memorable hooks and epic vibes. Also, that jazz fusion section in Delusion is *chef’s kiss*.

Score: 8.3

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Buddy – Rivers of Nihil
1. Subtle Change
2. Terrestria III: Wither
3. The Void From Which No Sound Escapes

First impression: Intense, intelligent and interesting - not sure it entirely hits the mark on what I look for in the genre, but the more atmospheric moments sounded good.

Final opinion: Ok so this links to romdrums’ submission above in terms of bucking the trend when it comes to technical death metal, but it’s also one of a set of submissions where my first impression was pretty much just flat out wrong. In a way, there is indeed a coldness to this that I associate with the genre. There’s a lot of groove and complexity, and the melodies aren’t especially immediate. I think this was the main driver of my first impression, but once I did my usual recalibration based on that first listen, I found loads to like. And if I’m honest, Evermind’s submission also offered me a fuller and more rounded sense of the band, which I suspect probably benefited you slightly. But anyway, back to your songs - yes there’s a coldness here in the heavier sections, but it’s still engaging, and the atmospheric moments don’t just sound good, they’re fantastic. That section in the second half of Subtle Change for example, starting with the ambient bit with the saxophone and leading up to the chorus reprise is so good (even if the chorus itself is nothing special). But really, there’s lots of great stuff in all three songs.

Score: 8.3

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Evermind – Rivers of Nihil
1. Cancer / Moonspeak
2. The Silent Life
3. Where Owls Know My Name

First impression: Intense, intelligent and interesting - not sure it entirely hits the mark on what I look for in the genre, but the more atmospheric moments sounded good.

Final opinion: I’m quite enjoying the little rivalry that you and Buddy - my most recent winners - seem to have going in this roulette. Congrats on getting the slightly better score here, although as I said in Buddy’s writeup, you sending the same band probably inadvertently gave him a slight boost. I wonder if one of you will either slip up or send something special to get your scores further apart… Anyway I won’t repeat what I said in his writeup about the genre or the band in general, all of that applies here too. The question is - why do I like this even more? It’s not only The Silent Life, which everyone seems to be raving about (and yes is pretty damn epic), but the title track as well which may even be my favourite of the lot with its proggy vibes and great hooks. These songs have all the same qualities as the ones Buddy sent and the difference is marginal, but it just comes down to finding these more consistently compelling - there’s not really a moment here that I don’t find interesting and exciting in some way.

Score: 8.4

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Litho – Mercenary
1. Firesoul
2. Music Non Stop
3. The Hours That Remain

First impression: Sounds like a really cool mixture of aggressive and epic - elements of the vocals are not normally what I go for, but they seem to work well here.

Final opinion: This strikes me as a really interesting amalgamation of what various other bands were doing in the late 90s and 2000s, with various aspects very reminiscent of something else but the overall effect not quite sounding like any of them. Musically, Firesoul is absolutely a cross between earlyish In Flames and Children of Bodom, but with lots of King Diamond style vocals. It’s not a vocal style I tend to like (I’m not at all a fan of Halford, for example, although I do think King Diamond is so dark and theatrical and some of it works great) but this is delivered well and blends in with the music very effectively such that it’s not bothersome at all. The harsh vocals are also quite full-on but again they work. Music Non Stop is quite a gear shift, in much more of a straightforward hard rock vein, but it’s a nice little song and I appreciate the variety. And then Hours That Remain has more of a power metal vibe with, presumably, a different vocalist as the singing is more tasteful, if still a little cheesy in a different way. But anyway it’s great - I liked all the songs a lot from the start and the first and third ones have grown on me further with each listen.

Score: 8.4

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jingle – Triosphere
1. Onwards, Pt. 1 - All Is Fair in Love and War?
2. Onwards, Pt. 2 - Decadent One
3. The Heart’s Dominion
4. Worlds Apart

First impression: Big sound, huge voice and, especially in the last two songs, strong hooks - this seems like a pretty safe bet.

Final opinion: I can’t work out if it’s that I’ve become more receptive to power metal in the past few years or if people have just got better at identifying the stuff I’ll like, including where it borders on other genres. I’m sure it’s a bit of both but I do wonder how much the latter is having an impact, because this is yet another success (in this case with some proggy elements). I don’t really have anything to say about the short intro, but the three main songs are full of fantastic hooks and are all cracking in slightly different ways. Onwards is the most straightforward - almost hard rock really - and probably my least favourite but only because the other two are even better. The Heart’s Dominion is dramatic and epic and a really great showcase for her voice. And Worlds Apart is mostly classic power metal fare, but with an emotional edge in the chorus and some quite upbeat moments too. Great stuff all round.

Score: 8.4

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nick_z – Descend
1. Avalin
2. Blood Moon
3. Lily

First impression: Not sure I hear that much of the influences this band apparently has, but this seems rather fantastic anyway - dark, epic and huge in sound.

Final opinion: OK so it’s not only you who compared this band to Opeth, I’ve seen it mentioned by others as well, including a handful of reviews. But other than a few moments in Lily - especially the moody intro - I’m not really hearing it as a substantive influence. The general genre and sound, in terms of instrumentation, sure, but that’s hardly unique. But in melodic and harmonic approach, I find Opeth really ethereal and flitting between delicate and demonic, whereas these songs feel more musically straightforward. Not that it matters anyway, because it’s really great stuff. Compositionally it’s amazing, just really well crafted progressive death metal, full of rich music and intensity. One thing that particularly stands out to me is how intricate and interesting a lot of the riffing is. Looking forward to giving the album a listen!

Score: 8.4

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soupy – Dynazty
1. Presence of Mind
2. All the Devils Are Here
3. Yours
4. Instinct

First impression: Super catchy, pretty epic and just gravelly enough to give it a bit of hard rock punch.

Final opinion: Another strong showing for power metal right here! It's over-simplified, but if power metal exists loosely on a spectrum from dragons and adventures, via grand and symphonic, through to crunchy and thrashy, these songs seem to cover a range somewhere around the middle and leaning towards the latter. Which is probably where my natural comfort zone would sit, on the whole. But it still depends a lot on quality, which this has in spades. Every song is insanely catchy, with big anthemic choruses that instantly lodged themselves in my brain. While they don't dominate, the thrashy influences do also lend a slightly gravelling edge in some of the songs which is great too. Excellent stuff all round.

Score: 8.4

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wolfking – Wolfheart
1. Shores of Lake Simpele
2. The Hunt
3. Cold Flame
4. Valkyrie

First impression: This sounded like solid death metal but nothing particularly stood out - hopefully I’ll get more sense of it with further listens.

Final opinion: And here we come to the last of my “oops my first impression was dumb” writeups. I don’t know what was going on with that first listen, I can only assume I was distracted because on my second listen there was loads that stood out - I loved it and that’s stayed the case with all the remaining listens. The first track is clearly an intro and it’s a great scene-setter - the music is pretty lush and the way it builds up from acoustic to heavy is terrific. The Hunt is probably the least exciting and comes closest to nothing standing out (which might have influenced my first impression, being the first substantive song?), but it still has plenty of great stuff in it and a very melodic approach. Valkyrie would have to be my favourite, just such an atmospheric, grand and epic piece of melodic death metal - all kind of based around one main motif but the way it develops is just masterful. It might even be my favourite song of the round, and I was so immersed in it on my final listen that I nudged the score upwards slightly.

Score: 8.5

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seneca – Dan Swanö
1. Sun of the Night
2. Uncreation
3. Add Reality

First impression: Well, this feels like a pretty big oversight on my part - the limited amount of clean vocals is kind of surprising for how melodic most of the music is, but it’s a great sound anyway.

Final opinion: There's not been any particular reason that I've not checked out Swanö's solo album before. He just has so many different projects that I don't think I even knew he'd done one. But of those I've heard, the ones I really like a lot are Nightingale and Witherscape, and this sounds like a fantastic marrying of the two styles. The music is closest to Nightingale, a pretty classic prog/AOR sound, very synth heavy, but with more crunch and a slightly darker and more modern edge. But vocally it's much closer to his heavier projects, almost all growls even though the music is so tuneful and proggy. The contrast is not nearly as extreme as what Puppies sent me this round though - this is unusual, but feels comfortable once I got used to it, and indeed it creates a very engaging effect. Really great stuff!

Score: 8.6

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Luoto – Kalmah
1. The Groan of Wind
2. Heroes To Us
3. Drifting In a Dream

First impression: Sounds like a strong example of the genre and right up my alley, with a great mix of the slower atmospheric side and the faster, more aggressive (yet always melodic) side.

Final opinion: My experience here is very similar to with seneca's Dan Swanö submission. I hesitate to call this one an oversight as I didn't have any previous experience with the artist, but it's definitely a hole in my collection - I've seen them mentioned a lot in relation to other bands I like (Suotana, Children of Bodom) so I don't really know why I've never got round to checking them out. Anyway this is really excellent. The general style seems to come from the super melodic, power metal infused side of melodic death metal, which tends to go down well with me if the melodies are strong (which they definitely are here). On their own the first two songs may not have scored quite so high, but including the third was brilliant as it showcases a slower, more atmospheric side which you know is something I'm attracted to. It's an absolutely gorgeous track and really completes this selection of songs.

Score: 8.6

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Scores after Round 4:

 1. Crow     = 8.8 + 8.4 + 8.6 + 8.3 = 34.1
 2. wolfking = 8.6 + 8.1 + 8.4 + 8.5 = 33.6
 2. Luoto    = 8.3 + 8.7 + 8.0 + 8.6 = 33.6
 4. nick_z   = 8.2 + 8.5 + 8.3 + 8.4 = 33.4
 5. Buddy    = 8.4 + 8.3 + 8.3 + 8.3 = 33.3
 5. Evermind = 8.4 + 8.2 + 8.3 + 8.4 = 33.3
 5. TAC      = 8.2 + 8.7 + 8.2 + 8.2 = 33.3
 8. Glasser  = 8.1 + 8.1 + 8.8 + 8.2 = 33.2
 9. Sacul    = 8.3 + 8.9 + 8.0 + 7.8 = 33.0
10. soupy    = 8.4 + 7.9 + 8.2 + 8.4 = 32.9
10. Litho    = 8.3 + 7.8 + 8.4 + 8.4 = 32.9
10. jingle   = 8.2 + 7.7 + 8.6 + 8.4 = 32.9
13. romdrums = 8.0 + 8.2 + 8.0 + 8.3 = 32.5
14. Puppies  = 7.9 + 8.3 + 8.3 + 7.8 = 32.3
14. seneca   = 7.6 + 8.3 + 7.8 + 8.6 = 32.3
16. luke     = 8.2 + 7.9 + 8.2 + 7.9 = 32.2
16. lonestar = 7.8 + 8.0 + 8.2 + 8.2 = 32.2
18. HOF      = 7.5 + 7.9 + 8.7 + 7.7 = 31.8
19. Stadler  = 7.9 + 8.4 + 7.9 + 7.4 = 31.6
19. Vmadera  = 8.0 + 8.0 + 7.3 + 8.3 = 31.6
21. King     = 7.3 + 8.2 + 8.2 + 7.8 = 31.5
22. Reaper   = 7.6 + 8.1 + 7.7 + 8.0 = 31.4
23. faizoff  = 7.2 + 8.2 + 8.3 + 7.0 = 30.7
24. Elite    = 7.8 + 8.0 + 7.5 + 7.2 = 30.5


Click the graphs to enlarge.