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romdrums – Stabbing Westward1. I Am Nothing
2. Save Yourself
3. Cold
4. Waking Up Beside You
First impression: The sound was cool for all of this, but I was definitely more attracted to the strong melodies and passionate delivery of the more recent material.
Final opinion: Alright, time for some industrial rock. I’ve seen their name mentioned for years, and I remember seeing the album cover for Chasing Ghosts when it came out as I think there was hype around it at the time. And I can see why, based on the two songs here that are from it - they’re so good! For all four songs, the general sound is pretty great. I don’t listen to a huge amount of industrial rock but when done well, it has a dark, intense groove that I can really get into, and these songs capture the right energy. The two older songs from Darkest Days don’t necessarily back this up with particularly interesting music - not bad, certainly, but nothing that really jumps out at me and the energy is possibly affected by the production being a little dated. But man, I Am Nothing just hits me right in the face on every listen, such a great song to start with, and Cold is really excellent as well. The more modern production also helps elevate these two, giving them a lot of punch where needed, but also a lot of clarity for the electronic elements.
Score: 8.2
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Reaper – Black Map1. Head for the Hills
2. Madness
3. Octavia
4. Foxglove
5. Why Burn
First impression: Doesn't quite capture the magic of the obvious comparator, but it’s still some really nice, proggy alternative rock.
Final opinion: The obvious comparator is, of course, dredg, seeing as both bands share a member and play in a similar sort of style. Nothing here quite matches up to The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion or the better stuff from Catch Without Arms, but it’s still great on its own merits. Madness and Foxglove are probably the most “normal” and least interesting songs here, but they’re still good and the latter has a cool groovy energy in its main riff. The other three are really great - a mix of feeling and strong hooks. Oddly enough, the other comparator that keeps coming to mind at times is the more mellow alt-rock side of Thrice - there’s something about the combination of the melodies and the vocal delivery that has the same warmth that I really like.
Score: 8.2
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Crow – Victory Over the Sun1. Thorn Woos The Wound
First impression: There’s one very uncomfortable aspect that I don’t THINK will be too overbearing but at this point I genuinely have no idea where this might fall in the 6.5-8.5 range.
Final opinion: I’ve been on a bit of a journey with this song. On my first listen, I was really struck by some very dissonant moments. And not just normal discordant music but really quite an abrasive clash, which is why I looked up whether she did microtonal stuff and assumed that must be what it was. Fair enough, you’ve now confirmed there isn’t any (intentionally anyway
) on this album, but regardless, those moments haven’t really lost their harsh dissonance for me and they still sound off. I struggled with those bits on the first couple of listens, but there aren’t many of them, they don’t tend to linger long before resolving, and there was other stuff I liked a lot and I hoped the balance would work out. I’m happy to report that it does indeed work pretty great. The first third of the song especially is kind of mesmerising. Oddly enough it’s where the most discordant stuff sits, but it’s also where these huge emotional and melodic swells suck me in. The middle third I remain unsold on - I guess I can see what she was going for with the quiet jazz and shrieky whispers, but nothing about it is particularly pleasant to listen to (although I gather that may be the point). But then the final third is really compelling again, with the vibe flitting between funereal and weirdly jubilant, kind of reminiscent of a black metal version of what some Russian composers like Shostakovich were doing in 20th century orchestral music. Anyway this seems to have ended up being my longest write-up of the roulette which doesn’t surprise me. You’ve sent me things before that really challenge my tastes but none has captured my interest quite so well as this one.
Score: 8.2
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Litho – Autumn1. Liquid Under Film Noir
2. Skydancer
3. The Phantom Limb
4. Stacked Smoke
First impression: This sounded up my alley - punchy, emotive and slick, with great vocals especially in the choruses.
Final opinion: You started this submission with a song that really doesn’t waste any time, just jumps straight into a huge sound and a crunchy, dark riff. It develops as it goes though and does ease back with a mellower section later in the song. In general it was just such a great introduction to the band. These songs are all great really, although the production isn’t as strong on the last two. Oddly enough, I can’t really say the songs grew on me on subsequent listens. Normally I enjoy things slightly more or less with each listen and try and capture that in where I end up with the eventual score. Whereas I loved this straight away and it sort of refused to budge even slightly either way at any point. Skydancer has a fantastic chorus and some lovely ambience in the bridge section, while Phantom Limb is very emotive and includes some great proggy synth work. Stacked Smoke probably stands out the least, but it’s still a really nice song and, like all the others, features top-notch vocals.
Score: 8.3
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TAC – Hwaino1. Ashes Of The World Tree
2. Sweet Forgetfulness
3. Under The Beast's Sun
First impression: The heavy side was sometimes a little rough around the edges, but the atmospheric side was gorgeous and definitely compensates, although by how much remains to be seen.
Final opinion: Hmm, I think my first impression was a little unfair, to be honest. It’s true that some of the more straight up black metal moments aren’t super strong in terms of production, but definitely not that bad. The weakest is probably the opening of the first song, which may have coloured that first listen. As it turns out, so much of this music is atmospheric and/or melodic that I don’t know why it didn’t hit me more right away, it’s wonderful and really does dominate. That moment in Ashes when the saxophone comes in and leads into this wonderful bit of melodic, symphonic black metal is just glorious. But all three songs have something gorgeous in them. There’s great use of strings throughout, and Under the Beast’s Sun has a beautiful piano intro and lovely clean vocal sections later on. This really has grown on me with each listen and, as you may have noticed, even snuck in an extra 0.1 at the end.
Score: 8.4
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lonestar – TRiDENT1. Opening -The Return of Us-
2. Just Fight
3. Re:ply
4. Survivor
5. Continue
6. Ambivalent
First impression: Sometimes, great energy and hooks are all you really need.
Final opinion: These songs are just so infectious. They’re one of the more stylistically straightforward Japanese bands you’ve sent in this roulette, but just a really well-refined, slick and catchy version of that hard rock style. The overall sound is excellent, very punchy and clear and the band plays with a ton of energy and confidence. The songs are all pretty great, but what I like most is that a couple of them really nail that type of melody - quite popular in a lot of Japanese pop and rock - that is simultaneously fun and slightly melancholic. It’s something I find it hard to put my finger on but I love it when I hear it, and in this case it elevates an already strong set of songs to something that bit more emotionally immersive.
Score: 8.4
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HOF – Sweet Billy Pilgrim1. Candle Book and Bell
2. Just Above Midtown
3. Asking for a Friend
4. Skywriting
First impression: This isn’t very easy to define, in a really positive way - love the sound and the vibes.
Final opinion: You don’t seem to be doing anything by halves in this roulette. It’s either sub-8.0 or it’s a high score, with nothing in between.
What a wonderfully creative band this clearly is. These four songs are almost from four completely different genres and they’re all great in their own way. Candle Book and Bell is the second time this round I’m feeling a surprising comparison to Thrice’s mellower stuff, but it really does remind me of that a lot - the melody, the emotion, the vocals. Just gorgeous stuff and my favourite here. But the rest is great too. Midtown is upbeat indie pop with a mellow edge, very elegant and engaging. Asking for a Friend is acoustic folk, very stripped back and heartfelt and with some really lovely vocal harmonies between the two singers. And Skywriting is sort of indie again, but with a synthpop/new wave vibe that’s pretty cool, and again it has strong hooks and an emotional undercurrent.
Score: 8.4
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King – A.C.T1. Intro
2. The End
3. Checked Out
4. A Truly Gifted Man
First impression: I thought at first this might not hit my proggy interests, but it has a charming theatricality that’s really rather enjoyable.
Final opinion: This is definitely one of those sleeper hits. Everything scoring above it I loved on first listen and ended up roughly where I thought they might. This crept up on me in the best possible way. The one album of theirs I’ve heard before was ok, but nothing special. This starts enjoyable, a slight sense of rock opera theatrics but generally pretty straightforward upbeat prog with some decent hooks and a nice guitar/keys tradeoff solo in the middle of The End. I initially thought it was probably more of the same. But then it switches to the sort of dark quirkiness that you know I’m a sucker for. I wasn’t expecting it on that first listen and it let me know I was in for more of a ride than I had anticipated. Checked Out doesn’t have anything quite that quirky, but the whole song is just a big ball of groovy theatricality, a ton of fun with really catchy hooks. This is the one I keep getting stuck in my head. And then Gifted Man shifts gears with more of a Spock’s Beard rock opera vibe and again it just works great.
Score: 8.4
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Elite – Wheel1. Vultures
2. Impervious
3. Movement
4. Blood Drinker
First impression: This does Tool better than Tool does Tool - seems like a sweet spot in where our tastes align.
Final opinion: Hell yeah this is great. Tool was obviously a very influential band, but even then the influence here is pretty in your face.
I love one Tool album (Lateralus), but the rest I’ve tended to find a bit too esoteric, with a little too much focus on intelligently crafted music and not enough on engaging melody or emotion for my tastes. Other bands influenced by them can be hit and miss too - there are some good ones for sure, but some of the most popular (like Karnivool) have never quite clicked with me. Regardless, these songs strike a much better balance, closer to the side of Tool that I like. Across these four songs, there are various features that might individually get too tiring on their own - the intensity, the moodiness, the metal groove, the rhythmic intricacy - but this is a great selection because those features are all well-balanced and effective in combination, and also held together with some strong hooks, especially in the first two songs.
Score: 8.4
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seneca – Gregory Alan Isakov1. The Stable Song
2. Light Year
3. If I Go, I'm Goin
4. That Sea, The Gambler
First impression: This hits all the right notes as far as this genre is concerned - delicate, emotional and gorgeous.
Final opinion: I like different types of folk music, but the side I’m drawn to most easily is definitely the emotive and/or melancholic stuff that’s rich in both melody and harmony. In some ways, this especially applies to the more American country side of the genre. These songs really are just gorgeous. They’re not all sorrowful, but even the more tonally bright moments are incredibly delicate and heartfelt, sometimes with a slight bittersweet edge. The instrumentation is quite sparse, but very elegant and absolutely fitting of the emotional vibe. The music is really quite lovely throughout. And his voice also adds to the whole effect - it’s the only aspect of this that sounds remotely “indie” (he seems to get described as indie/folk but the music is pure folk really, at least in these songs) and his delivery is all very sincere. Love it.
Score: 8.5
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Evermind – Birdy1. The Witching Hour - Intro
2. Voyager
3. Loneliness
4. Silhouette
5. Strange Birds
6. Surrender
First impression: I could just repeat the first half of your first impression from last round. This is lovely.
Final opinion: I have absolutely no idea why you thought this might tank because it’s absolutely my kind of music. So much so that you’ve jumped to second place and now stand the best chance of dethroning Crow at the last minute. The sound and style is in a delicious sweet spot between indie, folk and pop. There’s something about the way most of it sounds incredibly mellow but has a modest beat that still gets me gently dancing along when I listen that’s simultaneously relaxing and invigorating. Her voice is lovely - similar to the Gregory Alan Isakov songs that Nelson sent me, she has a soft but sincere delivery that’s very compelling. And then to really cap it off, the music itself is just beautiful and full of feeling. Voyager especially encapsulates all these qualities wonderfully, and really was a perfect way to start this selection. But really, all the songs are gorgeous, and even the odd moment where the energy picks up - like the second half of Silhouette and most of Strange Birds which has a very ethereal quality to it - is equally fantastic.
Score: 8.7
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Puppies – Mandroid Echostar1. Ancient Arrows
2. Haunted Vows
3. To the Wolves
4. Citadels
First impression: You may be on a bit of a roll - this sits somewhere between two other bands and seems to have nice qualities from both.
Final opinion: How has nobody ever sent me this band before? I mean, I know I like a lot of different styles, but when it comes to prog metal this definitely comes under the ariich-core banner. It’s the side of the genre that shares elements with post-hardcore and melodic metalcore - the fast, tight riffing, the big modern-style vocals, the anthemic and at times almost poppy choruses. The closest comparator is definitely Protest the Hero, who I love, and this seems to cover the same qualities that attract me to them. It’s slick, crunchy, dramatic and with a ton of great hooks. There is also a bit more of a cheesy theatrical element that I think probably led to your comparison to Coheed, although actually I’m finding it closer to Thank You Scientist (just without the jazz), who I also love. Throw a horn section into Haunted Vows especially and it could easily have been on Maps of Non-Existent Places. I think the vocals are part of it, as their style is so similar. Anyway, these songs are just so great and I can’t wait to hear the album. After two round winners in a row, you’ve jumped from 14th place in round 4 to 3rd in round 6, and suddenly given yourself a chance at one of the greatest upsets in roulette history.
Score: 8.8
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Scores after Round 6:
1. Crow = 8.8 + 8.4 + 8.6 + 8.3 + 8.2 + 8.2 = 50.5
2. Evermind = 8.4 + 8.2 + 8.3 + 8.4 + 8.2 + 8.7 = 50.2
3. Puppies = 7.9 + 8.3 + 8.3 + 7.8 + 9.0 + 8.8 = 50.1
4. Litho = 8.3 + 7.8 + 8.4 + 8.4 + 8.8 + 8.3 = 50.0
4. TAC = 8.2 + 8.7 + 8.2 + 8.2 + 8.3 + 8.4 = 50.0
6. nick_z = 8.2 + 8.5 + 8.3 + 8.4 + 8.5 + 8.0 = 49.9
7. wolfking = 8.6 + 8.1 + 8.4 + 8.5 + 8.4 + 7.8 = 49.8
8. Luoto = 8.3 + 8.7 + 8.0 + 8.6 + 8.2 + 7.9 = 49.7
9. Buddy = 8.4 + 8.3 + 8.3 + 8.3 + 8.0 + 8.1 = 49.4
10. Glasser = 8.1 + 8.1 + 8.8 + 8.2 + 8.2 + 7.9 = 49.3
11. soupy = 8.4 + 7.9 + 8.2 + 8.4 + 8.3 + 8.0 = 49.2
11. jingle = 8.2 + 7.7 + 8.6 + 8.4 + 8.1 + 8.2 = 49.2
13. romdrums = 8.0 + 8.2 + 8.0 + 8.3 + 8.4 + 8.2 = 49.1
13. seneca = 7.6 + 8.3 + 7.8 + 8.6 + 8.3 + 8.5 = 49.1
15. Sacul = 8.3 + 8.9 + 8.0 + 7.8 + 7.9 + 8.1 = 49.0
16. lonestar = 7.8 + 8.0 + 8.2 + 8.2 + 8.3 + 8.4 = 48.9
17. luke = 8.2 + 7.9 + 8.2 + 7.9 + 8.5 + 7.8 = 48.5
18. Reaper = 7.6 + 8.1 + 7.7 + 8.0 + 8.2 + 8.2 = 47.8
19. Vmadera = 8.0 + 8.0 + 7.3 + 8.3 + 7.9 + 8.2 = 47.7
19. HOF = 7.5 + 7.9 + 8.7 + 7.7 + 7.5 + 8.4 = 47.7
21. King = 7.3 + 8.2 + 8.2 + 7.8 + 7.7 + 8.4 = 47.6
22. Stadler = 7.9 + 8.4 + 7.9 + 7.4 + 8.0 + 7.4 = 47.0
23. Elite = 7.8 + 8.0 + 7.5 + 7.2 + 7.9 + 8.4 = 46.8
24. faizoff = 7.2 + 8.2 + 8.3 + 7.0 + 8.1 + 7.7 = 46.5
Click the graphs to enlarge.
Topic: ariich's DARK TO LIGHT roulette (v8) - Post-roulette updates (ongoing) (Read 91584 times)