Metro's Gourmet Roulette - AND THE WINNER IS...

[King Postwhore]

Sheeeeiiiit. I'm ready to head to Mordor!

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

[King Postwhore]

 

My brother,  who is a brewer has 4 taps at his house.  Lol

[jingle.boy]

I'm not sure if this is a glorious thing to see first thing on a weekend, or a traumatic thing.

[King Postwhore]

Glorious, my friend.  Glorious. 

[Metro]

 

[LithoJazzoSphere]

7-8 hours of food and you still have room for popcorn?

[Metro]

So I lied. There are actually 2 Secret Menu artists this round.


Evermind - 14

Main Entry: Seventh Wonder - The Great Escape
7/10

A lot of cool moments and riffs, I just wish this had more of a payoff at the end. Can’t deny those stellar vocals.

Wine Pairing: Kamelot - Fallen Star
4/5

+3 Secret Menu

Congratulations, you have found one of the Secret Menu artists!
Another name that I’ve seen a lot around here but never checked out.
I know this has the same vocalist as Seventh Wonder, but I think he sounds better here, and dare I say he even sounds more confident here. Great song.

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romdrums - 13.5

Main Entry: I.Q. - Fallout
8/10

+3 Secret Menu

Congratulations, you have also  found one of the Secret Menu artists!
I was wondering when this band was gonna show up. I’m aware of their song “The Last Human Gateway”, but have never listened to it, so I was honestly expecting someone to send that. I love the singer, I love the lush synthesizers, I love the lead guitar, and I especially love the flow of the song and the dynamics.

Wine Pairing: Obsidious - Delusion
2.5/5

Well, I liked the last two minutes.

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wolfking - 13.5

Main Entry: An Abstract Illusion - Skeletons of Light
10/10

Ok wow.
I have no complaints. Heavy, aggressive, technical, proggy, and that ending is the definition of the word Epic. The best song this round.

Wine Pairing: In Flames - Moonshield
3.5/5

The only In Flames I’ve ever heard is their 2016 album Battles, which was garbage. This was much better. How do you go from this to Battles? What the hell happened there?

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Buddyhunter1 - 12

Main Entry: Elder - Lore
8.5/10

These guys remind me of Baroness. I really love the sludgy, proggy vibe of this. I’m taking off points because fadeouts are fucking stupid.

Wine Pairing: The Ocean - Bathyalpelagic II: The Wish In Dreams
3.5/5

I thought this was a Blood Mountain-era Mastodon song when it first started. I wish Mastodon sounded like this nowadays. Great song. I don’t like abrupt endings.

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King Postwhore - 12

Main Entry: Southern Empire - White Shadow
8/5

Wine Pairing: Southern Empire - Reaching Out
4/5

Really enjoyed both songs from this band. Great riffs and vocals. I definitely hear the DT influence, but also some Yes, especially in the vocal harmonies in Reaching Out.

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lonestar - 12

Main Entry: Silent Memorial - Retrospective
8.5/10

Really enjoyed all of this, but the highlight for me was the instrumental section in the middle. Just really fun to listen to. I like the Alex Lifeson chord at 9:30
Example if you don’t know what I’m talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea5uhBoUusA

Wine Pairing: Mary’s Blood - Counter Strike
3.5/5

Very melodic and energetic. Really enjoyed this one.

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Stadler - 11.5

Main Entry: Nektar - A Tab in the Ocean
8/10

Wine Pairing: Nektar - King of Twilight
3.5/5

Just some great old-school prog. The organ playing especially stood out to me. Love it.

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jingle.boy - 10.5

Main Entry: Daydream XI - The Grand Disguise
8/10

The riffs. Just. Don’t. Stop. Coming. I love the energy of this one, even if some parts reminded me a bit too much of DT and Symphony X.

Wine Pairing: Epysode - Obsessions
2.5/5

The cheesy vocals kinda ruin this more. Instrumentally alright though.

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HOF - 10.5

Main Entry: Emperor Norton - Arrow
7/10

I feel like the vocalist is trying and failing to be Einar Solberg. Despite the out of place vocals, this one goes some interesting places. I like the production, and how it sounds like they’re all playing live in a room.

Wine Pairing: Dim Grey - Avalon / The Tide
3.5/5

Much better vocals on this one. Love the atmosphere too.

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ProfessorPeart - 10.5

Main Entry: Beardfish - And the Stone Said; If I Could Speak
7.5/10

Wine Pairing: Beardfish - In Real Life There is No Algebra
3/5

I hear a lot of modern prog bands trying to sound retro, and usually they’re unsuccessful or just too derivative. This definitely has a retro vibe, but is still unique and modern enough to where it’s not totally derivative. Really enjoyed both of these, especially the lead guitar.

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twosuitluke - 10.5

Main Entry: Instant Boner - Perfect Sunday, Revisited
8.5/10

Nothing to add that I didn’t say before. I love the loose, jammy vibe of this one. Great vocals too.
What’s up with that band name though?

Wine Pairing: Messa - Confess
2/5

The salad round was last week, Luke.
I kid, but this one didn’t do it for me. Just kinda dreary and forgettable.

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TAC - 10

Main Entry: Theocracy - Mirror of Souls
7.5/10

I think the synth strings sound a little silly, but other than that. Enjoyed this one. Really melodic and powerful.

Wine Pairing: Golden Resurrection - See My Commands
2.5/5

It’s like if Yngwie Malmsteen played in a Christian metal band. Which would never really happen, because the only god Yngwie believes in is himself. Great guitar chops, cheesy lyrics.

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faizoff - 10

Main Entry: Iced Earth - Dante’s Inferno
7/10

Wine Pairing: Iced Earth - Burning Times
3/5

Not much to say about these two, but I enjoyed them. Great riffs and vocals. Dante’s Inferno really feel like the soundtrack to a trip to Hell.

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Lizzo - 10

Main Entry: Soilwork - A Whisp of the Atlantic
8/10

I guess it’s never too late to change course and become a prog metal band. And they did it pretty well.

Wine Pairing: Ephel Duath - The Passage (Pearl Grey)
2/5

Autocorrect kept changing this to “Ethel Death”, which sounds like a country death metal band.
This was a bit too out there for me.

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ariich - 9.5

Main Entry: Caligula’s Horse - Graves

7/10

Wine Pairing: Caligula’s Horse - Will’s Song (Let the Colours Run)
2.5/10

Graves grew on me a bit the more I listened to it. Will’s Song didn’t do much for me at all. With both songs, I really don’t love the vocals, but I really like the lead playing, but a lot of the riffs just seem to be typical modern prog/djent fare.
 
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Puppies - 9

Main Entry: Moonsorrow - Jäästä syntynyt / Varjojen virta
6.5/10

Wine Pairing: Dornenreich - Flammenmensch
2.5/5

Both of these songs make me wanna go for a walk in the woods at night after it’s snowed. Or just sit at home and play Skyrim.
And as always, black metal always makes me feel like I need to brush my teeth.

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Sacul - 9

Main Entry: Fishmans - Long Season
5.5/10

I’ve listened to this twice, and I think I enjoyed it? Some parts are a little too out there for me, but then there’s some parts that are really melodic and cool.

Wine Pairing: Massive Attack - Risingson
3.5/5

I know a couple of songs from this album, Angel and Teardrop(which was the theme song to the show House). I love the vibe of this song and album.

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[twosuitsluke]

Instant Boner wasn't a Secret Menu artist? The fuck?

[Metro]

Never heard of them until you submitted them.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Man, even the people who self-describe as liking weird music rarely seem to like the same weird music as me.  At least the entree was fairly satisfying. 

[HOF]

Hey, that’s a lot better score than I expected! Emperor Norton were a very young group of kids when they made that album, and the production was very low budget, but they had a very cool sound that worked somehow. I know they lost their drummer a little while later, and then I think the guitarist went away to school so I have no idea if they will ever reform and make a second album. Album created a little bit of buzz in prog circles when it came out, but they may be lost to obscurity. Definitely a cool album worth checking out though, especially if you can accept the vocals for what they are.

Dim Grey are an awesome new band who seem to really be going places. Have opened for Marillion and Big Big Train and are on BBT’s English Electric label. The singer is amazing and he’s also pulling keyboard duties for BBT now. Their album Firmament is incredible.

[Sacul]

Yeah I didn't expect much after your impression, oh well. Back to prog for this last round

[King Postwhore]

Nice!!

[lonestar]

Dammit, I knew IQ was a secret menu artist as well. Totally shouldn't have waited.


Glad you enjoyed both my tra KS, that was Silent Memorials only album, but Mary's Blood has a pretty deep discography to dig into. If you're an anime fan, they do a tremendous cover of Unravel from Tokyo Ghoul.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

>Host in OP hopes people don't just send prog and metal

>Secret menu bonus points artists so far are all prog and metal

[jingle.boy]

Just goes to show, TASTES^TM - Obsessions is the best song I was ever sent out of the 400+ I received in my roulettes.  In no world or universe would I ever have expected Kelly Carpenter and Magali Luyten be described as "cheesy".

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

...and the world just became a little more sad

[LithoJazzoSphere]

The only In Flames I’ve ever heard is their 2016 album Battles, which was garbage. This was much better. How do you go from this to Battles? What the hell happened there?

One day the requisite 3-hour documentary will be made to chronicle this.  It has to be one of the steepest drop-offs in quality of output I've seen from a band. 

[ProfessorPeart]

Well, if anything, this is affirming my belief that I am not really cut out to contend in these roulette's. Had to try it to find out. At least my comic relief was on point.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

The only In Flames I’ve ever heard is their 2016 album Battles, which was garbage. This was much better. How do you go from this to Battles? What the hell happened there?

One day the requisite 3-hour documentary will be made to chronicle this.  It has to be one of the steepest drop-offs in quality of output I've seen from a band.

In Flames was never my favorite Melodic Death Metal band that came out of the Gothenburg scene, but their run from The Jester Race thru Clayman is fantastic. After that the band took a massive turn for the worse and then another downward turn on Silent Charms.

[twosuitsluke]

The only In Flames I’ve ever heard is their 2016 album Battles, which was garbage. This was much better. How do you go from this to Battles? What the hell happened there?

One day the requisite 3-hour documentary will be made to chronicle this.  It has to be one of the steepest drop-offs in quality of output I've seen from a band.

In Flames was never my favorite Melodic Death Metal band that came out of the Gothenburg scene, but their run from The Jester Race thru Clayman is fantastic. After that the band took a massive turn for the worse and then another downward turn on Silent Charms.

In Flames were my first proper melodeath band and were always a favourite. I agree that Clayman is peak In Flames, but I also love Reroute > Sense of Purpose as well. I came on board when Come Clarity was released and worked backwards, so those albums were still really important to me. They REALLY dropped off after Sense of Purpose for me.

As to results. I just realised my main entry was joint second this round, I just shit out with my wine pairing and the fact two secret menu artists were sent.

@ProfesserPeart, you're destroying me, so you're doing fine.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Well, if anything, this is affirming my belief that I am not really cut out to contend in these roulette's. Had to try it to find out.

You're in the top half of the standings.  That's not bad at all.  It's all about the match between host and sender, and this can be radically different roulette to roulette, and sometimes even round to round.  I've won one roulette this year and been dead last in another.  You just never know. 

[Evermind]

This secret artist thing definitely pays off big time, I'm in the top 3 now somehow

Well, if anything, this is affirming my belief that I am not really cut out to contend in these roulette's. Had to try it to find out. At least my comic relief was on point.

Nah man, you're doing absolutely fine. It's a good opportunity to send some music to the host, and if he doesn't like it, just don't take it personal.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I have no confidence whatsoever that my final entries will score well, but at this point it doesn't matter, it's exhilarating to send a couple things way off the beaten DTF roulette pathways. 

[HOF]

Well, if anything, this is affirming my belief that I am not really cut out to contend in these roulette's. Had to try it to find out.

You're in the top half of the standings.  That's not bad at all.  It's all about the match between host and sender, and this can be radically different roulette to roulette, and sometimes even round to round.  I've won one roulette this year and been dead last in another.  You just never know.

Yeah, the round specifications can often greatly affect what you are able to send too. I only had two or three songs for this round that I felt were worth sending that were over 15 minutes and weren't on the banned list or sent previously in the roulette (I had planned to send Marillion at first, but wasn't going to give him Marillion for a third time in this roulette!).

For me, the fun in a roulette is having a captive listener who has committed to listening to whatever you send them. This is your chance to get them to listen to something you want other people to hear. Whether they like it or not, sometimes that's more rewarding than just winning the game itself.

[Buddyhunter1]

Hoping Metro and I's mutual love for Devin Townsend extends to our mutual indifference to Caligula's Horse.

Thank God. In first place by a hair... time to hopefully not fuck this up.

I thought this was a Blood Mountain-era Mastodon song when it first started. I wish Mastodon sounded like this nowadays. Great song. I don’t like abrupt endings.

That was my thought when I first heard it, too. Both that song and Elder feel somewhat Mastodon-inspired to me, though Elder (especially their Reflections Of A Floating World album) is much more Crack The Skye-sounding, specifically. And if you don't like the abrupt ending, listen to the full album.

>Host in OP hopes people don't just send prog and metal

>Secret menu bonus points artists so far are all prog and metal

Don't need 'em to win, though.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

ariich just got tossed from Chad's roulette and had an assured victory in Victor's snatched from him by an 8 seed.  He's gonna be on the warpath and you're gonna need all the help you can get. 

[Stadler]

On some planet, in some universe, the secret artist is Night Ranger. 

[Metro]

>Host in OP hopes people don't just send prog and metal

>Secret menu bonus points artists so far are all prog and metal

I see your point, but I had never heard Amorphis before, so I didn't know if they were Prog or Metal 

I'm pretty certain the remaining 2 Secret Menu artists wouldn't be classified as Prog or Metal. Haven't listened to them so I could be wrong.

I've gotten 6/17 submissions for the final round. No Secret Menu artists so far. But I could be lying.

[jingle.boy]

Man alive, even with a 2/10 in Round 1, I'm not in last place?!?!?

[ariich]

ariich just got tossed from Chad's roulette and had an assured victory in Victor's snatched from him by an 8 seed.  He's gonna be on the warpath and you're gonna need all the help you can get. 

It's really not been my week.

[wolfking]

Damn secret menu artists.  Came 3rd despite having the best song of the round haha.

Yeah, old In Flames and new In Flames can't be compared.  Jester Race is a pioneer album in melodic death metal, Battles is just shit.

[HOF]

Is there actually a running leader board somewhere, or am I just missing it?

[Metro]

There’s a link to the scoreboard in the OP