2016 Roulette Championship v. THE CONCLUSION

[Scorpion]

Apparrently Failure Swift here sent a different song to the judges than you sent him, so revised scores coming up. No idea if that's going to be good or bad for you.

[Tyrias]

Yeah, the Spotify playlist Bolsters sent to it had Overgrown in it, so that's what we listened to. Apparently we should have listened to Retrograde, though . So now I'm giving Retrograde a few listens and a few days so I don't judge to hastily.

[Evermind]

I also thought it was Retrogade, not Retrograde.

[Train of Naught]

Goddamnit he has the wrong song again. Retrogade is terrible, whereas Retrograde is fantastic.

[Sacul]

Retrograde is ok 

[senecadawg2]

It doesn't really matter. Ether song is fine by me. Take the highest score

[Bolsters]

It doesn't really matter. Ether song is fine by me. Take the highest score

They are listening to the correct song now. Mr. Red's score should already reflect this change once I get it, but be aware that the scores from Tyrias or 425 that I post may change after the fact.

And I will try really hard not to fuck anything else up.

[Sacul]

Can I send for the next round now?

[Bolsters]

Can I send for the next round now?

I don't see why not.

[Tyrias]

So, regarding Retrograde: I liked it just the slightest bit less than Overgrown, but it's a really subtle difference. That synth-noise that appears halfway through was kind of annoying at first, but I really like it now. It just took a few listens to grow on me. Other than that, my favourite part is the hummed melody at the beginning and end. Love that one. What makes me prefer Overgrown a bit is that it feels a bit weirder and more "special" and I like the beat more.
However, since I'm only scoring out of 5 I won't change my score. There's just not difference in how much I like both songs to actually change the score. It would have probably been half a point less if I had scored out of 15.

Also, I hope Mr. Red will get out of the stressful period in his life and manage to post scores.

[Bolsters]

Sorry everyone for the long delay in scores. Yes, I'm alive. Don't worry.

wolfking: Pyramaze - Back for More

I REALLY enjoyed this one. Great symphonic/power metal sound. I really enjoyed the vocalist especially... it fits the sound of the band really well and didn't sound affected (sometimes you get that with this kind of sound, which kind of turns me off). The keyboards in the pre-chorus are very enjoyable. I LOVED the instrumental section as well. Formwise it's a little formulaic, but it kept my interest. Overall a great song, and if the rest of their repertoire sounds like this I will listen to more of this band.

jingle.boy: Flaming Row - Rage of Dispair

Sorry jingle. The harsh vocals were a BIG turn off for me. I loved the intro (and whenever that 3/3/2 pattern returned), but then the scream vocals came in and I was cringing. I liked the female vocalist a lot though, and harsh vocals aside, I would probably enjoy this song a lot more. The instrumental section was also very amped up, and I enjoyed the prominent bass line leading into a clean guitar solo, reminiscent of early DT. But this screaming instead of singing thing has never been for me. I had a feeling you would be expecting this.

Nekov: Faunts - Feel.Love.Thinking.Of

This is something that I could listen to late at night to wind down. This type of synth-heavy song is really starting to become popular, which I don't mind. It's not my favorite synthy song, but it definitely works. I'm glad it was on the short side though because it's so soothing I probably would have fallen asleep

Evermind: Avantasia - Savior in the Clockwork

My favorite song of the round. Love the buildup at the beginning, and then BOOM BOOM BOOM... this had me from the very beginning. Loved every moment of this. How did I not know about this band? The instrumental section was great, the vocalist was great, I loved the choral background vocals... this had everything that I love about prog metal in it. Bravo.

Sacul: Lord Huron - Ends of the Earth

This song is a bit hipster, but it isn't bad. It's different enough that it kept me going, and it calmed me down. It reminded me of a band I used to listen to a lot in early high school though. It just felt a little repetitive as it got towards the end. There was an air to this song at the very beginning that made it sound like I should have been on some tropical island or something. Unique.

Scorpion: Beyond the Bridge - Doorway to Salvation

At the beginning, I was like "What is this The Mirror sped up"? Then the female vocalist came on and I was like "Nope!" Interesting that she sang that entire phrase acapella. For some reason this song didn't grab me like the other prog-metal songs in this round... I don't know why... I enjoyed the vocals the most of this; maybe it's because without that I would never know what direction the song was going. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't my favorite.

senecadawg: James Blake - Retrograde

This type of soul music is becoming very popular right now with artists like Adele and Sam Smith. I do enjoy it quite a bit, and this was no exception. The piece focuses on the vocals and the words with a very simple and minimalistic beat. However, the simple synths kind of seemed overpronounced and when they were evolving and out of tune with each other I was like Ugh... although whenever they resolved out of that it fit a lot better.

Alright, we are now officially starting Round 6: the final round of Tier two, and so after this round we will see two more eliminations. Round 6 has Mr. Red as the primary judge.

[Sacul]

Was a bit worried Mr Red would think the song was a bit repetitive, and I was right - otherwise, hell yeah, tied with Scorp 

To the judges: what's your take on samples? Like them, hate them, whatever?

[jingle.boy]

Sent.

[wolfking]

Bummer.

Get ready to be trolled judges.

[Sacul]

Sending Rick Astley? 

[Bolsters]

I'd say the growls are incoming.

[senecadawg2]

Very nearly sent Red.

[Evermind]

Is it me or Nekov should have 106.5 instead of 105.5?

[Sacul]

No he shouldn't 

[425]

To the judges: what's your take on samples? Like them, hate them, whatever?

Depends. I can be fine with them, but if they're repetitive ("Six o'clock on a Christmas morn-- Six o'clock on a Christmas morn-- Six o'clock on a Christmas morn--") that can get annoying.

I've listened to Retrograde a couple of times. I want to listen one more time to be sure. I like it pretty similarly to Overgrown (no surprise because they're the same artist and pretty similar stylistically). There may be an adjustment, but if there is it will likely just be by a half point. I'll try to have an answer on that tomorrow.

[Bolsters]

Is it me or Nekov should have 106.5 instead of 105.5?

No, what he should have is 13.5 from 425, instead of 14.5. His total score is correct.

[425]

Maybe I should be verifying Bolsters more than I have been...

Just kidding! Will always appreciate your work organizing this no matter how many times you pull a Failure Swift.

13.5 is the highest score I gave this round.

[Evermind]

Oh, nice then. I'm only two points away!

[Tyrias]

To the judges: what's your take on samples? Like them, hate them, whatever?

If they add something to the song I usually like them. Also, see my Round 6&7 entries in your roulette for your answer 

[Nekov]

Oh my, Evermind is coming real close. I will send something either tonight or tomorrow since I need to dig deep into my music library to get something good for Mr. Red and I don't have my external HD with me.

[Evermind]

Oh hell, I missed this part:

Evermind: Avantasia - Savior in the Clockwork

My favorite song of the round. Love the buildup at the beginning, and then BOOM BOOM BOOM... this had me from the very beginning. Loved every moment of this. How did I not know about this band? The instrumental section was great, the vocalist was great, I loved the choral background vocals... this had everything that I love about prog metal in it. Bravo.

I'm not even sure if this is trolling at this point or you're being completely serious. There were four vocalists, damn it. Four. Obviously I can't complain because I've got a highest score for you — it's a pity I had to switch the songs order, I planned Avantasia for your round as I said in the PM I think — but damn, does it irritate me a lot. Anyway, glad you liked it this much!

Damn, I've even provided the timestamps for each singer's appearance in the message I addressed to the judges.

Anyway, I have my song ready, but I'm having doubts about it. I'll see if I can come up with something else that will be more suitable, and if not, this might be the only round I'm going to screw up. Then again, it may go well enough. I love this song after all.

Oh my, Evermind is coming real close.

[425]

Oh hell, I missed this part:

Evermind: Avantasia - Savior in the Clockwork

My favorite song of the round. Love the buildup at the beginning, and then BOOM BOOM BOOM... this had me from the very beginning. Loved every moment of this. How did I not know about this band? The instrumental section was great, the vocalist was great, I loved the choral background vocals... this had everything that I love about prog metal in it. Bravo.

I'm not even sure if this is trolling at this point or you're being completely serious. There were four vocalists, damn it. Four. Obviously I can't complain because I've got a highest score for you — it's a pity I had to switch the songs order, I planned Avantasia for your round as I said in the PM I think — but damn, does it irritate me a lot. Anyway, glad you liked it this much!

Damn, I've even provided the timestamps for each singer's appearance in the message I addressed to the judges.

Evermind, if it makes you feel any better, I just bought this album. And I'll make extra careful to follow along in the booklet so I'm sure about which singer is which.

[Evermind]

Why, yes it does. Have you tried The Scarecrow yet or did you go straight for this one?

[425]

I went straight for this one. Just from the one song I've heard from each, I liked the style of this one slightly better. And, also, one of my criteria for prioritizing roulette albums is whether that artist put out or is putting out an album this year (which is why the second artist I get something from this roulette will probably be Headspace), because I like to get involved with new releases and be able to work on my AOTY list. So since their new album is I guess a sequel to The Mystery of Time, I decided to go ahead and get that one and then, if I like it, get the new one next before jumping back to The Scarecrow.

[Scorpion]

I'm still deciding between two potential songs, I'll send tomorrow.

[Bolsters]

Only two in so far.

[Nekov]

Sent

[Evermind]

Sent. This could be my screw-up round, or it could work just fine. We'll see.

[Nekov]

Please god let it be a screw up, please god let it be a screw up

[Bolsters]

All but Sacul and wolfking have now sent.