THE CRUSADE OF EPICS: Results -> A Change Of Seasons wins!

One part in “The Odyssey” that gets overlooked a lot is “Sirens”. It’s short, but it’s sweet, and the rocking riff that opens it up is in just the right section to keep you hooked. The whole thing is great though, it’s literally one of my Top 10 favorite songs.
 
Diesel 11 said:
The best one starts at 0:00 and goes until 24:09.
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Not helpful.

Forostar said:
Which for example? It's all performed well of course, but I don't really heard a memorable part.
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I agree that the song also took me more listens to memorize it better, I'd say this stuff doesn't necessarily jump at you immediately.

For me it's the first part after the intro, beginning at cca 3:45 with the choruses and the buildup in energy,

the instrumental part at 7:11

(the part beginning at 8:22 was also memorable, but for all the wrong reasons - the vocal line reminded me of Queen's Innuendo at first)

and the passage after the thirteenth minute was also kinda memorable, again mainly because of the chorus.

And, of course
LooseCannon said:
the triumph of Odysseus/champion of Ithaca starting at 20:08.
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that electric piano intro to that feels weirdly cathartic itself.

On my second or third listen I also particularly noticed the subdued section after 12:20 that sounds a bit like Joe Jackson's Steppin' Out or something by Spandau Ballet, if you know what I mean.
 
Forostar said:
Which for example? It's all performed well of course, but I don't really heard a memorable part.
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A lot of this song stands out to me, but I'll do my best to pick my favorite parts.

I truly love the entire overture. It's gotten blasted by some fans for not being a "true" overture in the sense that it contains themes heard later in the work, but to me, part of being a progressive band is doing whatever you please and not confirming to rules. A lot of this may sound like a collection of Disney-esque themes played with crunchy guitars, but to me it sounds amazing.

Obviously, the second part of the song (especially when Russell is singing) is a highlight. The lyrics are beyond cheesy, but considering the subject matter it's difficult for them not to be. Romeo's clean guitar playing is pristine.

The section at 8:14 is another high point for me. There is something very ominous and Dio-ish about this section that I love. The keyboard, the groove... all of it.

9:12 is another great moment, since to me it sounds like a ship rocking back and forth through turbulent waves. This is especially true when the guitar starts playing those "funk" chords and the bass holds down that sick 9/8 + 10/8 groove.

The proggy section from 11:31 to 12:07 is one of my favorites of the song, although I'm the only person I know who would call it "catchy." It shows the entire band working as a unit to deliver one hell of an orchestral moment.

I like Circe - particularly the "calm before the storm" verse and chunkier ones that follow. Neat vocal harmonies, too.

The Sirens section is cool, especially the syncopated 7/8 sections after the verses. I love how the band changes the entire power of the riff by changing from a triplet feel to a straight feel.

The instrumental section beginning at 16:43 is awesome and demented. The apparent randomness (it's not) at 17:29 is another big moment for me. Considering this section is supposed to be about sea monsters, it works.

Finally, the entire mellow section beginning around 19:09 and leading up to Champion of Ithaca is amazing. And of course, the grandiose power metal epicness of the big chorus at the end is made so much more powerful due to the 20-minute journey that preceded it. I love the crystalized delay effect used on the guitar during the final verses, too.
 
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Forostar said:
I'm into the first minute of its opponent and hear already better melodies than in the entire Odyssey.
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I decided to give this song a spin, too, since I know The Odyssey by heart but am slightly less familiar with this one.

The song is beautiful up until the galloping verse begins, at which point I think it just gets too formulaic for a while. The lyrics sound like they were written by third graders, but that's just Symphony X's style post-Odyssey. The overall sound of their ballads since (and including) Paradise Lost is just too stripped-down for my tastes.

The organ-heavy classic '70s prog rock section at 4:40 (and the section that follows) may be the strongest moment on all of Iconoclast. In this next section, the guitar plays a clean rendition of the Celtic-sounding riff just heard, but then the piano sneaks in behind it playing the same riff off-time as if to emulate an echo. It's amazing. I think the band may have been going for an "Accolade Lite" moment here, and it is glorious.

Sadly, the rest of the song I find is downhill from here. Romeo's first solo is nice because it's melodic and simple, and I kind of like the proggy section that follows. The build and release into the second solo is strong, but the bulk of the solo (excluding the solid ending) is filler to me.

I like the Maiden ending, though.

This song is better than I remember it, but as wondrous as that middle section is, it lacks the magic of their earlier "ballad-ish" tracks. Maybe it's in my top 30 Symphony X songs. But not in my top 29.
 
Diesel 11 said:
the first is skippable for new listeners.
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Anyway, I'm skipping this round. I hope these songs/albums will be worth the wait.
 
When All Is Lost is one of rare songs post-The Odyssey (album) that can go against the classic stuff... still not good enough to beat The Odyssey.

One thing I will add is that I slightly agree with @Jer here... The orchestral stuff does sound a tiny bit cheap when you really concentrate on it. And yeah, if bands like Rage, Septicflesh and Epica managed to record multiple studio and live albums with orchestras, it's weird that Symphony X never did it. Maybe they are just cheapskates?
 
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This Bathory song has the expected bad production, but it builds slowly and gently into a pleasing groove over the first few minutes. It kind of sits in that groove and doesn’t go anywhere else for the middle half of the song, but picks up for the final quarter with some cool detours and a pretty sweet solo. The singing is totally serviceable and works well enough. The angel on one shoulder says this is a pretty cool, if simple, lo-fi epic; but the devil on the other shoulder says this is basically just a bunch of dudes singing the beginning of “Electric Eye” for 11+ minutes.

This Primordial song is at least a half step up production-wise, and it definitely has a more epic feel and goes through more phases on its journey. The guitar work is generally more interesting, though it doesn’t have anything quite like the final solo in the Bathory song. The singing is also serviceable here, though it gets a little shoutier later on.

Both songs are enjoyable in a repetitive groove sort of way; but sorry, @Dityn DJ James, I think @Night Prowler ’s nominee is bit stronger and more epic sounding across the board. Winner: Primordial
 
I feel the exact same way about both of these songs, and that's apathetic. I think it's safe to say that this style of music just isn't for me. The absence of extreme vocals at least makes them tolerable, but other than that I was mostly just bored.

I'll vote for Primordial but it really doesn't make much of a difference to me who ends up winning here.
 
Primordial certainly packs way more punch, but I really hate their vocals. Some cool guitar stuff going on and some excellent percussion work, but the song doesn't do much for me. Sounds like a giant wall of noise.

Now, don't get me wrong, Bathory sounds like absolute dogshit. The production is abysmal. The drum sequencing is ridiculous and terrible. The song feels like a 5 minute intro, 3 minutes of song, and a 3 minute outro. The singing is...not good. But the melodies and the drama within are enjoyable. I'm obviously not in love with this song, but it beats Primordial shouting into the wind.
 
Considering that the previous round was 35 minutes of Symphony X, this is quite a turn in the opposite direction. The Primordial song is definitely more unique. Parts of it are Toolish, and I like the tribal groove in the middle and the buildup that follows. The shouty vocals aren't my thing, but given the subject matter, they're not out of place. The Bathory song is more droning and background-ish, but that ending is killer. I have trouble with poor production in general, but the outro almost makes up for it.

This is really close, but I voted for Bathory because of the ending.
 
Might get bashed for this, but I vastly prefer the cover of Twilight Of The Gods by Ereb Altor:


It's shorter and performed way better.

As Rome Burns is a goddamn classic.
 
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