MarsKid
Mitch Worden
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Last Active 01-01-70 12:00 am
Joined 01-01-70

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09.20.23 MarsBro's Court of 2023 ♦08.30.23 MarsBro's NFL Ranking: '23-'24 Preseaso ♦
06.23.23 Mars 23/5: All the Goodies ♦02.24.23 straight edge friendos
01.28.23 Mars Ranks: Avantasia01.11.23 MarsBro's NFL Ranking: '22-'23 Season F ♦
01.09.23 The Weekly Dive: Doom and Melodic Death01.06.23 MarsBro's NFL Ranking: Week 18
01.02.23 The Weekly Dive: Hip-Hop12.28.22 Build-an-Album II, GAME OVER: Adios, Am
12.27.22 MarsBro's NFL Ranking: Week 1712.26.22 Mars Ranks: Blue October
12.20.22 MarsBro's NFL Ranking: Week 1612.13.22 MarsBro's NFL Ranking: Week 15
12.12.22 Build-an-Album II, R13(P3): The Final C12.08.22 MarsBro's Court of 2022
12.07.22 MarsBro's NFL Ranking: Week 1412.04.22 Build-an-Album II, R12(P3): Just One of
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Build-an-Album R6: Burnin' Churches

Sixth verse, same as the first!
1Rush
2112

The genre was PROGRESSIVE ROCK, the theme was EPIC FLOW, and users were tasked with crafting a six-track album under an hour in duration--and only 21st century songs could be included, as per the New School = Cool dumb rule. While various contestants came close to creating a seamless, singular-unit flow, only a select few truly accomplished what the round had called for. Who exactly managed to attain glory here, and who fell short? Time to find out.
2Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man

But first, a brief word from your host. I'm aware this took longer than expected to judge, and this may be a reoccurring phenomenon. I work fairly often and college just started up again, which puts a cap on available time to listen and write about albums. However, I am still certainly committed to seeing this through; I just want you all to be aware that my response time may not be as immediate as it has been during winter break. Thanks for your understanding. Enough of that jazz now--judgement time!
3The Fall of Troy
Phantom on the Horizon

Zombie's album: Hopefully post-hardcore isn’t a genre choice for this comp, as Zombie is sure showing his full hand with this album. The prog rock found in this record definitely took strong influence from that category, lending to a flow that stuck the tracks together naturally. However, there was nothing really spectacular or creative about it, as well as lacking any sort of true epic cohesion that made it sound like a singular track; such was the idea of the round, to a degree. The songs are very good on their own and connect without issue (and I love Kurt Travis so there’s that), but it could have been better. Track 2 also felt too much like a carbon-copy The Fall of Troy song and possessed no unique identity of its own. VERDICT: 3.7
4Sianvar
Stay Lost

Steak's album: Much like Zombie before him, the flow here did not resonate very strongly, instead acting as a serviceable connector to individual entries. It works, but it doesn’t stand out in any sort of engaging manner. Whereas Zombie had songs that all carried their weight for the most part, track 4 here was outwardly terrible; the lyrical content and vocal delivery of said content was simply unpleasant and not humorous, if that was the intent. The opener featured a killer vocal performance and track 5 is probably a top 5 ALLB track in my book, so this was no without merit. It could have been much more though. VERDICT: 3.6
5Ephel Duath
The Painter's Palette

butch's album: While butch was able to craft a sufficiently attractive flow, the biggest asset at play was how opposed the individual songs seemed to be. From the first transition going track 1 to track 2, it was clear that each song, despite outward appearances, could be molded to cooperate alongside apparent rivals. There was a great deal of jazz influence to be uncovered as well, namely evident in the opener. Certain tracks, like 4 and 5, were interesting—I realize that’s kind of a non-word for a description, but it’s meant to say that the songs had compelling elements while not necessarily being exceptional. Overall, however, it was impressive that this diverse set managed to turn out as well as it did. VERDICT: 3.9
6Steven Wilson
The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)

Uzumaki's album: The material presented here didn’t seem to have much to say. The opening number featured very little of interest, serving only as a drawn-out lead-in for track 2, whose vintage feel was enjoyable until it began to overstay its welcome; the product inevitably felt repetitive. It was a cheeky move throwing in a Rush song, but it ended up being one of the stronger ones here alongside track 3’s cool soloing and ambiance. These highlights helped, but they could not save the album from falling into a slump. The flow was serviceable at its best and was able to tie the songs together, but it’s nothing to write home about. VERDICT: 3.3
7King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard
Nonagon Infinity

Storm's album: This here was a textbook example of the kind of flow I was hoping for; every track on this album gelled together so exceedingly well that it came close to becoming an entire, singular song on its own. Storm stuck to a prog-rock/post-hardcore sound throughout the chosen tunes, and this consistency allowed them to match up with ease. Some of the fades, such as the introductory entry to track 2, were very well coordinated. At no point did this reach a particular low point or falter, instead featuring a slew of highlights, with the clear winner being track 4’s amazing compositions. The way this closed out, hitting a crescendo in track 5’s bombastic strings to track 6’s more mellow, airy presentation was perfect. Certainly an excellent construction, this one. VERDICT: 4.4
8Foxing
Nearer My God

neek's album: Neek took a route akin to butcher’s wherein a group of dissimilar songs were brought together to somehow compliment each other. There was a restraint in the majority of these songs, leading to a reliance on atmosphere as opposed to competing albums. Of course, there were examples of getting abrasive and in-your-face ala track 2’s presentation (liked the guitars here as well) that helped differentiate the proceedings. Some points where this unfortunately lagged included track 3, which was just kind of okay, and track 5’s repetitive nature—went on too long with too little to say. In general, though, this maintained a good flow and had a series of great entries. VERDICT: 3.7
9Oceansize
Frames

Sinternet's album: The performances throughout this album were all of a high quality and ran the gamut in terms of what they accomplished. Naturally, the flow was a large focus, and the flow were was pretty damn awesome; the intro segues well into track 2, while track 5 as a whole functions as an elongated sort of bridge between entries, still pulling its own weight in terms of its individual merit. There were explorations into more atmospheric, build-up oriented prog (ala track 1 and some of track 3) and forays towards the more explosive, riffing side of the fence (a dash of Mars Volta can’t hurt). This functioned as a whole very nicely, and each part of that whole left behind something to remember. VERDICT: 4.25
10The Enid
Invicta

bg's album: Rather than opting for a rock approach outright, this album kept things rather gentle and relied on mutual ambiance to string its tracks together. This approach works; the run from track 4 to the finale in particular is stitched together exceptionally well, merging 4’s jam-session aesthetic to 5 and 6’s delicate arrangements. Perhaps this dependence on setting a particular mood diverted the album from reaching greater heights—the intro, for instance, is great and engaging and all that, but after ten minutes, it’s hard to ignore the fact that it has little to say on its own, not progressing to a sort of crescendo. These moments crop up more than once, holding this album back from breaking further forward, though not completely detracting from its excellent value. VERDICT: 4.0
11 Beak (UK)
> >

Phero's album: Phero’s album was able to combine the best of both worlds when it came to what prog rock can accomplish. Essentially, the album presented a mixture of atmospheric moments divided equally with appropriate amounts of jamming or otherwise hard-hitting sections. Entries like track 3 featured a compelling demonstration of both, featuring artful guitar strumming paired with evocative string parts. Track 6 punctuates its more moody, distant-feeling runtime with sudden instrumental explosions that really shock the listener. The downside comes in the form of track 1, whose droning nature sticks out like a sore thumb. Thankfully, track 2’s more spacey, desert-road-esque ambiance made up for its shortcomings, but it could not necessarily erase them. VERDICT: 4.2
12Rush
2112

A clear improvement from last round, prog rock still featured a sort of bloated middle where contestants succeeded, but they did not achieve greater marks than they could have. There were epic flows to be had, though. Who got themselves a placement this go-around?
FIRST PLACE: Storm (4.4)
SECOND PLACE: Sinternet (4.25)
THIRD PLACE: Phero (4.2)
The crowd through broke a 4.0 or higher dominated here, and it took some time to sort out where they would eventually stand. Bravo for all your efforts, as the flow challenge wasn't an easy one. So difficult, in fact, that someone ended up missing the cut.
Uzumaki (3.3) is ELIMINATED. Thanks for playing through this, and don't go anywhere! You're gonna want to keep reading this one.
13Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man

So I've been teasing the role of eliminated players for some time now, and I think we've reach a good halfway point in this competition to finally open the floodgates. It's probably no secret what's about to happen, but considering the random musical genre that was brought upon us this round, I think it makes for an entertaining juxtaposition. I mean, how many people are out there jamming Deathspell Omega so that they can save their souls?
14Deathspell Omega
Fas - Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum

That's right, it's time to get evil and love Satan, because we're in BLACK METAL territory. As per usual, this means that your chosen song selections this round will have to be under that banner to a noticeable degree. If you don't feel like drawing a pentagram yet, you're clearly not trve kvlt, and you oughta get yourself into the spirit of things*
15Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man

To keep things in line, the theme for this round is set to be VILLAINOUS. Black metal is surely known for how dark it can be or the chaos that it breeds through dissonant, runaway riffing. Just as well, however, can it give off an evil vibe, this aura of "I've got a plan of world domination with Satan and you can't stop me." When you build your album, always remember the keep the theme in mind.
16Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man

Album is a bit of a misleading term here, however, since that's not the objective this week: I want you to construct EPs instead. All entries are to be restricted to a three-track limit and cannot exceed a 25-minute duration. This leaves a brief runtime, so each success and each failure is maginified. Tread carefully! And bear in mind you now have TWO "point of no return rules": the established no-repeats rule, and now only one artist per album rule. This does NOT mean an artist can be claimed, but rather an individual contestant can only use an artist in their album once. Use 1 Mayhem track, for instance, and you can't use Mayhem in YOUR album again.
17Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man

The "dumb rule" is where things get fun. For this round, we're in CHAOS MODE. Any player that has been previously eliminated from this competition can play. That's right, ANYONE from the first round to this one that has played can opt in. The incentive is that this is a DOUBLE-ELIMINATION round, but with a twist: the lowest-scoring contestant still in-game will lose outright, but the second-lowest-scoring contestant will be replaced by the highest-scoring previously-eliminated contestant. That means if you lost before, you've got a chance at redemption! And if you haven't lost, you've got extra reason to fear for your lives.
18Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man

SUMMARY:
Genre = Black Metal
Theme = Villainous
Requirement = 3-track EP; no longer than 25 min.
"point of no return" = no repeat songs; can use an artist in your album once
"Dumb Rule" = Chaos Mode; all eliminated players can join, double-elimination, chance for redemption

*your host does not endorse Satanic imagery or vandalizing public property. I plea the 5th
19Macho Man Randy Savage
Be A Man

CHAOS MODE Contestants:
Papa Universe | ZombieToyDuck | Storm | NeroCorleone80 | Pheromone | Uzumaki | Sinternet | VuvuzelaBzz | bgellesp | butherboy | goblinilbog | BerryGarlicia | SteakByrnes | neekafat | kalkwiese
20Akhlys
The Dreaming I

Zombie:
1. Akhlys- Breath and Levitation
2. Oathbreaker- The Abyss Looks into Me
3. Behemoth-Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer
21Burzum
Burzum

Uzumaki (E):
1. Burzum - Feeble Screams From Forests Unknown
2. Darkthrone - As Flittermice as Satans Spys
3. Beherit - Nocturnal Evil
22Immortal
Pure Holocaust

bg:
1. Immortal- Eternal Years On the Path to the Cemetery
2. Mayhem- Freezing Moon (Out From the Dark Version on YT)
3. Burzum- Gebrechlichkeit II
23Hoth
Astral Necromancy

Papa (E):
1. Hoth - Passage into Entropy
2. Titan X - Signs of Time
3. Mesarthim - .----
24Darkthrone
A Blaze in the Northern Sky

Berry (E):
1. Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky
2. Evil - Holocaust Black Metal
3. Beherit - Pagan Moon
25Batushka
Litourgiya

neek:
1. Batushka - “Yekteniya I: Ochishcheniye”
2. Dissection - “Where Dead Angels Lie”
3. Bathory - “Shores in Flames”
26Deathspell Omega
Paracletus

Sint:
1. Lunar Aurora - Der Pakt
2. Deathspell Omega - Abscission
3. Altar of Plagues - Twelve Was Ruin
27The Elysian Fields
We...The Enlightened

Vuvuzela (E):
1. Their Blood Be Upon Us — The Elysian Fields
2. The Somberlain — Dissection
3. Kata Ton Daimona Eaytoy — Rotting Christ
28Der Weg Einer Freiheit
Finisterre

kalk (E):
1. Der Weg Einer Freiheit - Aufbruch
2. Rabbit Junk - The Revenge of Julian Modely
3. Alcest - Oiseaux de proie
29Karyn Crisis' Gospel of the Witches
Salem's Wounds

Storm:
1. Progenies of the Great Apocalypse by Dimmu Borgir
2. Ancient Ways by Karyn Crisis' Gospel of the Witches
3. The 13th Caesar (Gilles De Rais) by Cradle of Filth
30Deathspell Omega
The Synarchy of Molten Bones

Steak:
1. Deathspell Omega - Famished For Breath
2. Blut Aus Nord - The Choir of the Dead
3. Sigh - Finale: Hangman's Hymn / In Paradisum / Das Ende
31Burzum
Filosofem

Nero (E):
1. Burzum - Dunkelheit
2. Leviathan - Vexed and Vomit Hexed
3. Blut Aus Nord - Our Blessed Frozen Cells
32Reverorum Ib Malacht
Im Ra Distare Summum Soveris Seris Vas innoble

butch:
1. reverorum ib malacht - incompatible molokh
2. terra tenebrosa - ghost at the end of the rope
3. oranssi pazuzu - saturaatio
33Drudkh
Autumn Aurora

Phero:
1. deafhaven - dream house
2. drudkh - summoning the rain (use art pls x)
3. agalloch - dead winter days
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