Rock Band Blitz Song Review: Part 4 (A7X, blink-182, Fall Out Boy, Iron Maiden and P!nk)
While there may not have been any DLC that shows up in the Music Store this week (unless you’re on Wii), people commenting that the streak has been broken seem to be forgetting that Xbox 360 and PS3 are receiving a 25 song track pack called Rock Band Blitz. Without further ado, here’s the fourth batch of reviews and playthroughs for the Rock Band Blitz pack. Included below are playthrough videos of the DLC from the always awesome thenewnoelisoncruz. Definitely check out and subscribe to his YouTube channel!
These songs are only available on Xbox 360 and PS3 through purchasing Rock Band Blitz for 1200 MSP ($14.99).
Avenged Sevenfold – So Far Away
Guitar is pretty mellow. Normally, I don’t like slow songs in Rock Band, because they don’t play well, but this one is rather fun to play through. It still doesn’t match Every Rose Has It’s Thorn for my favourite ballad, both in and out of Rock Band, but it does come surprisingly close. It’s got a solo that’s pretty easy to nail, but still keeps you interested throughout, and the same goes for the main riff. For me to want to play an Avenged Sevenfold song again, it needs to be something special, and this does it for me.
Bass was pretty simple, featuring just a bunch of slow sustains. I personally found myself bored, but let’s face it, this isn’t really a song that features the bass all that predominately.
Thanks to this song, I can tell my friends I was able to Gold Star an Avenged Sevenfold song on drums. Being a ballad, the instruments aren’t the primary focus of the song. The drums serve simply to accent the vocals, but there’s one part which broke my FC. This part is in the middle, where the drums do a few snare rolls. Be sure to watch out for that part when playing the drums. I didn’t, and it broke my combo.
Keys are just some simple sustained synth strings. It doesn’t present much of a challenge, and keys players should stay away from it.
Because this is a ballad (hey, remember when bands like Metallica would have laughed these guys out of town for doing a ballad?), the vocals are the focus of the song, and these vocals are HARD! The song constantly changes between high notes and low notes. Singers looking for a challenge, look no further!
blink-182 – Always
Guitar was pretty fun to play. Most of it is moderately paced alt-strums, but during the chorus, whenever a chord changes, there’s a quick gallop on a note that may break your combo if you’re not ready for it. Toward the end there are some quick chord changes too that’ll keep you on your toes!
Oh Mark Hoppus, you sure love your bass chords, don’t you! Virtually EVERY NOTE is a chord. You’ll forget you’re playing a bass line and think you’re playing the guitar part! It’s still quite fun to play, and I strongly recommend it for bassists.
I’m not at the level of drumming where I can find a blink-182 song fun. The chorus is a disco beat, and the rest of the song is fast, with some complex bass pedal patterns thrown in. Great for really good drummers, but beginners should stay away from it.
There’s not much in terms of keys on this song, except in the outro and chorus. During the chorus, you’re playing a couple of chords and a couple of single notes, and during the outro, you’re pretty much doing the same thing. It’s not that fun to play, as there’s quite a bit of waiting in between parts.
Mark DeLonge and Tom Hoppus aren’t the greatest singers in the world, and from what I’ve played so far, outside of Give It Away, I find this song the easiest to sing. The harmonies come in during the chorus, where the first harmony sings the chorus with the lead vocal and the second harmony triples up the Yous.
Fall Out Boy – A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More “Touch Me”
Guitar is pretty cool to play. It’s not hard by any means, but it can be a challenge to someone who isn’t the greatest guitar player in the world. Its riff will take you across your fretboard with a nice mix of chords and single notes. I recommend it for guitarists who aren’t the greatest, and those just looking to chill back for a song.
Bass is very similar to the guitar, and given the fact that I liked the guitar, it would only seem natural that I like the bass line, and guess what? I do! Bassists should also look in to adding this to their repertoire when they’re looking for a song they can just chill out with.
Drums are very fun. Especially after playing it after the A7X and P!nk songs I’m reviewing. When I started to play it, I was thinking “Finally! Some real drumming!”, and it really is fun to play. The part isn’t too hard, so as to keep me overwhelmed, but it’s not so easy I get bored during it. It’s filled with rolls, complex foot patterns and an interesting beat. If you’re a drummer, I’d add this song to your roster.
I couldn’t hold a combo when trying to sing the chorus. As I always say when I can’t hold a combo, it could be because I’m not the best singer, or it could be because it’s legitimately hard. The harmonies are very present during the chorus, where they sing the same thing, just a tad higher.
Iron Maiden – The Wicker Man
If the tiers are to be believed, this is tied with Spoonman for being the second hardest guitar song on Rock Band Blitz, and it is very difficult. For an Iron Maiden song, however, it’s one of the easier ones. Its solo is the hardest part, and at its hardest it’s just a string of HOPOs that aren’t impossible to hit.
Bass, while it may not be as hard as guitar, still has a bit of challenge to it. If you’re a bassist, I recommend checking it out!
When I saw that the drums on this song were harder than Always, I was immediately intrigued. I personally found it a bit easier, but that’s because I’m terrible at fast drumming. The part is littered with drum rolls, a complex beat, and lots of bass drums that are just a bit after notes. Skilled drummers will love this song.
Keys don’t come in until about half way, and when they do, they’re really boring. It’s just some long, drawn out sustained chords. Keys players should stay FAR away from it.
The verses are difficult to sing, but the chorus and Woahs at the end didn’t present much of a challenge to me. The harmonies double up the chorus, but it’s (I think) an octave lower. Good if you want a bit of a challenge, but don’t want to risk failing out.
P!nk – Raise Your Glass
Guitar was WAY more fun than I thought it’d be. It’s got a great chord pattern that’s filled with alt-strumming, and changes to the chords and rhythm. As someone who is a dedicated guitarist (and more often, bassist), I loved playing this song, and I’d strongly recommend other guitarists give this one a shot, and not dismiss it as being “just a stupid pop song that shouldn’t be in Rock Band”.
Bass only plays during the chorus, and when it does, the whole thing can be done with down strums. It’s just some spaced out single notes. It’s not that fun to play, and it certainly doesn’t deserve a 2-dot difficulty rating.
If you’re able to master Cymbal-Bass/Space/Cymbal-Snare-Bass/Space then you can master this drum beat. The only thing to watch out for is the fact that there may occasionally be a slow snare roll. Outside of that, this is one of the easiest drum parts in Blitz.
Keys don’t have much of a presence in this song. During the verse, there’s just a couple of chords that play very quickly, and during the chorus there are a few sustains and a few single notes that go across the keys. Not a great part to play.
Vocals truly deserve their Impossible rating. The chorus has multiple high notes that need to be hit, as well as the verse being very low. If you are singer looking for a challenge, then I strongly recommend this.
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Is that Walter White on the vocals? e.e
After the release of this game, the guitar hero setlist check list needs to be updated
So if Spoonman and The Wicker man are the second hardest guitar songs, what’s the hardest?
OsagaTheGreat Reply:
September 1st, 2012 at 9:28 pm
If the tiers are to be believed, Cult of Personality. It’s the only song that’s rated Impossible on guitar.
Ospero Reply:
September 1st, 2012 at 10:16 pm
And I don’t think that tier is justified. Not that the song is easy by any means, but after playing it through, I couldn’t see myself actually in danger of failing out at any point – the fast stretches in the solo are too short for that, and the main riff certainly doesn’t warrant devilheads. But you’ll shortly see for yourself, I guess.
I found the guitar in the Maiden to be too strummy. Seemed like lots of parts- the chorus, the part before the solo, etc., that would have benefited greatly from HOPOs.
I was skeptical about the pink song, mainly because i’m not a fan of pink…. I’ve enjoyed every playthrough of that song in both RB3 and blitz. The guitar part is just too much fun
I really hope that we get more of these songs for Wii!!!