Alright, it's Helloween.
The Greatest Metal Song Cup - Part II, Round 2, Matches 94-99
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Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
AAAHHHHHHHH!!! It's Helloween!
Exodus might have a lesson in violence, but Anthrax made sure that they are no longer among the living. It's karma that Helloween wins with their dark ride. The spiral architect has been shown how to rock hard and live free by Judas Priest. Lucifer's head was brought to Warlord following his black mass. The sirens do not stop Judas Priest from rising from ruin. And finally Amorphis's red cloud cannot stop Dream Theater from seeing themselves in the mirror.
Part I, Round 59, Matches 349-354
| Play In Round |
| Where Eagles Dare Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom Call - Flying High | vs. | Riot - Thundersteel | |
| @KiDDo | Nominators | ||
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| Rock in Rio Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Sabbath - The Writ | vs. | Enforcer - Undying Evil | |
| Popoff 500 | Nominators | ||
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| Rock in Rio Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| In Flames - Moonshield | vs. | In Flames - Episode 666 | |
| @MindRuler | Nominators | Popoff 500 | |
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| Rock in Rio Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mötley Crüe - Looks That Kill | vs. | Sacred Reich - One Nation | |
| Popoff 500 | Nominators | ||
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| Best of the Beast Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linkin Park - Crawling | vs. | Slipknot - People=Shit | |
| Youtube 50 | Nominators | Rolling Stone 100 | |
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
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MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Last edited:
Magnus
Pica Serdica
Ah, so that's why a raven is like a writing-desk.
srfc
Ancient Mariner
I might have had a hard think about whether to vote for Spiral Architect myself, if I'd got round to voting. I even thought I may have nominated it myself when I first saw it listed, as I think I've gone with, for the big name bands, somewhat deep cuts that might not otherwise have been nominated(like I did with Rock Hard, Ride Free)
Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
My mind is already drooling from this round full of @MineDrooler nominees!
"Flying High" is certainly very power metally, and the band is clearly heavily influenced by Kai Hansen's work. The singer isn't the best, and the vocal melody for the verse isn't all that good, but the pre-chorus melody is much better. The chorus melody is OK, but not great. Subtract a point for synth horns (do these ever sound good?), and I am unmoved by the guitar solo. It feels like these guys are trying to crank the Helloween / Gamma Ray / Angra thing up to 11, with higher notes, more epic epicness, and cheesier cheese, but they're not hitting their marks on the fundamentals of songwriting, and this all sounds incredibly derivative. "Thundersteel" kicks off with a pretty cool riff reminiscent of Megadeth's debut. The singer is a little waily, but he's better than his competitor. The vocal melodies are generally just OK, but the chorus is pretty catchy and the guitar solos are dope. The instrumental section after the solos is great, too. Sorry, @KiDDo, but this is an easy call for @MindRuler's nominee. Winner: Riot - "Thundersteel"
"The Writ" begins strangely, with something sounding like baby noises being made by an adult, and then we get an unusually high vocal from Ozzy, though the melody is actually quite good. This gets repetitive pretty quickly, then moves into a pretty good verse 2 which also gets repetitive. The semi-acoustic bridge is pretty good, and the fully acoustic chorus(?) is great. Not really thrilled with any of the guitar work here, and the song structure is kind of plodding and weird, but it has its moments. "Undying Evil" has much peppier guitar work out of the gate. The singer is whiny but capable, and the vocal melodies are strong, though the lyrics are a bit incoherent. The harmonized lead breaks are nice, but a bit too brief. Two thumbs up on the neoclassical interlude and solo, though, and the traditional solos that follow are also great. At first I felt like this was thin but enjoyable, but the instrumental section finally sold me on the song. Easy call for @Perun's nominee. Winner: Enforcer - "Undying Evil"
"Moonshield" was the first extreme metal track that I was ever able to tolerate. This really came down to the copious musicality of the song, and the burying of the Cookie Monster stuff deep in the mix so it functioned more as background percussion with the guitars driving the song instead of the vocals. Would it be better without the growls? Yes, of course. But I can still appreciate it in its current form. The Jester Race is one of the very few extreme metal albums that I can listen to from start to finish without wincing, and this song is a great example of why. "Episode 666" offers much of the same melodious and harmonious riffage and leads as what The Jester Race offered, but the muppet vocals are noticeably higher in the mix, and this song doesn't cover the same kind of dynamics as its competitor, which dipped in and out of acoustic and distorted sounds. It's still very good for what it is, but to me this is still a clear choice for @MindRuler's nominee. Winner: In Flames - "Moonshield"
"Looks That Kill" has a simple but appealing riff, memorable vocal lines, and a great little ascending guitar hook during the pre-chorus. The solo's pretty good too. Very good overall. "One Nation" also has a simple but appealing riff, though the vocal lines are more punky and less memorable, and the song feels a little repetitive in general. Good solo, though. Yeah, this song is only 3.5 minutes long, but somehow it feels like it drags on for 5 minutes or more. Sorry @srfc, but I preferred the list nominee here. Winner: Mötley Crüe - "Looks That Kill"
"Crawling" epitomizes the early Linkin Park sound that made them popular. Soft accent tones, heavy nu-metal guitars, alternately soft and screamy melodic vocals, and lighter-touch rapping. The screamy parts feel a little forced at times, and the chorus isn't one of their best, but this is still a very good song overall, especially when everything comes together for the dueling verse/chorus bit at the end. "People = Shit" starts off with a bunch of extreme metal wannabe noise for the first half a minute, then shifts into forgettable nu-metal chug with nonmelodic screamy vocals for the rest. Listening to that chorus chopped my IQ down to less than half of what it was before I started playing the song. That queasy ascending synth noise theme that popped up a few times was probably the best thing about the track, which says a lot. The easiest of easy calls for Linkin Park. Winner: Linkin Park - "Crawling"
"The Fun Palace" has dope riffs and leads for miles, and the vocals are much better than I expected based on limited past experience with the band. I like the acoustic sections with the distorted breaks, and the solos are great. One of the verse riffs actually reminds me a lot of Doctor Smoke's style -- perhaps they were inspired by Annihilator. Aside from the vocal lines not always being the best, this was a pretty killer track -- maybe the discovery of the GMSC for me so far. Is the rest of the album this good? "Cold Hard Fact" starts off sounding a bit too much like Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box", but soon forges its own path. I like the chunky riffage here. The vocals are really uneven, sometimes delivered well with good melodies, and other times being really screechy and forgettable -- and those backing vocals suck pretty hard. Strong solo, and the gentler section that follows and builds back to heaviness is great. The lyrics are really cringey, though. There was a good amount to like about this one, but sorry @DJ James, I still strongly preferred @MindRuler's nominee in the end. Winner: Annihilator - "The Fun Palace"
"Flying High" is certainly very power metally, and the band is clearly heavily influenced by Kai Hansen's work. The singer isn't the best, and the vocal melody for the verse isn't all that good, but the pre-chorus melody is much better. The chorus melody is OK, but not great. Subtract a point for synth horns (do these ever sound good?), and I am unmoved by the guitar solo. It feels like these guys are trying to crank the Helloween / Gamma Ray / Angra thing up to 11, with higher notes, more epic epicness, and cheesier cheese, but they're not hitting their marks on the fundamentals of songwriting, and this all sounds incredibly derivative. "Thundersteel" kicks off with a pretty cool riff reminiscent of Megadeth's debut. The singer is a little waily, but he's better than his competitor. The vocal melodies are generally just OK, but the chorus is pretty catchy and the guitar solos are dope. The instrumental section after the solos is great, too. Sorry, @KiDDo, but this is an easy call for @MindRuler's nominee. Winner: Riot - "Thundersteel"
"The Writ" begins strangely, with something sounding like baby noises being made by an adult, and then we get an unusually high vocal from Ozzy, though the melody is actually quite good. This gets repetitive pretty quickly, then moves into a pretty good verse 2 which also gets repetitive. The semi-acoustic bridge is pretty good, and the fully acoustic chorus(?) is great. Not really thrilled with any of the guitar work here, and the song structure is kind of plodding and weird, but it has its moments. "Undying Evil" has much peppier guitar work out of the gate. The singer is whiny but capable, and the vocal melodies are strong, though the lyrics are a bit incoherent. The harmonized lead breaks are nice, but a bit too brief. Two thumbs up on the neoclassical interlude and solo, though, and the traditional solos that follow are also great. At first I felt like this was thin but enjoyable, but the instrumental section finally sold me on the song. Easy call for @Perun's nominee. Winner: Enforcer - "Undying Evil"
"Moonshield" was the first extreme metal track that I was ever able to tolerate. This really came down to the copious musicality of the song, and the burying of the Cookie Monster stuff deep in the mix so it functioned more as background percussion with the guitars driving the song instead of the vocals. Would it be better without the growls? Yes, of course. But I can still appreciate it in its current form. The Jester Race is one of the very few extreme metal albums that I can listen to from start to finish without wincing, and this song is a great example of why. "Episode 666" offers much of the same melodious and harmonious riffage and leads as what The Jester Race offered, but the muppet vocals are noticeably higher in the mix, and this song doesn't cover the same kind of dynamics as its competitor, which dipped in and out of acoustic and distorted sounds. It's still very good for what it is, but to me this is still a clear choice for @MindRuler's nominee. Winner: In Flames - "Moonshield"
"Looks That Kill" has a simple but appealing riff, memorable vocal lines, and a great little ascending guitar hook during the pre-chorus. The solo's pretty good too. Very good overall. "One Nation" also has a simple but appealing riff, though the vocal lines are more punky and less memorable, and the song feels a little repetitive in general. Good solo, though. Yeah, this song is only 3.5 minutes long, but somehow it feels like it drags on for 5 minutes or more. Sorry @srfc, but I preferred the list nominee here. Winner: Mötley Crüe - "Looks That Kill"
"Crawling" epitomizes the early Linkin Park sound that made them popular. Soft accent tones, heavy nu-metal guitars, alternately soft and screamy melodic vocals, and lighter-touch rapping. The screamy parts feel a little forced at times, and the chorus isn't one of their best, but this is still a very good song overall, especially when everything comes together for the dueling verse/chorus bit at the end. "People = Shit" starts off with a bunch of extreme metal wannabe noise for the first half a minute, then shifts into forgettable nu-metal chug with nonmelodic screamy vocals for the rest. Listening to that chorus chopped my IQ down to less than half of what it was before I started playing the song. That queasy ascending synth noise theme that popped up a few times was probably the best thing about the track, which says a lot. The easiest of easy calls for Linkin Park. Winner: Linkin Park - "Crawling"
"The Fun Palace" has dope riffs and leads for miles, and the vocals are much better than I expected based on limited past experience with the band. I like the acoustic sections with the distorted breaks, and the solos are great. One of the verse riffs actually reminds me a lot of Doctor Smoke's style -- perhaps they were inspired by Annihilator. Aside from the vocal lines not always being the best, this was a pretty killer track -- maybe the discovery of the GMSC for me so far. Is the rest of the album this good? "Cold Hard Fact" starts off sounding a bit too much like Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box", but soon forges its own path. I like the chunky riffage here. The vocals are really uneven, sometimes delivered well with good melodies, and other times being really screechy and forgettable -- and those backing vocals suck pretty hard. Strong solo, and the gentler section that follows and builds back to heaviness is great. The lyrics are really cringey, though. There was a good amount to like about this one, but sorry @DJ James, I still strongly preferred @MindRuler's nominee in the end. Winner: Annihilator - "The Fun Palace"
Kalata
Out of the Silent Planet
Freedom Call's song is very good. Big Helloween vibe. Great melodies and chorus. You can't go wrong with such songs.
Riot's Thundersteel is one of the best speed metal songs! Every part is classic. Effective verses and chorus, while the instrumental section is pure awesomness! Painkiller vibe before Painkiller. The whole album is like that and it's very good metal.
Black Sabbath's song is weird. Ozzy sounds different.
Enforcer bring the classic metal vibe and the song is really enjoyable. Always will be. The instrumental section is golden with the harmony and the solos. Thanks for this nomination @Perun .
MC's Looks That Kill has a strong riff and chorus.
Riot's Thundersteel is one of the best speed metal songs! Every part is classic. Effective verses and chorus, while the instrumental section is pure awesomness! Painkiller vibe before Painkiller. The whole album is like that and it's very good metal.
Black Sabbath's song is weird. Ozzy sounds different.
Enforcer bring the classic metal vibe and the song is really enjoyable. Always will be. The instrumental section is golden with the harmony and the solos. Thanks for this nomination @Perun .
MC's Looks That Kill has a strong riff and chorus.
srfc
Ancient Mariner
Freedom Call - Flying High vs. Riot - Thundersteel
Freedom Call was pretty straightforward Power Metal. I enjoyed Riot more, the only real issue was it sounded a bit dated for the year it came out Thundersteel
Black Sabbath - The Writ vs. Enforcer - Undying Evil
Enforcer was enjoyable enough but hardly original. The Writ is a great track off probably the best Ozzy era album, good lyrics from Ozzy(!) and one of his better vocals too (and on the album as a whole). The Writ
In Flames - Moonshield vs. In Flames - Episode 666
Both In Flames tracks were enjoyable enough, they were basically straightforward Heavy Metal tracks in disguise, other than the guitar tone and vocals it was accessible. There was more happening in Moonshield. Moonshield
Mötley Crüe - Looks That Kill vs. Sacred Reich - One Nation
I've referenced a few other riffs sounding like this so far, so it's no surprise to see it actually show up itself. One of the better Crue tracks but I'm not voting against my own nominee. One Nation is the dictionary definition of a head nodding groove. One Nation
Linkin Park - Crawling vs. Slipknot - People=Shit
Crawling isn't great but People=Shit=Shit, I've been trying to be open minded in this game, and usually don't turn songs off unless it's a time issue, but this was one of the rare ones I've hit stop fairly early, that kazoo sample or whatever it was, was about all I could take. Crawling
Annihilator - The Fun Palace vs. Overkill - Cold Hard Fact
I've only had Never Neverland a couple of weeks so I'm not entrenched on my opinions of it just yet, but The Fun Palace is standing out at the moment. Cold Hard Fact was decent enough, I liked the Shoot to Thrill-style breakdown, but it is the weaker track here. The Fun Palace
Freedom Call was pretty straightforward Power Metal. I enjoyed Riot more, the only real issue was it sounded a bit dated for the year it came out Thundersteel
Black Sabbath - The Writ vs. Enforcer - Undying Evil
Enforcer was enjoyable enough but hardly original. The Writ is a great track off probably the best Ozzy era album, good lyrics from Ozzy(!) and one of his better vocals too (and on the album as a whole). The Writ
In Flames - Moonshield vs. In Flames - Episode 666
Both In Flames tracks were enjoyable enough, they were basically straightforward Heavy Metal tracks in disguise, other than the guitar tone and vocals it was accessible. There was more happening in Moonshield. Moonshield
Mötley Crüe - Looks That Kill vs. Sacred Reich - One Nation
I've referenced a few other riffs sounding like this so far, so it's no surprise to see it actually show up itself. One of the better Crue tracks but I'm not voting against my own nominee. One Nation is the dictionary definition of a head nodding groove. One Nation
Linkin Park - Crawling vs. Slipknot - People=Shit
Crawling isn't great but People=Shit=Shit, I've been trying to be open minded in this game, and usually don't turn songs off unless it's a time issue, but this was one of the rare ones I've hit stop fairly early, that kazoo sample or whatever it was, was about all I could take. Crawling
Annihilator - The Fun Palace vs. Overkill - Cold Hard Fact
I've only had Never Neverland a couple of weeks so I'm not entrenched on my opinions of it just yet, but The Fun Palace is standing out at the moment. Cold Hard Fact was decent enough, I liked the Shoot to Thrill-style breakdown, but it is the weaker track here. The Fun Palace
Confeos
Game time started.
"Flying High" is fine and enjoyable for what it is, but I can't say I find it very exciting. "Thundersteel" definitely has more edge and bite, even if the singer sounds a bit iffy. Still, it's an easy vote for Riot.
Sabotage is a fantastic album, but I do rank "The Writ" in the lower half - it's a very good tune, it's just that the quality of the rest of the album is so high. I remember picking up a live album by Enforcer some years ago, which I liked a lot, but I think this is the first time I listen to one of their studio offerings. Great track. This is probably the toughest choice in this round, and I can honestly say I would be happy with either progressing, but I'm going with Black Sabbath.
In the battle of the In Flames...es, I liked both, but "Moonshield" I found a little more interesting, plus it's a member nominated song.
I cannot imagine a single scenario where I actively would vote for Mötley Crüe. I absolutely despise them. Sacred Reich wins by default.
"Crawling" is a pretty average Linkin Park song. I can't help but view it as a lesser version of "Numb". However, this match just confirms that Slipknot = shit, so there's not a lot to consider. Linkin Park.
Man, I really wanna go to Annihilator's fun palace. They always show up with great energy on top of good melodies and cool riffing. I'm always happy to listen to Jeff Waters and his gang. Overkill is just meh - this song is honestly so forgettable. No contest; Annihilator wins this one.
Sabotage is a fantastic album, but I do rank "The Writ" in the lower half - it's a very good tune, it's just that the quality of the rest of the album is so high. I remember picking up a live album by Enforcer some years ago, which I liked a lot, but I think this is the first time I listen to one of their studio offerings. Great track. This is probably the toughest choice in this round, and I can honestly say I would be happy with either progressing, but I'm going with Black Sabbath.
In the battle of the In Flames...es, I liked both, but "Moonshield" I found a little more interesting, plus it's a member nominated song.
I cannot imagine a single scenario where I actively would vote for Mötley Crüe. I absolutely despise them. Sacred Reich wins by default.
"Crawling" is a pretty average Linkin Park song. I can't help but view it as a lesser version of "Numb". However, this match just confirms that Slipknot = shit, so there's not a lot to consider. Linkin Park.
Man, I really wanna go to Annihilator's fun palace. They always show up with great energy on top of good melodies and cool riffing. I'm always happy to listen to Jeff Waters and his gang. Overkill is just meh - this song is honestly so forgettable. No contest; Annihilator wins this one.
Magnus
Pica Serdica
It's a very good album. The Fun Palace is one of the strongest songs there (hence nomination, apparently) but the rest is worthy as well.
30+ years ago, Annihilator used to be my second favourite band after Maiden, and they only had two albums back then, this one and Alice In Hell.
Unique, then, maybe less so if you listen to them decades later, but I think their early stuff* has aged well.
*First three albums and the Bag Of Tricks compilation.
JudasMyGuide
The resident reactionary recalcitrant
Freedom Call, 'cause band bias and I like the early albums.
Sabbath, 'cause band bias and it's probably their best or second best album.
Not a fan of In Flames, but Moonshield was probably more to my liking.
Since I've learnt to appreciate Crue a bit lately, I'll throw them a vote, seeing as they're losing right now.
Ugh, this is the second time this game has forced me to vote for Linkin Park, but Crawling is genuinely the better song (although it's rather hilarious in its teenage histrionics)
Annihilator have higher highs, whereas Overkill are more consistent overall... or at least it always seemed so to me. Since this is one of the Annihilator highlights (IMHO), as are most songs from the early albums, I'm going with Annihilator here.
Sabbath, 'cause band bias and it's probably their best or second best album.
Not a fan of In Flames, but Moonshield was probably more to my liking.
Since I've learnt to appreciate Crue a bit lately, I'll throw them a vote, seeing as they're losing right now.
Ugh, this is the second time this game has forced me to vote for Linkin Park, but Crawling is genuinely the better song (although it's rather hilarious in its teenage histrionics)
Annihilator have higher highs, whereas Overkill are more consistent overall... or at least it always seemed so to me. Since this is one of the Annihilator highlights (IMHO), as are most songs from the early albums, I'm going with Annihilator here.
Spambot
Meme Lord
Match 349 - Freedom Call
I don't know how, but this was hardest round so far. None of these stuck out, in good or bad way, it was more of mediocre middle of the road metal (actually, Linkin Park/Slipknot was a breath of fresh air. Or stale air). For example, Riot seemed like it had better song, but then again, it sounded dates. But then again, for time when it came out, it probably sounded good. But would I've liked it then? Went for the other song. Sounded fresher.
Match 350 - Black Sabbath
I really wanted to vote anti-Ozzy. Enforcer was good, but that was it. One of the thousand songs I've heard. The Writ had at least those parts of silence, which means they muted themselves so I could've avoid Ozzy. Points for them.
Match 351 - In Flames
I didn't encounter much of In Flames and what I did didn't impress me. However, during my period on this planet I saw a lot of people wearing that In Flames "Clayman" t-shirt, that Da Vinci's Vitruvian man on fire. To be honest, I fail to see what makes In Flames so special in Swedish death metal ie. I don't know why there wasn't more At The Gates, Arch Enemy or Soilwork t-shirts around. Voted fo Episode 666, Moonshield felt a bit drowsy.
Match 352 - Sacred Reich
I voted for One Nation because it didn't have Motley Crue members trying to do something.
Match 353 - Linkin Park
Crawlin' annoyed me when it came out and it annoyed me the other day when I skipped it after 5 seconds. I've heard that people shit song and it came from "Iowa" and apparently it was the album that propelled Slipknot upward. So it can't be that bad, right? No. I voted for those 5 seconds of Crawlin' I've heard. It fail to see what it was in "Iowa" that impressed so many people and why it ended up major success. And this is me not shitting on it, I really don't see it.
Match 354 - Annihilator
In a match-up of 80's B-tier trash bands I voted for ¨*scrolls upwards to see* Annihilator! I guess I recognized that guitar squeal and it did remind me on some other song of theirs. So, I guess they got something going for them. Overkill had that great start and didn't know what to do with it. Good mood, good riff, good sound and then came Bobby Blitz. I don't want to say anything bad about Bobby because after all, he's singing in a 80s trash metal band. And apparently, listening to other people singing in 80s trash metal bands, it looks like a job anybody can do. Anybody can do "right", right? Like washing dishes, you really can't fail much at that, can you? Or watering lawns, doing a paper route in your neighborhood. You know, entry level jobs. You can fail, but it has to be something spectacular for the workplace to notice it. Maybe, just maybe, if Bobby picked up one of those other jobs, he'd be best dish-washer in the world, or he'd have his own YT channel on how to do your paper route on a Segway. Maybe he didn't even noticed other job offers, you know? Maybe it was the last one he saw and it kinda stuck.
LOCAL RESTAURANT: WASHING DISHES - HELP WANTED!
TRASH METAL: SINGING DUTIES - HELP WANTED!
NICE SUBURB: PAPER ROUTE - HELP WANTED!
What if the job offers were like this, huh? You always notice the first one and remember the last one. Could the world be a different place if Bobby chose something else?
We'll never know...
I don't know how, but this was hardest round so far. None of these stuck out, in good or bad way, it was more of mediocre middle of the road metal (actually, Linkin Park/Slipknot was a breath of fresh air. Or stale air). For example, Riot seemed like it had better song, but then again, it sounded dates. But then again, for time when it came out, it probably sounded good. But would I've liked it then? Went for the other song. Sounded fresher.
Match 350 - Black Sabbath
I really wanted to vote anti-Ozzy. Enforcer was good, but that was it. One of the thousand songs I've heard. The Writ had at least those parts of silence, which means they muted themselves so I could've avoid Ozzy. Points for them.
Match 351 - In Flames
I didn't encounter much of In Flames and what I did didn't impress me. However, during my period on this planet I saw a lot of people wearing that In Flames "Clayman" t-shirt, that Da Vinci's Vitruvian man on fire. To be honest, I fail to see what makes In Flames so special in Swedish death metal ie. I don't know why there wasn't more At The Gates, Arch Enemy or Soilwork t-shirts around. Voted fo Episode 666, Moonshield felt a bit drowsy.
Match 352 - Sacred Reich
I voted for One Nation because it didn't have Motley Crue members trying to do something.
Match 353 - Linkin Park
Crawlin' annoyed me when it came out and it annoyed me the other day when I skipped it after 5 seconds. I've heard that people shit song and it came from "Iowa" and apparently it was the album that propelled Slipknot upward. So it can't be that bad, right? No. I voted for those 5 seconds of Crawlin' I've heard. It fail to see what it was in "Iowa" that impressed so many people and why it ended up major success. And this is me not shitting on it, I really don't see it.
Match 354 - Annihilator
In a match-up of 80's B-tier trash bands I voted for ¨*scrolls upwards to see* Annihilator! I guess I recognized that guitar squeal and it did remind me on some other song of theirs. So, I guess they got something going for them. Overkill had that great start and didn't know what to do with it. Good mood, good riff, good sound and then came Bobby Blitz. I don't want to say anything bad about Bobby because after all, he's singing in a 80s trash metal band. And apparently, listening to other people singing in 80s trash metal bands, it looks like a job anybody can do. Anybody can do "right", right? Like washing dishes, you really can't fail much at that, can you? Or watering lawns, doing a paper route in your neighborhood. You know, entry level jobs. You can fail, but it has to be something spectacular for the workplace to notice it. Maybe, just maybe, if Bobby picked up one of those other jobs, he'd be best dish-washer in the world, or he'd have his own YT channel on how to do your paper route on a Segway. Maybe he didn't even noticed other job offers, you know? Maybe it was the last one he saw and it kinda stuck.
LOCAL RESTAURANT: WASHING DISHES - HELP WANTED!
TRASH METAL: SINGING DUTIES - HELP WANTED!
NICE SUBURB: PAPER ROUTE - HELP WANTED!
What if the job offers were like this, huh? You always notice the first one and remember the last one. Could the world be a different place if Bobby chose something else?
We'll never know...
Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
There was one round some time ago with two Slipknot songs, and they had honestly great choruses. Here it completely killed everything. Still better than this demo version of Numb.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Flying High has great energy, but is just more stereotypical power metal with constant running double bass and a major key chorus. The bombastic keyboard strings are fun, I guess. The vocals in Thundersteel are really, really annoying though. But Riot are certainly more fun and have wackier guitar solos, plus a really cool bridge section that sounds like the Where Eagles Dare bridge at 400 bpm. Thundersteel takes this one 100% because of the guitars.
The Writ is such a weird tune. The sub-audible sections in the verses are powerful when juxtaposed with Ozzy shrieking at the top of his range, but the production also drives me crazy. There’s a whole lot of different musical ideas smashed together in this song and for the most part it works, but I’m not sure how well. Enforcer is super fun, too, but there’s nothing original about it. Really great music and the singing takes some getting used to, but I dig it for what it is. Kinda feels like Sebastian Bach ended up in a speed metal band instead of a hair metal band. Honestly, I had way more fun with Enforcer here and it doesn’t take much to make me vote against Ozzy.
Instrumentally, Moonshield is phenomenal. I love the acoustics and the melodic riffing in between the verses. The harsh vocals are average at best, but tolerable. Unfortunately the song fails to really go anywhere beyond those two parts. Episode 666 is probably the only In Flames song I know and it’s definitely more traditional Swedish melodeath and a little less melodic than it’s opponent. That said, it’s more of a song and the riffing is good. The harmonized bridge is nice and the key change at the end is cool too. Going with the Number of the Beast here.
Motley Crue stink and so does this song, but I do enjoy that riff in the middle of the chorus. Otherwise I don’t care about this track. Unfortunately, One Nation is numbskull bro thrash and I just can’t. Neither of these songs are enjoyable, but Motley Crue’s has one riff I like.
Crawling is another Linkin Park song that sounds like a Linkin Park song. Slipknot = Shit, so I’m going with Linkin Park’s offering because at least it recalls fond memories of screaming “crawwwwwwwwling in myyyyyy skiiiiiin” into my friends’ ears while they tried to sleep at parties in high school.
The Fun Palace has a killer intro. The recording is a little sterile, but otherwise it’s an absolutely awesome piece of music. I’m not in love with the vocals, but they work for the material (even when they’re super kooky). The crazy prog section after the second chorus with the ludicrous vocals is so awesome and ridiculous. Cold, Hard Fact has some okay riffs, but the lyrics and vocals are trash. Easy vote for Annihilator.
The Writ is such a weird tune. The sub-audible sections in the verses are powerful when juxtaposed with Ozzy shrieking at the top of his range, but the production also drives me crazy. There’s a whole lot of different musical ideas smashed together in this song and for the most part it works, but I’m not sure how well. Enforcer is super fun, too, but there’s nothing original about it. Really great music and the singing takes some getting used to, but I dig it for what it is. Kinda feels like Sebastian Bach ended up in a speed metal band instead of a hair metal band. Honestly, I had way more fun with Enforcer here and it doesn’t take much to make me vote against Ozzy.
Instrumentally, Moonshield is phenomenal. I love the acoustics and the melodic riffing in between the verses. The harsh vocals are average at best, but tolerable. Unfortunately the song fails to really go anywhere beyond those two parts. Episode 666 is probably the only In Flames song I know and it’s definitely more traditional Swedish melodeath and a little less melodic than it’s opponent. That said, it’s more of a song and the riffing is good. The harmonized bridge is nice and the key change at the end is cool too. Going with the Number of the Beast here.
Motley Crue stink and so does this song, but I do enjoy that riff in the middle of the chorus. Otherwise I don’t care about this track. Unfortunately, One Nation is numbskull bro thrash and I just can’t. Neither of these songs are enjoyable, but Motley Crue’s has one riff I like.
Crawling is another Linkin Park song that sounds like a Linkin Park song. Slipknot = Shit, so I’m going with Linkin Park’s offering because at least it recalls fond memories of screaming “crawwwwwwwwling in myyyyyy skiiiiiin” into my friends’ ears while they tried to sleep at parties in high school.
The Fun Palace has a killer intro. The recording is a little sterile, but otherwise it’s an absolutely awesome piece of music. I’m not in love with the vocals, but they work for the material (even when they’re super kooky). The crazy prog section after the second chorus with the ludicrous vocals is so awesome and ridiculous. Cold, Hard Fact has some okay riffs, but the lyrics and vocals are trash. Easy vote for Annihilator.
I didn't have time to vote, but I'll be breaking ties in favour of Enforcer and Sacred Reich.
JudasMyGuide
The resident reactionary recalcitrant
Hey, nice to see a budding mod romance resulting in nepotism and a misappreciation of classic Sabbath stuff, but, you know ...
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