The Greatest Metal Song Cup - Part II, Round 2, Matches 70-75

[MrKnickerbocker]

Nightfall is absolute peak Blind Guardian. It has actual dynamics, power, drama, melody, and, of course, it sounds like elves prancing in a burning castle. A lot of Blind Guardian is just huge walls of noise and this is anything but: it plays with volume and bombast at every turn. A truly regal, gorgeous tune. Smooth Criminal is a great cover and it has energy for days, but Hansi And His Merry Band of Wizard Kings verily prevail here.

I Am The Black Wizards has some interesting bits, but at its core it just sounds like more sloppily recorded black metal to me. I just don’t get this stuff. Masquerade is not a contender for any Symphony X Best Of lists, but it beats Emperor quite easily here.

Motorhead vs. Slayer is a battle of the one trick ponies. Both songs are fine for their respective artists, neither of whom I care for very much. Slayer has the better riffs, but also incredibly annoying spoken vocals at the top. I think Araya actually sounds pretty good on the proper verses and choruses, though. I think Slayer has the more interesting riffs here, but the spoken intro, the absolute shit guitar solos, and the child screaming really, really kill it for me. Going with Motorhead mostly out of spite for Slayer ruining what could have been a decent tune.

Iron Man sure is iconic. But also pretty damn annoying after years and years of hearing it. The best parts are when Ozzy isn’t singing. Don’t Believe a Word has some nice guitar playing, but otherwise feels a little thrown together (especially the vocal melodies). Ultimately, I would say that Sabbath’s best parts beat out Thin Lizzy’s best parts here.

Fade to Black is an emotional, icy epic from Metallica’s peak years. Snowblind is decent, jammy Sabbath. It’s fine, but it doesn’t compare to Papa Het and The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs.

The final match is the hardest one for me. Burning Times is a total banger. The riffs are great, the melodies are great, and Barlow sounds phenomenal as usual. It was a killer set opener back in the day, too. But there’s just something so complete about You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’. I know it’s more on the “poppier/radio” side of Priest’s compositions, but it’s truly spectacular, catchy radio metal. The groove and riffs are awesome, tasteful guitar work, and a magnificent performance from Halford. I have to go Priest here.

 

[Jer]

Why angry at me bro @Night Prowler?

You probably voted against some Cookie Monster or Gollum vocalled song he likes.

 

[srfc]

Blind Guardian - Nightfall vs. Alien Ant Farm - Smooth Criminal
Blind Guardian was a bit better than their usual stuff, but I like the original of Smooth Criminal and this is a great cover that does it justice yet sounds like it could have been the original, unlike a lot of metal covers of pop songs which just sounded like brainddead shouting Smooth Criminal

Emperor - I Am the Black Wizards vs. Symphony X - Masquerade '98
Not mad keen on either, Emperor might have been more my cup of tea with a Slayer style production/vocal, Symphony X had a preposterous intro, and the singer has a good voice but I assume the estate of Dio have taken him to the cleaners, still some decent parts in there take the win. Masquerade '98

Motörhead - Iron Fist vs. Slayer - Dead Skin Mask
Iron Fist is great, they opened with it the first time I saw them, but maybe a little too close to Aces of Spades, Dead Skin Mask just oozes atmosphere. and some great riffs Dead Skin Mask

Black Sabbath - Iron Man vs. Thin Lizzy - Don't Believe a Word
The riff from Iron Man is iconic, one of the very best standalone riffs, but the rest of the track is a bit shit to be honest. Don't Believe a Word is a classic, featuring a trademark Brian Robertson solo, the best there has ever been to wield a wah pedal. Don't Believe a Word

Metallica - Fade to Black vs. Black Sabbath - Snowblind
Toughest choice of the round, and the previous two ties were tough, but Snowblind is up there with the original line ups very, very best. But Fade to Black is better when push comes to shove. Fade to Black

Judas Priest - You've Got Another Thing Comin' vs. Iced Earth - Burning Times
Much better from Iced Earth from some of their more recent entries, it actually resemblings a song rather than downpicking training exercises. There's a huge recurring rip off of Hell Patrol, but hard to hang them over it as Priest have spent the last 30 years plagerising Hell Patrol themselves. You've Got Another Thing Comin' is one of the all time, very best, Heavy Metal pop songs. You've Got Another Thing Comin'

 

[Shmoolikipod]

Nightfall is pretty great, I especially love the drums amping up each chorus. Some very pretty countermelodies between Hansi and the lead instruments. That said, Alien Ant Farm's cover is still surprisingly energetic and original, and this was closer than I expected.

It's simple. I Am the Black Wizards is very good black metal with aspects that are very much my cup of tea. More importantly, it's not the butchering of Masquerade with the most irrelevant intro. Give me Rod Tyler or give me death! Actually, in that scenario I'd go with Death...

Iron Fist is good ol' Motörhead, but Dead Skin Mask has been growing on me a lot since last round. Tom Araya's unhinged delivery is perfect for this song!

I was never in love with Iron Man. It's decent and iconic, but there's nothing actually outstanding about it, unlike some Sabbath/Ozzy I was exposed to this game. However, I don't connect with Thin Lizzy's song much at all. Iron Man it is.

Fade to Black has dynamics and a solo a lot of bands would kill to have written. Enough to defeat this Sabbath song, though it's a nice one.

YGATC... Extremely catchy and Priest's best pop song by far. It just works so seamlessly! Burning Times completely nails you to the wall with aggressive riffs and vocals. Banging lyrics as well. Looks like I went with it, they're so close I couldn't remember which one I picked just 12 hours ago.

 

[LooseCannon]

Alien Ant Farm really needed to be a smoother criminal if they wanted to steal one from Blind Guardian here. Emperor put on their black robes and wizard hat but it didn't help them survive Symphony X's masquerade. Slayer's mask was knocked off by Motörhead's iron fist. Sabbath's not snowblind, it really did fade to black against Metallica. Iced Earth has another thing coming as they lose a close one to Judas Priest.

---

Part II, Round 1, Matches 91-96​

Group Stage - Round 1	Match 91​	Aces High Division​
Carcass - Heartwork	vs.​	Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit​
Popoff 500, DigitalDreamDoor 100, Rate Your Music 100	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
0-0-0, 0 pts, +0	Record​	0-0-0, 0 pts, +0​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 1	Match 92​	Flight 666 Division​
Danzig - Mother	vs.​	Blind Guardian - Wheel of Time​
Popoff 500, DigitalDreamDoor 100, Rate Your Music 100	Nominators​	@Shmoolikipod​
0-0-0, 0 pts, +0	Record​	0-0-0, 0 pts, +0​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 1	Match 93​	Die With Your Boots On Division​
Metallica - The Four Horsemen	vs.​	Cruachan - Ride On​
Popoff 500, DigitalDreamDoor 100, Rate Your Music 100 @Kalata, @Poto	Nominators​	@Perun​
0-0-0, 0 pts, +0	Record​	0-0-0, 0 pts, +0​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 1	Match 94​	Paul Cairns Division​
Megadeth - Holy Wars.. The Punishment Due	vs.​	Amon Amarth - The Pursuit of Vikings​
Popoff 500, Rolling Stone 100, DigitalDreamDoor 100, Rate Your Music 100, VH1 40, Best Music Art 100 @Spambot, @MrKnickerbocker	Nominators​	@KiDDo​
0-0-0, 0 pts, +0	Record​	0-0-0, 0 pts, +0​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 1	Match 95​	Derek Riggs Division​
Black Sabbath - Children of the Sea	vs.​	Rush - Working Man​
Popoff 500 @The Dissident, @MrKnickerbocker, @Kalata	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
0-0-0, 0 pts, +0	Record​	0-0-0, 0 pts, +0​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 1	Match 96​	The Legacy Division​
Nightwish - Ghost Love Score	vs.​	Motörhead - I'm the Doctor​
@The Dissident, @MrKnickerbocker, @Confeos, @Poto	Nominators​	@DJ James​
0-0-0, 0 pts, +0	Record​	0-0-0, 0 pts, +0​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Although the album version of Ghost Love Score is still great, I highly recommend listening to this one, which I consider to be the definitive version:

 

[JudasMyGuide]

Yeah, live versions don't count, so anyone disconcerted by the Floordozer: don't worry, you may go back to the warm, silky embrace of the magical, Faërie Finnish lady in the studio version.

However, since we have Danzig's mother in the game at last, I feel the need to put this here

 

[Jer]

However, since we have Danzig's mother in the game at last, I feel the need to put this here

Also obligatory:

 

[LooseCannon]

I agree that the live version of Ghost Love Score is superior and definitive, but that's not what was nominated because this isn't the best live song cup!

 

[Diesel 11]

Live or studio, it's a perfect song.

 

[Kalata]

Easy wins for Wheel Of Time (I dig the Nightwish vibe), The Four Horsemen (Top 10 Metallica song for me, love the riffs) and Ghost Love Score (pure classic and interesting ofc Nightwish, the dreamy vibe is hard to beat).

Working Man is class, but I'll go with my nominee, Children Of The Sea because it's a classic metal ''ballad'' with great atmosphere, melodies and vocals. The vibe this song creates is really hard to beat.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

so let's join the cavalcade and see what Loosey's magical mystery number cruncher has thrown together!


I'll be the first to admit that I absolutely don't mind songs that are obviously not metal in general - hey, what's in a name, right? And try to tell me that Cash's version of Hurt isn't metal, for that matter

If all you need to be considered metal is merely the band name (see The Islander by Nightwish, which is not metal at all and yet no-one would oppose its being included in this game) then all the genre limitations kinda crumble.

That said, I can't help but somehow dislike the inclusion of Smells Like Teen Spirit. No that I ever stressed the opposition between punk (or whatever it is, probably post-punkish pop rock, or - how Cobain described it - a gloryfied Pixies send-up) and metal, but ...

...to me metal was always about being "bigger than life". In some way. Some have the riffs. Some are loud. Some are abrasive and regurgitate. Some praise Satan (or Nazis, for that matter). Some are literally fantasy bombast with dragons and queens and ember flames and emerald stones and whatever not.
For some reason, this morning I woke up and suddenly the "overachievement in underachieving" that Cobain is trying to do here felt decidedly... unpleasant. The song is catchy, but weirdly off-putting. This is a "big" person trying to come off as "small", in a way. Don't know, probably won't be able to explain this in particular.

However, classic and legendary and whatever, I am in no mood for Smells Like Teen Spirit. Wouldn't be in one for Lithium, Negative Creep, Drain You or whatever else. Maybe for About a Girl.

Nonetheless, the Carcass track makes me much happier, especially the guitars.

-----

I will never be able to shake off the memory of the Danzing / Steely Dan mash-up I posted above. It's just so... beautiful. However, as for the original track itself, apart from some nostalgic memories of GTA: San Andreas (where it was one of the "lesser" tracks, in my not-so-humble-opinion) I don't feel anything particular towards this Danzig's biggest hit (and I'd take the original Misfits or Samhain over his solo career anyway).

Wheel of Time isn't my favourite BG track - that doesn't mean I don't like it, just that there are 2 or 3 songs on that very album alone I probably like more - and that album already is kinda mid-tier, tbh - but I like the Middle-Eastern vibes, I like the ambition and I like the theme - although as far as Wheel of Time-themed Blind Guardian songs are concerned, Ride into Obsession off that very album is much better.

Still, I'll probably confirm Jer's biases and prejudices of the "...but it's Blind Guardian!" type, because yes, after all is said and done, this is indeed Blind Guardian and therefore my vote has been somewhat decided beforehand.

(that said, the fact that this forum hosts probably several fanatical Blind Guardian fans and pretty much not a single fanatical fan of Glenn Danzig is probably telling on its own)

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Ah, the overrated semi-epic off Metallica's weakest offering of their classic era vs Cruachan's (and Shane's) Ride On. I don't even need any pro- @Perun bias, this is quite easy anyway.

I am a bitch, a Romantic hell-bent for things old, for things noble, for things folklore. It's as easy as that.

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Ooh, the next match is tough. Rust in Peace is a legend of the genre for good fucking reason and the very intro to the song and the album itself is ineffably thrilling. The guitars are very much near perfection, the song is surprisingly catchy for a (semi-)technical thrash song and .... and you know what?
I'm going to vote for Amon Amarth. Because I genuinely like the band and I genuinely like this song and although Holy Wars... is definitely better, the Vikings deserve love too. I expect this match to be relatively one-sided, so I'm giving my support to Amon Amarth here (although 'Deth should probably win)

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I wanted to ask if I, the person who arguably dislikes Rush the most on this forum, am going to be the only one voting for Working Man and then I saw that other single vote so far. Thing is, Children of the Sea is nice, much like the entire first Rainbath album... but Working Man has that crunch, you know? The songs are more or less evened out in my mind, but I'm going to go with Peartless Rush over Dioful Sabbath. I just kinda wish the band stayed in this direction, you know? But it was not to be.

-----

Nightwish, duh.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

I wanted to ask if I, the person who arguably dislikes Rush the most on this forum, am going to be the only one voting for Working Man and then I saw that other single vote so far. Thing is, Children of the Sea is nice, much like the entire first Rainbath album... but Working Man has that crunch, you know? The songs are more or less evened out in my mind, but I'm going to go with Peartless Rush over Dioful Sabbath. I just kinda wish the band stayed in this direction, you know? But it was not to be.

You wish Rush...stayed in a direction...without Neil Peart?

This is easily your highest quality shitpost. Bravo.

 

[srfc]

Carcass - Heartwork vs. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
I remember liking the track Heartwork when it was out as a single, and I would be quite happy to listen to it if it was on, although I would be unlikely to put it on myself. Smells Like Teen Spirit was out when I was getting into music, so Nevermind was one of the earliest albums I had, I decided quite quickly that grunge was not for me, although I kind of like this track and Come as You Are. The riff is a rip off of More Than a Feeling but it's done well, with the iconic drum fill. Head says I should vote for Teen Spirit, but I like Heartwork more and dislike all the pretentious guff around Nirvana, Cobain was full of shit and their material isn't very good. Heartwork

Danzig - Mother vs. Blind Guardian - Wheel of Time
Mother the far, far superior song here, even if this Blind Guardian track is better than some of their rawer produced stuff that has been in the game. Mother

Metallica - The Four Horsemen vs. Cruachan - Ride On
The battle of the covers here, I like Ride On a good bit, but c'mon The Four Horsemen

Megadeth - Holy Wars.. The Punishment Due vs. Amon Amarth - The Pursuit of Vikings
Amon Amarth was pretty decent, I've mentioned a few times about Black Metal bands being more palatable to me if they had decent production, and I imagine that if they did it would sound something like this. Obviously, Holy Wars is streets ahead of this though, the riff Mustaine sings over alone is enough to win this. Holy Wars.. The Punishment Due

Black Sabbath - Children of the Sea vs. Rush - Working Man
Children of the Sea is monstrous, heavy as fuck when it kicks in and Dio with the lung capacity of a Zeppelin. I don't have the album that Working Man is on but I'm familiar enough with the track, again an absolutely monstrous sound, the jam section sounds like Sabbath if they asked Malcolm Young to come in and fill out the rhythm. Children of the Sea

Nightwish - Ghost Love Score vs. Motörhead - I'm the Doctor
Nightwish didn't do a hell of a lot for me, it wasn't shit but it's very difficult not to make a dismissive comment along the lines of it sounding like a rhythm section rehearsing in one room while someone listens to the Frozen soundtrack in another. To be fair, it didn't feel like 10 mins, but for the most part I can't really remember any of it afterwards. I'm the Doctor is pretty good, if not too dissimilar to many other songs from the classic line up. I'm the Doctor

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Match 1 takes us to two completely different ends of the spectrum. Heartwork features expert level musicianship, top notch melodies, heavy as hell riffing, brutal death shrieks, and, surprisingly, a really great ear for songwriting. It's absolutely awesome and I was completely blown away. This is the definition of this game. Smells Like Teen Spirit contains....absolutely none of these things. Well, it's got good drumming, I guess. The inclusion of this song is a blight on the entire game. There is literally nothing about it that is metal in any way. I hate this band, I hate this song, I hate its inclusion here, and I hate that it will probably win because half of the crowd around here are scared by harsh vocals. Carcass should be winning this by a landslide.

Match 2 is as radically opposite as Match 1. Mother is stripped down rock and roll. I do enjoy the song, but I find Danzig's acceptance in the metal world kind of odd, as he has always seemed to be a strange combination of gothic Elvis and post punk. Wheel of Time is one of the most sonically dense, pompous, over-the-top songs in the game and is such a wildly stark contrast to Mother. It has at least 2 or 3 natural ending points, but nope, Hansi whips his orchestra and demands more cheese, and boy do they provide more cheese. By the end of the song, I'm fucking drowning in cheese. My ears are so full of cheese I'm not sure I can even hear the nuances in the song anymore (oh wait, that's just Blind Guardian's normal shit mixing). Anyway, Blind Guardian deliver more of what I want here, even if they are serving me an entire Thanksgiving dinner when I only ordered turkey on toast.

Match 3 gives us two songs that beat a similar idea almost to death, despite both being great tracks. The Four Horseman is definitely too long and too repetitive, but the bridge is nice and overall I've always found it to be probably the best song on the overrated Kill 'Em All. It's certainly the song that pointed Metallica in the right direction (i.e. away from the "we're fuckin' metal and we're playing metal!" schtick). Ride On is such a vibe and I'm an absolute sucker for Celtic melodies, but let's be real: it's basically a chorus dressed up with cool instrumentation and the always awesome drunken voice of Shane McGowan. I dig the hell out of it, but I must go with Metallica.

Match 4 is just unfortunate. I really like Amon Amarth and The Pursuit of Vikings is a killer song, but Megadeth have a champion in Holy Wars. Honestly, it's my pick for the Top Five (probably Top Three). Hell, I'd be fine with it winning the whole game. There is no time wasted, there is no bad riff, there is absolutely nothing bad to say about Holy Wars (eh, ok, it has Dave Mustaine singing). Holy Wars is, IMO, the single greatest piece of thrash metal ever written. Megadeth defeat the vikings.

Match 5 is also unfortunate. Rush are incredible and Working Man is no doubt a 10/10 classic. It's the only great song on their debut, the sole Rush record without Neil Peart. The bridge section is just stellar. Children of the Sea, however, is one of the finest pieces of music that Ronnie James Dio ever wrote or recorded. The subdued, layered intro is a shocking display of Iommi and Geezer's talents and restraint. The way the lead guitar and bass play tag over the acoustic riff is sheer perfection. Dio lulls us into a false sense of security with his lush, lighter tone before the proper heavy section kicks in. The verses and chorus are incredible, with Dio and Geezer shining especially. The musical break around the 3:00 mark with Iommi's layered melody lines and the chanting is so damn epic and Bill Ward's drum fills are a perfect complement. The way Dio alters his lighter vocal tone to add more depth during the reprise of the intro is nothing short of masterful. I absolutely adore the abrupt ending, cutting off the song in the most dramatic fashion at the exact right time - that's not a compositional skill that most artists have. Children of the Sea is a perfect song. If I'm being honest, so is Working Man, but it fails to stir the same emotions as Black Sabbath's track.

Match 6 is just hilarious. On one hand, we've got the single greatest symphonic metal song of all time by Nightwish. Ghost Love Score is the pinnacle of bombast, the defining moment in a genre that Nightwish basically created. It is epic, it is melodious, and it hits so damn hard despite, as some folks have said, "sounding like Frozen." (BTW - Frozen fucking rocks. GTFO Frozen haters.) The original recording is a masterpiece, and I believe Floor Jansen took the song to an entirely higher level by adding her now patented ending. It's a 10/10 song on Once, it's an 11/10 song when Floor sings it. On the other hand, we have a Motorhead song. With zero hesitation, my answer is Nightwish.

 

[Mosh]

Really easy votes this round.

First match you've got one genre-defining song that helped an underground sound finally erupt. Great riff, major musical statement. The other has Dave Grohl on drums. Going with the melodeath classic Heartwork.

Similar situation in the second round where you have a metal masterpiece going up against a metal adjacent song that is only really here because of lists made by journalists who don't know anything about Metal. Wheel of Time easy.

Four Horseman needs no introduction. Really miss that Maidenish/NWOBHM riffing in early Metallica before they went full thrash.

Holy Wars is a masterpiece. Rust in Peace could very well be my favorite Metal album period, just a perfect intersection of riffing, technicality, songwriting. This song has it all. The sudden but somehow smooth tempo changes, the political lyrics, Mustaine really giving it his all lyrically. Respect to Amon Amarth, but they have other songs in this game more deserving anyway.

Children of the Sea is my favorite track off Heaven and Hell and thus my favorite representation of the Dio Sabbath era. While I generally think Sabbath was better with Ozzy, this song shows the power of collaboration between Sabbath and Dio. You can hear ripples of the prog influence from 70s Sabbath, but Dio's fantasy lyrics and more direct vocal style help bridge the gap between prog rock and pure heavy metal. It's a miracle when you think about it, and there aren't many 70s bands out there who were more gracefully brought into the 80s. Working Man is a competent but pretty generic Zeppelin clone. Not sure if those Rush guys are really going anywhere..

Ghost Love Score obviously. It's the Stargazer/Painkiller/Metropolis Part 1 of symphonic Metal.

 

[Magnus]

Carcass, of course.
BG and oors hedgehog.
Cruachan - Ireland bias, the Metallica song will get enough votes anyway.
Never been a huge Megadeth fan but this is one of their best songs for me.
#NoRush beats #NoDio.
The real thing.

 

[Detective Beauregard]

Easiest. Round. Ever.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Easiest. Round. Ever. I voted for the following awesome songs that I love very much: Smells Like Teen Spirit, Mother, that Irish sounding one, and Motorhead!

FTFY

 

[Shmoolikipod]

Wheel of Time isn't my favourite BG track - that doesn't mean I don't like it, just that there are 2 or 3 songs on that very album alone I probably like more - and that album already is kinda mid-tier, tbh - but I like the Middle-Eastern vibes, I like the ambition and I like the theme - although as far as Wheel of Time-themed Blind Guardian songs are concerned, Ride into Obsession off that very album is much better.

I overplayed Ride into Obsession to death in January last year. It's still my most played song on last.fm by a wide margin. Wheel of Time itself took a lot of listens to grow on me. But I agree that the album is very meh. Road of no Release is interesting but ultimately a fail, War of the Thrones is one of their worst too...