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A window to the west, a blazing star above
"Angry Again" has an appealing groove, but the spoken word verses are kinda meh, and the chorus is just OK. The guitar bit that leads into the chorus also feels like a hard cut each time rather than something organic. The solo's pretty good, though. Never really understood the love for this song. "Angel Of Death" has some cool, sinister riffage and a strong pre-chorus, but the singer is uneven and the chorus is pretty terrible. It has a cool outro, though. Not a fan of either track, but @The Sentient's nominee is a bit better. Winner: Megadeth - "Angry Again"
"Resurrection" has good riffs and a strong verse, though I'm not really sold on the chorus. The solos are alright. A thoroughly serviceable track. "Mandatory Suicide" has some pretty good sinister riffage, and the vocals are more melodic than I'm used to from Slayer. The solo sucks as expected, and the songwriting isn't very interesting in general, though the spoken word part with atmospheric guitar was a nice curve ball. Neither song fully grabbed me, but I think I prefer @Spambot's nominee. Winner: Halford - "Resurrection"
"Hit The Lights" has good energy, but it also has Hetfield's arguably worst-ever vocal performance, which makes the song almost unlistenable to me. "2112" is often lauded as a top-tier Rush song, but I've never been a huge fan of it. The overture and "Temples Of Syrinx" parts are indeed excellent, but the remaining two thirds of the track are much more uneven to me, and some of Lee's later vocals are pretty grating. Still, that's more than enough to win this match-up. Winner: Rush - "2112"
"I Was Made For Loving You" has a nice groove and strong vocal lines, though the falsetto part in the middle is a bit much. There isn't a whole lot going on here otherwise, but what's here is straightforward and good. "Midnight Sun" has a cool back and forth between darker riffage and brighter power metal guitar, but the vocals are pretty forgettable outside of the chorus, and the chorus isn't that great either. I like the first solo and the instrumental that follows, but the second solo isn't very good. The harmonized bit that comes afterward is nice, though. The Kiss track is probably more effective, but the Helloween track has a lot more going on musically, and I figure I can throw @Kalata a bone here. Winner: Helloween - "Midnight Sun"
"Would?" is dark and moody, but soars with the best of them when the time comes. Staley sounds amazing, and there isn't a single wasted moment in this song, all the way down to its stark and cutting ending. A fantastic track -- no wonder I nominated it! "Man On The Silver Mountain" has a solid groove and memorable vocal melodies on the verse and chorus, though the pre-chorus is a bit lacking. The solo is...fine, but it goes on too long. There's also more repetition at the end of the song than necessary. I'm sure the collective Dio / Rainbow circle jerk crowd will guarantee its victory here, but this is really no contest on the merits. Winner: Alice In Chains - "Would?"
"Cirice" has a nice creepy acoustic intro that still works well after going heavy. The main riff that follows has some interesting harmonized bits. Not thrilled with the thin vocals or some of the vocal melody choices, though the gentle piano bridge is nice, and the odd rhythm is interesting. The melodic solo is also nice. Bonus point for pipe organ. Pretty good overall. "Lake Bodom" has a nice driving groove with lots of cool neoclassical flourishes and an interesting song structure, but the vocals are terrible. Sorry, @Confeos, but I've got to go with DJMashes' nominee here. Winner: Ghost - "Cirice"
"Resurrection" has good riffs and a strong verse, though I'm not really sold on the chorus. The solos are alright. A thoroughly serviceable track. "Mandatory Suicide" has some pretty good sinister riffage, and the vocals are more melodic than I'm used to from Slayer. The solo sucks as expected, and the songwriting isn't very interesting in general, though the spoken word part with atmospheric guitar was a nice curve ball. Neither song fully grabbed me, but I think I prefer @Spambot's nominee. Winner: Halford - "Resurrection"
"Hit The Lights" has good energy, but it also has Hetfield's arguably worst-ever vocal performance, which makes the song almost unlistenable to me. "2112" is often lauded as a top-tier Rush song, but I've never been a huge fan of it. The overture and "Temples Of Syrinx" parts are indeed excellent, but the remaining two thirds of the track are much more uneven to me, and some of Lee's later vocals are pretty grating. Still, that's more than enough to win this match-up. Winner: Rush - "2112"
"I Was Made For Loving You" has a nice groove and strong vocal lines, though the falsetto part in the middle is a bit much. There isn't a whole lot going on here otherwise, but what's here is straightforward and good. "Midnight Sun" has a cool back and forth between darker riffage and brighter power metal guitar, but the vocals are pretty forgettable outside of the chorus, and the chorus isn't that great either. I like the first solo and the instrumental that follows, but the second solo isn't very good. The harmonized bit that comes afterward is nice, though. The Kiss track is probably more effective, but the Helloween track has a lot more going on musically, and I figure I can throw @Kalata a bone here. Winner: Helloween - "Midnight Sun"
"Would?" is dark and moody, but soars with the best of them when the time comes. Staley sounds amazing, and there isn't a single wasted moment in this song, all the way down to its stark and cutting ending. A fantastic track -- no wonder I nominated it! "Man On The Silver Mountain" has a solid groove and memorable vocal melodies on the verse and chorus, though the pre-chorus is a bit lacking. The solo is...fine, but it goes on too long. There's also more repetition at the end of the song than necessary. I'm sure the collective Dio / Rainbow circle jerk crowd will guarantee its victory here, but this is really no contest on the merits. Winner: Alice In Chains - "Would?"
"Cirice" has a nice creepy acoustic intro that still works well after going heavy. The main riff that follows has some interesting harmonized bits. Not thrilled with the thin vocals or some of the vocal melody choices, though the gentle piano bridge is nice, and the odd rhythm is interesting. The melodic solo is also nice. Bonus point for pipe organ. Pretty good overall. "Lake Bodom" has a nice driving groove with lots of cool neoclassical flourishes and an interesting song structure, but the vocals are terrible. Sorry, @Confeos, but I've got to go with DJMashes' nominee here. Winner: Ghost - "Cirice"
