The Chemical Wedding Awards

Diesel 11

As you scream into the web of silence...
Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the release of arguably the greatest album ever, so what better way to celebrate Bruce's solo masterpiece than with another of these threads?

Best song:
Worst song:
Surprisingly good song:
Most disappointing song:
Best moment:
Song that makes you the most nostalgic:

Best lyrics:
Best line:
Best first line:
Best verse:

Best title:

Best intro:
Best outro:

Bruce's best performance:

Best chorus:
Best pre-chorus:

Most catchy song:
Best melody:
Best bridge:
Best instrumental:

Best guitar solo:

Best main riff:

Man of the match:

Best song: "Chemical Wedding"
Worst song: "Killing Floor"
Surprisingly good song: "Killing Floor"
Most disappointing song: fucking none.
Best moment: The ending to "The Alchemist"
Song that makes you the most nostalgic: not sure.... maybe "Trumpets of Jericho"

Best lyrics: "Jerusalem"
Best line: "And so we lay / We lay in the same grave / Our chemical wedding day."
Best first line: "This is the maze of life / This is the maze of death / This is the matrix of eternity."
Best verse: Tough... maybe "In the darkness the raven's head / In the courtyard clothed in fear / I see gates that are opening / There's only one way out of here."

Best title: "Trumpets of Jericho"

Best intro: "Trumpets of Jericho" or "King in Crimson"
Best outro: "The Alchemist"

Bruce's best performance: "Chemical Wedding"

Best chorus: "Chemical Wedding"
Best pre-chorus: "As you scream into the web of silence / There is nothing that can save you now."

Most catchy song: Any of them, but maybe "King in Crimson"
Best melody: "Jerusalem"
Best bridge: idk
Best instrumental: "Book of Thel"

Best guitar solo: "King in Crimson"

Best main riff: "Trumpets of Jericho"

Man of the match: Bruce, no shit.
 
Best song: Book of Thel is my number 1, but I have to mention The Alchemist and Chemical Wedding as runners-up. Especially The Alchemist, I think it's a pretty close second.
Worst song: Killing Floor
Surprisingly good song: Hard to say, because I went into it with no expectations. If it counts, I'll say that Book of Thel was the first song I've heard from the album and I was surprised by how good it was.
Most disappointing song: I'd say that the two songs co-written by Adrian are underwhelming for his standards. Still solid, though.
Best moment: The final chorus of Book of Thel (when the guitar lead kicks in)
Song that makes you the most nostalgic: Book of Thel. Triggers many good memories.

Best lyrics: Hard to tell... Perhaps The Alchemist, I dig the dark vibe.
Best line: Too many to choose from...
Best first line: Hard to tell.
Best verse: Same as above.

Best title: Gates of Urizen sounds super cool.

Best intro: The Alchemist
Best outro: Jerusalem

Bruce's best performance: Perfect from start to finish.

Best chorus: Book of Thel
Best pre-chorus: Chemical Wedding

Most catchy song: The Tower is very catchy even though it's not among my favourites.
Best melody: There's a ton of wonderful melodies, but my favourite would be Book of Thel chorus vocals + the guitar lead during the final chorus.
Best bridge: The Alchemist - the riff after the first chorus (more like a one-off interlude, but whatever, I'll count it as a bridge)
Best instrumental: As in "an instrumental part of the song"? Maybe the whole solo section of Jerusalem.

Best guitar solo: Chemical Wedding comes to my mind, but I would have to relisten to all of them to say for sure. Jerusalem has great solos too.

Best main riff: Book of Thel, The Alchemist, Chemical Wedding (opening)

Man of the match: Bruce for sure.

Gosh, I love this album sooooo much.
 
September indeed, according to Metal Archives. Well, somebody who remembers 1998 has to confirm.
 
September indeed, according to Metal Archives. Well, somebody who remembers 1998 has to confirm.
This place says September 15th, 1998. My old newsletter from March 1998 said they were planning to wrap up the album in mid June for a September release, but I didn't do any more after that one and the Wayback Machine didn't back up my message board, so I can't check anything closer in time on my end.

The Bruce Dickinson Wellbeing Network said The Chemical Wedding came out about a year and a half after Accident Of Birth, and that album definitely wasn't out in Jan/Feb of 1997, so September seems most likely.

But regardless, there's no reason we can't honor it early...
 
Best song: Jerusalem
Worst song: Killing Floor
Surprisingly good song: Machine Men
Most disappointing song: Killing Floor
Best moment: all of Jerusalem
Song that makes you the most nostalgic: That part after the solos on The Tower

Best lyrics: King in Crimson
Best line: Come the dawning of the dead/In famine and in war/Now the harlot womb of death/Spits out its rotten core
Best first line: Trumpets of Jericho
Best verse: Book of Thel

Best title: Trumpets of Jericho

Best intro: Book of Thel
Best outro: Book of Thel

Bruce's best performance: The Alchemist

Best chorus: Book of Thel
Best pre-chorus: King in Crimson

Most catchy song: The Tower
Best melody: The chorus of The Tower
Best bridge: not sure
Best instrumental: Book of Thel's middle section

Best guitar solo: The Alchemist

Best main riff: King in Crimson

Man of the match: Bruce
 
September indeed, according to Metal Archives. Well, somebody who remembers 1998 has to confirm.
This place says September 15th, 1998. My old newsletter from March 1998 said they were planning to wrap up the album in mid June for a September release, but I didn't do any more after that one and the Wayback Machine didn't back up my message board, so I can't check anything closer in time on my end.

The Bruce Dickinson Wellbeing Network said The Chemical Wedding came out about a year and a half after Accident Of Birth, and that album definitely wasn't out in Jan/Feb of 1997, so September seems most likely.

But regardless, there's no reason we can't honor it early...
I have been lied to and made a fool of. I curse you, Wikipedia, your betrayal for eternity is damned!
 
Best song: "Book of Thel"
Worst song: "Machine Men"
Surprisingly good song: "Jerusalem"
Most disappointing song: "Machine Men"
Best moment: too hard, though I can name (off the top of my head) "Book of Thel" for the intro, "Chemical Wedding" for the soaring chorus, "Jerusalem" for the "Let it rain" part... there are many;
Song that makes you the most nostalgic: "Killing Floor"

Best lyrics: "Book of Thel"
Best line: "Book of Thel" ("By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes", not for the line itself, but the brilliant way it was used in the context of the song);
Best first line: "Trumpets of Jericho"
Best verse: "King In Crimson"

Best title: "King In Crimson"

Best intro: "Book of Thel"
Best outro: "Jerusalem"

Bruce's best performance: "Chemical Wedding"

Best chorus: "Chemical Wedding"
Best pre-chorus: "Book of Thel"

Most catchy song: "Killing Floor"
Best melody: "Jerusalem"
Best bridge: no fucking clue;
Best instrumental: "Book of Thel"

Best guitar solo: "King In Crimson"

Best main riff: "Book of Thel"

Man of the match: duh...
 
Best song: Book of Thel
Worst song: Killing Floor
Surprisingly good song: I don't remember being surprised by a particular song
Most disappointing song: Killing Floor
Best moment: Middle part of Book of Thel
Song that makes you the most nostalgic: Chemical Wedding

Best lyrics: The Alchemist
Best line: "Don't try and blame me for your sins / For the world has burned me black"
Best first line: "This is the maze of life / This is the maze of death / This is the matrix of eternity."
Best verse: "What bitter vampire made you this / Gave you life with its deadly kiss / Ground your limbs to bloody stew / Made a new machine of you"

Best title: Chemical Wedding

Best intro: The Tower
Best outro: The Alchemist

Bruce's best performance: Chemical Wedding or The Alchemist

Best chorus: Chemical Wedding
Best pre-chorus: "Stand inside the temple as the Book of Thel is opening"

Most catchy song: The Tower
Best melody: Book of Thel
Best bridge: Probably in Chemical Wedding ("And all the lighthouses...)
Best instrumental: Book of Thel

Best guitar solo: King in Crimson

Best main riff: The Tower

Man of the match: Bruce, obviously
 
Best song: Book of Thel tied with The Alchemist
Worst song: Killing Floor (Real World with bonus tracks)
Surprisingly good song: Gates of Urizen
Most disappointing song: Killing Floor
Best moment: Drum solo in Book of Thel
Song that makes you the most nostalgic: None

Best lyrics: Jerusalem
Best line:
Come the dawning of the dead/In famine and in war
Best first line: Trumpets of Jericho
Best verse: Second The Alchemist verse

Best title: Chemical Wedding

Best intro: Trumpets of Jericho
Best outro: The Alchemist

Bruce's best performance: The Alchemist

Best chorus: King in Crimson
Best pre-chorus: Book of Thel

Most catchy song: The Tower
Best melody: Book of Thel
Best bridge: Trumpets of Jericho
Best instrumental: Book of Thel

Best guitar solo: Jerusalem

Best main riff: Book of Thel

Man of the match: Some cunt recording this
 
Last edited:
So, pretty much everyone but me thinks "Killing Floor" is the worst Chemical Wedding song? Okay then.
 
To call any track on TCW the "worst" is stretching it as they're all masterpieces. However, of them, "Killing Floor" is just slightly below the others.
 
That weird “renaissance” part on Killing Floor is the only thing that drags it down. Sounds like it came out of The Astonishing.
 
Compare that to the middle of 'A New Beginning'

It's pretty much the same. Has no place in the song.
 
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