GREATEST METAL ALBUM CUP - Winner: Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son!

Ratt - these are before my time, but I was aware of them as obviously Round and Round is a classic hit, I've checked the whole album off the back of it on spotify a few times, I couldn't tell you what's what on the album but I was surprised how solid it was.

Be'lakor - opinon given before

Ratt with the win

Darkthrone - same general opinion as the other recent album, the last tack was better

Megadeth - opinion given before

Megadeth with the win

Entombed - pretty ok early 90's fare, I wasn't aware of them at the time hence no nostalgia bias

Alter Bridge - opinion given before

Much of a muchness on this one, but I'll thrown Alter Bridge a bone due to the fact that bands such as them, rock leaning with a real singer, are getting hammered in this game.

NIN - this is terrible

Judas Priest - opinion given before

Judas Priest with the win
 
Wow, what a weak round...

I'm not sure what exactly Be'lakor bring to the melodeath table, but at least they are consistenter than Arch Enemy and Bodom (which is kinda easy if you have, like, four albums) and much interestinger and fuller of epicalitisness than those three Swedish overglorified bands. There is only one rat I genuinely like in or out of cellar and it ain't this Ratt.

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I admit that as far as 80's cheese metal goes, Ratt are pretty tolerable and I'd possibly even be intrigued to put them on from time to time. Rarely, but still.

Now I'm not sure what would make a person pick precisely Abominations as the possibly best Deth album... it' not bad, honestly I believe none of their albums really is, but it's just... questionable. Oh, and that "French" ... thing again. Not even Cristina Scabbia can save that one, especially because I can't picture her in my mind without picturing

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as well. Didn't The System Has Failed at least have Kick the Chair? I mean, the one song with which any of the Big 4 even got close to actual thrash at that time? What has this one? Sleepwalker sounds like an unholy, misbegotten offspring of Sabaton and Queensryche, the title track just goes nowhere, Play for Blood sounds like an Anthrax track that somebody sucked all the fun out of, Never Walk Alone just sounds old and tired. Okay, I guess Washington Is Next is a good latter-day Judas Priest track.

Thankfully, their oponents are Darkthrone and... well...

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Like I said, give me black metal combined with other genres or developed in any way. These troo beginnings are way too silly and unpleasant to listen to. Guys, "Stan" should come from catacombs, not from a garage.

I never really got around Entombed's career past the first couple of records (when they started making the so called "death 'n' roll") and I guess I'm too old to start now. Alter Bridge I really somewhat like and although I don't love this particular record the most, I'd much rather listen to them.

As for the last pairing, never understood the appeal of NIN... oh, wait, I actually liked the Broken EP somewhat! But no, especially since they're against the undoubtedly best album out of these 8 and one of the best Priest albums ever. Seriously, fuck the "desperately-clinging-to-a-polished-formula-sound-too-scared-of-diverging-because-we-need-that-beer-gut-appraisal" Firepower and its ilk.
 
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Reznor is getting flagged in some of the Marilyn Manson accusations that have been dropping over the past week.
 
Yeah, what a really shitty situation. Some of their work is still good but it’s hard to take them seriously at all anymore (and I know that some are gonna be like ‘as if you could ever’ thanks Bezno). Truly and utterly a disappointment.
 
As @JudasMyGuide said this kind of rat n' roll is miles away from the Rocks' one. Be'Lakor by default.

With all due respect to their fan base I simply can't stand Darkthrone past their first album (@Magnus incoming). Sorry but I have to be honest. On the other hand United Abominations is solid. Megadeth.

Wolverine Blues, besides being one beast of an album created a new sub genre: Death N' Roll. The mix between punk, blues and garage rock was something no Death Metal band even imagined before this record came out. A few years after multiple big names in the genre like Gorefest, Carcass and Six Feet Under were joining the bandwagon. Songs like Full Of Hell, Out Of Hand, Hollow Man or Eyemaster are more than enough to show you the reason why: tons of groove, creativity and energy. After having a substantial part on developing a new metal genre in Death Metal Entombed went further when it comes to innovation and pulled out tyheiur own... in less than 5 years. This alone is mind blowing and almost unheard of.

I'm a huge NIN fan and this was the first record I really got into (already knew the song Wish but little more than that). To begin with let me tell you that The Downward Spiral features some of the most disturbing, nihilistic and depressive tunes I ever listened to (to a point that I no longer listen to some of those songs because they really pull me down... I prefer the lighter post Fragile NIN stuff). That being said it's also true that The Downward Spiral is a masterpiece made by a unique songwriter and one of the best records I've ever listened to. And yes, IMO it's even better than the excellent Sin After Sin. And although there's some more "metallized" guitars here and there (namely in Mr. Self Destruct, Heresy, March Of The Pigs, Big Man With A Gun, I Do Not Want This) I'm sorry but I can't vote for TDS in a "Best Metal Record" game. The only NIN record with a metal backbone is undoubtedly Broken. If and when it comes out I'll give my two cents about it. But TDS is a labyrinthine crossroad of influences: the majority being rock/ industrial but I also spot lots of pop, punk, funk and jazz on it. So I'm sorry but as much as I admire this absolute classic I refuse to vote for it in this game. That being said Sin After Sin wins this by default... which is also ok since a) it's metal and b) it's one of Judas Priest's finnest records.
 
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JudasMyGuide said:
Thankfully, their oponents are Darkthrone and... well...

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Click to expand...
:D
 
This Be'lakor band is sweet. Nerdy name but their music is groovy and it reminds me of early Opeth but with better production. I'm going to check out their stuff. Is Stone's Reach the best album to start with? They'd have my vote over any hair metal band even if they sucked, which they clearly don't.

Megadeth, obviously, although Darkthrone gets points in my book for being hilarious.

Alter Bridge is my pick, although again, Entombed gets bumped up in my book for the laughs.

Finally, Judas Priest, of course.
 
Ratt’s Out Of The Cellar is probably the second best album from the entire hair metal genre, right behind Dokken’s Tooth And Nail (which I also nominated for the GMAC, and which was edged out by the laughably inferior Restless & Wild by Accept). The riffs are consistently melodic and lyrical, the solos are great, the vocal lines are memorable, and Stephen Pearcy’s voice is deliciously sleazy.

The sample song “Round And Round” is probably their best known song, and pretty much everything about it is great. But you could throw a dart at the back of the album and anything you hit is still going to be really strong, whether it’s the slightly balladic “Back For More”, the leadoff track “Wanted Man”, the hooky “You’re In Trouble”, the groovy “Lack Of Communication”, the straight-rocking “I’m Insane”, or the melodious closer “Scene Of The Crime”. The songs are consistently great, if a little simplistic at times.

I wouldn’t have guessed that @Dityn DJ James and I would dual-nominate an album together, but the fact that that happened here should clue you in to the broad appeal of this record. Give it a fair shot and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

(full album playlist)
 
This first match-up is rough. I love the music and the songwriting on the Be’Lakor album, and if it had melodic vocals I probably would have voted against my own nominee here; but unfortunately, it has the skid mark of extreme vocals running all the way down its otherwise pristine tighty-whities. In my mind, that persistent flaw brings it down enough that the Ratt album still edges it out. Sorry, @Saapanael, but Dityn DJ Jer’s nominee takes this one. Winner: Ratt

Everything about this Darkthrone album is terrible. The production, the vocals, the shitty endless cut-time drumming, the lack of variety, the lack of songwriting, everything. Easy default win for MidInTheDarkKnight1939’s pick. Winner: Megadeth

This Entombed album has pretty decent music, and vocals that sound like Mike Muir leaning in a deathy direction. Not too bad, actually, but still totally outclassed by the songwriting and performances on this Alter Bridge album. Sorry, @karljant, but Thiana Dissarident’s nominee takes this one. Winner: Alter Bridge

This last match is also tough. I think The Downward Spiral is heavy and distorted enough that it’s not unreasonable to nominate it for a metal album contest, even though it’s really more industrial. It has some absolutely killer tracks on it, like “Mr. Self Destruct”, “Heresy”, “Closer”, “Ruiner”, “Eraser”, and “Hurt”, which has ascended to all-time classic status as a result of Johnny Cash covering it. At the same time, it’s got some weaker stuff on it like “Piggy”, “March Of The Pigs”, and the title track, though nothing on here is bad, per se. It’s up against a deep and varied Judas Priest album whose highs aren’t quite as high, but whose lows aren’t quite as low either. I could probably flip a coin here, and I’d be content with either album advancing; but I’m going to go with what I presume to be the underdog, and the album that I have more of a personal connection with. Sorry Forokinaeldog, but I’m going with @Travis The Dragon ’s choice this time. Winner: Nine Inch Nails
 
Jer said:
Ratt’s Out Of The Cellar is probably the second best album from the entire hair metal genre, right behind Dokken’s Tooth And Nail (which I also nominated for the GMAC, and which was edged out by the laughably inferior Restless & Wild by Accept). The riffs are consistently melodic and lyrical, the solos are great, the vocal lines are memorable, and Stephen Pearcy’s voice is deliciously sleazy.

The sample song “Round And Round” is probably their best known song, and pretty much everything about it is great. But you could throw a dart at the back of the album and anything you hit is still going to be really strong, whether it’s the slightly balladic “Back For More”, the leadoff track “Wanted Man”, the hooky “You’re In Trouble”, the groovy “Lack Of Communication”, the straight-rocking “I’m Insane”, or the melodious closer “Scene Of The Crime”. The songs are consistently great, if a little simplistic at times.

I wouldn’t have guessed that @Dityn DJ James and I would dual-nominate an album together, but the fact that that happened here should clue you in to the broad appeal of this record. Give it a fair shot and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

(full album playlist)
Click to expand...
JER IT WAS YOU. I always wondered who else nominated this one! This is about as close to a perfect hard rock as you'll get. Great mix of gritty 80's rock, hair metal and AOR. EXTREMELY MEMORABLE tracklist too. I'm Insane and Scene of the Crime are two of the best on here. Lack of Communication ROCKS too. Probably the heaviest Ratt track outside of Tell the World and the slew of tracks from 2010's Infestation. More thoughts on this when I get home
 
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