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

FTB said:
Jesus didn't die this time of the year to see AJFA lose against AMOLAD.
Best part is the complaining about the production (yes, it's bad) but vote for kevin shirley / steve productions is quite comical
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Is it? AMOLAD is objectively well produced.
 
KidInTheDark666 said:
AMOLAD's production is one of Maiden’s worst. Still it's one of the best albums of all time. I just wish it wasn't so muddy.
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It's really not. The fact that the overall frequency balance is fairly flat is refreshing, but there sure isn't an excess of lower mids (mud) in it.
Might not be sonically the fan favorite, but this isn't a bad production by any (semi) technical standards. Of course, depending on the playback system, the spectral signature changes. Somewhat muddy mids in the headphones/speakers etc? That gets amplified by a production which isn't smiley faced frequency wise.
 
FTB said:
Jesus didn't die this time of the year to see AJFA lose against AMOLAD. I don't get the AMOLAD love around here.
Best part is the complaining about the production (yes, it's bad) but vote for kevin shirley / steve productions is quite comical
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Both albums have many, many production issues. I honestly think AMOLAD is a more complete, more consistent album, but that said, there's nothing on there that has the same raw power as Harvester of Sorrow, One, or Blackened. And I love AMOLAD.
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
Both albums have many, many production issues.
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Production choices up to debate on the basis of individual taste, sure. Issues is a bit of sharp language in the context though, I think. There's nothing comparable to say, Dance of Death where things are distorting.
 
Yax said:
Production choices up to debate on the basis of individual taste, sure. Issues is a bit of sharp language in the context though, I think.
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I think choosing to zero out the bass guitar or choosing to not master something to remove some mud/frequency competition is absolutely an issue.
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
I think choosing to zero out the bass guitar or choosing to not master something to remove some mud/frequency competition is absolutely an issue.
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I really think it's rather balanced. It's not scooped like a lot of metal. I guess that could translate to muddy on some systems. If I was to single out an issue it would be the upper mids in the guitar area and how they at times marry with the drums around 2.5-3khz and themselves. I could see the argument that there might be a bit too much there. Might actually agree now that I've listened with critical ears again (thanks, now I can't unhear it :p). There is a slight bit of room in the lower mid area where the guitars could have done with a slight push and ease off the presence a bit. Personally, I really like that the bass guitar lacks the low mids distinction. Always found Maiden to overdo it at times.

Which is why I think the issues here are more of the taste nature than anything actually wrong with it.
 
I agree with Yax. There’s a taste element of production and there’s a level of objectivity that can be had as well. On the taste side, it is definitely flat and that probably isn’t for everyone, but it’s a pretty clear sounding album. I like that they decided to opt out of the loudness wars, and I also enjoy that they didn’t try to go for the super clean/artificial sound of modern Metal. It’s a very classic sounding album in that way.

But it doesn’t have a clear oversight on the level of And Justice For All’s lack of bass.
 
Mosh said:
There’s a taste element of production and there’s a level of objectivity that can be had as well.
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Yeah I think it's one of the aspects of music that can have the most weight in objective discussions while having a lot of room for personal tastes. For example, I can objectively admit that The X Factor has pretty poor production, but personally it's something I love for what it is. It wouldn't be the same record, wouldn't speak to me the same way with a "better" produced sound.
 
AJFA versus AMOLAD is rough because I treasure both albums. One is classic and the other is probably Maiden's most consistent album. It's been said by others, but I don't love the lack of bass on AJFA (as a bass player myself), although the songs are all killer. There's not a filler track on there, which is the same as AMOLAD, honestly. But AJFA is just so classic, so Metallica gets my vote.

This Priest album isn't really up my alley, but I'll never vote for Queensryche. I'm really sick of all this Priest at this point, but oh well.

Neither this Metallica album nor this Maiden album are my favorites by them, and they each have about the same quality of great tracks versus filler. But in Metallica's case, those great tracks are iconic, whereas with Maiden the only tracks I really love are Empire and the title track (Red and Black is solid, too, but not great). For Whom the Bell Tolls, Fade to Black, Creeping Death, and Call of Ktulu are all excellent. Metallica.

Anthrax does very little for me. Even when they had John Bush (who I greatly preferred to their original singer), they just sounded like a watered-down Armored Saint to me. SIT is far from my favorite Maiden album, but it does have a few killer tracks. Maiden, easily.
 
Cornfed Hick said:
I know, right? I mean, it’s not like they were musical geniuses who pioneered the very heavy music we all love or anything. While we’re at it, I’m sick of Sabbath, Maiden and Metallica too. Fuck it, let’s have a do-over. Cannibal Corpse all the way.
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I like a lot of what Priest has done, but it feels like their entire discography is in this game.
 
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