Because it's a better song

Which is the better track?

  • Soul Collector — Bloodbath

    Votes: 2 22.2%

  • The Heart Collector — Nevermore

    Votes: 5 55.6%

  • *****

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Castles In The Air — Stratovarius

    Votes: 6 66.7%

  • Burn — Iggy & The Stooges

    Votes: 3 33.3%
  • Total voters
    9
The BL / PRR choice was really difficult. Both tracks are great - still, the 'Arry one would have won, because it could just as well be a great Maiden track... were it not for the ridiculous vocals. This way, PRR won. I really liked the violin part near the end. Very atmospheric, too. Reminds me a lot of another song, but I can't remember now.

In the second, well... I really, really dislike Slayer - I think they are one of the most overrated bands in metal, with pretty much any of the Teutonic thrash bands kicking their ass in various ways, most of all Kreator. I don't like the solos, the vocals etc. ... Still, AoD is probably their best song and I voted for it in the end. I love Thin Lizzy and this song is really good, though coming from a weaker album, but I won't let band bias influence me all that much.
 
Slayer and Adrian win.

Our next matchup, two British pop-rock acts that had surprising influence on the next generation of heavy rock.

Killing Joke - Love Like Blood


Depeche Mode - A Question of Time

 
And two heavy bands from the generation that followed

Katatonia - Chrome


Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name Of

 
First pair - I'd normally vote for Depeche Mode like a shot, but this isn't one of my favourite examples. Love Like Blood has a lot more to it and sounds a lot less raw and far more 'finished', so voting for Killing Joke.

Second pair - Killing in the Name is a bit of a classic that's taken on minor cult status since the re-release made the UK Christmas No.1 (hey, it kicked the crap out of the the usual twee X Factor Christmas stitch-up). That said, I have huge Katatonia bias, so Katatonia. Chrome is one of their best soft clean vocals efforts to still retain something of a doom feel.
 
First pair - Don't really enjoy either of them, but the Killing Joke song at least has a groove I can get behind.

Second pair - I enjoy that Katatonia tune, but Killing In the Name Of is simply a barnburner. RATM had a very powerful sound going on.
 
First pair - I like the riff in the Killing Joke song, and I thought that was a relatively weak Depeche Mode track. I do like DM though.

Second pair - You gotta be kidding, right?! This matchup is like the Patriots against an 8-man high school team. Rage by a MILE. That song completely kicks ass.
 
Killing Joke is really cool, never heard them before but I was impressed. Was also pretty heavy for that style of music.

I like Depeche Mode though, the synth hooks in that song are great. Reminds me of a Super Nintendo game.

Chrome was slightly better than other songs I've heard from Katatonia, but still doesn't do much for me. Killing In the Name Of, on the other hand, is a gem. This one is no contest.
 
Prime example of a band actually living their music/lyrics....Writing about stuff they care about and making it actual/evident for the listener. And of course the energy is off the wall.
 
Check this out....1992 live. So this must be like one of the first live recordings of the track :) (The album came out November 1991)


And of course the vocal mic sucks ON JUST THAT TRACK...so here's Bombtrack from that same show!!!

 
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I was the one to nominate the songs in this round.

Admittedly, the first pair was a more natural selection than the second one. Killing Joke and Depeche Mode are contemporaries and they're both new wave bands. Katatonia and Rage Against the Machine really have nothing in common, except for being bands formed in the 90s but this particular Katatonia tune came out in early 2000s so even that's out of the window. Reality is I love both Chrome and Killing in the Name and put them against each other simply because I could only nominate two pairs in total and I wasn't going to drop the first matchup.

I knew Killing Joke was a band many here would be unfamiliar with and I also knew Love Like Blood would be well received here. Glad to see many enjoy that song. I love the groove of that song a lot. "Dirty" arpeggiated guitars on top of pulsating basslines is one of my favorite things in music and this song is found completely upon such a structure. Love the vocal melodies on the chorus as well. A Question of Time is one of the more up-tempo and energetic Depeche Mode songs so I thought that'd be a good pairing. I love how that song moves as well, lovely industrial vibe throughout with a dark edge to it. Dave Gahan's vocals are also top notch. In the end I went with Killing Joke but I hold both songs in high esteem.

Killing in the Name has the edge on the second matchup, it's the classic rage tune (no pun intended). Pure energy. Lovely bassline, great riffs, great clean-yet-raw sound. That Tom Morello insanity in the middle is also damn cool. "Fuck you I won't do what you tell me" sounds like something an angsty nu metal band would say but in this case it doesn't come off in the same way. Chrome might have difficulty matching the energy of Rage but I think that's a very rich song melodically and atmospherically. The riff is catchy and expressive. The vocal harmony thing works like a charm, Jonas Renkse sounds better than he normally does. Loses the matchup but still a great one.
 
I went with Depeche Mode and Katatonia in the end.

The first two are both pretty good and I didn't really know what to pick. For some reason, though, the DM track sounds a wee bit less monotonous to me (the gutar riff in Love Like Blood got on my nerves after the second listen or so) and I enjoyed it slightly more in the end, but it was really close.

With the second pair, I won't deny that although I've never been crazy about RATM, that song is a classic and it's rather catchy and energetic. Maybe it even should have won. Maybe it's just that the Katatonia track was new to me and I personally might have slightly overplayed Killing. Again, not a dramatic difference, but I enjoyed Chrome slightly more this time. It has some killer melodies and atmospherics.
 
It's funny but certain songs are timeless and certain ones are so much of their era.
The first match is the latter, but what also strikes me is how well each would work with a metal arrangement.

Love Like Blood is a solid composition. I could see someone getting right in to it in a crowded club, or getting lost in it alone in a dark basement.
The Depeche Mode track is...unremarkable (which generally sums up my feeling about Depeche Mode).
I listened to it twice before coming back to write this review and I couldn't remember it.
It's weird to say after my previous comment, but it's a decent song and relatively catchy.
I prefer Killing Joke for its darker feel. The ending seems rushed.

I am not very familiar with Katatonia, but I liked that song a lot: some subtle edge with a dark gothy atmosphere.
The extended intro works well, but I'd like to see it build more off the groove.

But you matched it against a powerhouse: metal aggression, funk groove, fierce playing, spitfire vocal.
Can't vote against a song that punches you in the face like that one.
 
Winners: Killing Joke and Rage Against the Machine

Next battle is dense, extended prog:

Steven Wilson helps Opeth


or

Mikael Akerfeldt helps Porcupine Tree

 
...and hooky, meticulously produced New Wave pop rock

Donnie Iris


versus

Sniff and the Tears

 
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Forgot about that game and missed choosing Adrian over Steve. :(

I honestly don't know what to choose in the first pair here. I really love the instrumental part of Bleak and I feel it's the better song but the vocals put me off completely. On the other hand, I find Porcupine Tree a lot more easier on the ears, so I'll probably end up voting for it. I'll be back later.
 
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