101. One More Step Average Score: 4.71/10 The King Of Metal 4/10
Yet another King Of Metal song joins the ranks of the fallen. "One More Step" is a piano ballad that I personally think is great and showcases all of Blaze's emotional strength in his singing... but apparently almost everyone else doesn't care for it. Some even flat-out hate it. No use shedding tears for it, because there's gonna be a lot more of that as the countdown progresses, I assure you. With this one gone, we're finally gonna see another album get an appearance as we head into the official Top 100. So much hype.
While Blaze is "screaming in [his] head", I'm in tears. Backed by nothing other than a piano, Blaze lets it all loose with a beautiful song which feels like it's a chapter of his life aired out for all the world to hear. The pure emotion in his voice is astounding. Just a perfect song.
What's the point of this song, honestly? It doesn't go anywhere, and Blaze's performance (which I admit is heartfelt and emotional) doesn't quite fit - too much belting over some laidback piano. Had it managed to build itself up to a proper climax it would've been much better, because there ARE a few good melodies there.
Solo piano -- this is different. Blaze is trying to sing like some coffee house waif, and he sounds pretty bad. Overly theatrical, uncontrolled, missing notes. Jesus, this is embarrassing.
100. Shall We Begin Average Score: 4.86/10 Infinite Entanglement 1/12
The first non-King Of Metal tracks breaks through the walls to make a smashing appearance at #100. "Shall We Begin" is little more than an ended piece, less than a minute even, and sets up the the first sequel in the Infinite Entanglement trilogy. The fact that it's higher than four actual songs is really telling. We've eliminated the outliers and are now in the main body of our countdown. I hope you're ready to weather the battering you're gonna be receiving... shall we begin?
99. Fighter Average Score: 4.86/10 The King Of Metal 5/10
Well fuck, it looks like we're back to The King Of Metal again. This song actually tied with "Shall We Begin", but its highest vote was higher than the previous song's. It marks the fact that half of the album's songs have already appeared on this list. Let that sink in. "Fighter" is a ball-breaker but not one of Blaze's best, going by the votes. It just scrapes into our Top 100.
Great song, wouldn't feel amiss on Promise and Terror, honestly. Blaze does a great job, as do the guitarists, and the "get up, get up, get up one more time" and the "speech" thing at the end are surprisingly inspiring.
A hint to whichever guitarist wrote this song: extended guitar melodies and harmonies aren't interesting when they're just repeating the same thing over and over with little variation. What's with the overly happy melodies, by the way? Is this some kind of sports event? The fast part after the "get up, get up"-thing is very bad in particular, the guitars/bass are all over the place.
A decent harmonized lead over marching drums kicks things off. I like the shift in key and drum feel. Hmm, this neoclassical thing going on under the verse is cool, and Blaze sounds pretty good here. The chorus is OK, though Blaze is a bit over the top. A nice riff break leads back into the verse and chorus. Another riff break leads into a so-so repetitive harmonized interlude. Full stop, and then we get a slow buildup into an aggressive break before returning to the chorus. Hmm, this spoken bit is different, but not bad. Well, there's certainly some good stuff here.
98. Eating Children Average Score: 5.00/10 Bonus tracks 1/6
The first of our six bonus tracks makes its appearance in our countdown, the first song that isn't below the 5 mark. "Eating Children" was released on the Soundtracks Of My Life compilation and I guess it's telling that the voters consider it rather a throwaway piece. I doubt anyone will be surprised to see how it landed here.
Guys, I just don't get it...why is he making these pathetically awful videos?! Honestly, I can't think of these songs as anything other than terrible, and that has a lot to do with the insane iPhone camera videos.
With a motherfucking awesome title like "Eating Children", I was expecting a lot more from this song, but I didn't get it. Still enjoyable though, but little more than just above average. Blaze sounds good though.
A very sparse riff breaks into something more Metallica "Load"-esque. The verse is pretty good. The pre-chorus isn't quite there. Chorus 1 ("they are chosen") has some icky vocal harmonies, but chorus 2 ("eating children") is passable. An OK solo followed by a better one. Blaze is missing notes on the chorus 1 reprise. More chorus 2 and we put this one out of its misery.
97. Forgotten Future Average Score: 5.11/10 Tenth Dimension 1/12
Another non-song and the first from Blaze's sophomore release, "Forgotten Future" is merely an opener for the Tenth Dimension album and last for three seconds over a minute. Anyone expecting to see it higher up? No? Didn't think so. Still bested a decent chunk of actual songs so that says something, I think. Voting peaked at 5, which is understandable, IMO.
97. Forgotten Future 98. Eating Children 99. Fighter 100. Shall We Begin 101. One More Step
102. Judge Me
103. The Black Country
104. The King Of Metal
Albums: Tenth Dimension 1/12 The King Of Metal 5/10 Infinite Entanglement 1/12 Bonus tracks 1/6
96. The Truth Is One Average Score: 5.11/10 The Man Who Would Not Die 1/12
Oh right, we had another tie. This one and "Forgotten Future" had the same average score and the tie was broken thanks to its two extra 6 votes. This list really went down to the bone with the goddamn tie solutions. The issue with "The Truth Is One" as an album track is that it follows after three legitimately great songs, in my opinion, and can't compete against them. It comes in feeling like filler and is just one more meh track on an already over-bloated affair. Even outside of the album though, this song is far from interesting, which explains why it tied with a fucking noise piece for Christ's sake. Not the album's worst piece, in my personal opinion, but definitely a lesser moment and it's no surprise that it's the lowest one from it.
Bad phrasing. Bad verse, bad pre-chorus, decent chorus with bad lyrics. The guitar work underneath is OK. Ugh, Blaze is missing lots of notes on the second round through the chorus. Semi-cool interlude with a strong pair of solos. Blaze totally botches one of the long notes he tries to hold near the end.
96. The Truth Is One 97. Forgotten Future 98. Eating Children 99. Fighter 100. Shall We Begin 101. One More Step
102. Judge Me
103. The Black Country
104. The King Of Metal
Albums: Tenth Dimension 1/12 The Man Who Would Not Die 1/12 The King Of Metal 5/10 Infinite Entanglement 1/12 Bonus tracks 1/6
95. Fate Average Score: 5.14/10 The King Of Metal 6/10
Hope you didn't forget that this album is on its way out. "Fate" sees over half of The King Of Metal's songs eliminated already, a mere ten songs into the countdown, and while I think one could argue that it's one of the stronger tracks, that really isn't saying much since the average score is just above a 5. And yes, this one is also part of a tie with #94, broken only because it had no votes for 9.
A peppy drum bit leads into a simple but appealing riff. Blaze is still uncontrolled and missing notes, but the fundamentals of the verse, pre-chorus, and chorus are basically sound. Nice supporting guitar lead. A strong solo followed by a nice harmonized section. The "oh-oh" section is a little anemic, but basically works. Wow, the production on this song is terrible. The "oh-ohs" in the "twist your fate" tradeoff section are a lot less successful. Nice abrupt ending.
95. Fate 96. The Truth Is One 97. Forgotten Future 98. Eating Children 99. Fighter 100. Shall We Begin 101. One More Step
102. Judge Me
103. The Black Country
104. The King Of Metal
Albums: Tenth Dimension 1/12 The Man Who Would Not Die 1/12 The King Of Metal 6/10 Infinite Entanglement 1/12 Bonus tracks 1/6
Well the two best songs of the album, One More Step and Fate, have already been eliminated, so I have no idea. I'll guess Beginning goes the furthest, but it doesn't crack the top 75.
"The King of Metal" as Blaze's worst song? I mean, it's bad, but is it really the worst one? I could name a few I'd rank below it. Ah well, it's good to see the countdown finally starting! I'm predicting "Dimebag" will end up as the highest ranked one from The King of Metal.
94. Dimebag Average Score: 5.14/10 The King Of Metal 7/10
Sorry to prove your assumption wrong, @Confeos . "Dimebag" is the seventh King Of Metal song to hit the list, meaning that only "The Rainbow Fades To Black", "Difficult", and "Beginning" remain. Which one will win over the others? That remains to be seen. Both vocal performance and lyricism have been criticized with this track, and while I don't think it's Blaze's finest moment as a writer, I do think that he makes it compelling by his emotional performance here. Clearly others disagree, as it lands just slightly above the 5/10 mark. My single vote for 9 made it win over "Fate". Apparently the narration of a guitar god's homicide just doesn't do it for people these days.
Writing a song about Dimebag Darrell's shooting did not appeal to me at all, but upon listening to the track I actually love it! Some of the lyrics are meh, but Blaze does a fantastic job with this retelling. It's obviously a very emotional subject for him, which you can hear in his voice as he sings. I will say that these vocals in the verses sound like the "bleating sheep / goats" thing Jer once said, but I don't mind them at all honestly. The music is also great - the soft opening and closing bookend it nicely, and the guitars are on fire throughout. The "Walk" riff in the final chorus is a nice homage to the legend and a reminder of what the song is about.
So, probably the best known track on the album, solely because it's an obvious tribute to, well, Dimebag. Just in case you couldn't figure it out from the title, the lyrics are so painstakingly specific about what happened the night he was shot. I am not and will never be a fan of that kind of writing, sorry Blaze. The music itself is average, but better than the title track.
A soft intro with sleepy Blaze opens up into a nicer harmonized lead. Blaze sounds uncontrolled and over the top. Shit phrasing, lame vocal melody. The chorus is marginally better, but still weak. The build-up to the bridge and the bridge itself are nice. The interlude and solo are OK, but uninspiring. Another shit verse. Terrible vocal harmonies on the chorus. The tempo changes might have been nice in a better song. The soft ending is pretty nice.
94. Dimebag
95. Fate 96. The Truth Is One 97. Forgotten Future 98. Eating Children 99. Fighter 100. Shall We Begin 101. One More Step
102. Judge Me
103. The Black Country
104. The King Of Metal
Albums: Tenth Dimension 1/12 The Man Who Would Not Die 1/12 The King Of Metal 7/10 Infinite Entanglement 1/12 Bonus tracks 1/6
93. Hatred Average Score: 5.29/10 Bonus tracks 2/6
Yep, it's another fucking tie. "Hatred" loses out this time because it doesn't have a 9 vote. Another bonus track from the Soundtracks Of My Life compilation, this one did better than "Eating Children" but is still outside of the Top 90, so that isn't saying much. Voting shows that people consider it merely average, so there you have it.
It sucks. I'll never understand why some bands/musicians are so lazy and decide to use a drum computer. I'm pretty sure he could find a fan with his own recording equipment who would do it for free.
I've listened to it a couple of times and think its pretty decent. It took me a while to get into any Blaze stuff even with Maiden.
Time will tell if the drums become annoying or suitably different
The Man Who Would Not Die and Promise and Terror are two fantastic albums at the absolute front of modern metal. It is a shame that he did not continue with the band, whatever the reason and difficulties made him disband it.
He needs a competent band and producer, but is instead working with complete amateur musicians like Thomas Zweijsen. The King of Metal had excellent drumplaying, a few good ideas and that was it. A real shame he has taken so many bad decisions these last years. He was really on the way of building a reputation with the Blaze Bayley Band and then he just decided to put it all in the bin.
I was hoping for something much better than the King Of Metal album but these 2 songs are even worse than anything on that album.
He desperately needs more competent musicians-composers. I'm also worried by the positive reaction on his forum. If the fans like songs like these, then why bother improving anything at all?
God, this feels messy, but there's interesting stuff happening underneath it all. The light synth is a nice touch, and Blaze's multi-tracked vocals are different from what he usually does. Again, it's better than most of the songs on The King of Metal.
Crushing riff. Bad phrasing, but Blaze sounds pretty good otherwise. Interesting background synths. The queasy pre-chorus is pretty good. The chorus is less successful. Decent interlude. OK, Blaze, I'll leave you alone. You did tell me, after all. Many times.
93. Hatred 94. Dimebag
95. Fate 96. The Truth Is One 97. Forgotten Future 98. Eating Children 99. Fighter 100. Shall We Begin 101. One More Step
102. Judge Me
103. The Black Country
104. The King Of Metal
Albums: Tenth Dimension 1/12 The Man Who Would Not Die 1/12 The King Of Metal 7/10 Infinite Entanglement 1/12 Bonus tracks 2/6
92. Beginning Average Score: 5.29/10 The King Of Metal 8/10
Well @Lampwick 43 you're off too. "Beginning", The King Of Metal's closing track, is not the highest song from the album, merely the third-highest... which says nothing because it's still outside of the Top 90. It's an acoustic track with Thomas Zwijsen and I personally think it works well, albeit not being the best thing he's ever made. Apparently most think it's just average, as it ties with "Hatred" and only comes further via a single 9 vote. This isn't the beginning of the end for the album; it was set a long time ago.
Did you forget that Thomas Zwijsen is on this album? Well here's an acoustic number to remind you of this fact! Excellent album closer, not quite perfect but close enough. Blaze and the acoustic guitar work well together in this little message to all his listeners.
Oh, this is a much better ballad than "One More Step". At times it's dark and atmospheric, at others it's emotional and uplifting. I really like it. I'm also glad it's placed last on the album, as it - at least to me - seems to herald that the true "new beginning" for Blaze is coming with his next album instead of this one, meaning that it's really just a transitional phase where he's trying to find himself again.
A nice acoustic opening supports Blaze singing decently, if a bit over the top. The phrasing still sucks. When he tries to sound snarlier it doesn't work. He also sounds silly on the low notes.
92. Beginning 93. Hatred 94. Dimebag
95. Fate 96. The Truth Is One 97. Forgotten Future 98. Eating Children 99. Fighter 100. Shall We Begin 101. One More Step
102. Judge Me
103. The Black Country
104. The King Of Metal
Albums: Tenth Dimension 1/12 The Man Who Would Not Die 1/12 The King Of Metal 8/10 Infinite Entanglement 1/12 Bonus tracks 2/6
91. Motherfuckers R Us Average Score: 5.44/10 Bonus tracks 3/6
A song that really screams "bonus track", this one comes from a South American release of Silicon Messiah - thus marking the first appearance of a track from its poll sheet - and was later included on the Soundtracks Of My Life compilation. "Motherfuckers R Us" takes its title from the popular toy store, only it makes it more badass... I guess. It's definitely just a silly tune that's enjoyable for some, not compelling for others, average as a whole.
I like this one a lot more, perhaps only for its awesome title, but he does pull off the "I live to rock" type song quite well. And hey, it's only a bonus track, so who cares? Fun song.
Firstly, I love the title! Secondly... Eh... This song is not bad, but it's not good either. It's very generic, both lyric and musically, and it's not very interesting whatsoever.
91. Motherfuckers R Us 92. Beginning 93. Hatred 94. Dimebag
95. Fate 96. The Truth Is One 97. Forgotten Future 98. Eating Children 99. Fighter 100. Shall We Begin 101. One More Step
102. Judge Me
103. The Black Country
104. The King Of Metal
Albums: Tenth Dimension 1/12 The Man Who Would Not Die 1/12 The King Of Metal 8/10 Infinite Entanglement 1/12 Bonus tracks 3/6
90. The Rainbow Fades To Black Average Score: 5.57/10 The King Of Metal 9/10
Our Top 90 begins with yet another tie - this one loses out because it had no 8 vote - and we see the second-highest King Of Metal takes its bow / fall. This one resonated better with voters than most of the album, but still remains an average affair when all is said and done. I still haven't figured out if this is a tribute to Dio or not, but if it is, I guess that means Blaze succeeded better here than with "Dimebag".
Okay, is this a tribute to Dio or not? I think I read about it some time ago, but I'm not sure. If it is the case, however, it's a much better tribute than "Dimebag" - the riff is similar to Sabbath's "Neon Knights" and Blaze's phrasing on the verses sounds like something that could've come from Dio's solo career. The lyrics are decent, as are the guitar melodies, but the chorus could've been just a little bit better.
A very basic rock groove and some forgettable lead work kick off an OK verse. Blaze still sounds bad, but a little less bad than the past few songs. Wow, that chorus sucked. Blaze's vocal melody clashes with the guitars in a number of places. A couple of OK solos lead into Blaze trying to be Scott Weiland and failing miserably. WTF am I listening to? A pretty good solo keeps me from slitting my wrists, then we're back into that WTF chorus. The outro is slightly better.
90. The Rainbow Fades To Black 91. Motherfuckers R Us 92. Beginning 93. Hatred 94. Dimebag
95. Fate 96. The Truth Is One 97. Forgotten Future 98. Eating Children 99. Fighter 100. Shall We Begin 101. One More Step
102. Judge Me
103. The Black Country
104. The King Of Metal
Albums: Tenth Dimension 1/12 The Man Who Would Not Die 1/12 The King Of Metal 9/10 Infinite Entanglement 1/12 Bonus tracks 3/6
89. Difficult Average Score: 5.57/10 The King Of Metal 10/10
And @Jer called it - "Difficult" is the winning song from the doomed King Of Metal album. We've gone through a mere 15 songs and an entire album already made its exit. Just let that sink in. People really don't like this release. It's funny to me because "Difficult", while not a bad song IMO, is still the one I remember the least of without listening to it again. Still, I guess it being a merely 'average' song is what saved it from the fires before now. And so we bring to close a particularly interesting part of our countdown, and we move on into the other albums...
Pretty great song. All of it is good, but I really like his very personal quieter segment halfway through. I've got far more positives I could heap on this song than negatives, but I don't think it quite stands out enough against his best songs.
A cool thrashy riff leads into decent verse. Blaze is predictably all over the place tonally, and missing notes. He gets a little hammy with the delivery on the pre-chorus. An OK off-kilter interlude leads into a nice soft section. Blaze actually sounds good here, aside from the terrible phrasing. This doesn't work as well when it gets heavier and Blaze starts missing notes again. A strong solo leads into an interesting melodic lead that gets nice rhythm guitar backup. I like the renaissance vibe running through this song. OK, Blaze, I get it -- you're gonna live your life your own way. Nice soft outro, though Blaze is still uncontrolled there. This one is interesting, but really uneven.
After his two popular albums with the Bermudez brothers, Blaze kicked out his old band and restarted things with a bunch of different musicians to create The King Of Metal. Most thought he'd gone insane, and many were sure of that when the actual thing was released. The album features a significant step down in everything from songwriting to vocals to production, and it's still panned by a lot of people to this day.
That being said, there is something to be said in its defense. The King Of Metal had some rather personal songs from Blaze, particularly in the back half of the disc, which featured him being rather off the cuff in his thoughts - more so than on previous albums which already had a good dosing of personal lyrics. It also feels like a release done for the fans, although he didn't exactly succeed as well as he could have.
As a whole, many people consider this the most abysmal thing Blaze has ever put his name on, let alone been a part of. The average score here is actually below 5/10 and all of its song exited in rapid succession. While it does have some fans, I don't think anyone should be surprised that it landed this low. If you are, well... I dunno what to tell you.
Today, I have lost interest in Blaze due to the whole The King of Metal-album and the statements that came with it. I can not simply defend such statements and such bad decisions - and the production, the production!
So Blaze kept on going and eventually released King of Metal, a bland album with bland songs and crappy, production. Which is why yours truly never bought the album.
I had enjoyed most of Blaze's solo albums and their high and lows up until this point, but found The King of Metal to be incredibly mediocre to put it mildly. Listening again to the album has reinforced my opinion from back when it was released: do not waste your time with it again. Very poor.
The King of Metal is definitely Blaze's weakest album, but I think it's just as important for him (and us) as the rest of his discography. After letting go of the band that played on The Man... and Promise and Terror, he had to figure out some stuff and how to do things as a "true" solo artist, and while most of it didn't work out quite as good here, I honestly believe that the Infinite Entanglement-trilogy that were to come next contains some of his very best ideas. The King of Metal may be largely forgotten as time goes by, but at least some of it deserves to be remembered for various reasons.
89. Difficult
90. The Rainbow Fades To Black 91. Motherfuckers R Us 92. Beginning 93. Hatred 94. Dimebag
95. Fate 96. The Truth Is One 97. Forgotten Future 98. Eating Children 99. Fighter 100. Shall We Begin 101. One More Step
102. Judge Me
103. The Black Country
104. The King Of Metal
Albums:
Tenth Dimension 1/12 The Man Who Would Not Die 1/12 Infinite Entanglement 1/12 Bonus tracks 3/6 #9: The King of Metal 10/10 (4.91/10 avg.)
88. Hollow Head Average Score: 5.70/10 Blood & Belief 1/10
With The King Of Metal completely eliminated, it's time for the other albums to spill forth onto the countdown. We start with the lowest song from Blood & Belief. "Hollow Head" is a very criticized mess, according to most people, with little redeeming factors. Personally I think it's fine, but the lyrics are definitely far from the best. Actually, this one tied with another Blood & Belief track but lost because it received no 9's. I'm sure you can guess what that other song is.
I think I got used to it, today. Ten years after it came out. I haven't heard it for at least 6 years though. The chorus is the least good but it has a few other kick ass parts.
This is a very interesting song, I've heard many say it's actually Blaze's worst and I disagree. The chorus isn't great but everything else about it is actually kinda neat. Some of the lyrics aren't very good, though, but as a whole the good outweighs the bad
Decent beefy riff. I like the feel of the band during the verse, but I'm not as fond of the loose feel of the vocals there. Hmm, I don't like the pre-chorus, and Blaze sounds like complete shit from the end of the pre-chorus through the chorus. I get what he's going for with the loose vocal delivery here, but it sounds terrible. Decent heavy interlude, but the echoing "hollow head" part isn't so hot. More shitty chorus, ugh. I can't believe this was the single.
88. Hollow Head 89. Difficult
90. The Rainbow Fades To Black 91. Motherfuckers R Us 92. Beginning 93. Hatred 94. Dimebag
95. Fate 96. The Truth Is One 97. Forgotten Future 98. Eating Children 99. Fighter 100. Shall We Begin 101. One More Step
102. Judge Me
103. The Black Country
104. The King Of Metal
Albums:
Tenth Dimension 1/12 Blood & Belief 1/10 The Man Who Would Not Die 1/12 Infinite Entanglement 1/12 Bonus tracks 3/6 #9: The King of Metal 10/10 (4.91/10 avg.)
87. The Path & The Way Average Score: 5.70/10 Blood & Belief 2/10
I think by now it's been well established that this is the most controversial song in countdown. Some consider this to be a cool gem with a nice riff and interesting lyrics, while others think the riff is messy and the lyrics are bland. I'm in the latter boat. This song is a mess and the lyrics are some of the worst Blaze has ever come up with. Religion is cool and all, but this sucks. The music is crap, too. Easily the worst thing he's ever released, in my opinion, but there were enough defenders to boost it up to spot 87 on the list - though enough detractors to keep it in average territory.
And here we have quite possibly the worst thing Blaze has ever released... ever. This song is an abomination. Every time something decent seems to rear its head - the solo, the guitar during the verses - it's instantly shot down by the mess that is the rest of the song. The pre-chorus is bad, the real chorus outright sucks. Worst of all, I adore the title. "The Path & The Way" sounds so awesome, and it should be a fantastic song, probably the best on the album. But no, instead we just have Blaze rattling off shit he doesn't believe in. Fuck that. Fuck this song.
Hmm, that riff starts off as kind of a mess, but it smooths out a bit over time. Nice clean section with a nice vocal from Blaze. The pre-chorus is less focused and has some missed notes. Ew, the chorus is just some droning on top of that iffy riff. Oh, I guess there's ultimately a chorus 2 which is much more melodic and successful. Nice solos.
It looks like a lot of people really hate this song. I'm having some trouble seeing why, to be honest. It's not great or anything, but it's not really all that bad, either. Oh well.
87. The Path & The Way
88. Hollow Head 89. Difficult
90. The Rainbow Fades To Black 91. Motherfuckers R Us 92. Beginning 93. Hatred 94. Dimebag
95. Fate 96. The Truth Is One 97. Forgotten Future 98. Eating Children 99. Fighter 100. Shall We Begin 101. One More Step
102. Judge Me
103. The Black Country
104. The King Of Metal
Albums:
Tenth Dimension 1/12 Blood & Belief 2/10 The Man Who Would Not Die 1/12 Infinite Entanglement 1/12 Bonus tracks 3/6 #9: The King of Metal 10/10 (4.91/10 avg.)
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