Black Wizard
Pleb Hunter
Resolved in less than two hours. IT departments all over the world are in awe.
GREATEST METAL ALBUM CUP - Winner: Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son!
- Thread starter LooseCannon
- Start date
Don't forget you can view the current tournament here, including all matchups for League 17, if you want to do any pre listening.
Black Wizard
Pleb Hunter
Ticket GMAC0002
@LooseCannon
@LooseCannon
- I think one of the playlist links in the opening post is out of date
- The Accept song isn't in either playlist for this round
- For future rounds can you order the playlists by their order in the draw rather than by alphabetical order please?
Hi @Black Wizard,
GMAC0002 - Playlist links has been resolved. We've moved the old links to a spoilers tag and added new.
GMAC0003 - This is listed as won't fix. The playlists are only designed to introduce new songs and provide a teaser for the upcoming albums.
GMAC0004 - This is listed as won't fix. In order to prevent people from voting strategically against who is coming next, the order is alphabetical.
GMAC0002 - Playlist links has been resolved. We've moved the old links to a spoilers tag and added new.
GMAC0003 - This is listed as won't fix. The playlists are only designed to introduce new songs and provide a teaser for the upcoming albums.
GMAC0004 - This is listed as won't fix. In order to prevent people from voting strategically against who is coming next, the order is alphabetical.
Van Halen II Is one of the weaker of the Roth era albums and I always felt it represented the material that wasn't good enough for the first album. For those who aren't aware, virtually all the material on the David Lee Roth era Van Halen albums (including A Different Kind of Truth) was written and recorded in demo format prior to the band's first album. The original demos, while raw, are often better than the final album versions. Somehow, weaker songs from these early demos were selected for VHII.
With that being said, this album's best moments are in songs that weren't released as singles. It's very much a deep cuts album. I'd like to point out, specifically, DOA and Women in Love. Probably my two favorite songs on the album, with the latter having one of the prettiest guitar intros I've ever heard.
With that being said, this album's best moments are in songs that weren't released as singles. It's very much a deep cuts album. I'd like to point out, specifically, DOA and Women in Love. Probably my two favorite songs on the album, with the latter having one of the prettiest guitar intros I've ever heard.
I have to pick AC/DC over Korn. Korn is a legacy band for me, they're one I still turn to sometimes when I feel the need to remember high school. I just don't turn to them (or any other nu metal band) for very long. AC/DC's timeless.
Death over Soundgarden. I'm not a huge Soundgarden fan. I'm also not a huge Death fan. So I based this entirely on how much my head bobbed as I listened along. Death wins on that front and based on the votes so far, will become the first "minnow".
I'll pick Megadeth with one of their lesser outings over some early 2000s pop-metal band any day of the week.
Finally, a tougher call. Van Halen is classic, but II is, as others have noted, one of their lesser albums for the era. I gotta pick Accept here, who actually put out an album that I really enjoyed comparatively.
Death over Soundgarden. I'm not a huge Soundgarden fan. I'm also not a huge Death fan. So I based this entirely on how much my head bobbed as I listened along. Death wins on that front and based on the votes so far, will become the first "minnow".
I'll pick Megadeth with one of their lesser outings over some early 2000s pop-metal band any day of the week.
Finally, a tougher call. Van Halen is classic, but II is, as others have noted, one of their lesser albums for the era. I gotta pick Accept here, who actually put out an album that I really enjoyed comparatively.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
AC/DC takes this battle by many miles. I loved KoRn when I was 11, but they simply cannot stand up to Dirty Deeds.
Not sure why Louder Than Love is in this game, as it is (at best) Soundgarden's 4th or 5th best album (also making it their second-to-worst album). That said, any Soundgarden is better than Death.
Same goes for KIMBBBIG, which pales in comparison to the next 15 years of Megadeth's career, but still easily bests Evanescence.
I'll admit, I have a massive hatred of Van Halen. I think they suck all around, especially when party boy Roth is singing. I have listened to this album twice and although some of the songs may be catchier than anything by Accept, I still actively dislike it.
Not sure why Louder Than Love is in this game, as it is (at best) Soundgarden's 4th or 5th best album (also making it their second-to-worst album). That said, any Soundgarden is better than Death.
Same goes for KIMBBBIG, which pales in comparison to the next 15 years of Megadeth's career, but still easily bests Evanescence.
I'll admit, I have a massive hatred of Van Halen. I think they suck all around, especially when party boy Roth is singing. I have listened to this album twice and although some of the songs may be catchier than anything by Accept, I still actively dislike it.
Gotta free up some time to go deeper on this round.
Dirty Deeds is nowhere near AC/DC‘s best, but Phil Rudd tapping spoons on pots and pans while Bon Scott sings in the shower is better than Korn at its best, so that one is a no-brainer.
But I have to give Death a chance against Soundgarden‘s worst effort, and there is a chance a good Evanescence could beat a weak Megadeth, depending on the depth of the album.
The last matchup is the first we’ve seen between two albums I own by bands that I like and it deserves thorough consideration.
Dirty Deeds is nowhere near AC/DC‘s best, but Phil Rudd tapping spoons on pots and pans while Bon Scott sings in the shower is better than Korn at its best, so that one is a no-brainer.
But I have to give Death a chance against Soundgarden‘s worst effort, and there is a chance a good Evanescence could beat a weak Megadeth, depending on the depth of the album.
The last matchup is the first we’ve seen between two albums I own by bands that I like and it deserves thorough consideration.
KidInTheDark666
What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine too
AC/DC beats Korn. I was expecting to go with Korn as I've listened to them a lot more than AC/DC in the past. However I found Follow the Leader way too long, I just couldn't listen to Jon Davis's whining for 70 minutes. After all none of the other songs came close to the quality of songs like Freak On A Leash or Got the Life. AC/DC's album was musically uninteresting but at the same time a lot more enjoyable due to its shorter length.
Death beats Soundgarden. I've never been a fan of grunge, and this album is not an exception. The Sound of Perseverance on the other hand kicks ass with its amazing guitar work.
Evanescence beats Megadeth. Megadeth are one of my favorite bands, but KIMB is definitely one of their weakest efforts for me. It's still a good album with some great songs such as Rattlehead. Fallen is a bit more consistent overall, and its top 3 songs (Bring Me To Life, Going Under and My Immortal) are better than anything on Killing Is My Business.
Accept beats Van Halen. I never really cared about either of these bands. Accept's album had at least good riffs and lots of attitude, meanwhile Van Halen's album felt like uninspired and generic hard rock.
Death beats Soundgarden. I've never been a fan of grunge, and this album is not an exception. The Sound of Perseverance on the other hand kicks ass with its amazing guitar work.
Evanescence beats Megadeth. Megadeth are one of my favorite bands, but KIMB is definitely one of their weakest efforts for me. It's still a good album with some great songs such as Rattlehead. Fallen is a bit more consistent overall, and its top 3 songs (Bring Me To Life, Going Under and My Immortal) are better than anything on Killing Is My Business.
Accept beats Van Halen. I never really cared about either of these bands. Accept's album had at least good riffs and lots of attitude, meanwhile Van Halen's album felt like uninspired and generic hard rock.
Louder Than Love is what I remembered, a cool sound -sorta Sabbath meets The Cult - with interesting grooves and changes, lacking in nuance and hooks. I enjoyed it, but nothing stuck. I love Cornell, but this isn’t the Cornell I love yet.
It’s too bad even a mediocre Cornell wasn’t singing for Death though because they otherwise might have got my vote. I really gave this album a try. The playing and the songwriting are very good. The music grabs my attention and takes me places and the band seems to have both a vision and the reach to pull it off. I just can’t get past the vocal styling and lack of melody, and doubt I ever will.
It’s too bad even a mediocre Cornell wasn’t singing for Death though because they otherwise might have got my vote. I really gave this album a try. The playing and the songwriting are very good. The music grabs my attention and takes me places and the band seems to have both a vision and the reach to pull it off. I just can’t get past the vocal styling and lack of melody, and doubt I ever will.
Magnus
Pica Serdica
Single-handed Antichrist extermination, not many people could boast that.
I’m sure I listened to Killing at some point, but I have to say I didn’t remember it.
It was what I expected: frenetic, with a lot of speed for the sake of speed and a fair amount of sameyness. It was also a lot of fun. What separates the early thrash bands from a lot of the technical, guttural or evil metal came later is that most of theIr songs still have basic melodic structures at their core.
I liked this short record, and from my limited exposure to Evanescense I would be surprised if they could pull this one off.
And they don’t. Fallen was big and grandiose and pompous, leavened with rock rhythms and crunchy guitars - all things I usually like. The production is clean and glossy, the songs melodic and she can sing. And I walked away thinking that this must be what Disney princesses graduated to when they turNed 14.
On an individual song level, Evanesence holds their own, but when it comes to listening to something from front to back, Megadeth just seems less Record-company calculated and aimed. Or maybe my inner teen just identifies more with pimply-faced outcast Idiot anger than overwrought daddy’s girl drama.
It was what I expected: frenetic, with a lot of speed for the sake of speed and a fair amount of sameyness. It was also a lot of fun. What separates the early thrash bands from a lot of the technical, guttural or evil metal came later is that most of theIr songs still have basic melodic structures at their core.
I liked this short record, and from my limited exposure to Evanescense I would be surprised if they could pull this one off.
And they don’t. Fallen was big and grandiose and pompous, leavened with rock rhythms and crunchy guitars - all things I usually like. The production is clean and glossy, the songs melodic and she can sing. And I walked away thinking that this must be what Disney princesses graduated to when they turNed 14.
On an individual song level, Evanesence holds their own, but when it comes to listening to something from front to back, Megadeth just seems less Record-company calculated and aimed. Or maybe my inner teen just identifies more with pimply-faced outcast Idiot anger than overwrought daddy’s girl drama.
Confeos
Game time started.
Match 1:
Never been a big fan of AC/DC, but I appreciate a couple of their albums. This honestly seems like a weaker effort from them.
Korn is still shit.
AC/DC wins.
Match 2:
Giving Soundgarden a fair chance has been on my mind for a while, as I’ve seen numerous people praise them (and Cornell in particular). Based on this, however, I’m a bit underwhelmed. The songs are grooving nicely, I do like that some of them has a few odd time signatures, and Cornell has a fine voice, but I dunno, I was kinda hoping there was a bit more going on. It just doesn't grab me.
As for Death, on the other hand, I really find their music and songwriting a lot more exciting.
Death wins.
Match 3:
Megadeth’s debut is one of their weakest albums, by far, but nevertheless a damn solid thrash release.
Once again, I enjoyed listening to Evanescence far more than I’d like to admit, but there’s no real contest here.
Megadeth wins.
Match 4:
Unlike the case with Megadeth, "Van Halen II" doesn’t hold a candle to their debut, but it’s still a good, fun album. Not exactly metal in my book, but hey, that’s subjective anyway.
Accept is also good fun, but in a different way than Van Halen, and perhaps a bit more generic.
Van Halen wins.
Never been a big fan of AC/DC, but I appreciate a couple of their albums. This honestly seems like a weaker effort from them.
Korn is still shit.
AC/DC wins.
Match 2:
Giving Soundgarden a fair chance has been on my mind for a while, as I’ve seen numerous people praise them (and Cornell in particular). Based on this, however, I’m a bit underwhelmed. The songs are grooving nicely, I do like that some of them has a few odd time signatures, and Cornell has a fine voice, but I dunno, I was kinda hoping there was a bit more going on. It just doesn't grab me.
As for Death, on the other hand, I really find their music and songwriting a lot more exciting.
Death wins.
Match 3:
Megadeth’s debut is one of their weakest albums, by far, but nevertheless a damn solid thrash release.
Once again, I enjoyed listening to Evanescence far more than I’d like to admit, but there’s no real contest here.
Megadeth wins.
Match 4:
Unlike the case with Megadeth, "Van Halen II" doesn’t hold a candle to their debut, but it’s still a good, fun album. Not exactly metal in my book, but hey, that’s subjective anyway.
Accept is also good fun, but in a different way than Van Halen, and perhaps a bit more generic.
Van Halen wins.
Accept is comfort food to me. I like the classical guitar melodic lead breaks, the power chord-based song structures, the gregorian background vocals, the melodic rasp of both Udo and the new guy and the old school classic metal sound. I acknowledge that their bag of tricks isn’t deep and there is a generic feel to a lot of what they do. I don’t really begrudge them that however, because it wasn’t generic when they patented it.
Van Halen is both better and worse than Accept. I hate Roth’s party boy persona and the legion of hair band front men he spawned. I hate that their well of creativity basically dried up 25 years ago, their consistency is lacking, and I have to shield my eyes at some of the commercial veneer painted over their music. But at their very best they are a world-class all-time rock band with grooves, riffs and a connection that both elevates their poppier moments and gives their more creative efforts a rare accessibility.
Neither of these albums includes any of the very best material of these bands. Both are discs that I can play right through and enjoy. The critiques of my first two paragraphs generally apply to the albums as much as the bands.
I give the edge to Van Halen II because while neither album has outright bad tracks, Blood has its share of songs that generally fade and blend together, while the variety of II is one of strengths, and its “lesser-known” tracks surprise you on re-listen. It’s music that is 30 years older, yet has and will endure longer.
Really, it wasn’t that close.
Van Halen is both better and worse than Accept. I hate Roth’s party boy persona and the legion of hair band front men he spawned. I hate that their well of creativity basically dried up 25 years ago, their consistency is lacking, and I have to shield my eyes at some of the commercial veneer painted over their music. But at their very best they are a world-class all-time rock band with grooves, riffs and a connection that both elevates their poppier moments and gives their more creative efforts a rare accessibility.
Neither of these albums includes any of the very best material of these bands. Both are discs that I can play right through and enjoy. The critiques of my first two paragraphs generally apply to the albums as much as the bands.
I give the edge to Van Halen II because while neither album has outright bad tracks, Blood has its share of songs that generally fade and blend together, while the variety of II is one of strengths, and its “lesser-known” tracks surprise you on re-listen. It’s music that is 30 years older, yet has and will endure longer.
Really, it wasn’t that close.
The Flash
Dennis Wilcock did 9/11
AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap vs. Korn - Follow the Leader
I voted for Sunn O)))'s tedious album over Follow the Leader in the previous round, an album consisting of bland AC/DC songs would be enough to get the vote here - and that precisely is the case here. I'm not too fond of AC/DC even at their best so this one is far from impressive, but it's still aeons better than the garbage it's going up against.
Soundgarden - Louder Than Love vs. Death - The Sound of Perseverance
Judging from the few tracks I've heard, Louder Than Love seems to be a decent album. Great vocals by Chris Cornell as usual, but musically it isn't terribly exciting. Mostly meat and potatoes distorted blues rock with some rhythmic experimentation in tracks like 'I Awake'. Already gave my thoughts on The Sound of Perseverance in its previous appearance and it's the more remarkable album in this matchup for me.
Megadeth - Killing Is My Business...and Business Is Good! vs. Evanescence - Fallen
Megadeth's debut doesn't rank favorably compared to their other work, but it's still a raw and exciting early thrash record. It benefits from having weak competition in this matchup, I voted against the Evanescence album in its previous matchup despite not being enamored with its competition so it's an easy decision, similar to the matchup between AC/DC and Korn but at a better level.
Van Halen - Van Halen II vs. Accept - Blood of the Nations
This one was the most difficult, in fact the only difficult decision in this round - but for the wrong reasons. I am indifferent toward both, Blood of the Nations is very cookie-cutter heavy metal, while Van Halen II is like an inferior copy of their debut record in an Iron Maiden vs. Killers kind of way. The debut has notable highs and some very forgettable tracks otherwise, this one doesn't quite have the notable highs either. I'll give it to Van Halen simply because the sound is better.
I voted for Sunn O)))'s tedious album over Follow the Leader in the previous round, an album consisting of bland AC/DC songs would be enough to get the vote here - and that precisely is the case here. I'm not too fond of AC/DC even at their best so this one is far from impressive, but it's still aeons better than the garbage it's going up against.
Soundgarden - Louder Than Love vs. Death - The Sound of Perseverance
Judging from the few tracks I've heard, Louder Than Love seems to be a decent album. Great vocals by Chris Cornell as usual, but musically it isn't terribly exciting. Mostly meat and potatoes distorted blues rock with some rhythmic experimentation in tracks like 'I Awake'. Already gave my thoughts on The Sound of Perseverance in its previous appearance and it's the more remarkable album in this matchup for me.
Megadeth - Killing Is My Business...and Business Is Good! vs. Evanescence - Fallen
Megadeth's debut doesn't rank favorably compared to their other work, but it's still a raw and exciting early thrash record. It benefits from having weak competition in this matchup, I voted against the Evanescence album in its previous matchup despite not being enamored with its competition so it's an easy decision, similar to the matchup between AC/DC and Korn but at a better level.
Van Halen - Van Halen II vs. Accept - Blood of the Nations
This one was the most difficult, in fact the only difficult decision in this round - but for the wrong reasons. I am indifferent toward both, Blood of the Nations is very cookie-cutter heavy metal, while Van Halen II is like an inferior copy of their debut record in an Iron Maiden vs. Killers kind of way. The debut has notable highs and some very forgettable tracks otherwise, this one doesn't quite have the notable highs either. I'll give it to Van Halen simply because the sound is better.
Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
ACDC vs Korn
I wasn't too hot on ACDC, but I didn't despise it, it even has some legitimately good tracks unlike Follow the Leader.
Soundgarden vs Death
This might be the hardest match-up so far. Soundgarden's album is good, but I know The Sound of Perseverance much better so I have a natural bias towards it.
Louder Than Love is a much easier first listen, and Perseverance is still very challenging after the 4th, so I choose Soundgarden.
Megadeth vs Evanscene
Evanscene was nice but this is no contest. Killing is My Business isn't uncomparable to Kill Em All. Aside from Mustaine's weird knack for groaning at the end of the song, slaughter.
Van Halen vs Accept
Van Halen has a more varied sound, which with my prejudice I didn't expect. A lot of the songs on Accept's album are run of the mill. This is very apparent with how repetitive the choruses are. Singer screams the chorus and backing vocals repeat soon after. I can see why Van Halen succeeded, they're commercial catchy yet have good songwriting and playing... I don't know how much I prefer any of the songs there to "The Abyss", but I have to give it to Van Halen.
I wasn't too hot on ACDC, but I didn't despise it, it even has some legitimately good tracks unlike Follow the Leader.
Soundgarden vs Death
This might be the hardest match-up so far. Soundgarden's album is good, but I know The Sound of Perseverance much better so I have a natural bias towards it.
Louder Than Love is a much easier first listen, and Perseverance is still very challenging after the 4th, so I choose Soundgarden.
Megadeth vs Evanscene
Evanscene was nice but this is no contest. Killing is My Business isn't uncomparable to Kill Em All. Aside from Mustaine's weird knack for groaning at the end of the song, slaughter.
Van Halen vs Accept
Van Halen has a more varied sound, which with my prejudice I didn't expect. A lot of the songs on Accept's album are run of the mill. This is very apparent with how repetitive the choruses are. Singer screams the chorus and backing vocals repeat soon after. I can see why Van Halen succeeded, they're commercial catchy yet have good songwriting and playing... I don't know how much I prefer any of the songs there to "The Abyss", but I have to give it to Van Halen.
Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
Big brain ticked the wrong box 
KidInTheDark666
What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine too
Woah, I guess there isn't much overlapping between the fanbases of Korn and Maiden. I hope that my nu metal nominations will do a bit better than Follow the Leader.
KidInTheDark666
What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine too
Perhaps. Good thing that I didn't nominate any average albums then.