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

Oof, that last round.

I’m going to have to gush again re Cynic.
 
So Symph X losing against Carcass, okay. On the other hand, SABATON ARE DYING! :clap:


Also, I wanted to ask - has anyone nominated either of the last two albums (Winter Thrice and/or True North) by Borknagar? Because I managed to completely miss the nomination phase, but I think I would nominate at least one of those and I've been listening to them a lot in the past week.

@Magnus ? Tell me you were vigilant, pretty pretty please!
Only The Olden Domain, I'm afraid...

You can see all the nominations in the first post of this thread btw, in Spoiler: Sources
 
Van Halen and Unleash the Archers will go to extra time at the end of the League.
Pantera cuts down Behemoth. That's it for Behemoth, and Pantera will challenge Deep Purple in League 4.
Sabaton, by one vote, stops the Viking attack in the Battle of Sweden. Amon Amarth continues in the Match 31 stream.
By two votes, Symphony X outlasts a powerful challenge from Carcass. Carcass is eliminated, and Symphony X will go up against Sepultura next time.
Damn, some last minute voters came to Symphony X's rescue I guess. Last time I checked (very late), Carcass was still leading I thought.
 
Cynic - not for me

Be'Lakor - opinion given before

Be'Lakor with the win

Testament - not an expert on Testament, but this and the following albums are the ones I listen to from them on the rare occasions that I play them

Megadeth - Haven't listened to this since close to when it came out, my memories are regurgitated ideas, and even a regurgitated classic track, and lyrics that are too unhinged, even with the bit of allowance I usually give Mustaine.

Testament with the win

Voivod - A band I've been aware of, but don't think I've ever given more than a cursory listen to. Intro is good but it turns to a mess when the vocals come in.

Alter Bridge - decent stuff

Alter Bridge with the win

Van Halen - From a lead guitar point of view, the most revolutionary album in metal, nothing sounded like it before it, practically everything after it tried to sound like it for about 10 years. The songs are great too, first side is flawless, quality drops slightly on the second side on a couple of tracks.

Judas Priest - opinion given before

Judas Priest with the win, what a shit draw for Van Halen, some absolute rubbish have been scrapping through round after round with lucky draws while a genuine all-time classic gets put up against a slightly better album in the first round,.
 
Be'lakor is one of those bands I see myself growing very fond of if the vocals sounded otherwise. I loved the instrumental parts. However, I'm pissed at them because of Draconian Times, so Cynic gets my vote. It wasn't precisely my cup of tea, but I found it listenable enough. And I was impressed with the bass in Veil of Maya.

I've never liked Testament a lot, and I've always liked Megadeth a decent amount. This applies to the albums in question, too.

The third match and the current results are ridiculous. The only thing Voivod gives me is a bad headache. Alter Bridge. <3<3<3

Van Halen is a band I have never liked or understood. Judas Priest, easily.
 
Cynic always had much more vision and technicality than Belakor and that' what really counts in these genres.

MegaDave, just because.

I like Ariana and I've always tried to get on her good side by voting for AB, but
The third match and the current results are ridiculous. The only thing Voivod gives me is a bad headache
this hurts me.
How DARE you? You ... DEAF LEOPARD! We're not as good friends anymore (oh, we still are friends, just not as good). Shame. Shame with a bell, indeed.

Van Halen, because the less metal for me, the better nowadays and like I said, the opening to Ain't Talkin'


is one of the best song openings ever, whereas SAS lacks even one such superlative.

Okay, The Last Rose of Summer


is one of the coolest and most unpredictable Priest tracks ever and I guess I could have given the vote to them on that and the juiciness of the opening track alone. Whatever, let me support the underdog here.


But you guys still suck. I'm still sore 'bout the Borknagar. Pricks.
 
Ouch, this first match is rough. Both albums have great music, but suffer from the use of extreme vocals. I’m a sucker for the sort of non-masturbatory prog that Cynic offers up on this album, where the music is consistently complex and interesting and covers a broad sonic palette. The juxtaposition of roboticized melodic vocals with almost punk-flavored extreme vocals is strange and intriguing, though I still wish the vocals were all clean. Meanwhile this Be’Lakor album is also consistently great, and ironically a bit more focused than its competitor, but it covers less musical range and its extreme vocals are harsher, more annoying, and more frequent than Cynic’s. These are both flawed but great albums, and I’d be OK with either one winning, but sorry @Saapanael, I have to go with @Mosh ’s nominee this time. Winner: Cynic

This Testament album is pretty raw, but it has a lot of cool parts in it, especially the interlude from “First Strike Is Deadly”. Chuck Billy doesn’t impress, but isn’t particularly annoying either. What this album lacks is strong songwriting and a unique sense of identity. These guys wear their influences on their sleeves, and sometimes they sound like a ransom note of cobbled together bits from other bands. Meanwhile we have United Abominations, which may not even be in my top 10 Megadeth albums (it would probably be in a knife fight with Cryptic Writings for #10), and has more than its fair share of filler and rehashes. That said, its best songs are pretty memorable, and the title track is probably the only song that flirts with actual badness on this record. Not thrilled with either option here, but sorry @Black Wizard, I’m going to go with TheDarkMidknight333’s choice here. Winner: Megadeth

I like some of the proggy structural and rhythm guitar stuff going on with this Voivod album, but the punk-style vocals are a bizarre choice that doesn’t really fit the music at all, IMO, and I don’t really hear any great songs here. The Alter Bridge album is a lot more consistent, albeit safer. Sorry, @karljant, but I’m going with Thea Dissariadent’s nominee here. Winner: Alter Bridge

Van Halen’s debut has some really seminal stuff on it, no doubt. “Runnin’ With The Devil”, “Eruption”, and “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” are worth the price of admission alone. Unfortunately there are also some weaker tracks, including some unnecessary covers; and when you consider the album as a whole, the band has certainly done better. Sin After Sin doesn’t suffer from these issues, and it offers a more consistent level of songwriting quality throughout. Gotta go with Saaporostarkindog’s choice on this one. Winner: Judas Priest
 
I’m totally fine with Cynic taking this, but I enjoy Be’Lakor and their Opeth worship more.

United Abominations is not a good Megadeth record. I also don’t love The Legacy, but Testament still take this round.

Alter Bridge

Hahahahahahahahaha Priest
 
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