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

Def Leppard have evolved into something that I react to like I'm biting into a lemon. But maybe that's because they used to be so good. High & Dry is the perfect marriage of hard rock hooks and NWOBHM crunch. Both the rhythm and lead guitars sound great, the energy is great, the songwriting is deep and they have yet to scrub off the rough edges.

Physical Graffiti is sprawling and uneven, but also ambitious and well worth the effort. But the competition is strong, frenetic, unified and takes no effort at all. High&Dry
 
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Lamia020281 said:
I guess I'm providing silly, uninformed comments on areas I'm not familiar with. Don't know what it's bringing to the game. Normally I tend not to advertise my ignorance on something, just be quiet so others may think I'm smarter than I actually am. On this Cup I've taken another approach, and I'm sometimes embarrassed of my input.
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Now that you know Sabbat (UK) and Sabbat (Japan) are not the same Sabbat, everything's fine and dandy. :p
 
Power Wolf adds an awesome classic metal sound to a power metal template, and it probably deserved a deeper dive than I can give it at the moment. The lack of originality and the cringy lyrics were the only things I had to take points off for on first blush.

But Rainbow is Rainbow, and despite the debut's overall lack of depth, I can't imagine Power Wolf delivering anything with the soul of Still I'm Sad, or the beauty of the Temple of the King. Plus Ronnie. Rainbow.
 
Before listening, I was thinking I'd go for System of a Down over Edguy for just being less genre and more creative and gritty. But listening to the samples, I wasn't feeling it today. I just liked the Edguy song more.
 
Enslaved did its best for those of us who struggle with extreme vocals, and I, for one, want to thank them for putting the singer in the neighbour's basement when they recorded this. The music was interesting and the composition unconventional. What I thought was going to be the intro actually went on for more than two minutes. And that drummer must be really, really tired.

Blackie Lawless is a singer that can manage to sound demonic while still carrying a tune; he just has enough pain and gravel in his wail. This song strikes the right balance of rock opera excess and grit. I have no idea what story is being told, but the music tells me there is one. This seems far more interesting than their earlier work that I'm more familiar with. I don't think I dove into this album in earlier rounds, but I should. WASP.
 
While I'm not much of a fan of hair metal, it's got to be said WASP are really quite good at it. Going for Led Zeppelin (pretentious, but at least not a national embarassment), Powerwolf who are proper fun metal like it should be, Edguy because this album is a personal favourite, and WASP.
 
High & Dry is a great album, and would match up pretty well with other albums in this round. (Pyromania has greater nostalgic appeal, as it was one of my first hard rock purchases, but High & Dry is probably superior and definitely heavier.) Unfortunately, Physical Graffiti is a masterpiece. Not sure why LC picked that song — it’s definitely not the most popular song from that album by any means, and it isn’t representative — but it’s still fun. Zep gets my vote.

Like High & Dry, Powerwolf is great and deserved a better matchup. Will listen to them more. But Rainbow is too good, and too influential. That Edguy or SOAD will advance but one of these records will not is really too bad. I think they would beat WASP too, which should advance easily over Enslaved.
 
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Def Leppard makes one of their better albums, certainly one of their better metal albums before they drift into glam. I've never been all that chuffed about Led Zeppelin, so I'll vote for the NWOBHM band.
This one is hard, I adore Rainbow. But man, Lupus Dei isn't just a good album, it's a great album and it's gonna be a takeaway for me. Powerwolf.
I guess I'll vote Edguy but I'm not happy about it.
Enslaved has some interesting stuff, but WASP has a great fun sound. I just enjoyed WASP more.
 
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I've never really been a fan of Def Leppard, and this album didn't do anything to change that opinion. Although I will give it credit for being the best album that I've heard from them. Zeppelin.

Very unfortunate matchup for Powerwolf. I really, really like what I heard from that album (the whole thing), and I plan to dig into that band further in the near future. I easily would have voted for them over Zeppelin, but I still have to go with Rainbow here.

Lampwick 43 said:
Oh man, I don't know how I'm going to choose between SOAD and Edguy. I might just give my support to whichever one has fewer votes.
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Looks like I'm voting for Edguy. I like SOAD more, overall, but Hypnotize isn't their best album, while Mandrake rules.

It was a struggle to make it through the entire Enslaved album, and I honestly don't plan on ever listening to them again, so W.A.S.P. gets the win by default.
 
Not a good round for the challengers.
In a squeaker, Def Leppard falls to Led Zeppelin. Def Leppard returns in League 3.
Rainbow beats Powerwolf fairly easily. They'll be back in League 9.
Edguy's minnow run has been ended by System of a Down in a narrow win. Edguy's gone, and SOAD next faces Borknagar.
Finally, Enslaved can't overcome W.A.S.P. We'll see how the victors fare against Pantera in the next League.
 
Can’t feel too bad about High ‘n’ Dry putting up that good of a showing against Led Zeppelin, I suppose. The Lupus Dei result is a travesty, but at least a few open minded listeners benefited from that round, including some who still voted for Rainbow in the end...
 
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Samson - Head On (1980)

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Maidenfans Nominators: @Forostar
League 13 - Match 29vs.
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Iron Maiden - Dance of Death (2003)

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Previous Rounds:
League 14: Defeated King Diamond - Conspiracy 21-9.
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Killswitch Engage - The End of Heartache (2004)

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League 13 - Match 30vs.
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Coroner - Punishment For Decadence (1988)

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League 16: Defeated Suffocation - Effigy of the Forgotten 17-5.
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Primordial - Spirit the Earth Aflame (2000)

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League 13 - Match 31vs.
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League 14: Defeated Dimmu Borgir - Eonian 19-9.
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Devin Townsend - Infinity (1998)

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Running Wild - Black Hand Inn (1994)

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League 15: Defeated Alcest - Souvenirs d’un autre monde 12-6.
League 14: Defeated Dark Tranquility - Damage Done 18-10.
 
Wow, now there’s an interesting first pairing. Neither albums really belong in the game imo. We’ve got a battle between a young inexperienced NWOBHM that hasn’t figured out how to write great songs (with a singer still learning to find his voice) and a chiseled veteran of Metal still learning how to stay current without losing touch with their roots. I reckon it has to be Dance of Death, but both albums are minor league material.
 
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