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

[LooseCannon]

@LooseCannon - it's Vreid.

It was, then I changed it.

 

[Diesel 11]

It’d be curious to see what Balls To Picasso would have been like, and what its reception would have been like, had the songs that ended up becoming bonus tracks been included on it instead of some of the weaker songs. Fire Child, The Breeding House, No Way Out... To Be Continued (and ...Continued), there were some really great cuts from that jumble of songwriting sessions that get overlooked simply because they’re not on the actual album.

 

[KidInTheDark666]

It’d be curious to see what Balls To Picasso would have been like, and what its reception would have been like, had the songs that ended up becoming bonus tracks been included on it instead of some of the weaker songs. Fire Child, The Breeding House, No Way Out... To Be Continued (and ...Continued), there were some really great cuts from that jumble of songwriting sessions that get overlooked simply because they’re not on the actual album.

I agree, but I wouldn't really want to remove any of the songs, other than Fire. It's a great album as it is.

 

[MindRuler]

It’d be curious to see what Balls To Picasso would have been like, and what its reception would have been like, had the songs that ended up becoming bonus tracks been included on it instead of some of the weaker songs. Fire Child, The Breeding House, No Way Out... To Be Continued (and ...Continued), there were some really great cuts from that jumble of songwriting sessions that get overlooked simply because they’re not on the actual album.

The Breeding House would've been the 2d best song on BTP. Bruce has alot of great B'sides. He's like Prince.

 

[srfc]

It’d be curious to see what Balls To Picasso would have been like, and what its reception would have been like, had the songs that ended up becoming bonus tracks been included on it instead of some of the weaker songs. Fire Child, The Breeding House, No Way Out... To Be Continued (and ...Continued), there were some really great cuts from that jumble of songwriting sessions that get overlooked simply because they’re not on the actual album.

Don't think it would have made much of a difference for the most part. People were even less interested in Bruce than they were Maiden until AOB came out, and even then I remember the Killing Floor single having the piss taken out of it in the single reviews in either Metal Hammer of Kerrang. I think certain artists in those days were somewhat doomed no matter what they released, they were just seen to be old hat.

 

[Diesel 11]

Don't think it would have made much of a difference for the most part. People were even less interested in Bruce than they were Maiden until AOB came out, and even then I remember the Killing Floor single having the piss taken out of it in the single reviews in either Metal Hammer of Kerrang. I think certain artists in those days were somewhat doomed no matter what they released, they were just seen to be old hat.

Well yeah, at the time. I was talking more of as the years have gone on, looking back at the album, definitely in the context here of Maiden vs Bruce as we’re going to vote one of these albums out.

 

[karljant]

First duel and it's already one hell of a tough choice. No matter if one likes it or not fact is Meshuggah is an absolute game changer and a huge influence for numberless metal bands. So Obzen was really awaited with high expectancy level and what can I say? The guys didn't disappoint. Combustion brings down the door revealing a much more uptempo and straight forward approach and man besides the fact that this song simply kills one can contemplate the band going through slightly different paths and doing so in a flawless way. The following track is your meat and potatoes Meshuggah and to a certain point a quite boring one. But then Bleed begins and how can I praise this song without sounding redundant? Every member (Haake particullary) goes batshit here: that base kick, the time signatures, plus the absolutely intense and suffocating ambiance... this is the band firing at all cylinders. The title track and especially Lethargica bring back that fat bouncing and intricate groove the band developed in Nothing and are two great songs while the following two return to a more uninspired typical blueprint. To close the album Thornendal shines hugely in Pravus with some absolutely jaw dropping leads upon the band's unique signatures. Finally Dancers To A Discordant System wraps the whole thing and during its almost 10 minutes one can spot a bit from every Meshuggah album but in all fairness for what it brings this song could be way shorter. So there you have it: while a bit uneven, Obzen has some stupid amazing highlights that push the record's overall value to a really high standard. But then again The Eye is also a crazy good record and a bit more cohesive. To be honest this is a tie but since Obzen is my third favorite record by the band (surpassed by Destroy Erase Improve and Nothing) and The Eye is my second along with Abigail both below Conspiracy I'll bare with this and give my vote to King Diamond.

Next comes Kreator's Enemy Of God, a simply ok album going against these Vreid guys. And I must confess I only knew them by name and it seems that the game here is absolutely head ripping melodic Black Metal. And while some names come immediately to one's head while listening to Milrog (namely Dissection) fact is this record is surprisingly fluid in its equilibrium between raw aggression and melody. So I really had a good time listening to these tracks and while not being a monument of a record it is exciting enough to beat half baked Kreator (even if it is just by a thread). Furthermore I'm sure that several way better Kreator albums will appear later and those will get my vote against the vast majority of what may cross their way, so for now I'll go with Vreid.

The Final Frontier is merely my 11th favorite Iron Maiden record but features one aspect only 7 other maiden albums have in common (SIT, Powerslave, SSOASS, AMOLAD, Killers, TXF and Iron Maiden... all ranked above IMO): not a single filler or bad song. I mean TFF is really easy to listen from start to finish. Plus it offers us various past incarnations of Maiden sound's span: you have the band's straight up rocker in the title track and El Dorado, a radio friendly track with a huge chorus in Coming Home, the aggressive DiAnno era in The Alchemist, the Prog metal of Avalon and Starblind, the typical Maiden long epic in The Talisman and to seal the whole thing comes the utterly beautiful When The Wild Wind Blows. The fact it doesn't even enters my top 10 when it comes to the band is simply a testimony to the band's amazing repertoire. Balls To Picasso also has some crazy good highlights but despite being more daring it still features some fillers and the high points aren't as great as Iron Maiden's 15th album.

Finally we have In Absentia (a record that really fails to do something for me unlike Wilson and company's latter albums) versus none other than the legendary Purple reunited in their 80's version of the iconic line up. And yeah, although this is no In Rock or Machine Head there's some tasty stuff to stick your teeth in. And anyone who knows the band knows the main menu is (obviously) the monster of a song that is the title track. But even regarding the remainder of the record there's some cool cuts that grants no early Purple fan gets frustrated after listening to the album. Beforehand the band didn't go 80's and kept their 70's groove and vibe intact. The opener has some resemblances to Strange Kind Of Woman, Under The Gun and Nobody's Home have that retro hard rock spirit firing at your speakers and Gypsy's Kiss fills that needed speedster slot. Closing the album Hungry Daze's arrangements sound really interesting. So yeah... during a time when 70's giants were extinct or struggling a lot to remain relevant at best (and some of them completely changing their sound) these hard rock veterans made a comeback with a well crafted and balanced 100% classic Deep Purple sounding album that, regarding its opponent in this round, easily gets my vote.

 

[Shmoolikipod]

King diamond was good, although I prefered Conspiracy. "The Trial" was a little on the funny side though . I'm sticking with my nomination.

Kreator was something special, I want to hear more. Liked Vreid too, but not as much. There's been a huge leap in quality in the black metal albums from the first leagues imo. I've never heard any before the game.

Love TFF. Isle of Avalon and The Talisman are masterpieces. Tears of the Dragon might be the best solo Bruce song... But most of the album isn't as good as neither Tears nor the epics of TFF.

I absolutely LOVED Knockin' on Your Back Door from Perfect Strangers. Not too hot on In Absentia.

 

[Midnight]

I have just one thing to say: good choice, @Shmoolikipod! I wanted to nominate some Meshuggah, but had to leave it off in favour of other stuff. On the bright side, I submitted I for the Crusade Of Epics.

 

[Brigantium]

I've never paid much attention to Meshuggah, but at their best, they're not a million miles from Gojira. King Diamond have some nice moments and pretty guitar leads. However, the way I feel about about squealy singing is much like the way some feel about growls, it just ruins decent music. Meshuggah it is.

Vreid have that classic discordant black metal atmosphere, but are comparatively melodic and accessible to some bands in that whole bracket. And do you know what, you can even tell one track from another. Nice strong emphatic rhythm is some tracks rather than flat out chaotic speed throughout. This is a highly consistent album (or moderately samey, if you're not into it). Kreator...well thrash is always on a back foot when it comes to my voting choices. They sound pretty good, and have some appealling riffs here and there, but I really can't take much interest in the music overall.

Didn't take long to decide on the third pair, barely needed a relisten. Balls doesn't do a whole lot for me, while I'm fond of TFF. Probably grown fonder of it in the last couple of years, in fact. Definitely more songs I will put on repeat on the Maiden album.

Deep Purple have a collection of some finely crafted tunes there, even if (to my ears) they sound terribly dated. Meanwhile Porcupine Tree are great at beautiful, sentimental compositions with great musicianship evident. However, I just don't enjoy their music that much, and a full album of mellow just puts me off.

 

[LooseCannon]

King Diamond finishes off Meshuggah by knocking out Obzen. It'll be Machine Head next.
Kreator beats Vreid (I before E except inside Vreid). That's it for the Norwegian outfit, and next up for Kreator is Megadave.
Iron Maiden parts ways with their vocalist's album inside the GMAC. Bruce's solo stuff returns in League 3.
Porcupine Tree get treated like strangers by Deep Purple. They're back in League 9.

 

[LooseCannon]

Ghost - Opus Eponymous (2010) How it got here List entries: n/a Maidenfans Nominators: @srfc
League 11 - Match 17	vs.
In Flames - Whoracle (1997) How it got here List entries: n/a Maidenfans Nominators: @Black Wizard Previous Rounds: League 13: Defeated Gamma Ray - Sigh No More 12-10. League 12: Defeated Bloodbath - Resurrection Through Carnage 14-10.

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Devin Townsend - Terria (2001) How it got here List entries: n/a Maidenfans Nominators: @Mosh
League 11 - Match 18	vs.
Amorphis - Tales From the Thousand Lakes (1994) How it got here List entries: n/a Maidenfans Nominators: @Forostar Previous Rounds: League 14: Defeated Rhapsody - Symphony of Enchanted Lands 13-5. League 13: Defeated Negura Bunget - OM 16-6. League 12: Defeated Blind Guardian - A Night at the Opera 14-10.

 

[LooseCannon]

The Who - Who’s Next (1971) How it got here List entries: n/a Maidenfans Nominators: @Yax
League 11 - Match 19	vs.
Opeth - Watershed (2008) How it got here List entries: n/a Maidenfans Nominators: @The Flash Previous Rounds: League 12: Defeated Black Sabbath - Tyr 14-9.

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Sons of Apollo - Psychotic Symphony (2017) How it got here List entries: n/a Maidenfans Nominators: @Lampwick 43
League 11 - Match 20	vs.
Savatage - Gutter Ballet (1989) How it got here List entries: Metalstorm 33 League 15: Defeated Buckethead - Pepper’s Ghost 9-8. League 14: Defeated Omnium Gatherum - New World Shadows 13-5. League 13: Defeated Alter Bridge - Walk the Sky 15-9. League 12: Defeated Toxic Holocaust - Chemistry of Consciousness 18-5.

 

[Jer]

I don’t really see the appeal of this Ghost album. The songwriting, performances, and production are just so flaccid. Maybe if you were really deep into Blue Oyster Cult this would make sense, but for me it’s mostly a snoozefest. I guess “Death Knell” and “Genesis” were pretty OK. While I dislike the harsh vocals on the In Flames album, the music and songwriting are just miles better than what Ghost is offering here. Sorry, @srfc, but I have to go with @Black Wizard ’s nominee here. Winner: In Flames

Hadn’t heard this Devin Townsend album before, and it seems a bit more consistent than Infinity was, but it’s still proggy and periodically bonkers. This is challenging to listen to, but there’s a lot of richness and depth here that deserves more of my attention. Meanwhile the Amorphis album has pretty good music with shit vocals, but it’s not really operating on the same level as its competition. Sorry, @Forostar, but @Mosh ’s nominee takes this one pretty easily for me. Winner: Devin Townsend

This third match is probably the toughest of the round. Who’s Next has 3 or 4 stone cold classics on it, and the rest of the material is OK to good. The Opeth album has a similar number of excellent songs on it, but then a few with shitty death vocals too. The music on the weaker Opeth tracks is probably better than the music on the weaker Who tracks. This one’s close, but in the end I’ve got to tip in the direction of the album that never makes me want to skip a track. Sorry, @The Flash, but @Yax ’s nominee takes this one. Winner: The Who

And for the last one, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, Sons Of Apollo. Good call, @Lampwick 43. Winner: Sons Of Apollo

 

[srfc]

Ghost - For me, the best release from a new band in the last 25 years, bar the two instrumentals every track on this could have been a pop single. No evidence of a lot of elements of Extreme Metal* that have seeped into the mainstream, i.e. double bass overkill, non-singing, and a return to hooks and melody. The vibe is like Don't Fear (The Reaper) if it was a whole album. They may have got more polished in the studio on later albums, and more technical musically, but this is still the album with the best songs from them, by a good way.

In Flames - opinion given before.

Ghost with the win, obviously voting for my own album, but would have anyway if I hadn't nominated it.

Devin Townsend - intro sounds like Alive from Pearl Jam, verse sounds pretty good, still way overproduced like the other stuff from him but less offensively so, Change at the two minute odd mark is shit, nice build up at the three and half minute mark, it's kind of like a mechanically produced Faith No More at times

Amorphis - opinion given before

Amorphis with the win, not by much, ultimately the production sounds more like a real band playing

The Who - An album I own, the only studio album of theirs that I own. A fantastic record, every track is great but it's the opening and ending that has the big hits, Baba O'Riley, Behind Blue Eyes and, especially, Won't Get Fooled Again, are all 10/10

Opeth - I tried this album after the last round, as the track featured was great, but I turned it off after the third or fourth track, as a lot of it was sterile overproduced stuff like this featured track, unlike the interesting chillaxed track that had been the sample presented

The Who with the win

Sons of Apollo - Guitar sound awful sounds like Roots Bloody Roots, vocal good. Just realised from checking wiki, that the last time these where in the game I was confusing them with the Winery Dogs

Savatage - opinion given before, video is showing up as unavailable for me, so don't know what track it is, but I have the record and would definitely vote for it in this duel.

Savatage with the win.


* how can Extreme Metal even exist as a concept if the mainstream is incorporating all it's schtick?

 

[Ariana]

I will never get into Ghost, simply because the cognitive dissonance about them gives me a headache. The way they look suggests very pompous, grand music with a huge sound. Instead, they play safe, harmless pop with weak vocals. In Flames’s music is far more interesting and enjoyable, and I can even tolerate the vocals. Obviously, they get my vote.

I’ve always liked everything I’ve heard by Amorphis, but I have never cared enough to look into them seriously. Devin Townsend, on the other hand, usually only gives me a long series of wtf moments. These two sentiments hold true for the two videos in question here, so yeah. Amorphis.

Even though I hate the 70’s music with a passion, I have a soft spot for The Who (and specifically Baba O’Riley, thanks to Pearl Jam). Opeth, on the other hand, are way beyond my comfort zone. Or interest. The Who wins here.

And finally, Ballet Gutter is cool, but it kicked out Alter Bridge. Sons of Apollo are way better, even if I put my grudges aside.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Ghost’s debut is not my favorite, but still light years better than In Flames.

One day I’ll listen to all of Devin’s stuff, but for now it’s easily Amorphis.

...The Who have the better album here, but re: The Argument That Shall Not Be Raised I’m voting Opeth.

Sons of Apollo are more to my liking, despite Savatage being jolly great fun.

 

[Magnus]

Only cared about Amorphis and Savatage but LC insists on voting all or none.

 

[MindRuler]

Like it should be. To quote the great Europe:
All or nothing at all.

 

[Magnus]

great Europe

First EU chauvinist I've ever seen.
Understandably, Brussels and all.