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

Terria could easily be one of my top 5 albums of all time. The dynamic and emotional contrast between Earth Day and Deep Peace alone gives you an idea of the album’s depth. It’s also extremely immersive.
 
Mosh said:
Terria could easily be one of my top 5 albums of all time. The dynamic and emotional contrast between Earth Day and Deep Peace alone gives you an idea of the album’s depth. It’s also extremely immersive.
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Yeah I'm surprised it's getting whipped at the moment, I didn't give it the vote myself but it was a close call, maybe everyone else had an equally tough decision or else there's a good few Amorphis fans on here, which wouldn't be a surprise since it's doing well and won a few rounds already.
 
So what have we got in this round to start of? Ah the Ghost dudes. And although I've already mentioned how over hyped I think this band is, the band's debut sure has some great qualities. First than everything that 70's retro vibe on the production is really sweet (especially regarding the bass). Then Con Clavi Con Dio is a really impressive retro metal cut that any early Sabbath fan like me should absolutely love, while putting a bit of Roky Erickson in the mix . Ritual is kinda what Mercyful Fate would sound if they were formed almost a decade earlier and Elizabeth follows that same vibe. Stand By Him recovers the Sabbath/ Erickson mixture while throwing some heavier guitars on the verses. Satan Prayer and Death Knell kinda dwell on the same overall genre of the remainder of the album while being a quite uninspired and, to close the record, Prime Mover shows the band knows how to make an ambiance crescendo and Genesis is a remarkable and dynamic instrumental. So (unlike Ghost's latter releases) Opus Eponymous is a really exciting quality retro metal/rock voyage that surely adds content to the band's antics. But it holds no chance against Whoracle, a genre defining album so my vote goes to In Flames.

Then we have no other than the Dev man and his third "solo" album the astonishing Terria. I've made a review on this record at https://forum.maidenfans.com/threads/devin-townsend.43838/page-4 and although I'm partial when it comes to the Dev man I must confess this is one of the best records this guy has ever did much thanks to the circumstances that led to its making. As Mosh said this is a absolutely immersive listening revealing yet another side of Townsend's personality and composing genius that was little known till its release. Songs like Mountain, Earth Day, Deep Peace, The Fluke and Tiny Tears are uncanny acoustic gems. And although Tales is a great record and influential release there's no way it's on the same level of Terria by Mr. Devin Townsend.

In the next duel my vote obviously goes to Opeth with an album that (as I stated before) I consider to be somewhat boring and overrated. The reason for my voting is as obvious as redundant: although it is facing a great album like Who's Next (and a superior one IMO) it's a win by disqualification and I refuse to ramble further in this discussion again.

To close this round we have Sons Of Apollo's debut and although I must confess I'm more than fed up with Prog Metal super group/ projects fact is both Psychotic Symphony and its follower are easily on an higher level when compared with the majority of its peers. Perhaps that's because of the experience and impressive quality of its lineup regarding not only execution but also composition. When God Of The Sun's high octane guitar riff mixed with Kashmir-esque arrangements kick in one can notice that (although being kinda confined to the expected genre) this is going to be a rich experience for any lover of these soundscapes. Coming Home is an interesting megaton groovy rocker with some 80's metal traits that balances easy listening melodies speaker blowing chugging in equal doses. Signs Of Time brings us a groove metal main riff alternating with some typically Prog Metal passages and chorus, creating an interesting contrast. Labyrinth could easily be featured in any early 2000's Dream Theater record while Alive is an uninspired calm song followed by what I consider to be the best track here: Lost In Oblivion's bounce between disconcerting and dissonant verse textures and a brief simple and melodic refrain while giving space to a section where these dudes show how ridiculously gifted they are when it comes to soloing. Divine Addiction is a merely ok rocker and to wrap the whole thing up the band can't help itself and indulge in 11 plus minutes of workshop wankery to make a boring and unworthy closer of a record that until now managed to maintain equilibrium between technical display and song oriented compositions. So yeah... although not being my cup of tea I can easily spot the undeniable quality and immense appeal this record has. And although being overproduced and over the top at times it says a whole lot more to me than Savatage so I'll go with Sons Of Apollo.
 
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Jer said:
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.
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Yup... it's more focused and reflects a man trying to recover its sanity while Infinity was that immensity of themes. Two absurdly great albums (yet really different from each other) and although I prefer Infinity this record is in my Devin top 3 (and that alone says a lot coming from a ultra fan).
 
LooseCannon said:
I mean, you also really don't like Savatage.
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I liked Edge Of Thorns a lot, but yes, Gutter Ballet was unimpressive to me. What surprises me more is that the Sons Of Apollo album doesn’t really have any elements that should be obviously offputting to people, and it has great songwriting and performances all around, so I’d expect it to have more traction against a more polarizing album.
 
Maybe it's not as polarizing as you think?

FYI, I am actually still debating. I think Gutter Ballet is a lesser Savatage album, but I really, really like Savatage. Sons of Apollo is all very new to me, I didn't bother getting into them until the GMAC, but I like what I'm hearing.
 
I'm a bigger fan of Ghost overall, but the debut is their weakest album. I'm going with In Flames here.

Devin Townsend is much more up my alley than Amorphis.

Not a fan of the growls, but Opeth's music on this album is incredibly interesting and engaging.

And I'm going with my own nominee, of course. Sons of Apollo. @Jer is right, there's no reason it should be losing like this to a lesser Savatage album.
 
So, do I like Ghost? Sure, they're lots of fun. I agree there's some dissonance between their style and their sound, but when you're trying to sell to normies, I get it. And Opus Eponymous is one of their better albums (I prefer Meliora as previously noted). I even like Ritual a lot. Whoracle is a legitimate classic, a genre-defining work by a band that might have become a shadow of themselves, but still managed to make a mark. History leans towards the latter. I'll vote for In Flames. I think 3-4 years ago I wouldn't have, but the style of vocals are less unpalatable to me these days.

Devin Townsend seems insane. His music, at least, the two solo albums that have been presented by him so far in this game, are absolutely nuts and utterly personal. I think Terria is a really interesting achievement. But I will be honest. I don't always love my music to be personal to someone else. It feels like an intrusion when I listen to it. Amorphis has built a really cool album on a really cool stories. And while about their people, it's not about them. And it is a classic too.

The Who are such a good fucking band. And this is their best album. It's not metal, but it has almost certainly inspired metal, so I'm cool with it. Baba O'Reilly is an all time great rock song, possibly top 10. Meanwhile, Opeth has never been my style. We're gonna see lots of Opeth in the GMAC and I'm listening to all of it that comes up, just because I know how well it the band is regarded, but hey, I'm gonna vote for The Who.

There's some blues riff to Sons of Apollo in the beginning, and it's really good metal without being too great. I like it. And I feel the same about Gutter Ballet, which has some tracks I really like, but other than the title track, nothing that supremely stands out. After listening to both albums twice, enjoying both, I'm going to go with Sons of Apollo, perhaps just because they feel freshest.
 
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