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

Didn’t know about that Cynic remaster without the growls. What a blasphemy
 
Down to Earth is definitely a change for the band. Moving away from their previous sound. That said, it's still really good hard rock, with some killer tracks. Into the Mirror Black is a bit more of an experience, though. Heavier and deeper in a lot of ways. I almost always prefer deeper music to a little more shallow music (as long as the deeper music sounds good enough for me to stand). I'll pick Sanctuary but it's close.

I don't know what I was expecting with Cynic, but it wasn't what I got. Really good and interesting music. I don't mind growls as an occasional backing piece, so I was good with that. This whole album really drew me in. Ayreon is technically good, but I often see this sort of work in my mind's eye as something like an award winning gingerbread house - it's beautiful and wonderful and well-sculpted, but in the end it's functionless candy. So I will vote for Cynic.

I understand why @Perun likes Manowar. And from time to time I enjoy Manowar, but I thought this album sounded like a clone of second-rate NWOBHM. I was hoping for more, which even typing the idea of "hoping for more from Manowar" is just ridiculous. Nuclear Assault continues to be solid thrash that provides an enjoyable experience. I doubt it would beat some other albums in this round that are losing, but hey.

I agree with the assessment that The Razors Edge is the last truly great AC/DC album, but even this album is deep in the formula. Still, it has really great tracks. Sabbat again is really good thrash, and I've been really impressed by this album, I've listened to it a couple of times outside of standard tournament play as well. I'll pick Sabbat, simply because I can see myself listening to the whole album again, and I will likely never spin the entirety of The Razors Edge, although Thunderstruck is probably the best single song among both albums.
 
LooseCannon said:
Down to Earth is definitely a change for the band. Moving away from their previous sound. That said, it's still really good hard rock, with some killer tracks. Into the Mirror Black is a bit more of an experience, though. Heavier and deeper in a lot of ways. I almost always prefer deeper music to a little more shallow music (as long as the deeper music sounds good enough for me to stand). I'll pick Sanctuary but it's close.
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Took the words out of my mouth
 
Cynic was really fucking good. Actually going to vote against Ayreon and not feel bad about it.

Pretty equal musically on the third match. But sheesh this cover picture :lol: Nuclear Assault.

I love Thunderstruck like everyone, but Dreamweaver is one of the few albums from the cup I've been returning to. Would I vote them over Soen now? Probably not, because I have a soft spot for Soen + nomination bias. But be sure I'd consider it!
 
Rainbow narrowly avoids losing to the incumbent. Sanctuary is eliminated, so Rainbow next faces Dream Theater.
Ayreon barely holds on against Cynic, who is back in League 5.
Nuclear Assault vaporizes Manowar. The tr00 metal stalwarts return in League 4.
Sabbat grounds AC/DC fairly easily. Australia's finest return in the next League.
 
I like Game Over by Nuclear Assault a lot. It's one of my go-to albums when I just need some good old thrashing. But I think that people let their anti-Manowar sentiments overrule a fair judgement. I really don't see by any stretch how you could come to the conclusion that anything on Game Over is really better from a musical point of view than a song like Gates of Valhalla. I honestly think people shouldn't make up their minds about the quality of Manowar before they give the early albums a good, fair listening.
 
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Machine Head - Bloodstone & Diamonds (2014)

How it got here
List entries: n/a
Maidenfans Nominators: @Collin
League 10 - Match 13vs.
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King Diamond - The Eye (1990)

How it got here
List entries: n/a
Maidenfans Nominators: @DJ Dityn James
Previous Rounds:
League 12: Defeated Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II 17-10.
League 11: Defeated Meshuggah - Obzen 14-8.
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Megadeth - Dystopia (2016)

How it got here
List entries: n/a
Maidenfans Nominators: @Lampwick 43
League 10 - Match 14vs.
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Kreator - Enemy of God (2005)

How it got here
List entries: n/a
Maidenfans Nominators: @Black Wizard
Previous Rounds:
League 12: Defeated Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here 14-13.
League 11: Defeated Vried - Milorg 14-8.
 
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Nightwish - Dark Passion Play (2007)

How it got here
List entries: n/a
Maidenfans Nominators: @Diesel 11
League 10 - Match 15vs.
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Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier (2010)

How it got here
List entries: n/a
Maidenfans Nominators: @Collin
Previous Rounds:
League 11: Defeated Bruce Dickinson - Balls to Picasso 18-5.
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Buckethead - Colma (1998)

How it got here
List entries: n/a
Maidenfans Nominators: @phantomoftheicarus
League 10 - Match 16vs.
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Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers (1984)

How it got here
List entries: n/a
Maidenfans Nominators: @matic22
Previous Rounds:
League 11: Defeated Porcupine Tree - In Absentia 18-5.
 
Perun said:
I like Game Over by Nuclear Assault a lot. It's one of my go-to albums when I just need some good old thrashing. But I think that people let their anti-Manowar sentiments overrule a fair judgement. I really don't see by any stretch how you could come to the conclusion that anything on Game Over is really better from a musical point of view than a song like Gates of Valhalla. I honestly think people shouldn't make up their minds about the quality of Manowar before they give the early albums a good, fair listening.
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I voted based on the sample provided, which I realise is a little unfair on Manowar, as I've had several samples from Nuclear Assault at this stage but only the one from Manowar. However, I do own several other albums from Manowar* and no albums from Nuclear Assault, so maybe that balances it out. Ultimately, it was the paedo introduction bit on the Manowar track that made my mind up for me.


*for me they have a bad habit of ruining otherwise pretty good metal albums with really even-worse-than Spinal Tap moments. I remember I had a few metal-adjacent mates in my car one time and one of them asked to put on Manowar out of curiosity, so I put on Kings of Metal, it was going down pretty well until that "grandfather tell me a story" track came on :lol:
 
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Machine Head - I had Burn my Eyes when it was out and saw them on that tour opening for Slayer, and another time on the bill at a Maiden gig, but otherwise not much interest in them. Intro sounds like 22 Acacia Avenue, vocal delivery sounds like korn, decent melody part in the middle, in general it sounds like Trivium or someone else of that ilk (I don't have much reference points for that type of music) but as someone who has not paid any attention to them since BME if I'd heard this track at random I would never have guessed that it was Machine Head.

King Diamond - opinion given before

King Diamond with the win

Megadeth - I don't have this album, intro is good, I like when Megadeth go for a commercial hooky track, having a guitar solo in the chorus is a nice idea

Kreator - opinion given before, intro sounds like Slayer

Megadeth with the win

Nightwish - not doing a lot for me, I've no problem with commercial stuff but it needs a better hook than this

Iron Maiden - opinion given before

Iron Maiden with the win

Buckethead - another album from this lad ::)

Deep Purple - not keen on the groove but some nice runs

Deep Purple with the win
 
Midnight said:
I might vote for Dark Passion Play because of its opener. The Poet And The Pendulum is a 14-minute epic, and might be the finest song across both Dark Passion Play and The Final Frontier.

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I was just about to post this!

Four more songs better than pretty much everything on TFF:




 
It's a tough choice. I believe Knicks knows me enough to not suspect a Maiden bias with me, I genuinely like TFF a lot (especially that streak from Isle of Avalon on), Bruce's strained vocals notwithstanding. Yet I also really, really like DPP, it's such a colourful, wonderful trip, quite possibly the strongest NW material in general (Anette fits the album well, though I wonder ... if only Floor joined the band back when Tuomas still wrote songs like that...)

The rest is quite easy - I don't like Machine Head all that much, but certainly more than King Diamond, I actually love Kreator, but more in their earlier career and prefer Megadeth anyway (and Dystopia is great) and while I can appreciate and respect Buckethead and Colma has some really nice material, the production is just too unpleasant to my tastes and Perfect Strangers is probably going to struggle (didn't check the votes so far, just my guess), so I'm voting for Deep Purple there.
 
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