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

Can only judge the bottom two matchups, as the rest I've yet to listen to.

There's an argument to be made for Persistence of Time to being Anthrax's second best album, whereas other than the novelty of KISMABIG being the first Megadeth album, there's not much standing out there, other than a couple of good tracks.

10,000 Days is a juggernaut in terms of Tool's already impressive catalogue, whereas I think Ocean Machine, whilst good, is far from Townsend's best work.
 
RTC said:
10,000 Days is a juggernaut in terms of Tool's already impressive catalogue, whereas I think Ocean Machine, whilst good, is far from Townsend's best work.
Click to expand...
Other way around for me. 10,000 days is a massive step down from their previous two albums. Lateralus really took Tool’s sound as far as it could go, 10,000 days is retreading old ground and is much less exciting.

Ocean Machine sets a high bar for Townsend’s work, one that he was only able to match a handful of times later in his career, although his production and performances on albums definitely got better over time. The vibe and coherence of Ocean Machine stands on its own.

Wb btw
 
Mosh said:
Other way around for me. 10,000 days is a massive step down from their previous two albums. Lateralus really took Tool’s sound as far as it could go, 10,000 days is retreading old ground and is much less exciting.

Ocean Machine sets a high bar for Townsend’s work, one that he was only able to match a handful of times later in his career, although his production and performances on albums definitely got better over time. The vibe and coherence of Ocean Machine stands on its own.

Wb btw
Click to expand...
Yup... I wouldn't even pull Aenima to this debate. I still like it more than 10000 days but it's a different vibe compared with their last 3 albums (when Tool really became more Prog). And in that regard 10000 days stands in between two monsters (Lateralus and Fear Inoculum) both of them being considerably better. On the other hand my favorite Townsend era is the beginning (late 90's early 2000's). Albums like Infinity, Terria, Ocean Machine and even Physicist are simply amazing. After that I think he kinda lost a bit of inspiration on the two Devin Townsend Band records (especially Accelerated Evolution) and regarding later releases only 3 of them are on the same level of his early works: Addicted, Epicloud and Empath.
 
karljant said:
Yup... I wouldn't even pull Aenima to this debate. I still like it more than 10000 days but it's a different vibe compared with their last 3 albums (when Tool really became more Prog). And in that regard 10000 days stands in between two monsters (Lateralus and Fear Inoculum) both of them being considerably better. On the other hand my favorite Townsend era is the beginning (late 90's early 2000's). Albums like Infinity, Terria, Ocean Machine and even Physicist are simply amazing. After that I think he kinda lost a bit of inspiration on the two Devin Townsend Band records (especially Accelerated Evolution) and regarding later releases only 3 of them are on the same level of his early works: Addicted, Epicloud and Empath.
Click to expand...
I like the songs on Aenima better, but the pointless interludes really dampen the experience of the entire album. To the point where I don’t want to listen to it. Lateralus has great songs and the interludes are passable, although I still find Tool albums to be insanely bloated. Regardless, it works better as a full experience. 10,000 days is not enjoyable as an album and doesn’t have good songs.

The only Townsend album to measure up to Ocean Machine as a full experience is Terria. He’s got a lot of great albums and songs, but those two really have their own vibe and world that make them especially memorable. Addicted is up there in terms of just consistency. Synchestra, Ki, and Ghost are very close but feel somewhat incomplete in places. I haven’t spent enough time with Empath yet. There’s a lot going on and I’m not sure I understand all of it yet.
 
I've voted against Power Trip the last couple times, but I'm voting for them here because My Dying Bride just doesn't do it for me. Power Trip.

I could go either way in the second match. I'll give the edge to Alter Bridge here just because the album is fresher to me and it would be nice to have an excuse to listen to it again.

Speaking of freshness, Killing is My Buisness is the opposite of that and is acting like an unwanted houseguest that just won't leave. But mostly I'm just upset that it has made it further than both Endgame and Dystopia. Anthrax.

Ocean Machine is quite solid, and I feel like it has a strong potential to grow on me, but there's no way I can vote against 10,000 Days. Tool.
 
My Dying Bride ends Power Trip's GMAC trip in a narrow fight. They'll face Rammstein next.
Atlantean Kodex carries on past Alter Bridge. They'll be back in League 6.
Anthrax decisively ends the deepest GMAC run yet by crushing Megadave. He's back in League 6 as well.
Finally, Tool holds on against Devin Townsend. He, too, returns in League 6!!
 
Paradise_Lost_Draconian_Times.jpg

Paradise Lost - Draconian Times (1995)

How it got here
List entries: n/a
Maidenfans Nominators: @Ariana, @karljant
League 7 - Match 5vs.
Apex_album_cover.jpg

Unleash the Archers - Apex (2017)

How it got here
List entries: n/a
Maidenfans Nominators: @LooseCannon
Previous Rounds:
League 8: Defeated Black Sabbath - Headless Cross 16-14.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scorpions-album-lovedrive.jpg

Scorpions - Lovedrive (1979)

How it got here
List entries: n/a
Maidenfans Nominators: @Cornfed Hick, @The Dissident
League 7 - Match 6vs.
Mot%C3%B6rhead_-_1916_%281991%29.jpg

Motörhead - 1916 (1991)

How it got here
List entries: n/a
Maidenfans Nominators: @Magnus
Previous Rounds:
League 9: Defeated Opeth - Orchid 13-10.
League 8: Defeated Dream Theater - Octavarium 15[ET]-15.
 
Wintersun_cover.jpg

Wintersun - Wintersun (2004)

How it got here
List entries: n/a
Maidenfans Nominators: @FTB, @Night Prowler
League 7 - Match 7vs.
220px-Iced_Earth_Incorruptible_Artwork.jpg

Iced Earth - Incorruptible (2017)

How it got here
List entries: n/a
Maidenfans Nominators: @LooseCannon
Previous Rounds:
League 11: Defeated Nirvana - In Utero 11-9.
League 10: Defeated Blaze Bayley - Infinite Entanglement 13-9.
League 9: Defeated Hell Fire - Mania 13-10.
League 8: Defeated Alestorm - Sunset on the Golden Age 19-11.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
In_Flames_Battles_Album_Cover.jpeg

In Flames - Battles (1997)

How it got here
List entries: n/a
Maidenfans Nominators: @Travis The Dragon
League 7 - Match 8vs.
SymphonyXTheDivineWingsOfTragedy.jpg

Symphony X - The Divine Winds of Tragedy (1997)

How it got here
List entries: n/a
Maidenfans Nominators: @Lampwick 43
Previous Rounds:
League 12: Defeated Accept - Blind Rage 17-5.
League 11: Defeated Haken - Affinity 14-5.
League 10: Defeated Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa 16-7.
League 9: Defeated Primordial - To the Nameless Dead 15-9.
League 8: Defeated Queensrÿche - Queensrÿche 16-14.
 
Apex
1916, because Octavarium's spirit resides in it now
Incorruptible
Divine Wings, because I clicked wrong fucking box
 
Well, it's not like Battles stands a chance anyway. I think it's quite underrated and good, despite definitely not being melodeath.
 
First matchup is tough. I figured I would probably vote for Apex, but the Paradise Lost track is really really good—goth and doomy, with a nice melody. Apex has more energy but perhaps tries to do too much. Going with Paradise Lost this Round. The rest are easy. All due respect to Motörhead, but 1916 isn’t in the same league as a masterpiece like Lovedrive. Didn’t like Wintersun at all, and Iced Earth is solid. In Flames surprised me a little, I expected death metal but got something closer to nu-metal instead. I wasn’t a fan. Symphony X suffers from the same excess as UtA, but with a bit more talent, and it advances due to a more favorable matchup.
 
This Paradise Lost album has a lot of good musical ideas on it, but unfortunately those ideas aren’t stitched together into any particularly compelling songs. Some of the transitions in and out of the calmer gothic bits are cool, but outside of that the songs rarely take flight and go anywhere. The singer’s heavier voice is also pretty rough and amateurish, which starts to grate after a while. The Unleash The Archers album is far more enjoyable to listen to overall. Sorry, Ariarljant, but @LooseCannon ’s nominee takes this one. Winner: Unleash The Archers

This next match was the closest one of the round for me. The Scorpions album has some really great tracks like “Holiday” and “Always Somewhere”, some pretty good ones like “Another Piece Of Meat” and the title track, some odd stuff like the reggae-infused “Is There Anybody There?”, and then some more forgettable tracks. The Motörhead album is more consistent and rocks harder, but its highs are nowhere near as high as the ones on the Scorpions album. I probably could’ve gone either way here, but in this case the higher highs tipped the scale for me. Sorry, @Magnus, but I have to go with The Cornfed Hicksident’s choice here. Winner: Scorpions

I don’t understand this Wintersun album at all. The music is mostly cheesy-but-good neoclassical power metal, but most of the vocals are incongruous black metal kack instead. “Death And The Healing” kept the vocals clean and worked much better, but unfortunately it was the exception to the rule, and the extreme vocals are pretty much a non-starter for me. Sorry, Night FTBrowler, but @LooseCannon ’s underwhelming Iced Earth album wins by default. Winner: Iced Earth

I don’t know who decided it was a good idea to rebrand In Flames by injecting an unhealthy dose of Blink-182 into their formula, but here we are. It seems like they managed to keep both the worst elements of melodeath and the worst elements of pop-punk in their sound, so...mission accomplished? This might have beaten some of the really incoherent albums from the earliest leagues, but it wouldn’t beat much else; and it’s up against a strong Symphony X album, so it’s toast. Sorry, @Travis The Dragon, but @Lampwick 43 ’s nominee wins this battle in a walk. Winner: Symphony X
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top