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

I think most genres, no matter how terrible, usually have a couple bands that transcend their genre stand the test of time. I’ve found that usually these groups come early, they’re more original, and aren’t necessarily trying to chase after a trend (because usually the trend isn’t yet apparent). I think Hybrid Theory is a pretty good example of this. Linkin Park wrote cool songs and they were fusing metal and hip hop in a way that wasn’t gimmicky. It holds up way better than just about anything I can think of from that era. The hip hop elements fit the music and there’s a real lack of the calculated to appeal to edgy teenagers vibe that you find in other nu metal (papa roach etc). Bennington’s vocals could be kinda whiny at times sure, but for the most part there’s substance there.
 
I wholeheartedly agree that even the most sordid of genres do have these bands that transcend its limitations and drawbacks and are genuinely great.

In nu metal no other band epitomizes that for me as much as System of a Down. Their juicy Orientalism (for once supported by an actual heritage), their Zappaesque musical schizophrenia, their weird ability to mix raw, genuine emotion with political potshots, quirky hilariousness and downright dadaism... I can hardly understate how important that band was for my musical development at a particular time - especially regarding pretty much all voyages beyond Western-type diatonics and all sorts of genre busting. Also, Tankian's vocals are definitely not for anyone, but they are surely quite unique, sounding like a muezzin here, like a mysterious, gentle folkster there and belting out these almost grindcorish grunts in yet other places. To me they are not just undisputedly the best nu metal band, but also rather high among general rock and metal bands as well.

Or take the general high standard of Deftones, whose each and every album has something to offer even after multiple listens. I'm not a hardcore fan by all means, but I still give them a listen from time to time and albums like White Pony or Saturday Night Wrist belong IMHO among the best stuff the 00's had to offer, rock-wise.

Or Sepultura's Roots. Now I'm gonna piss off pretty much everyone and say that for me it's the most intriguing and fun Sepultura album overall. I'm not knocking down Remains or Schizophrenia, but Roots (paradoxically, for an alleged "sell-out") is much more unique, boasting with personality that is often somewhat lacked in the wider thrash/deathrash paradigm.

Or even the first few Slipknot records. Sure, I'm not really all that enamoured by them, in fact I find a lot to dislike there and you won't find me recommending them pretty much ever, but still, I can't deny there's something to be respected about their approach and at least they truly give this no holds barred punch which gives them certain edge ('cause nu metal's supposed to be edgy, right?)

Compared to those, I can't help but be really disappointed in how little LP's music has retained its power, significance or intrigue for me. For all their hysterics they sound rather hollow, they are incredibly easy to overplay (doesn't help that the catchiness is sometimes bought with mere volume - Crawling's chorus has three notes altogether. Three.) and the occasional experimental track like Nobody's Listening is not enough. No punch also, no sense of danger, they're just "radio angst". On the other hand, sure, at least there was some semblance of identity then. When they switched it to play generalized "alt rock", they lost even that, effectively becoming a Gen-Y's prototype of what Imagine Dragons would personify for Gen-Z.

But IRYO.
 
Niall Kielt said:
I nominated VXI as a joke. How the actual fuck is it still in the game? Too many tone deaf sycophants around here.
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Agreed... BTW that nomination and the outcome might as well been the trolling of the year, Mr.! :ok:

As for this round:

Left Hand Path is one hell of a record that at the same time helped define a genre (Death Metal) and gave us along with Dismember that buzz saw state of the art guitar distortion. Songs like But Life Goes On, Revel In Flesh and especially the title track are absolutely flawless. Nostradamus is an experiment that shows a veteran band not settling on releasing the same formula but a failed adventure. And while presenting us some good tracks it is absurd comparing it to a defining album such as Entombed's debut.

Violent Restitution is also my favorite record by the band: engaging, fast and heavy as fuck this thing really is a no brake nose dive of brutality. The opening combo The Marshal Arts/ Hypertension is absolutely relentless while the Out Of The Game, Edge Of The Razor, Eye Of The Storm and Discipline sequence simply rules. Only down side is the rest of the songs are a bit samey. Still gets my vote over a merely ok Rainbow debut... so yeah: Razor.

Facelift is one monster of an album (and still one of my least favorites from the band). First: don't call this Grunge please. There's too much Hard Rock (Man In The Box, Sea Of Sorrow, Confusion), Metal (We Die Young, Bleed The Freak, It Ain't Like That) and even Funk (Put You Down, Sunshine, I Know Somethin') on this beast for you to do so just because of the period of formation and city they came from. Finally while being still a blueprint on the making this record simply rules and is one of the strongest rock debuts ever. And to even compare any Alice In Chains record with Virtual XI as an whole should be a crime!

Lastly I'm not here to disrespect Chester's death but i simply abominate LP's sound. So by default, Deep Purple.
 
This is a tale of two great bands with simply inferior albums up against strong competition. I will be voting for Entombed and Alice in Chains as it is time to move those weak albums out.

@Dityn DJ James, I understand why you love Razor, but it is something I can never do. Rainbow.

Burn is a fine Deep Purple album, but Linkin Park has a significant place in music. Both personally, but also as a gateway act for heavy music in the post-grunge era. Someone called them manufactured, and that can't be further from the truth. Hybrid Theory is probably the only truly authentic Linkin Park album, and the band's struggle to keep Warner Bros out of the production process is well documented. We've seen a few rap-metal albums show up, but this is truly the greatest of them all, and it deserves consideration here. Linkin Park.
 
LooseCannon said:
the band's struggle to keep Warner Bros out of the production process is well documented.
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This is a really important point. WB did not want to make a metal album with rapping. When Linkin Park came out, they were doing something new and risky. It wasn’t calculated or manufactured, they just happened upon gold.


Someone mentioned SOAD, Deftones, Sepultura, and Slipknot. Yes those bands are also among the cream of the nu metal crop, but I would argue that they are associated because of the time period more than because of the kind of music they were making. These bands outlasted the nu fad for a reason. I also don’t think Sepultura belongs on that list. Slightly different era and different region of the world. Linkin Park is stylistically your bread and butter nu metal.

Btw, perhaps I’ll do some hard research on this some day, but I think WB may qualify as the most evil, corrupt, anti-artist, and backwards record label. Read up on Zappa and Avenged Sevenfold for other examples from very different time periods.

I can’t believe all the time I’ve spent speaking positively of nu metal. I need a shower.
 
Mosh said:
This is a really important point. WB did not want to make a metal album with rapping. When Linkin Park came out, they were doing something new and risky. It wasn’t calculated or manufactured, they just happened upon gold.
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Specifically, Linkin Park were signed to emulate Korn/Limp Bizkit, which had rap-style lyrics, but had a very discernable rock-like sound. LP stepped away from that into heavy industrial, electronic, and hip hop pieces, while keeping Chester around to whine like an entitled white guy. Really, Linkin Park capped off the nu-metal era by surpassing it in a lot of ways, bookending it by bending back towards traditional metal in some ways, and they even realized that as they moved into more electronica as they evolved. There was just nowhere for Limp Bizkit & clones to go after Hybrid Theory. It's really a landmark album in metal, whether or not people want to admit it.
 
Mosh said:
Btw, perhaps I’ll do some hard research on this some day, but I think WB may qualify as the most evil, corrupt, anti-artist, and backwards record label. Read up on Zappa and Avenged Sevenfold for other examples from very different time periods.
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Not just record label - this is absolutely worth watching, overlong as it is




The third one is where the shit gets really real. But beware, it's depressing af. "The Desolation of Warners" indeed.

Or How a foreign corporation hijacked the legislation process in a sovereign country in order to be able to exploit its workers. I'm not making this up.
 
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If Virtual XI wins this, I will vote for any Maiden album in the tourney out of spite the rest of the game, so we can have a Maiden vs Maiden finale :nuts2: :D
 
Mosh said:
Seriously Left Hand Path is fantastic. It was possibly the first extreme metal album that made me realize I could enjoy extreme metal by itself. Not as a fusion with other stuff, like prog metal, but actual pure extreme metal. I also love those buzzsaw guitar tones.
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Fantastic indeed. Very cool.
 
karljant said:
And to even compare any Alice In Chains record with Virtual XI as an whole should be a crime!
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This is what I also feel - VXI is a horribly produced record with a lot of not-that-great songwriting on it and a vocalist that isn't as good. Facelift is better as a metal record because it has everything - bottom end, riffs, groove, and great vocals.

However VXI is also a far cry of Maiden 1998. VXI does not capture Maiden's magic. I couldn't stop hearing live versions in my head while comparing it to AIC. Lightning Strikes Twice live is a prime example of how dull VXI's album sound is.

So I voted for neither.
 
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