Meshuggah - Destroy, Erase, Improve vs. Pig Destroyer - Terrifyer
Destroy Erase Improve features Meshuggah in their earlier stages, before completely refining their sound and putting out their best material. It still has many of the elements that would come to define the band's signature sound, though. What they do on this album is more of a combination of thrash and industrial a la Fear Factory. Some very interesting rhythmic work and breakdowns on this one and the guitar sound is killer. Terrifyer is more exciting instrumentally than I expected it to be, being a grindcore album. It approaches death metal territory, that's probably why I find it palatable. The high-pitch screamed vocals just take away from the music, unfortunately, I'd probably like the instrumental version. This matchup is a battle between good screamed vocals (Meshuggah) and bad screamed vocals (Pig Destroyer).
Virgin Steele - The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I vs. Hammerfall - Legacy of Kings
Neither album really appeals to me stylistically. Hammerfall's music is the type of power metal that I simply cannot stand - the cheesy, forced "epicness" and a mismatch of melody and aggressive playing. I found them scarcely tolerable. Virgin Steele does nothing for me, but their style is far less annoying - probably because they sound more like a straight heavy metal band rather than a power metal band, even though they clearly have power metal elements. I could see it becoming hard to bear if I followed through the entire way though, looking at the album duration of 70 minutes.
Cradle of Filth - Cruelty and the Beast vs. White Zombie - La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One
Cruelty and the Beast is awful. It's like you combined shitty death metal with the worst symptoms of symphonic metal. Dani Filth's vocals are annoying and the production is all over the place. The opening track of La Sexorcisto is more than enough to get the vote here with its nice groovy heavy riffs. Most of the tracks here are pretty forgettable but they are very listenable and entertaining at least. Not sure about the replay value, but I did like what they were going for with this album.
Faith No More - The Real Thing vs. Aria - Герой Асфальта
Mike Patton's nasally vocals on this album really, really grate on me. Shame really, because he's a very talented vocalist otherwise. The music isn't all that memorable but the funkier moments are pretty entertaining. They have an original sound at least, the same can't be said about Aria. I could listen to Aria, or I could listen to bands that they're trying to emulate. I'll choose the latter, there isn't much to write home about when it comes to the music being played on this album.
