Fortress.
I believe it was retroactively changed. Also, I don't care that much.
GREATEST METAL ALBUM CUP - Winner: Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son!
- Thread starter LooseCannon
- Start date
karljant
Ancient Mariner
Ok telegram mode:
Alter Bridge? Nope. Annihilator? Yup.
Surfing With The Alien? Great album. The New Order? Excellent record, my 2nd favorite from the band (but I can easily agree it's their best) and a Thrash Metal Classic. Disciples Of The Watch Eerie Inhabitants, Trial By Fire and The New Order? Come on... Testament.
Along with their debut, The Way Of All Flesh is the Gojira album that says little to me and I almost never listen to. Blind Guardian's third album although not being as good as its predecessor gets my vote by a small advantage.
There are several albums by Blaze that simply doesn't ring with me. This is one of them. Pearl Jam's debut easily gets my vote (because by now I'm sick and tired of discussing criteria and willing to accept anything that has resemblances of metal or hard rock in this game).
Alter Bridge? Nope. Annihilator? Yup.
Surfing With The Alien? Great album. The New Order? Excellent record, my 2nd favorite from the band (but I can easily agree it's their best) and a Thrash Metal Classic. Disciples Of The Watch Eerie Inhabitants, Trial By Fire and The New Order? Come on... Testament.
Along with their debut, The Way Of All Flesh is the Gojira album that says little to me and I almost never listen to. Blind Guardian's third album although not being as good as its predecessor gets my vote by a small advantage.
There are several albums by Blaze that simply doesn't ring with me. This is one of them. Pearl Jam's debut easily gets my vote (because by now I'm sick and tired of discussing criteria and willing to accept anything that has resemblances of metal or hard rock in this game).
Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
You COOKIE MONSTER! Now we’re going to have extreme metal fans getting the vapors and fainting left and right for being exposed to pejorative phrases without the use of trigger guards. This is a safe space, dammit. I have appropriately child-proofed your quote.
For shame!
Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
This Alter Bridge album has pretty much the same pros and cons as their other albums in the GMAC. Consistently solid anthemic songwriting, nice guitar work, some mildly proggy elements, and well-performed vocals with some interesting harmonies, but also some melodic and phrasing detours that I don’t always agree with. Some of the guitar tones are overly fat and compressed too. This album has a slightly more metallic feel in its heavier songs than the others, I suppose. Good stuff. It’s up against this Annihilator album, which has some really nice guitar passages and good ideas, but doesn’t deliver as well in terms of songwriting and vocal performance. Sorry, @Perun, but I prefer The Arissianadent’s nominee here. Winner: Alter Bridge
This Testament album has some really cool instrumental parts, and frankly these guys are probably my favorite of the B-list thrash bands based on what I’ve heard from them. Chuck Billy isn’t the best singer, though he’s better than your average crummy thrash vocalist. The songwriting is also a bit uneven, and the production isn’t very good, but there’s still a lot to like here. Meanwhile we have a very enjoyable Joe Satriani album that suffers a bit from formulaic songwriting and boring drums, but has great hooks throughout, and some nice surprises like “Circles” and “Midnight”. It’s a pretty close match-up, but sorry Whantootenoftheicarus, I’m going to go with @MrKnickerbocker ’s choice. Winner: Joe Satriani
More Gojira. There are a few neat musical bits here and there, like the swing feel in “A Sight To Behold” and the thick harmonized riff in the middle of “Esoteric Surgery”, but it also devolves into pointless cacophony for large stretches of certain songs too. AND THERE’S SOMETHING ELSE SLIGHTLY ANNOYING ABOUT THE ALBUM THAT I CAN’T QUITE PUT MY FINGER ON, I WONDER WHAT IT COULD BE?!?! Actually, the screaming is less caustic on this record than it was on L’Enfant Sauvage, but it’s still incredibly irritating and not something I’d ever want to listen to. Put up against a competent Blind Guardian album, this isn’t much of a contest. Sorry, Black Waapanaeloftheizardus, but I have to go with @Night Prowler ’s nominee here. Winner: Blind Guardian
While I rated some of Blaze’s later albums slightly higher my first time through, Tenth Dimension is the one that I actually come back to the most, so it’s probably my favorite record of his. As usual, Blaze is the weakest link in his own band, with his vocal performance being a bit sloppy and off-key in a lot of places, and some questionable phrasing as well. The songwriting is also uneven, with some crackers like the title track, “The Truth Revealed”, and “Meant To Be”, but also the stinker “End Dream” and a couple of other weaker tracks. While I enjoy the album for what it is, it would never occur to me to consider it among the best heavy records of all time. It’s up against Pearl Jam’s debut, which was so overplayed while I was in college that I literally couldn’t stand listening to it for about 10 years after I graduated; but in time I came back around to it, and I do think it’s a great album. Aside from Alice In Chains, I think Pearl Jam was the only other major grunge band of the time that was actually any good. So, sorry Shamplick 69, but I have to go with your identical half-sibling Larianick 451’s choice instead. Winner: Pearl Jam
This Testament album has some really cool instrumental parts, and frankly these guys are probably my favorite of the B-list thrash bands based on what I’ve heard from them. Chuck Billy isn’t the best singer, though he’s better than your average crummy thrash vocalist. The songwriting is also a bit uneven, and the production isn’t very good, but there’s still a lot to like here. Meanwhile we have a very enjoyable Joe Satriani album that suffers a bit from formulaic songwriting and boring drums, but has great hooks throughout, and some nice surprises like “Circles” and “Midnight”. It’s a pretty close match-up, but sorry Whantootenoftheicarus, I’m going to go with @MrKnickerbocker ’s choice. Winner: Joe Satriani
More Gojira. There are a few neat musical bits here and there, like the swing feel in “A Sight To Behold” and the thick harmonized riff in the middle of “Esoteric Surgery”, but it also devolves into pointless cacophony for large stretches of certain songs too. AND THERE’S SOMETHING ELSE SLIGHTLY ANNOYING ABOUT THE ALBUM THAT I CAN’T QUITE PUT MY FINGER ON, I WONDER WHAT IT COULD BE?!?! Actually, the screaming is less caustic on this record than it was on L’Enfant Sauvage, but it’s still incredibly irritating and not something I’d ever want to listen to. Put up against a competent Blind Guardian album, this isn’t much of a contest. Sorry, Black Waapanaeloftheizardus, but I have to go with @Night Prowler ’s nominee here. Winner: Blind Guardian
While I rated some of Blaze’s later albums slightly higher my first time through, Tenth Dimension is the one that I actually come back to the most, so it’s probably my favorite record of his. As usual, Blaze is the weakest link in his own band, with his vocal performance being a bit sloppy and off-key in a lot of places, and some questionable phrasing as well. The songwriting is also uneven, with some crackers like the title track, “The Truth Revealed”, and “Meant To Be”, but also the stinker “End Dream” and a couple of other weaker tracks. While I enjoy the album for what it is, it would never occur to me to consider it among the best heavy records of all time. It’s up against Pearl Jam’s debut, which was so overplayed while I was in college that I literally couldn’t stand listening to it for about 10 years after I graduated; but in time I came back around to it, and I do think it’s a great album. Aside from Alice In Chains, I think Pearl Jam was the only other major grunge band of the time that was actually any good. So, sorry Shamplick 69, but I have to go with your identical half-sibling Larianick 451’s choice instead. Winner: Pearl Jam
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Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
Alter Bridge
Satch
Blind Guardian
Blaze
I’ve never been a fan of most thrash, so this was easy. I also do not understand Gojira’s appeal at all; I saw them open for Opeth and after one song I thought these guys are tight, but they’re missing something. Ditto for the rest of their set, which I could only tell apart from the first song because they stopped to talk and stuff in between. Blind Guardian is pure cheese, but they’re the clear winner here. Finally, while I’m not a huge Blaze fan, Pearl Jam annoys me to no end. I’d rather listen to them than Gojira, though. I just don’t get them.
Satch
Blind Guardian
Blaze
I’ve never been a fan of most thrash, so this was easy. I also do not understand Gojira’s appeal at all; I saw them open for Opeth and after one song I thought these guys are tight, but they’re missing something. Ditto for the rest of their set, which I could only tell apart from the first song because they stopped to talk and stuff in between. Blind Guardian is pure cheese, but they’re the clear winner here. Finally, while I’m not a huge Blaze fan, Pearl Jam annoys me to no end. I’d rather listen to them than Gojira, though. I just don’t get them.
Midnight
The Ever-Present "It"
My first impression of them was exactly the same. The Art of Dying was the song that made me sit up and think, "Hey, I guess they actually do make good music."
karljant
Ancient Mariner
Sorry but can't help you on this one mate. Huge Gojira fan but never quite liked TWOAF.
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
Magnus
Pica Serdica
I agree Gojira's album is superior musically but I couldn't stand the vocals, plus nostalgy in Tales' case. Sorry Saap.
Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
So we've finally come full circle on growls, I see.
Lampwick 43
Barstool Warrior
I believe this is the first round where I didn't straight-up dislike any one of the albums. The Way of All Flesh is my least favorite of the albums here, but even that is one that I can see myself coming back to in the future. So on to the votes:
Alter Bridge
Testament
Blind Guardian
all win my vote. And the last match features the very best albums here. Which is no big surprise, since I nominated them.
As much as I love Tenth Dimension, I have to go with Ten, which is honestly a special album with no weak parts at all. Pearl Jam.
Alter Bridge
Testament
Blind Guardian
all win my vote. And the last match features the very best albums here. Which is no big surprise, since I nominated them.
As much as I love Tenth Dimension, I have to go with Ten, which is honestly a special album with no weak parts at all. Pearl Jam.
Just a couple of hours left! Any more voters? At least one of these is a close race!
All votes, again, visually accounted for.
Annihilator blasts away Alter Bridge. They're alive in the Match 11 stream.
Testament ends Joe Satriani's GMAC run. They'll match up against Virgin Steele next.
Blind Guardian slays Gojira, who have one last chance. They'll return in League 4.
Blaze Bayley and Pearl Jam battle to a tie, which will be resolved at the end of the League!
Annihilator blasts away Alter Bridge. They're alive in the Match 11 stream.
Testament ends Joe Satriani's GMAC run. They'll match up against Virgin Steele next.
Blind Guardian slays Gojira, who have one last chance. They'll return in League 4.
Blaze Bayley and Pearl Jam battle to a tie, which will be resolved at the end of the League!
Magnus
Pica Serdica
Greatest Metal Album Cup, I think it was.Sad to see Satch seriously slayed.