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

After long and hard consideration, I’m voting against my own nominee. Firepower just deserves the win so much more. Not because it’s the better album, but because it’s one of those records that truly helps define the genre of metal. Maiden already have theirs in the form of Powerslave, so I can afford to sacrifice TXF, even though the latter I consider to be even better and would have voted for it were this not a Maiden server.
 
Diesel 11 said:
one of those records that truly helps define the genre of metal
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fetchimage
 
Sabaton over Gamma Ray. Sabaton is very good, and I haven't listened much to Gamma Ray.

Maiden over Judas Priest, altough I think both albums are very good. Roughly equal, but Maiden are more ambitious and have better songs. Sign of the Cross, I'm looking at you.
 
Diesel 11 said:
As in, is emblematic of what makes the genre great.
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I have a problem with this if you treat "metal" and "heavy metal" as synonyms, like I do. The JP idiosyncrasies are an important piece of metal. But it's just a piece.
 
Jer said:
Hmm, isn’t the whole point to listen to both specific albums and decide which one is better? Otherwise this is just a familiarity contest.
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Don't have the time. In any case, what I have heard of Gamma Ray isn't better than Sabaton. Land of the Free is also the Gamma Ray album I have listened a bit to.
 
Well, as you can obviously see from e. g. the Firepower x TXF pairing, the criterium is neither quality nor familiarity.

It's "it makes me feel young again!" + "those old chaps still got it, amirite?" *slaps beer gut*
 
Zare said:
I have a problem with this if you treat "metal" and "heavy metal" as synonyms, like I do. The JP idiosyncrasies are an important piece of metal. But it's just a piece.
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Yeah it’s just a piece, and I have other albums I also consider to be emblematic of metal’s strengths.
 
Jer said:
Hmm, isn’t the whole point to listen to both specific albums and decide which one is better? Otherwise this is just a familiarity contest.
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While we encourage people to at least listen to one song, the rules clearly indicate that any method of selection is acceptable.

Though I honour the dedication of those who have dug in aggressively!
 
Jer said:
Hmm, isn’t the whole point to listen to both specific albums and decide which one is better? Otherwise this is just a familiarity contest.
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I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, the familiar album would have to be a very weak one, or the new album would have to be something amazing for familiarity bias to be overcome with one listen. And even saying that, there's plenty of amazing albums that I didn't get on first listen.
 
srfc said:
I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, the familiar album would have to be a very weak one, or the new album would have to be something amazing for familiarity bias to be overcome with one listen. And even saying that, there's plenty of amazing albums that I didn't get on first listen.
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Familiarity doesn’t equal quality, though. I’m very familiar with albums I have aggressively voted against and I shall continue to do so, because I don’t think those albums are good enough (like, ya know, The X Factor).
 
Jer said:
Hmm, isn’t the whole point to listen to both specific albums and decide which one is better? Otherwise this is just a familiarity contest.
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Yes and no, if you dislike a certain band or you're sure their output cannot match what it's against, then why not.

However most of the entries here deserve a listen. I don't vote if I don't know what I'm voting for or against. Usually I won't vote in all pairs because I haven't had a chance and I don't have enough time now to listen (and try to appreciate which is the most important factor here) the albums.
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
Familiarity doesn’t equal quality, though. I’m very familiar with albums I have aggressively voted against and I shall continue to do so, because I don’t think those albums are good enough (like, ya know, The X Factor).
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For me, if I was voting against a weak album that I'm familiar with, the opponent would still have to appear on first listen to be better than it. I wouldn't handicap a familiar album. The purpose of this is to acknowledge great albums, and while The X Factor, from your example, is as far as I'm concerned not great, I couldn't justify voting blindly against it, as it could be a vote for a worse album. In this round, I wasn't voting blindly, and voted against it accordingly.

Virtual XI is an album I consider substantially worse than the X Factor, but it got a few votes from me, as based on the evidence presented of it's opponents, I liked it more.
 
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Immortal destroys Avenged Sevenfold. It'll be Running Wild next.
Gamma Ray barely beats Sabaton. Sabaton is still around in the Match 7 stream.
Judas Priest squeaks past Iron Maiden. There's so much Maiden. So much.
Dream Theater solidly beats KISS, who are eliminated. Next up is the Prog War - Dream Theater vs. Symphony X.
 
srfc said:
For me, if I was voting against a weak album that I'm familiar with, the opponent would still have to appear on first listen to be better than it. I wouldn't handicap a familiar album. The purpose of this is to acknowledge great albums, and while The X Factor, from your example, is as far as I'm concerned not great, I couldn't justify voting blindly against it, as it could be a vote for a worse album. In this round, I wasn't voting blindly, and voted against it accordingly.

Virtual XI is an album I consider substantially worse than the X Factor, but it got a few votes from me, as based on the evidence presented of it's opponents, I liked it more.
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I never said I was voting blindly, I legitimately don't think X Factor has come up against much that it can compete with (even if I am wholly unfamiliar with the opponent).
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
I never said I was voting blindly, I legitimately don't think X Factor has come up against much that it can compete with (even if I am wholly unfamiliar with the opponent).
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I wasn't making any accusations against you, just explaining my thought process in a hypothetical match up between a weak album I know and an album where I'm being exposed to a track for the first time. Apologies.
 
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