GREATEST METAL ALBUM CUP - Winner: Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son!
- Thread starter LooseCannon
- Start date
Kalata
Out of the Silent Planet
For Megadeth I think I'd call ''Washington Is Next!'' with this phrase.
Btw, the intro riff reminds of Wasted Years.
DJ James
A coma stole my name.
This blows my mind.
Cat Milk Supreme
Ancient Mariner
Definitely not the connotation i was goin for. I was goin to attempt a witty response but Jer beat me to it.
The_7th_one
Ancient Mariner
Megadeth - Countdown to Extinction
Deep Purple - Machine Head
Bruce Dickinson - Accident of Birth
Rush - Moving Pictures
Deep Purple - Machine Head
Bruce Dickinson - Accident of Birth
Rush - Moving Pictures
karljant
Ancient Mariner
karljant
Ancient Mariner
Tool - Inferno???? WTF?
Yeah, I fixed this. I reuse the previous post's base code sheet when I write it up, so if I miss something you might see an artifact from a previous post.Tool - Inferno???? WTF?
Cornfed Hick
Ancient Mariner
Can't say I'm surprised that Bruce is winning this round, but it's an unjust result. AoB is good, Imaginations is great.
This was probably the hardest choice for me in the whole game so far.
karljant
Ancient Mariner
The only Inferno I could recall relating Tool was forcing them to release an album each 3 years...
karljant
Ancient Mariner
Countdown To Extinction is in line of the "Thrash band gone softer" kind of album from the early 90's. But, unlike the majority of those bands Dave still managed to come out with one hell of a record... IMO not as good as Sound Of White Noise when it comes to that paradigm shift but miles ahead of what Metallica, Exodus or Testament did. Skin O' My Teeth is an amazing mixture of groove and power in form of an heavy metal opener. Symphony Of Destruction may lost a bit of its charm due to overplaying but no one can ignore how simple yet ingenious this thing is (that transition to the chorus and the refrain itself... come on) and deserves all the praise it received by the masses. Architecture Of Aggression is more thrashy and also sounds superb. Foreclosure Of A Dream is a delightfully melodic calm tune with a powerful chorus that really portrays the disillusion and tragic events of the families that got robbed. I really can't stand Sweating Bullets (boring with borderline cringe moments here and there) but then This Was My Life's addictive and intense riffage mixed with huge melodies just brings the album up once again. Speaking of which the title track's melody is ok but lacks musical intensity when taking in account its theme. High Speed Dirt and Psychotron are mere fillers while Captive Honor's narrative like structure and how the song pulls you through it is impressive. To close in a ridiculous high note Ashes In Your Mouth is this sublime mix of heaviness and razor sharp mechanical riffs and beautiful melodies: simply put my favorite track from the album. So there you go... easy listening but with tons of intensity and quality in doses Iced Earth simply aren't able to deliver. One of Megadeth's biggest critical and comercial success and rightfully so.
Ouch! It hurts having to pick from two records as good as these two. I really can't tell which one I like the best... if Superunknown's dark and melancholic atmosphere is much more my thing, Machine Head is an absolute Hard Rock classic that influenced countless bands. Highway Star comes blasting in with adrenaline at red line levels and only judging by its opener one can easily guess this is the perfect introduction to a cornerstone album. Maybe I'm A Leo shows a much more relaxed version of the band explored more in depth in songs like the superb Never Before and Strange Kind Of Woman. And while really easy listening and smooth those tunes are groovy and addictive while Pictures Of Home brings once again that almost Heavy Metal feel to the album. And then there's Smoke On The Water that would become widely known as the "first riff ever to be learnt by rock initiates". But the song's main riffs and melodies immense simplicity is absolutely proportional to its composing wit and intelligence and it's easy to understand why it became the most well known song ever made by the band (and in rock in general). Lazy is a cool relaxed bluesy track and then Space Truckin' closes the whole damn thing in style with vicious hooks and one hell of a punching chorus. I'll say it again: it's a bummer choosing one of these two albums but in the end I think I'd end up going with the Seattle dudes. And since I'm almost certain Deep Purple will win this I think it's fair to give Soundgarden my vote.
Accident Of Birth, while lacking the consistency, heaviness and depth of Chemical Wedding is still a great record. It's also less daring than Balls To Picasso or even Skunkworks but on the other side is more gritty and focused. Having Roy Z and Adrian Smith as the guitar duet on your band surely helps a ton, not only performance wise but also - and dare I say especially - when it comes to the composing part. Freak opens the record on an extremely high note: fast, sounding fresh and engaging from the get go. I can't imagine a better track from this record to spearhead it with this much edge and attack. After a somwhat unnecessary intro we have Starchildren, a cool mid paced headbanger that keeps things exciting. And while Taking The Queen is a bit boring it is followed by Darkside Of Aquarius which, taking in account I'm writing on a Maiden forum and everybody knows the damned song, I won't even waste time describing what a masterpiece this thing is. Road To Hell is a gorgeous 80's metal flavored tune and perhaps the reason why I kinda think the refrain is a bit lackluster (a mere repetition of the first riff) is due to the rest of the song being so damn good. Man Of Sorrows is beautiful but I think it sounds a bit incomplete when compared to its orchestral mix... the damn song just asks for those arrangements and I think this should be the album version. The Title track is heavy as hell with some great passages but a bit generic here and there. And then we reach the final stretch of songs that many tend to point as the least good in the album but IMO are by far the best ones (along with Darkside Of Aquarius and Freak). The Magician is once again deeply into 80's Heavy Metal and this time it's done flawlessly. Wellcome To The Pit masterful passages between heavy as hell riffs and melodic passages is a testament to great song composing and then there's Omega, simply one of the most gorgeous semi acoustic tunes ever done in Metal. To wrap things up Bruce seems to be rubbing it on other bands' face "Hey... we've made one of the best semi acoustic tunes ever. Now let's do the same but 100% acoustic". This duet of extremely melodic and calm songs are not only top tier material but feature Bruce's best performances in the whole album, going absolute god mode. So yeah, Imaginations is no longer the Blind Guardian I used to be a fan of but it's easy to see that these guys were still great composers and easily the best while doing this kind of sound by then. Nevertheless it's no match for Bruce Dickinson's first big solo album IMO.
Once again Chuck Schuldiner changed personel while recording his fourth album. And alongside Sadus' bass virtuoso, two hugelly tallented young men from the Tmpa bay were brought to fill the drums and guitar places left vacant: Sean Reinart and Paul Masvidal (who would later create a pivotal record shortly after leaving the band... but that's another story). Human marks a significant shift in Chuck's project sound wise. And you start noticing it in the way the brutality of Flattening The Emotions is complemented by odd time signatures or by the sudden riff and harmonies variations and layered details in Suicide Machine. Together As One repeats once again the pounding of past albums aggression alongside the new found semi prog metal mixture. And while Secret Face's openning riff comes pulverizing everything in its way I think this is where the new direction Chuck envisioned for his band finally appears in full glory. After a phaser effect filled riff this song dives deep into labyrintine structures peppered all over with adornments of all kinds that give way to larger than life guitar harmonies at times only to come back to a somehow introvert sense of self exploring without losing focus on the song itself. And BTW DiGiorgio is going mental here. Then comes Lack Of Comprehension with its fusion like gorgeous intro and what its predecessor gave us plenty, this song gives us even more. The exploring of this new formula continues in See Through Dreams and then keyboards announce the penultimate track, a 100% assumed prog metal instrumental that combines a mixture of individual and collective shine featuring great solos, guitar harmonies and vast ambiances almost in a perfect fashion while the rhythm section simply leves everyone in awe. Vacant Planets recovers a bit the band's aggressive vein but sub divides it in time signatures so intricate that it's puzzling how the punch effect comes out absolutely unharmed. That double kick attack on the pre chorus is absurdly well placed before the serpentine harmonies on the refrain, giving Human a perfect closer. This record is without shadow of doubt one of heavier metal's best moments ever and although I have respect for Rush and kinda like Tom Sawyer the remainder of the album says little to me. So yeah... Death.
Ouch! It hurts having to pick from two records as good as these two. I really can't tell which one I like the best... if Superunknown's dark and melancholic atmosphere is much more my thing, Machine Head is an absolute Hard Rock classic that influenced countless bands. Highway Star comes blasting in with adrenaline at red line levels and only judging by its opener one can easily guess this is the perfect introduction to a cornerstone album. Maybe I'm A Leo shows a much more relaxed version of the band explored more in depth in songs like the superb Never Before and Strange Kind Of Woman. And while really easy listening and smooth those tunes are groovy and addictive while Pictures Of Home brings once again that almost Heavy Metal feel to the album. And then there's Smoke On The Water that would become widely known as the "first riff ever to be learnt by rock initiates". But the song's main riffs and melodies immense simplicity is absolutely proportional to its composing wit and intelligence and it's easy to understand why it became the most well known song ever made by the band (and in rock in general). Lazy is a cool relaxed bluesy track and then Space Truckin' closes the whole damn thing in style with vicious hooks and one hell of a punching chorus. I'll say it again: it's a bummer choosing one of these two albums but in the end I think I'd end up going with the Seattle dudes. And since I'm almost certain Deep Purple will win this I think it's fair to give Soundgarden my vote.
Accident Of Birth, while lacking the consistency, heaviness and depth of Chemical Wedding is still a great record. It's also less daring than Balls To Picasso or even Skunkworks but on the other side is more gritty and focused. Having Roy Z and Adrian Smith as the guitar duet on your band surely helps a ton, not only performance wise but also - and dare I say especially - when it comes to the composing part. Freak opens the record on an extremely high note: fast, sounding fresh and engaging from the get go. I can't imagine a better track from this record to spearhead it with this much edge and attack. After a somwhat unnecessary intro we have Starchildren, a cool mid paced headbanger that keeps things exciting. And while Taking The Queen is a bit boring it is followed by Darkside Of Aquarius which, taking in account I'm writing on a Maiden forum and everybody knows the damned song, I won't even waste time describing what a masterpiece this thing is. Road To Hell is a gorgeous 80's metal flavored tune and perhaps the reason why I kinda think the refrain is a bit lackluster (a mere repetition of the first riff) is due to the rest of the song being so damn good. Man Of Sorrows is beautiful but I think it sounds a bit incomplete when compared to its orchestral mix... the damn song just asks for those arrangements and I think this should be the album version. The Title track is heavy as hell with some great passages but a bit generic here and there. And then we reach the final stretch of songs that many tend to point as the least good in the album but IMO are by far the best ones (along with Darkside Of Aquarius and Freak). The Magician is once again deeply into 80's Heavy Metal and this time it's done flawlessly. Wellcome To The Pit masterful passages between heavy as hell riffs and melodic passages is a testament to great song composing and then there's Omega, simply one of the most gorgeous semi acoustic tunes ever done in Metal. To wrap things up Bruce seems to be rubbing it on other bands' face "Hey... we've made one of the best semi acoustic tunes ever. Now let's do the same but 100% acoustic". This duet of extremely melodic and calm songs are not only top tier material but feature Bruce's best performances in the whole album, going absolute god mode. So yeah, Imaginations is no longer the Blind Guardian I used to be a fan of but it's easy to see that these guys were still great composers and easily the best while doing this kind of sound by then. Nevertheless it's no match for Bruce Dickinson's first big solo album IMO.
Once again Chuck Schuldiner changed personel while recording his fourth album. And alongside Sadus' bass virtuoso, two hugelly tallented young men from the Tmpa bay were brought to fill the drums and guitar places left vacant: Sean Reinart and Paul Masvidal (who would later create a pivotal record shortly after leaving the band... but that's another story). Human marks a significant shift in Chuck's project sound wise. And you start noticing it in the way the brutality of Flattening The Emotions is complemented by odd time signatures or by the sudden riff and harmonies variations and layered details in Suicide Machine. Together As One repeats once again the pounding of past albums aggression alongside the new found semi prog metal mixture. And while Secret Face's openning riff comes pulverizing everything in its way I think this is where the new direction Chuck envisioned for his band finally appears in full glory. After a phaser effect filled riff this song dives deep into labyrintine structures peppered all over with adornments of all kinds that give way to larger than life guitar harmonies at times only to come back to a somehow introvert sense of self exploring without losing focus on the song itself. And BTW DiGiorgio is going mental here. Then comes Lack Of Comprehension with its fusion like gorgeous intro and what its predecessor gave us plenty, this song gives us even more. The exploring of this new formula continues in See Through Dreams and then keyboards announce the penultimate track, a 100% assumed prog metal instrumental that combines a mixture of individual and collective shine featuring great solos, guitar harmonies and vast ambiances almost in a perfect fashion while the rhythm section simply leves everyone in awe. Vacant Planets recovers a bit the band's aggressive vein but sub divides it in time signatures so intricate that it's puzzling how the punch effect comes out absolutely unharmed. That double kick attack on the pre chorus is absurdly well placed before the serpentine harmonies on the refrain, giving Human a perfect closer. This record is without shadow of doubt one of heavier metal's best moments ever and although I have respect for Rush and kinda like Tom Sawyer the remainder of the album says little to me. So yeah... Death.
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Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
The first match contains two great albums, no doubt. These aren't the strongest records by each band (to me, those go to Rust in Peace and Horror Show), but they're close. Countdown to Extinction has some amazingly well-written songs on it, and I'm not talking just about the "hits" like Symphony of Destruction and the hilarious Sweating Bullets. The title track is insanely melodic for Megadeth, Skin O' My Teeth is fun, Architecture of Aggression is groovy, and Captive Honour is very well done. There's a few fillers, but most albums have that. It also has my favorite Megadeth song in Ashes In Your Mouth, which I was lucky enough to see the band play several times in the early '2000s.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is another excellent album, though. The first half is solid, but to me it really picks up steam around the halfway point. There's two songs with styles that Iced Earth doesn't generally dip into in the groovy Consequences (something Schaffer is currently learning about) and the almost '90s Metallica-sounding Reaping Stone - and I love them both. Then you have the ending trilogy, which is 20 minutes of crazily... wicked music. Hearing the band play some of these songs live (opening for Megadeth, coincidentally) was such a treat. You had Dave Mustaine's snarl, and then you got a full 180 with Barlow's demonic wailing. Those were amazing shows.
I chose Megadeth, but this is close. Really close.
I don't have a preference in the second match, but I went with Deep Purple because it's more influential to the music I like.
Accident of Birth is a solid album, even though I prefer The Chemical Wedding by far. There's a mystical quality to this album that the following album lacks; you can hear this on tracks like Taking the Queen and Omega. The highs on this album (Darkside, the title track, Ghost of Cain, and the two aforementioned songs) easily stand up there with The Chemical Wedding, but there's a bit of filler on this one. I've never liked Freak or Welcome to the Pit at all, and while I wouldn't call them filler, Road to Hell, Man of Sorrows, and The Magician don't do much for me. Compare that to The Chemical Wedding, where I love even the "weaker" songs (Killing Floor, Machine Men).
Blind Guardian have never struck a chord with me. I have trouble with straight power metal (I love Symphony X because they're a pretty even mix of power metal, progressive, orchestral, and straight up metal)... the constant running double bass and grandiose choruses get too repetitive song after song. Hansi's voice is delightfully cheesy and fits this music like a glove (I love his performance on Ayreon's The Source, an album which I treasure), but overall this band just doesn't click with me.
This is an easy vote for Bruce. I love that he was able to create a different sound after leaving Maiden, and that Adrian joined in on a couple albums, too.
The final match is a no-brainer for me, since Moving Pictures is a classic prog album and Death has never done anything for me. Rush's album is just so consistent. I realize that Geddy's voice is an acquired taste, and one that I can only handle when in certain moods, but these songs are so well-written. At this point I'm bit tired of the overplayed Tom Sawyer, but there's no denying that it's a solid tune. YYZ is a classic instrumental, and Limelight (which I greatly prefer to the opener) is killer. I particularly love the final two tracks - the groovy Witch Hunt and the synthetic-sounding Vital Signs.
Rush, hands down. It helps that this album (and others by them) heavily influenced two of my favorite bands.
I hope this will become an annual thing.
I appreciate the clarification!
Something Wicked This Way Comes is another excellent album, though. The first half is solid, but to me it really picks up steam around the halfway point. There's two songs with styles that Iced Earth doesn't generally dip into in the groovy Consequences (something Schaffer is currently learning about) and the almost '90s Metallica-sounding Reaping Stone - and I love them both. Then you have the ending trilogy, which is 20 minutes of crazily... wicked music. Hearing the band play some of these songs live (opening for Megadeth, coincidentally) was such a treat. You had Dave Mustaine's snarl, and then you got a full 180 with Barlow's demonic wailing. Those were amazing shows.
I chose Megadeth, but this is close. Really close.
I don't have a preference in the second match, but I went with Deep Purple because it's more influential to the music I like.
Accident of Birth is a solid album, even though I prefer The Chemical Wedding by far. There's a mystical quality to this album that the following album lacks; you can hear this on tracks like Taking the Queen and Omega. The highs on this album (Darkside, the title track, Ghost of Cain, and the two aforementioned songs) easily stand up there with The Chemical Wedding, but there's a bit of filler on this one. I've never liked Freak or Welcome to the Pit at all, and while I wouldn't call them filler, Road to Hell, Man of Sorrows, and The Magician don't do much for me. Compare that to The Chemical Wedding, where I love even the "weaker" songs (Killing Floor, Machine Men).
Blind Guardian have never struck a chord with me. I have trouble with straight power metal (I love Symphony X because they're a pretty even mix of power metal, progressive, orchestral, and straight up metal)... the constant running double bass and grandiose choruses get too repetitive song after song. Hansi's voice is delightfully cheesy and fits this music like a glove (I love his performance on Ayreon's The Source, an album which I treasure), but overall this band just doesn't click with me.
This is an easy vote for Bruce. I love that he was able to create a different sound after leaving Maiden, and that Adrian joined in on a couple albums, too.
The final match is a no-brainer for me, since Moving Pictures is a classic prog album and Death has never done anything for me. Rush's album is just so consistent. I realize that Geddy's voice is an acquired taste, and one that I can only handle when in certain moods, but these songs are so well-written. At this point I'm bit tired of the overplayed Tom Sawyer, but there's no denying that it's a solid tune. YYZ is a classic instrumental, and Limelight (which I greatly prefer to the opener) is killer. I particularly love the final two tracks - the groovy Witch Hunt and the synthetic-sounding Vital Signs.
Rush, hands down. It helps that this album (and others by them) heavily influenced two of my favorite bands.
I hope this will become an annual thing.
I appreciate the clarification!
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Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
I agree with your broad points, but man, I think every song on AoB is pretty fuckin' sweet. If I had to choose a least favorite, it would be between "Welcome to the Pit" and "Omega", both of which I think are pretty great but don't hold up as well as the rest (and I know I'm on the minority when it comes to the latter). But yeah, TCW is a truly amazing album with not a single note out of place. Even the "weak" songs are among my favorites ever written.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
It is for most people, and like I said, I like it a lot. I think a lot of it is beautiful in its scope of "we're all going to die", but I think it could have gone further than it did, somehow. I'd still rate it around an 8 or 9 though, the album is fucking nice.Omega is among my favourites
I hope you don't mean this game, it's a little intensive to run...
For reference, we're now more than a year since I started planning this game, and Mar 30 is the anniversary of the beginning of the data collection. I don't think we'll get all the way to thread start on May 20.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
I put more AOB songs in my favourites than CW songs (8+ means: a rating of at least 8, can be 9 or 10 as well).
5 in my top 7 of AOB and CW combined:
As a whole album:
I prefer AOB in both songs and sound. A warmer and more melodic album.
The Chemical Wedding has these lesser songs on it:
Killing Floor
Machine Men
The Alchemist* (first couple of minutes are awesome, the rest doesn't add anything)
A higher amount of songs from this level than on AOB.
Omega and Arc of Spades form a much better ending to the brilliant Accident of Birth.
Accident of Birth is a very melodic and well sounding album. I realize many people (including Bruce himself) prefer The Chemical Wedding and that album has some of my favourite tracks (e.g. King in Crimson) but as a whole album I find AOB more enthralling to listen to. It has quite some nice moody moments as well.
Man of Sorrows (a fantastic song, every second of it!, the chord progressions are right up my alley when it comes to taste I guess), the title track, Taking the Queen, Starchildren, Darkside, Omega.... Not many CW songs come close to this wealth (and warmth!) of these songs. The mood, the melodies, the harmonies, the groove (Starchildren!), it's all there. I'd also say the album has more variation (and perhaps even originality). There's a full on acoustic song and the album contains more different rhythms. It doesn't have monotone segments as in Killing Floor and Machine Men which seem to lean more on rhythm/heaviness/dull guitar riffs. On most AOB songs there's more musical depth.
Highly enjoyable AOB tracks:
Taking the Queen
Accident of Birth
Darkside of Aquarius
Man of Sorrows
Omega
Highly enjoyable CW tracks:
1. King in Crimson
2. Book of Thel
Tower, the title track, Gates and Jericho: However good, I put all of these below the 5 best from AOB.
* Alchemist is cool up til the solo (and the solo itself!). Then it starts to sound like "heard that before". I know it was meant like that (the reprise) but if I have to choose, than I rather go for something else.
5 in my top 7 of AOB and CW combined:
"Man of Sorrows" 8+
"Book of Thel" 8+
"Darkside of Aquarius" 8+
"King in Crimson" 8+
"Taking the Queen" 8+
"Accident of Birth" 8+
"Omega" 8+
"Jerusalem" 8+
"Starchildren" 8+
"Gates of Urizen" 8+
"Chemical Wedding" 8+
"The Tower" 8+
"Freak" 8+
"Trumpets of Jericho" 8+
"Arc of Space" 7
"Road to Hell" 7
"The Magician" 7
"Welcome to the Pit" 7
"The Alchemist" 7
"Killing Floor" 7
"Machine Men" 6
"Toltec 7 Arrival" 6
"Book of Thel" 8+
"Darkside of Aquarius" 8+
"King in Crimson" 8+
"Taking the Queen" 8+
"Accident of Birth" 8+
"Omega" 8+
"Jerusalem" 8+
"Starchildren" 8+
"Gates of Urizen" 8+
"Chemical Wedding" 8+
"The Tower" 8+
"Freak" 8+
"Trumpets of Jericho" 8+
"Arc of Space" 7
"Road to Hell" 7
"The Magician" 7
"Welcome to the Pit" 7
"The Alchemist" 7
"Killing Floor" 7
"Machine Men" 6
"Toltec 7 Arrival" 6
As a whole album:
I prefer AOB in both songs and sound. A warmer and more melodic album.
The Chemical Wedding has these lesser songs on it:
Killing Floor
Machine Men
The Alchemist* (first couple of minutes are awesome, the rest doesn't add anything)
A higher amount of songs from this level than on AOB.
Omega and Arc of Spades form a much better ending to the brilliant Accident of Birth.
Accident of Birth is a very melodic and well sounding album. I realize many people (including Bruce himself) prefer The Chemical Wedding and that album has some of my favourite tracks (e.g. King in Crimson) but as a whole album I find AOB more enthralling to listen to. It has quite some nice moody moments as well.
Man of Sorrows (a fantastic song, every second of it!, the chord progressions are right up my alley when it comes to taste I guess), the title track, Taking the Queen, Starchildren, Darkside, Omega.... Not many CW songs come close to this wealth (and warmth!) of these songs. The mood, the melodies, the harmonies, the groove (Starchildren!), it's all there. I'd also say the album has more variation (and perhaps even originality). There's a full on acoustic song and the album contains more different rhythms. It doesn't have monotone segments as in Killing Floor and Machine Men which seem to lean more on rhythm/heaviness/dull guitar riffs. On most AOB songs there's more musical depth.
Highly enjoyable AOB tracks:
Taking the Queen
Accident of Birth
Darkside of Aquarius
Man of Sorrows
Omega
Highly enjoyable CW tracks:
1. King in Crimson
2. Book of Thel
Tower, the title track, Gates and Jericho: However good, I put all of these below the 5 best from AOB.
* Alchemist is cool up til the solo (and the solo itself!). Then it starts to sound like "heard that before". I know it was meant like that (the reprise) but if I have to choose, than I rather go for something else.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
You're killin' me, man! The bridge / chorus reprise / "Chemical Wedding" outro section is probably my favorite moment in all of music history.
Lampwick 43
Barstool Warrior
Is there any particular reason why this round will be open for a full week?