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

Turilli / Lione Rhapsody impressed me much more than AC/DC's album.

I can't stand Death's vocals, so Marilyn Manson gets the vote.

I liked what I heard from Helmet, but it doesn't quite stand up to Megadeth's contribution in this round.

I might be able to enjoy Sleep if I was in the right state of mind, but I just don't have the patience for it right now. Van Halen it is.
 
Turilli / Leone Rhapsody's power cannot stand up to AC/DC's Dirty Deeds, getting trounced by the Aussies. That's it for the varying alternate versions of Rhapsody. AC/DC will face Arch Enemy in League 15.
Death continues their minnow run and advances. Marilyn Manson will return in League 11.
Megadeth wins their second matchup in a row. Helmet is eliminated from the Cup. The thrash legends will face someone called Jason Becker next time. I think they might win.
Van Halen pulls out a slight win over the stoner metal Sleep, who are eliminated from the Cup. Next up, they faced Possessed.
 
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Sentenced - The Cold White Light (2002)

How it got here

List entries: Metalstorm 64
League 16 - Match 5vs.
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Bewitched - At the Gates of Hell (1999)

How it got here

List entries: Metalstorm 77
Previous Rounds:
League 17: Defeated Deafheaven - At the Gates of Hell 17-7.
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Anorexia Nervosa - Drudenhaus (2000)

How it got here

List entries: Metal Kingdom 56
League 16 - Match 6vs.
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Children of Bodom - Hate Crew Deathroll (2003)

How it got here

List entries: Metal Kingdom 98
Previous Rounds:
League 17: Defeated Ophelia - 당신의 환상을 동정하라 16-7.
League 18: Defeated Heavens Gate - Planet Earth 12-11.
 
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Spiritual Beggars - Ad Astra (2000)

How it got here

List entries: Metalstorm 68
League 16 - Match 7vs.
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Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears (1991)

How it got here

List entries: Metalstorm 96
Previous Rounds:
League 17: Defeated Darkthrone - Under a Funeral Moon 14-10.
League 18: Defeated Nevermore - Dreaming Neon Black 14-11.
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Sad Legend - Sad Legend (1998)

How it got here

List entries: Metal Kingdom 66
League 16 - Match 8vs.
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Persefone - Aathma (2017)

How it got here

List entries: Metal Kingdom 96
Previous Rounds:
League 17: Defeated Riot - Fire Down Under 12-11.
League 18: Defeated Kvelertak - Meir 14-9.
 
The Sentenced video surprised me. The song seemed very much in line with bands of that era, like Three Doors Down, which is a flavour we haven’t heard much in this game. Nothing that challenges me or gets me excited, more what passed for commercial American hard rock at the time. Makes wonder if there is more to the band.

Bewitched is much more edgy and energetic. I’m not sure I’m remembering them properly from the previous round, but this song seems more...professional maybe? than the previous round. I’m not fond of the vocals but the thrash-meets-classic metal vibe is fun, and the composition is interesting. They get my vote.
 
I guess Anorexia Nervosa‘s melding of classical and black metal was inevitable. No idea how groundbreaking this sound was, because the only black metal I ever listen to is in games like this. Can’t say I like it.

Dont like the Bodom either, but I prefer it.
 
Sentenced - not bad, lacking in good hooks and a distinctive identity but otherwise nothing to moan about. The piano break at the end reminds of some hit song that is used on Match of the Day among other things, I can't remember exactly the track right now but I've a feeling it's u2. Not the melody just the idea of everything dropping out and only the melody remaining.

Bewitched - I kind of like the tracks from these despite it being ridiculous, I won't be rushing out to buy the album tomorrow but there's enough old school elements to keep my attention

I'm going to go with Bewitched but it's a close call, neither band being what I'm looking for but solid efforts

Anorexia Nervosa - this is off the wall stuff, black metal Rhapsody, I can't imagine people actually buying this and listening to it

Children of Bodom - track might have been ok without keyboards and with a singer.

Children of Bodom get the vote

Spiritual Beggars - ticks a lot of my boxes, a singer who sings, old school groove, proper hammond organ sound instead of a keyboard player who wishes he was a guitarist. However, it's not a particularly great track. I might check out a later album though, as there is enough here to pique my interest, plus JB from Grand Magus, possible best 2000's vocalist, sings on later stuff.

Ozzy - opinion given before, best track selected for this round though:edmetal:

Ozzy with the win.

Sad Legend - never even heard the name of this band before, absolute shite, the drummer doesn't quite have the stamina for that blast beat. Is that Annie Lennox singing for them?

Persefone - opinion given before

I'm going to give it Sad Legend, they are less shite
 
I’m positively surprised to see Anorexia Nervosa’s Drudenhaus here. Their song “Tragedia Dekadencia” was my favourite song overall at some point. It was a long time ago when black metal was my main genre and I haven’t listened to it since. What do you think, @Magnus? Not sure if symphonic BM is your thing.
 
I’m positively surprised to see Anorexia Nervosa’s Drudenhaus here. Their song “Tragedia Dekadencia” was my favourite song overall at some point. It was a long time ago when black metal was my main genre and I haven’t listened to it since. What do you think, @Magnus? Not sure if symphonic BM is your thing.
Never heard it honestly but I'll try it, thanx!
 
Damn, I'm really digging Spirutal Beggars! I hope they can stick around for a bit.

EDIT: For those of you diving deeper past the posted songs, be sure to check out the song Mantra.


This song alone is better than all of No More Tears, and No More Tears isn't a bad album at all!
 
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Damn, I'm really digging Spirutal Beggars!
Excellent band... the only problem being their albums tend to be a bit repetitive. But during the Mantra III/ Ad Astra period these guys were at the top of their game.

So... Bewitched is kinda unfamiliar to me but for what I heard they play that lose and easy to the hear "black n' roll" trying to be an actual reinterpretation of what Venom used to be in the early 80's. Cool sound, nothing against it but that's all
As for The Cold White Light is a washed version of what once was a really good band. Log gone are the days of Amok and Love And Death and the brilliance these guys displayed in some of their past compositions only show up very sparsely here. It's a virtual tie but in the end on career alone I'll give it to Sentenced.

Anorexia Nervosa is yet another band I only heard a couple of songs. They sound like a poor man's Emperor or Dissection. Not bad... to even achieve the standard of followers of such crafted composers and musicians is by itself something, but if I'm in the mood for listening that kind of stuff I'll pick "the originals".
As I said before, this is the album I started getting tired of Children Of Boddom before it all started to sound like a parody. Still this has some decent passages here and there. So I'll give them a slight edge here.

Also spoke previously about No More Tears: a competent but boring album by Ozzy and company.
On the other hand we've got what I think is the best record of a band I was simply obsessed with in the late 90's/ early 2000's. Ad Astra is my favorite album and songs like Left Brain Ambassadors, Wonderful World, Per Aspera Ad Astra or Let The Magic Talk are top notch retro metal played with uncanny class. So this one goes to Spiritual Beggars easily.

Finally we are presented with Sad Legend. And man this is kinda meh.... Black/ Doom/ Gothic metal with female vocal duets played in a way a zillion other bands played before them and way better btw.
Persefone at least try to pull something a bit outside the frame and sound way more (yes... it's that word... I won't write the disclaimer) solid.
 
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Damn, both albums in the first match sound like amateurs to me. Bewitched has terrible recording and performances, especially that drummer, yeesh, and Sentenced sounds like Amorphis with worse singing and pedestrian playing. I guess I'll vote for Sentenced, but I am not enthused.

Same goes for the second match. I'll go with Children of Bodom because their music is more melodic, but I hate the vocals in both bands.

I don't know who Spiritual Beggars are, but this is a really enjoyable album! Sorry, Ozzy.

I'll once again vote Persefone and their intensely technical stuff over whatever wall of sound the other band is.
 
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