Saapanael
Ancient Mariner
I will, I just need to make up my mind on the 3rd and 4th match.
GREATEST METAL ALBUM CUP - Winner: Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son!
- Thread starter LooseCannon
- Start date
I will, I just need to make up my mind on the 3rd and 4th match.
A couple of close ones in our final Championship round. Those last spots against Maiden, Slayer x2, and Ozzy are still up for grabs!
Also, for everyone who was freaking out about Rush 4-6 rounds ago - only one Rush album has made the League 1 challenge. I'm guessing it won't be so bad.
Also, for everyone who was freaking out about Rush 4-6 rounds ago - only one Rush album has made the League 1 challenge. I'm guessing it won't be so bad.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
I try not to read the list of albums to come since I like being surprised, but was / is 2112 in this competition?
No. There's no more Rush.
That neck and neck battle between Scorpions and Dream Theater is really fun to watch. I don't even care who wins, I'm just curious how it's gonna go.
karljant
Ancient Mariner
Blackout says nothing to me. Train Of Thought has some great tracks especially This Dying Soul and Honor Thy Father as well as some other cool stuff. Dream Theater.
Well... Back In Black is a classic rock album. But come on... Seventh Son? Iron Maiden.
Balls To The Wall is a pretty uneven album IMO. The majority of it is early 80's Hard Rock something that with little few exceptions is not my thing by any means. But there are also good Heavy Metal tunes there(especially Fight It Back and Losers And Winners). And that's enough to win this matchup. Accept.
Now this is a hard one to pick. My favorite Dio record versus my second favorite Slayer album. The Last In Line kicks in taking no prisoners full speed ahead with the exciting awesomeness of We Rock. The title track begins and a catchy soft melody surrounds you but it quickly turns into a huge heavy metal anthem something so brutal yet so absurdly well composed and superb it's hard to believe (my favorite Dio track BTW). Breathless is less ambitious but still a good track and then we're thrown into the whirlwind of fury that is I Speed At Night where Ronnie and company go full speed ahead mode with an excellent result. While not by any means the biggest highlight here One Night In The City is still a cool Hard N' Heavy tune but the relentlessness of this record while throwing at us top notch Heavy Metal songs continues with the intensity of Evil Eyes. Mystery although not being a bad song is like a second class Rainbow In The Dark while Eat Your Heart Out is perhaps the more "meh" tune in the thing. Nevertheless the album closes on an extremelly high note with Egypt, a bulky yet melodic epic. Hell of an early 80's metal album album that only the genre's elite could craft. Nevertheless I think I still like South Of Heaven a bit more and my vote goes to Slayer. But if The Last In Line wins this one I wouldn't be much disappointed.
Well... Back In Black is a classic rock album. But come on... Seventh Son? Iron Maiden.
Balls To The Wall is a pretty uneven album IMO. The majority of it is early 80's Hard Rock something that with little few exceptions is not my thing by any means. But there are also good Heavy Metal tunes there(especially Fight It Back and Losers And Winners). And that's enough to win this matchup. Accept.
Now this is a hard one to pick. My favorite Dio record versus my second favorite Slayer album. The Last In Line kicks in taking no prisoners full speed ahead with the exciting awesomeness of We Rock. The title track begins and a catchy soft melody surrounds you but it quickly turns into a huge heavy metal anthem something so brutal yet so absurdly well composed and superb it's hard to believe (my favorite Dio track BTW). Breathless is less ambitious but still a good track and then we're thrown into the whirlwind of fury that is I Speed At Night where Ronnie and company go full speed ahead mode with an excellent result. While not by any means the biggest highlight here One Night In The City is still a cool Hard N' Heavy tune but the relentlessness of this record while throwing at us top notch Heavy Metal songs continues with the intensity of Evil Eyes. Mystery although not being a bad song is like a second class Rainbow In The Dark while Eat Your Heart Out is perhaps the more "meh" tune in the thing. Nevertheless the album closes on an extremelly high note with Egypt, a bulky yet melodic epic. Hell of an early 80's metal album album that only the genre's elite could craft. Nevertheless I think I still like South Of Heaven a bit more and my vote goes to Slayer. But if The Last In Line wins this one I wouldn't be much disappointed.
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Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
I’m not as enamored of Blackout as I am of Love At First Sting, but “No One Like You” is an all-time classic, “Dynamite” is great, and songs like the title track, “You Give Me All I Need”, and “When The Smoke Is Going Down” are all pretty strong. Some of the lyrics are cringey, but there’s an infectious energy to this album that I appreciate, even if the songwriting isn’t all quite there yet. It’s up against a pretty solid Dream Theater album that has some great music, but questionable nu-metal and grunge elements, and more wannabe “tough” LaBrie than I would care to hear. I could probably flip a coin here, but I’ll tip in the direction of the album with the best song. Sorry, ShmoosterLampwickInTheDarkerFTBotter709, but I have to go with The Mckill Kissident’s choice here. Winner: Scorpions
Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son is Maiden’s pinnacle for me, and by a fair amount. Every song on here is excellent or superb with one exception, “The Prophecy”, which is only brought down a bit by its rote, awkward vocal delivery. When the weakest song on the album is still packed full of mesmerizingly beautiful instrumentals, you know you’re in godlike territory. While Back In Black is a fantastic album in its own right, the depth and richness of Iron Maiden’s masterpiece elevates it to another level entirely. Congratusorrylations, Dr. Srfie’s Jerkindogman, but your apparently-quite-inbred-cousin-with-three-shared-ancestors MrJerkalatiallbockun’s Flasrfcollimaticman77’s nominee could... go... all... the... way! Winner: Iron Maiden
This Accept album is a bit better than the other Udo-era one from earlier in the GMAC, but it’s far from great. Udo’s voice is a disaster most of the time, and the lyrics are terrible, but there’s some nice guitar work and the songwriting is pretty solid and consistent. You can definitely hear the influence this band had on the German power metal scene. It’s up against one of the better Iseditionist Earth albums we’ve heard so far, which is also unfortunately far from great. It has some nice guitar work and dynamics, and about half the vocals are good; but Jon Schaffer could barely songwrite his way out of an overrun Capitol building, and when Barlow hams it up he makes William Shatner sound like a nuanced Oscar contender. This is another one where I could probably flip a coin, but in the end I’d probably rather have my offering burned than have my balls to the wall. Sorry, Niallata Kialt, but Porunshtar’s choice has locked up my vote for an undetermined period of time. Winner: Iseditionist Earth
This Dio album is fine. It’s not great, but it’s not boring, and there’s some nice guitar work and solid songwriting on display here. Dio sometimes sounds great and sometimes sounds like he’s chewing up the scenery, but that’s Dio for you. It’s up against another Slayer album, which has the same old Slayer pros and cons — great riffage, but bad half-shouted thrash vocals, directionless soloing, and weak songwriting. Not sure why Slayer is held in such high regard. An easy call for Performaxalatadogstar’s nominee. Winner: Dio
Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son is Maiden’s pinnacle for me, and by a fair amount. Every song on here is excellent or superb with one exception, “The Prophecy”, which is only brought down a bit by its rote, awkward vocal delivery. When the weakest song on the album is still packed full of mesmerizingly beautiful instrumentals, you know you’re in godlike territory. While Back In Black is a fantastic album in its own right, the depth and richness of Iron Maiden’s masterpiece elevates it to another level entirely. Congratusorrylations, Dr. Srfie’s Jerkindogman, but your apparently-quite-inbred-cousin-with-three-shared-ancestors MrJerkalatiallbockun’s Flasrfcollimaticman77’s nominee could... go... all... the... way! Winner: Iron Maiden
This Accept album is a bit better than the other Udo-era one from earlier in the GMAC, but it’s far from great. Udo’s voice is a disaster most of the time, and the lyrics are terrible, but there’s some nice guitar work and the songwriting is pretty solid and consistent. You can definitely hear the influence this band had on the German power metal scene. It’s up against one of the better Iseditionist Earth albums we’ve heard so far, which is also unfortunately far from great. It has some nice guitar work and dynamics, and about half the vocals are good; but Jon Schaffer could barely songwrite his way out of an overrun Capitol building, and when Barlow hams it up he makes William Shatner sound like a nuanced Oscar contender. This is another one where I could probably flip a coin, but in the end I’d probably rather have my offering burned than have my balls to the wall. Sorry, Niallata Kialt, but Porunshtar’s choice has locked up my vote for an undetermined period of time. Winner: Iseditionist Earth
This Dio album is fine. It’s not great, but it’s not boring, and there’s some nice guitar work and solid songwriting on display here. Dio sometimes sounds great and sometimes sounds like he’s chewing up the scenery, but that’s Dio for you. It’s up against another Slayer album, which has the same old Slayer pros and cons — great riffage, but bad half-shouted thrash vocals, directionless soloing, and weak songwriting. Not sure why Slayer is held in such high regard. An easy call for Performaxalatadogstar’s nominee. Winner: Dio
7th Son is a really ambitious heavy prog album, that is really good despite been a tad pompous. It's also Maiden's most overrated album, but that's not really what we are discussing here.
Back in Black is more badass, more honest, more irreverent, more energetic and more fun.
One of 4 easy votes this round.
Back in Black is more badass, more honest, more irreverent, more energetic and more fun.
One of 4 easy votes this round.
Spambot
Meme Lord
Booo boomer metal. Booo.... ToT FTW! Theater all the way.
Although Back in Black is the closest thing I'd call "perfect album" I promised I'll vote for first proper metal album that goes against it. And 7th Son is more than proper. Maiden
I can't believe this Earth album is the one that got this far, I prefer all the others that came after it (at least until Ripper ones), but it's still better than Balls to the Wall.
Slayer!
Although Back in Black is the closest thing I'd call "perfect album" I promised I'll vote for first proper metal album that goes against it. And 7th Son is more than proper. Maiden
I can't believe this Earth album is the one that got this far, I prefer all the others that came after it (at least until Ripper ones), but it's still better than Balls to the Wall.
Slayer!
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
South of Heaven I regard as Slayer's best album and “Ghosts of War” as their best song. I remember reading an interview in which Kerry King said that this was the only (or first) album for which they really prepared the songs well before entering the studio. It shows.
I particulary like the aggressive riffs and drum patterns (especially the breaks). The sound is kind of dry but you hear everything really well. These drums are very prominent in the mix, but just like on Moving Pictures, here it’s also cool to follow the master, in this case Mr. Dave Lombardo. Sad to see it go but its awesomeness will echo for a long time.
Hard to believe that the dull Accept (a cross between Priest and AC/DC, doing everything 5 times as bad as Priest) would be more popular than IE's Burnt Offerings, which is a unique album by its atmosphere alone. Plus with much more interesting riffs and vocals imo.
I particulary like the aggressive riffs and drum patterns (especially the breaks). The sound is kind of dry but you hear everything really well. These drums are very prominent in the mix, but just like on Moving Pictures, here it’s also cool to follow the master, in this case Mr. Dave Lombardo. Sad to see it go but its awesomeness will echo for a long time.
Hard to believe that the dull Accept (a cross between Priest and AC/DC, doing everything 5 times as bad as Priest) would be more popular than IE's Burnt Offerings, which is a unique album by its atmosphere alone. Plus with much more interesting riffs and vocals imo.
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You nailed exactly why it's so good: Catchy riffs, crunchy rhythm guitars, melodic leads, and great energy.
And as far as atmosphere goes, this has to be one of the all-time best metal ballads:
I think that's expected behaviour now. We're getting to albums most everyone knows.
After re-listening to some albums I haven't heard in a long time:
Scorpions, AC/DC, Iced Earth, Dio.
Scorpions, AC/DC, Iced Earth, Dio.
Yax
Ancient Mariner
I might have been too trigger happy. Balls to the wall is a great, iconic record. It's just that Barlow's vocals weren't all that at that point and it gets in the way of my enjoyment a bit. The definite versions of the best songs from that album are on AiA.