Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
I don't like the treatment AJFA is getting. This is almost as bad a that one time the best album in the game lost to W.A.S.P!
GREATEST METAL ALBUM CUP - Winner: Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son!
- Thread starter LooseCannon
- Start date
MindRuler
Ancient Mariner
Is that allready out??
srfc
Ancient Mariner
Metallica - First things first, you can't talk about this album and not mention the lack of bottom end. Also, there's far too much fluff on a lot of the weaker tracks as well, Frayed Ends of Sanity for instance has a section of instrumental where it plays a sequence of riffs, and then just repeats that sequence again. So it's not up there with Ride the Lightning and Puppets. But there's some great stuff on here. One, is a genuine contender for all-time greatest Metal track and only Master of Puppets can rival it for Metallica's greatest track. Blackened, Harvester of Sorrow and the title track are great, and the part in To Live is to Die where it cuts to a single clean tone guitar playing the melody is phenomenal. The rest are only solid rather than great.
Iron Maiden - I'm going to cut and paste the Maiden responses from their first appearances "I rate all the third millennium albums as being as good as their 80's heyday but this is the best of them. It's the most balanced of them, an opinion obviously shared by the band given their confidence in playing the whole thing live. If I was to nit pick, I'm not a huge FTGOG fan, I think it's the worst of Harris' centrepiece tracks, the grammar is appalling in the lyrics, even allowing for Harris' conscious habit of butchering language if the melody requires it, and the phrase "for the greater good" of God is an oxymoron, the verses have a very lo-fi groove too but the pre-chorus, chorus and instrumental sections are outstanding. Dave Murray drops a career worst solo though. That's it, they're the only faults I can find with 70 odd mins of classic Maiden."
Iron Maiden with the win.
Queensryche - My favourite non-Maiden studio album (along with Crimson Idol). The story is great, the performances are great, it sounds great but most importantly, the songs hold up as individual tracks. That run of the final four full length tracks, The Needle Lies, Breaking the Silence, I Don't Believe in Love and Eyes of a Stranger, not only bring the story to a thrilling crescendo but they all could easily be hit singles in their own right.
Judas Priest - A relatively weak album from 70's Priest, only Rocka Rolla is worse. Still a lot of good stuff on it, but Take on the World, Burnin' Up and Evil Fantasies are cringe, and the UK title track, Evening Star and Before the Dawn are only solid.
Queesnryche with the win
Metallica - The jump from Kill 'Em All is astounding, tracks like Creeping Death, Fade to Black, the title track and For Whom the Bell Tolls are maybe 2 levels above anything from what they put out barely a year before. Fight Fire with Fire and The Call of Kthulu are great too, all though the latter seems a bit like they can't really make up their mind when to finish it at the end. Escape and Trapped Under Ice are fillers but they ain't bad at all.
Iron Maiden - copy and pasted "I said above that AMOLAD is the best from the 2000s, but it's only slightly better than this. I'm going to focus on nit picking on the Maiden albums, as if I was to praise the stuff I like I'd be writing all day. I think the vocals and the lyrics of The Red and the Black add nothing to the song and the bass solo is sloppy, plus the woah woah coda at the end ruins what would have been a perfect crash ending to the outstanding instrumental section. The groove on the verses of Man of Sorrows is pretty awful at the "now we need to know the truth now" part onwards. That is all."
Metallica with the win, I like The Book of Souls more but by any other metric Ride the Lightning is better.
Anthrax - One of their better albums, Indians is their best track, although summing up the plight of Native Americans with the phrase "we're dissin' them" is an all time bad lyric. I Am the Law, Efilnikcufesin (N.F.L) -more cringe and bad reverse spelling, and Caught in a Mosh are about as good as you get from Anthrax, with the title track and A Skeleton in the Closet being decent too. After Indians it trails off a bit.
Iron Maiden - copy and pasted "The second-least good album of the 80's from Maiden and the most overrated in their career, but it's still great. Caught Somewhere in Time, Wasted Years, Heaven Can Wait and Stranger in a Strange Land are all 10/10. Sea of Madness and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner are pretty good but lose some marks for the lyrics, SOM for the Boyzone style rhymes of the chorus and Loneliness for the preposterousness of the subject matter for a Heavy Metal song (some say they are meant as a metaphor for touring, they could be, but I think Steve wouldn't be that subtle on purpose). Alexander loses a lot of marks for the lyrics, but is otherwise great. Deja-Vu is absolutely piss poor and the worst track from the 80's, although it has a nice harmony section in the middle."
Iron Maiden with the win
Iron Maiden - I'm going to cut and paste the Maiden responses from their first appearances "I rate all the third millennium albums as being as good as their 80's heyday but this is the best of them. It's the most balanced of them, an opinion obviously shared by the band given their confidence in playing the whole thing live. If I was to nit pick, I'm not a huge FTGOG fan, I think it's the worst of Harris' centrepiece tracks, the grammar is appalling in the lyrics, even allowing for Harris' conscious habit of butchering language if the melody requires it, and the phrase "for the greater good" of God is an oxymoron, the verses have a very lo-fi groove too but the pre-chorus, chorus and instrumental sections are outstanding. Dave Murray drops a career worst solo though. That's it, they're the only faults I can find with 70 odd mins of classic Maiden."
Iron Maiden with the win.
Queensryche - My favourite non-Maiden studio album (along with Crimson Idol). The story is great, the performances are great, it sounds great but most importantly, the songs hold up as individual tracks. That run of the final four full length tracks, The Needle Lies, Breaking the Silence, I Don't Believe in Love and Eyes of a Stranger, not only bring the story to a thrilling crescendo but they all could easily be hit singles in their own right.
Judas Priest - A relatively weak album from 70's Priest, only Rocka Rolla is worse. Still a lot of good stuff on it, but Take on the World, Burnin' Up and Evil Fantasies are cringe, and the UK title track, Evening Star and Before the Dawn are only solid.
Queesnryche with the win
Metallica - The jump from Kill 'Em All is astounding, tracks like Creeping Death, Fade to Black, the title track and For Whom the Bell Tolls are maybe 2 levels above anything from what they put out barely a year before. Fight Fire with Fire and The Call of Kthulu are great too, all though the latter seems a bit like they can't really make up their mind when to finish it at the end. Escape and Trapped Under Ice are fillers but they ain't bad at all.
Iron Maiden - copy and pasted "I said above that AMOLAD is the best from the 2000s, but it's only slightly better than this. I'm going to focus on nit picking on the Maiden albums, as if I was to praise the stuff I like I'd be writing all day. I think the vocals and the lyrics of The Red and the Black add nothing to the song and the bass solo is sloppy, plus the woah woah coda at the end ruins what would have been a perfect crash ending to the outstanding instrumental section. The groove on the verses of Man of Sorrows is pretty awful at the "now we need to know the truth now" part onwards. That is all."
Metallica with the win, I like The Book of Souls more but by any other metric Ride the Lightning is better.
Anthrax - One of their better albums, Indians is their best track, although summing up the plight of Native Americans with the phrase "we're dissin' them" is an all time bad lyric. I Am the Law, Efilnikcufesin (N.F.L) -more cringe and bad reverse spelling, and Caught in a Mosh are about as good as you get from Anthrax, with the title track and A Skeleton in the Closet being decent too. After Indians it trails off a bit.
Iron Maiden - copy and pasted "The second-least good album of the 80's from Maiden and the most overrated in their career, but it's still great. Caught Somewhere in Time, Wasted Years, Heaven Can Wait and Stranger in a Strange Land are all 10/10. Sea of Madness and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner are pretty good but lose some marks for the lyrics, SOM for the Boyzone style rhymes of the chorus and Loneliness for the preposterousness of the subject matter for a Heavy Metal song (some say they are meant as a metaphor for touring, they could be, but I think Steve wouldn't be that subtle on purpose). Alexander loses a lot of marks for the lyrics, but is otherwise great. Deja-Vu is absolutely piss poor and the worst track from the 80's, although it has a nice harmony section in the middle."
Iron Maiden with the win
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Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Which one is that?
Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
Trendkill, of course.
KidInTheDark666
What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine too
Come on, this song is fantastic. Literally beats everything on Killers.
srfc
Ancient Mariner
27 pages to go to 400. I don't think we'll get there during this round, as most of these matches are blowouts. That's just the quality of the Premiership.
Cat Milk Supreme
Ancient Mariner
I've got very little against Deja Vu but to say it is even fit to polish the boots of songs like Killers, Murders, Genghis, Purgatory, Wrathchild, well, thats just madness, to me. The rich tapestry of opinions on here is what makes it an interesting place to be but sometimes I am stopped in my tracks.
Anyway, yes @foro passionate opinions, indeed. Ive tried Mindcrime a few times due to the chat about it on this forum but its never clicked. Queesnryche are a band that I never listened to and so far I have never got the love for Mindcrime but Im listening now, due to the passion on display here. So far, I havent changed my opinion. Which is 'meh.' I eagerly await the last 4 songs. I do recall liking on of their very early albums quite a bit, though.
D
Deleted member 7164
Guest
I'll vote against the tide in both Maiden vs Metallica pairs. Just because I can't decide between AMOLAD and AJFA doesn't mean that Ride The Lightning is better than it you fools.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Metallica is more memorable, Maiden is more consistent. Pity vote for Tallica.
Priest
Metallica has the better album, despite my love for 70% of TBOS.
Anthrax pity vote in a failed attempt to stop SIT before it ends up in the top 5.
Priest
Metallica has the better album, despite my love for 70% of TBOS.
Anthrax pity vote in a failed attempt to stop SIT before it ends up in the top 5.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
karljant
Ancient Mariner
karljant
Ancient Mariner
Really love AMOLAD but AJFA is simply put my favorite album by those dudes. The complexity they achieved here without loosing an inch of energy and heaviness is mind blowing. When Eye Of The Beholder is probably the least excellent track from the pack I think it's all said about this beast of a record. Features favorite track (Blackened), favorite fake calm song (One) and if this album would've feature Orion it would be almost perfect. Only well known problem is the almost inaudible bass. Thank very much Lars: Fuck you. Metallica.
Two good albums that I consider to be a bit overrated. Operation Mindcrime has a superb plot and some great passages while others are quite, predictable meh or even boring. But when you have songs like Needle Lies, Speak, Eyes Of A Stranger or Spreading The Disease it is somehow compensated. Priest's album best songs are IMO better than any of the ones I mentioned but OM has more good songs and is far more cohesive. Queensryche takes this one but still really prefer Rage For Order or Promised Land to this record any day of the week.
The Book Of Souls is a cool album but come on: Fight Fire With Fire, Ride The Lightning, For Whom The Bell Tolls, Trapped Under Ice and Call Of Ktulu??? It's a no brainer. Not to mention Fade To Black. Metallica.
I simply adore Among The Living. Not a single weak song, the title track is one of the best Thrash tunes ever penned, NFL and A Skeleton In The Closet are close behind. But unfortunately it's in a matchup against my favorite Maiden album, a zero filler all killer brutality of a record so... yeah: this one goes to Iron Maiden although the best compliment I can give to 'Thrax here is that (although not being as good) ATL does not pale the slightest when put aside a record with the quality of SIT.
Two good albums that I consider to be a bit overrated. Operation Mindcrime has a superb plot and some great passages while others are quite, predictable meh or even boring. But when you have songs like Needle Lies, Speak, Eyes Of A Stranger or Spreading The Disease it is somehow compensated. Priest's album best songs are IMO better than any of the ones I mentioned but OM has more good songs and is far more cohesive. Queensryche takes this one but still really prefer Rage For Order or Promised Land to this record any day of the week.
The Book Of Souls is a cool album but come on: Fight Fire With Fire, Ride The Lightning, For Whom The Bell Tolls, Trapped Under Ice and Call Of Ktulu??? It's a no brainer. Not to mention Fade To Black. Metallica.
I simply adore Among The Living. Not a single weak song, the title track is one of the best Thrash tunes ever penned, NFL and A Skeleton In The Closet are close behind. But unfortunately it's in a matchup against my favorite Maiden album, a zero filler all killer brutality of a record so... yeah: this one goes to Iron Maiden although the best compliment I can give to 'Thrax here is that (although not being as good) ATL does not pale the slightest when put aside a record with the quality of SIT.
This has been an interesting round. Not so much because of the tiring back and forths in the last couple pages, but the pairings raise some interesting conundrums. First, we have two classic Metallica albums vs two generally well liked modern Maiden albums. So far the results show that this game hasn’t been completely wrecked by maiden bias. AJFA is a very competent album, but also a bit bloated and has all the same traits we criticize modern Metallica for: meandering songs that feel like cut and paste jobs, weak production, lack of songwriting. The only difference is that Kirk turns in his best performance. A Matter of Life and Death also has a lot of the traits that modern Maiden get criticized for often, but the end result is a lot better. The album feels very put together, cohesive, and has a lot of memorable songs. Top tier performances from all three guitar players.
On the other hand, while Book of Souls is a good album, it lacks a lot of what I mentioned above. But Ride the Lightning is easily the best Metallica album and really shows the band’s power. As performers, as writers, and it is truly a cut above other classic thrash albums. You can see why Metallica specifically made it big. It’s good to know that it can withstand an “only” pretty good Maiden album.
Mindcrime vs Priest is another interesting one. Imo that one comes down to whether you think Mindcrime has enough great songs to go up against the countless excellent songs on Leather. Clearly some people here don’t, but I actually think Mindcrime carries its weight in the songs department. It’s the rare concept album that keeps focus through its entirety and also doesn’t get bogged down in filler.
That said, don’t sleep on the Priest. Fantastic album that has the perfect blend of accessible catchy material and Priest heaviness.
On the other hand, while Book of Souls is a good album, it lacks a lot of what I mentioned above. But Ride the Lightning is easily the best Metallica album and really shows the band’s power. As performers, as writers, and it is truly a cut above other classic thrash albums. You can see why Metallica specifically made it big. It’s good to know that it can withstand an “only” pretty good Maiden album.
Mindcrime vs Priest is another interesting one. Imo that one comes down to whether you think Mindcrime has enough great songs to go up against the countless excellent songs on Leather. Clearly some people here don’t, but I actually think Mindcrime carries its weight in the songs department. It’s the rare concept album that keeps focus through its entirety and also doesn’t get bogged down in filler.
That said, don’t sleep on the Priest. Fantastic album that has the perfect blend of accessible catchy material and Priest heaviness.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Pre Mindcrime is very enjoyable imo. Rage for Order is more difficult but still has a lot of hooks. The Warning is a great album (obligatory for people into Maiden) and the first EP contains one of the best metal songs ever and the other 3 are good too. What a debut.
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Kalata
Out of the Silent Planet
Wow! ''Deja-Vu'' is a fantastic song (underrated gem from the 80's era of the band). One of the most melodic songs of Maiden.
The best song written by Dave from the 80's and one of the top 5 songs written by him imo.
AJFA... has all the power and ambition of AMOLAD. It does not have the execution
Enjoying the Mindcrime love in the thread above. Well-said, well-deserved. Legitimate contender, this one. Hell Bent has some fine moments, but is uneven and doesn't belong in this part of the game.
Ride the Lightning is fantastic and going on the critical thinking element of this game, it probably deserves the clear victory its going to get. I'd rather listen to Book of Souls.
Anthrax are fine but don't inspire any strong feelings. Somewhere In Time is an another all-time collection, one of three in this round that I'd have no problem with seeing at the end.
Enjoying the Mindcrime love in the thread above. Well-said, well-deserved. Legitimate contender, this one. Hell Bent has some fine moments, but is uneven and doesn't belong in this part of the game.
Ride the Lightning is fantastic and going on the critical thinking element of this game, it probably deserves the clear victory its going to get. I'd rather listen to Book of Souls.
Anthrax are fine but don't inspire any strong feelings. Somewhere In Time is an another all-time collection, one of three in this round that I'd have no problem with seeing at the end.