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

Well I didn't enjoy the Melvins one little bit. Is that classed as Stoner Metal? It's so sluggish. Skid Row is a pleasure to listen to in comparison, even if only one of those songs is a stand-out good bit of writing in its own right.

I don't care much for either of the second pair, Bloody Kisses is a bit assortment of stuff, with some decent gothy-sounding material in places. The Red Album doesn't appeal much more than it did last time, so Type O Negative is getting my vote.

Arch Enemy are easily getting my vote. I love Gossow's particularly vicious growl. They sound a lot more raw here (not 100% a good thing), but also less poppy, dare I say, than present-day AE. Much prefer this to Living Colour's easygoing middle of the road.

Hibria are nice, clean fun, with some enjoyable guitar moments, if not particularly original. Isis aren't half as much fun.
 
1st match - I've already gave my opinion on Skid Row's debut and how, despite some good cuts, I consider it to be a record made to please the record company and the manager. On the other hand Bullhead is a great record by an excellent band. Not only that... this album shows how the Melvins are grandfathers of two really distinct genres of heavy music (Grunge and Sludge) and although nothing beats Houdini, Bullhead comes close.

2nd match - Already gave my two cents on The Red Album also: a great debut although not as good as the band's first two EPs. But it stands zero chance against one of the most well crafted records of the 90's. On 1993 Goth Metal was being forged in two fronts: Paradise Lost has already given some hints of what they could do regarding that in their 1991's Death Doom clad Gothic album. But it was only 2 years later they would establish their recipe of mid tempo songs based in 3 pillars: "Black Sabbathesque" base, "Metallica like" voice and Christian Death/ Sisters lead guitar. On the other side of the Atlantic however, Type O Negative were recording their sophomore and leaping into fame once and for all. The only similitude with Paradise Lost here is the Black Sabbath base. But TON's take on it is absolutely different: slow and lengthy compositions with the Goth elements transpiring through the absurdly low pitch of the late Mr. Steele and the masterful use of church organ banks by Mr. Silver - excellent examples of this being the title track, Suspended In Dusk or the famous Christian Woman. They also poured some sparks from The Beatles, Doors and 70's Psychedelic Rock on more commercial approaches like Black Nº 1 and Summer Breeze while still going to their Hardcore roots in cuts like Kill All The White People and We Hate Everyone. A game changer of an album, a commercial success and an easy pick.

3rd match - Arch Enemy back in The late 90's were that band everybody seemed to like, much based on the talent of Mr. Ammot (more thanks to the fame he build for himself in Carcass and Carnage IMO), but no one seemed to love . And I was no different. Until Burning Bridges came out, anyway. That record is amazing. And then Angela enters the band... And man that woman had energy. Wages was ok and Anthems was really stellar. But by Doomsday Machine the band was already chasing its own tail and by Rise Of The Tyrant Arch Enemy had become one of the most predictable acts in metal. And that's what that record is, basically: another failed attempt to make Anthems of Rebellion part 3. And a really boring one.
Compared with one of Funk Metal's best albums of all time it's Living Colour 100%.

4th match - Well Oceanic is an excellent album and Isis easily gets my vote over another one of those bands...
 
Hadn’t heard the Melvins before, and this album is really not to my taste. Lots of it is slow and forgettable, and the singer goes off on some tangents I really don’t like. “It’s Shoved” is the only song that had any musical parts that caught my attention. Meanwhile, Skid Row’s debut is a few great singles with a bunch of filler, but it still takes this one easily. Winner: Skid Row

I’d heard some Type O here and there, but never really listened to an album. I’m not sure that I liked it enough to want to dig into it more, but it’s very tuneful and atmospheric, and the singer is really passionate with his unique super-low voice. The Baroness album has some nice musical parts, but I really don’t like the singer and the album seems to think it’s a lot more clever than it actually is. Winner: Type O Negative

This Arch Enemy album was interesting, because I really liked the music — it veered around between thrash and power and death in an interesting way, and delivered at a consistently high level — but those shitty death vocals are a total non-starter for me. Meanwhile the Living Colour album is a bit uneven, but it’s got higher high points and the vocals are great. If Arch Enemy had had an actual singer, this might have gone the other way. Winner: Living Colour

Never heard this Hibria album before, and it’s probably the most pleasant surprise of the contest yet — virtuosic power metal with the cheese factor dialed down a bit and infused with throwback mid-80s riffage instead. The singer is a little over the top (he reminds me of the guy from Lost Horizon), but good at what he does. Parts of this are just Maiden/Priest worship, but the melodious power metal elements and the sweet guitar and bass licks elevate the whole thing. Meanwhile, the Isis album is plodding atmospheric alt-rock with bro-metal yelling. No thanks. Winner: Hibria
 
Melvins was just plain boring, so I gotta go with Skid Row.

The 2nd match was definitely the hardest one for me. I'd be fine with either album winning, but I'm giving the vote to Type O Negative for their sheer originality and uniqueness.

I didn't expect to vote for Living Colour, but Arch Enemy didn't put up much of a fight.

I just can't get over the fact that the Hibria album was released in 2004. Everything about it sounds like it was released about 20 years too late. It's well behind its time. ISIS all the way.
 
Melvins - it's just sleep with a bit more of a discernable structure, I might have enjoyed this if it had some tempo

Skid Row - opinion given before

Skid Row with the win

Type O Negative - Was aware of these back in the day, didn't do anything for me then, not doing a lot for me now, still preferable to a lot of the over and underproduced stuff of the last 20 years

Baroness - intro sounds like Mr Brownstone followed by some Lizzy, not bad, still lacking a hook to catch my interest and the singer, while decent by the standards of most of his contemporaries that have appeared in the game, is really just a shouter

Baroness with the win

Arch Enemy - "pay attention to me!" tantrum double bass drumming an instant turn off, and the vocals are the final nail

Living Colour - intro reminds me a bit of little wing if it was covered by Christopher Cross, track doesn't have enough of an edge to keep me interested

I'm going to go with Living Colour as more to my tastes but neither track passes muster

Hibria - pall imitation of Painkiller intro, power metal vocals over a bit edgier material, listenable to an extent but this stuff is ten a penny

Isis - the video isn't working for me and I can't even see the title of the track to manually look it up, but as I was one of the ones who voted for Eyehategod in the last round I'm going to take the risk that I'd have thought it was shite.

Hibria with the win
 
Three 5-4 matches and one a blowout at 8-1. Really interesting round so far, thanks for the comments!
 
Sometimes I am in the mood for doomy stoner rock. The Melvins do it pretty well. Skid Row is fine. In fact, they're probably my favorite of the late 80s "hair" bands.

I was once Baroness' biggest fan and even did a podcast episode about it. I listed to Type O Negative a lot in the 90s, but it doesn't seem to hold up as well as I remember.

Going with Living Colour for sentimental reasons.

I have never heard of Hibria before, but this rules! Reminds me of Hell Fire, whom I nominated for this very game.
 
Skid Row by a mile in the first match.

I'll take Baroness' riffing over Type O's bass vocals.

Arch Enemy always sounds like pretty typical death metal to me, whereas Living Colour (though not a perfect album by any means) sounds like something different.

Hibria is pretty derivative, but still really fun. I'd listen to it again. Isis have come as far as they should. It's fine, but not my cup of tea.
 
Missed the previous couple of rounds. Making a return on this one.

Melvins - Bullhead vs. Skid Row - Skid Row

First time hearing Melvins, been meaning to check them out for ages. Pretty impressed. I ended up listening to the entire album and I'll probably revisit it in the future. Some very dirty riffs, good grooves, excellent drumming. I didn't find it lethargic at all, it has just the right amount of grind. Easily takes it over filler-heavy Skid Row.

Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses vs. Baroness - The Red Album

Repeat the first sentence of the assessment above and switch out Melvins for Type O Negative. I wasn't nearly as impressed though, which surprised me because on paper Type O Negative seems like a band that I'd be into. The only song that I'd previously heard from them (Black No. 1) ended up being the only one that truly impressed me here. I had been impressed with Baroness' album previously, so that's where the vote goes.

Arch Enemy - Rise of the Tyrant vs. Living Colour - Vivid

Not infatuated with either candidate here. The Arch Enemy tracks I checked out did absolutely nothing for me, just your average late 2000s-early 2010s melodic death metal album. The writing is stale, the production is too sterile for the style. I voted for Living Colour's opponent in its previous appearance, but slightly it edges out Arch Enemy because it actually has something enjoyable on it.

Hibria - Defying the Rules vs. Isis - Oceanic

The first couple of minutes from the former were enough to know where my vote would be going this round. Oceanic is a very good record, one that could potentially make my favorites list with a couple more revisits. Hibria is yet another derivative power metal band, really have no interest in hearing any more derivative power metal - though I'm sure there's plenty of more of it to come in the game.
 
That first Skid Row album is pretty good. The Melvins were influential and get considerable respect from both punk and metal artists, but I could never get into them.

Similarly, I haven’t been able to get into Type O. I have streamed Bloody Kisses probably a half dozen times, to see if it would grow on me. It’s really the opposite: it sounds cool for a few minutes, then it gets monotonous. Baroness, however, are awesome.

Living Colour wins this matchup easily. Arch Enemy is obviously heavier but I don’t like that sound. Plus, deduct points for the cliched Caligula clip.

The last matchup appears to be a tight one, so I will give it more time.
 
Accidentally scored an own goal and voted for Melvins, but I wanted to vote for Skid Row. I did not enjoy The Melvins at all.

Type O Negative was never my thing, at least Baroness is closer to my thing.

I'll probably keep voting for Vivid for awhile, it's a really strong album.

And Hibria over Isis, Isis sounds too much like noise for me, though Hibria's not great.
 
I like the big sludgy Melvins sound. It‘s too bad they failed to top it with interesting melodies and doubled down on the drone by going on and on.

The Skid Row song sounds very much like a product of what was popular in that era, but I will give it the edge for being more listenable.
 
Surprised to see a cover here by Type O Negative, particularly a cover of a soft rock song. Makes it a little harder to judge what the band is about. The deep vocal is a lot more interesting than the demonic throat vomit style, but it’s no less affected. And the flange-heavy guitar sound is cool and dated at the same time. The keyboard seem very dated. This cut seems to be much more focused on forging a sound than music. Don’t mind it, but time hasn’t been kind.

The shouty vocals don’t work as well on this Baroness song for me, but the gritty guitar sound, riffing and grooves remain great and there is tons going on. The musical break to finish out is very Maiden-esque without sounding at all like they are copying Maiden. Easy win for me.
 
Arch Enemy started off like it was going to be some good cheesy fun, but the vocal quickly killed it for me.

I’d completely forgotten that In Living Colour song. I think I’d like it better with a tougher production and I’m not a huge fan of the vocalist -he can sing, but his tone is too pop for me. But musically its got interesting things going on and its got melody. Another easy win.
 
I soon as I pressed play on Hibria, I knew where it was going to go. I was OK with the journey. There is nothing that makes it stand out, but it has more soul and less gloss than some of the more annoying power metal in this game. Overall, I liked it.

I really like what Isis is doing. The heavy and the atmosphere intertwine perfectly. The vocalist is at the very edge of my tolerance range but he’s used sparingly enough. Sounds like something that might grow on me. Far less obvious than the competition, but a lot more depth. They get my vote.
 
Cornfed Hick said:
The last matchup appears to be a tight one, so I will give it more time.
Click to expand...
Hibria is certainly more accessible, and I might even be more likely to listen to it again for that reason, but I agree with the comments that it is completely derivative and unoriginal. Isis is more ambitious, and though it is a slower burn, it is more likely that I get into it with repeat listens. So I give my vote to Isis.
 
None of these are close then, so there's no need for me to vote. I'm delighted that the Arch Enemy album is on its way out. I've never liked them, whichever vocalist they've had. On the flipside, I'm a bit disappointed to see the Hibria album go out. I have one song from that album which has been in my music library for a long time and I kept meaning to listen to more by them. Oh well.
 
All Votes Matter?

I've left this one a bit too late to listen to the songs from the first two pairings. Nothing will change while over the next forty minutes.
 
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