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

Detective Beauregard said:
wasn't aware of this. Can you fill me in?
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Because there’s less vinyl available in the inner groove, music placed toward the end is prone to distortion. A lot of artists would compensate for this by putting their quieter material at the end of a side.

Interestingly, Maiden didn’t do this. On the contrary, they actually pushed the limitations of vinyl by cramming as much music as possible into each side. The A side to Powerslave is a pretty good example.

www.yoursoundmatters.com

Vinyl Record Inner-Groove Distortion (A Simple Explanation)

A simple explanation of what inner-groove distortion and how to reduce it with correct turntable setup.
www.yoursoundmatters.com www.yoursoundmatters.com
 
Megadeth cuts through Judas Priest's Defenders with no difficulty to advance.
However, in the other matchup, British Steel is too strong for Black Sabbath as Judas Priest advances.

Round of 16 Matchup Set:
Megadeth - Rust in Peace vs. Judas Priest - British Steel
 
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Judas Priest - Stained Class (1978)

How it got here
List entries: Rolling Stone 43, Metal Rules 39, Metalstorm 86, DigitalDreamDoor 32
Maidenfans Nominators: @Cornfed Hick, @LooseCannon, @Perun
Previous Rounds:
League 1: Defeated Black Sabbath - Mob Rules 20-15.
Round of 32 - Match 5vs.
Blackwaterpark.jpg

Opeth - Blackwater Park (2001)

How it got here
List entries: Rolling Stone 55, Loudwire 15, DigitalDreamDoor 86, Metal Kingdom 8
Maidenfans Nominators: @FTB, @Mosh, @MrKnickerbocker, @Saapanael, @Shmoolikipod, @The Flash
Previous Rounds:
League 1: Defeated In Flames - Blackwater Park 21-11.
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RainbowRainbowRising.jpg

Rainbow - Rising (1976)

How it got here
List entries: Rolling Stone 48, Loudwire 20, Metalstorm 6, DigitalDreamDoor 17
Maidenfans Nominators: @Cornfed Hick, @Midnight, @MrKnickerbocker, @Niall Kielt, @Poto, @Shmoolikipod, @srfc, @The Dissident, @Yax
Previous Rounds:
League 1: Defeated Alter Bridge - Blackbird 31-3.
Round of 32 - Match 6vs.
Jpsinsin.JPG

Judas Priest - Sin After Sin (1977)

How it got here
List entries: n/a
Maidenfans Nominators: @Forostar, @mckindog, @Saapanael
Previous Rounds:
League 6: Defeated Atlantean Kodex - The White Goddess 22-5.
League 5: Defeated Van Halen - Van Halen 20-7.
League 4: Defeated Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral 23-3.
League 3: Defeated Black Sabbath - Sabotage 21-10.
League 2: Defeated Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman 25-4.
League 1: Defeated Mercyful Fate - Don’t Break the Oath 23-12.
 
Well golly gee, looks like I’m voting against Judas Priest again two more times!

Blackwater Park and Rising are just much more interesting than who they’re up against.
 
tragic round. I assume Blackwater Park is one of the last extreme Metal albums remaining, if not the last. Stained Class is a worthy opponent and one of the more deserving opponents, but I have to go with my Opeth bias. I would also like to see more variety in the final albums than just Priest and Maiden.

Rising vs Sin After Sin is a clash between two 10/10 albums. Ultimately, Tarot Woman and Stargazer put Rising over the edge for me. Also, Sin After Sin has a couple weaker moments, whereas not a single weak song exists on Rising. Ok, maybe Sin After Sin is more like a 9.5 /10.
 
Stained Class is an excellent Priest album, and while I greatly prefer Priest to Opeth I cannot deny that Blackwater Park is an absolute masterpiece and very recently I listened to the whole album. It is a 10/10 album no question about it and as such secures my vote. Blackwater Park

Sin After Sin is highly consistent, but frankly there aren't many albums I'd vote for over Rising which is probably my favourite album from the 70s barring Lovedrive. It is the peak of Dio and Blackmore, a truly perfect album. Rainbow Rising
 
Judas Priest v Blackwater Park - the easiest choice for me so far in the final 32. The only album I don't own out of the 32, Blackwater Park is not going to get my vote. I'm not an extreme metal fan anyway but if push comes to shove I would pick extreme metal from the late 80's early 90s that is not a million miles away from heavy stuff I do like from that time period, Slayer, Kreator, Sepultura. Opeth are the polar opposite of that. Their retro 70's stuff is really great though.

Judas Priest with the win

Rainbow v Judas Priest - A real tight fight between two contemporary albums. Rising is better. That's it. As a penance I'm going to listen to Sin After Sin now.

Rainbow with the win, I'd have voted for Sin After Sin if it was a Priest on Priest clash.
 
Diesel 11 said:
Well golly gee, looks like I’m voting against Judas Priest again two more times!

Blackwater Park and Rising are just much more interesting than who they’re up against.
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Detective Beauregard said:
Opeth and Rainbow. Not even close for me.
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The Dissident said:
Stained Class is an excellent Priest album, and while I greatly prefer Priest to Opeth I cannot deny that Blackwater Park is an absolute masterpiece and very recently I listened to the whole album. It is a 10/10 album no question about it and as such secures my vote. Blackwater Park

Sin After Sin is highly consistent, but frankly there aren't many albums I'd vote for over Rising which is probably my favourite album from the 70s barring Lovedrive. It is the peak of Dio and Blackmore, a truly perfect album. Rainbow Rising
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The first match is simple. I am underwhelmed by Stained Class, while Blackwater Park is a musical masterpiece with terrible vocals on top of it. As soon as this Opeth album runs into an upper tier record with melodic vocals I’m going to start voting against it, but in this match-up I feel it’s still the superior choice overall. Sorry, Perused Chick, but MrShmoosherFlashTerBockernael’s choice takes this one. Winner: Opeth

The second match is a lot tougher, as these are both strong albums which have some flaws. “Stargazer” is better than any song on the Priest album, and “Raw Deal” is worse than any song on the Rainbow album. That said, Sin After Sin shows more range than Rising, and I think its style is a little more to my liking than Rainbow’s. Which album is better on the merits? Probably the Rainbow album, by a hair. Which album would I rather listen to? Probably the Judas Priest album. I could flip a coin, but sorry The Daxidnight MrShmooniallikierPotosrfed Hickerbocker, I’m going with Faapostarknakedog’s nominee here. Winner: Judas Priest
 
So Im votin Opeth without even listening. I dont enjoy Blackwater Park but, as previously noted, Priest do my tits in. Sorry to be a broken record but there it is. Lets take the opener. Exciter? Naw, Boring Pish, more like. I think this song could be exciting in the right hands. Scorpions, for example. The riffing is flat, its like they are following sheet music in a rehearsal. The solos sound pasted on, a slightly exciting sound over a bland framework. It has no soul, it sounds really by numbers to me. But like I say, it could be good. If it was done better.
I wont go through them all but White Heat is also flat. Its a cool riff but it sounds like its bein played by somebody copying somebody elses tab. Does that make sense? I feel zero soul or passion in this music. And again, the solos sound like they are from a different record. I like whwn a solo punches through, lifts a song, but this just sounds pasted on, to me. Drummer sounds bored, or well paid, throughout. I do like Better By You, though. It would be much better played by the Scorpions. Or UDO. What happened to Udo? Why is Animal House not still in this game? For shame.
Priest are like a Frankenstein band to me. They have all the elements of rock/metal that I like but they combime in such a way as to make me want to vomit. I dont know much about singin or widely held opinions on Halford but I dont know if hes ever in tune on Stained Class (song).
This Opeth album does nothin for me but Im votin for it anyway.

Ah, Priest again in round 2. To be fair to them, Rising would beat most albums in the game, for me. I love Ronalds voice, for a start. Theres also excitement in this band, the production is lively and balanced and the tension is palpable. These sould like happy, talented fun lovers havin fun. Run With The Wolf isnt so different from somethin Priest would be at but theres just so much more life in the Dio song. It makes me stomp my foot and nod my head whereas its Priest counterpart merely makes me roll my eyes. Theres an undeniable energy crackling from my speakers with Rising. Its fabulous.
 
Stained Class has some great tunes like Heroes End and the title track, and Beyond the Realms of Death for one of the best Priest songs. However I must admit that I kind of agree with @Niall Kielt that it can feel soulless, ESPECIALLY Exciter. That's like, the most overrated Priest tracks for me.

BWP is not flawless, but it's really fucking good most of the time. It's awesome riff after awesome riff, extremely memorable clean parts all the way through. The Leper Affinity has one of the best outros in the discography, and as much as I like to call The Baying of the Hounds my favourite Opeth song it's really hard not to call the title track their single best song. It has everything: Great transition from Patterns in the Ivy, the haunting middle section, and then it just never stops delivering with the onslaught of riffs. The album has duds in the overly repetitive Harvest and Dirge for November which is somehow 8 minutes long... But they're cool too. And it's not like the worse material in Stained Class is better than that on BWP.
 
OPETH!!! Seriously, not even remotely close. Not even in the same galaxy. One of the most expressive and intriguing bands with unique identity, great "musical storytelling" quality, fascinating jazz melodies and harmonies (immediately identifiable at that) and the best riffs ever since Iommi got burnt out (and not just riffs, even other guitar stuff - check the awesome lines in The Leper Affinity's outro, before the piano). The band that should make everyone reconsider getting into metal and extreme metal. Even though I might like Ghost Reveries more, I'm not gonna lie - I can't imagine voting for what is at best "only" a great heavy metal album. And they're winning as of now! Could it be? Has sanity prevailed? Oh please, let it be. LET IT BE!

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Even the strongest and most colourful 70s Priest album is not enough to beat Blackmore and Dio at (almost) their best (I still like the debut more). Here I wouldn't be upset if either won, though.
 
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