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

As much as it pains me, Ride The Lightning. I love AMOLAD, it’s in my top 3- 4 Maiden records and has less filler, but RTL has higher peaks and influential points.

Painkiller
 
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This first match is another brutal one — Iron Maiden’s third best album vs. Metallica’s second best. Ride The Lightning has many of the same traits that made its successor Master Of Puppets a masterpiece, but everything’s a little more raw. Hetfield’s voice is rougher and goes out of key more often, there’s a little more repetition, “Fight Fire With Fire” and “Escape” aren’t quite on the same level as the rest of the album, and the production isn’t quite as good — but the highs here are so very high, with tracks like “For Whom The Bell Tolls”, “Fade To Black”, “Creeping Death”, and “The Call Of Ktulu” knocking it out of the park; and even the weaker tracks are still really strong. Meanwhile, AMOLAD is the highlight of Maiden’s reunion era, and the only album from that period that really holds a candle to their classic work. It’s a little slower and more drawn out than their 80s material, but it’s also a little richer in some respects. The run from “The Longest Day” through “For The Greater Good Of God” is absolutely stunning, and most of the rest of the album is great too. I expected this one to be close, with me ultimately leaning toward Metallica — but after relistening to both albums, I’m noticing more flaws in Ride The Lightning and more strengths in AMOLAD than I’d previously remembered...so, sorry Docjer Cornie’s Whickcannon The Flashianax Peridnightoto, but I’m going to overcome own-nominee bias and go with Ariamolaticannyn DarkJ Jamesrfr Perottie’s The Kalashidentman’s nominee instead. Winner: Iron Maiden

I get that most people will have a kneejerk reaction in the second match and go, “oh, Painkiller, of course!”, but I would strongly encourage you to listen to both albums again with an open mind. Painkiller has a blindingly great title track and a number of other highlights, but it also has the unfortunate “Metal Meltdown”, and it’s kind of one-note and doesn’t have much variety. Meanwhile, Screaming For Vengeance is my personal favorite Priest album, showing a broad range of styles and finesse while still feeling cohesive and kicking ass. “Electric Eye” and the title track have a cutting urgency to them, while “Riding On The Wind” and “Bloodstone” are still driving, but slightly less edgy. “(Take These) Chains”, “Pain And Pleasure”, and “Fever” take it a bit slower, and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” and “Devil’s Child” have a strong but more commercial groove. Great stuff all around. Sorry, Dr LooseCollatarljantyn DJ Jaapes Moxindashie’s MrKidderMidNightShmoolikipoterman, but I have to go with Dr Coshfeddie’s Mickinjef T. Bogman’s choice here. Winner: Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengeance
 
The first match was a very tough decision, and even though Lightning can't hold a candle to Puppets or Justice in my book, I still gave it my vote. It was the sound that made '80s Metallica.

Also, Painkiller. So so so so much Painkiller.

"Why do the verses of Painkiller sound like Iced Earth?" - me, after hearing Painkiller for the first time like two years ago
 
Iron Maiden v Metallica - AMOLAD has much more variety and adventurousness but Ride the Lightning's high points are higher and the contribution to metal is far more significant. With Puppets also gone, I feel our final results would like silly with Metal's biggest band not featuring at the highest level.

Metallica with the win.

Screaming for Vengence v Painkiller - both albums have a weak underbelly, but Painkiller manages to disguise it's one by keeping the poor tracks in the same vibe as the good ones, while (Take These) Chains, Pain and Pleasure and Fever are weak pseudo commercial tracks out of sync with the more metal vibe of the rest of the album. Arguably the rest of SFV would beat the rest of Painkiller, or at least win it on penalties.

Painkiller with the win
 
A Matter Of Life And Death is all killer, no filler... while Ride The Lightning has some not so good songs imo, like ''Fight Fire With Fire'' (the only song from the album which I don't like) and the title track (great solo).

Both albums are classics in the second matchup, but Painkiller is better. Screaming For Vengeance has one awful filler (''Pain And Pleasure'').
 
Diesel 11 said:
Bruh that’s one of the best songs on the album though...
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Each to their own, but I think it's bad. I just read on wiki that the guy who wrote it also wrote the similarly terrible Twist on Halford's first album, and the pretty good Some Heads are Gonna Roll.
 
Twist’s chorus has shit lyrics and vocal melodies. I think the rest is rather decent but definitely a low point of the album.
 
Ride the Lightning is setting up to be the Maiden Killer. If we stay on our current course, it will have claimed three Maiden albums as skins. Really interesting to see how this one will turn out.
 
LooseCannon said:
Ride the Lightning is setting up to be the Maiden Killer. If we stay on our current course, it will have claimed three Maiden albums as skins. Really interesting to see how this one will turn out.
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LC, I love you man, but if you jinx this...
 
There are Maiden albums left in the game that I'll vote for over RTL. This one is very close as well, but as I enjoy both albums immensely I'll give this one to Metallica for producing such a great album as their 2nd, and setting the course for years to come. Both albums contain some of my favourite metal songs.

In the Priest v Priest match-up, I will stay with my favourite and vote Painkiller. I sincerely think it is Priest's best album. The title track is up there with songs like Creeping Death, Tornado of Souls, Heaven and Hell as my favourite non-Maiden metal songs. Screaming for Vengeance has no songs reaching that level, although it has several that I'd call great. Painkiller also has this combo of aggression and melody that comes from a band that seems to have wanted to set the record straight (despite their singer being not straight :ninja:) and who succeded.
 
Well the first match is a real doozy. I'm not completely sure what to vote for, so let's break it down by the numbers.

Ride The Lightng
  • Phenomenal songs: (2): Ride the Lightning, Fade to Black
  • Great songs: (2): For Whom the Bell Tolls, Creeping Death
Everything else (4) falls somewhere in the "good" range.

A Matter of Life and Death
  • Phenomenal songs: (4): The Longest Day, The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg, Lord of Light, The Legacy
  • Great songs: (3): These Colours Don't Run, Brighter Than a Thousand Suns, For the Greater Good of God
  • Good song(s): (1): Out of the Shadows
  • OK song(s): (1): Different World
  • Bad song(s): (1): The Pilgrim
There are a few ways we can look at this. Ride The Lightning has the advantage of every song being good, or better. A Matter of Life and Death has more songs, and a higher percentage of the album, that is great, or better. At this stage of the game, I believe greatness is what we should be striving for. So, while AMOLAD doesn't have a song that can equal Fade to Black, and there's no song on Lightning that's as bad as The Pilgrim, it looks like I just talked myself into voting for A Matter of Life and Death.

Oh yeah, and Painkiller.
 
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