Round 1: The Mutiny Begins!

0 Metal Church - Metal Church
1 Iced Earth - Burning Times +1

1 Paradox - Heresy +1
0 Holy Terror - The Immortal Wasteland

1 Mystic Force - Shipwrecked With The Wicked +1
0 Gamma Ray - When The World

1 Metallica - For Whom The Bell Tolls +1
0 Paradise Lost - Shadowkings
 
My notes: So far, I can't decide between Metal Church and Iced Earth.

The first one sounds more classic and primeval to me. I hear shades of Diamond Head, Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Metallica, and even some Maiden in the way the drums are played. Vocally, I hear Savatage's Oliva and, in some parts, even Klaus Meine.

Iced Earth's Burning Times is very neatly produced. I immediately hear a huge Metallica influence and that Black Album-style sound. That main guitar rhythm is very nice and kept evoking the thought, "It reminds me of some other track."

I finally pinned it down: it reminds me very much of Priest's One Shot at Glory:
 
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0 Metal Church - Metal Church
2 Iced Earth - Burning Times +1

2 Paradox - Heresy +1
0 Holy Terror - The Immortal Wasteland

2 Mystic Force - Shipwrecked With The Wicked +1
0 Gamma Ray - When The World

1 Metallica - For Whom The Bell Tolls
1 Paradise Lost - Shadowkings +1

I feel like DRUMMING is the key in the first match. Metal Church has a really dynamic drum beat going on, though it gets slightly repetitive. Vocals are great and riffing is decent. Burning Times could have been one of my favourite songs but I find the drumming in it, I dare say, a bit dull! Though overall its a better packaged song.

Both Paradox and Holy Terror are Tech Thrash monsters that should have more recognition. I maybe biased towards Heresy, considering its one of my favourite songs of all time but I must say its pretty genius of @Clairvoyant Parchment to nominate The Immortal Wasteland as it has nice galloping parts, good enough to engage Maiden fans.

Match 2 was the toughest for me. First time listening to Mystic Force and though I do like few songs by Gamma Ray, I ain't too big on them. When The World has a nice Flash Of The Blade-like intro, then jumps straight into textbook Power metal, which I felt a bit all over the place. Nice mid-section and solos. Shipwrecked With The Wicked is just an amazing song, its middle part having a bass-drum section reminding me of Death/Control Denied. Really left a good impression on me at first listen!

May sound insane but I'm definitely going for Shadowkings in the fourth match. Not much familiar with Paradise Lost (but will surely check out more of their works) but their style of gothic doom is worth going against the giant For Whom The Bell Tolls. Anything from the first four Metallica albums (especially Ride The Lightning) is golden to me but Bell Tolls doesn't count in my all times favourites for which I may favour another deserving music.
 
1 Metal Church - Metal Church +1
2 Iced Earth - Burning Times

3 Paradox - Heresy +1
0 Holy Terror - The Immortal Wasteland

3 Mystic Force - Shipwrecked With The Wicked +1
0 Gamma Ray - When The World

2 Metallica - For Whom The Bell Tolls +1
1 Paradise Lost - Shadowkings

Only the last one wasn't difficult to pick, though Shadowkings is very good. Shipwrecked was very surprising and cool!
 
2 Metal Church - Metal Church +1
2 Iced Earth - Burning Times

4 Paradox - Heresy +1
0 Holy Terror - The Immortal Wasteland

4 Mystic Force - Shipwrecked With The Wicked +1
0 Gamma Ray - When The World

3 Metallica - For Whom The Bell Tolls +1
1 Paradise Lost - Shadowkings

For Whom the Bell Tolls is a top-three Metallica song for me. Live, it's an absolute monster.

I liked Shadowkings too, just not on the same level. Gamma Ray's When the World is nice, but Mystic Force's song is more adventurous to my ears.

Paradox's Heresy — I hear a strong Metallica influence there.

In the end, I chose Metal Church's song over Iced Earth's Burning Times, but both songs are good.
 
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