Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
"Spit" is just a pile of muddy noise with terrible vocals. I guess it's sort of interesting to hear the vocalist go back and forth between her girly normal voice and those curdled screams, but you can't carry an entire song on the back of that, even one that's only two and a half minutes long. Meteora mostly retread the formula of Hybrid Theory, down to having similar songs in similar positions in the track list -- and "Numb" was pretty much "In The End" Mk. II, but it turned out really well and was almost as good as the original, and that's probably enough for it to step out of its predecessor's shadow. And it's way more than enough to win this match-up. Winner: Linkin Park - "Numb"
Yikes, these are both top-tier Rush tracks in this next match-up. "Xanadu" is a killer prog epic that takes a little while to get going, but really soars once it takes off. Such drumming, very wow. Excellent song. "Subdivisions" is much more direct, with a great synth hook and an interesting blend of hopefulness and melancholy to the music. Love the vocal lines and the synth solos, and all the subtle variations Peart introduces to the rhythms throughout. Both tracks are worthy, but sorry @Stardust, I've gotta give the edge to @LooseCannon's nominee here. Winner: Rush - "Subdivisions"
"Computer God" has cool riffs, and the verse melody is solid, but the pre-chorus and chorus are a bit of a mess, and the lyrics are pretty bad. I like the subdued bridge a lot, though, and the first solo is very good, even if it feels a bit disconnected from the rest of the song. "Restless And Wild" has a straightforward appealing groove, but man, I really can't get on board with Udo's voice, and some of the melodic choices are questionable. The solo is almost good, but kind of falls apart as it goes on, and the song almost feels like it's held together with duct tape at times. Neither song is particularly strong, but this is still an easy call for @KidInTheDark666's nominee. Winner: Black Sabbath - "Computer God"
"King Of Rock And Roll" has a nice groove and great vocal lines, and the extended solo is pretty cool. The fake crowd noise is a bit weird, but whatever. A straightforward but great rocker. "God Of Wrath" has an appealing subdued verse, and the main riff is kind of interesting, but the screechy bit that I guess serves as a chorus isn't the best. Love the extra-long solo, though. I think the Metal Church song had more interesting ideas, but the Dio song was more consistent and executed better, so I'll give it the nod. Winner: Dio - "King Of Rock And Roll"
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" gets a little weird with the Wizard Of Oz opening, and it's overly repetitive like most of ...And Justice For All; but the riffs are good, most of the vocal lines are memorable, and the multi-part guitar interlude is really good with a great solo. "Mouth For War" has solid riffs, but Phil Anselmo needs to go suck on a tail pipe. His screamy frat-bro try-hard schtick is just so...exhausting, and there really isn't anything special about this track at all. Pantera has got to be one of the most overrated bands in metal history. No contest here, an easy call for @Shmoolikipod's nominee. Winner: Metallica - "The Frayed Ends Of Sanity"
"Metal Gods" has a solid groove and OK vocal melodies, but man, that chorus sucks. The solo's decent, and the silverware pounding is fine; but if I'm being charitable, this song is OK at best. "Anthem To The Estranged" has another nice subdued verse and some interesting heavy harmonization, but the screamy parts don't work as well, and I'm starting to wonder if these guys have any concept of what a chorus should sound like. The solo section is pretty great, at least. In the end the song is overlong and definitely shows its seams, but it's still a hell of a lot more interesting than its competitor. Winner: Metal Church - "Anthem To The Estranged"
Yikes, these are both top-tier Rush tracks in this next match-up. "Xanadu" is a killer prog epic that takes a little while to get going, but really soars once it takes off. Such drumming, very wow. Excellent song. "Subdivisions" is much more direct, with a great synth hook and an interesting blend of hopefulness and melancholy to the music. Love the vocal lines and the synth solos, and all the subtle variations Peart introduces to the rhythms throughout. Both tracks are worthy, but sorry @Stardust, I've gotta give the edge to @LooseCannon's nominee here. Winner: Rush - "Subdivisions"
"Computer God" has cool riffs, and the verse melody is solid, but the pre-chorus and chorus are a bit of a mess, and the lyrics are pretty bad. I like the subdued bridge a lot, though, and the first solo is very good, even if it feels a bit disconnected from the rest of the song. "Restless And Wild" has a straightforward appealing groove, but man, I really can't get on board with Udo's voice, and some of the melodic choices are questionable. The solo is almost good, but kind of falls apart as it goes on, and the song almost feels like it's held together with duct tape at times. Neither song is particularly strong, but this is still an easy call for @KidInTheDark666's nominee. Winner: Black Sabbath - "Computer God"
"King Of Rock And Roll" has a nice groove and great vocal lines, and the extended solo is pretty cool. The fake crowd noise is a bit weird, but whatever. A straightforward but great rocker. "God Of Wrath" has an appealing subdued verse, and the main riff is kind of interesting, but the screechy bit that I guess serves as a chorus isn't the best. Love the extra-long solo, though. I think the Metal Church song had more interesting ideas, but the Dio song was more consistent and executed better, so I'll give it the nod. Winner: Dio - "King Of Rock And Roll"
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" gets a little weird with the Wizard Of Oz opening, and it's overly repetitive like most of ...And Justice For All; but the riffs are good, most of the vocal lines are memorable, and the multi-part guitar interlude is really good with a great solo. "Mouth For War" has solid riffs, but Phil Anselmo needs to go suck on a tail pipe. His screamy frat-bro try-hard schtick is just so...exhausting, and there really isn't anything special about this track at all. Pantera has got to be one of the most overrated bands in metal history. No contest here, an easy call for @Shmoolikipod's nominee. Winner: Metallica - "The Frayed Ends Of Sanity"
"Metal Gods" has a solid groove and OK vocal melodies, but man, that chorus sucks. The solo's decent, and the silverware pounding is fine; but if I'm being charitable, this song is OK at best. "Anthem To The Estranged" has another nice subdued verse and some interesting heavy harmonization, but the screamy parts don't work as well, and I'm starting to wonder if these guys have any concept of what a chorus should sound like. The solo section is pretty great, at least. In the end the song is overlong and definitely shows its seams, but it's still a hell of a lot more interesting than its competitor. Winner: Metal Church - "Anthem To The Estranged"
