Avenged Sevenfold is one of those bands I'm periodically trying to get into... you know, because I feel I should, with their overall prestige and recognition... but just as periodically, I repeatedly fail to do so, because... well, they just sound really immature, I guess. The guitar harmonies are rather nice, the late Rev was actually pretty competent, but the sound of the riffs, the sound of the vocals, it just sounds like something you should grow
out of, as a performer and as a listener. Also the chorus is more sugary than NSync. I won't say this sounds like something that should belong on the
American Pie 2 soundtrack - and that one was pretty good for its time - but it's close.
So far, the only track by them I was genuinely close to liking was Nightmare ... and there they were trying to channel their inner Metallica as much as possible, to an almost ridiculous degree. But here?
I'd say the
pars pro toto, the significant indicator would be the fact the (arguably) most well-known member of the band calls himself - still, after all these years - Synyster Gates. Yes, with the ypsilons and everything.
Buckethead is, in a way, a complete opposite - I have absolutely no inclination to get into his music whatsoever (blame the general obnoxiousness of his image; a bloke that relelases 200 albums during one year, calling them all "Pike" is not someone who should be listened to, purely on principle), however most of the work I
have heard has been admittedly pretty good. Mostly. This here song is one of those pulling the average down, I guess. On its own, it's a fine little track, nothing special among the guitar instrumental tracks as released by MacAlpine, Satch, Vai and others...
well, I correct myself, would be a fine little track, if it wasn't produced in an obviously intentionally annoying way. The electronic buzzings and squeaks and whistles and whatever else that sounds like you were dancing tarantella on a toy calculator, it's just a terrible idea. A terrible, horrid idea. Maybe the current set up I'm listening on is amplifying its worst aspects, so I'm not trying to base it on this fact alone, but it brings the track down, definitely.
Actually, scratch that, I have just now replayed Vai's
Velorum and some of his choices there annoy me to a similar degree. So it's probably just my current mood. Still, I think he's overdoing it with the obnoxious tones and even apart from that, the composition is nice, but not necessarily something I'd be inclined to love.
I'm not saying Soothsayer from the same album is downright
better, but I certainly understand the appeal more.
I guess I shouldn't in good conscience vote for Mr Bucket, since he's been voted for enough - mainly by virtue of him voting for himself all the time, if you know what I mean - and on the surface, the admittedly adolescent aesthetic, appearance and altogether attitude adorning the
Avenged is possibly more palatable after all ... and anyway, their song doesn't sound as if it was trying to chase the rats out of your house.
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Man, that Popoff list is pretty crazy. I didn't check it myself to see what's in there and by now I'd be expecting this
just as much as this
from it. Anyway, this is certainly one of the more laudable choices, as we once again dig into their best (?) album
Beneath the Remains. This one starts more in the mid tempo range, with a rather captivating train-chug and despite occasional speed-ups, the song never switches tempo completely. And yet, the switches are fluent and rather addictive and Kisser's solo is still pretty out there - and probably fitting the song more than the one on the title track I was talking about the last time. Admittedly, outside the context of the album, it might not be as special, but as far as 80s thrash mid tempo album tracks go, it is pretty solid.
For a band as generally consistent as Megadeth, some of their albums seem pretty overrated.
Peace Sells in particular usually works for me when it's being catchy (the title track) or relentlessy hectic (My Last Words), but The Conjuring is neither. Some of the guitar ideas are nice (especially in the intro), but Dave's vocals are even more annoying than usual and the way the main riff returns in the cleaner, isolated version around the third minute is honestly quite cool, but as a whole it doesn't do it for me. Not a bad song, but nothing special either.
I suppose I should go with
Sepultura, who are going to have it tougher here on the forum, it seems.
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1000 Eyes is, like possibly only my fourth or fifth favourite track on the best Death album ever (my absolute favourite being Empty Words, now, then, always), but it's still Schuldiner at his prime; the ability to accentuate the killer riffs (though maybe less pinch harmonics would be better), the way the song is constructed, being the sum of various parts and yet sounding cohesive and fluent (
Symbolic would be the last album of his to do this well, IMHO), and yes, somewhat moving away from the original death metal paradigm and becoming ... whatever latter-era Death are ("spiritual death metal"?) is inherently great.
It wouldn't have to be put against fucking Fear Factory for me to vote for it. I mean, I kinda get the appeal, I really do, I actually even like groove metal as a whole (though this might be more industrial than groove), but just like Papa Roach, Staind or Limp Bizkit, Fear Factory should be best left forgotten. This particular song especially - it just does nothing for me. It sounds like Meshuggah, but without the chops. Or Pantera, if they made their
The Unspoken King. Sorry, Popoff, you surprised me pleasantly once again in this round, twice would be asking too much, I guess.
Death and it's really no contest here.
Shit, it's getting really late, I'll finish the other half of the matches tomorrow.
