The Greatest Metal Song Cup - Part II, Round 4, Matches 82-87

[LooseCannon]

I appreciate Venom's place in music history without always appreciating Venom, but I didn't mind this track at all. Still, I think I prefer Crossfire. And I did listen to both songs twice, to make sure I was hearing the right song in my head, and not the Crossfire toy commercial from my childhood.

Running Wild is a band that's never really spoken to me, which, to be fair, is the same as how I feel about Angra. But I enjoyed Carolina IV a fair bit more than a very standard Riding the Storm.

I just could not care less about Type O Negative. I didn't even pay attention to the lyrics until Judas made a note, then I read the lyrics, and laughed at how silly they are. Pathetic, sorry. Lacuna Coil wasn't particularly great either, but it's more interesting to me, personally.

Sabaton, lol, what are we doing here?

For some reason the specific Sodom album is missing from streaming services, which is annoying. I feel I complained about that in the GMAC as well. But it's up against a powerful Anthrax track, so...

This is the worst kind of Van Halen against the best kind of UFO.

 

[LooseCannon]

It doesn't matter that Venom was in league with the lord of hell, they perished in Crossfire's atomic war. Running Wild might have been riding with the storm, but Angra's epic unhorsed them. Lacuna Coil needs a blood transfusion after that one, but they don't have Type O Negative blood available. Despite a lifetime of war, Sabaton falls to Stratovarius. Puff! No more magic dragon as Anthrax guns down Sodom. It's lights out for Van Halen as their streets are calmed by UFO's strong victory.

---

Part I, Round 23, Matches 133-138​

Play In Round	Match 133​	El Dorado Division​
AC/DC - Riff Raff	vs.​	Angel - The Tower​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 134​	Flight of Icarus Division​
Emperor - Curse You All Men!	vs.​	Bathory - Twilight of the Gods​
Rolling Stone 100	Nominators​	@____no5​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 135​	Flight of Icarus Division​
Rhapsody of Fire - Reign of Terror	vs.​	Gojira - Flying Whales​
@Night Prowler	Nominators​	Rolling Stone 100​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 136​	Doug Sampson Division​
Alice Cooper - Welcome to My Nightmare	vs.​	KISS - War Machine​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 137​	Doug Sampson Division​
AC/DC - It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll)	vs.​	AC/DC - For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 138​	Doug Sampson Division​
Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies	vs.​	Michael Schenker Group - Assault Attack​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

 

[KidInTheDark666]

I'm glad to see my second favorite Rhapsody of Fire song here, but I really could do without all the AC/DC. We get it already, you love the band, Martin!

 

[LooseCannon]

I'm glad to see my second favorite Rhapsody of Fire song here, but I really could do without all the AC/DC. We get it already, you love the band, Martin!

There's a lot of AC/DC. And a lot of it got two nominations, so it's in group. It is what it is, you know?

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

 

[JudasMyGuide]

I'm glad to see my second favorite Rhapsody of Fire song here, but I really could do without all the AC/DC. We get it already, you love the band, Martin!

I agree, though I'm pleasantly surprised at all the Alice Cooper, whom I'd vote for over most of the songs we've had so far in general.

 

[DJ James]

Oooohhh Twilight of the Gods is a GREAT one! Can’t wait to listen to the rest of these songs. A couple years ago I was head over heels in love with all those Bathory albums. I now mostly listen to just the debut and The Return, but Twilight of the Gods is real cream of the crop stuff here.

 

[Magnus]

Angel's track might be more interesting but it has even less to do with metal than AC/DC.
One of the best Bathory songs nominated by a Maidenfan vs one of the not that best Emperor songs from a list? Easy.
Rhapsody's contribution sums up everything I hate about power metal. Gojira has flying heavy mammals, heavier than elephants*, how cool is that.
James Fenimore's sister all the way.
Long Way for sentimental reasons.
German militarism over American mercantilism.

*Adults only.

 

[Magnus]

A couple years ago I was head over heels in love with all those Bathory albums. I now mostly listen to just the debut and The Return, but Twilight of the Gods is real cream of the crop stuff here.

Yeah, I remember listening to the entire Blood On Ice some years ago for the first time in decades because of you.
Which was a nice experience, cheers

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

It’s pretty crazy that the intros to Riff Raff and Tower are both the same, except one has lasers and one has guitars. AC/DC are actually a little more diverse than usual here, but Angel are way more interesting and melodic. Plus, there’s way too much AC/DC in this game.

Emperor have slightly less terrible production than usual for black metal, throw in some group chants, and a good underlying sense of melody. This is solid. Twilight of the Gods has a great and epic intro, but the production robs it of some power. I’m shocked to hear only clean vocals throughout, even if they are a bit amateurish. The repetitive melody throughout is fantastic, but they drill it into your skull. But I’ve still gotta vote for melody over insanity and go for Bathory here.

Rhapsody of Fire is a clusterfuck. The neoclassical guitar solos definitely shred and the ending is nice, though. Gojira is a bit longwinded, and I really don’t like their vocals, but it’s more coherent. Gonna vote for Italian Sabaton On Literally All Of The Cocaine.

Welcome to My Nightmare is a cool song with vibe, swagger, and horns! It’s a fun tune and Alice is in his prime. War Machine is definitely heavier, but it’s still typical Kiss: not very good or complex. I was bored by the end of the first chorus.

For Those About To Rock feels like Iron Maiden: a set piece, not a great song. Voting for bagpipes.

Billion Dollar Babies is not the best Alice Cooper I’ve heard. The double tracked talking stuff in the verses is awfully annoying. MSG has great guitar work, of course, but questionable vocals. That chromatic spider riff around 2:45 wins it for me though, I guess. What does this sound like? Suicidal Tendencies? I don’t know. The verses are bad.

 

[Spambot]

Match 133 - Angel
I don't thing I ever even heard about Angel, biggest discovery of the round. The singer and their sound remind of Croatian band which I loved years ago. I like this one instantly even if the song starts like radio commercial for laser-tag tournament. Riff Raff is a bit overrated because it comes from an underwhelming album so fans have to dig something up and it's usually this song (instead of Rock n' Roll Damnation).

Match 134 - Bathory
Two reasons to vote for Bathory. First reason is because this song has same name as Amon Amarth's kids song which I like. Second reason is because I don't want to vote for Emperor whose song is chauvinistic. Why should only men be cursed? What about women? #CancelEmperor #WomenSouldBeCursedToo

Match 135 - Gojira

Italian Sabaton On Literally All Of The Cocaine

Mr K. summed first contestant nicely...

Gojira has flying heavy mammals, heavier than elephants, how cool is that.

...and Magnus summed second one, but I have to add that baby whales weight 2700-3600 kilograms while grown up African elephants weight around 6000 kilograms so that summary might need a footnote or two.

Match 136 - Alice Cooper
I forgot how groovy early Alice Cooper was. I always think I'll hear something like "Poison" or "School's Out" and I forgot how much "flavor" this song has. It makes "War Machine" sound like stale bread. Which isn't that hard I guess because it's a KISS song after all.

Match 137 - AC/DC
"For Those About to Rock" is an ideal song to close a gig . TBH, it's the last good AC/DC song until Razor's Edge came up. I mean, how to top "Back in Black" except starting next album with a 21-gun salute?! But "It's a Long Way To the Top" is one of the finest rock songs ever and bagpipes never sounded so fun.

Match 138 - Alice Cooper
See "Match 136" for reference.

 

[Jer]

"Riff Raff" has a mildly interesting intro and a solid riff sequence, but the vocal lines aren't memorable at all. The solos also feel improvised in a bad way, and the instrumental sections run on way longer than they deserve to. "The Tower" has a very silly video gamey intro before slipping into a bog-standard 70s organ groove, but the subdued verse is very nice, as is the build-up into the chorus, though the chorus vocal melody isn't the best. I also like the aggressive rhythm through the solo section, though the solo itself isn't so hot. The synth solo is much better. Pretty good overall, even if I'd much prefer to hear Bruce Dickinson's namesake song. No contest here. Winner: Angel - "The Tower"

"Curse You All Men!" has a nice tension-filled main riff and some cool neoclassical bits, but all the chaotic black metal bullshit going on around it is a boat anchor around its neck. The vocals are terrible, of course; but by now I've heard much worse. I liked the male choral bit in the middle, but they never really followed up on it. Overall the music was pretty good, and if the drummer wasn't on PCP and the vocalist could actually sing there might have been something appealing hiding in this mess. As I've said before, “Twilight Of The Gods” is a relatively cool lo-fi epic, but at the end of the day it’s pretty much just a dude singing the beginning of “Electric Eye” for 11 minutes. Still, with a weak competitor, that's more than enough for @____no5's nominee to win the day. Winner: Bathory - "Twilight Of The Gods"

"Reign Of Terror" has pretty dope riffage and soloing from Turilli, but I could really do without the surprise of black metal screams and cut-time drumming, which have absolutely no place here. And, of course, fuck Fabio Lione, though he actually sounds pretty decent about half the time here. The choral sections are great, as is the guitar duet and trade-off section. Once again, Turilli's efforts are kind of wasted in Rhapsody -- I wish he would've stuck to his solo work or his self-branded Rhapsody with Alessandro Conti instead. "Flying Whales" has a nice melancholy intro that runs on too long. The heavy riff that follows isn't great, and of course the screamy vocals completely suck ass. I'm already getting a headache at the 4 minute mark. Oh hey, another dissonant riff that thinks it's more clever than it actually is. The clean interlude is a much-needed respite, but then it's back into the muck again. Fuck, where's my ibuprofen? Thank god that's over. Overall I dislike both songs, but this is still a very easy call for @Night Prowler's nominee. Winner: Rhapsody - "Reign Of Terror"

"Welcome To My Nightmare" has a surprisingly gentle opening. When the verses get peppier they don't work quite as well. There are some weird musical undercurrents here, with a little western twang and a hint of Italian street music, then the horn section...hmm. The vocal melodies aren't really working for me, though, and neither are the froggy-sounding synths. "War Machine" has big, dumb riffs that are still pretty good. The verse melody is also pretty good, but the chorus is kind of flat. The solo is OK, but not great. Like most Kiss, this is something I'd never seek out on my own, but I wouldn't turn it off if it was already playing. Still, "big, dumb, and serviceable" is enough to win the match here. Winner: Kiss - "War Machine"

"It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll)" has a pretty basic riff and not much of a verse melody, but the verse builds tension effectively into a memorable chorus, and the bagpipes actually work really well here, including interesting trade-off leads with the guitar. This isn't a great song, but it's a good and iconic one. "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)" has a pretty amazing intro with the tapped bits playing off nicely against the lower melancholy groove. The verse is OK, but doesn't meet the same standard, and the chorus treads water a bit. The solo is fine. The variant chorus with the firing cannons is way better, and is yet another iconic moment from this band. This song is more uneven than its competitor, but probably has higher highs. I like both tracks, and won't be disappointed with either one winning, but at the moment I'm feeling the bagpipes more than the cannons. Winner: AC/DC - "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll)"

"Billion Dollar Babies" has a sickly-sounding opening and some awkward rhythmic choices. The choruses are OK, but I'm not thrilled with the both spoken and sung post-chorus. The solos are solid, and the song structure is kind of unusual, but this isn't the sort of thing I could really get into. "Assault Attack" has a pretty interesting riff and some nice harmony bits. I'm not thrilled with the singer, but he's alright. The pre-chorus(?) with the organ works well musically, but the vocal choices there are rhythmically awkward. The subdued interlude and solo are great, though. Hmm, I guess the bit that sounded like a pre-chorus was actually supposed to be the chorus. Weird. Well, the MSG song isn't the best, but it's certainly much more up my alley than the Alice Cooper song. Winner: Michael Schenker Group - "Assault Attack"

 

[Confeos]

I'll chime in with a "weakest round so far" and a shorter write-up this time.


"Tower" is a strange piece of synth worship, but that also makes it much more interesting than "Riff Raff", which is just... AC/DC. Also, bonus point to Angel for the Dio-like lyrics. Angel.

The second match is the only one where I really enjoyed both songs. Emperor writes some decent black metal tunes, but there's just something so captivating about virtually alle songs from Bathory's 3-album run from Blood Fire Death to Twilight of the Gods (I have a nominee from Hammerheart coming up at some point). Voting for Bathory.

"Reign of Terror" is an absolute mess, but (like the previous Rhapsody song from a few rounds back) there are some very good ideas in there. Gojira bored the heck out of me. Rhapsody of Fire.

"Welcome to My Nightmare" is definitely not my favourite Alice Cooper song, but is has a lot more going for it than a sub-par KISS track. Alice Cooper.

In the battle of the AC/DC's, "It's a Long Way to the Top" is absolutely the better song. "For Those About to Rock" doesn't really go anywhere, and doesn't have bagpipes.

I had completely forgotten Graham Bonnet had sung for MSG. "Assault Attack" is great piece with some nice melodies. "Billion Dollar Babies" didn't do much for me. MSG.

 

[Diesel 11]

"Riff Raff" started off meh but I kind of enjoyed where it ended up going, lotta good instrumental rock'n'roll. Unfortunately, there is far too much AC/DC in this game to warrant this song getting through, and I think that Angel's track was slightly stronger prog-tinged dad rock, so I'll give them my vote.

Kind of a tough round. Both of these songs are good lesser tracks from their bands. I have no clue why "Curse You All Men!" was Rolling Stone's pick for Emperor, is not "I Am the Black Wizards" one of the most iconic black metal tracks of all? It's a good chaotic bit of a thunderblast. Bathory's was much more drawn out, but had great melodies and didn't drag. Vocals weren't amazing but I didn't hate them. Both songs are solid, so I'll vote for Emperor since they're currently losing by a landslide.

Bit of an odd matchup, power metal vs prog-death. I thought the build up in Rhapsody (OF FIRE)'s song was really good but I wasn't sold on the rest of it at all. A whirlwind that I could barely comprehend. On the other hand. "Flying Whales" is a fucking CLASSIC and I'm shocked that it got in solely through the Rolling Stone list. I mean like, it's such a big, powerful song that's got a great balance between the silliness of airborne cetaceans and the seriousness of looming climate change. The intro is great, the riffs are great, the proggy uncertainty in the way it balances is awesome, and that heavy sweeping at the end is cool as shit. It would be a shame to lose this track to a vastly inferior power metal clusterfuck. Such an easy vote. NOW I CAN SEE THE WHALES!!!

I like "Welcome to My Nightmare" quite a bit but I'm still so confused as to why Popoff included a fucking smooth jazz track in his list. I mean, this is the sort of song you expect to hear in the late night lounge on a cruise ship. I mean you've got fucking trumpets and piano on here with guitars relegated to the back. That vibe is what makes it good but it also totally disqualifies it from this list. And I think it's time for me to finally take a stand against these false metal posers. Now I know what you're thinking: "Diesel, didn't you vote for that piano ballad from Evanescence (insert #) of rounds ago?" To that I say, yes, because 1) "My Immortal" is fucking awesome, 2) there's also a heavy version, and 3) Evanescence is an actual metal band. Alice Cooper is hard rock and here he's playing funky disco shit. Come on, Martin! And then on the other spectrum we have Kiss, who are also not metal and yet you included them in your list too! And you call yourself an expert?? Well at least Kiss have riffs, dammit, at least Kiss have riffs!

"It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" is fun early AC/DC. With bagpipes. Bagpipes are underrated, but they feel like a novelty in this song. Meanwhile "For Those About to Rock" is a fucking barnstormer of a song. So big. So powerful. So fun. So epic. Easily one of AC/DC's best songs, the larger-than-life hard rock tune that you wanna blast off and sing along to. The big, over-the-top finale section gives me literal chills. How the hell is it losing?? Ten of motherfuckers are stupid as hell. For those voting for "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" (I salute you).

Okay now The Coop' is back with a song that I can actually vote for. "Billion Dollar Babies" is super fun, love the guitar on this track, and the duet with Donovan of all people shouldn't work as well as it does. A classic. Michael Schenker Group and their basic rock verses ain't got nothin' on this.

 

[KidInTheDark666]

Angel kicked a lot of ass, they should definitely be winning. Pretty good for a band I'm unfamiliar with.
Emperor vs Bathory. I listened to a bit of both and voted for the one with better vocals.
Rhapsody of Fire's Reign of Terror is possibly my favorite symphonic metal song, at least it's very high up there. I almost nominated this track but ended up picking another song from the same album. Gojira's song matches their usual mediocre standards.
I generally prefer Alice to Kiss, but Welcome to My Nightmare just isn't very good.
In a battle of two strong AC/DC tunes, I choose For Those About to Rock. It's probably one of their best songs.
MSG's offering is good, but Billion Dollar Babies is my favorite 70s Cooper song.

 

[DJ James]

Yeah, I remember listening to the entire Blood On Ice some years ago for the first time in decades because of you.
Which was a nice experience, cheers

Cheers man, glad you enjoyed it

 

[Kalata]

The voice of Angel's singer is not my cup of tea (not a bad song), so my vote goes to the riff-fest called Riff Raff.
Rhapsody Of Fire's song sounds like a medieval/ancient hymn so it automatically gets my vote.
KISS here, no contest. It's not a song I like much, but the heavy groove is pretty good.
Both AC/DC songs are nice, but It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll) has a unique feature and I think I like the chorus a bit more (btw, it has a KISS vibe to it, which is cool).
MSG song is an old school metal with great calm guitar playing, so I vote for easily the better song.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

Rhapsody Of Fire's song sounds like a medieval/ancient hymn so it automatically gets my vote.

Finally my type of person.
(I rather won't go back in this thread to see how you voted in the previous Rhapsody/Turilli matches, though. )

So,

from the first hard rock match, I'm not all that crazy about either, especially in the context of the greatest metal song cup, but the band Angel, whom I didn't know at all, are certainly the more interesting. There's some nice 70s prog rock/art rock influence which makes it closer to what I look for in metal in general. Also, it sounds appropriately epic. Shame it's losing.
AC/DC have some cool riffage, but other than that it's the same old same old.
Angel, no contest.

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The band of the burners of churches and murderers of gay men vs. Quorthon? I think I'll go with Quorthon.
(but kidding aside, the Bathory track really is some prime stuff, epic, haunting, captivating. Versus Emperor on their possibly weakest album with a track I didn't even remember hearing before - though I definitely must have)

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Gojira are fine and all, I've written about them positively in this cup already, but I hope you're not expecting me missing my chance to vote for pretty much any song by TURILLI OF FIRE against pretty much 99 % of the stuff we have here. This is one of their darker, thrashier, heavier offerings (akin to When Demons Awake or Rain of a Thousand Flames), but it feels different, somehow, harmonically and melodically closer to Epica (?) maybe than their usual Rhapsody shtick, it sounds a bit more modern, but still very recognisable. A great track, indeed.

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Alice Cooper is one of the best and most consistent artists in not just glam/shock/whatever rock, but in rock in general. Like Dylan said of him, "an underrated songwriter". So yes, the Vegasy tone and sleaze he sometimes incorporates since Alice Cooper became the bloke, not the band, may not be to everyone's tastes, but that's their problem, not mine.

Kiss have their usual Keep It Simple, Stupid style, only a tad updated for the 80s (though I admit that the title track of Creatures is great), the vocals are hilarious, it just sounds so much like a Simmons track.
I like it, really, it's fun, but I think I'll go with the high-brow pastiche of low-brow influences in the song of Mr Vincent Furnier than the low-brow reveration of low-brown instincts in the song hosting the incognito Vinnie Vincent.

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Ah, a full-on AC/DC match. Huh. Well, it's easy, AC/DC are Bon Scott-fronted band first and after he died, it's mostly very hit or miss. For Those About to Rock is definitely one of the misses, a boring plod that's duller than Dull McDave's big dull cousin, opening (and bearing the title of) their possibly worst or at least the most dispensable album. Also, since we're talking about the cannon album, have I told you how seriously disappointed I was - considering their infamous penchant for sleaze - when I read the lyrics to the promisingly titled "Snowballed"? Almost as much as when I read the lyrics to Aerosmith's Lick and a Promise!

Anyway, it's the old school version, baby. Maybe something of Back in Black could win against Bonfire-era's weaker moments, but this is not it.

-----

Again, I don't succumb to the Schenker cult around here, the duet with Donovan of all people is indeed hilarious and BDB is possibly one of his best albums in the 70s in general, so I'll go with the classic Coop here. The chorus of "We go dancing nightly in the attic, while the moon is rising in the sky // If I'm too rough, tell me - I'm so scared your little head will come off in my hands" is hilarious and honestly the Buxton guitar and Dunaway bass deserve more recognition than they get.

 

[srfc]

Not going to get a chance to give this round a proper listen

Angel sounds like Rush mixed with Uriah Heep, ok and curiosity awakened but no chance v Riff Raff, although again the superior version is from If You Want Blood You've Got It

Emperor was basically the drummer giving it the "this song is all about me" treatment, pretty awful, got a couple of mins of Bathory, intro real good and can see where Primordial get a lot of their schtick from, but got called away and never got a chance to go back, hopefully will in later rounds

Rhapsody was all the cliches of this type of music played a bit faster than usual. got the first couple of mins of Gojira, intro was real good but again another one of these modern bands doing what Steve does and gets crucified for, then when the riff kicked in it was pure shite. Didn't hear more than that though so maybe unfair but don't have the time to be fair this round.

War Machine has a decent riff but I prefer when Danzig re-did it for Snakes of Christ (not the first time Snakes of Christ has been mentioned by me) but otherwise a bang average track. Welcome to My Nightmare is classic and funky.

AC/DC round is tough, two absolute classics, For Those About to Rock maybe the best way to end a gig ever, and It's a Long Way to the Top has the best rhythm guitar performance of all time, how can he play 1 chord with such swagger?

The MSG track was one I never heard before and was good, loved the rolling feel of the main riff, and the breakdown mid section in lieu of a standard solo. It's probably the equal of Billion Dollar Babies but loses out, as I think when there's a tie you have to go with the more well known track if you are truely looking for the "greatest"

 

[LooseCannon]

AC/DC is AC/DC is AC/DC. Meanwhile, Tower is a song that's been stuck in my head since I first started listening to songs from this game. It whips, actually. Angel.

That Bathory song absolutely whips. One of the best in their catalogue, and Emperor as a whole and this track in particular doesn't work for me.

Rhapsody wins, even though I'm not a fan of the speed of this track, I can't deny that it's a pretty good power metal track. I like Rhapsody better when they get in and get out.

Alice all day baby.

For Those About to Rock has a cannon, therefore I am required by law to vote for it.

Billion Dollar Babies is a great track and I prefer it to MSG's offering. Alice but I wouldn't be too upset if MSG won.