The Greatest Metal Song Cup - Part II, Round 3, Matches 61-66

[Kalata]

Sinner is a classic Priest song with a great riff, verses, bridge, solo (which is better live) and effective chorus, but my nominee, Haunted Palace is classic power metal. From the opening riff, the awesome double bass pre-chorus, the singalong chorus to the great long solo with the even better fast riff is up there. This is a more exciting and anthemic song. Tough draw though.

IE's song is really cool. The riffs, solo and chorus melody are so good. Sign Of The Southern Cross is classic Black Sabbath/Dio. Riffs, verses, chorus, everything. The intro is magical. A tough matchup.

The Extreme song has a very cool solo, but that's it for me. Ratt's song is glam metal meets classic metal.

Dissident Aggressor is one of the best 70's Priest songs. That chorus! So intense. Megalomania has nice riff, vocals(!) and vibe overall. One of their best early songs, although over 9 minutes is a bit too much for it.

Kalata's nomination over a list, no matter what.

I knew you liked this song.

 

[Diesel 11]

Took some rounds off to listen to music in my own backlog, but I'm back for a really strong round across the board.

"Aqualung" vs "All Right Now" is a classic classic rock match. The former is the proggier one, with lots of different shifts and an unbeatable riff. "Locomotive Breath" is better, though. "All Right Now" was one of my least favorite songs on classic rock radio but I've come to enjoy it a lot. Another great riff, great instrumental build, and great verses with a solid chorus. Pretty equally matched but Tull is winning so I'll throw Free some support. Also because British people are dumb for pronouncing "aqua" as "æqua", go ahead and fight me on this you know I'm right. You'll put "ɑː" into any word possible and then you come across ones like "aqua" or "Nazi" where it's already there and you switch it to a near-open front unrounded vowel! What the fuck is going on in your island, guys, get it together.

Genuinely pains me that LC slotted "Links 2 3 4" after "Sonne", when on the album they segue into each other in the opposite order. I rectified it in my playlist. "Links" is a fucking banger, with its militaristic march deliberately bringing to mind images of German nationalism. This makes the song's statement, that the band is unabashedly on the left of the political spectrum, kick so much ass. Awesome from beginning to end. And so is "Sonne", which is even more epic in scope and also features more German numbers. Genuinely can't go wrong with almost any track on Mutter (well, "Rein Raus" is definitely the weak link), it's a nearly perfect record and likely their best. Going with "Link 2 3 4" because it's losing but both these songs are incredible.

Every now and then @Kalata drops a song that is actually awesome and "Haunted Palace" is that, 100%. The music is fantastic and far makes up for the iffy vocals. That riff fucking cooks. And it's up against a really, really good Priest song; "Sinner" is fantastic and the middle section goes fucking crazy. But since they're already winning by a landslide I will support the Bulgarian cause and give Grave Digger a vote.

"The Sign of the Southern Cross" opens with an atypical soft Dio trying to sound British. I love the guitar in this song, it's awesome. The verses kill and the best part is the "fade away, fade away" bridge which sadly only occurs once. The chorus isn't such a much, though, and leaves the song feeling like it never quite reaches its potential. Meanwhile, "Birth of the Wicked" absolutely reaches its potential, which isn't quite as much as other songs of theirs, but what it lacks the two songs ("Prophecy", "The Coming Curse") surrounding it in the trilogy make up for. It's got a great opening, Barlow is awesome as always, there are cool eastern elements, and the chorus slaps. The live version goes even higher in the third chorus. Gotta give Iced Earth the vote here.

Glam match! Given that their biggest hit is "More Than Words" it's always crazy to hear Extreme playing in their usual style. "Play With Me" is all over the place but I love the chorus harmony. Ratt meanwhile put all their money on that riff, which is awesome. The song doesn't quite go far enough for me but I think they edge out their rivals in this match.

The last match is the one where I really don't have to think about who to vote for. Can't believe that "Megalomania" is the time some of you fuckers finally come around on Ozzy when half the time he sounds like he's auditioning for Jane's Addiction. The only time this track stands out is in the finale, the rest of it is just looong. The screams in "Dissident Aggressor" alone give this one to Priest.

 

[Confeos]

"Aqualung" is not only my favourite Tull song, but one of my favourite songs of all time. Everything from the scrambling riff, to the mellow bits that gradually build up, to the stellar solo, is nothing short of amazing. I recognize "All Right Now" as a classic tune, but it just doesn't compare. Jethro Tull.

And much like the previous match, "Sonne" is by far my favourite Rammstein song - the riff is menacing, and that chorus is freakin' huge! "Links-2-3-4" is merely good; it's fun and enjoyable, but again, it's not really a contest. Sonne.

"Sinner" is a weird one for me; I like parts of it, but others are iffy and doesn't work that well. However, I still think it's a more interesting piece than "Haunted Palace", which is more metal-by-the-numbers, and I'm not a fan of Grave Digger's vocals. This one goes to Judas Priest.

This is really turning into the round of favourites for me - I think "The Sign of the Southern Cross" might be the best song from the Dio-era of Sabbath (yes, I even like it more than "Heaven and Hell"). I especially love the lyrics; they're using just the right blend of fantasy and religious imagery to really hit home with me. Classic Dio. "Birth of the Wicked" is an awesome Iced Earth track that would win easily against most of the other songs in this round, but sadly not a juggernaut like "Southern Cross". Black Sabbath takes it here.

Classical nods and bits aside, I don't particularly like "Play With Me". Honestly, none of the guitar work fit the rest of the song at all. "Lack of Communication" isn't much better, but at least it's coherent, if somewhat repetitive. I'm going with Ratt.

Sabotage is a fantastic Sabbath album, and "Megalomania" is the best of them all. Packed with vintage Iommi riffs and Ozzy putting in one of his best performances as he slowly descends into madness, it's a tune that simply outclasses "Dissident Aggressor" in every single way. Once again, no contest - Black Sabbath wins again.

 

[Kalata]

Every now and then @Kalata drops a song that is actually awesome and "Haunted Palace" is that, 100%. The music is fantastic and far makes up for the iffy vocals. That riff fucking cooks. And it's up against a really, really good Priest song; "Sinner" is fantastic and the middle section goes fucking crazy. But since they're already winning by a landslide I will support the Bulgarian cause and give Grave Digger a vote.

We have very different music taste, but I'm glad you like this classic song. The riff is killer, that's a trademark of theirs. The vocals are a problem for most people, but their music is always full-on metal. It's the only band with such vocals that I like. I tried to nominated more interesting and different songs.

 

[LooseCannon]

All right now, it's Jethro Tull. Links 2 3 4? They forgot about the first one and it's Sonne that wins. That's not funny, but come on. It's a sinner who owns a haunted palace. Judas Priest. The birth of the wicked happened under Black Sabbath's sign of the southern cross. What Ratt has here is a lack of communication with voters as Extreme wins. Tony and Ozzy's megalomania doesn't save them from Judas Priest's dissident aggressor.

Program note: Welcome to the final match of Part I! We'll begin Part II and we will have a much broader surveys of songs. There'll be 10 passes through the groups. In the first pass, you'll be getting a song you've seen before matched up against a song that was automatically seeded. Thanks to everyone for playing and I hope you enjoy the group stage!

---

Part I, Round 62, Matches 367-372​

Play In Round	Match 367​	Only the Good Die Young Division​
Yngwie Malmsteen - I Am a Viking	vs.​	Crimson Glory - Dragon Lady​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	@MindRuler​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 368​	Thunderstick Division​
Overkill - World of Hurt	vs.​	Metallica - Fight Fire With Fire​
@DJ James	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 369​	Thunderstick Division​
Black Sabbath - Die Young	vs.​	Ozzy Osbourne - Shot in the Dark​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 370​	Where the Wild Wind Blows Division​
Linkin Park - Papercut	vs.​	Limp Bizkit - Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)​
Youtube 50	Nominators​	Youtube 50​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 371​	Where the Wild Wind Blows Division​
Exodus - Chemi-Kill	vs.​	Exodus - Deliver Us to Evil​
Best Music Art 100	Nominators​	@srfc​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 372​	Where the Wild Wind Blows Division​
Mötley Crüe - Girls, Girls, Girls	vs.​	Ratt - You're in Love​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

 

[LooseCannon]

I admit, I laughed outloud when I Am a Viking started, but by the end of the song, I found myself really digging it. That early Rising Force stuff is pretty good, I've found during the games we've run. I'm not a fan of Yngwie's later more guitar wankery things but he's a perfectly cromulent entry into the mid 80s nascant power scene. Crimson Glory had that weird scream and felt rougher. I also minded it less as it went along, but Yngwie is the clear winner here for me.

Fight Fire With Fire has been one of my lesser-liked songs off Ride the Lightning for a long while. It always sort of reminded me of Invaders being the first song on NOTB, if you appreciate what I mean. That said, I don't remember the Overkill song at all, it just passed through my brain. Metallica by default.

Shot in the Dark is very synth, very mellow, very ballady. Sounds like something Ghost might put out today. Meanwhile Die Young is melodic and has a killer vocal performance on top of some average guitar work. Dio bias wins for me.

The nu metal matchup is really difficult for me. On one hand, Papercut has the better band, melody, vocals, and theme. The music assembly is stronger and the actual band members are regarded as some of the finest people and musicians in the subgenre. It's even catchier than its opponent. On the other hand, the Undertaker came out to Rollin' at Wrestlemania X7. Who am I kidding, there's absolutely no contest here. Limp Bizkit.

Oh great, an Exodus matchup. Some really good melodies in Chemi-Kill, very annoying vocals. It's less "wall of sound" than I expect from Exodus, but there's still some form of sound barrier here. There's a lot of thrash I like more than this. Deliver Us to Evil has a bit more of that thrashy edge, bad vocals, and I don't know. Good solo that stood out a bit to me. I guess I like it a slight bit more. Deliver Us to Evil.

Every Crue song sounds the same as every other Crue song, and I would categorize it as "vaguely annoying and thoroughly unimpressive". The chorus is completely annoying. You're In Love is about as unimpressive but is less annoying, therefore Ratt.

 

[Siddharth]

Yngwie Malmsteen vs. Crimson Glory was the toughtest! But Midnight's vocals and the overall instrumentals just did it for me.

@LooseCannon if you have enough nominations by members why picking songs from Popoff's list?

 

[LooseCannon]

As I have explained, several times, the purpose of including a variety of lists is to ensure that all the bases are covered, and to allow for better seeding of songs that we don't need to evaluate to know they belong in the broader game. There's a lot of songs that should be considered that members aren't going to nominate. This isn't just about the songs we would pick, it is truly about trying to bring together a broader consensus. Overall, I think this approach has worked.

 

[MindRuler]

Ratt has such great solo´s and riffs but the vocals never grab me and melody lines sound alot the same. I´m close to order their cheap priced Original Album Classics...to enjoy the riff fests but still doubting.
Oh and Ozzy´s Shot In The Dark deserves more!

 

[Kalata]

Crimson Glory's song is nice, but I'm not a fan of the vocals. I Am A Viking has great vocals and inspiring chorus. Not to mention the cool riff and solo! This is a perfect example of a great mid-tempo song.
Fight Fire With Fire is pure thrash and not one of my favorite Metallica songs, but the vocals are intense, the intro is nice and the melodies are on point.
Shot In The Dark is my favorite solos song of Ozzy, great ballad, but Die Young with Dio's vocals, with the intro, with the riff, with the change of pace for the chorus in the middle and the guitar licks/solos is just something else. It sounds epic.
This Ratt song is not that bad.

 

[srfc]

Yngwie Malmsteen - I Am a Viking vs. Crimson Glory - Dragon Lady
I Am a Viking was ok enough musically, but found the vocal a bit too earnest for the preposterous lyrics. Dragon Lady is the better track here, Crimson Glory being a great discovery for me from the GMAC Dragon Lady

Overkill - World of Hurt vs. Metallica - Fight Fire With Fire
I'm not sure how many tracks by Metallica Popoff has in his top 500, but I'd imagine it has to be a lot if Fight Fire with Fire is making the cut, there's at least 5 off RTL that would be ahead of it, nevermind the rest of their albums. Still it's great. Overkill was enjoyable enough, but they aren't going toe to toe with Metallica Fight Fire With Fire

Black Sabbath - Die Young vs. Ozzy Osbourne - Shot in the Dark
Both tracks are great here, but Shot in the Dark is the better song overall, and also a more important song for Ozzy than Die Young is for Dio era Sabbath. Shot in the Dark

Linkin Park - Papercut vs. Limp Bizkit - Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)
Linkin Park was the exact same as all their other stuff that was in the game, so I fully expected that I would vote for Limp Bizkit, but as soon as I pressed play and heard Fred Durst's stupid voice that was the end of that. Papercut

Exodus - Chemi-Kill vs. Exodus - Deliver Us to Evil
I've never heard Chemi-Kill before, the fast riff was great but it didn't seem to gel with the rest of the track. Bonded by Blood is a great record, and Deliver Us to Evil is the stand out track, more classic riffs than you can shake a stick at, the "different second verse" makes an appearance, one of my favourite song writing tropes, and Baloff sounds like a deranged madman, which works in the context of a song about being delivered to evil. Exodus aren't the best Thrash band, not by a long shot, but this record is probably the best example of what Thrash is (as @Mosh pointed out earlier the better bands are the ones who can transcend such dictionary definitions) Deliver Us to Evil

Mötley Crüe - Girls, Girls, Girls vs. Ratt - You're in Love
Right, the lyrics and concept of Girls, Girls, Girls are pretty braindead, but you can't argue with the groove of the main riff. You're in Love, pretty average hair metal. Girls, Girls, Girls

 

[JudasMyGuide]

Yngwie, 'cause Yngwie bias
I like Overkill after a fashion, but Ride Tullica? FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE
Die Young is a great underrated track off the best Sabbath album with Dio.
Rollin, because 1.) if possible, "anything but Linkin Park", 2.) Papercut felt always incredibly boring even back when I was listening to LP, 3.) Rollin is more fun, to be honest.
Don't care about either Exodus song, picking Chemi-Kill, because I do not want to be delivered to evil.
Crue, because I've warmed up to them recently, up to the level of a subtle band bias.

 

[TheMercenary]

Yngwie, 'cause Yngwie bias
I like Overkill after a fashion, but Ride Tullica? FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE
Die Young is a great underrated track off the best Sabbath album with Dio.
Rollin, because 1.) if possible, "anything but Linkin Park", 2.) Papercut felt always incredibly boring even back when I was listening to LP, 3.) Rollin is more fun, to be honest.
Don't care about either Exodus song, picking Chemi-Kill, because I do not want to be delivered to evil.
Crue, because I've warmed up to them recently, up to the level of a subtle band bias.

Exactly the same songs as I've picked too, for the same reasons.

 

[Jer]

"I Am A Viking" cuts a nice slower groove and has great vocal melodies throughout. The lyrics waver back and forth over the line between cool and cheesy, and Soto similarly wavers between a strong performance and scenery chewing, but on the whole it all works. Great soloing from Yngwie, as expected. "Dragon Lady" has good energy, but man, that production blows. The guitar harmonies have a sort of rote early Queensrÿche feel, and the vocal lines aren't all that great. The singer has a lot of range, but I don't really like how he chooses to use his voice. There are some nice guitar leads here, but the song doesn't really flow well, and in the end it feels like it needed more time in the oven. Sorry, @MindRuler, but this is an easy call for the list nominee. Winner: Yngwie Malmsteen - "I Am A Viking"

"World Of Hurt" starts off distant then gets more in your face. I like how the riff ascends and descends, building tension. The singer isn't very good, and the barely-sung verse doesn't really work for me, but the pre-chorus is noticeably better. The chorus is a discombobulated mess, though. Great solo, and the interlude afterward is pretty good. The busy soloing at the end is nice, too. Well, this one had some good raw materials, but it definitely needed some more work to come together as a coherent song. "Fight Fire With Fire" has a great, almost sweet acoustic opening, then brings the thrashy fire. The staccato verse isn't my favorite, and the chorus could be a little stronger; but the riffage is great, as are the interludes and solos. Love the harmonized lead section and the nuclear explosion ending. Sorry, @DJ James, but this is another easy call for the list nominee. Winner: Metallica - "Fight Fire With Fire"

"Die Young" has a nice atmospheric synth & guitar intro, then kicks into some riffage reminiscent of classic Maiden (yes, I know this song came first). The gentle bridge is a nice surprise, and the punchy guitar & synth interlude afterward is also cool. Dio sounds great, as expected. Geez, this really sounds like the template for early Dickinson-era Maiden when you think about it. Good stuff. "Shot In The Dark" has that polished, synthy mid-80s feel to it. Great riffs and color work from Jake E. Lee, and Ozzy's vocal lines are all great. Cool solo, too. Great song, not really much to criticize here. Both of these songs are worthy, but the Ozzy track is noticeably stronger. Winner: Ozzy Osbourne - "Shot In The Dark"

"Papercut" does the Linkin Park things, with high soft tones, thick crunchy guitars, soft rapping, and sometimes screamy melodic singing. Bennington actually does some borderline rapping here, which isn't as common. They also do the cool "merge the verse and chorus 2" thing at the end, which I can always appreciate when a song ties itself together in an unexpected way. Strong hooks, good stuff. "Rollin'" is whiny and posey in the worst kind of way. There's a good baseline groove, and the electric piano stuff is a nice idea, but just about everything else about this is annoying as shit. Oof. This match-up is a great example of just how differently you can approach songwriting within the same genre of rap-rock, and how very far apart the results can be. Linkin Park takes this in a walk. Winner: Linkin Park - "Papercut"

"Chemi-Kill" has an interestingly spooky intro with just a hint of surf rock. The simplistic chord interlude afterward isn't the best, but then we get some good thrash riffage. The singer isn't very good, and the verse vocal line kinda blows. The pre-chorus had a little promise, but then the chorus is a mess again. The bridge is a little better, and the spooky interlude works well. The solos are decent, and the ending riff is cool. A number of good raw components here, but I can't say the song works all that well as a whole. "Deliver Us To Evil" starts with some good crunchy riffage. The vocalist sucks, barely mustering up any melody at all. Some nice guitar call-and-response in the interludes. Strong solos. Man, this song runs way longer than it needs to. I like the guitar work, but the rest doesn't do it for me. Yeah, not a fan of either track here, and I could probably flip a coin, so congratulations @srfc, I'll break the tie in favor of the MaidenFan nomination. Winner: Exodus - "Deliver Us To Evil"

"Girls Girls Girls" is sleazy for sure, but it's got a great main riff and strong vocal melodies. The strip club travelogue lyrics are both educational and embarrassing, I suppose. Nice solos near the end. "You're In Love" also has a great riff and strong vocal lines, and the lead fills and solo are stronger. Warren DeMartini and George Lynch are clearly cut from the same cloth. Neither song is great, but both are enjoyable, and I think the Ratt track is a bit stronger. Winner: Ratt - "You're In Love"

 

[LooseCannon]

Linkin Park - Papercut vs. Limp Bizkit - Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)
Linkin Park was the exact same as all their other stuff that was in the game, so I fully expected that I would vote for Limp Bizkit, but as soon as I pressed play and heard Fred Durst's stupid voice that was the end of that. Papercut

"Papercut" does the Linkin Park things, with high soft tones, thick crunchy guitars, soft rapping, and sometimes screamy melodic singing. Bennington actually does some borderline rapping here, which isn't as common. They also do the cool "merge the verse and chorus 2" thing at the end, which I can always appreciate when a song ties itself together in an unexpected way. Strong hooks, good stuff. "Rollin'" is whiny and posey in the worst kind of way. There's a good baseline groove, and the electric piano stuff is a nice idea, but just about everything else about this is annoying as shit. Oof. This match-up is a great example of just how differently you can approach songwriting within the same genre of rap-rock, and how very far apart the results can be. Linkin Park takes this in a walk. Winner: Linkin Park - "Papercut"

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

I Am A Viking is great fun, with some cool riffs and typically great, yet overwrought Yngwie masturbations. The production is unfortunately pretty bad, but still a good romp nonetheless. I always forget that Jeff Scott Soto has been around as long as he has and it’s very obvious why Michael Romeo wanted a singer like Russell Allen for his band. Dragon Lady has good riffing and terrible, terrible vocals.

I like the riffing in World of Hurt. It’s really tight and groovy. But, once again, shite vocals and poor production. Fight Fire With Fire is not one of my top Metallica tracks, but it is a thrash juggernaut that pummels all the way through. Definitely better than Overkill.

Die Young is a top tier song from a masterpiece album. The atmospheric intro lulls you in with wailing guitars before the riff hits and its pure energy all the way through. Dio, d’uh, sounds absolutely amazing. This is easily one of my favorite tracks from Dio’s tenure with Sabbath (and Dio’s output all together). It’s a pure sonic journey in the span of less than five minutes, with moodiness, bombast, dynamics galore, incredible playing all around (get it, Geezer!), and a killer climax. Epic tune. Shot In The Dark is so weak in comparison. The riff is good, it’s catchy enough, but there’s zero scope: it just boom-baps from start to finish. I actually think this is one of Ozzy’s least annoying vocal performances. The song, however, cannot compete at all with Die Young.

Papercut feels more riff-driven than most Linkin Park songs, but it’s still just another Linkin Park song: riff + rap verse + chorus, repeat for barely three minutes. Is that Chester rapping the chorus? Don’t like that. Rollin’ is a typically moronic track from The Bizkit. Sorry, Fred, I am not, in fact, lovin’ this shit right here. Linkin Park because they don’t sound (as much) like angry middle schoolers.

In the Exodus battle…I don’t know. We’ve got two Exodus songs. Vocals stink on both. I like the eerie guitar layers in Chemi-Kill, but I hate the lyrics due to overuse of childish swearing. I don’t mind a well-placed “fuck” in the lyrics, but 20 of ‘em just sounds dumb. Unfortunately, Deliver Us To Evil is far more raw and the music is much less interesting. Chemi-Kill squeaks by here.

As with most Motley Crue songs, this one has 1 good riff and everything else sucks. You’re In Love also stinks, but it’s not Motley Crue and it’s not called Girls, Girls, Girls…so I guess it wins.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Fight Fire With Fire has been one of my lesser-liked songs off Ride the Lightning for a long while. It always sort of reminded me of Invaders being the first song on NOTB, if you appreciate what I mean.

I completely get this. I think FFWF is a stronger song than Invaders, but it's the same exact issue in terms of their respective albums.

The nu metal matchup is really difficult for me. On one hand, Papercut has the better band, melody, vocals, and theme. The music assembly is stronger and the actual band members are regarded as some of the finest people and musicians in the subgenre. It's even catchier than its opponent. On the other hand, the Undertaker came out to Rollin' at Wrestlemania X7. Who am I kidding, there's absolutely no contest here. Limp Bizkit.

This is exactly the kind of voting these nu-metal matches deserve.

 

[LooseCannon]

This is exactly the kind of voting these nu-metal matches deserve.

If you mess with the Undertaker, you will rest...in.....PEACE!

 

[Mosh]

Here's my hot take for the round: the Youtube 50 is better than the Popoff 500. While the bands on the YouTube 50 are trash, at least it captures the most well known and acclaimed material from those bands, which is partially what lists like these are supposed to guage. The Popoff 500 is filled to the brim with filler deep cuts from the 80s versions of bands like Limp Bizkit/BMTH.