The Greatest Metal Song Cup - Part II, Round 3, Matches 61-66
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Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
"Earth Day" is bombastic and airy, and has lots of memorable melodies and harmonies. It also gets annoyingly screamy in places, has pretty dopey lyrics, and is drawn out way too long. Thankfully, it avoids most of the carnival music tropes that Townsend often descends into, and it's still a good song overall. "Seed Awakening" has a great cutting intro and folds in and out of interesting riffage afterward, but the vocals and the vocal lines aren't the best, especially during the monotone parts with the title lyrics, which I really hope weren't supposed to be the chorus. The vocal phrasing is often very awkward, and while there are some interesting harmonies at times, the song doesn't really hold together well. And that sitar outro feels like it's part of a completely different song. Sorry, @Shmoolikipod, but @Mosh's nominee is the clear winner here. Winner: Devin Townsend - "Earth Day"
"Und Pan spielt die Flöte (Desihras Tagebuch Kapitel II)" has a pretty cool opening groove when it's not ruining it with cut time drumming. The verse that follows often sounds like completely random notes and pot-banging with non-melodic vocals before it finds its way back to something melodic. Oh great, now we get the full Cookie Monster, and then a "duet" between Cookie Monster and the throaty non-melodic guy. Clock check and we're just past the 5-minute mark with over 10 minutes left. Jesus. Well, at least it's less annoying than that Nile song. The pattern of simplistic but pretty good melodic grooves and interludes that fall back into often annoyingly drummed, horribly voiced sections holds up for the rest of the obnoxiously long track. If the song had actually lived up to its name and let me hear Pan play the flute instead, that would have almost certainly been more enjoyable. "Hvite Krists Død" features Gollum cackling about Christ over some simple and repetitive melodies, and has some seriously low-rent 80s synth action that reminds me of the LAPC-1 card in my old PC. The drumming is nowhere near as annoying on this track overall (though it has its moments), and the piano interlude is actually quite nice. Hot damn, there are even a few clean vocals near the end, though they aren't very good. I too am deeply interested in hearing a detailed technical breakdown of the original version vs. the remastered version of this seminal bathroom recording. Well, I can't say that I enjoyed either of these songs, but sorry @Perun, @Magnus's nominee was significantly less annoying and way shorter, so it gets the nod. Winner: Satyricon - "Hvite Krists Død"
Jesus, I never realized that Iron Butterfly's one-hit wonder completely ripped off a bigger band's song that had come out only one year earlier. "Sunshine Of Your Love" has an instantly recognizable riff, but almost everything else about the song is completely forgettable. The verse, pre-chorus, and chorus melodies are serviceable, but unremarkable. The solo is overly long and directionless until the very end, where it finally pulls it together. Not a ton to latch onto here. "Shout It Out Loud" is a pretty stark difference, laden with hooks from start to finish. The lyrics are dopey and the solo is merely OK, but this is pretty clearly the superior song. Winner: Kiss - "Shout It Out Loud"
Gotta love Spinal Tap, but "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight" is nowhere near their best song. Still, it's got pretty good vocal lines, a solid riff, and a very synthy interlude. "Suicide Solution" has a slightly edgier take on a Purplesque groove, and the vocal lines are also pretty good, though Ozzy sounds bored. I like the atmospheric interludes in this one. These songs are actually pretty comparable in terms of quality, so I'll go with the presumed underdog and sentimental favorite. Winner: Spinal Tap - "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight"
"Pretend We're Dead" got way overplayed on MTV back in the day, and I never really understood why. The lazy groove and melodic lead has some appeal, but the singer sounds bored and the "c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon" part doesn't really work at all. It's not terrible or anything, but there isn't much to it. "Sex Type Thing" has better riffs and a much bigger chorus, though it's also relatively simplistic and repetitive. I'm not a fan of Scott Weiland, but his me-too grunge vocals work well enough here. I wouldn't seek this song out on purpose, but I wouldn't turn it off if it were already playing (though I guess I could say the same of the L7 song). Both songs are OK I guess, but in the end I'm leaning toward STT by STP. Winner: Stone Temple Pilots - "Sex Type Thing"
I already talked a bit about my nominee, "Me Without You". It's a disarmingly gentle ballad with an unusually subtle performance from Michael Sweet and great guitar work from George Lynch, it has gorgeous melodies and harmonies, and it stays short and focused. Love it. "Back In The Saddle" has a cool ominous intro that builds up to...a thoroughly underwhelming climax. The meat of the song is pleasantly riffy rock n' roll with some overly screechy vocals. I like the change-up in the bridge and the twangy extended outro too. Good song overall, but I don't think it stands up to the perfect little gem of a ballad I nominated. Winner: Sweet & Lynch - "Me Without You"
"Und Pan spielt die Flöte (Desihras Tagebuch Kapitel II)" has a pretty cool opening groove when it's not ruining it with cut time drumming. The verse that follows often sounds like completely random notes and pot-banging with non-melodic vocals before it finds its way back to something melodic. Oh great, now we get the full Cookie Monster, and then a "duet" between Cookie Monster and the throaty non-melodic guy. Clock check and we're just past the 5-minute mark with over 10 minutes left. Jesus. Well, at least it's less annoying than that Nile song. The pattern of simplistic but pretty good melodic grooves and interludes that fall back into often annoyingly drummed, horribly voiced sections holds up for the rest of the obnoxiously long track. If the song had actually lived up to its name and let me hear Pan play the flute instead, that would have almost certainly been more enjoyable. "Hvite Krists Død" features Gollum cackling about Christ over some simple and repetitive melodies, and has some seriously low-rent 80s synth action that reminds me of the LAPC-1 card in my old PC. The drumming is nowhere near as annoying on this track overall (though it has its moments), and the piano interlude is actually quite nice. Hot damn, there are even a few clean vocals near the end, though they aren't very good. I too am deeply interested in hearing a detailed technical breakdown of the original version vs. the remastered version of this seminal bathroom recording. Well, I can't say that I enjoyed either of these songs, but sorry @Perun, @Magnus's nominee was significantly less annoying and way shorter, so it gets the nod. Winner: Satyricon - "Hvite Krists Død"
Jesus, I never realized that Iron Butterfly's one-hit wonder completely ripped off a bigger band's song that had come out only one year earlier. "Sunshine Of Your Love" has an instantly recognizable riff, but almost everything else about the song is completely forgettable. The verse, pre-chorus, and chorus melodies are serviceable, but unremarkable. The solo is overly long and directionless until the very end, where it finally pulls it together. Not a ton to latch onto here. "Shout It Out Loud" is a pretty stark difference, laden with hooks from start to finish. The lyrics are dopey and the solo is merely OK, but this is pretty clearly the superior song. Winner: Kiss - "Shout It Out Loud"
Gotta love Spinal Tap, but "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight" is nowhere near their best song. Still, it's got pretty good vocal lines, a solid riff, and a very synthy interlude. "Suicide Solution" has a slightly edgier take on a Purplesque groove, and the vocal lines are also pretty good, though Ozzy sounds bored. I like the atmospheric interludes in this one. These songs are actually pretty comparable in terms of quality, so I'll go with the presumed underdog and sentimental favorite. Winner: Spinal Tap - "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight"
"Pretend We're Dead" got way overplayed on MTV back in the day, and I never really understood why. The lazy groove and melodic lead has some appeal, but the singer sounds bored and the "c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon" part doesn't really work at all. It's not terrible or anything, but there isn't much to it. "Sex Type Thing" has better riffs and a much bigger chorus, though it's also relatively simplistic and repetitive. I'm not a fan of Scott Weiland, but his me-too grunge vocals work well enough here. I wouldn't seek this song out on purpose, but I wouldn't turn it off if it were already playing (though I guess I could say the same of the L7 song). Both songs are OK I guess, but in the end I'm leaning toward STT by STP. Winner: Stone Temple Pilots - "Sex Type Thing"
I already talked a bit about my nominee, "Me Without You". It's a disarmingly gentle ballad with an unusually subtle performance from Michael Sweet and great guitar work from George Lynch, it has gorgeous melodies and harmonies, and it stays short and focused. Love it. "Back In The Saddle" has a cool ominous intro that builds up to...a thoroughly underwhelming climax. The meat of the song is pleasantly riffy rock n' roll with some overly screechy vocals. I like the change-up in the bridge and the twangy extended outro too. Good song overall, but I don't think it stands up to the perfect little gem of a ballad I nominated. Winner: Sweet & Lynch - "Me Without You"
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MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
____no5
Free Man
What exactly you like in this cover? From a quick look it seems to me one of the worst, if not THE worst album cover of all time.
EDIT:
I didn't know we can vote for 2 competing songs, new prospects are opening!!
Do not do this!
MindRuler
Ancient Mariner
I sincerely hope you or anyone else won´t ever do this!
JudasMyGuide
The resident reactionary recalcitrant
Sorry for missing the past two rounds, I'm on holiday and it's been rather hard to participate recently, but next week's probably gonna be better.
First match: It took me a while to get into Devin - for all his reputation he really isn't a musical savant per se, he's not a virtuoso (apart from his vocals, in fact), he just as often does something interesting to me as not, and yet... he is ingenious in his own special little way. His inclinations towards mixing industrial metal, new age, shoegazing dream pop and actual prog is something I should probably hate on paper... and I can't, because his work is just so... humane. Flawed, specific, idiosyncratic... but beautiful. I won't ruminate on the particular placement of Earth Song - possibly the best song off Terria, possibly one of the best albums by him - in my own personal DT song rankings. I won't even talk about the song itself more closely, because I'd have to fuck it all up with some inane comparison like "this sounds like a misbegotten child of Neurosis, Riverside and My Bloody Valentine, none of which I like, but I weirdly seem to love in combination".
Instead, let's just say that despite Nevermore being one of the alleged "prog metal legends", I still haven't been able to discern their appeal. This song sounds like overtuned and overthought Papa Roach. I mean, I can enjoy Meshuggah and Mars Volta and I don't know what else, but this just sounds... weird, and not in a good way. Give me Deftones over this, any time of the day.
Hence, I don't even need to recall the fact Devy lost in a quite unfair landslide the last time he was in the cup, I'm going to be voting for Mr Skullet all the way.
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The next two tracks are both better than I expected - I'm not really a fan of Satyricon, but this song is rather solid, up to the point where I'll say it's a pity it's been losing so badly, especially since we've had much worse black metal tracks in the game before. I like the atmospherics there, the quite prominent piano is a quite welcome addition and the Eastern-sounding harmonies (especially prominent/first noticed about the first minute) - which I am too lazy to break down to identify regarding its exact mode right now - are a nice touch. And finally we have some black metal vocals that don't sound as if the singer was halfway to Shane MacGowan. Also, some of the switches in dynamics are good and the ending is one of my favourite parts in this entire round.
I also love the new album cover (as seen in the YouTube video); call me shallow, I don't care.
Oh, and my four-year-old has just now said to me to play it again; he liked it very much.
That said, I could still do without the lyrics, even though these are not as vile as some others and the amount of blasphemy is within tolerable limits... especially since they're Norwegian.
That said,
If Satyr and Frost were among the actual church burners as well, I definitely wouldn't vote for them.
Especially in the lyrics department, Nocte Obducta are more high-brow and commendable
But that said, although I like the song and it is appropriately epic, I guess I like somewhat less what's being done here; less melodic, less inventive in the instrumentation, less catchy, definitely.
Even so, it's another good pick from Perun and I'd definitely vote for it against some of the other previous black metal-adjacent tracks we've had here previously (especially Celtic Frost and the songs from Panzerfaust - even though I usually like Darkthrone as such).
So, @Magnus , I am sorry your nominee is losing, it deserves more love and I'll be voting for Satyricon,
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Neither of the songs from the next match should be here, because they're not even remotely metal, but Cream have a killer riff, a killer rhythm section and immense influence. And they sound great, with the ragged 60s sound partially muffled within the psychedelic leanings of this particular album.
Kiss... are Kiss, I wouldn't be exactly using the term "joke band", but their power pop shtick works pretty much as well as the underlying idea does. Shout It Out Loud is an incredibly annoying and unsophisticated song, it wears out its welcome even during its "not-even-three-minutes" length. "Chooowdy, chooowdy, chowdy laudan!" times infinity. Yes, chowdy laudanum indeed.
I admit the intro sounds rather good, production-wise, in that glammy fashion that reminds me of the better songs of the era (Roy Wood and his various projects, Slade, etc.), but that's hardly enough to save the song.
And it's neck to neck? Fuck, mates, you're kidding me, aren't you? Cream.
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Spinal Tap are - well, somewhat like Kiss from the previous match, or Van Halen - a phenomenon that feels so utterly and wholly American that I have a hard time getting into it and I usually don't feel the need. This song just proves it. I don't know what would possess someone to pick it for any type of "best of" list, because this is not even good, let alone "best". An unassuming track that sounds more or less like a discount version of Grand Funk Railroad... but even that's a compliment, because next to this vocalist, Mark Farner is literally Pavarotti.
Next to Blizzard-era Ozzy? With Randy and everything?
And Spinal Tap are winning? Mates, again, ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Is this some elaborate trolling on the part of the forum? Fuck's sakes, really.
OZZY, seriously *shaking my head*
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And again, two bands that have no business being in the greatest metal song cup, as you get an all-female band trying to create the perfect background music for your 80s afternoon zombie-gait shopping in a monster mall and the most wretched of the grunge bands trying to sound like Rob Zombie. Gee, what a wonderful match.
I guess I might be just as well appreciating the good - that is, L7 bring me nostalgic memories of playing GTA: San Andreas and Stone Temple Pilots have the edgier lyrics, I guess. Although, by then, Nirvana's Polly was already two years old.
According to guitarist Dean DeLeo, the song “In the Light” by Led Zeppelin had a direct influence on the main riff in “Sex Type Thing”.
Huh. I don't hear it.
But still, the song's probably better, or at least makes me less depressed overall, so once again I find myself voting for a band I'd never guess I'd be supporting, closing both eyes and ticking that Stone Temple Pilots box.
"I'll give ya something that ya won't forget", oh no, Scott, you won't - if it weren't for this cup, I would have forgotten about your whole band already.
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I admit that Jer's ballad is rather nice (though not up to the level of, for example, Strato's 4000 Rainy Nights, which I almost nominated in the cup myself) and I like the guitar, but 'Smith's Rocks is one of my favourite hard rock albums, this song has incredible ... eh, "swagger", I guess, I love the subtle syncopated riff under the chorus, I like the bridge (the rhythm section rocks also!) and although Tyler might be a tad too much unpleasantly screechy (although hardly as annoying as Plant, for example), what he does here, especially the "riding hiiiiiiigh" parts near the end is pretty impressive. Voting for Rocks here, although if the opposing song wins, I won't mind.
First match: It took me a while to get into Devin - for all his reputation he really isn't a musical savant per se, he's not a virtuoso (apart from his vocals, in fact), he just as often does something interesting to me as not, and yet... he is ingenious in his own special little way. His inclinations towards mixing industrial metal, new age, shoegazing dream pop and actual prog is something I should probably hate on paper... and I can't, because his work is just so... humane. Flawed, specific, idiosyncratic... but beautiful. I won't ruminate on the particular placement of Earth Song - possibly the best song off Terria, possibly one of the best albums by him - in my own personal DT song rankings. I won't even talk about the song itself more closely, because I'd have to fuck it all up with some inane comparison like "this sounds like a misbegotten child of Neurosis, Riverside and My Bloody Valentine, none of which I like, but I weirdly seem to love in combination".
Instead, let's just say that despite Nevermore being one of the alleged "prog metal legends", I still haven't been able to discern their appeal. This song sounds like overtuned and overthought Papa Roach. I mean, I can enjoy Meshuggah and Mars Volta and I don't know what else, but this just sounds... weird, and not in a good way. Give me Deftones over this, any time of the day.
Hence, I don't even need to recall the fact Devy lost in a quite unfair landslide the last time he was in the cup, I'm going to be voting for Mr Skullet all the way.
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The next two tracks are both better than I expected - I'm not really a fan of Satyricon, but this song is rather solid, up to the point where I'll say it's a pity it's been losing so badly, especially since we've had much worse black metal tracks in the game before. I like the atmospherics there, the quite prominent piano is a quite welcome addition and the Eastern-sounding harmonies (especially prominent/first noticed about the first minute) - which I am too lazy to break down to identify regarding its exact mode right now - are a nice touch. And finally we have some black metal vocals that don't sound as if the singer was halfway to Shane MacGowan. Also, some of the switches in dynamics are good and the ending is one of my favourite parts in this entire round.
I also love the new album cover (as seen in the YouTube video); call me shallow, I don't care.
Oh, and my four-year-old has just now said to me to play it again; he liked it very much.
That said, I could still do without the lyrics, even though these are not as vile as some others and the amount of blasphemy is within tolerable limits... especially since they're Norwegian.
That said,
If Satyr and Frost were among the actual church burners as well, I definitely wouldn't vote for them.
Especially in the lyrics department, Nocte Obducta are more high-brow and commendable
and the style is in general much closer to what I like - that is "post-black metal", i. e. not black metal combined with post-rock, as the term is sometimes used, but as a development of the black metal paradigm into something less stylistically pure or even outside the subgenre altogether.
But that said, although I like the song and it is appropriately epic, I guess I like somewhat less what's being done here; less melodic, less inventive in the instrumentation, less catchy, definitely.
Even so, it's another good pick from Perun and I'd definitely vote for it against some of the other previous black metal-adjacent tracks we've had here previously (especially Celtic Frost and the songs from Panzerfaust - even though I usually like Darkthrone as such).
So, @Magnus , I am sorry your nominee is losing, it deserves more love and I'll be voting for Satyricon,
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Neither of the songs from the next match should be here, because they're not even remotely metal, but Cream have a killer riff, a killer rhythm section and immense influence. And they sound great, with the ragged 60s sound partially muffled within the psychedelic leanings of this particular album.
Kiss... are Kiss, I wouldn't be exactly using the term "joke band", but their power pop shtick works pretty much as well as the underlying idea does. Shout It Out Loud is an incredibly annoying and unsophisticated song, it wears out its welcome even during its "not-even-three-minutes" length. "Chooowdy, chooowdy, chowdy laudan!" times infinity. Yes, chowdy laudanum indeed.
I admit the intro sounds rather good, production-wise, in that glammy fashion that reminds me of the better songs of the era (Roy Wood and his various projects, Slade, etc.), but that's hardly enough to save the song.
And it's neck to neck? Fuck, mates, you're kidding me, aren't you? Cream.
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Spinal Tap are - well, somewhat like Kiss from the previous match, or Van Halen - a phenomenon that feels so utterly and wholly American that I have a hard time getting into it and I usually don't feel the need. This song just proves it. I don't know what would possess someone to pick it for any type of "best of" list, because this is not even good, let alone "best". An unassuming track that sounds more or less like a discount version of Grand Funk Railroad... but even that's a compliment, because next to this vocalist, Mark Farner is literally Pavarotti.
Next to Blizzard-era Ozzy? With Randy and everything?
And Spinal Tap are winning? Mates, again, ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Is this some elaborate trolling on the part of the forum? Fuck's sakes, really.
OZZY, seriously *shaking my head*
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And again, two bands that have no business being in the greatest metal song cup, as you get an all-female band trying to create the perfect background music for your 80s afternoon zombie-gait shopping in a monster mall and the most wretched of the grunge bands trying to sound like Rob Zombie. Gee, what a wonderful match.
I guess I might be just as well appreciating the good - that is, L7 bring me nostalgic memories of playing GTA: San Andreas and Stone Temple Pilots have the edgier lyrics, I guess. Although, by then, Nirvana's Polly was already two years old.
According to guitarist Dean DeLeo, the song “In the Light” by Led Zeppelin had a direct influence on the main riff in “Sex Type Thing”.
Huh. I don't hear it.
But still, the song's probably better, or at least makes me less depressed overall, so once again I find myself voting for a band I'd never guess I'd be supporting, closing both eyes and ticking that Stone Temple Pilots box.
"I'll give ya something that ya won't forget", oh no, Scott, you won't - if it weren't for this cup, I would have forgotten about your whole band already.
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I admit that Jer's ballad is rather nice (though not up to the level of, for example, Strato's 4000 Rainy Nights, which I almost nominated in the cup myself) and I like the guitar, but 'Smith's Rocks is one of my favourite hard rock albums, this song has incredible ... eh, "swagger", I guess, I love the subtle syncopated riff under the chorus, I like the bridge (the rhythm section rocks also!) and although Tyler might be a tad too much unpleasantly screechy (although hardly as annoying as Plant, for example), what he does here, especially the "riding hiiiiiiigh" parts near the end is pretty impressive. Voting for Rocks here, although if the opposing song wins, I won't mind.
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srfc
Ancient Mariner
Devin Townsend - Earth Day vs. Nevermore - Seed Awakening
Not mad about either track, but much more going on in general, and just better hooks and melodies in the Devin Townsend track Earth Day
Nocte Obducta - Un Pan Spielt die Flote (Desihras Tagebuch - Kapitel 2) vs. Satyricon - Hvite Krists Dod
Nocte Obducta is not something I would have much interest in listening to, but to give it it's dues I can clearly hear what's going on production wise and the entire genre could benefit from having that sort of production, there's some good parts too. Satyricon is in the same boat but just less good parts than Nocte Obducta. Un Pan Spielt die Flote (Desihras Tagebuch - Kapitel 2)
Cream - Sunshine of Your Love vs. KISS - Shout It Out Loud
Sunshine of Your Love has a classic riff, but that's about it, Shout it Out Loud is a better track overall. Shout It Out Loud
Spinal Tap - Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight vs. Ozzy Osbourne - Suicide Solution
Suicide Solution is probably the second weakest track on Blizzard of Ozz, but that's no insult given the standards of the rest of it. A joke parody track is not getting my vote even if it was great, and this is not. Suicide Solution
L7 - Pretend We're Dead vs. Stone Temple Pilots - Sex Type Thing
Pretend We're Dead is pretty shit. The Snakes of Christ riff makes about it's 4th or 5th appearance in the game, and wins the tie on it's own, but the rest of the track is far superior too Sex Type Thing
Sweet & Lynch - Me Without You vs. Aerosmith - Back in the Saddle
Me Without You is a standard enough song lifted by a good guitar performance. Back in the Saddle is a great track from the era of Aerosmith that I'm familiar with. Back in the Saddle
Not mad about either track, but much more going on in general, and just better hooks and melodies in the Devin Townsend track Earth Day
Nocte Obducta - Un Pan Spielt die Flote (Desihras Tagebuch - Kapitel 2) vs. Satyricon - Hvite Krists Dod
Nocte Obducta is not something I would have much interest in listening to, but to give it it's dues I can clearly hear what's going on production wise and the entire genre could benefit from having that sort of production, there's some good parts too. Satyricon is in the same boat but just less good parts than Nocte Obducta. Un Pan Spielt die Flote (Desihras Tagebuch - Kapitel 2)
Cream - Sunshine of Your Love vs. KISS - Shout It Out Loud
Sunshine of Your Love has a classic riff, but that's about it, Shout it Out Loud is a better track overall. Shout It Out Loud
Spinal Tap - Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight vs. Ozzy Osbourne - Suicide Solution
Suicide Solution is probably the second weakest track on Blizzard of Ozz, but that's no insult given the standards of the rest of it. A joke parody track is not getting my vote even if it was great, and this is not. Suicide Solution
L7 - Pretend We're Dead vs. Stone Temple Pilots - Sex Type Thing
Pretend We're Dead is pretty shit. The Snakes of Christ riff makes about it's 4th or 5th appearance in the game, and wins the tie on it's own, but the rest of the track is far superior too Sex Type Thing
Sweet & Lynch - Me Without You vs. Aerosmith - Back in the Saddle
Me Without You is a standard enough song lifted by a good guitar performance. Back in the Saddle is a great track from the era of Aerosmith that I'm familiar with. Back in the Saddle
____no5
Free Man
It was obviously a joke!
In case it happens it won't be intentional.
Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
That's just a refrain, the chorus is the "we are cold when we are strong" part.
The sitar is a reference to the previous track on the album Noumenon, which is an eerie weird intro thing. It makes Seed Awakening even better, but definitely not a The Hellion/Electric Eye deal where you're sent to prison if you separate them.
I guessed the vocals would be the main barrier here. Enemies of Reality is their most angsty album by far, so it has a lot of bad vocals as a stylistic choice.
Devin Townsend - Earth Day vs Nevermore - Seed Awakening
I liked the opening, epic flavour of the Townsend track, surprise surprise, but after several minutes I found myself looking at the timer and being annoyed that I was only midway through. Now, everybody who knows me will know that I absolutely dig 10 minute tracks with minimal progression (as my entry in this round proves), but somehow, Earth Day started to bore me and left me with the feeling that it didn't continue giving me anything new after the first few minutes. I know this is rich coming from me, but that's how it is. On the other hand, the Nevermore track annoyed me even more. I just could never hear in this band what others do. Just because there are sudden, surprising shifts and changes in the song's direction doesn't automatically make it good. You can't just go around calling every mashed-up mess a collage or a varying soundscape, it takes more than that. Maybe in this particular song it's the drum sound that killed it, I don't know. Win for Townsend, but not out of love.
Nocte Obducta - Und Pan Spielt die Flöte (Desîhras Tagebuch - Kapitel 2) vs Satyricon - Hvite Krists Død
In a different reality, when the Satyricon track wouldn't have been up against one of my favourite songs ever, I would have voted for it. However, when two of the best black metal songs ever are up against each other, only one can win. And that will have to be Und Pan Spielt die Flöte. But it was a worthy fight.
Cream - Sunshine of Your Love vs KISS - Shout It Out Loud
I absolutely appreciate the historical importance of the Cream track, and there was a time when I would have voted for it without question. Now, however, I just feel it's boring and tedious. Maybe I need to take the right drugs for it, I'll let you know when I'm old and have nothing to lose and start trippin' out. While Shout It Out Loud is a pretty mediocre track even by Kiss standards, it sounds really exciting next to Sunshine of Your Love, so I'm going for Kiss.
Spinal Tap - Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight vs Ozzy Osbourne - Suicide Solution
WTF? Look guys, I enjoyed This is Spinal Tap! as much as anyone, but what on Earth is this song doing here? This has to be a joke. It's not even a question I'm going for one of the lesser early 80's Ozzy tracks here.
L7 - Pretend We're Dead vs Stone Temple Pilots - Sex Type Thing
Both songs aren't really very good when listening to them with an honest ear, and I'm going for L7 if only because it provides an early 90's angsty atmosphere that is good enough for a nostalgic flashback.
Sweet & Lynch - Me Without You vs Aerosmith - Back in the Saddle
I was about to dismiss the Sweet & Lynch song as too saccharine for my taste, but then the instrumental section, short as it is, positively surprised me in its sudden change of pace and quality playing. Not a big fan, but it's enough to blow the eternally annoying Aerosmith shlock out of the water.
I liked the opening, epic flavour of the Townsend track, surprise surprise, but after several minutes I found myself looking at the timer and being annoyed that I was only midway through. Now, everybody who knows me will know that I absolutely dig 10 minute tracks with minimal progression (as my entry in this round proves), but somehow, Earth Day started to bore me and left me with the feeling that it didn't continue giving me anything new after the first few minutes. I know this is rich coming from me, but that's how it is. On the other hand, the Nevermore track annoyed me even more. I just could never hear in this band what others do. Just because there are sudden, surprising shifts and changes in the song's direction doesn't automatically make it good. You can't just go around calling every mashed-up mess a collage or a varying soundscape, it takes more than that. Maybe in this particular song it's the drum sound that killed it, I don't know. Win for Townsend, but not out of love.
Nocte Obducta - Und Pan Spielt die Flöte (Desîhras Tagebuch - Kapitel 2) vs Satyricon - Hvite Krists Død
In a different reality, when the Satyricon track wouldn't have been up against one of my favourite songs ever, I would have voted for it. However, when two of the best black metal songs ever are up against each other, only one can win. And that will have to be Und Pan Spielt die Flöte. But it was a worthy fight.
Cream - Sunshine of Your Love vs KISS - Shout It Out Loud
I absolutely appreciate the historical importance of the Cream track, and there was a time when I would have voted for it without question. Now, however, I just feel it's boring and tedious. Maybe I need to take the right drugs for it, I'll let you know when I'm old and have nothing to lose and start trippin' out. While Shout It Out Loud is a pretty mediocre track even by Kiss standards, it sounds really exciting next to Sunshine of Your Love, so I'm going for Kiss.
Spinal Tap - Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight vs Ozzy Osbourne - Suicide Solution
WTF? Look guys, I enjoyed This is Spinal Tap! as much as anyone, but what on Earth is this song doing here? This has to be a joke. It's not even a question I'm going for one of the lesser early 80's Ozzy tracks here.
L7 - Pretend We're Dead vs Stone Temple Pilots - Sex Type Thing
Both songs aren't really very good when listening to them with an honest ear, and I'm going for L7 if only because it provides an early 90's angsty atmosphere that is good enough for a nostalgic flashback.
Sweet & Lynch - Me Without You vs Aerosmith - Back in the Saddle
I was about to dismiss the Sweet & Lynch song as too saccharine for my taste, but then the instrumental section, short as it is, positively surprised me in its sudden change of pace and quality playing. Not a big fan, but it's enough to blow the eternally annoying Aerosmith shlock out of the water.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Nevermore was pretty solid, but Devin Townsend, silly as he may be, wins this on account of RECYCLE!!! alone.
Neither song was bad, but I'll go with Nocte Obducta for singing in German and having some great melo-black riffs. Shoutout to "Vi brenner guds hus!" though, funniest line I've ever heard.
"Sunshine of Your Love" is a bit of a plodder but it does have one of rock's great riffs, and I love its use in Goodfellas (even moreso than "Layla", actually). But "Shout It Out Loud" is too much fun for me to vote Cream over Kiss.
Spinal Tap is stupid. Randy's riff alone would take this but luckily the whole song is strong enough to hand Ozzy the win.
L7 are solid grunge. Stone Temple Pilots are awesome and deserve much more respect than they get. A lot of people took these lyrics at face value back in the day, when they're supposed to be taken as a parody of rapists... hence the title "Sex Type Thing". Rape is not the same as sex. Love this band, love this song.
I've heard Iced Earth and Blaze Bayley utilize similar melodies better than Sweet & Lynch do, the vocals in the verses are annoying, and the solo goes nowhere, but credit where credit is due, "Me Without You" has an amazing chorus. If the rest of the song was stronger this would be an easy vote, but Aerosmith have a stronger song overall and I love hearing Steven Tyler unhinge his jaw in that chorus.
Neither song was bad, but I'll go with Nocte Obducta for singing in German and having some great melo-black riffs. Shoutout to "Vi brenner guds hus!" though, funniest line I've ever heard.
"Sunshine of Your Love" is a bit of a plodder but it does have one of rock's great riffs, and I love its use in Goodfellas (even moreso than "Layla", actually). But "Shout It Out Loud" is too much fun for me to vote Cream over Kiss.
Spinal Tap is stupid. Randy's riff alone would take this but luckily the whole song is strong enough to hand Ozzy the win.
L7 are solid grunge. Stone Temple Pilots are awesome and deserve much more respect than they get. A lot of people took these lyrics at face value back in the day, when they're supposed to be taken as a parody of rapists... hence the title "Sex Type Thing". Rape is not the same as sex. Love this band, love this song.
I've heard Iced Earth and Blaze Bayley utilize similar melodies better than Sweet & Lynch do, the vocals in the verses are annoying, and the solo goes nowhere, but credit where credit is due, "Me Without You" has an amazing chorus. If the rest of the song was stronger this would be an easy vote, but Aerosmith have a stronger song overall and I love hearing Steven Tyler unhinge his jaw in that chorus.
Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
It might be Earth Day, but the seeds remain asleep as Devin Townsend wins. I can't do pun in other languages as Nocte Obducta beats Satyricon. We're all shouting out loud for KISS's narrow win over Cream. Ozzy Osbourne has a solution for Spinal Tap's promise to rock you. Stone Temple Pilots didn't just pretend L7 was dead, they made sure with a strong win. Aerosmith's back in the saddle with a close win over Sweet & Lynch.
Part I, Round 29, Matches 169-174
| Play In Round |
| The Clansman Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonata Arctica - White Pearl, Black Oceans | vs. | Powerwolf - Saturday Satan | |
| @Spambot | Nominators | @Jer | |
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| The Clansman Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Cheer - Summertime Blues | vs. | UFO - Prince Kajuku | |
| Rolling Stone 100 | Nominators | Radio EHS 100 | |
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| The Clansman Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manowar - Sign Of The Hammer | vs. | Stratovarius - Father Time | |
| Best Music Art 100 | Nominators | ||
| Youtube | | Links |
| Play In Round |
| Different World Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers | vs. | Led Zeppelin - Misty Mountain Hop | |
| Popoff 500 | Nominators | Popoff 500 | |
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| Different World Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grave Digger - Lionheart | vs. | Ozzy Osbourne - Secret Loser | |
| @Kalata | Nominators | ||
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
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Just want to take a moment to thank everyone for nominating songs, playing along, voting, giving thoughts, and letting the many user errors that pop up in a game like this slide. I'm having a lot of fun so far and I hope you all are too.
christ, please tell bands to stop re-recording stuff, or if they do that, MARK it as re-recorded.
I updated the link.
I updated the link.