MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Yep. A grown man visits 2 other grown men who happen to be extremely wealthy and a little eccentric. First man writes a 19 minute song about shaking in his boots.
The Greatest Metal Song Cup - Part II, Round 3, Matches 73-78
- Thread starter LooseCannon
- Start date
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- gmsc
Everyone knows ski hills are closed on July mornings, even those atop the Uriah Heep. You can stop rock and roll, by making sure it's alone again with Skid Row's sentence of 18 and life. Dream Theater was a believer in the count of Tuscany. If you've heard a song for the dead, where can you get Therapy? Nowhere. Judith can't feel BMTH's heart. A Perfect Circle. And Type O Negative has solved the problem of British anarchy by loving it to death.
Part I, Round 55, Matches 325-330
| Play In Round |
| A Real Live One Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Razor - K.M.A. | vs. | Motörhead - Orgasmatron | |
| @DJ James | Nominators | Popoff 500 | |
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| A Real Live One Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virgin Steele - Veni, Vedi, Vici | vs. | Blind Guardian - Mordred's Song | |
| @Wogmidget | Nominators | ||
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| The Trooper Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine Head - Ten Ton Hammer | vs. | Metallica - Trapped Under Ice | |
| Popoff 500 | Nominators | Popoff 500 | |
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| The Trooper Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pentagram - Relentless | vs. | Reverend Bizarre - Doom Over the World | |
| @DJ James | Nominators | ||
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| Janick Gers Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| W.A.S.P. - I Wanna Be Somebody | vs. | Judas Priest - Freewheel Burning | |
| Popoff 500 | Nominators | Popoff 500 | |
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
DJ James
A coma stole my name.
Also, before anyone asks - no, K.M.A. was not a joke nomination, it genuinely is one of my favorite thrash songs EVER and I think perfectly encapsulates the sometimes comical and over the top anger and fury that thrash in the 80’s had to offer. Amazing, perfect and quite short. It’s part of a “duology” and my favorite thrash songs - I always listen to K.M.A. and Choke On It by Death back to back.
I love it when the play-in round causes existential pain. That means I did a good job.
JudasMyGuide
The resident reactionary recalcitrant
Lemmy trying to be ... eh, "philosophical" might be among the cringiest things I've ever seen in metal music, yet I will probably still vote for the song, because that entire album is just awesome all around.
DJ James
A coma stole my name.
I think Lemmy’s musings border on nonsensical a lot of the time, but there are some real gems in Motörhead’s lyrics. Orgasmastron I know back to front and front to back again, my favorite line on there: “Your bones will fill my palaces, your eyes will stud my crown, for I am Mars the God of War, and I will cut you down”.
JudasMyGuide
The resident reactionary recalcitrant
You're right, that line is great.
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
Myung is in the pic, too. No way he was afraid. He knows no fear.
Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
Matches 2 and 6 gave me some problems. Went with Veni, Vini, Dici (cuz it's awesome) and The Forge (cuz we might as well spare ourselves from the anti-Pantera moaning in phase 2).
The Dissident
Ancient Mariner
Match 1: Member's choice
Match 2: Blind Guardian
Match 3: Metallica
Match 4: Reverend Bizarre
Match 5: Wasp (Coin flip as I really enjoy both songs)
Match 6: Member's choice
Match 2: Blind Guardian
Match 3: Metallica
Match 4: Reverend Bizarre
Match 5: Wasp (Coin flip as I really enjoy both songs)
Match 6: Member's choice
KidInTheDark666
What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine too
Good to see Virgin Steele here. They are an underrated band if there ever was one.
Magnus
Pica Serdica
Cheers mate, hope everything is ok by now.
It's Garm (ex-Arcturus), yes.
Enslaved's keyboardist is there too.
They have a song autoseeded to group as well.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
KMA is terrible. Motörhead wins by default.
Virgin Steele starts promising, but never gets as good as I thought it would. Mordred’s Song rules.
Ten Ton Hammer is way too nu-metal for me. Trapped Under Ice is a great Metallica deep cut.
Pentagram has stinky vocals. Reverend Bizarre has equally stinky, but different vocals and is incredibly repetitive. Feels like the Manowar of doom metal. I guess Pentagram but I don’t really care.
I Wanna Be Somebody has an undeniably catchy chorus, but Freewheel Burning is miles better (despite the weird Axl Rose rapping section).
I’m Broken has a killer buzzsaw groove riff, but I don’t like the overlapped vocals. The breakdown riff, though simple, makes the song. The Forge has a solid instrumental but the vocal melodies fall incredibly short.
Virgin Steele starts promising, but never gets as good as I thought it would. Mordred’s Song rules.
Ten Ton Hammer is way too nu-metal for me. Trapped Under Ice is a great Metallica deep cut.
Pentagram has stinky vocals. Reverend Bizarre has equally stinky, but different vocals and is incredibly repetitive. Feels like the Manowar of doom metal. I guess Pentagram but I don’t really care.
I Wanna Be Somebody has an undeniably catchy chorus, but Freewheel Burning is miles better (despite the weird Axl Rose rapping section).
I’m Broken has a killer buzzsaw groove riff, but I don’t like the overlapped vocals. The breakdown riff, though simple, makes the song. The Forge has a solid instrumental but the vocal melodies fall incredibly short.
Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
"K.M.A." is certainly loud and thrashy, though the drums and the rest of the band are often not in sync, which leads parts of the song to devolve into noise. Not a lot to latch onto here. "Orgasmatron" plods along in a simplistic groove while Lemmy mumbles on non-melodically. The solo / interlude sections have some brighter moments, but otherwise there just isn't much going on here. Both songs are mind-numbingly simple and not very appealing, but sorry @DJ James, I think I disliked the list nominee a little bit less. Winner: Motörhead - "Orgasmatron"
"Veni, Vidi, Vici" has a warm, gentle intro with some nice choral backing vocals that soon takes on a more driving character with some harmonized bits. Not a fan of the half-sung vocal style on the verses. The pre-chorus works a little better, but it seems to lack some power, and the chorus is back to the half-singing again. There are also some abrupt transitions in here that sound like mistakes, and some of the backing vocals are surprisingly wimpy. Great solo, though. Oof, the synth horns and some other really bargain basement tones don't help matters, and the track could probably have been 2/3 of the length without losing anything important. This song has a lot of ambition, and I feel like someone could cover it in a way that could make it live up to its aspirations; but what's actually committed to tape here has some serious execution problems. "Mordred's Song" has a lovely neoclassical opening with some nice vocals from Hansi. The music continues to impress, though the vocals go a bit over the top in the coarser sections. The chorus melody is nice, though. Some parts tread water a bit, and the first solo section is overly indulgent and video gamey, but the intro reprise is quite welcome. A mixed bag with some great parts, but sorry @Wogmidget, that's still enough for @MindRuler's nominee to take this one. Winner: Blind Guardian - "Mordred's Song"
"Ten Ton Hammer" plods and nu-metals its way along with some annoying feedback notes until it offers up a decent melodic pre-chorus and a less appealing non-melodic chorus. The bridge is OK, but the interludes are directionless. Not good. "Trapped Under Ice" offers some nice driving riffage and some actually good wah-laden solos from Hammett. Hetfield's out of key half the time, but otherwise sounds pretty good. Some awesome riff change-ups throughout the song, and that call-and-response bridge is great. The chorus is pretty great too. Really good stuff, no contest here whatsoever. Winner: Metallica - "Trapped Under Ice"
"Relentless" has a simple but appealing main riff, and the slimier one that follows is nice. The singer isn't the best, but I've certainly heard much worse. Some of the vocal lines are OK, but a lot of them are completely forgettable. Feels like this song used up all its musical ideas by the 3 minute mark, if not sooner. Pretty mediocre overall. "Doom Over The World" starts off very doomy, but soon shifts into more of a slow rock 'n roll groove. The singer sounds more...formal than I expected. The vocal lines are merely OK, and the chorus in particular sounds pretty amateurish, though it's catchy in its own way. The solo is OK. This song makes it a bit past the 5 minute mark before it sounds like it's completely run out of ideas. Not sure what they were thinking with the wailing in the outro. Hmm, not a fan of either track, so I guess I'm deciding between the better riffs of the Pentagram song or the somewhat catchy chorus of the Reverend Bizarre song. Actually, screw it, I'm flipping a coin. And...sorry, @Confeos, but the hand of fate has selected @DJ James's nominee this time. Winner: Pentagram - "Relentless"
"I Wanna Be Somebody" has a driving beat and the typically overwrought vocals of Blackie Lawless. The verse melody is barely recognizable due to all the vocal histrionics, but the pre-chorus and chorus work pretty well, though the chorus is very repetitive. The solo's pretty good. Bonus point for doing a drum-and-vocal chorus breakdown. Not a very good song in the end, though it has its moments. "Freewheel Burning" kicks much more ass right out of the gate. Driving riffage and a piercing verse vocal from Halford, a great escalating pre-chorus, and a solid chorus. I like the busy vocal bridges. The solo's a little try-hard at first, but the melodic section and the harmonized bits that follow are both great. Love the outro, too. Great stuff, no contest here. Winner: Judas Priest - "Freewheel Burning"
"I'm Broken" aptly describes my spirit after listening to yet another Pantera song. The main riff sounds like some kind of Rage Against The Machine joint, but less fat. Everything about the verse is annoying, and the chorus is a complete dud aside from the overly repetitive riff. The bridge doesn't leave much of an impression, but the solo is decent. Ugh, glad that's over. Let's review -- this song was a moderately interesting riff that was thoroughly beaten into the ground, a decent solo, and a bunch of noise. No thanks. The first 5 seconds of "The Forge" is already better than everything its comptetitor had to offer. I wasn't expecting haunting acoustic guitar and gentle vocals from Nuclear Assault, so color me pleasantly surprised. The heavier rendition of the guitar bit isn't quite as effective, but it's not bad. For some reason I'm getting a slight Alice In Chains vibe from this song. The chorus doesn't quite work for me, but when they go all Megadeth at the midway point I'm totally on board. Very-good-to-great solos with some interesting choices. The rhythmic change-up near the end is also great. I can't say the song was totally successful, but large parts of it were, and there's lots of great stuff on offer here. A slam dunk for @Magnus's nominee. Winner: Nuclear Assault - "The Forge"
"Veni, Vidi, Vici" has a warm, gentle intro with some nice choral backing vocals that soon takes on a more driving character with some harmonized bits. Not a fan of the half-sung vocal style on the verses. The pre-chorus works a little better, but it seems to lack some power, and the chorus is back to the half-singing again. There are also some abrupt transitions in here that sound like mistakes, and some of the backing vocals are surprisingly wimpy. Great solo, though. Oof, the synth horns and some other really bargain basement tones don't help matters, and the track could probably have been 2/3 of the length without losing anything important. This song has a lot of ambition, and I feel like someone could cover it in a way that could make it live up to its aspirations; but what's actually committed to tape here has some serious execution problems. "Mordred's Song" has a lovely neoclassical opening with some nice vocals from Hansi. The music continues to impress, though the vocals go a bit over the top in the coarser sections. The chorus melody is nice, though. Some parts tread water a bit, and the first solo section is overly indulgent and video gamey, but the intro reprise is quite welcome. A mixed bag with some great parts, but sorry @Wogmidget, that's still enough for @MindRuler's nominee to take this one. Winner: Blind Guardian - "Mordred's Song"
"Ten Ton Hammer" plods and nu-metals its way along with some annoying feedback notes until it offers up a decent melodic pre-chorus and a less appealing non-melodic chorus. The bridge is OK, but the interludes are directionless. Not good. "Trapped Under Ice" offers some nice driving riffage and some actually good wah-laden solos from Hammett. Hetfield's out of key half the time, but otherwise sounds pretty good. Some awesome riff change-ups throughout the song, and that call-and-response bridge is great. The chorus is pretty great too. Really good stuff, no contest here whatsoever. Winner: Metallica - "Trapped Under Ice"
"Relentless" has a simple but appealing main riff, and the slimier one that follows is nice. The singer isn't the best, but I've certainly heard much worse. Some of the vocal lines are OK, but a lot of them are completely forgettable. Feels like this song used up all its musical ideas by the 3 minute mark, if not sooner. Pretty mediocre overall. "Doom Over The World" starts off very doomy, but soon shifts into more of a slow rock 'n roll groove. The singer sounds more...formal than I expected. The vocal lines are merely OK, and the chorus in particular sounds pretty amateurish, though it's catchy in its own way. The solo is OK. This song makes it a bit past the 5 minute mark before it sounds like it's completely run out of ideas. Not sure what they were thinking with the wailing in the outro. Hmm, not a fan of either track, so I guess I'm deciding between the better riffs of the Pentagram song or the somewhat catchy chorus of the Reverend Bizarre song. Actually, screw it, I'm flipping a coin. And...sorry, @Confeos, but the hand of fate has selected @DJ James's nominee this time. Winner: Pentagram - "Relentless"
"I Wanna Be Somebody" has a driving beat and the typically overwrought vocals of Blackie Lawless. The verse melody is barely recognizable due to all the vocal histrionics, but the pre-chorus and chorus work pretty well, though the chorus is very repetitive. The solo's pretty good. Bonus point for doing a drum-and-vocal chorus breakdown. Not a very good song in the end, though it has its moments. "Freewheel Burning" kicks much more ass right out of the gate. Driving riffage and a piercing verse vocal from Halford, a great escalating pre-chorus, and a solid chorus. I like the busy vocal bridges. The solo's a little try-hard at first, but the melodic section and the harmonized bits that follow are both great. Love the outro, too. Great stuff, no contest here. Winner: Judas Priest - "Freewheel Burning"
"I'm Broken" aptly describes my spirit after listening to yet another Pantera song. The main riff sounds like some kind of Rage Against The Machine joint, but less fat. Everything about the verse is annoying, and the chorus is a complete dud aside from the overly repetitive riff. The bridge doesn't leave much of an impression, but the solo is decent. Ugh, glad that's over. Let's review -- this song was a moderately interesting riff that was thoroughly beaten into the ground, a decent solo, and a bunch of noise. No thanks. The first 5 seconds of "The Forge" is already better than everything its comptetitor had to offer. I wasn't expecting haunting acoustic guitar and gentle vocals from Nuclear Assault, so color me pleasantly surprised. The heavier rendition of the guitar bit isn't quite as effective, but it's not bad. For some reason I'm getting a slight Alice In Chains vibe from this song. The chorus doesn't quite work for me, but when they go all Megadeth at the midway point I'm totally on board. Very-good-to-great solos with some interesting choices. The rhythmic change-up near the end is also great. I can't say the song was totally successful, but large parts of it were, and there's lots of great stuff on offer here. A slam dunk for @Magnus's nominee. Winner: Nuclear Assault - "The Forge"
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
I see you post this opinion on literally every Blind Guardian song, and I’m curious if you mean the note choices and speed or the literal tone of the guitar distortion? What does “video gamey” mean in terms of power metal guitar playing? Cause I feel like video games basically took a lot of their musicality from metal.
Eh, I wouldn’t say he’s out of tune. He’s reaching and his voice is stretching quite a bit (also this era of his voice was pretty weak compared to what came after), but I wouldn’t say he’s missing the notes half the time.
Kalata
Out of the Silent Planet
This VS song is one of their really interesting ones. Underrated band. It has a Manowar vibe. The melodies and chorus are there to shine. BG's song has cool melodies, but I wouldn't say I'm a fan of it.
Trapped Under Ice is one of my favorite Metallica songs.
WASP vs Priest is interesting for me. Freewheel Burning is a classic Priest opener with great vocals, fast riffs, trademark solos and awesome harmony. On the other hand, I Wanna Be Somebody is a classic with great vocals too, but with probably a better chorus. Cool solo too. This is another example for which a long instrumental section can make all the difference.
Trapped Under Ice is one of my favorite Metallica songs.
WASP vs Priest is interesting for me. Freewheel Burning is a classic Priest opener with great vocals, fast riffs, trademark solos and awesome harmony. On the other hand, I Wanna Be Somebody is a classic with great vocals too, but with probably a better chorus. Cool solo too. This is another example for which a long instrumental section can make all the difference.
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
I’m still trying to figure out how Trapped Under Ice is nominated when it’s not a member choice. I don’t hate it or anything, but it’s such a painfully average song compared to their other tunes of the era. Considering 74.6% of the songs on Metallica’s first four albums are stronger (I actually pulled this number out of my ass but then did the math and was shocked to discover that it’s actually 74.3%), I’m expecting practically their entire classic catalogue will be in this game. Certainly everything from Puppets and Justice, at least.
I too would like to hear @Jer ’s opinion on this, especially since I play in a video game metal band. Do you mean it lacks emotion? Too technical? Too beepity-boopity? Too Mario-ish? Too Mega Man-ish?
JudasMyGuide
The resident reactionary recalcitrant
They're home and all right by now, however I've been having some health issues, though most of it is probably the consequences of covid and/or the antibiotics treatment I've been having concurrently; quite likely nothing serious, but since I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, I'm not bearing it well. A cross I have to bear
Thanks for your concern, I will try to slowly increase my participation here (especially the write-ups, so far I think I've voted almost every time)