The Greatest Metal Song Cup - Part II, Round 4, Matches 118-123

[srfc]

....how?

I think a lot of the elements of extreme metal are an exaggeration of what metal is, brought to self parody levels. If there's a spectrum of what metal is, then Ted is a lot closer to what all the best bands Maiden, Metallica, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath do than ott drumming and grunting vocals are.

I don't want to sound like I'm singling out Enslaved here as there was some good stuff in that song. It's just there was a lot of "that's not metal" comments this round which are a pain in the hole to have to read time and time again, especially when a lot of stuff was nominated by users in good faith, hence a snarky comment from me.

 

[LooseCannon]

Enslaved has a stranglehold on this part of the mountain climb. The eyes of the world are dazed and confused as we have a tie. Don't jump now, Judas Priest won. I heard voices today that said Dream Theater won. It's January, not July, so we better go with Skid Row. Judith is going somewhere, for sure, as A Perfect Circle wins the sixth match.

---

Part II, Round 4, Matches 112-117
​

Group Stage - Round 4	Match 112​	A Real Live One Division​
Motörhead - Orgasmatron	vs.​	Blind Guardian - Mordred's Song​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	@MindRuler​
0-1-0, 0 pts, -12	Record​	0-0-0, 0 pts, +0​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 4	Match 113​	The Trooper Division​
Metallica - Trapped Under Ice	vs.​	Reverend Bizarre - Doom Over the World​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	@Confeos​
0-1-0, 0 pts, -12	Record​	0-0-0, 0 pts, +0​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 4	Match 114​	Janick Gers Division​
Pantera - I'm Broken	vs.​	Rainbow - Long Live Rock 'N' Roll​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
0-1-0, 0 pts, -8	Record​	0-0-0, 0 pts, +0​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 4	Match 115​	The Parchment Division​
Megadeth - The Skull Beneath the Skin	vs.​	KISS - Deuce​
@Stardust	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
0-1-0, 0 pts, -12	Record​	0-0-0, 0 pts, +0​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 4	Match 116​	2 Minutes to Midnight Division​
Ayreon - The Fifth Extinction	vs.​	KISS - Creatures of the Night​
@Shmoolikipod	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
0-0-0, 0 pts, -5	Record​	0-0-0, 0 pts, +0​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 4	Match 117​	Blaze Bayley Division​
Deep Purple - The Battle Rages On	vs.​	Yes - Heart of the Sunrise​
@Wogmidget	Nominators​	@Stardust​
0-1-0, 0 pts, -7	Record​	0-0-0, 0 pts, +0​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

 

[Diesel 11]

Man... I love "Heart of the Sunrise". I do not think it's metal though. That said I would love to have @Stardust persuade me otherwise.

 

[KidInTheDark666]

Man... I love "Heart of the Sunrise". I do not think it's metal though. That said I would love to have @Stardust persuade me otherwise.

There’s that, and also The Battle Rages On is better than every Yes song... Heart of the Sunrise has some metallic bits in it, I guess.

 

[Diesel 11]

The Battle Rages On is better than every Yes song

It's gotta be like a Top 50 best song ever to be that damn good.

 

[Kalata]

BG's Mordred's Song is more interesting with cool melodic ideas.
I've always liked Trapped Under Ice, especially in terms of Metallica's 80's thrash metal. The riffs and tempo (gallop!) are effective.
Long Live Rock 'N' Roll, such an easy choice, no chance. A pure rock anthem from Rainbow. Essential classic.
I prefer the melodic approach of KISS' Deuce. The riffs on the studio version aren't as effective (it's 1973 after all), but it's one of their classics that's really catchy(!) and that instrumental section/solos are still great.
Long vs short song is always tough. Ayreon's Fifth Extinction is nice and solid, but it's not that effective for me (aside from the melodies and chorus). I'll go with the shorter song. Creatures Of The Night is heavy metal KISS, very solid one and works great (riffs, verses, chorus). Not the catchiest song (although it doesn't need melodies), but very effective, which sometimes a long song can't manage to do. The glam riff carry a melody, which is good. COTN was a logical album for the band with Carr. KISS' heavier songs are usually good.
The Yes song has some nice bits, but it's not for me. Also, a lot of slow and calm bits for 10+ minutes. Purple's The Battle Rages On is probably one of their best 90's songs. That riff.

 

[Kalata]

I do not think it's metal though.

For such a game I have no problem with non-metal songs. I want everything for better variety and interesting matches. I'm not a fan of Yes though, but I like the style of their fantasy covers.

 

[LooseCannon]

Yes was borderline, along with a few other songs, but I figured we would distill them as needed through the process of democracy, which generally works.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Blind Guardian
Rainbow
Deep Purple
Absolutely not KISS x2

And a pity vote for Reverend Bizarre since they're going to lose and Trapped Under Ice is just kinda ok.

 

[Mosh]

I'm sorry but as someone who really likes Yes and has heard all of their albums multiple times, I don't see how anything they've done is even Metal adjacent. That's like eating pizza and calling it Chinese food.

 

[Iron Taipei]

I'm sorry but as someone who really likes Yes and has heard all of their albums multiple times, I don't see how anything they've done is even Metal adjacent. That's like eating pizza and calling it Chinese food.

But in Asia sometimes pizza is kind of like Chinese food, so YES could be metal here, just like how many people here think Bon Jovi is really heavy...

 

[Shmoolikipod]

Tough but I'll choose BG
I really like Doom Over the World, Trapped Under Ice is a top Metallica song though
Pantera because it's great and nobody's voting for it.
I'm fine with those KISS songs, but Megadeth and Ayreon
DP

 

[Diesel 11]

Not Motörhead.

DOOM

Pantera over a silly rock ‘n’ roll tune.

Metal 2x

Hhhhhhh Yes, but only because they’re losing. I do love that song. My standards are slipping, I know, but their opponent is also not very metal.

 

[LooseCannon]

Mordred betrayed King Arthur and Lemmy so that Blind Guardian could win this match. Metallica has successfully trapped the doom under the ice. Useful, that. Rainbow breaks Pantera, and KISS lays a big deuce in their matchup against Megadeth. However, the Detroit rock legends eke out a narrow win over Ayreon. Deep Purple will rage on, but Yes is no.

---

Part II, Round 4, Matches 118-123
​

Group Stage - Round 4	Match 118​	Wrathchild Division​
Carcass - Death Certificate	vs.​	Anthrax - Among the Living​
Best Music Art 100	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
0-1-0, 0 pts, -12	Record​	0-0-0, 0 pts, +0​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 4	Match 119​	Senjutsu Division​
Judas Priest - Rock Hard Ride Free	vs.​	Warlord - Black Mass (And the Cannons of Destruction Have Begun version)​
@srfc	Nominators​	@____no5​
1-0-0, 2 pts, +9	Record​	0-0-0, 0 pts, +0​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 4	Match 120​	Where Eagles Dare Division​
Dream Theater - The Mirror	vs.​	Riot - Thundersteel​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	@MindRuler​
0-1-0, 0 pts, -11	Record​	0-0-0, 0 pts, +0​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 4	Match 121​	Rock in Rio Division​
In Flames - Moonshield	vs.​	Sacred Reich - One Nation​
@MindRuler	Nominators​	@srfc​
0-1-0, 0 pts, -8	Record​	0-0-0, 0 pts, +0​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 4	Match 122​	Best of the Beast Division​
Annihilator - The Fun Palace	vs.​	Alice Cooper - Wind Up Toy​
@MindRuler	Nominators​	@The Sentient​
1-0-0, 2 pts, +5	Record​	0-0-0, 0 pts, +0​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 4	Match 123​	Death of the Celts Division​
Deep Purple - Knocking at Your Back Door	vs.​	Thorns - Vortex​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	@Magnus​
0-1-0, 0 pts, -12	Record​	0-0-0, 0 pts, +0​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

 

[Kalata]

Among The Living is pure thrash with its riffs and drumming, but the vocal ideas are not that good imo.

Warlord's Black Mass is solid. The melodic ideas in the main riff, verses and harmonies in the instrumental section(!) are great. Nice find. But Rock Hard Ride Free has an anthemic chorus.

The speed metal of Thundersteel is more for me than DT's The Mirror. And it's better overall.

Knocking At Your Back Door is one of Purple's best songs for me. The melodies and playing in it are great and effective. Classic rock. No contest.

 

[srfc]

Carcass wasn't too bad, but Among the Living is better

Warlord was pretty ok low budget metal, while my own nomination is one of the classics from one of metal's best bands

DT track was ok, Riot didn't reinvent the wheel but was good fun

Moonshield was ok with some Maidenesque sections, One Nation has classic head nodding riffs

Alice's song was ok, I preferred Fun Palace more

Don't have as many Purple albums as I really should have, no disrepsect to @Magnus but no way I'd be voting for Thorns over Purple