The Greatest Metal Song Cup - Part II, Round 4, Matches 40-45

[Confeos]

Dethlok is good fun, and I love the story behind the band, but this track is also very generic. I'm obviously biased, but I just don't think it even comes close to one of COB's most iconic songs - it perfectly blends death, black and neo-classical metal in one great tune. Children of Bodom.

I've never listened much to Anthrax - I had heard "Indians" before, and vaguely remember finding it decent, while "In My World" is completely new. It starts a little sketchy, but manages to pick it up as the song goes on. Nothing terrible, but also nothing fancy. Musically and vocally, it's still inferior to "Indians". Anthrax - Indians.

Even though Jon Schaffer has completed his descent into madness, I still love Iced Earth. When I became a fan, The Glorious Burden was their most recent release, but it's not one that I rate too highly these days. "Declaration Day" is definitely one of the better songs on the album, with an infectious, pounding rhythm and a great performance from Ripper. I listened to Armored Saint's debut some time ago and wasn't impressed, but "Book of Blood" is very, very good. The vocals have improved a lot, the sound is a lot meatier, and the songwriting much more interesting. I fully expected to vote for the familiar track here, but now I really have to check out the rest of this album! Armored Saint.

I've always found "Flying High Again" pretty bland - sure, the solo is amazing, but the rest of the song very forgettable. "The Zoo" plods most of the time, and I really dislike the verses, but it has a fantastic chorus. Closer than I thought, and I don't really care for either song, but Scorpions wins this one.

The foreboding piano intro that perfectly sets the mood, before exploding into a stuttering riff that's just vintage Schaffer, really reminds me how good Iced Earth were in the late 90's. Top it with a powerful and menacing Matt Barlow performance, and you have one of their very best songs in "The Coming Curse". "Roads to Madness", meanwhile, has everything it needs to be just as good, and yet it does absolutely nothing for me. And sorry, but Tate's vocals really borders on annoying here. I don't want to give up on Queensrÿche yet, but this song has still not managed to win me over. Iced Earth, no contest.

There are some good parts in "Disciples of the Watch", but overall I'm not amazed - it's certainly not as good as "Practice What You Preach". "Beneath the Remains" has better music, but very mediocre vocals. Not sold on any of these, but I think Sepultura has the marginally superior song here.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Bush sounds to me as if you took David De Feis and maybe sprinkled him a bit with... dunno, Mark Tornillo? Like I said, he's good and all, I just don't like some of the stylistic choices here.

I don’t know who either of those people are, I’ll have to look them up.

I love John Bush and Saint, but I will agree that some of his melodic choices are not always great. This song, though, I think he kills.

As for the funky base, concentrating on that right now I heard something of the kind, though Grosskopf it isn't (and even DiGiorgio on the track I panned, which I received some ire for already as well in this round) and what's there doesn't come across all that well because of the production, but maybe it's just my speakers, I admit that.

Get some good headphones and listen for Joey Vera’s bass playing (not just here but across the discography). It’s funkiness, constant fills without being too flashy, and interplay with the drums is a bit part of why I love the band.

P. S. - as of now I'm randomly playing various songs from this very album and... honestly, my biggest problem might be the blokes can't write a melody to save their life. Often I'm not even sure if I'm listening to a verse or a chorus. They can sound pretty tight on the faster tracks (like the title one), on Out on the Limb Bush sounds even more like Tornillo than I expected, Chemical Euphoria has some really tasty guitarwork... but the main problem - that is, I can't grasp much and the songs sound terribly one-note - remains.
Maybe it's just... too subtle for me? Don't know.

EDIT 2 - I admit that Frozen Will/Legacy slaps. So far the best song, IMHO.

Frozen Will/Legacy does fucking slap!

Funnily enough, I think Raising Fear is one of their least melodic albums, so I get where you’re coming from. It’s their only album written as a trio (one guitar) and that no doubt had an effect. Symbol of Salvation and Revelation are easily my favorite Saint records, and the first two (March of the Saint and Delirious Nomad) are definitely more melodic, but still equally 80’s as RF.

 

[KidInTheDark666]

I definitely hear a lot of DeFeis in Bush's voice. Or maybe it's the other way around since I heard Bush first. Either way, I don't think it's the most unique voice in the world. Tornillo sounds a bit different and I would also place him a tier higher than the other two guys.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

I don’t know who either of those people are, I’ll have to look them up.

David De Feis is the frontman of Virgin Steele

Tornillo is the current singer in Accept

(he's doing his best to sound like Dirkschneider, but that's fine)


Neither sounds too much like Bush on their own, but together, they both give off a somewhat similar vibe.
To me

Tornillo sounds a bit different

he brings that almost sarcastic tone and sounds less classic-power-metal than De Feis and more akin to the general modern heavy metal, maybe that's why he came to mind.

Also, Bush's somewhat more histrionic approach on the Out on a Limb song reminded me of Tornillo in particular a bit, too.

I love John Bush and Saint, but I will agree that some of his melodic choices are not always great. This song, though, I think he kills.

Like I said, for me it's about the inflections - the vocal melody is fine, but some of the ornamentation or tone or other stuff felt somewhat off here. But again, mostly on this track.

Symbol of Salvation

This is my next go-to album, I heard only praise heaped upon it, like I said, I always like to like stuff, rather than dislike it, so I'll try the alleged best album next.

 

[KidInTheDark666]

This is my next go-to album, I heard only praise heaped upon it, like I said, I always like to like stuff, rather than dislike it, so I'll try the alleged best album next.

I picked up Symbol from the local record store, listened to it once or twice, and didn't think much of it. I guess the lead guitarist really stood out? Book of Blood I actually liked a bit more than anything on that album, so maybe I'll try the earlier material myself.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

I picked up Symbol from the local record store, listened to it once or twice, and didn't think much of it. I guess the lead guitarist really stood out? Book of Blood I actually liked a bit more than anything on that album, so maybe I'll try the earlier material myself.

Bro, I just now played the opening song to that album and it's already on a completely different level than anything from the Raising Fear album. I mean, I might hum this one for the rest of the evening, which I'm literally incapable of with those other songs.
Having Dropping Like Flies on now and again, better production, absolutely stellar guitarwork, relatively catchy.
It's almost like a completely different band.

Like, IRYO, it's just I don't get it at all.

@MrKnickerbocker yeah, the Symbol album, now we're talking.

 

[Spambot]

Just the title of the Dethklok song alone is better than the whole album from COB. Period.

Considering, Anthrax, here's a bit odd opinion: every album they put up with is better than their previous one (yes, even "We've Come For You All"). By that logic - In My World.

Patriotic Iced Earth with Ripper - thumb down. So Armored Saint it is (although, I had to Google what year it was recorded. I does sound 80s throughout the song but, especially bass which I love, but there are moments where it sounded like it was in 70s and other moments like it was 90s.)

I should really check out Scorpions more. Previous song (Sails of Charon) was stuck in my head for days and there is something about rhythm/timing of the main riff of The Zoo that makes me confused/intrigued. I would like to find a YT video where somebody dumbs down for me what is happening there. Ozzy? Bwahahahahaha.

Now, this is the Iced Earth I like(d), Barlow on a longer song about Eddie-rip off character - thumb up. Still haven't bought into Queensryche and this song wasn't a ticket in. He sounded like James LaBrie mimicking Eddie Vedder.

Testament deserves more love in this game. I bet there'll be loads and loads of Sepultura songs and not so many Testament ones.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Considering, Anthrax, here's a bit odd opinion: every album they put up with is better than their previous one (yes, even "We've Come For You All").

WCFYA is an awesome record!

But are you saying that Stomp 442 is better than SOWN? That Vol 8 is better than Stomp? For All Kings is their best record ever?

Bold opinion indeed!

 

[Spambot]

But are you saying that Stomp 442 is better than SOWN? That Vol 8 is better than Stomp? For All Kings is their best record ever?

Fuuuuu....
I forgot they also released music in 90s.
My bad.

Spoiler

Well, I wouldn't say "For All Kings" is their best record ever, but if you ask me to chose between their 80s albums or their post-2000 albums - I'd choose the later. I don't know if I got tired of their 80s material, or does the production on those albums bore me, or did I hear better versions of those songs live, but these days - they mostly sound flat.)

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Well, I wouldn't say "For All Kings" is their best record ever, but if you ask me to chose between their 80s albums or their post-2000 albums - I'd choose the later. I don't know if I got tired of their 80s material, or does the production on those albums bore me, or did I hear better versions of those songs live, but these days - they mostly sound flat.

I agree with that. I prefer the Bush era by far and I think the last two albums are better listens than any of the 80s/90s material with Joey (save for maybe Spreading The Disease). They learned how to write better melodies with Bush and the modern production severely helps Joey sound like he’s not completely lost in the band.

 

[KidInTheDark666]

For All Kings is my number 1.

 

[LooseCannon]

Sometimes, I think people give Dethklok a couple negatives before even listening, because they came from a cartoon series. I don't think that stops them from writing interesting and accessible melodeath. Meanwhile, CoB is not a band I've ever really enjoyed, and this song is no different. So I'll toss a vote to Dethklok in a losing effort.

Anthrax is very hit and miss for me, but it's a band I've wanted to listen to more and try to get a better sense of their music. This matchup is ideal in that sense. Indians has a killer chorus, but I find the rest to be a mess, whereas In My World is a little more in my vein all over. Close one, though.

I liked the Armored Saint song, but Declaration Day has always been a favourite Iced Earth track. The Glorious Burden was my first IE album and I still have positive feelings towards it. It's from a time when Jon Schaffer was just a standard over-patriotic American and not a numbskull Trumper. The song just sounds great, Ripper's really good on it, and even if the lyrics are nonsense, it goes hard. Iced Earth.

I was listening to the Ozzy song, and thinking, man, the Scorpions song is definitely going to win. Then I listened to The Zoo, and it just didn't work for me. It was far slower than I was expecting and the melodies didn't connect. So I'll reluctantly vote for a lesser Ozzy song.

The Coming Curse is a top IE song over a Queensrÿche song that was decent but meandery. I don't have a huge amount of time for Tate's vocals so, that's pretty much it.

Sepultura is a band that has never worked for me. I've listened to Roots a few times and just gone, ehhh. This song was closer, but not as good as the Testament track for me.

 

[DJ James]

Forgot to vote (life got busy) but The Coming Curse is probably my favorite Iced Earth song, and I’m not the biggest Iced Earth guy ever either (not virtue signaling this is more of a music thing)

 

[Night Prowler]

Don't like Deathlok, love that COB song. Indians is just about the only Anthrax song I like. Gotta vote for Iced Earth on this day. Don't care much for Ozzy or Scorpions, but went with The Zoo as I heard it before. And lastly, I hate Sepultura and even though it's far from my favorite song/album/band, went with Disciples of the Watch.

 

[Mosh]

I was offline this weekend so I missed out on voting, but I think the results came out the way I would've wanted. Favorite song on this list is prob The Zoo.

 

[KiDDo]

Sepultura is a band that has never worked for me. I've listened to Roots a few times and just gone, ehhh. This song was closer, but not as good as the Testament track for me.

You should check out more from Beneath, Arise and Chaos A.D. Much better stuff than Roots!

 

[LooseCannon]

Children of Bodom fairly easily drown Dethklok, while in the Anthrax-off the easy winner is Indians. Iced Earth falls to Armored Saint in the closest matchup of the round. Scorpions lock up Ozzy, Iced Earth gets some revenge over Queensrÿche, and Testament over Sepultura and I can't even come up with a bad pun.

---

Part 1, Round 6, Matches 31-36​

Play In Round	Match 31​	Out of the Silent Planet Division​
System of a Down - Hypnotize	vs.​	Linkin Park - Faint​
Youtube 50	Nominators​	Youtube 50​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 32​	Out of the Silent Planet Division​
Riot - Swords and Tequila	vs.​	Unleash the Archers - Abyss​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	@LooseCannon​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 33​	The Edge of Darkness Division​
Anthrax - I Am the Law	vs.​	Metallica - Motorbreath​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 34​	The Edge of Darkness Division​
Ghost - Stand By Him	vs.​	Judas Priest - Rapid Fire​
@srfc	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 35​	The Edge of Darkness Division​
Avantasia - The Scarecrow	vs.​	Nightwish - Beauty of the Beast​
@Poto	Nominators​	@JudasMyGuide​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 36​	The Writing on the Wall Division​
King Diamond - The Black Horseman	vs.​	Judas Priest - Tyrant​
@The Dissident	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

 

[JudasMyGuide]

First match is really easy. I know that with temporal distance - and doubly so after Bennington's death - Linkin Park have accrued a reputation that made them almost untouchable, but they don't deserve it, or at least not to the extent it is nowadays seen. And I say that as someone who - at the time - gave as many spins to Meteora as to Hypnotize. Faint was a hit, but it is a one-trick pony. The hook really is in the synth/electronic/pseudo-string riff (I wonder what did they sample for it, it sounds vaguely familiar) and the basic guitar riff - otherwise the song doesn't have much to offer.
System of a Down, on the other hand, are a band that's on a different level - their Armenian heritage, which shows in their general musicality, but also the ease with which they use the untrivial, Eastern harmonies, as well as their love of Zappa and the connected ability to interconnect various discrepant parts into a seemingly-cohesive whole is not something to be taken lightly.
Hypnotize is a ballad, and a somewhat simpler one at that - there are songs that show off their strengths much more - but the main core, which is a fluent flow, Tankian's one-of-a-kind voice and the fucking melodies - which really make you want to bring back Orientalism as such - are on full display here. Never in the history of ever have the words "I'm just sitting in my car, waiting for my girl" sounded so heartbroken, so wistful, so emotionally captivating. From the thomping plod of the verse to the descending chorus to the tribal rhythm section... it shows a song that is overplayed and yet none of its primary and primal power has been chipped away. SOAD had an ineffably immense influence on my own personal musical education and formation of my preferences, tastes and ... in a way, the type of person I am, music-wise. With that, I can't not vote for SOAD here, because they are the one band that transcends not just the wretched "nu metal" genre, but to me, the boundaries of metal as a whole.

I really love that it's seal - one of the animals me and wifey have as an inside joke nowadays - that made its way to the Riot covers. However, the band, while competent, it lacks qualities that would separate it from its peers, especially on these earlier, pure heavy metal albums... well, except the seal. It's all very competent, but not really memorable, the guitars don't thrill me, the chorus doesn't stay in my head, the rhythm section doesn't elevate the band to something heavenly. It's just okayish early heavy metal. That said, this song is still somewhat more memorable than what Armored Saint brought in the last round
Unleash the Archers is one of the bands I have a hard time classifying for myself - is this a melodeath with clean vocals? - and because of that, I often overlook them, because I'm often not sure if I'm in the mood for them, but I guess I should definitely listen to them more, especially since I'm a rabid devourer of all things power-metal-adjacent. This particular song is competent, it shows talent, it's just ... I don't like it much. Well, I do, in a way, I'm intrigued and want to go check out the rest of the album, but these particular melodies don't really do it for me. And the singer, though competent, is not nearly charismatic enough, for a "face" of the band she doesn't really captivate with her voice (though that might be because it sounds weirdly buried in the production, or is this just me again?). Still, they brought the more intriguing mix of individual parts, so Archers it is.

Anthrax vs. Metallica. Heh. You know, I wrote in the previous round (or was it the one before that?) that Whiplash is the catchiest song off Metallica's debut, but that's not really true - Motorbreath is. In fact, it was the first chorus I remembered when I first heard the album. The punkish energy somewhat reminds me of Anthrax's cover of Got the Time - which should have probably been the opposing song in this match - but as a whole, the song has mostly just the chorus and once you overplay that, it doesn't thrill you as it did before.
OTOH, Anthrax's I Am the Law was a song I didn't like at first and only began to love much later. The riff is more oppresive and memorable, I like how they manage to make songs about unserious things without falling into self-parody and the Bello-Benante rhythm section really shines here - although much slower, the groove is much more captivating for me ears than even the breakneck, driving beat of Motorbreath.
I suspect this will be one of those brutal landslides, so I'll pre-emptively vote for the presumed loser and vote for the band that deserves more love - Anthrax.

I am really sorry and apologetic towards not only the nominator of this particular track, but to all Ghost lovers here on the forum - of which there seem to be multitudes - but this is really one band I not only personally dislike, but I can't seem to grasp where does their popularity come from. They literally sound like a watered-down version of Mercyful Fate... no, no, watered-down version of solo King Diamond. Instrumentally, it's more or less pedestrian (the fact the members used to be known only as "Nameless Ghouls" is very fitting), with a really tinny sound (probably supposed to be pseudo-70s, but as a sucker for everything 70s, I don't really agree) and the vocals are even more atrocious than Mr Kim Petersen's himself. I mean, put together a band with shock rock shenanigan image, with songs that sound like what Alice Cooper would save for his B-Sides at best and let it be played by session musicians whom you don't even pay and sung by someone who sounds like the most agitated accountant ever. But it's edgy, it's a throwback, it's almost "as if they were influneced by Swedish pop" (!) - yes, I actually came across a sentence like that. Not really sure if the high bar of Swedish pop would allow for this, I mean, fucking Ace of Base are not just in a completely different galaxy, hook-wise, but they almost rock harder - listen to the freakin' Europop synth backing track here and don't tell me it doesn't make you headbang more than Ghost's attempts. And I'm not even talking about the vocals.
Compared to that, Rapid Fire, which isn't even in my top 3 tracks of British Steel - is indeed the battering ram to smash it to pieces. I mean, they have an actual singer. They have KK and Glenn. JUDAS PRIEST, duh, and it's absolutely no contest.

Avantasia's first two albums are among my favourite, most nostalgic, most beloved experiences, even in the genre of power metal which is filled therewith. And even on the following ones - there is just something Sammet does right (and which he doesn't seem to be able to do in Edguy) that automatically makes my heart pump. Here there are the fun pseudo-medievalisms/Celticisms in the beginning that result in the beautiful prancing guitar line that every reunion Maiden bitch like me should appreciate, Kiske, a soaring chorus that tells me all I need to know, a great buildup from the subdued section to the hectic closing section and anthemic catharsis and clean, yet not sterile production that I still tend to wonder at when I listen to Sammet's creations. Honestly, pitted against anything else, this song might actually win.
As for Nightwish, I couldn't really whittle down the songs to the prescribed three when I did the nominations ... and in the end I decided to go the drastic route and to pick just one. It must have been Tarja and although I wanted to include the power metal albums more (and I had several songs off those - among others Crownless, Sacrament of Wilderness, Stargazers or The Pharaoh Sails to Orion), I listened to my wife's advice and included this beast. It somewhat lacks the distinct Faërie atmosphere of the first three albums, being closer to the Evanesightwish they became soon after, but can you really beat the immense catchiness? The incredibly emotional, gradual second part ("all of my songs")?
Honestly, this might be among the shortest write-ups for any of the songs I myself nominated, mainly because I seem to fail to write about Nightwish in particular in a way that I would deem appropriate, so please excuse my brevity. Tarja good, Emppu is actually being a guitarist, there is a variation of moods and melodies, the result is appropriately epic, it lacks the weaknesses of some of the other NW epics (the spoken word of Myself, the dragging in the end of Pendulum, the repetition of "Wish upon a star" of FantasMic, the somewhat annoying Morriconisms of Ghost Love Score) and it brings my heart so close to my ribs, I feel it might burst. One of my favourite bands, in short. Tarja good, okay? Nightwish, although the other song is amazing as well.

Speak of the Devil. I really hate this. Abigail would be such a great album. This very song would be such a fascinating epic, the build-up, the guitars... if it wasn't sung by a Smurf. I know I might sound like a dick, but I honestly, after many listens, still have a hard time approaching Diamond's songs in a serious manner. It just won't let me. I don't get why does he do this. This is a man with obvious huge talent, who then locks it behind this take-it-or-leave-it insane vocal approach. Well...
Tyrant, however, that's more like it (though the "Tyrant" backing vocals also sound a bit silly). The sound of everything - vocals, the guitar duo - is just perfect and the middle-eight is almost Beatlesque. I would expect myself to always pick an epic and overall haunting/captivating atmosphere over vintage and more poppy, classic-style groove and attitude, but here I am voting for Judas Priest anyway.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

 

[Detective Beauregard]

Priest x2, System of a Down, Unleash the Archers, Anthrax, and Avantasia for me.

Nu-metal isn't my thing, so Linkin Park is automatically out. I've never cared for System of a Down, but they're the obvious choice here.

Unleash the Archers for the second match, no contest. It's far from my favorite by them (that goes to Apex and The Wind That Shapes the Land), but it's still a killer track. Great band.

I know I'm an oddball, but I've always thought that Kill 'Em All was massively overrated. Motorbreath is one of my least favorite tracks, being a simple straightforward thrasher (not my thing). While I don't like Anthrax's non-Bush vocals, the music there is much stronger and chunkier.

I love that Nightwish song, but The Scarecrow is my favorite song in this entire round (and possibly the game thus far). Insanely catchy throughout its long runtime, this song never bores me. I know the word "epic" is overused, but what else can I say to describe this? How do you not like that bridge at 8:00?

Also, Judas Priest x2 for me. I'm far from their biggest fan, but I don't care for early Ghost, and that's a hard no on King Diamond's "vocals" (which is sad because the music is cool).