srfc
Ancient Mariner
I checked this out to see if I was misremembering and it turns out the Primal Scream track it sounds like was Jailbird, and it doesn't really sound like it that much.
The Greatest Metal Song Cup - Part II, Round 4, Matches 46-51
- Thread starter LooseCannon
- Start date
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- gmsc
I checked this out to see if I was misremembering and it turns out the Primal Scream track it sounds like was Jailbird, and it doesn't really sound like it that much.
Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
I liked a lot of what I heard in the Moonsorrow song, but it was quite difficult to grasp as a whole. Skyclad had great riffs and melodies and we're just more accessible. I'm not entirely happy with this but I'm going with them.
Fates Warning brought a knife to a gun fight. Eye to Eye is a delight, reminds me of I&W Dream Theater in its catchiness. Ghost of Perdition is a top Opeth song, and it's a mystery how it only got one nomination.
Another Devin nomination, another repeating Mosh: no, this is not representative of Devin, and no, the schizophrenic toilet humor song is never going to win anything, not with this lame audience. I considered nominating something like Kingdom and Triumph instead, 'cause it would be a shame if people write off a very varied discography because of this, but I'm not leaving out two of my all-timers. Besides, at least we have some representation of a style of prog which probably won't make another appearance outside of whatever BTBAM songs got in.
Deconstruction is a bonkers adventure that doesn't stay in one place for more than a few seconds, in fact, the one time it does it loses momentum prematurely. The parts are barely connected by the listener's insistency that they are, but I already wrote about why stream of consciousness writing is cool on The Mighty Masturbator's round and I don't feel like repeating that. It's also very quotable for out-of-context competitions. Not that it's too sensical with farts and a choir praising cheeseburgers, which is hilarious despite what some of you party poopers might say. LoveMEAT the disjointed solo and the climactic ending, though I was never as enthusiastic about the latter as others seem to be. Masquerade I actually really like, it's fun and basically the only worthwhile song from SX's debut. The junevility of it actually benefits it a lot. Unfortunately this is the lifeless version with a completely unnecessary intro and outro, and Russell insultingly parodying vocals. Yeah, to the pit of doom with this one.
Super easy call: Revolution Calling is a fantastic introduction to a fantastic album, and Black Dog Barking is merely fun.
I really liked Zvara and will be adding Villagers to my check out more list. Big fan of the simplistic eighth note drums and the clarinet(?) sets it apart some. Actually it reminds me of mosques at 3AM while I'm on guard. Count Raven was very pleasant, weird production but fitting. The first time he says the song title... No. It lost me a little at the last two minutes and so I'll go with Zvara.
Attitude is certainly better than other songs I've heard from Roots, it's probably just my memory but there's more of the old Sepultura grooves here. I wasn't enthralled though. Didn't care much for Dead Skin Mask at the beginning, especially not the vocal melodies, but it clicked with me in the final two minutes.
Fates Warning brought a knife to a gun fight. Eye to Eye is a delight, reminds me of I&W Dream Theater in its catchiness. Ghost of Perdition is a top Opeth song, and it's a mystery how it only got one nomination.
Another Devin nomination, another repeating Mosh: no, this is not representative of Devin, and no, the schizophrenic toilet humor song is never going to win anything, not with this lame audience. I considered nominating something like Kingdom and Triumph instead, 'cause it would be a shame if people write off a very varied discography because of this, but I'm not leaving out two of my all-timers. Besides, at least we have some representation of a style of prog which probably won't make another appearance outside of whatever BTBAM songs got in.
Deconstruction is a bonkers adventure that doesn't stay in one place for more than a few seconds, in fact, the one time it does it loses momentum prematurely. The parts are barely connected by the listener's insistency that they are, but I already wrote about why stream of consciousness writing is cool on The Mighty Masturbator's round and I don't feel like repeating that. It's also very quotable for out-of-context competitions. Not that it's too sensical with farts and a choir praising cheeseburgers, which is hilarious despite what some of you party poopers might say. Love
Super easy call: Revolution Calling is a fantastic introduction to a fantastic album, and Black Dog Barking is merely fun.
I really liked Zvara and will be adding Villagers to my check out more list. Big fan of the simplistic eighth note drums and the clarinet(?) sets it apart some. Actually it reminds me of mosques at 3AM while I'm on guard. Count Raven was very pleasant, weird production but fitting. The first time he says the song title... No. It lost me a little at the last two minutes and so I'll go with Zvara.
Attitude is certainly better than other songs I've heard from Roots, it's probably just my memory but there's more of the old Sepultura grooves here. I wasn't enthralled though. Didn't care much for Dead Skin Mask at the beginning, especially not the vocal melodies, but it clicked with me in the final two minutes.
____no5
Free Man
Actually I’m bit surprised too, this one was one of my favorites to go the next round.
Classic case of misjudgment of electorate trends.
____no5
Free Man
Wow super interesting I hear many telling me Greek music sounds like Arabic, of course in this case it doesn’t at all in my ears, check also previous post about the song, but in other cases definitely.
What you mean being on guard? You are doing army now? Man…
I was listening minares too when I was serving in the borders with Turquie…
The wickedest man in the world couldn't find one more vote as Moonsorrow wins. Opeth stares down Fates Warning, eye to eye. Symphony X deconstructs the Devin Townsend Project. It's a revolution as Queensrÿche trounces Airbourne. The Villagers of Ionnina City are wiped out by Count Raven's Baltic storm. Sepultura might have an attitude, but they can't overcome Slayer.
Part I, Round 43, Matches 253-258
| Play In Round |
| Iron Maiden Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Kinks - You Really Got Me | vs. | Mountain - Mississippi Queen | |
| Radio EHS 100 | Nominators | Popoff 500 | |
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| The X Factor Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kamelot - Forever | vs. | Blind Guardian - Battlefield | |
| @JudasMyGuide | Nominators | ||
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| The X Factor Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ugly Kid Joe - Milkman's Son | vs. | Thin Lizzy - Don't Believe a Word | |
| @srfc | Nominators | Popoff 500 | |
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| The X Factor Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saxon - Wheels of Steel | vs. | Saxon - 747 (Strangers in the Night) | |
| Popoff 500 | Nominators | Popoff 500 | |
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| Man on the Edge Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Korn - Blind | vs. | Linkin Park - Somewhere I Belong | |
| Rolling Stone 100 | Nominators | Youtube 50 | |
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
For my money, this is the worst GMSC round yet.
KidInTheDark666
What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine too
Heavily disagreed, I think Forever, Battlefield, Somewhere I Belong and 747 are all fantastic and some of the best songs so far.
That's why it's my money, and not yours. I do like Forever and Battlefield okay.
srfc
Ancient Mariner
There's 5 classics for me in there, and 2 proto-metal tracks I respect, but Blind brings the average down so low that I might agree with you.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
For some reason the Spotify preview isn't working, but here's a link.
Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
The opening, with a huge sound and a single trilling line, is what reminded me of the minarets in particular. The vocal melodies tipped me off that this probably isn't Arabic. The chords too, as Arabic music doesn't really use chords, but I assumed it comes from the metal side of the song. I don't know the traits of Greek music so I leaned towards the familiar.
I finished mandatory service this August, but I was called for reserves after 7/10. My commander was Bedouin and he played those prayers (I think) with odd rhythms sometimes, while we working or on drives. Don't know what these are called. There's also Dahiya, which is a pretty popular listen in the showers......
Interestingly, and take this with a teaspoon of salt as I'm definitely not an expert on the matter, both of those styles don't put much emphasis on the b2, aka the single sound people like to reduce middle eastern music to. Some styles for sure do use it, Mizrahit music for example which is based on the music of the diaspora in north Africa and the ME.
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Shmoolikipod
Stranger to the Light
I'm moving the angry face from LC's comment to yours...
Edit: Oh, there's a song called Blind in there... Well it's going back to you LC, conservation of mass and all.
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MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
You Really Got Me is probably more important to the formation of early metal, but it annoys me to no end. Mississippi Queen has those nice overwrought, white guy bluesy 70s vocals I enjoy and should win if for the cowbell alone.
Forever has an iconic melodic hook and Roy Khan at the absolute top his game. It’s a classic, pitch perfect Kamelot song that sets the template for many future Kamelot songs. Khan’s jump from enthralling baritone to controlled tenor in the verses is nothing short of magical, the pre-chorus is catchy as hell, and the chorus (though a little sing-songy) is so fun. That part in the second verse with Khan harmonizing himself (“like the morning star and the rising sun”) is masterful. Thomas Youngblood delivers a tasty power metal solo that builds into the final chorus with Khan providing a bunch of vocals in a very similar style to Blind Guardian, but without sounding utterly cluttered. Khan used to crush this song live and it’s one of Tommy’s best Khan covers (despite the fact they’ve bloated this thing out to 14 minutes of crowd participation at gigs now). Oh hey, speaking of Blind Guardian! The minstrels are at it again and it’s definitely a fun tune for elves, trolls, and wizards alike. Still, like much Blind Guardian, it’s a bit of a mess, it’s a bit too heavily layered, it’s a bit all over the place. The brief instrumental bridge is great, as is the ridiculous folk sing-a-long that follows, but the song never hooks me like Forever.
Who are Ugly Kid Joe? Is this a real band? I always thought they were a joke. I know literally NOTHING about them. Wait, are these the guys that covered “Cat’s In The Cradle?” Kinda sounds like a cross between hair metal and, IDK, Blind Melon? It’s vaguely grungy. Candlebox, maybe? Anyway, I’m so disinterested in the song that I’m just rambling. Don’t Believe a Word wins immediately by kicking things off with a harmonized typical Thin Lizzy riff. Easy, easy win for Thin Lizzy without a second thought. It’s not even a great song, but it’s better than Milkman’s Son.
The main riff of Wheels of Steel is just a shittier version of Cat Scratch Fever. The rest of the song literally never changes or gets better. As usual from Saxon, it has absolutely no reason being six minutes long. 747 is better simply because it’s a minute shorter. There’s still very little going on to keep me interested, but it’s fine enough, I guess? I don’t know. I’m so tired of Saxon.
Blind's intro is infuriating. For a second I think it’s about to be YYZ, then the screechy crap guitar starts, then some bass noodling, then eventually whatever KoRn calls a “riff”. No, Jonathan Davis, I’m not ready. As with all KoRn, the song jumps between whining and yelling at your parents. It stinks. KoRn stink. Somewhere I Belong is a typical Linkin Park beep-boop, chord-based plus arpeggios and DJ fx pop song. It’s infinitely better than Blind, but that doesn’t make it good.
Metal Church’s titular track has really cool jackhammer riffing and silly, overtly “METAL” vocals - which I guess makes plenty of sense. I can’t say I love the song, but it’s dark and fun. The singer kinda sounds like Geddy Lee doing a pastiche of the cliche “metal voice”. The first part of the instrumental break is kind of a waste, but the second half with everyone shredding together is pretty awesome. I assume they play this track live with the same showpiece gimmick as Iron Maiden? Snowblind has never really done anything for me. It sounds kinda half-assed, honestly. Even the usually cool Sabbath double-time break sounds off. I know the band was coked out of their mind while recording this album, and sure, that’s the point of the song, but it just feels lesser than their work. Surprisingly, I think Ozzy actually sounds the best of everyone here. The keyboard addition is weird, too. I’m sure Sabbath will win this one, and I don’t really care either way, so I’ll toss a vote to Metal Church.
Forever has an iconic melodic hook and Roy Khan at the absolute top his game. It’s a classic, pitch perfect Kamelot song that sets the template for many future Kamelot songs. Khan’s jump from enthralling baritone to controlled tenor in the verses is nothing short of magical, the pre-chorus is catchy as hell, and the chorus (though a little sing-songy) is so fun. That part in the second verse with Khan harmonizing himself (“like the morning star and the rising sun”) is masterful. Thomas Youngblood delivers a tasty power metal solo that builds into the final chorus with Khan providing a bunch of vocals in a very similar style to Blind Guardian, but without sounding utterly cluttered. Khan used to crush this song live and it’s one of Tommy’s best Khan covers (despite the fact they’ve bloated this thing out to 14 minutes of crowd participation at gigs now). Oh hey, speaking of Blind Guardian! The minstrels are at it again and it’s definitely a fun tune for elves, trolls, and wizards alike. Still, like much Blind Guardian, it’s a bit of a mess, it’s a bit too heavily layered, it’s a bit all over the place. The brief instrumental bridge is great, as is the ridiculous folk sing-a-long that follows, but the song never hooks me like Forever.
Who are Ugly Kid Joe? Is this a real band? I always thought they were a joke. I know literally NOTHING about them. Wait, are these the guys that covered “Cat’s In The Cradle?” Kinda sounds like a cross between hair metal and, IDK, Blind Melon? It’s vaguely grungy. Candlebox, maybe? Anyway, I’m so disinterested in the song that I’m just rambling. Don’t Believe a Word wins immediately by kicking things off with a harmonized typical Thin Lizzy riff. Easy, easy win for Thin Lizzy without a second thought. It’s not even a great song, but it’s better than Milkman’s Son.
The main riff of Wheels of Steel is just a shittier version of Cat Scratch Fever. The rest of the song literally never changes or gets better. As usual from Saxon, it has absolutely no reason being six minutes long. 747 is better simply because it’s a minute shorter. There’s still very little going on to keep me interested, but it’s fine enough, I guess? I don’t know. I’m so tired of Saxon.
Blind's intro is infuriating. For a second I think it’s about to be YYZ, then the screechy crap guitar starts, then some bass noodling, then eventually whatever KoRn calls a “riff”. No, Jonathan Davis, I’m not ready. As with all KoRn, the song jumps between whining and yelling at your parents. It stinks. KoRn stink. Somewhere I Belong is a typical Linkin Park beep-boop, chord-based plus arpeggios and DJ fx pop song. It’s infinitely better than Blind, but that doesn’t make it good.
Metal Church’s titular track has really cool jackhammer riffing and silly, overtly “METAL” vocals - which I guess makes plenty of sense. I can’t say I love the song, but it’s dark and fun. The singer kinda sounds like Geddy Lee doing a pastiche of the cliche “metal voice”. The first part of the instrumental break is kind of a waste, but the second half with everyone shredding together is pretty awesome. I assume they play this track live with the same showpiece gimmick as Iron Maiden? Snowblind has never really done anything for me. It sounds kinda half-assed, honestly. Even the usually cool Sabbath double-time break sounds off. I know the band was coked out of their mind while recording this album, and sure, that’s the point of the song, but it just feels lesser than their work. Surprisingly, I think Ozzy actually sounds the best of everyone here. The keyboard addition is weird, too. I’m sure Sabbath will win this one, and I don’t really care either way, so I’ll toss a vote to Metal Church.
MindRuler
Patient Mariner
There were alot worse IMO but 2 interesting matches out of 6 is abit poor indeed.
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____no5
Free Man
Bedouin? Arab? Commander? In Israel? Mega interesting! Very rich!
Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
"You Really Got Me" has a simple and appealing groove and an OK vocal line, and it builds up decently through the chorus. The guitar solo is reasonably peppy for 1964. Pretty good for its time, though it doesn't have a lot of meat on the bones. "Mississippi Queen" has a more compelling groove and much better singing, a more lyrical solo, and infinitely more cowbell. Good stuff, and probably the better track here. Winner: Mountain - "Mississippi Queen"
"Forever" has a nice melodic lead. The synths are a bit cheesy, the vocal melodies are generally good but not great, and the drumming is mostly mindless double-bass power metal cliché. The soft interlude and the solo are nice, though. It's good and all, but it feels interchangeable with pretty much any other above-average derivative power metal song. "Battlefield" is shrill, overly compressed, and has very video gamey sounding guitars. The vocal melodies and harmonies are reasonably solid, but only the pre-chorus really takes things to the next level and sounds particularly memorable. The songwriting is all over the place, as usual. I like the Celtic solo in the middle, but man, this production is really starting to give me a headache. I don't know, I'm not thrilled with either song here. The Kamelot track is slicker and more consistent, but despite the bad production the Blind Guardian track has more character, and at least the drummer seems awake. I could probably flip a coin...actually, that's a good idea! Heads is Blind Guardian, tails is Kamelot. And...sorry, @Shmoolikipod, but tails it is, so @JudasMyGuide's nominee takes this one. Winner: Kamelot - "Forever"
"Milkman's Son" is a new one on me, as I was only familiar with a couple of Ugly Kid Joe songs before this. The groove is good and the singer sounds fine. The vocal melodies are pretty good too. Strong solo. This is a good song for sure, though I don't know that it's particularly unique or memorable. "Don't Believe A Word" also has a good groove with some nice harmonized accents. The verse melody is good, but the chorus less so. Great solo, though. Another good song, and sorry @srfc, but I think it's a little bit better than your nominee. Winner: Thin Lizzy - "Don't Believe A Word"
"Wheels Of Steel" has a straightforward, toe-tapping groove. The vocal lines in the verse are solid, but the chorus is underwhelming. OK, two and a half minutes in and it feels like the song has already expended all of its ideas. The solo's alright, I suppose. Why on earth is this six minutes long? It's like the biker version of muzak -- something to have on inoffensively in the background while you don't pay attention to it. "747 (Strangers In The Night)" starts with a good melodic lead and a simple but solid riff. The vocal lines are a little better here, but still nothing special. I like the ringing notes during the chorus to contrast with the riffy verse, and the solo is solid, but once again the song feels like it's run out of ideas about halfway through. Not thrilled with either track here, but "747" was noticeably better than its competitor. Winner: Saxon - "747 (Strangers In The Night)"
"Blind" will probably make me wish I was deaf instead. I guess the uneasy intro is sort of OK, but goes on way too long. This eventually finds its way into a simplistic groove, then a more atmospheric bit. The vocalist sounds passable when he keeps things calm and well-enunciated, but the rest of the time he sounds either half-asleep or constipated. The song is held together with duct tape and baling wire, with no coherent through line. By this point in the GMSC I've already heard far worse, but this is still pretty bad. "Somewhere I Belong" is superior in every respect -- better songwriting, better vocal lines, better performances. The chorus isn't one of their best, but it's still pretty good. A very easy call for Linkin Park here. Winner: Linkin Park - "Somewhere I Belong"
Metal Church's eponymous track has a sort of interesting tradeoff riff between the two guitars at the beginning. Not a fan of the timbre of the singer's voice, but he's technically competent. The vocal melodies are OK, and occasionally a little better than that. The guitars are kind of boring during the verse, but better during the chorus. The harmonized guitar bit isn't the best, but the tradeoff solos are pretty strong. A mixed bag overall, but generally OK. "Snowblind" has some nice tradeoffs between a punchier riff and ringing notes, though it sounds a bit out of tune. The vocal melody in the verse is solid, but noticeably better in the chorus. The solo's good. The left turn into a new riff during the bridge is nice, but the drumming doesn't really fit that section, and the mild orchestration toward the end is questionable. The soloing during the outro is also pretty directionless. Both songs are mixed bags with some strengths, but I guess the Sabbath track was a little better. Winner: Black Sabbath - "Snowblind"
"Forever" has a nice melodic lead. The synths are a bit cheesy, the vocal melodies are generally good but not great, and the drumming is mostly mindless double-bass power metal cliché. The soft interlude and the solo are nice, though. It's good and all, but it feels interchangeable with pretty much any other above-average derivative power metal song. "Battlefield" is shrill, overly compressed, and has very video gamey sounding guitars. The vocal melodies and harmonies are reasonably solid, but only the pre-chorus really takes things to the next level and sounds particularly memorable. The songwriting is all over the place, as usual. I like the Celtic solo in the middle, but man, this production is really starting to give me a headache. I don't know, I'm not thrilled with either song here. The Kamelot track is slicker and more consistent, but despite the bad production the Blind Guardian track has more character, and at least the drummer seems awake. I could probably flip a coin...actually, that's a good idea! Heads is Blind Guardian, tails is Kamelot. And...sorry, @Shmoolikipod, but tails it is, so @JudasMyGuide's nominee takes this one. Winner: Kamelot - "Forever"
"Milkman's Son" is a new one on me, as I was only familiar with a couple of Ugly Kid Joe songs before this. The groove is good and the singer sounds fine. The vocal melodies are pretty good too. Strong solo. This is a good song for sure, though I don't know that it's particularly unique or memorable. "Don't Believe A Word" also has a good groove with some nice harmonized accents. The verse melody is good, but the chorus less so. Great solo, though. Another good song, and sorry @srfc, but I think it's a little bit better than your nominee. Winner: Thin Lizzy - "Don't Believe A Word"
"Wheels Of Steel" has a straightforward, toe-tapping groove. The vocal lines in the verse are solid, but the chorus is underwhelming. OK, two and a half minutes in and it feels like the song has already expended all of its ideas. The solo's alright, I suppose. Why on earth is this six minutes long? It's like the biker version of muzak -- something to have on inoffensively in the background while you don't pay attention to it. "747 (Strangers In The Night)" starts with a good melodic lead and a simple but solid riff. The vocal lines are a little better here, but still nothing special. I like the ringing notes during the chorus to contrast with the riffy verse, and the solo is solid, but once again the song feels like it's run out of ideas about halfway through. Not thrilled with either track here, but "747" was noticeably better than its competitor. Winner: Saxon - "747 (Strangers In The Night)"
"Blind" will probably make me wish I was deaf instead. I guess the uneasy intro is sort of OK, but goes on way too long. This eventually finds its way into a simplistic groove, then a more atmospheric bit. The vocalist sounds passable when he keeps things calm and well-enunciated, but the rest of the time he sounds either half-asleep or constipated. The song is held together with duct tape and baling wire, with no coherent through line. By this point in the GMSC I've already heard far worse, but this is still pretty bad. "Somewhere I Belong" is superior in every respect -- better songwriting, better vocal lines, better performances. The chorus isn't one of their best, but it's still pretty good. A very easy call for Linkin Park here. Winner: Linkin Park - "Somewhere I Belong"
Metal Church's eponymous track has a sort of interesting tradeoff riff between the two guitars at the beginning. Not a fan of the timbre of the singer's voice, but he's technically competent. The vocal melodies are OK, and occasionally a little better than that. The guitars are kind of boring during the verse, but better during the chorus. The harmonized guitar bit isn't the best, but the tradeoff solos are pretty strong. A mixed bag overall, but generally OK. "Snowblind" has some nice tradeoffs between a punchier riff and ringing notes, though it sounds a bit out of tune. The vocal melody in the verse is solid, but noticeably better in the chorus. The solo's good. The left turn into a new riff during the bridge is nice, but the drumming doesn't really fit that section, and the mild orchestration toward the end is questionable. The soloing during the outro is also pretty directionless. Both songs are mixed bags with some strengths, but I guess the Sabbath track was a little better. Winner: Black Sabbath - "Snowblind"
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Yax
Ancient Mariner
What? Wheels has groove. Sure, it's repetitive, but that's fine, and in this case is a strength the way I see it. It wouldn't benefit from being cut to a 3:30 single. In this case the repetitiveness of the main riff causes you (or well, me) to bob your head in approval, and it's a monster live.