That's how you know it's a decent round. Lots of good feelings here.
The Greatest Metal Song Cup - Part II, Round 4, Matches 46-51
- Thread starter LooseCannon
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srfc
Ancient Mariner
Yeah I have Balls to the Wall and a compilation album of their first 3 records, but Breaker isnt on that compilation, nor was another song from a recent round
Confeos
Game time started.
I wasn't big on the intro to "Rain When I Die", but once it got itself going, I really enjoyed it. Since their other stuff in this game has been a bit mediocre, my expectations were quite low, but this is definitely the best I've heard from Alice in Chains so far. I went in fully prepared to vote for "Gypsy", which is a decent song, but I gotta acknowledge Alice in Chains here.
Control Denied might be brushed off as just Death with clean vocals, but it's much more than that. The riffs are signature Chuck, obviously, but there is a different kind of melody to his playing here. Tim Aylmar sounds great as well, and it's such a shame that we never got to see how far Chuck would be able to take this band. I have to give the full album a spin again soon. As for LTE, sorry, I'm just not interested at all. When the silly carnival-ish outro is the only thing staying with me, it can't be good. Easy, easy vote for Control Denied.
"No More Tears" is nowhere near my favourite solo-Ozzy tune, but I can't deny that it's one of his most iconic pieces. I'm not a fan of the way his vocals sound (they're just overproduced) and the breakdown in the middle never quite worked for me, but the bass riff is infectiously good. "Between the Hammer and the Anvil" is just a middle-of-the-road track on Painkiller, and certainly not the one I would have nominated from it. Gotta give this to Ozzy.
I feel Accept has better songs than "Breaker", honestly, but the riffing is solid. "Grinder" is just a fun, classic, metal romp. Voting for Judas Priest.
Been listening a little to some of Insomnium's earlier stuff, but I was unfamiliar with "Heart Like a Grave". I quite liked it, even if it dragged just a tiny bit. The best thing about "Pinball Map" was actually the chorus; I found it surprisingly catchy. This could basically be a coin-flip, but I'm leaning slightly towards Insomnium, so they win this one.
Never heard of Vanden Plas before. "Rainmaker" has great music, and even if I'm not a big fan of the singer, the vocals are enjoyable enough too. I think his voice might be an acquired taste, but I'm nevertheless very tempted to listen some more to them. And I'll give them my vote too, since I could name more than a couple of DT songs that are a lot better than "The Test That Stumped Them All". Vanden Plas.
Control Denied might be brushed off as just Death with clean vocals, but it's much more than that. The riffs are signature Chuck, obviously, but there is a different kind of melody to his playing here. Tim Aylmar sounds great as well, and it's such a shame that we never got to see how far Chuck would be able to take this band. I have to give the full album a spin again soon. As for LTE, sorry, I'm just not interested at all. When the silly carnival-ish outro is the only thing staying with me, it can't be good. Easy, easy vote for Control Denied.
"No More Tears" is nowhere near my favourite solo-Ozzy tune, but I can't deny that it's one of his most iconic pieces. I'm not a fan of the way his vocals sound (they're just overproduced) and the breakdown in the middle never quite worked for me, but the bass riff is infectiously good. "Between the Hammer and the Anvil" is just a middle-of-the-road track on Painkiller, and certainly not the one I would have nominated from it. Gotta give this to Ozzy.
I feel Accept has better songs than "Breaker", honestly, but the riffing is solid. "Grinder" is just a fun, classic, metal romp. Voting for Judas Priest.
Been listening a little to some of Insomnium's earlier stuff, but I was unfamiliar with "Heart Like a Grave". I quite liked it, even if it dragged just a tiny bit. The best thing about "Pinball Map" was actually the chorus; I found it surprisingly catchy. This could basically be a coin-flip, but I'm leaning slightly towards Insomnium, so they win this one.
Never heard of Vanden Plas before. "Rainmaker" has great music, and even if I'm not a big fan of the singer, the vocals are enjoyable enough too. I think his voice might be an acquired taste, but I'm nevertheless very tempted to listen some more to them. And I'll give them my vote too, since I could name more than a couple of DT songs that are a lot better than "The Test That Stumped Them All". Vanden Plas.
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KidInTheDark666
What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine too
Honestly, to me there are 6 perfect 10/10 tracks on Painkiller. BTHATA just happens to be my favorite out of them. I expect to see several other songs from the album enter the game at some point.
Just two.
Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
KidInTheDark666
What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine too
Yeah, Painkiller and Hell Patrol it seems. That's a bit surprising considering most people here seem to love the album. I think at least A Touch of Evil should definitely be here.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
I’m honestly shocked at how much Priest is beating Ozzy.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
"Gypsy" is a great song with a lot of drive. David Byron sounds great on it, the story he sings is silly but fun. Got a steady groove and some experimental, jammy sections where the young band tests out their sound. Against a lot of songs I'd easily vote for it, but "Rain When I Die" is my favorite AIC song. Dirt has some grunge bangers but also a lot of slow tracks. This one combines the two faces of the band's sound into one amazing mini-epic. The chorus is rapturous, the groove infectious, the sound mighty as fuck. Alice in Chains.
"Consumed" is basically just Death with clean vocals, which is still pretty good. I'm not the biggest fan of the vocalist and the songwriting has the same pros and cons as Chuck's usual songwriting (great riffs but he really just kept reusing the same template throughout his career). What should have been a magnificient artistic statement ends up feeling more like a novelty that at the same time holds so much weight because it would be his final release before death. I still like it a lot though. I enjoyed LTE as well, but it goes on for a bit longer than it should've and Control Denied is just a much more interesting act overall.
"Between the Hammer and the Anvil" is great and I wish "Grinder" was in this matchup instead so both songs could progress. But come on, "No More Tears" is amazing. The guitar, the orchestration, and Ozzy's serial killer narrative make this one of his most badass tracks.
Neither of these songs are amazing but both have their pros. I think Priest are a little better overall.
"Pinball Map" was cool in places but the vocals do not let you get any foothold on them whatsoever. Insomnium were awesome from beginning to end.
Odd to take a chapter out of a full song and by itself "The Test That Stumped Them All" is just not that great. Pretty boring riffs arranged proggily. Very muddy mix too. Vanden Plas were a lot more interesting.
"Consumed" is basically just Death with clean vocals, which is still pretty good. I'm not the biggest fan of the vocalist and the songwriting has the same pros and cons as Chuck's usual songwriting (great riffs but he really just kept reusing the same template throughout his career). What should have been a magnificient artistic statement ends up feeling more like a novelty that at the same time holds so much weight because it would be his final release before death. I still like it a lot though. I enjoyed LTE as well, but it goes on for a bit longer than it should've and Control Denied is just a much more interesting act overall.
"Between the Hammer and the Anvil" is great and I wish "Grinder" was in this matchup instead so both songs could progress. But come on, "No More Tears" is amazing. The guitar, the orchestration, and Ozzy's serial killer narrative make this one of his most badass tracks.
Neither of these songs are amazing but both have their pros. I think Priest are a little better overall.
"Pinball Map" was cool in places but the vocals do not let you get any foothold on them whatsoever. Insomnium were awesome from beginning to end.
Odd to take a chapter out of a full song and by itself "The Test That Stumped Them All" is just not that great. Pretty boring riffs arranged proggily. Very muddy mix too. Vanden Plas were a lot more interesting.
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
I don’t dislike either song, but Alice in Chains’ resonates stronger with me. They’re also one of the few ‘90s bands that I can actually stomach. Uriah Heep’s tune was fine but overstayed its welcome.
Nothing wrong with the Control Denied song; it was a solid listen the entire way through. However, Universal Mind plays with multiple feel changes – happy, epic, dirty bluesy, melancholy, etc. The piano interlude at 3:45 is excellent, and the section at 4:16 is sublime! The way the bass blends with the emotive guitar and keys elevates the piece to new levels. Then there’s the hilarious reggae/carnival ending. Easy vote for LTE.
I’m no fan of Ozzy, but No More Tears may be the best song I’ve heard from his solo output. I also think that Between the Hammer and the Anvil is far from the strongest song on Painkiller, but there’s a cheesy fun to it (like the hammer actually striking an anvil in the interlude) that can’t be ignored. Priest.
Although this is only the second Accept song I’ve ever heard, I prefer it to Priest’s cock rock (and that’s putting it mildly). As someone else also stated, I can’t take the lyric “lookin’ for meat” seriously, and I also don’t think the music here is anything special. I like the tonality of the Accept song better, and the double bass is cool.
Insomnium offer a soaring, melodic, and emotive song with the only kind of extreme vocals that work for me – deep, guttural, and possessed. I’ve yet to hear an In Flames song I’ve liked, and Pinball Map is no exception. I saw them on a co-headlining tour with Opeth many years ago; they played 15 songs while Opeth only played eight. This is when they really stood out to me as not being my cup of tea, as every song sounded identical. I also don’t care for their vocals. Easy vote for Insomnium.
The Vanden Plas song isn’t necessarily bad, but it fails to take me anywhere. I’ve never been a huge fan of the Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence title track, but The Test That Stumped Them All is one of the strongest parts of the 42-minute piece. It’s when the song finally starts to blend heaviness with insane progginess, and also when the piece peaks. I love how the bass adds to the chaos in the intro and later interludes, and the goofy falsetto voices of what I can only assume are psychiatrists during the “chorus” get me every time. Also, LaBrie faking a British accent is hysterical. Easy vote for Dream Theater.
Nothing wrong with the Control Denied song; it was a solid listen the entire way through. However, Universal Mind plays with multiple feel changes – happy, epic, dirty bluesy, melancholy, etc. The piano interlude at 3:45 is excellent, and the section at 4:16 is sublime! The way the bass blends with the emotive guitar and keys elevates the piece to new levels. Then there’s the hilarious reggae/carnival ending. Easy vote for LTE.
I’m no fan of Ozzy, but No More Tears may be the best song I’ve heard from his solo output. I also think that Between the Hammer and the Anvil is far from the strongest song on Painkiller, but there’s a cheesy fun to it (like the hammer actually striking an anvil in the interlude) that can’t be ignored. Priest.
Although this is only the second Accept song I’ve ever heard, I prefer it to Priest’s cock rock (and that’s putting it mildly). As someone else also stated, I can’t take the lyric “lookin’ for meat” seriously, and I also don’t think the music here is anything special. I like the tonality of the Accept song better, and the double bass is cool.
Insomnium offer a soaring, melodic, and emotive song with the only kind of extreme vocals that work for me – deep, guttural, and possessed. I’ve yet to hear an In Flames song I’ve liked, and Pinball Map is no exception. I saw them on a co-headlining tour with Opeth many years ago; they played 15 songs while Opeth only played eight. This is when they really stood out to me as not being my cup of tea, as every song sounded identical. I also don’t care for their vocals. Easy vote for Insomnium.
The Vanden Plas song isn’t necessarily bad, but it fails to take me anywhere. I’ve never been a huge fan of the Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence title track, but The Test That Stumped Them All is one of the strongest parts of the 42-minute piece. It’s when the song finally starts to blend heaviness with insane progginess, and also when the piece peaks. I love how the bass adds to the chaos in the intro and later interludes, and the goofy falsetto voices of what I can only assume are psychiatrists during the “chorus” get me every time. Also, LaBrie faking a British accent is hysterical. Easy vote for Dream Theater.
Kalata
Out of the Silent Planet
For me too - Painkiller, Hell Patrol, One Shot At Glory, A Touch Of Evil, All Guns Blazing and maybe Between The Hammer & The Anvil. Night Crawler should have had a solo.
I should have nominated One Shot At Glory (Top 10 song imo). At least 3 songs from the album were expected in the game and this amount is normal.
KidInTheDark666
What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine too
This is pretty hilarious considering how much the elitists moan every time when In Flames changes their sound.
JudasMyGuide
The resident reactionary recalcitrant
Metal fans are unpleasable in general - either the band does the "same old, same old, meh" or they switch it around and they either sold out or are ruined forever or something.
THAT SAID
I'd say it also depends on the type of change. Mastodon went full on changing to this drone-like, stoner, almost countryish dirge on the last album and it's honestly one of my favourite albums ever. Cryptopsy, on the other hand, could have left The Unspoken King unreleased, for all I care.
Especially when the band leaves their strongest aspects behind - like Opeth, Within Temptation, dunno, million other examples - there's definitely going to be a backlash.
To experiment is - to a degree - laudable, but to make the experiments work as good music as a completely different set of skills altogether and that's where the bands often fail, IMHO.
DJ James
A coma stole my name.
Use to be my favorite Priest song! It’s now Battle Cry, but A Touch of Evil is pretty comfortably no. 2
DJ James
A coma stole my name.
Also, I would imagine true elitists don’t concern themselves with In Flames to begin with.