The Greatest Metal Song Cup - Part II, Round 4, Matches 82-87
- Thread starter LooseCannon
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Probably because they're like 70% of the Prog Rock category.
KidInTheDark666
What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine too
Oh boy, My Eternal Dream is here. I'm very much looking forward to hearing what people think of it. That's easily one of my favorite nominees.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
KidInTheDark666
What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine too
Lots of classics here. Monster Magnet was a bit cringeworthy but everything else varies from good to a masterpiece.
Limelight
Schenker
Evanescence
SOAD
Stratovarius
Fates Warning
Limelight
Schenker
Evanescence
SOAD
Stratovarius
Fates Warning
Wogmidget
Shitpost bot
Limelight is my preferred Rush this time.
Lost Horizons is definitely A Song that Exists, but it can't hold a candle to the cheesy, grinning goodness of The Darkness
Evanescence got off to a shaky start but got good once the riffing started.
Monster Magnet really surprised me with its cool blues groove. SOAD was fine as well I guess.
Sratovarius won me over with some advanced keyboard noodling
Symphony X took it from the very first note (also one of the keyboard bits kinda reminds me of Tubular Bells)
Lost Horizons is definitely A Song that Exists, but it can't hold a candle to the cheesy, grinning goodness of The Darkness
Evanescence got off to a shaky start but got good once the riffing started.
Monster Magnet really surprised me with its cool blues groove. SOAD was fine as well I guess.
Sratovarius won me over with some advanced keyboard noodling
Symphony X took it from the very first note (also one of the keyboard bits kinda reminds me of Tubular Bells)
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
The toughest Rush battle yet…sheesh! Spirit of Radio is just a firecracker of a song, fun and quirky from start to finish. Of salesman! And yet, Limelight is just such a fantastic SONG. The message is great, the wordy lyrics somehow work. I don’t know. This is a toss up. Both are absolute top tier Rush songs and, along with Tom Sawyer, probably the most iconic in their catalog. Both should win. But I’m voting Limelight.
Lost Horizons has a heavy groove and some cool guitar parts, but it’s also very, very clunky. That chorus is whack. Great solos and epicness, but the vocals feel tacked on. I Believe In A Thing Called Love is an absolute banger. I don’t care that’s it’s kind of a parody of the genre - it’s great. Still catchy and ridiculous after all these years. Guitar!
Call Me When You’re Sober sounds like a leftover 90s sad pop song with heavy guitars tossed on top. Amy Lee can sing, but it’s just not a very inspiring track. That said, I loathe The Deftones approach to “singing” with every fibre of my being and so Evanescence must get my vote.
Toxicity is a beast of an album and Aerials has such commanding power. Those harmonies, the heaviness of the production, it all just works. I still love this song. Space Lord is dumb and catchy and fun, but I can’t see voting it over SOAD.
I was gonna say something about how the vocals in My Eternal Dream were a bit lame, or how the song just feels like TOO DAMN MUCH of everything power metal…but then I listened to Manowar and wanted to die. Sometimes tongue in cheek goes too far. Return of the Warlord sucks, so it’s a vote for Stratovarius.
Speaking of sucking: early Fates Warning! I can hear some of the brilliance of where Jim Matheos would take the band, but this is bad. The vocals are positively atrocious and the recording sounds like a demo. Church of the Machine is another Symphony X masterpiece that slaughters Fates Warning in every conceivable manner.
Lost Horizons has a heavy groove and some cool guitar parts, but it’s also very, very clunky. That chorus is whack. Great solos and epicness, but the vocals feel tacked on. I Believe In A Thing Called Love is an absolute banger. I don’t care that’s it’s kind of a parody of the genre - it’s great. Still catchy and ridiculous after all these years. Guitar!
Call Me When You’re Sober sounds like a leftover 90s sad pop song with heavy guitars tossed on top. Amy Lee can sing, but it’s just not a very inspiring track. That said, I loathe The Deftones approach to “singing” with every fibre of my being and so Evanescence must get my vote.
Toxicity is a beast of an album and Aerials has such commanding power. Those harmonies, the heaviness of the production, it all just works. I still love this song. Space Lord is dumb and catchy and fun, but I can’t see voting it over SOAD.
I was gonna say something about how the vocals in My Eternal Dream were a bit lame, or how the song just feels like TOO DAMN MUCH of everything power metal…but then I listened to Manowar and wanted to die. Sometimes tongue in cheek goes too far. Return of the Warlord sucks, so it’s a vote for Stratovarius.
Speaking of sucking: early Fates Warning! I can hear some of the brilliance of where Jim Matheos would take the band, but this is bad. The vocals are positively atrocious and the recording sounds like a demo. Church of the Machine is another Symphony X masterpiece that slaughters Fates Warning in every conceivable manner.
DJMayes
Ancient Mariner
I hadn't heard Limelight before today, but I really enjoyed this one. I like what I've heard of Rush before, but sometimes I find their singer a little much and I found this song suited them a lot more, probably because it didn't feel like it was using the high notes quite as much.
I Believe In A Thing Called Love for the second round. If you want me to vote MSG then it has to be Anytime.
Comfortable win for Evanescence in round 3. Same for System of a Down in round 4.
I love Stratovarius, and My Eternal Dream is one of their standout modern songs, so this one was easy. I've nominated one of their songs myself for later on - I only wish I'd done a deeper dive into their discography beforehand, because it has so much great competition I hadn't listened to before.
Both Fates Warning and Symphony X took too long to get going but the latter went more interesting places once it did. That, and Russell Allen.
I Believe In A Thing Called Love for the second round. If you want me to vote MSG then it has to be Anytime.
Comfortable win for Evanescence in round 3. Same for System of a Down in round 4.
I love Stratovarius, and My Eternal Dream is one of their standout modern songs, so this one was easy. I've nominated one of their songs myself for later on - I only wish I'd done a deeper dive into their discography beforehand, because it has so much great competition I hadn't listened to before.
Both Fates Warning and Symphony X took too long to get going but the latter went more interesting places once it did. That, and Russell Allen.
Confeos
Game time started.
Both Rush songs are great, as usual. I have a slight preference for "The Spirit of Radio", but both are definitely worthy winners.
I had never heard "Lost Horizons" before, but I really liked it. It had a cool mood and vibe, even if the ending dragged. "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" is good fun, and I actually quite like it, but I can't vote for The Darkness in good conscience. MSG it is.
There's about one decent riff in each of "Call Me When You're Sober" and "Rocket Skates", the rest is utter garbage. To put in perspective how much I dislike Amy Lee's voice, I'm actually gonna vote for the horrible vocals of Deftones as the lesser of two evils here.
I'm quite indifferent to both songs in the next match. SOAD sound exactly the same as they always do, and I'm not as thrilled by this Monster Magnet track as the one from a few rounds ago. My vote goes to Monster Magnet, just because SOAD in general are overrated.
"My Eternal Dream" is exactly how power metal should sound like, nothing more, nothing less. I love Manowar, but "Return of the Warlord" is nowhere near their best. Stratovarius wins this one.
The Spectre Within is the only Fates Warning album I've listened to, and "The Apparition" is probably the best song there. The vocals take some time time to get used to, but the music is absolutely stellar. "Church of the Machine" is a new one for me - don't think I'm familiar with this album, so it must be some of their earlier stuff. There are some good parts - the chorus is fantastic - but it doesn't feel as well-written overall compared to what I know Symphony X can do. It's probably gonna win anyway, and I'm good with that, but my vote goes to Fates Warning.
I had never heard "Lost Horizons" before, but I really liked it. It had a cool mood and vibe, even if the ending dragged. "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" is good fun, and I actually quite like it, but I can't vote for The Darkness in good conscience. MSG it is.
There's about one decent riff in each of "Call Me When You're Sober" and "Rocket Skates", the rest is utter garbage. To put in perspective how much I dislike Amy Lee's voice, I'm actually gonna vote for the horrible vocals of Deftones as the lesser of two evils here.
I'm quite indifferent to both songs in the next match. SOAD sound exactly the same as they always do, and I'm not as thrilled by this Monster Magnet track as the one from a few rounds ago. My vote goes to Monster Magnet, just because SOAD in general are overrated.
"My Eternal Dream" is exactly how power metal should sound like, nothing more, nothing less. I love Manowar, but "Return of the Warlord" is nowhere near their best. Stratovarius wins this one.
The Spectre Within is the only Fates Warning album I've listened to, and "The Apparition" is probably the best song there. The vocals take some time time to get used to, but the music is absolutely stellar. "Church of the Machine" is a new one for me - don't think I'm familiar with this album, so it must be some of their earlier stuff. There are some good parts - the chorus is fantastic - but it doesn't feel as well-written overall compared to what I know Symphony X can do. It's probably gonna win anyway, and I'm good with that, but my vote goes to Fates Warning.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
This is kinda wild to me. If you listen to Toxicity, “Aerials” has a very different sound than JUMP! POGO POGO POGO, or THEYRE TRYING TO BUILD A PRISON, or WAKE UP! GRABABRUSHANDPUTALITTLEMAKEUP, etc. It almost feels like a Tool song with the heavy basswork, and it’s super melodic and shifts with each section.
The Spirit of Radio vs. Limelight - Why is Rush always in these metal games when it's not metal?! Anyway, Limelight is better.
Lost Horizons vs. I Believe in a Thing Called Love - Didn't like either song. The Darkness' song is at least shorter.
Call Me When You're Sober vs. Rocket Skates - Evanescence song is actually pretty awesome, and I don't like Deftones.
Aerials vs. Space Lord - Aerials is a classic. Never listened to Monster Magnet before, they sound a bit like Clutch. Might check out more stuff from them.
My Eternal Dream vs. Return Of The Warlord - Dunno how this Strato song ended up in this game, when they have at least 50 better song. Still, it's Hallowed compared to Manowar.
The Apparition vs. Church of the Machine - Arch era FW, nice! Church of the Machine is much better though.
Lost Horizons vs. I Believe in a Thing Called Love - Didn't like either song. The Darkness' song is at least shorter.
Call Me When You're Sober vs. Rocket Skates - Evanescence song is actually pretty awesome, and I don't like Deftones.
Aerials vs. Space Lord - Aerials is a classic. Never listened to Monster Magnet before, they sound a bit like Clutch. Might check out more stuff from them.
My Eternal Dream vs. Return Of The Warlord - Dunno how this Strato song ended up in this game, when they have at least 50 better song. Still, it's Hallowed compared to Manowar.
The Apparition vs. Church of the Machine - Arch era FW, nice! Church of the Machine is much better though.
Confeos
Game time started.
I get where you're coming from, but I disagree. I guess it's the overall feel - it doesn't matter if they're clean or heavy, slow or fast, all their songs just sound so similar to me. "Aerials" could easily flow right into "Toxicity", and I wouldn't notice. On the positive side, it means that the band is instantly recognisable, but on the negative side, I'll just quote myself: "Once you've heard one SOAD song, you've heard them all".
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Bro you nominated Birds in a Row.
I don't see your point. Also, it's Birds In Row.
Based on the date, I think I missed that round.
Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
MoriartyRuler…?Jerlock Holmes
Kalata
Out of the Silent Planet
My Eternal Dream is one of Stratovarius most interesting and classic-sounding new songs. The speed, the riff, the chorus, the instrumental section! And it's against just a decent Manowar song.
Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
Another clash of the titans in this Rush-off. "The Spirit Of Radio" is bright and hook-laden, with a guitar lead that evokes images of blaring radio waves as the lyrics form a hopeful love letter to the medium while still acknowledging the pitfalls of corporatized music. A reggae section that references Simon & Garfunkel lyrics? Why not! This song is stellar and unique, with only some minor foibles in the guitar playing and the delivery of the lyrics ("of...SALESMEN!") "Limelight" is another stone-cold classic with great hooks, fun rhythmic interplay, and wonderful shifts between bright and melancholy moods that reflect the lyrics' mixed feelings about fame. That super-gentle solo that finishes with a singing flourish is also brilliant. Both songs are superb, but one of them is just a little more perfect, and may in fact be my favorite Rush song of all time. Winner: Rush - "Limelight"
"Lost Horizons" has a nice ominous opening before falling into a slow, slightly odd-rhythmed verse. The vocal lines here are pretty good, though the chorus doesn't exactly take off, and the rhythm of the vocal delivery feels a little rigid and constrained. Great solos, though, and a nice fretless bass and guitar trade-off in the middle. I also like the faint choral vocals singing the song title in the background. Definitely has a unique sound. "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" appears to be a parody of hair metal, but it's neither funny nor catchy, so it fails on all fronts. The singer is technically talented, but that intentionally over-the-top falsetto is incredibly grating. The solos are solid, at least. No contest here. Winner: Michael Schenker Group - "Lost Horizons"
Evanescense put out one great album with their debut, but neither Amy Lee nor Ben Moody ever really recaptured that magic on their own after the original band broke up. "Call Me When You're Sober" has some nice vocal lines, but the singing is overwrought as usual, and the chorus doesn't quite get there. I kind of like the mechanical, industrialish guitar fills, but the mindless guitar chugging feels like an empty aping of the band's original guitar sound without understanding how to apply it properly. The bridge doesn't really work for me either. This feels like maybe 2/3 of a good song to me. "Rocket Skates" tries a little too hard to keep the rhythm unstable, to the point of distraction. The softer vocals are fine, but the screamy stuff is annoying. I was starting to get bored when the droney interlude came in to change things up a little, but then it was back to the same old shit soon enough. Hmm, it looks like 2/3 of a good song is good enough to win this match. Winner: Evanescence - "Call Me When You're Sober"
"Aerials" is pleasant enough, with a pretty good vocal melody through the verse, though the chorus is a dud. I'm not a fan of Serj Tankian's tightly wound and slightly "off" vocals, either. I do like how they slipped in some sitar near the end, though. The song is fine, I guess -- nothing special. "Space Lord" was the first Monster Magnet song I ever heard, and I just didn't get it. The acoustic groove and the bridge are kind of cool, but the heavy groove is stock, the lyrics are stupid, and the vocals are annoying. And MTV played it all the time when it was new. Ugh. I also can't tell if he's trying to sing "mother, father" or "motherfucker", and frankly I don't really care. I don't really like either of these songs, but one of them annoyed me a bit less than the other. Winner: System Of A Down - "Aerials"
"My Eternal Dream" has some cheesy opening synths and a pretty stock power metal groove at first, but it goes through some more interesting convolutions as it progresses. Not thrilled with the singer, but he's fine. The beginning and ending of the chorus are great, but the in-between part feels like it treads water. Love the neoclassical soloing, though. A good but uneven song overall, with some great parts. "Return Of The Warlord" has a simple but effective groove. The husky, half-sung vocals suck and the lyrics are cringey. The chorus has the rough skeleton of something that might have worked, but it's not executed well here (though it gets a little better by the end of the song). Jesus, I'm already checking the clock after 2 minutes. At least the solo's pretty interesting, and it sounds like Kai Hansen took some inspiration from this section for both "Valley Of The Kings" and "Heavy Metal Universe". An easy call here for @KidInTheDark666's nominee. Winner: Stratovarius - "My Eternal Dream"
What do you get when you merge my favorite song from NPFTD with @Diesel 11's favorite song from FOTD? Apparently you get heavy garage prog featuring the mediocre Michael Kiske impersonator from the local high school Helloween cover band. There are some interesting ideas peppered throughout this track, including some cool grooves and an occasionally compelling vocal melody here and there, but a lot of this is pretty rough, and overall it ends up feeling like an uneven, amateurish patchwork. "Church Of The Machine" goes through some interesting melodic convolutions, and while the synth melody borrows a bit too liberally from the theme to The Exorcist, it still sounds pretty good. Pre-chorus 1 is awkward, but the verse is strong (despite Allen chewing up the scenery) and the chorus is pretty solid. The instrumental section starting around 6:25 is also quite good. Apparently this blows right into the next track on the album, so the ending when you listen to just this track is abrupt, but I still haven't listened to the next track because the local Symphony X fan club completely abandoned the discography run-through about a year and a half ago! For shame. Anyway, this is an easy call for @LooseCannon's nominee. Winner: Symphony X - "Church Of The Machine"
"Lost Horizons" has a nice ominous opening before falling into a slow, slightly odd-rhythmed verse. The vocal lines here are pretty good, though the chorus doesn't exactly take off, and the rhythm of the vocal delivery feels a little rigid and constrained. Great solos, though, and a nice fretless bass and guitar trade-off in the middle. I also like the faint choral vocals singing the song title in the background. Definitely has a unique sound. "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" appears to be a parody of hair metal, but it's neither funny nor catchy, so it fails on all fronts. The singer is technically talented, but that intentionally over-the-top falsetto is incredibly grating. The solos are solid, at least. No contest here. Winner: Michael Schenker Group - "Lost Horizons"
Evanescense put out one great album with their debut, but neither Amy Lee nor Ben Moody ever really recaptured that magic on their own after the original band broke up. "Call Me When You're Sober" has some nice vocal lines, but the singing is overwrought as usual, and the chorus doesn't quite get there. I kind of like the mechanical, industrialish guitar fills, but the mindless guitar chugging feels like an empty aping of the band's original guitar sound without understanding how to apply it properly. The bridge doesn't really work for me either. This feels like maybe 2/3 of a good song to me. "Rocket Skates" tries a little too hard to keep the rhythm unstable, to the point of distraction. The softer vocals are fine, but the screamy stuff is annoying. I was starting to get bored when the droney interlude came in to change things up a little, but then it was back to the same old shit soon enough. Hmm, it looks like 2/3 of a good song is good enough to win this match. Winner: Evanescence - "Call Me When You're Sober"
"Aerials" is pleasant enough, with a pretty good vocal melody through the verse, though the chorus is a dud. I'm not a fan of Serj Tankian's tightly wound and slightly "off" vocals, either. I do like how they slipped in some sitar near the end, though. The song is fine, I guess -- nothing special. "Space Lord" was the first Monster Magnet song I ever heard, and I just didn't get it. The acoustic groove and the bridge are kind of cool, but the heavy groove is stock, the lyrics are stupid, and the vocals are annoying. And MTV played it all the time when it was new. Ugh. I also can't tell if he's trying to sing "mother, father" or "motherfucker", and frankly I don't really care. I don't really like either of these songs, but one of them annoyed me a bit less than the other. Winner: System Of A Down - "Aerials"
"My Eternal Dream" has some cheesy opening synths and a pretty stock power metal groove at first, but it goes through some more interesting convolutions as it progresses. Not thrilled with the singer, but he's fine. The beginning and ending of the chorus are great, but the in-between part feels like it treads water. Love the neoclassical soloing, though. A good but uneven song overall, with some great parts. "Return Of The Warlord" has a simple but effective groove. The husky, half-sung vocals suck and the lyrics are cringey. The chorus has the rough skeleton of something that might have worked, but it's not executed well here (though it gets a little better by the end of the song). Jesus, I'm already checking the clock after 2 minutes. At least the solo's pretty interesting, and it sounds like Kai Hansen took some inspiration from this section for both "Valley Of The Kings" and "Heavy Metal Universe". An easy call here for @KidInTheDark666's nominee. Winner: Stratovarius - "My Eternal Dream"
What do you get when you merge my favorite song from NPFTD with @Diesel 11's favorite song from FOTD? Apparently you get heavy garage prog featuring the mediocre Michael Kiske impersonator from the local high school Helloween cover band. There are some interesting ideas peppered throughout this track, including some cool grooves and an occasionally compelling vocal melody here and there, but a lot of this is pretty rough, and overall it ends up feeling like an uneven, amateurish patchwork. "Church Of The Machine" goes through some interesting melodic convolutions, and while the synth melody borrows a bit too liberally from the theme to The Exorcist, it still sounds pretty good. Pre-chorus 1 is awkward, but the verse is strong (despite Allen chewing up the scenery) and the chorus is pretty solid. The instrumental section starting around 6:25 is also quite good. Apparently this blows right into the next track on the album, so the ending when you listen to just this track is abrupt, but I still haven't listened to the next track because the local Symphony X fan club completely abandoned the discography run-through about a year and a half ago! For shame. Anyway, this is an easy call for @LooseCannon's nominee. Winner: Symphony X - "Church Of The Machine"