The Greatest Metal Song Cup - Part II, Round 4, Matches 82-87

[Diesel 11]

I love Cemetery Gates and think it is the best thing Pantera ever wrote. That said, it is in no way on the same level as Hallowed or H&H.

Then put me in the camp that doesn’t get “Heaven and Hell”. It’s a really good song but there’s no way it’s better than “War Pigs” or “Black Sabbath”, let alone “Hallowed” and “Cemetery Gates”.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

Then put me in the camp that doesn’t get “Heaven and Hell”. It’s a really good song but there’s no way it’s better than “War Pigs” or “Black Sabbath”

I'm an Ozzy-era fanatic, but those picks are definitely ... unexpected (and despite being Ozzy-era fanatic, I like Heaven and Hell more than either).

Then again, I have my own idiosyncracies, like with the albums, I love 1 (mostly), 3 (extremely), 5 (extremely), 6 (almost extremely) and You Won't Change Me from 7 might be my Top 3 Sabbath song... and yet I mildly dislike the ever-beloved 2, like, but don't adore the overrated 4 and the rest of 7 is very hit or miss, so even with the Ozzy era it's not as easy.

In fact, my top Sabbath albums would probably be

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Master of Reality
Sabotage
Heaven and Hell
Vol. 4
Black Sabbath
Mob Rules
Paranoid
Technical Ecstasy

The rest. Also, from the unexpectedly doomy, unexpectedly good post-2000 kinda-reunion albums, I liked The Devil You Know and 13 pretty much evenly.

 

[Confeos]

"Battle Cry" is a completely generic Priest song - not bad, but nowhere near their best material. "Twilight of the Thunder God" is a melodeath classic that brutally devours its opposition alive. Amon Amarth.

Another listen with an open mind, but nope, still not getting AiC. "Cemetery Gates" is the only Pantera tune that I genuinely like.

Not a fan of either in the third match, but Angra is more up my alley.

SOAD, for the same reason as Pantera. "Armed and Dangerous" is decent, though.

Metallica, no contest.

Dream Theater, no contest.

 

[LooseCannon]

Note: Please obey the rules and vote in *all six matchups, once per matchup*. I am going to start discounting votes if people keep not following the rules.

Finally, Amon Amarth has brought us to the twilight of the metal gods. Pantera knows you'll find them bones past their cemetery gates. It was tight, but we shouldn't be too surprised that Angra won. Carolina IV has herself a cult of personality. Bring your own beer, System of a Down is armed and dangerous. There's no one like Metallica's master of puppets. Dream Theater has figured out that Alice Cooper's nightmare is to be pulled under.

In the alternating/direct current battle, Back in Black gets to shoot to thrill. Rainbow's tarot woman foretold how Slayer would end up somewhere south of heaven. Blind Guardian invokes the mirror on the wall to get the power to beat The Darkness (but it wasn't really needed). Black Sabbath smokes up a nice win over Stratovarius. Exodus isn't bound in blood to Scorpions, instead they were in a trance. And yeah do we really want to know what toys Marilyn Manson has in his attic? I thought not. Aerosmith.

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Part II, Round 3, Matches 49-54​

Group Stage - Round 3	Match 49​	Tailgunner Division​
KISS - God of Thunder	vs.​	Scorpions - Blackout​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	Popoff 500, Best Music Art 100 @The Dissident​
0-1-0, 0 pts, -5	Record​	1-0-0, 2 pts, +8​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 3	Match 50​	Adrian Smith Division​
Death - Zombie Ritual	vs.​	Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath​
@Magnus	Nominators​	Popoff 500, Rolling Stone 100, DigitalDreamDoor 100, Radio EHS 100, Rate Your Music 100, Best Music Art 100 @____no5​
1-0-0, 2 pts, +7	Record​	1-0-0, 2 pts, +10​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 3	Match 51​	No Prayer For the Dying Division​
Manilla Road - Necropolis	vs.​	Alice Cooper - Poison​
@Perun	Nominators​	Popoff 500, Radio EHS 100, Youtube 50 @DJMayes​
0-1-0, 0 pts, -1	Record​	1-0-0, 2 pts, +12​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 3	Match 52​	Doctor Doctor Division​
Evoken - Antithesis of Light	vs.​	Pantera - Walk​
@Diesel 11	Nominators​	Popoff 500, Rolling Stone 100, DigitalDreamDoor 100, Radio EHS 100, Rate Your Music 100, VH1 40, Youtube 50​
0-0-1, 1 pts, +0	Record​	0-1-0, 0 pts, -2​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 3	Match 53​	Heaven Can Wait Division​
Warlord - Deliver Us From Evil (1983 EP Version)	vs.​	Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath​
@Perun	Nominators​	Popoff 500, DigitalDreamDoor 100, Radio EHS 100, Rate Your Music 100 @Mosh​
1-0-0, 2 pts, +12	Record​	1-0-0, 2 pts, +18​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 3	Match 54​	22 Acacia Avenue Division​
Amon Amarth - Embrace the Endless Ocean	vs.​	Black Sabbath - Fairies Wear Boots​
@Night Prowler	Nominators​	Popoff 500, DigitalDreamDoor 100, Rate Your Music 100​
0-1-0, 0 pts, -2	Record​	1-0-0, 2 pts, +12​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

 

[JudasMyGuide]

Wow
much Sabbath
so Butler
very doom

Spoiler

Anyway, here's my humble, simple two cents, mister.


Scorpions over Kiss, 'cause this is a metal song cup and I don't see why should I be voting for Kiss anyway.

Sorry Magnus, you know I love you, but I must say "the Butler did it" and even forgive this song probably helped inventing the hoax that Catholic Church ever banned the tritone. Also, the riff is a classic and the atmosphere is amazing (and honestly, this is exactly the type of song where Ozzy fits better than Dio, precisely because of the weakness of his voice)

I have gone with Perun's nomination before, so I hope he will forgive me as I go with artist bias. Also, corporate songwriting? So what? This is catchy as fuck. "I wanna kiss you, but your lips are venomous POISOOOOON"

I reckon I'mma gonna go with Pantera, 'cause




Shit, Perun, why haven't you nominated some Sabbath too? And from my favourite album to boot! (Though I admit I really like that Warlord song, I can imagine voting for it against other nominees)

And third time's the charm, so I'm going with some of that more Butlery Butleriness.
(might be my favourite bass player in metal and you try telling me you don't get it)

 

[DJ James]

Poison versus Necropolis is brutal, two of my all time favorite songs. Slightly leaning Cooper, his late 80’s early 90’s work is AMAZING! Great glam sound

 

[Mosh]

Note: Please obey the rules and vote in *all six matchups, once per matchup*. I am going to start discounting votes if people keep not following the rules.

Who wants to bet that the people who need to see this message won’t read it?

 

[Mosh]

Poison versus Necropolis is brutal, two of my all time favorite songs. Slightly leaning Cooper, his late 80’s early 90’s work is AMAZING! Great glam sound

Man, Poison isn’t bad but I’m really surprised this is competitive for people. Necropolis is legendary.

 

[LooseCannon]

Who wants to bet that the people who need to see this message won’t read it?

No bets.

 

[DJ James]

Man, Poison isn’t bad but I’m really surprised this is competitive for people. Necropolis is legendary.

I agree though I voted Poison for personal bias, I listen to more Cooper now than Manilla Road, but there’s something to be said that that 3 piece Manilla Road lineup of the 80’s puts a lot of bands to shame. I don’t think USPM ever quite reached the heights of that run of Crystal Logic through The Deluge ever again. I was in the Encyclopedia Metallum IRC in 2014 talking about Manilla Road and a user that I can’t remember the name of said it best “The Deluge sounds exactly how I would imagine riding into battle sounds like”. That about sums up Manilla Roads sound at the time.

Only other bands that got close to that sweet battle hardened USPM sound for me were Cirith Ungol, Omen, and Riot around Thundersteel (Johnny’s Back anyone?)

 

[Jer]

"God Of Thunder" vs. "Blackout": The Kiss track plods while the Scorpions track rocks. A very easy call for @The Dissident's nominee. Winner: Scorpions - "Blackout"

"Zombie Ritual" vs. "Black Sabbath": The Death track has bad vocals, but the Sabbath track commits the sin of being horribly boring. Sorry, @____no5, but I actually prefer @Magnus's choice here. Winner: Death - "Zombie Ritual"

"Necropolis" vs. "Poison": This one was a lot closer, but at the end of the day the Manilla Road track is a lot less polished and has a lot of annoying vocal quirks. The Alice Cooper track is dripping with Desmond Child's fingerprints, both good and bad, but I still prefer it overall. Sorry, @Perun, but this one goes to @DJMayes's nominee. Winner: Alice Cooper - "Poison"

"Antithesis Of Light" vs. "Walk": This Evoken track kinda sucks, but dear god does this Pantera track suck harder. Fucking abysmal. @Diesel 11's nominee wins by default. Winner: Evoken - "Antithesis Of Light"

"Deliver Us From Evil" vs. "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath": Not really a fan of either track here, but the Warlord song has higher highs and is more consistent than the Sabbath song. Sorry, @Mosh, but this one goes to @Perun's nominee. Winner: Warlord - "Deliver Us From Evil"

"Embrace The Endless Ocean" vs. "Fairies Wear Boots": A song that I would genuinely enjoy if it didn't have extreme vocals vs. a bland, water-treading rehash of musical themes from the other songs on Paranoid? Surprisingly enough, this is an easy call for @Night Prowler's nominee. Winner: Amon Amarth - "Embrace The Endless Ocean"

 

[srfc]

Won't get a chance to give a proper listen, but either know all the songs, or else remember from the earlier rounds, bar Evoken and Amon Amarth. Will have to vote for Walk in that case, even though it's a bit shit.

Blackout
Black Sabbath
Poison
Walk
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (would have been my nominee but I correctly guessed it would be here anyway)
Fairies Wear Boots

 

[Shmoolikipod]

God of Thunder is good, Blackout an absolute snooze. 1-17? Wow.

Feeling more like Black Sabbath today.

Necropolis gets better every time it appears. I quite like Poison too as a glam track.

Walk, surprisingly easily.

Deliver Us from Evil is a dark horse for me, but... Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is cool on so many levels.

Epic melodeath in Embrace the Endless Ocean, Fairies Wear Boots is a decent jam and not much more.

 

[Diesel 11]

Of course the moment people start voting for Pantera in droves is when it’s up against one of funeral doom’s greatest moments. I’m withering away. It’s over.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Damnit! I hate missing a round.

My votes wouldn't really have made a difference, though I would've voted for Necropolis and tied things up for Amon Amarth.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

Of course the moment people start voting for Pantera in droves is when it’s up against one of funeral doom’s greatest moments. I’m withering away. It’s over.

You find it to be much too vulgar a display of power, Karras?

 

[LooseCannon]

Scorpions was able to blackout the god of thunder, which, seems impossible, but there you have it. A zombie ritual isn't enough to beat Black Sabbath on the black sabbath. Alice Cooper has laced the necropolis with poison. Somehow, walking is the antithesis of light? Anyway Pantera wins that one. Warlord can't deliver us from Black Sabbath's bloody sabbath, though. And speaking of Black Sabbath, their boot-wearing fairies want nothing to do with the endless ocean, let alone a hug.

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Part II, Round 3, Matches 55-60​

Group Stage - Round 3	Match 55​	Rod Smallwood Division​
Riot - Outlaw	vs.​	Queensrÿche - Suite Sister Mary​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	Popoff 500 @____no5, @Poto​
0-1-0, 0 pts, -7	Record​	1-0-0, 2 pts, +16​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 3	Match 56​	Futureal Division​
Candlemass - Demon's Gate	vs.​	Metallica - Enter Sandman​
@Confeos	Nominators​	Popoff 500, Rolling Stone 100, Radio EHS 100, Rate Your Music 100, VH1 40, Youtube 50, Best Music Art 100 @Black Bart​
1-0-0, 2 pts, +1	Record​	1-0-0, 2 pts, +15​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 3	Match 57​	Dave Murray Division​
Devin Townsend - Earth Day	vs.​	Rainbow - Gates of Babylon​
@Mosh	Nominators​	Popoff 500 @MrKnickerbocker, @Kalata​
0-1-0, 0 pts, -3	Record​	1-0-0, 2 pts, +22​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 3	Match 58​	The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg Division​
Ozzy Osbourne - Suicide Solution	vs.​	Ozzy Osbourne - Mr. Crowley​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	Popoff 500, DigitalDreamDoor 100, Rate Your Music 100 @LooseCannon​
1-0-0, 2 pts, +1	Record​	1-0-0, 2 pts, +21​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 3	Match 59​	The Clansman Division​
Sonata Arctica - White Pearl, Black Ocean	vs.​	Black Sabbath - N.I.B.​
@Spambot	Nominators​	Popoff 500, DigitalDreamDoor 100, Rate Your Music 100​
1-0-0, 2 pts, +1	Record​	1-0-0, 2 pts, +27​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Group Stage - Round 3	Match 60​	Different World Division​
Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers	vs.​	AC/DC - Let There Be Rock​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	Popoff 500, Radio EHS @The Sentient​
0-1-0, 0 pts, -15	Record​	1-0-0, 2 pts, +9​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

 

[Iron Taipei]

You've put "Queensrÿche - Suite Sister Mary" twice (instead of Candlemass) -you must like it a lot

 

[JudasMyGuide]

I've previously said this about Suite Sister Mary

Now, when we have Suite Sister Mary in the game, I might talk about the similarities I've always perceived between Operation: Mindcrime and Seventh Wonder's Mercy Falls. So, both are prog metal concept albums with incredibly melodramatic storyline which is just as much a pro (it gives it cohesion and the "more than a sum of its part" feel) and a con (it is quite often cheesy to the level of cringiness).

Both start with not one, but two introductory tracks before we get to the songs proper, both are somewhat uneven (with bland stuff like Revolution Calling or Breaking the Silence for O:M and Fall in Line and Destiny Calls for MF that are saved mostly by the cohesion of the whole and the strength of the other tracks), both have songs about breaking the silence and both have their pinnacle in the longest track, at first seemingly meandering and subdued, and the tracks immediately next to it (The Mission and Suite Sister Mary for O:M and Break the Silence and Hide and Seek for Mercy Falls).

I'd say the comparison between (Seventh Wonder's) Break the Silence and Suite Sister Mary is especially interesting - both are among the darkest tracks of their respective albums, both are rather subdued, building up to the incredibly poignant chorus, which is repeated only twice and which is at first the only part that is truly memorable on your first listen. Despite that, both are building up primarily atmosphere and both feel slightly musically clunky (Rÿche because they mostly play heavy metal and because they are trying a different musical structure to dabble in the prog genre they can't properly do, Seventh Wonder because much as I like them, they were doing these illogical, musical Frankensteins where you put everything into a pot without rhyme or reason long before The Great Escape, you know it's true). And yet, the atmosphere is brilliant.

I would almost be tempted to care about this overwrought dystopian concept full of 80s 'Murican hysteria with brainwashing, counterculture and pseudo-nuns... despite what I wrote in this cup before - crikey, a dystopian concept album, what a wonder to behold, much cleverity, so original.

This song is incredibly powerful, despite all its various misgivings and I won't be even wasting any breath (or, well, keyboard's maximum usage expectancy) talking about Bodies, for fuck's sake, Queensrÿche!

Sounds about right.

I don't think I have said anything about Riot previously, or at the very least I don't remember it.
Also sounds about right.

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The next match is tough - I admit I'd much rather vote for Candlemass, as I like the band more AND Enter Sandman has been overplayed to death by everybody and their brother, but then again... the riff, the... swag, the overall cool factor, the fact the song is such a classic quite rightly...
I don't know. I expect most people are going to vote for Metallica, so I'll go with the presumed underdog and vote Candlemass, though I feel like I should vote for the opposition.

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The next match I really don't know. I love OG Rainbow. I love Heavy Devy. In the end, I guess I like OG Rainbow more, the song is amazing and it has more of that vintage sound, instead of Devy's wall of sound (which I'm honestly not a huge fan of)

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I'm not sure which of these two songs I like more, Ozzy's early career is rather consistent, but despite me not really appreciating anyone addressing "Mr. Crowley" in particular, I'll go with Loosey's nomination.

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And another "kill-me-now" choice with somewhat lesser songs by two bands I really love very much. But I guess that despite Butler Butleriness, I'm more of a power metal fan nowadays and besides - members against lists, so I'll go Sonata Arctica in this one.

-----

Purple over AC/DC, even the washed-up, tired version of 80s Mk2 - and the song is very catchy, I can't deny that.

 

[MindRuler]

You've put "Queensrÿche - Suite Sister Mary" twice (instead of Candlemass) -you must like it a lot

It's the best song of this round by far.