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

[LooseCannon]

Playlist! Including the Queensryche song. Might be a regional thing?

Yeah, Warning wasn't on Spotify for me at all.

 

[KidInTheDark666]

Roads to Madness has always been there for me, but the version of The Ripper from the previous playlist was unavailable. Sad Wings as an album was gone for a long time from the European Spotify.

 

[KidInTheDark666]

Wow, Martin's got some damn fine picks for us this time around.

I Tamper With the Evidence at the Murder Site of Odin: Cool music with tolerable vocals. A fine song for sure.
Lake Bodom: Fantastic music with also tolerable vocals. I really should get more into Bodom, since everything I've listened to from them has been really good.

Anthrax are a great band who totally deserve to be in the big 4. These two classics are both awesome, but Indians ranks a bit higher for me. Some of their finest moments are in that track.

Iced Earth have a good bunch of fantastic songs, but Declaration Day tops them all. Even in terms of my own nominees, this song is easily above average, as it ranks at #6 on my favorite album openers list. Ripper's performance is truly stunning. Book of Blood is also a very good heavy metal song with a signature John Bush performance.

Flying High Again is a good song from Ozzy's most overrated album, while The Zoo is a fantastic track from an underrated Scorpions album. It's also a great live track and even a cool one to do at karaoke. Scorpions and it's not even close.

The Coming Curse vs Roads to Madness is an incredibly tight match, as both of these songs belong in the greatest classics of their respective groups. The Coming Curse is just an incredibly tight piece of music and one of Jon's greatest compositions. Come on, how awesome is that thrashy riff? The song's got great hooks and everything. Stuff like this makes Something Wicked their best album. However... Roads to Madness has the large advantage of having arguably the greatest vocalist in the whole genre, the mighty Geoff Tate. Musically the song rivals The Coming Curse in some aspects, loses in some, and beats it in others. This is practically a tie, so I'll resort to voting for the better band, which is Queensryche.

In Disciples of the Watch, we have another one of Testament's absolutely best tracks. Awesome riffing with a good sing-along hook. There's a good reason for this being a concert staple for the band. I'm not terribly familiar with Sepultura, and this song doesn't give me any reason to get excited about their material. It's a generic thrash song with below-average vocals for its subgenre. It's alright, but surely the weakest link this round.

I really had to vote against some great songs. A shame, but what can you do?

 

[Kalata]

Indians is a nice Anthrax song, at least.
Iced Earth's Declaration Day has a melodic chorus, so it wins.
The Zoo has a monster riff and a great chorus. I'm not a fan of Ozzy's song.
Roads To Madness didn't impress me (I find the vocals rather irritating), but it's an interesting song with calm parts so it gets my vote.

 

[MindRuler]

That Dethklok song had no chance against a far more melodic/superior Children Of Bodom song.

A round of Anthrax: what a coincidence I bought Among The Living yesterday in a small Helsinki record store (pretty good records there!)
In My World is a good song but Indians is better.

Not a big fan of either band. The Armored Saint song was going nowhere, I was hoping for a climax that didn´t come. The Iced Earth song simply worked better.

Scorpions have much better songs than The Zoo (I even prefer Bruce´s cover to the original) and it really has no chance against classic Ozzy.

I already voted for an Iced Earth song in this round and like I said previously I´m not a real fan of their music. However, Queensryche is a band I love and especially the golden Tate years. This epic from The Warning is pure class.

Hardest match so far: Disciples Of The Watch is one of the best Testament songs, battling against the title track of (IMO) Sepultura´s best album was quite tough. A lot of people already voted Testament so my vote goes to Sepultura.

 

[srfc]

Dethklok - I Tamper With the Evidence at the Murder Site of Odin vs Children of Bodom - Lake Bodom
Deathklok, too over produced sounding to get the head nodding but good enough to not switch the track off early. To be fair, a lot packed into 4 mins without sounding too presto chango. For Children of Bodom, first thought is that cover pic looks like a fan designed "alternative" Dance of Death cover. This one succeeds in getting the head nodding, the guitar and key run just before the chorus is lifted from Rising Force (as is the keyboard tone in general) . Maiden melody in the section before the solo is good too. And to be fair to this, there's a fair amount here in a short song too. Lake Bodom

Anthrax - In My World vs. Anthrax - Indians
In My World is one of the better tracks from Persistence of Time, but I'm not a huge fan of that album, all the tracks have a big long verse, followed by a big long prechorus, followed a big long chorus. Indians is their best track. Indians

Iced Earth - Declaration Day vs. Armored Saint - Book of Blood
Or Insurrection Day more like! [/hopes no one else has made this obvious joke already...] Ripper is a great singer, but I always thought he was better doing impressions as his own delivery is so hammy, and it's not helped here with this corny U-S-A U-S-A shit. The track isn't bad, the harmony part in particular is good, as is Ripper screaming blue murder after it. The little sting of "and the land of the free" melody at the end is a rip off of Anthrax at the end of Gung Ho. @MrKnickerbocker introduced me to Symbol of Salvation in the GMAC, and this time I might be encouraged to check out more stuff, Bush is just a top tier singer. Love that the solo came in when I was expecting a chorus, plus the key changes are great. Book of Blood

Ozzy Osbourne - Flying High Again vs. Scorpions - The Zoo
Oh no,oh no another Sophie's Choice round. It's too early in the game for this shit. Gut says Flying High Again.

Iced Earth - The Coming Curse vs. Queensrÿche - Roads to Madness
Piano intro seems completely unnecessary when a totally different track kicks in, so hopefully there's some sort of call back to it in the rest of the song. Head is nodding when it kicks in, there's a To Tame a Land chord progression in the solo, and Sign of the Cross after the scream, followed by some more of To Tame a Land. Whereas the first tie packed a lot into 4 mins, this track packed 4 mins into 10 mins. LOL Never realised Roads to Madness was near 10 mins before Roads to Madness

Testament - Disciples of the Watch vs. Sepultuta - Beneath the Remains
I like Beneath the Remains, as a teenage fan it was my favourite album by them and one of my favourite songs, but I prefer Arise these days if I give them a listen. Disciples of the Watch is my favourite Testament track though. Disciples of the Watch

 

[____no5]

Good to see Armored Saint here, I didn’t know the song and now voted for it. The Coming Curse was an obvious choice, it could have been in my list if it weren’t for Dante’s Inferno. Testament vs Sepultura was the hardest call, I voted for Sepultura.

 

[Shmoolikipod]

Dethklok takes the first one. It was more enticing harmonically, or at least it was more noticeable than in Bodom, which was great as well with more neoclassical shenanigans.

In My World is angsty and quite good but Indians just more likely to get stuck in my head.

Wasn't a big fan of Declaration Day, decent but I hoped for better because I really like most Iced Earth I've heard. The "on this declaration day" vocals were particularly annoying. Book of Blood was actually closer to what I wanted, very enjoyable bass.

Now we're getting into the real good stuff! People weren't lying, solo Ozzy is great. A delight of a song. The Zoo has that powerful punching groove though, and an even better chorus. The talk box isn't really my thing but not enough to bring it down.

I was sure I was going with The Coming Curse, and really wanted to after Declaration Day. The piano intro is gorgeous, and the guitar is just the definition of tight. Holy shit it's so good. And the Seventh Son part? The release isn't as good as SS but few things compare. Just thought it's very similar. This is probably my second favourite Iced Earth song, and I nominated the first. Unfortunately for TCC, apparently all the good songs in The Warning are in the second half of the album. Roads to Madness was a complete surprise. Like, it might be better than Mindcrime stuff. They nailed it, It's captivating and the best find of the game so far.

Funny how both songs here start with a minute long clean intro. Testament's absolutely slaughters Sepultura's, by the way. Beneath the Remains was more of a caveman riff salad, yet I'm still going with it. Who said riff salads are bad? And I'm just not in the mood for gang vocal choruses today, I guess.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

I have always more or less avoided Metalocalypse, as an example of a type of humor that is aimed at altogether different people than me. That said, for a more or less parody band where most of the instruments are played by a single person, this is suprisingly solid. The production (well, I mean primarily the mixing and mastering) still has the weaknesses of modern extreme metal releases, but there are some nice leads, the song is relatively catchy and I somewhat fail at trying to find the nits to pick.
OTOH Children of Bodom (whom I actually saw live! Though they didn't play this particular song back then) are much closer to my own personal preference. The "colder" atmosphere and the "neoclassicalisms" excite me more and although the song is less catchy than they themselves can do (and in this particular match less catchy than the opposition), I can't help but vibe with the greater instrumental proficiency here. Bodom.

Ah, two Anthraxes (Anthraxi? Anthraces?) against each other. Now, it a risky mode when thrash's resident surfer shitposters decide to go all dark and serious, but the resulting album Persistence of Time is not only my favourite album by them, but it might actually be my favourite Big 4 album overall. That said, In My World is - at least in my book - among the weaker cuts off that album (see pretty much every other song on Side A for proof, with particular mention going to Blood, probably my favourite 'Thrax song), but then again, Indians is also among the weaker tracks from Among the Living. It is maybe a tad more energetic, but I don't like Belladonna's inflections here (on this particular song he sounds to me like he was regressing back into the Spreading the Disease era) and neither do I particularly like the chorus. As of now, In My World is losing in a rather brutal manner, so I feel the necessity to vote for Anthrax. Oh, wait, In My World, that is.

Funnily enough, being the troll and the contrarian I am, I found Schaffer's RIRI (Random Instance of Repherensible Insurrectionism) to be an interesting catalyst to finally try to get into Iced Earth a bit more. Despite listening to several albums, I haven't managed to take to anything else than Something Wicked This Way Comes as of yet, but I don't think I've heard The Glorious Burden, so let's try something off that one.
So, this is already their twilight era, right? At least from what I heard. And yet, I'm suprised to see that I actually like it. This is very melodic, it has a cool driving energy, Owens sounds really good here - man, talk about a perfectly fine chap with loads of talent who is mostly reviled for giving his best to bands at what is perceived as their temporary nadir - the guitars might actually make many a Maiden fan happy (especially in the instrumental section) and although the chorus is grand and pathetic (in the old sense of the word), it doesn't cross the arbitrary borders of taste. I mean, is this actually... good?
Amored Saint are another "classic" band I have neglected in the past, primarily because I perceived them to be just another run of the mill NWOBHM band (despite hailing from the US, but you know what I mean). I have been informed that without trying out at least Symbol of Salvation, such neglect is improper, but that hasn't happened already, so with open mind and open legs arms I welcome this track. Hmm...
I don't want to be offensive towards anyone here who likes them (primarily Mr Knickerbocker, IIRC) but this is indeed rather generic. The song is very unmemorable, the production sounds very 80s, Bush... has talent, I wouldn't deny that, but I dislike what he does with it (again, the inflections are the problem here) and the guitarwork is way too buried in the production. And the "calmer" part sounds like prime 80s cheese.
Sorry, I mean it, I'm not writing off the band overall, but here it's obvious Insurrectionist Earth brought the better song.

This next match is tough. On one hand, I never liked Scorpions that much after Uli left, although The Zoo is definitely one of the better songs in that regard and I wish it was more well-known, instead of Hurricane, You and I, Send Me an Angel, Winds of Change, Still Loving You and all that housewife/bonfire shit so beloved and replayed to death on the radio in post-Commie countries.
The chorus is stellar, the insidious tone helps to keep the atmosphere sinister and neurotic - I just wish the chug at the beginning didn't last the whole two minutes - and the subtle swagger the song has almost makes me forget the instrumental limits (Jabs is no Roth and no Schenker either) as well as the fact that apart from the chug, most of the guitar is left for the outro, where it's buried in the production as well.
Also, man, I just love all that edgy politically incorrect album art - though it doesn't beat the craziness of Virgin Killer and it lacks the stylishness of In Trance or the subtlety of Taken By Force, maybe it's in a way more unacceptable nowadays. But that'd be more fitting the album cup, not the song one.
In the other corner we have song that's more or less the complete opposite - a stellar guitarist with such charisma and competence he became a legend and an icon after only more or less two proper albums released before his death, combined with a bloke who oozes possibly too much personality, if anything, (compared with Scorps occasional lack of), but - to me at least - those two had a weaker moment here, I know the song is a beloved classic, but I admit I never got the popularity, especially on the first two albums which are packed with absolute bangers. Even the solo - Randy can definitely do better. Although I would expect to pick Randy-era Ozzy over post-70s Scorpions any day of the week, I don't and I vote for the more intriguing Scorpions' song.

So, you remember how - all those thousands of words ago, in this very post - I wrote this?

Despite listening to several albums, I haven't managed to take to anything else than Something Wicked This Way Comes as of yet

That's absolutely true. I like the entire album and the closing epic is no exception. It has this hard-to-describe "melodic brutality" that so far I'm failing to grasp even in the rest of their discography, mostly. In fact, I remember my first listen to this very album, the 10-minute epic was the song I remembered the most, or close to it. The intro feels a bit detached from the rest of the song, true, but other than that, the track has a magnificent flow, even the chugging breakdown feels like it's occuring naturally and the overall way how the song builds back up to the driving rhythm and the unforgettable chorus is genuinely great and it reminds me a bit of the build-ups i love about Dream Theater, almost. Though the vocals in the outro are bizarre, I admit, but then again, it's such a WTF moment I can't help but to somewhat like it, especially since the whole album ends with it.
Rÿche. Non-Mindcrime Rÿche, to be precise. Oh well. I admit this is much better than the ballad from the first round. The slow-burn riff between 0:35 and 0:50 is pretty impressive and the overall vibe feels like if you took the majestic grandioseness of Suite Sister Mary, but combined it with the haunting emotionalism and riffing of The Mission and sprinkled a bit of I Don't Believe in Love melodicism there as well. What's worse (better?), Tate is also very tolerable here and at times he almost feels as if he was channeling ... Fish? Am I hearing things?
However, even with the rather nice fast section near the end, it just feels a tad overlong, or at least a bit too monotonous for me, so again, the best non-Mindcrime Rÿche song so far still leaves something to be desired.
Who to support here?
Well, Schaffer's epic now loses 4:8 at the moment as I'm writing this and



with these numbers you'd never overtake the Capitol, so I'm giving my reluctant support to the Cause and although I'm fine with this particular Queensrÿche song progressing further, I vote, once again, Insurrectionist Earth. (man, this game is full of surprises)


As for the last match, I already said I'm not a fan of Testament, First Strike might be the album I found the least memorable (well, at least I don't remember pretty much anything from it) and no Skolnick or DiGeorgio can take away from the fact this doesn't even sound like the classic 80's Testament, but more of a poor man's Anthrax (though I must admit the bass is pretty sweet).
As such, the song isn't even all that bad, just really unmemorable and it is pitted against the iconic title track of Sepultura's arguably best album Beneath the Remains. Like I already said, in the brutal thrash subgenre, whenever someone overpraises Slayer to my face, I usually counter with Kreator, but early Sepultura is a valid alternative. Beneath the Remains is the full-sounded, breakneck, abrasive sander that whittles your face to what you see on the cover art. I guess that nowadays, having some detachment from thrash in general and with perspective, I could dislike stuff like Kisser's squeaky shenanigans - the solo is maybe a tad too chaotic for my tastes - or Cavalera's silly echoed barks. Maybe I can't stay objective here, really, maybe it's just nostalgia and prejudice, but I knew I would be 100% supporting Sepultura even before I played the songs in question.

 

[Diesel 11]

Really interesting extreme metal match, especially since boþ þese songs are just power metal masquerading as dæþ metal. Deþklok really didn't do much for me, aside from þe title; þere was maybe one good moment þroughout. Of course it's a @Spambot nomination! Þen you've got a classic Children of Bodom track from þeir debut. Crazy þat þis pre-dates Nightwish's Oceanborn, because I feel like I've hærd a lot of þe pieces in þis song on þat album. It's certainly not my favorite, but more in my league þan parody metal. I gueß I'm gonna get a plate of þat Finnish corn COB tonight!

Anþrax vs Anþrax is a smart move because þey are, of course, þe worst of þe Big 4 (and I'd take a few oþer þrash bands over þem, too). "In My World" has maybe two solid bits going for it, but for þe most part it's just six minutes of boredom. "Indians", meanwhile, is EASILY one of þeir best songs; every single moment is awesome and it's about as perfect as a 'þrax song can get. I love how simple and upfront þe lyrics are; þe tribal drum intro is fantastic; "WAR DANCE" is fucking cool; such a good song, easy easy vote. Always in þe mood for it.

So I was totally going into þis match expecting to vote for Iced Ærþ. "Declaration Day" isn't perfect; Ripper really needs a proper producer to direct him, it kinda plods at times, but ultimately it's a fun album opener and a græt live song, too. Certainly one of þe best non-"Gettysburg" songs on Þe Glorious Burden. But Armored Saint won me over. It's got a græt riff, Bush's vocals are super strong, and I loved þe twisting instrumental section. It petered out a little towards the end, but still had enough going for it þat I went against my bias and gave þem þe vote.

Ozzy vs þe Scorps' is þe real doozy in þis round. I like "Þe Zoo" a lot; it opens wiþ a kick-aß riff and þen shifts gears completely, opting for a slow-building groove instæd. When þat chorus hits, it hits hard. Utter classic. But "Flying High Again"... man, þis is a song þat's grown on me over þe years. It's so much fun, þe riff is awesome, Randy is just killing it þroughout þis entire track. Þe solo is phenomenal, it's pure shred yet moving in precise lines up and down (and I þink it gets doubled at one point too?). Ozzy gives a fun performance, it's just a græt, græt song, gotta go Ozzy & þe Osbournes here.

Now for a super easy match... ... ...Yes I'm going for Iced Ærþ, duh. "Þe Coming Curse" might be þeir ultimate song; it's certainly one of þeir best. I adore þe piano intro, þe riff is brutal as fuck and yet still has melody in its motion. Barlow fucking KILLS IT. I love þis man's voice! When you loop back around to þat final chorus, oh my god, þe chills. Beefy and tight, þroughout þe whole ride. Alþough admittedly þe choir is a little silly. Compared to Queensrÿche, it's no contest. "Roads to Madneß" is musically strong, and I like how it starts as one song, seems to have an extended outro, and þen transforms into a completely different song. It's like two songs in one! But þe vocals are really what seal þe deal here. Gœff is all over þe place on þis one. Þe vocal melodies suck. Gonna go for þe band whose lead singer didn't pull out a knife on his bandmates.

And finally, two different approaches at þrash metal, boþ of which are quite good. Testament have þat "we're all bros!" þing going on, and "Disciples of þe Watch" is a super fun song wiþ a græt chorus. Chuck Billy seems to be getting super underrated on þis forum, I'm really digging his voice. Simple but strong. But as soon as þe riffs to "Beneaþ þe Remains" kicked in I knew I was gonna be voting Sepultura. Absolutely killer riffage, like being hit by a cement truck over and over and over. Love it. It's tight, but Brazil is definitely taking þe win þis match.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

P. S. - two (okay, three) more things

This time around the only match I'm upset about is the last one - Sepultura at their prime losing against a mid track off Testament's (possibly) weakest album, that's one thing I genuinely didn't expect.

Also, another band this cup made me go back and replay a lot (after GNR) are Scorpions.

And last thing - is this the first round I don't agree with anyone completely (6/6 songs)? If anything, I don't even seem to have 5/6 compatibility with anyone. Oh, well.

 

[KidInTheDark666]

mid track off Testament's (possibly) weakest album

That has to be one of the craziest takes ever on the forum. I'm not a hardcore Testament fan, but isn't The New Order at least top 3 on pretty much everyone's list?

 

[JudasMyGuide]

That has to be one of the craziest takes ever on the forum. I'm not a hardcore Testament fan, but isn't The New Order at least top 3 on pretty much everyone's list?

I forgot about the original, I admit, but this is the re-recording, isn't it?

Also, I am also not a hardcore Testament fan - obviously - but I don't think any album besides the debut gets more or less praise than others. But what do I know.

 

[KidInTheDark666]

I forgot about the original, I admit, but this is the re-recording,, isn't it?

I dunno, I just went and listened to the version I usually do.

Edit: Yeah, the youtube link is to the rerecorded version and the spotify link is to the original.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

Okay, I guess a more thorough explanation is due, I'll edit it into this post once I'm at a computer.

EDIT: Anyway, the only time I was more interested in Testament was sometime in my thrash period, which is a really long time ago. Due to some weird combination of factors, the First Strike Still Deadly was actually among my first albums I heard by them. I didn't know it was (mostly?) a collection of re-recordings, but I genuinely didn't like it. It sounded mostly like a nu-metal attempt at thrash and I found the album mostly horrible. I guess that might be a proof that the hatred towards the re-recorded albums might not just be people not willing to let go of their originals - some of them might suck on their own. Of course I learned about the fact it's mostly re-recordings and I admit the original songs - once I heard them - were much better. Although - to be honest, I'm somewhat inclined now to compare the songs, because at least from what I remember, the songs often sound like completely different songs altogether and I can't seem to make the connections between the songs. That might be just me, though.

When I was writing this I didn't even remember if Disciples of the Watch was a re-recording or if it was some of the new songs there, actually, I just saw the name of the album and didn't even bother thinking about the fact it's mostly re-recordings and just wrote it off.
Sorry for the confusion.

Anyway, for the sake of justice I played the original now, too, and while I definitely like it better, I still don't like it much and my point stands. So, even thought it's from the famous sophomore record, actually, I would rephrase it such

(possibly) weakest track off Testament's more or less absolutely fine abum.

Happy now?

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

I actually prefer the bombastic harmonized pomp of Bodom’s riffage, but those vocals are awful. A coin flip for Dethklok

Indians is one of Anthrax’s best songs. In My World is overlong and has virtually zero hooks. As with 70% of their material, Joey’s voice is not suited for it.

Fascist Hicks Fuck Off. Declaration Day is the best individual song on The Glorious Burden but it can’t touch even the worst Armored Saint song (especially due to the gross ‘Murica worship). Book of Blood is such a cool, haunting ride that kicks your ass at the same time. Joey Vera’s bass is a highlight, as usual, especially the way he trails the main riff.

I used to enjoy Flying High Again, but revisiting it now it just sounds so dated. The verses are almost saccharine. And yet, it’s a catchy tune. The Zoo is fairly simplistic, that riff is the most basic thing in rock, but the overall mood of the song is captivating. Ozzy might have the more original song here but my heart tells me Scorpions

It cannot be denied that The Coming Curse is an absolute banger. The piano is stellar, the riffs are great (if repetitive) and Barlow is at the top of his game. The only negative about the song is the lack of a true guitar lead. One of Iced Earth’s best and thankfully it’s a fictional concept and not some patriotic bullshit. Geoff Tate’s voice makes me physically ill, especially here. I couldn’t listen to more than 2-3 minutes.

Sepultura does absolutely nothing for me here, a super easy vote for another top tier thrasher by Testament

 

[DJMayes]

I actually prefer the bombastic harmonized pomp of Bodom’s riffage, but those vocals are awful. A coin flip for Dethklok

Indians is one of Anthrax’s best songs. In My World is overlong and has virtually zero hooks. As with 70% of their material, Joey’s voice is not suited for it.

Fascist Hicks Fuck Off. Declaration Day is the best individual song on The Glorious Burden but it can’t touch even the worst Armored Saint song (especially due to the gross ‘Murica worship). Book of Blood is such a cool, haunting ride that kicks your ass at the same time. Joey Vera’s bass is a highlight, as usual, especially the way he trails the main riff.

I used to enjoy Flying High Again, but revisiting it now it just sounds so dated. The verses are almost saccharine. And yet, it’s a catchy tune. The Zoo is fairly simplistic, that riff is the most basic thing in rock, but the overall mood of the song is captivating. Ozzy might have the more original song here but my heart tells me Scorpions

It cannot be denied that The Coming Curse is an absolute banger. The piano is stellar, the riffs are great (if repetitive) and Barlow is at the top of his game. The only negative about the song is the lack of a true guitar lead. One of Iced Earth’s best and thankfully it’s a fictional concept and not some patriotic bullshit. Geoff Tate’s voice makes me physically ill, especially here. I couldn’t listen to more than 2-3 minutes.

Sepultura does absolutely nothing for me here, a super easy vote for another top tier thrasher by Testament

Looks like we're twins this round!

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Good to see Armored Saint here, I didn’t know the song and now voted for it.

Glad you enjoyed it! It’s a gem from their early period.

@MrKnickerbocker introduced me to Symbol of Salvation in the GMAC, and this time I might be encouraged to check out more stuff, Bush is just a top tier singer. Love that the solo came in when I was expecting a chorus, plus the key changes are great. Book of Blood

I highly encourage further Saint listening! The solo section is killer and I totally agree about the shifts. Such a cool tune.

Amored Saint are another "classic" band I have neglected in the past, primarily because I perceived them to be just another run of the mill NWOBHM band (despite hailing from the US, but you know what I mean). I have been informed that without trying out at least Symbol of Salvation, such neglect is improper, but that hasn't happened already, so with open mind and open legs arms I welcome this track. Hmm...
I don't want to be offensive towards anyone here who likes them (primarily Mr Knickerbocker, IIRC) but this is indeed rather generic. The song is very unmemorable, the production sounds very 80s, Bush... has talent, I wouldn't deny that, but I dislike what he does with it (again, the inflections are the problem here) and the guitarwork is way too buried in the production. And the "calmer" part sounds like prime 80s cheese.

I don’t know how Book of Blood is generic in literally any way? What other riffs sound like that riff? What other metal band has funky bass playing grounding some NWOBHM-influenced music? Who else sounds like John Bush?

You’ve got a point about the production, and I’m not denying some cheese, but I can’t fathom calling this generic while simultaneously voting for an Iced Earth song that literally sounds like 100 other songs.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

I don’t know how Book of Blood is generic in literally any way? What other riffs sound like that riff? What other metal band has funky bass playing grounding some NWOBHM-influenced music? Who else sounds like John Bush?

You’ve got a point about the production, and I’m not denying some cheese, but I can’t fathom calling this generic while simultaneously voting for an Iced Earth song that literally sounds like 100 other songs.

I'm sorry, I knew I wouldn't make you happy. In fact, just now I replayed the song, but I feel the same, if you put a gun against my head, I couldn't reproduce a single thing about the song, sorry!



To me, it's just a melodyless NWOBHM-esque chug. The riff is okay, but I don't think it's as unique as you say and, well, doesn't work for me much.

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.

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.

Like I said, every band I don't "get" I try to return to again and again, in periodic intervals. Maybe one day AS will click.


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.

 

[____no5]

Man this thread is massive. Huge momentum, keep up guys!