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

What is your favourite song in each match? Vote in all six matchups!

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  • Total voters
    8
  • Poll closed .
It feels weird saying that ANYTHING off Metallica’s first three albums is underrated, but I do find Trapped Under Ice to be underrated. If anyone were to come up to me and ask for a great 80’s thrash song as a jumping off point or just a great introduction to 80’s thrash in general, Trapped Under Ice would be one of my first answers.

GREAT guitars on that track and the chorus is so catchy. Lars gets a lot of flack in metal communities (sometimes rightfully so) but he was the key to Metallica being so big in the 80’s. You couldn’t put any 80’s thrash drummer behind the kit of Metallica, you needed a guy with that X Factor, or a sort of intangible. If you listen really closely to those first couple albums, Lars plays more like a standard rock drummer and not one of those guys that just blasts and blasts and blasts for the whole album (looking at you Teutonic thrash - still love ya though). His drumming was just palpable enough for just about everyone to experience the rage and fury of 80’s thrash in a very nice package.
 
I see you post this opinion on literally every Blind Guardian song, and I’m curious if you mean the note choices and speed or the literal tone of the guitar distortion?
I too would like to hear @Jer ’s opinion on this, especially since I play in a video game metal band. Do you mean it lacks emotion? Too technical? Too beepity-boopity? Too Mario-ish? Too Mega Man-ish?
The guitar tone is a large part of it, making it sound so shrill and processed that it almost comes off as a synthesized guitar, but there’s also a forced speediness to it that sacrifices feel for insistence. It has a sort of computery, emotionless, inauthentic aesthetic to it like a mediocre 16-bit chip tune. This is something pretty unique to Blind Guardian in my experience.

Eh, I wouldn’t say he’s out of tune. He’s reaching and his voice is stretching quite a bit (also this era of his voice was pretty weak compared to what came after), but I wouldn’t say he’s missing the notes half the time.
Listen again, Hetfield’s objectively off the notes for significant parts of the song. Maybe not half, but definitely more than 20%.
 
Lars gets a lot of flack in metal communities (sometimes rightfully so) but he was the key to Metallica being so big in the 80’s. You couldn’t put any 80’s thrash drummer behind the kit of Metallica, you needed a guy with that X Factor, or a sort of intangible.
Besides his “x factor” of business acumen and song arrangements, his “intangible” quality was literally his lack of technical ability. I’m not even trying to shit on him, his inability to play like those other drummers is part of what makes Metallica so much more accessible.

Listen again, Hetfield’s objectively off the notes for significant parts of the song. Maybe not half, but definitely more than 20%.
I think what you’re hearing is some phasing from the intense reverb on the production. Other than the “I” in the chorus, which sounds a bit wonky, everything else sounds on pitch. The vocal melodies are not perfectly suited to some of the riffs, I will agree, but he’s not off the notes.
 
Quick one today

Orgasmatron
Veni, Vidi, Vici
Trapped Under Ice
Relentless (I got a laugh with the song ending abruptly just after he said "relentless")
I Wanna Be Somebody
I'm Broken
 
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Motörhead. Neither song is great, but "Orgasmatron" at least has Lemmy.

Virgin Steele. Good, catchy tune, while "Mordred's Song" is a lesser Blind Guardian song.

Metallica. Probably my least favourite song on Ride, but I honestly found nothing likeable about Machine Head.

Reverend Bizarre. Come on guys, doom can also be fun. So fun that they had to put a sticker on this album saying "The biggest sellout in doom". Also, Pentagram had shitty vocals.

Judas Priest. Fuck off, Blackie.

I didn't have time to listen to the last two songs, but I generally dislike Pantera, so I'll rather vote for a member-nominated tune. Nuclear Assault.
 
Motörhead does something here, I don't wanna write this one. Blind Guardian's bastard son stabs Virgin Steele in the back. Even a ten ton hammer can't stop Machine Head from being trapped under Metallica's ice. Reverend Bizarre's relentless in spreading their doom over the world. Judas Priest's wheel is burning free and stops WASP from being somebody. Pantera is broken and cannot be remade in Nuclear Assault's forge.





Part I, Round 56, Matches 331-336


Play In Round
Match 331
Janick Gers Division​
Rainbow - Long Live Rock 'N' Roll
vs.
Savatage - Prelude to Madness​
Popoff 500
Nominators
Best Music Art 100​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 332
The Parchment Division​
Skyclad - Polkageist!
vs.
Primordial - The Coffin Ships​
@Jer
Nominators
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 333
The Parchment Division​
Pantera - Hollow
vs.
Megadeth - The Skull Beneath the Skin​
Popoff 500
Nominators
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 334
The Parchment Division​
KISS - Deuce
vs.
KISS - Lick It Up​
Popoff 500
Nominators
Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 335
2 Minutes to Midnight Division​
Y&T - Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
vs.
UFO - Boogie For George​
@DJMayes
Nominators
Radio EHS 100​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon

Play In Round
Match 336
2 Minutes to Midnight Division​
Opeth - The Baying of the Hounds
vs.
Ayreon - The Fifth Extinction​
@Shmoolikipod
Nominators
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links
 
Poor @Magnus, he'll either have to vote against Walkyier or against his own nominee! Go on, let her take your hand and lead you to that place where cunning lingers!

I'd suggest listening to "Polkageist!" without staring at the lyrics the first time, but if you want to fully appreciate Martin Walkyier's wordsmithing and you didn't catch everything on your own the first time through, here's a lyric video:
 
"Long Live Rock 'N' Roll" has pretty good energy and strong vocal lines. Dio sounds great as expected, and the solo is solid. It's kind of simple and repetitive, and I vastly prefer the Gamma Ray cover, but the original is still pretty good overall. "Prelude To Madness" does some atmosphere building then gives us a distorted guitar and synth-string taste of Holst's "Mars, Bringer Of War" before breaking into a guitar and synth-string version of Edvard Grieg's "In The Hall Of The Mountain King" theme (again, don't tell @KidInTheDark666 that any classical music is cool!) -- and...that's it. As much as I like neoclassical guitar, I can't vote for a low-rent cover of two very famous classical themes instead of a well-executed original song. Winner: Rainbow - "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll"

"Polkageist!" was my own nomination, and it's arguably the highlight of Martin Walkyier's final album with Skyclad. It has infectious energy, haunting acoustic guitar and fiddle, tantalizing sexual wordplay (with tongue firmly planted in cheek), nice harmonic interactions, and some tastefully used female vocals in a supporting role. As I said in the Crusade Of Epics, I like the vibe of “The Coffin Ships”, but as with most of the Primordial songs I’ve heard, it kind of slips into a single groove and stays there for most of the song. The gentler break about 2/3 of the way through the track is a nice change, though, and the song is enjoyable enough. But sorry, @Magnus, that's nowhere near enough to get me to vote against my own nominee here. Winner: Skyclad - "Polkageist!"

"Hollow" has some surprisingly tasteful harmonized guitars at the start, and holy shit, is that Phil Anselmo singing clean and clearly? Jesus. The vocal lines aren't going to win any awards here, but this song is actually pretty competent for the first 3 minutes...and then it devolves into the empty crunch and screamy bullshit that typifies Pantera for the rest of its runtime, with some occasional clean guitar accents. Well, at least you had some potential. Meanwhile, "The Skull Beneath The Skin" is one of the highlights of Megadeth's debut album, bursting with undeniable groove and killer riffs. That explosion into the riff with the fast soloing on top slays me every time, and the interlude with the descending riff and ascending fills is great too. Absolutely no contest here, @Stardust's nominee takes this in a walk. Winner: Megadeth - "The Skull Beneath The Skin"

"Deuce" feels like sleepy dad rock to me at this point. The verse is OK, but the chorus sucks. The solo's alright. Not much to care about here. "Lick It Up" at least has real hooks, even if the music is boring outside of the vocal lines. Not thrilled that I have to vote for a Kiss song here, but between these two the choice is clear. Winner: Kiss - "Lick It Up"

"Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark" has a nice atmospheric verse and a solid chorus with just a hint of late-80s Def Leppard. Good solo, strong atmospheric bridge. Good stuff. "Boogie For George" starts off like some bluesy jam, but eventually picks up a groove. The verse is OK, though the lyrics are pretty cringey, and then the song just treads water for the rest of its runtime. No contest here, an easy call for @DJMayes's nominee. Winner: Y&T - "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark"

"The Baying Of The Hounds" is like most other Opeth -- great music, strong clean vocals when they show up, and absolutely intolerable Cookie Monster nonsense the rest of the time. Call me when and if they re-release the Opeth back catalog with all clean vocals -- all the cool extreme bands will do it eventually! "The Fifth Extinction" has some nice clean guitar bits and in-your-face synths, and some interesting vocal harmonies, but it sure takes its sweet time to get going. YouTube actually cut away right when I was getting bored to show me an Old Spice ad, which made me chuckle. I don't really like the twee pre-chorus(?), but I'm totally down for the synth solos and the string interlude. This song is easily twice as long as it needs to be, and it's certainly not the greatest thing I've ever heard; but it's competent enough, and it doesn't try to project its stomach contents at me, so congratusorrylations @Shmoolikipod -- ah, wait, shit, the music and songwriting in the Opeth track is just waaaaay better than this Ayreon track, so I'm going to have to suck it up and vote for the muppet instead. FML. Winner: Opeth - "The Baying Of The Hounds"
 
A Rainbow and rock classic vs basically a longer intro. Hmmm...

Both are Kiss classics. Deuce is better live, while Lick It Up is a great riff-y glam metal song.

UFO's song has a cool melodic riff, but Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark is a classic Y&T song. The chorus is a highlight.

This Ayreon song has some nice parts.
 
"The Baying Of The Hounds" is like most other Opeth -- great music, strong clean vocals when they show up, and absolutely intolerable Cookie Monster nonsense the rest of the time. Call me when and if they re-release the Opeth back catalog with all clean vocals -- all the cool extreme bands will do it eventually! "The Fifth Extinction" has some nice clean guitar bits and in-your-face synths, and some interesting vocal harmonies, but it sure takes its sweet time to get going. YouTube actually cut away right when I was getting bored to show me an Old Spice ad, which made me chuckle. I don't really like the twee pre-chorus(?), but I'm totally down for the synth solos and the string interlude. This song is easily twice as long as it needs to be, and it's certainly not the greatest thing I've ever heard; but it's competent enough, and it doesn't try to project its stomach contents at me, so congratusorrylations @Shmoolikipod -- ah, wait, shit, the music and songwriting in the Opeth track is just waaaaay better than this Ayreon track, so I'm going to have to suck it up and vote for the muppet instead. FML. Winner: Opeth - "The Baying Of The Hounds"

Jer voting for Opeth and The Baying of the Hounds to boot is honestly the biggest surprise of this game, I had to double check it.

Do you know that according to traditional calendar, it's still Christmas? Well, it seems the traditional calendar is right.
 
Yes, one has Dio. But I’m a music first kinda guy, and Savatage’s piece is far more interesting from that perspective. Nice homage to Holst’s Mars (made famous by Symphony X in my mind) in the beginning, too.

This Skyclad song is incredibly entertaining, even if I’m not a fan of the multiple layered vocals. I like the eerie dissonance and groove of the Primordial song more, though.

Megadeth’s first album does relatively little for me, but Skull Beneath the Skin is stronger than this particular Pantera song, which reeks of boring cliché “metal ballad” until three minutes in when it becomes bro metal. Megadeth.

I won’t vote for KISS. I abstain.

Y&T’s song is solid. UFO’s does nothing for me. Y&T it is.

The Baying of the Hounds is far from my favorite Opeth song, but it’s getting a pity vote here. Nothing against Ayreon, though. “Fair” or not, I’m not loving all this prog-on-prog action this early in the game, as too many good songs are being eliminated while trash like KISS and nu-metal advance.
 
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