The Greatest Metal Song Cup - Part II, Round 4, Matches 88-93

[JudasMyGuide]

With all due respect to the Sentient one, the Treatment song is really good, but Creatures of the Night is one of the few absolutely astonishing Kiss tracks, and rarer still that it's not their 70s power pop, but an attempt at 80s glam metal of sorts. The entire album is not as good as a whole, however the title track immediately gets my vote.

Seriously, mates, overcome your anti-Kiss bias (of which I am also guilty) here, you really should.

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Huh. Wilson at his (almost) best vs Wakeman-Bruford-era Yes. Hey, this is rather tough, to be honest. Wifey would want me to vote for Wilson (and I'm also inclined to do so, as it's more metal), however I suspect Yes are going to have it harder here, being the more boomer choice. I'll tentatively pick (((Porcupine Tree))) here for now and maybe wait with the vote for a while yet.

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I have no particular love for 80s - heck, no, it's a 90s album, my bad - Purple, but it still has more of an identity than that Slash project. I love Slash, having recently found further appreciation for him, but Myles Kennedy doesn't seem to be able to not turn everything he touches into a generic 00s radio rock. Sorry.

Purple.

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Never been able to get into BTBAM before, I always thought it was because of the singer - however here the cleans are not as omnipresent and not as annoying (whiny and wheezy), I like the jazzy touches, I like the contrasts and changes in dynamics. Definitely going with BTBAM over a good, but not special Arch-era FW track.

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Mob Rules is hardly my favourite Sabbath album (I love one song and like about two more) and the title track is rather unimaginative and sounds pretty generic.
And yet, it's a Sabbath song with Geezer Butler. That's a rule of thumb, you know?

Whereas WASP... well, they look like Poison in the video and they sound like 80s-style bout of herpes.

Sabbath, duh.

P. S. - as usual, Sabbath Youtube link doesn't work in Europe, had to use this one

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I kinda like both songs in the final round, but neither is all that special to me. Went with Carcass, because Prowler eliminated Opeth's Hounds in the last round.

 

[Kalata]

Creatures of the Night is a great KISS track. I use to like that album a lot, but it is a little janky in how it is put together. There’s a strange NWOBHM character to the album that just doesn’t mesh well with KISS. There’s a surprising amount of nuance to KISS’s output in the 80’s. It would have been very easy for the band to simply pump out Pop Rock albums as that was selling best at the time, but they surprisingly stayed very close to heavy metal in their sound.

They struggled a bit at first to capture a good heavy metal sound in the 80’s but they really nailed it with Asylum. I think Asylum might be the most criminally underrated heavy metal album of all time. Non-KISS fans pass by it because it’s KISS, and newer to intermediate fans gloss over it because it was their unmasked era.

All that is to say Creatures was early on in the 80’s and they hadn’t quite found their sound yet (or again). I read on the insert of this CD that this album was quite popular in South America. Good song though, quite a classic.

Yep. COTN has great heavy sound. More than half of the songs are good. I love their 80's metal sound. Asylum is a Top 3 album imo.

 

[DJ James]

I love Danger and Killer off Creatures, and also War Machine! Very heavy sound indeed

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

I can’t believe it. I really can’t. But Creatures of the Night is actually the better song here. The riffs, the melodies, and the overall vibe are definitely more interesting than the recycled glam sheen of Emergency, even if the timing in the intro is really bad and the recording is sloppy. A super begrudging vote for KISS.

There’s a lot of amazing musicianship in Heart of the Sunrise, but it really doesn’t feel like a song. Arriving Somewhere is powerful as hell, especially when it gets heavy. One of Porcupine Wilson’s best.

The Battle Rages On has easily the most interesting Deep Purple riff I’ve ever heard. The vocal melodies are really good, but Gillan’s performance feels weak and garbled. Maybe it’s a production thing, but from the sound of his voice I’d assume Gillan recorded this very recently (not 30 years ago). Still, a really good track. 30 Years to Life starts out really poorly, like a bad GnR impression, and improves a thousandfold. Really, really good tune with some great vocal hooks and layered guitars that work really well. The best strength for Slash is the vocals, which is Purple’s biggest weakness here (despite the melodies being solid). After a couple relistens, I’m going with Purple. The intro and the bridge of 30 Years To Life are kinda offputting to me, but it’s otherwise a great tune.

The first two minutes of Disease, Injury, Madness are terrible for me. I dislike all of it. Thankfully things pick up after that by slowing way down. The second heavy section around the 5 minute mark is better, but the harsh vocals stink and it quickly devolves into more blast beats and noise before we get….a blues jam. I don’t know, this song kind of exemplifies what I dislike about a lot of these more modern prog bands: it all just sounds like random sections thrown together. Like all of Dream Theater’s worst tendencies put together by a band with screaming. The individual parts are really cool, especially the jazzy bass solo, but the song does absolutely zero for me (and bookending it with the worst section certainly doesn’t help). Without a Trace is Iron Maiden worship with a shit singer from Fates Warning before they got good. John Arch is just such a bad vocalist. I do not understand. I am voting for BTBAM, but specifically I am only voting for the section from 6:36-9:42.

The Mob Rules, as with most Dio Sabbath, absolutely rules. It’s iconic. My favorite part is the transition in the vocal that raises into the guitar solo, what a wonderful compositional touch. Blackie Lawless sounds like death on Wild Child. The song is incredibly average at best, and mostly kind of annoying. Mob Rules by a country (girl) mile.

Is the main riffing in Death Certificate an Iron Maiden rip-off played aggro? It sounds like the same riff from Genghis Khan (and Last Resort) with other shit thrown in. Not impressed by any of this, including the bad harsh vocals. Holographic Universe is vastly better, with tons of proggy sections, cool keyboard additions, better harsh vocals, good clean melodies, and just a way more interesting song. Some of the playing is a bit masturbatory at times, but still a clear winner. I’m very inclined to check out Scar Symmetry after listening to this song!

 

[KidInTheDark666]

The Battle Rages On has easily the most interesting Deep Purple riff I’ve ever heard

I love the riff too but Blackmore had already used the same one a decade earlier in the middle part of Rainbow's Fire Dance. A great track by the way.

 

[Mosh]

The studio version of Creatures drags big time. The whole album, despite having some of the band's best songwriting, had some weird production choices that held it back IMO despite being easily their best 80s album. This live version from Rio is awesome and the tempo is much better for the song:

 

[Confeos]

My initial thoughts when "Emergency" played was that it showed a lot of promise, but it also became clear fairly early that it is a one-trick pony, and at the end I was more than annoyed with the constant call-and-answer vocals. "Creatures of the Night" is decent enough, I suppose, though nothing special, but honestly, Kiss has generally been sitting quite well with me lately, so I'm up for giving them another vote here.

I know, Yes is nowhere close to metal, and sure, "Heart of the Sunrise" overstays its welcome a bit, but it's still so much more interesting than Porcupine Tree, who bored the hell out of me with "Arriving Somewhere But Not Here". This one goes to Yes.

The Battle Rages On is a criminally underrated album, and the title track is fantastic. Yes, the band was basically falling apart at this point, but I don't care - they all sound so good. Slash is Slash; I can't really point out anything I dislike about "30 Years to Life", but I will take Blackmore and Gillan over him and Myles Kennedy any day of the week. Deep Purple.

I don't quite know what to make of Between the Buried and Me - for every good bit in "Disease, Injury and Madness", something comes up that sounds absolutely terrible. Are they a prog metal band? Death metal? Avantgarde? I have no idea, and I'm not sure I have the biggest urge to listen to them again. On the other hand, even if I like John Arch, I will agree that "Without a Trace" isn't exactly his best showing. But I still think the music is awesome, so it's a fairly easy vote for Fates Warning.

Black Sabbath. Fuck off, Blackie.

This Carcass song is pretty meh. "Holographic Universe" is mostly good, but also has some bits that almost sound metalcore-ish, which is a big minus for me. Still, I think it is the superior tune here, so I'm going with Scar Symmetry.

 

[Detective Beauregard]

The Treatment’s song is a catchy little number, but even if it wasn’t, it gets my vote by default as it’s not KISS. Being in the upper echelon of KISS songs is synonymous with being a piece of trash in a dumpster that’s closer to the top of the pile.

Porcupine Tree is a band I’ve always tried to get into, but a lot of their stuff is quite drawn out and too morose for me. I’m not knocking it, but it’s something you really have to be in the mood for. I really like the Fear of a Blank Planet album, as well as several random songs scattered throughout their discography, though. This song bores me to tears until the halfway mark, but then it comes to life. Oooh, crunchiness at 6:55! This whole section is superb. Then when it gets quiet again I can start to appreciate it, and from 9:44 to the end it has me hooked. This is a classic Yes tune with incredible bass, but there’s little else that perks my ears. The bass groove and keyboards in the beginning are sublime, but then they repeat that same pattern for what seems like an eternity before a subdued snoozefest begins. No contest here; Steven Wilson and his Spiky Trees all the way.

The third match is the toughest for me, as both of these songs are solid. Giving the nod to Purp since I like the overall feel a little more.

Between the Buried and Me is a band that’s always been recommended to me, but I simply cannot get into their material. Their singer, Tommy Rogers, is one of the vocalists on one of my favorite prog albums – Ayreon’s The Source – and while he fits the role there, I’ve always seen him as the weakest link amongst an otherwise star-studded cast of voices. His clean voice is inoffensive, but I don’t care for his extreme vocals. I do think the groovy part in the middle is solid, though. One thing musically I don’t love about this band is that they never stay on a cool riff or heavy section for long. However, the bluesy part after the second growly section is pretty good, and… bass solo out of nowhere! I really could’ve done without a third screamy section, though. Meanwhile, pre-Alder Fates Warning may as well not even exist to me. I don’t like Arch’s voice, and the music is just so-so. Gotta give it to BTBAM for the bass solo.

The Mob Rules title track is no Falling Off the Edge of the World or Sign of the Southern Cross, but it’s still Dio against glam metal. The choice is obvious.

Carcass’s effort has some nice aggression and crunch. Definitely not a fan of the vocals. Scar Symmetry has the same vocal problem, but these are a little more tolerable since they’re more guttural and less screamy. I also heard a few Symphony X-style guitar fills. Oooh, clean vocals! Nice proggy chugs at around the 3:30 mark, too. This is quite good. Easy vote for Scar Symmetry.

 

[Spambot]

Match 337 - KISS
Therapy started with OK AC/DC-ish feel, but it got watered down with overly polite Queen back-vocals in the chorus. It sounds even faker than the KISS song which I'm actually voting for. Since it rarely happens that I give them a vote I'll give myself a freedom and moan about them a bit. I saw that video about KISS members making their "avatars". Funny stuff. I remember that instruction from various board games that its recommendable from ages 7 to 70. This KISS thing is exactly the opposite. I fail to see how anybody older than 7 YO or younger than 70 YO could find "glorified" cinema experience exciting. Note to Therapy - make avatars.

Match 338 - Porcupine Tree
Is Steven Wilson ever properly awake? Everything I heard from him is like he just woken up or his eyes are half-closed lying on the couch some wee hour after midnight. And it works wonder if you're in the same mood, like listening to this song commuting to work while the sun is rising up on foggy morning. Trying to listening to same stuff in the middle of the day? Not interested (although it did had that heavier part around 7-minute mark). Yes' song is like rest of late 60s/early 70s psychedelia stuff. I can emerge myself into a single song, but anything longer than 10 minutes gives me headaches.

Match 339 - Deep Purple
That double vocal Gillian layers are awful but that pop-y Slash riff was way worse.

Match 340 - Between Buried and Me
I'm so glad that I didn't skip first two minutes of "Between Buried and Me" because what came after that... wow, there's a lot to unpack. And I imagine I'll like what they have to offer. This is the most unpredictable piece of music I've heard lately, that I had to check who nominated it. Mosh, one of the rare people here who listens to KGLW. Guess I have to check them more. Recomendations? On the other hand, this vocalist from Fates Warning - is he considered good? WTF was that?! Is that good singing, did he even heard what the rest of the band were playing? Keep this away from me.

Match 341 - Black Sabbath
The Mob Rules is the only song I remember from second Dio Sabbath album and I don't know is it because I've liked it or the rest of them are forgettable or is it the title song so that's the reason why it stuck. I also forgot does Black and the gang take themselves too seriously? I saw the video for the first time, and can't really tell from it.

Match 342 - Carcass
Scar Symmetry was OK but 9 minutes was just too long, while Heartwork is one of those rare death metal albums I've heard (and liked) years ago.

 

[Shmoolikipod]

Emergency wasn't bad, I'm not rushing to hear it again though. Creatures of the Night is surprisingly good and honestly just more memorable.

Very tough. I guess I prefer the more organic musicing of Yes today, but Arriving Somewhere is still fantastic.

The Battle Rages On is infinitely catchier than its competitor.

I'm a BTBAM newbie and not quite there yet on appreciating The Great Misdirect, but DIM is probably my favourite on there. Still, some of it is meh (like the repetition of the bomb-like jazz progression) and the "lalala" part ruins some of it. I really liked the fast pace and the melodies in Without a Trace, I recall not liking the singer in a previous song but I dug it here. Think I'll go with BTBAM as it's losing.

You know, The Mob Rules is just alright and not much more. Formulaic galloping song with vocal melodies that, despite being performed by Dio, really are weaker than just about any other song in this round (with vocal melodies). Wild Child is simple and gets stuck in your head.

Death Certificate? I understand No Love Lost but this is the filler of Heartwork. It's still a good song I guess... Holographic Universe is pretty cool, very tight, and probably better than DC. Judas does have a point about getting revenge on NP, but then again The Fifth Extinction is one of the 25 best songs in the game. Okay, Scar Symmetry.

 

[Kalata]

Without A Trace is probably one of the most 80's Maiden-esque sounding songs.

 

[LooseCannon]

The Treatment was perfectly fine without being memorable. I could see how someone could like this particular slight twist on the standard formulation of rock, but I didn't find it exceptional. KISS at least had one of their better songs, and one that has a sound that comes back time and time again and greater deserves to be in the group stage.

Both of these songs are boring as shit. I can see why certain bassists from the East End liked the Yes track, but my god, they take a long time to say almost nothing. I think I was less bored by Porcupine Tree but both these tracks are an argument against progressive rock.

For a later Deep Purple song, The Battle Rages On is decent. I don't think it's anything new or terribly interesting. Decent riff and all, but I can't see this going very far even if it does win. Meanwhile, we have Slash and Myles Kennedy, which sounds like an AI designed rock track with some really nice leads from Slash. It gets going after awhile but I don't think I can reward this level of basicness. Deep Purple.

Boy, Disease, Injury, and Madness doesn't want you to like it out of the gate, huh? Gets a little better as it goes along, some more interesting music, but I'm not sure it earns its runtime. Also random lowfi parts, lol. I can't recommend this to anyone. Without a Trace isn't a great song, but at least I found it palatable. Fates Warning.

The Mob Rules is a straight forward rock song with high quality leads, rhythm, and stellar vocals. It's not special on its own but it is highly enjoyable. Wild Child is a straight forward rock song with good leads, rhythm, and okay vocals. Still pretty enjoyable, but there's no contest here. Black Sabbath.

I found myself decently enjoying both of the last songs, but I'll give it to Scar Symmetry.

 

[srfc]

The Treatment - Emergency vs. KISS - Creatures of the Night
Both tracks were enjoyable here, The Treatment was probably slightly the better song but the only part of it that wasn't pure AC/DC was the little harmony after the solo, so I have to give KISS the win Creatures of the Night

Porcupine Tree - Arriving Somewhere But Not Here vs. Yes - Heart of the Sunrise
Porcupine Tree track was enjoyable enough, the chillax section was fine and the heavy part sounded a bit like Faith No More. Coincidentally, the start of the Yes track with the busy bass and the keys playing a chord progression sounded like Faith No More too. I got bored of the song pretty soon afterwards though. Arriving Somewhere But Not Here

Deep Purple - The Battle Rages On vs. Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators - 30 Years to Life
Never heard The Battle Rages On before, pretty good! Slash was decent enough, but there was a couple of arrangement choices that didn't sit well with me, the breakdown for the second verse, plus cutting the solo short just as it was starting to get going. The Battle Rages On

Between the Buried and Me - Disease, Injury and Madness vs. Fates Warning - Without a Trace
BTBAM started off like Pantera does Death Metal, it wasn't working for me but then the change to the clean part kept me interested in finding out where they were going, I gave it six minutes as it was just too disjointed for my tastes, plus the way he kept pronouncing the word "I" as if it began with W was getting on my nerves. Fates Warning was a bit like a poorman's version of We Rock, but still good enough to win this tie. Without a Trace

Black Sabbath - The Mob Rules vs. W.A.S.P. - Wild Child
I love both of these tracks, but Wild Child is the better track, the bigger song for the respective band and even has a seagull noise in it Wild Child

Carcass - Death Certificate vs. Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe
Death Certficate was alright, the solo section was real good. Scar Symmetry, not for me, it seems to be plucking bits and pieces from all the various different genre's of metal I have no interest in. Death Certificate

 

[LooseCannon]

It's an emergency, the creatures in the night got a KISS as treatment. Yes is arriving at the heart of the sunrise, which is somewhere, not here. Porcupine Tree. Deep Purple's battle will rage on, while Slash & friends got 30 years to life. Fates Warning has buried BTBAM without a trace. The mob rules in a wild child victory by Black Sabbath. Carcass is signing Scar Symmetry's death certificate, in this universe rather than a holographic one.

We're getting very close to the end of Part I, 372 matches to determine which songs join the roughly 180 preseeded by virtue of two nominations. Once we start Part II, all the songs there have been vetted by either making two lists or by winning a contest in Part I. We will then proceed through, one match per division at a time, until we've evaluated each song five times. The top two from each division will move on to the double-elimination tournament. This is gonna keep going for awhile so I hope everyone is having fun!

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Part I, Round 58, Matches 343-348​

Play In Round	Match 343​	Wrathchild Division​
Exodus - A Lesson in Violence	vs.​	Anthrax - Among the Living​
@Perun	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 344​	Senjutsu Division​
Kamelot - Karma	vs.​	Helloween - The Dark Ride​
@MrKnickerbocker	Nominators​	@Poto​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 345​	Senjutsu Division​
Black Sabbath - Spiral Architect	vs.​	Judas Priest - Rock Hard Ride Free​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	@srfc​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 346​	Senjutsu Division​
Warlord - Black Mass (And the Cannons of Destruction Have Begun version)	vs.​	Lucifer - Bring Me His Head​
@____no5	Nominators​	@Wogmidget​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 347​	Where Eagles Dare Division​
Judas Priest - Rising From Ruins	vs.​	Savatage - Sirens​
@Kalata	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 348​	Where Eagles Dare Division​
Dream Theater - The Mirror	vs.​	Amorphis - Under the Red Cloud​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	@Poto​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

And in case anyone is looking to hear a much, much better version of Among the Living:

 

[The Dissident]

Missed the round but here would have been my votes.

Kiss
Porcupine Tree (Although Heart of the Sunrise is amazing)
Slash
Fates Warning
Black Sabbath (How was this not nominated...)
Scar Symmetry

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Part 1

A Lesson In Violence is a solid thrash song. I can’t fault much about it within its genre. But Among The Living, even in this weaker, non-Bush iteration, is just a stone cold classic. The verses are the weakest part, but everything else is just pummelling. Great tune from an overrated album.

Karma is absolutely peak Kamelot, encapsulating everything the band does well. From the soft operatics in the moody intro to the heavily syncopated riff and keyboard lines leading into the main single note piano melody…it’s just so damn magical. Masterful production work layering those Khan vocals in the intro, too. By the time the proper verse starts I am so strapped in for the ride. The melodies and rhythmic shifts are immaculate, with an engaging performance from Roy Khan. The chorus explodes out of the more mid-tempo pre-chorus and it’s a thing of beauty. There’s a swift keyboard lick at 2:10 immediately following the line “there is an ending to my reign” that’s one of my favorite compositional layers of all time.

Bringing the dynamics down after the second chorus is a pro move, allowing Khan to reach into both his lower resonance and a bit of falsetto. The build up out of it into the solo is equally perfect. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: even when he’s being ridiculously overwrought, Roy Khan is one of the most unique voices to ever grace the genre. His voice is like no other. The outro picks up a bit of rhythm from the intro (and that keyboard trail I previously mentioned) to bookend this gem perfectly.

The Dark Ride has a couple cool moments, but it quickly devolves into typical power metal double bass chorus schtick and the vocals are not good (especially in the awful bridge). Kamelot wins by many conquests.

Spiral Architect is one of those Sabbath songs that sounds way too happy for my Sabbathian tastes. Rock Hard Ride Free is a fairly average boom-bap Priest song, but Halford sounds great and the guitars are more to my liking.

 

[Kalata]

Very good round.

Among The Living, by default. And because of the great main riff.

Kamelot's song is really good. The chorus is just awesome, while the riffing is solid. Thanks for the nomination, but The Dark Ride is one of Helloween's best (long) songs. Classic verses, chorus and instrumental section. The unique pre-chorus is also worth noting.

This early Black Sabbath song is not that bad and different (the vocals are not strong though), but Rock Hard Ride Free is classic melodic metal. Just listen to the intro! The chorus is anthemic and the solos and the melodies are some of Priest's best! No contest really.

Savatage's Sirens has a pretty cool vibe and brutal riff. I enjoy the dark chorus. It's a thrash metal song, but it should have had a proper solo - although the middle part is unique. I could vote for it, but against my nominee, Priest's Rising From Ruins, I just can't. I love it. One of their best new songs and overall. Top 10 song for me. It has a Maiden vibe. The intro, the riff, the verses, the chorus, the solo, the melodic instrumental section - everything is great heavy metal. A true classic! Such choruses are always good. Both are really strong songs.

Edit: I checked out some other Savatage songs and I have to say their music in the 80's was good. Lots of very interesting riffs. The vocals are not that strong and they lack catchiness in some of the material.

Dream Theater's song has cool riffs (as expected), but Under The Red Cloud sounds better structured for me.

 

[Detective Beauregard]

This Anthrax song is solid (I’m listening to the Bush version because I can’t stand Belladonna’s soft-ass voice). Decent drive and riffage here. Exodus by comparison just sounds like typical generic ‘80s thrash to me. Anthrax.

Karma is easily a top-five Kamelot song from an era before they took a nosedive into whatever edgy teeny crap they’re doing now. The atmosphere and vocals here are impeccable. Helloween’s song has very cool music, but as is typical with most power metal the vocals are all tenor and no bite. The clean part starting at 4:55 is a refreshing change of pace considering it’s not the cliche boring full-speed-ahead power metal. In fact, this whole section up until 6:15 is great. Still, Kamelot, no contest.

The intro to Spiral Architect is great, and when the band enters I wasn’t expecting this tonality. Sadly, Ozzy arrives soon after to ruin it with his whining. It’s still a decent song, though. Priest’s offering here has their typical pedal-riff thing going on, but it’s good. There’s little hooks in the music that keep me interested, although Halford is forgettable here. Weak chorus, too. Still, gonna roll with Priest because they lack Ozzy.

Warlord have decent music but the bass isn’t loud enough. Not loving the vocals at all though (see above, “all tenor and no bite.”) Love the instrumental section. The Lucifer song is a simple little catchy rocker, but I need more substance. At least the vocals here are less annoying. In the end I went with the one with a pirate ship on its cover, Warlord. But these guys would sound so much better with a singer who has balls.

Having only gotten into Priest in the last five years, Firepower is my favorite album of theirs (followed by Painkiller). The production is top-notch, and there’s no filler. Rising From Ruins may be the strongest offering on the album, too. Just an incredibly powerful and catchy mid-tempo tune. Savatage have an… interesting tune here. I had no idea the band started as early as 1983. Priest easily gets my vote here.

The Mirror is probably the heaviest song Dream Theater had at that point, with Petrucci using a 7-string (a few other songs from Awake used one, too, but this is arguably the crunchiest). Is it a masterpiece? No. But it has a powerful, ominous, oppressive atmosphere that I love. Amorphis have quite a strong song here, too, with beautiful soaring guitar melodies. I dig it, but not as much as Dream Theater.

 

[DJ James]

Exodus - A Lesson in Violence vs. Anthrax - Among the Living
I don't really need reminders about how awesome early Exodus was with Baloff, but man early Exodus rules! That main riff under the verse is excellent. A rightful classic from a classic thrash album. I always thought the Among the Living album was kind of boring, but this song is alright. Also you guys were right, there is a great riff in there. Voting Exodus