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 .
I mean I know for a fact that @MrKnickerbocker and @Detective Beauregard are different people, unlike some of the others mentioned.
8cneqe.jpg

:ninja:

Forum maths:
LC × Perun = Diesel11
Is that multiplication or cross product, just in case I want to check your work...?
 
Freedom call isn't flying high after colliding with Riot's thundersteel (whatever that is). The writ says that Black Sabbath succumbs to Enforcer's undying evil. Moonshield isn't on episode 666 I guess. Sacred Reich's one nation can't be stopped by looks, even if they can kill. Slipknot=shit as Linkin Park crawls to an easy win. It's a cold hard fact that Maidenfans prefers Annihilator's fun palace.





Part I, Round 60, Matches 355-360


Play In Round
Match 355
Best of the Beast Division​
Alice Cooper - Wind Up Toy
vs.
Krokus - Screaming in the Night​
@The Sentient
Nominators
Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 356
Death of the Celts Division​
Nazareth - Hair of the Dog
vs.
Humble Pie - I Don't Need No Doctor​
Popoff 500
Nominators
Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon

Play In Round
Match 357
Death of the Celts Division​
Uriah Heep - Bird of Prey
vs.
Deep Purple - Knocking at Your Back Door​
@Spambot
Nominators
Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 358
Death of the Celts Division​
Emperor - Thus Spake the Nightspirit
vs.
Thorns - Vortex​
Popoff 500
Nominators
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 359
Live After Death Division​
Rudra - Avidya Nivrtti
vs.
Asphyx - Vermin​
@Perun
Nominators
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 360
Live After Death Division​
Cage the Gods - Favourite Sin
vs.
Van Halen - Eruption​
@The Sentient
Nominators
Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links
 
Wind Up Toy is weird. It’s kinda creepy, kinda lame. I don’t like the chorus at all. Alice’s lack of vocal ability shows on the verses quite a bit. I don’t know anything at all about Krokus (besides the ham), but this song has a really nice intro build-up. Solid vocals, too. The music feels a bit tame for the subject matter, and we’re definitely in classic rock territory here, but overall I enjoyed listening to Screaming In The Night.

Speaking of classic rock, let’s dig into some cowbell and boogie woogie riffs with Nazareth! It’s a fine enough little song, I guess. They get bonus points for saying “sonuva bitch” over and over in 1975. I Don’t Need No Doctor has a bit more grit, but honestly sounds pretty similar in style to Hair of the Dog. I’m gonna vote for Nazareth since they’re available on Spotify.

Uriah Heap take a staggering leap with the vocals on Bird of Prey. Gosh, they’re bad. It’s like Rob Halford if Rob Halford was literally anything other than a metal god. The music is fine enough, but the vocals pull me out of it so hard. Knocking At Your Back Door is just another Deep Purple song, but it’s more enjoyable than Heap’s wacky vocals.

Thus Spake The Nightspirit sure is something. It’s your typical black metal non-stop pot-banging, over-fuzzed guitars, and screeching harsh vocals. Thank Dio for the second half of the song, which has a bit of groove and melody. Vortex is mostly sound effects and Halloween atmosphere, which I’m not mad about. It’s a bit faceless and too industrial for me, but I’ll give Thorns a vote simply because there’s no mom’s basement pot-banging.

Speaking of pot-banging, here comes Rudra! I don’t like much in this song, but at least the production is capable. The (I can only assume) chorus part is fine. I’m not gonna lie, I skipped before the 3min mark. Vermin starts equally terribly and the vocals are even worse. The production also stinks. This is like where black metal meets hardcore. IDK. I greatly dislike both of these songs. I’ll vote for @Perun’s nomination to keep his romance with @LooseCannon alive.

Cage the Gods bring a lot of my favorite things to the table - riffing, gruff but belting vocals, and a sense of songwriting and production that’s better than a B-. The “get up and shake it” chorus is gross and reminds me of Buckcherry if they were even worse (and maybe a country band). Eruption, though legendary and responsible for inspiring so many of our favorite guitarists, IS NOT A SONG. Favourite Sin wins by default.
 
This Alice Cooper tune reminds me of Ghost (I know, I know). It’s solid but it definitely overstays its welcome. As soon as the music started in the Krokus song, however, they had my vote. I simply like this song better, and while the chorus may be classic rock cheese, it’s catchy.

Nazareth have a decent classic rock song here, if a bit generic. Humble Pie may not need a doctor, but they do need an audio engineer. Kind of a toss-up here, but I’m sending a vote Humble Pie’s way because I heard a few cool bass fills. Easily the closest match this round, though.

Being the fifth and sixth songs in a row recorded in the Stone Age, I’m really itching for better production. Uriah Heep’s vocals annoy me, even if the music is passable. Deep Purple had me more engaged from second one, and while I don’t love it, at least it’s not birds screeching.

Made it about a half a minute into Emperor’s song. Nope. Vortex isn’t much better, but it’s more unique and the cover art is awesome. Thorns.

Rudra is… unique. Definitely checks the energy box, but not the “change in dynamics” one that I love oh so dearly. Here’s hoping Asphyx is better. Good god. Rudra it is!

For the first time in this round, we have good production with Favourite Sin! Not only that, but this is a groovy song with funky guitars and a great drive. The vocals are quite good, too, with a catchy chorus. Apparently this band was only around for a few years. Shame. I know next to nothing about Van Halen, because everything I’ve heard has turned me way off. This particular track is just Eddie wailing with no other music, which is boring as shit. As I’ve said in previous rounds, I just don’t see the appeal of this guy. Virtuosos such as Petrucci, Romeo, and Satriani have far much more to offer these ears. Cage the Gods, easily.
 
Krokus' Screaming In The Night is one of the best rock songs of all time imo. That chorus! Love it. Classic. No contest really.

Knocking At Your Back Door is one of my favorite Purple songs with one of their best riffs. I'm sure Janick likes the solo a lot. Great solos.

Eruption short instrumental is just just something else. A true gateway.
 
Hey Stoopid is not yet the Coop Renaissance that would happen from the next album onwards up to Spider at least... and then again, that's mostly the popular view, AC's discography is really strong and consistent, with my personal favourite being DaDa from the "wretched 80s". Wind-Up Toy is a fan favourite, true, though I've never been a huge fan of it, Satch or no Satch. That said, it's still Mr. Vincent Furnier and it has ten times the personality the opposing Krokus song has, so Coop it is, duh.

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First of all, I thought live tracks weren't allowed (the Humble Pie track is a live single, edited from its nine-minute album length), but whatever, I don't mind, personally. I like both songs and both bands, sure, and I find it funny that Peter Frampton (whose solo career is one of my guilty pleasures) wormed his way into the greatest metal song cup, but although Hair of the Dog itself is a bit overrated and overplayed, Nazareth are such a great band (or, at least they were) that my vote goes to Dan & Manny.

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I have fond memories of both songs in the next match, but although the lyrics are atrocious and it's still Purple past their zenith, Knocking is catchier and overall more enjoyable (despite being more generic) - something about Byron's histrionics that I have a serious problem here for once. Pity, since the Heep track has a better rhythmic sensibility and a better riff.

Geezer Purple.

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I am absolutely in no mood for black metal now and I wonder when I will be again, so I'm not even really listening to those tracks, I'm just voting for the band that (AFAIK) didn't burn churches and didn't commit literal murders of homosexual people. @Magnus by sheer luck, you win again.

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Ah, another match with songs that I'm in no mood for right now, I guess @Perun 's pick of Rudra is the more musically interesting one.

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In want of other strengths, member over list. Also, only one song here is an actual song.
 
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P. S. - if I thought about nominating hard rock songs as well, I'd quite certainly nominate a different song off this particular Nazareth album (and not just because of its title)


Also, Miss Misery is a banger, so is Beggar's Day. Heck, the entire album. Man, what a band.
 
P. S. - if I thought about nominating hard rock songs as well, I'd quite certainly nominate a different song off this particular Nazareth album (and not just because of its title)


Also, Miss Misery is a banger, so is Beggar's Day. Heck, the entire album. Man, what a band.
Brilliant, brilliant album. I would vote for Miss Misery, Beggar's Day or Judas in a heartbeat.
 
"Wind Up Toy" has a bright and appealing opening riff. The verse and pre-chorus aren't great, and the chorus is a bit saccharine. The falsetto vocals hiding in the right channel are also pretty annoying. The bridge is alright and the solo is good. The sound effects and spoken parts are a bit much. Not something I'd choose to listen to again, but I wouldn't turn it off if it was already on. "Screaming In The Night" has an ominous atmospheric intro that flows nicely into a smooth verse and a strong pre-chorus. This eventually builds into a big, memorable chorus. The interlude and solo are both really good too. Sorry, @The Sentient, but this is a very easy call for the list nominee. Winner: Krokus - "Screaming In The Night"

Ah, "Hair Of The Dog". Gotta love that riff and the copious cowbell. The verse is so-so, the pre-chorus is a little better, and the chorus is catchy and perhaps unintentionally hilarious. Yes, voice box solo FTW! Greater than the sum of its parts, this one's an infectious head-bobber for sure. "I Don't Need No Doctor" is peppy and has a good main riff. The singer's pretty good, though the verses ride more on the emotion in his performance than on the melody. The chorus is alright and the solo is good. Thumbs up for the big rock ending. These are both pretty good, and I'd be fine with either one winning, but I think I connect more viscerally with the Nazareth song. Winner: Nazareth - "Hair Of The Dog"

"Bird Of Prey" has a pretty cool opening riff with some Queeny vocal harmonies. The high notes on the verse melody are pretty cringey. The airy synth-and-guitar interludes with the "ahhhs" are interesting. The tail end of the song feels a little directionless and fades out kind of abruptly in the end. Yeah, this one's kinda "meh" overall. "Knocking At Your Back Door" has a pretty good ominous synth-and-bass opening, eventually breaking into an appealing guitar-and-organ groove. The vocal lines are good and the solos are pretty good. The song didn't need to be quite so long, but otherwise there isn't much to complain about -- and sorry, @Spambot, but that's more than enough to win this match-up. Winner: Deep Purple - "Knocking At Your Back Door"

"Thus Spake The Nightspirit" is almost interesting at the beginning with the synths and whatnot, but the production is truly ear-splitting, and the cackly Gollum vocals are godawful. The endless guitar trilling and repetitive drums make me want to slit my wrists pretty early on. Some of the guitar leads are OK, but they're drowning in the rest of this toxic sonic soup. The atmospheric interlude with spoken words and a little bit of clean vocals is a welcome respite, but nothing can save this aural sewage in the end. "Vortex" has got to be the worst Megadeth cover I've ever heard. Kidding. It sure takes its sweet time with the atmospheric opening, but the spoken word and piano parts work pretty well, and the interludes with computery synths with distant guitars are interesting. The heavier guitar bits have that sort of trashy Nine Inch Nails feel to them. They're repetitive, but I like when they harmonize later on. This feels more like a soundscape than a song in the end, but congratulations @Magnus, its competition was so bad that it still takes an easy win here. Winner: Thorns - "Vortex"

"Avidya Nivrtti" has a nice melancholy eastern feel to its opening, and then it flushes its good will down the toilet by diving right into potbanging and Gollum nonsense. The urgent riffs in the middle are pretty cool, and the vocals veer toward the lower end of the shitometer at times, but the negatives still far outweigh the positives here. "Vermin" jumps right into the mindless thrashing and Cookie Monster vocals out of the gate. The riffage improves afterward, but aside from that the music is still poisoning the blood of my eardrums. Yeah, that wasn't much of a song in the end -- more a collection of riffs and a bunch of noise. Not a fan of either track here, but sorry @DJ James, I think @Perun's nominee showed a little more craftsmanship overall. Winner: Rudra - "Avidya Nivrtti"

"Favourite Sin" has an uneasy opening, then breaks into a really appealing effervescent lead. I like the bluesy/funky undercurrents here. The singer is good and the vocal lines are strong. Great solo. The atmospheric spoken word bridge works well too. I like the rhythmic change-up at the end. Really good overall. "Eruption" was a thunderbolt that shattered people's expectations of guitar heroism in the late 70s and paved the way for the "guitar gunslinger" model of 80s hard rock and metal. It really can't be overstated just how jaw-droppingly important this track was for the art form and its penetration into the mind of the general public -- but at the end of the day, it's just a solo committed to tape and it's not a song. So while I acknowledge its immense historical role, this is the Greatest Metal Song Cup, and @The Sentient's nominee is the better song. Winner: Cage The Gods - "Favourite Sin"
 
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