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 .
One is one of those songs I never get tired of talking about. I see the question posed occasionally online: Why is Metallica as big as they are? Well, thrash bands in the 80's just weren't writing songs like One. As much as I love the Kreators and Laaz Rockits of the world, One wasn't even in those guys wheelhouses or even wildest songwriting pipe dreams. One is a celebration of heavy metal songwriting, and firmly placed Metallica ahead of the thrash game. I mean this was like watching Usain Bolt in real time - these other guys just couldn't keep up.

I talk a lot about dynamics and how important they are in music. It's important too that it's not super obvious. Sometimes in modern metal songwriting, there will be a part in a song where the person singing will start whispering or go into softer tone and the music slows down and it (the music) gets all clean - and I just roll my eyes and sit back. I roll my eyes because I know in a few seconds the song is going to "explode" and there's gonna be all this yelling and banging - it just gets too obvious. This is why One is so genius, you kind of expect this back and forth, soft to loud, but the way the song progresses is masterful. I mean I must have heard this song about 300 times in the past 13 years alone, but that breakdown is still as fresh as it was when I first heard it.

Yeah, I 100% agree. One is uncommon in structure, yet so catchy it can captivate a listener immediately - and yet the catchiness is of a different kind, even years afterwards you just won't easily overplay the song, however much it has lived in your head rent-free as an earworm.

The progress from a heartfelt ballad to a captivating, energetic metal instrumental isn't new, in fact it's the third time around when Tullica themselves have done the resident ballad of their 80s album so, but I'd dare to say it is perfected here, with none of the previous examples managing to be so catchy in the first part and to provide such emotional catharsis in the second one.

I have pointed out the overwrought melodrama and I stand behind that - I'd say a symbolic assessment thereof might be when many, many years ago I was talking about the song to wifey and she - never a professed Metallica fan, then or now - somehow conflated the title with the theme and said something along the lines "wait, that's the song with the one-armed, one-legged, one-eyed soldier?" And I just bursted out in laughter and realised that thematically, the song was written for fifteen-year-olds... but that it also doesn't matter. The music itself carries the emotional brunt of the song, Hetfield is at his singer-songwritery best. It feels like song to play to people to not only accustom them to Tullica, but maybe to metal in general?

Indeed - the Metallica melodies and harmonies, much like the melodies and harmonies of, say, Alice in Chains, possess the unique quality of being immediately captivating and sounding almost "radio-like", but also being quite untrivial, because when you think about it, no-one sounds exactly like that. Hetfield's snarl and inflections are idiosyncratic as fuck and it doesn't really matter if they're playing for 500.000 people or 5.000.

Somehow, I am reminded of Todd in the Shadows' Trainwreckords video on Metallica's St. Anger. To quote: "Let this be entirely clear - before St. Anger, Metallica was not 'big for a metal band', they were biiiiig. I heard Enter Sandman playing at Walmart. I remember seeing them repeatedly voted on Total Request Live. Yeah, you'd see Lars Ulrich on TRL next to Britney Spears, Eminem and the Backstreet Boys, they were that level of popular." And yeah, popularity does not equal quality, but you don't become the biggest metal band ever by sucking all the way, like all the tr00 kvltists and all those who had Tullica as their gateway band to metal but got tired of the fact they're mainstream seem to insinuate.

Metallica truly are the Beatles of metal - for their genuine striving for grandness, for their success at being catchy and accessible, yet sounding like no-one else, really, for their desire to to something new. Whatever you think of their 90s period, whether you think it was a sell-out or not (and I'd personally argue that Death Magnetic was a bigger sellout than the Black Album and Re/Load combined), their push to do new things was laudable. In fact, it's the same with the unfortunate St. Anger and Lulu - whatever you make of them (and I'd argue both are quite overhated), it's something Lars, James et. al. didn't have to do. Those were huge risks that they, as possibly the most well-off metal band in the world could just let pass. And they didn't. And I find that inspirational, in a way.

One is not an anomaly. It is not a byproduct of a desperately mid band. It even might not have been the wise thing to do - the third "progressively heavier ballad" in as many albums, the theme/lyrics being quite a risk (because on paper it really smells of possible cringe), they just lost Cliff (who was the most accomplished musician of the band by any metric by then)... and they did it. Allegedly, they lost some of the loudest tr00 fans back then, because they made a ballad with a music video for it, which was allegedly something they had promised they would never do. Maybe that's just an urban legend.

But like I said in the original post, I'm years and years out of my Metallica phase. I don't listen to them very often, nowadays (though as of now I do have their discography saved on Spotify for offline listen). But if this song won the entire cup, I would find it quite fitting. Tell me of a person who wouldn't.
 
Somehow I missed this one, but all my picks won anyway. Glad to see some love for distinguished accents in here.
 
The votes were expected for this round.

One is indeed a special song from a thrash metal band. That vibe. Hangar 18 is also unique with the amount of solos and riffs.

Freewheel Burning and You Shook Me All Night Long are classic anthems.
 
Everything dies, especially Type O Negative's chances against Guns N' Roses. I wonder if Rob Zombie stores his Dragula in Megadeth's hangar. Dream Theater shakes a count all night long. GNR doubles up on TON it seems. The Crue might have a wild side but Metallica only needed one vote to beat them. And finally, what do you get when the freewheel burns too much? Black metal. Judas Priest wins.






Part II, Round 3, Matches 115-120

Group Stage - Round 3
Match 115​
The Parchment Division​
Primordial - The Coffin Ships
vs.
Judas Priest - Beyond the Realms of Death​
@Magnus
Nominators
Popoff 500, DigitalDreamDoor 100, Rate Your Music 100
@DJMayes
1-0-0, 2 pts, +5
Record
1-0-0, 2 pts, +17​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Group Stage - Round 3
Match 116​
2 Minutes to Midnight Division​
Y&T - Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
vs.
Metallica - Blackened​
@DJMayes
Nominators
Popoff 500
@Spambot, @MrKnickerbocker
0-1-0, 0 pts, -5
Record
1-0-0, 2 pts, +15​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Group Stage - Round 3
Match 117​
Blaze Bayley Division​
Porcupine Tree - Arriving Somewhere Not Here
vs.
Opeth - Blackwater Park​
@The Dissident
Nominators
DigitalDreamDoor 100, Rate Your Music 100
@Shmoolikipod, @MrKnickerbocker, @Diesel 11
1-0-0, 2 pts, +10
Record
1-0-0, 2 pts, +7​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Group Stage - Round 3
Match 118​
Wrathchild Division​
Black Sabbath - The Mob Rules
vs.
Diamond Head - Am I Evil?​
Popoff 500
Nominators
Popoff 500, Rolling Stone 100, DigitalDreamDoor 100, Rate Your Music 100, Best Music Art 100​
1-0-0, 2 pts, +21
Record
1-0-0, 2 pts, +12​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Group Stage - Round 3
Match 119​
Senjutsu Division​
Helloween - The Dark Ride
vs.
UFO - Rock Bottom​
@Poto
Nominators
Popoff 500, Best Music Art 100
@The Dissident, @Stardust
1-0-0, 2 pts, +5
Record
0-1-0, 0 pts, -9​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Group Stage - Round 3
Match 120​
Where Eagles Dare Division​
Judas Priest - Rising From Ruins
vs.
Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King​
@Kalata
Nominators
Popoff 500, Best Music Art 100
@____no5, @LooseCannon
0-1-0, 0 pts, -3
Record
1-0-0, 2 pts, +11​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
7Links
 
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Beyond The Realms Of Death
Blackened
Blackwater Park
The Mob Rules
Rock Bottom
Hall Of The Mountain King


Matchup 1 features a good song and a masterpiece. Match up 3 imo has 2 masterpieces but I recognize that my nominee really isn't quite as strong as the Opeth song.
 
As I said, Realms, while good, is a bit overrated on this forum
Unpopular opinion - and I don't really want to offend anyone or be controversial just for the sake of it - I like Beyond the Realms of Death, much like pretty much the entire 70s Priest discography (my favourite era, definitely), but I never understood the downright insane adoration it gets, on this forum or elsewhere. It always kinda felt to me like their own attempt at redoing We'll Burn the Sky (which came out the year prior), which I love more.
It always felt rather tame to me (with only the guitar section standing out) and even when I saw it live... I liked it fine, welcomed it, actually, because it was one of the few oldies in the setlist, but it felt completely out of place in the setlist and didn't really translate all that well live for me.

I like the jazzy verses, though, it has a certain Thin Lizzy-ish feel.
and Primordial are a bit underrated, methinks, I like both songs, but I'm going with what is probably going to be the underdog.

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As far as hair metal goes, I don't find Y&T particularly offensive, reminds me of Eddie Money


although I'm somewhat pissed off that I'm going to have this chorus stuck in my head the whole day. Metallica, on the other hand, well, what do you know? My favourite album and quite a representative cut off it. I just love how overwritten the thrash lyrics in the 80s were

"Fire to begin whipping dance of the dead
Blackened is the end
To begin whipping dance of the dead
Color our world blackened"

it doesn't even fit his mouth, lol. Anyway, Tullica in their proggiest era, yet still catchy af (you could repeat a lot of what I wrote last time, about One) gets an automatic vote from me.

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Poor, poor Steve.

As it happens, I'm currently working on updating that document collecting all the Opeth talk here on this very forum (yes, shameless plug... I guess? Anyway, I have yet to go through this thread/game in particular) which helped me remember that I wrote this about the song, four years ago

Why, I wanted to save this for my BWP write-up, but who knows when that happens (no Survivors as of Late and NP doesn't want one), but it's funny to think of that main "dudebro" riff that starts at 1:55 as some kind of huge, misbegotten monster stumbling through a... yes, a park... only to fall into a lake, leaving only circles on the water (from 2:48 onwards) and you kinda hope it drowned, died... but it returns (the "sick" variation on the riff from 5:14) and it comes back wrong, because something seriously effed up happened to it in the meantime. As if it really drowned, but returned anyway, swollen, putrid, decaying....

Can't shake off that image every time I hear the song :D

Yeah, the main dudebro riff is already something you could and should drown the nerds' head in a toilet to, stealing their possessions and their girlfriend, but when it returns corrupted at 5:14, that's just, the sickest moment in the entire Opeth discography, definitely.

THE SUN! SETS! FOREVER! OVER! BLACK! WATER! PAAAAARK!

*headbutts the security guard and laughs in blood*

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And what do you know? Both songs in the next round overrated as fuck. Mob Rules is possibly the weakest part of that album (and it's the title track to boot!), just this insubstantial monotonous punkish romp where the entire band is utterly underutilised ... versus Am I Evil - I never quite understood why it was this song and not the obviously superior Prince off that same album that became the definitive DH song in the eyes of the public. Was it because of Tullica? Was it because it's tr00?
"Am I evel? Yes I am."
girl-sure-jan.gif
Maybe I should have listened to the Sabbath song's chorus, huh?

Anyway, going with Sabbath, because band bias, because Butler and because it's a treat to hear Dio shout with all his conviction (which he always has) the beautifully classist/elitist and just as beautifully truthful "IF YOU LISTEN TO FOOLS // THE MOB RULES!!!"


-----

Lol, The Dark Ride. I know 'Arry is a fan of UFO, but just because he has grown accustomed to them as a young and impressionable youth doesn't mean I have to share his fascination with every second-grade hard rock band (sorry Diz and Dusty, no offence). They don't have the pipes nor the melodies of Nazareth, they don't have the chops of Purple, they don't have the personality of Thin Lizzy, nor the over-the-top cheesiness of Heep... I know the Rainbow's debut - the epitome of hard rock perfection where every song would be 11/10 would come out only the following year, so I suppose you could blame it on the drought of '74... but then again, you already had all of the aforementioned bands by then.

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I'll go with Savatage, less overrated on this forum than Firepower and definitely less formulaic.
 
Beyond The Realms Of Death is classic metal epic/semi-ballad. No contest.
Blackened is better and brutally effective, but Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark is so melodically anthemic. I will always like such songs.
Am I Evil is very solid early thrash with great guitar work, but The Mob Rules is one of my favorite BS songs. Great verses and all. Classic metal.
Rock Bottom rules in its own genre and playing, but The Dark Ride is just too epic. Power metal in its full glory! That chorus!
Hall Of The Mountain King has great guitar work (riffs!), but it's not that effective for me, maybe because of some of the vocal parts. Rising From Ruins, my nominee, is not groundbreaking, but it's a perfect melodic, dynamic and anthemic metal.
 
Darkest round ever.
Blackened, Blackwater Park, Don´t Be Afraid of the Dark, The Dark Ride....

Black Metal Matters!

(I suppose @Magnus appreciates)


Also, to elaborate on
I'll go with Savatage, less overrated on this forum than Firepower and definitely less formulaic.

- going through the entire forum in search for the Opeth talk is incredibly tedious (see three pages of arguing whether grunge is metal), but sometimes it's useful, like, I came across this just now

On the other hand, Firepower is the ultimate in Play Classics. Definitely overproduced, definitely an attempt at recapturing old glories (the album cover even looks like Screaming for Vengeance). It really goes to show how much production influences things though. I have a hard time seeing how the songs are any better than anything on Redeemer of Souls, yet that album was widely panned and Firepower was critically acclaimed and loved by fans across the board.

My sentiments are very similar.
 
I feel really bad about picking Beyond the Realms of Death over The Coffin Ships, which is a song I have come to truly love, and big thanks to @Magnus for nominating it and letting me get to know and enjoy it. But that's my favourite Priest song and probably a top 10 or 15 song for me all time. Tough, but there we go.

I'll pick Metallica, Opeth, Sabbath, Helloween, and then at the end, definitely Savatage, which is a really underrated band in my opinion. I'm fine with Firepower songs, but this is not the one I'd pick.
 
Incredibly easy votes again for

Beyond the Realms of Death
Blackened
Blackwater Park
The Mob Rules
Rock Bottom


The final match is the only tough choice, as I absolutely love Firepower and Rising From Ruins is a top tier Priest track for me. But, alas, Hall of the Mountain King is just too iconic and rad.
 
This time, I've voted for :

1) Judas Priest and its briliant song "Beyond The Realms Of Death". Every time I'm listening to this track from 'Stained Class'. I don't know Primordial, so the choice was quick for me.

2) Metallica and "Blackened". Because this song is my favorite on 'And Justice For All'. Once again, I don't listen to Y&T, so I can say if the band's song is better than Metallica's one.

3) Opeth, by default.

4) Black Sabbath because Dio Rules.

5) Helloween, because this song is very great imho.

6) Once again, Judas Priest, because I love this band more than Savatage.
 
"The Coffin Ships" vs. "Beyond The Realms Of Death": The Primordial track is good, but the Priest track is great. Sorry, @Magnus, but I have to go with @DJMayes's nominee here. Winner: Judas Priest - "Beyond The Realms Of Death"

"Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark" vs. "Blackened": Both of these tracks are great, but sorry @DJMayes, the Metallica song has more unique features to it than the Y&T song does, so I have to go with Mr. SpanckerBotter's nominee. Winner: Metallica - "Blackened"

"Arriving Somewhere Not Here" vs. "Blackwater Park": This is an interesting one, because the Porcupine Tree track is almost as interesting musically as the Opeth track, but doesn't suffer from the Muppet Tax. And yet the Opeth track really is a masterpiece from a musical perspective. I could probably go either way on this, but sorry MrShmoolickerdieser, I'm going to reward @The Dissident's choice for not assaulting my ears. Winner: Porcupine Tree - "Arriving Somewhere Not Here"

"The Mob Rules" vs. "Am I Evil?": The Sabbath track is a bit less consistent than the Diamond Head track here, so this is a straightforward call. Winner: Diamond Head - "Am I Evil?"

"The Dark Ride" vs. "Rock Bottom": Both of these tracks are flawed, with the Helloween track only really picking up in its second half, while the UFO track vacillates in quality throughout. Sorry, @Poto, but I think I'm feeling The Stassidunt's nominee a bit more here. Winner: UFO - "Rock Bottom"

"Rising From Ruins" vs. "Hall Of The Mountain King": The Priest track is great, perhaps my favorite song from Firepower, while the Savatage track is really uneven. Sorry, LooneCann05, but I have to go with @Kalata's choice here. Winner: Judas Priest - "Rising From Ruins"
 
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