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

[Jer]

"Hush" is very much a product of its time, with both feet planted in the 60s while leaning toward the coming sound of the 70s. The "nah nah nah nah" part is iconic, but the rest ranges from fine to forgettable, and the Hammond solo runs on a bit too long. Meanwhile, "Unchained" has an absolutely killer main riff and great guitar work throughout, a nice moody verse, and a very hooky chorus. I'm not as fond of the pre-chorus, or Dave's vocal antics in general, but most of this song rules. A very easy call for Van Halen here. Winner: Van Halen - "Unchained"

"After Forever" has an interesting melodic-yet-droning opening riff with nice bass interplay, but the verse and chorus riffs are a lot less appealing, and only the chorus vocals stand out at all. The solo is pretty good, though. "Genocide" has solid riffs and a good performance from Halford, though not all of the vocal melodies land well. But the solos and interludes are nice, and this song is representative of the general sonic blueprint for the next 8 years of Priest's sound. Not thrilled with either track, but the Priest song is more consistently enjoyable IMO. Winner: Judas Priest - "Genocide"

Musically, "Feuer Frei!" is a pretty appealing blend of metal riffage and techno sounds. The vocalist has a sinister sound, but he doesn't really sing or scream -- he's just speaking really intensely, which is kind of odd. The lyrics are pretty repetitive (though my German is scant enough that I don't really know what he's saying), but I like the subdued bridge. "Slateman" has a droning quality that gets a little more interesting rhythmically as it goes on, but the song never really goes anywhere. It flirts with a payoff as more melody folds in toward the end, but even then it doesn't really come together. I'm not eager to listen to either of these again, but the Rammstein track was definitely the more enjoyable of the two. Winner: Rammstein - "Feuer Frei!"

"Sigma Enigma" has reasonably interesting riffage, and more melody than I expected. The vocals are terrible, but I've heard much worse. They're rhythmically catchy, at least. This is another great example of a song that would be noticeably elevated by melodic vocals, but that's not the universe we're living in, unfortunately. "Future Breed Machine" has some interesting rhythmic play going on, but the relentless non-melodic screaming is super annoying, and the track doesn't really hold together well as a song. The clean interlude with distorted accents is really nice, though, as is the bit with the computery-sounding guitar lead. Still, it's not worth groaning through all the bad stuff to get a few nuggets of gold. I don't really like either song, but @Perun's nominee is much closer to something I could potentially like. Winner: God Dethroned - "Sigma Enigma"

"Supernaut" has a solid main riff, though the harmonized part sounds a little sickly. The vocal melody is memorable, but the solo is mindless and overlong, and the song never really goes anywhere. (Is that a quijada in the interlude?) "Killing Yourself To Live" has interesting riffs, solid vocal lines, a very good solo section, nice interludes, and the song actually goes places. I wouldn't say that it's great, but it's solidly good, and that's enough to go with @srfc's choice here. Winner: Black Sabbath - "Killing Yourself To Live"

"Triumphant Gleam" has pretty good riffage and a nice slower section in the middle, but once again the recording sounds like it was done in a public bathroom with the drunk vocalist frequently vomiting onto the microphone. "Rekviem" feels like more of an aural onslaught, with even more annoying (though less drunk-sounding) vocals and lots of crappy cut-time drumming, though it does have very occasional bursts of vocal melody and harmony, and there are some nice head-bobbing driving rhythms in places. I also like the melodic synths that start to get folded in during the second half. Actually, everything about this song improves in the second half, and I'm left with a much less negative impression of it by the end. Neither of these are songs I would ever choose to listen to again, but this is still a pretty clear call for @Night Prowler's nominee. Winner: Kampfar - "Rekviem"

 

[Diesel 11]

The lyrics are pretty repetitive

One of the strengths of “Feuer frei!” is that the lyrics sound repetitive on the surface, but each line tweaks something that gives across a different meaning. I’m at work rn so I don’t have time to go into it at the moment but I can tonight if you’re interested. Unless a better German speaker beats me to it lol.

 

[srfc]

Deep Purple - Hush vs. Van Halen - Unchained
Hush is alright I guess, not too familiar with the original Deep Purple line up stuff, if anything I've probably heard the Kula Shaker cover of this more. Unchained is a VH classic Unchained

Black Sabbath - After Forever vs. Judas Priest - Genocide
Another of these rounds where I'll be doubting I made the correct choice. Going to go with After Forever as for Genocide, like a few of the tracks from the 70s so far, the live version is the definitive one. Also Biohazard never covered Genocide while representing "Brooklyn, New York, 94, Muthafucka!" After Forever

Rammstein - Feuer Frei vs. Godflesh - Slateman
I'm not totally opposed to this sort of music, but it's a genre that I probably only have 1 or 2 albums that would be on the margins of it at best. I think this is the first round that I'm struggling to make a choice through indifference, but I'm going to go with Rammstein as it's shorter and has more changes going on Feuer Frei

God Dethroned - Sigma Enigma vs. Meshuggah - Future Breed Machine
I don't have much of a referrence point for what God Dethroned are doing, maybe it's a bit like Violent Revolution by Kreator??? It's pretty good but has my two dealbreakers for modern metal, double bass drumming that's too upfront stealing focus, and growling. But it's at the more palatable end of that spectrum, otherwise (to the two dealbreaking features) a kind of mainstream structure and some nice chord progressions. Meshuggah's not for me, the clean breakdown part in the middle was alright, but they weren't offering anything I'm looking for in the rest of the track. Sigma Enigma

Black Sabbath - Supernaut vs. Black Sabbath - Killing Yourself to Live
Supernaut has a great classic riff, but Vol. 4 has always been the second weakest of the classic 6 for me. @Jer 's point that the harmony sounds weird is something I've always thought too. The drum break is also a bit shit, and Bruce nearly ruined Ghost of Cain by throwing in a similar section. I went with Killing Yourself to Live as my nomination, as I guessed all the big Sabbath tracks are going to come up anyway, so I might as well draw the eye to a track that's of a very high standard, off their best album, but possibly might have passed people by. Killing Yourself to Live

Darkthrone - Triumphant Gleam vs. Kampfar - Rekviem
Neither of these are anywhere near the sort of metal I would listen to, I'll give the vote to Darkthrone as it sounds vaugely a linear descendant of Motorhead Triumphant Gleam

 

[Confeos]

The riff in "Unchained" is great, as is the solo, but the rest is forgettable. "Hush" is a nice little tune from early Deep Purple that holds immense nostalgia for me. Deep Purple.

And while we're on the topic of great riffs - "After Forever" is just classic Iommi. I'm amazed at how he manages to make major key riffs sound heavier than many a modern band with downtuned guitars! On the other hand, these last few weeks I've come to the realisation that everything on Sad Wings of Destiny that isn't "Victim of Changes", I just don't care about. I certainly don't think it's the classic album that a lot of other people do, and "Genocide" doesn't do anything for me. Black Sabbath.

I'm always up for a slice of Rammstein, and while "Feuer Frei!" isn't their best song, it's very enjoyable. I actually thought "Slateman" started out very promising, but unfortunately, it never went anywhere. Rammstein.

"Sigma Enigma" was a pleasant surprise. Some of the melodies had a clear Maiden-vibe to them that I really liked. I'm not the biggest fan of Meshuggah (I do like "Bleed"), and aside from the clean middle part in "Future Breed Machine", nothing really stood out. God Dethroned.

The riff in "Supernaut" alone is better than the entirety of "Killing Yourself to Live". And Vol. 4 is a better album than Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. That's it. Supernaut.

I found "Triumphant Gleam" quite good, in that it was pretty much what I would expect from Darkthrone - solid black metal with good dynamics. I would be happy to vote for it, but I'm just blown away by "Rekviem" - it's epic, it's heavy, it's melancholic, and it's fucking amazing. One of the best songs in the game so far. Kampfar.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

Man, this is probably the weakest round so far. But let's do this.

In the first monomachy, we have Deep Purple covering Hush, which is a classic alright, though of a different kind than most of their later discography, though not without its charm. I guess you could consider it a different band altogether, despite 3/5 of the classic Mk II era members being here. With the chorus, it sounds like a jammier version of Moody Blues of all things, and unlike other stuff by them, it is inherently nostalgic as is, and not just because of personal memories I have with certain In Rock or Fireball tracks. I guess that's what makes it perfect for inclusion on the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood soundtrack, by the way. It is not metal at all, but that sounds like somebody else's problem.
Blackmore and Lord would reach their peak somewhat later, but that doesn't mean I don't love them anyway.

Van Halen's Unchained is probably closer to metal, but otherwise it has all the main problems I have with the band.
I mean, people say how catchy they are, but I fail to hear it. Yes, there are songs and moments in their discography where the charm works - the intro to Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love is one of the best beginnings to a song ever, Dance the Night is catchy, so is Jump and Hot for Teacher is awesome - but the songwriting always felt a bit ... bland to me. This song has a cool riff, but the rest feels like they are still in the process of creating the song, as if it was waiting for someone to come with the hook, maybe? It's fine, but feels like filler and I just don't get the appeal.

Deep Purple.

-----

Ozzy-era Sabbath vs. Priest is probably no contest for me at the first glance, but let's talk about it some more.

First, of course the lyrics. I wrote this here before with Theocracy

Now, first of all, I'd like to stress that most of the Theocracy band (apart from maybe one member, IIRC?) are Protestant and not Catholic. And honestly, it shows - not only would Catholics probably make the message in the art much obliquer and veiled and less obvious - think Lord of the Rings vs. Narnia - but also they would probably speak more in riddles, allusions, parables and similes - to find the archetypal virtue even as you might not mention God at all - as compared to Theocracy's almost anxiously obssesive striving for keeping it purely Bible-based and literally quoting the text, with almost a fundametalistic care.

and I'm eating crow right now, as the usually very Catholic Butler is giving us this absolute in your face prime full blast. Well, since this is an exception, not the rule in Sabbath discography, I can't help but feel like my previous explanation to Mosh is correct - that not only is this particular song a reaction to the band being called Satanist, but also a provocation of a different sort. I mean, nowadays (and especially on the internet and in the metal fandom) it is all the more the contrarian and provocative attitude to be honestly devout. Christianity has been mocked and vilified (from the moral position it itself came with, to boot!) and laughed at and denigrated so long, it felt also a bit like trolling to convert. On my own, not being "he was brought up in it from the childhood and didn't know better", not converting because of marriage, not being manipulated or brainwashed - in fact proclaiming the intellectual, moral and anthropologic supremacy of that choice. That still pisses off people sometimes and it's a good feeling. (though it of course isn't the only reason)

So although Catholics should be more cryptic (and Sabbath often are, in fact, on this very album they have Lord of This World, which is definitely subtler), I can't help but smirk at this. But like I said previously, I can often overlook the lyrics, so let's move further - I just wanted to explain the discrepancy with my previous statement.

The Master of Reality album is the first one where they achieved the incredibly addictive... tellurian sound. After Forever isn't probably the best example - it is more obvious on Into the Void, Children of the Grave or even Sweet Leaf, but the sound is still there. The switches between the riffing and the droning and the staccato bridge give the song a rather driving attitude - at least more than the doom-metalesque rest of the album mostly has - and it's hard to get it out of your head. Ozzy, shouting and sneering the religiously explicit lyrics is strangely endearing (and, well, he is still my favourite Sabbath vocalist, for reasons I won't go into here).

But the main reason I will (spoiler!) vote for this track is Geezer. Not his lyrics, but his base.

If you said you'll kill off all metal guitarists and let them be replaced by Geezer, I'd say "do what you must". The melodic sensibility, the fluency, the feel, it's almost undescribable. I don't often say stuff like this, but any great metal guitarist - be it 'Arry, Grosskopf, Burton, DiGiorgio... - either they were influenced by him or they're filthy liars and nefarious scoundrels to boot. In fact, just now I checked the Wikipedia for the "Legacy" section there and



Sounds about right.

That's why I don't usually get into the "singer" arguments with Sabbath - though I have my preferences - I usually care if GB is present, because if he is, he usually brings even the more mid albums up. That man is unbelievable. If I ever picked a bass guitar, it would be also because of him.

And he shines on this track too, for a song that's somewhat monotonous (like most on Master are - though that's part of their charm) he makes it interesting with his runs, I could just listen to the base on repeat for ever.

Next to that, Priest's Genocide is the poorer relative. The song has a nice groove, it is from the era of the band when I love them most (because they were creative and less stereotypical than later), it feels like a great background song for a biker bar, but nothing's really too captivating here. Especially not the guitars, since the laddys try to keep it as subtle as possible and it might be a tad too much for me. I mean, for six minutes, it somehow manages to feel even more monotonous than the proto-doom metal track it is pitted against!

Anyway, I ramble too much, SABBATH.

-----

Feuer Frei happened to be my first acquaintance with Rammstein, because of the connection to the film xXx (which is interspersed with the band performing in the music video), which I actually went to see in the cinema. And much as I am not a Rammstein fan nowadays, it is certainly not wholly appropriate marriage between the two. The film was stupid, teenage, forgettable. Rammstein are more high-brow - usually - and definitely deserve more love than the former. And yet...

German is a funny language. It can be undescribably beautiful

Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen,
Tod und Verzweiflung flammet um mich her!
Fühlt nicht durch dich Sarastro Todesschmerzen,
So bist du meine Tochter nimmermehr:

it can be hilarious

Mach es sehr schnell
Rein und raus
Magisches schwein!
Bis es spritzt, spritzt, spritzt, spritzt, feuer!

and I'll give it to Lindemann he can somehow manage both, and sometimes both at the same time.

And it gives a certain ... detachment from the text as well. I mean, when he sings ein Funkenstoß in ihren Schoß, you at first wouldn't probably even think he was accused of sexual assaults, right? Until you translated it.
They can often be poetic and transgressive, like true poètes maudits... well, except for the moments when they have "Bang Bang!" for a chorus, I guess.

But the slick decadence is only in their lyrics. The music is really not up to par. I think it is best expressed with the fact someone calls their style tanz metal. It's like a slightly more guitar-oriented Prodigy. Whom I've seen live, mind you, and lived to tell the tale and it was even enjoyable ... at the festival when I was already halfway to Shane McGowan.
It just lacks... don't know, "meat". It sounds... empty in a way. Like a pop track dragged through a nu metal filter ... and not a particularly good pop track at that. It was the dog's bollocks when I was 14, but not anymore.

I guess that as a doom metal fan and as someone who actually voted for Sunn O))), I'd be expected to prefer the Godflesh track, but I'm reluctant to do so. I like doom, but usually not drone and I voted for that particular unpronounceable band with the Os and the brackets merely because they felt like the lesser evil.
This song here, it is a tad too monotonous, I wish there were normal vocals as well at least, maybe it could have been somewhat shorter...

And yet, it is probably the more interesting track after all. Well, to me, at least.

I'll go with Godflesh, since it's being brutally murdered here.


It's again a bit late, so I'll wrap this up tomorrow.

 

[Night Prowler]

Two more cool Kampfar songs for those of you who liked the one that's in the game:

 

[Diesel 11]

I like "Hush" quite a bit, but something seemed off about it today. Something about the sound was almost demo-like. But the "na-na-na-na" hook and that keyboard solo are really cool. "Unchained", however, has a classic Van Halen riff, plus a killer chorus that gets stuck in your head. It definitely loses points thanks to a messy pre-chorus and David Lee Roth being a terrible voice, but I gotta be honest, I like Van Halen's song more.

After dissecting Theocracy's incredibly straight take on who Jesus is, "After Forever" is a simple, straight-forward breath of fresh air. I honestly like this song lyrically to an extent. It's not a convincing case for Christ at all, and is way too on the nose, but I mean, it's Black Sabbath writing a Chick tract, that's oddly metal in a way. Meanwhile the happy riff is quite good and I love Geezer's bass playing in this song. Killer. It does have some of the typical Sabbath weaknesses, circling around through the same sections too much without going very far outside the box, but it's a solid song overall. The fact that it comes just after the "Smoke weed!" song is incredible. Meanwhile, "Genocide" is a whatever song. Going for that hippie-drippy-Christianity Sabbath, baby!

Rammstein absolutely barnstorm and blaze down the arena with one of their most fueled-up corkers here. I mean from beginning to end, "Feuer frei!" is fucking fun as hell! Simple, effective, BANG BANG, case closed. I did like "Slateman" quite a lot, though; the quiet vocals add some cool atmosphere and the loop-style industrial honestly got me into a pretty groove. Shame it's up against the kings of Neue Deutsche Härte.

Tough round here, God Dethroned had a solid song in the same pool as Heartwork Carcass, and that vocalist is great. But man, "Future Breed Machine" is something else. The first two verses are kind of messy, but once that quiet bridge kicks in, the whole rest of the song is Meshuggah perfection. And that intro, with the machine noises leading into a beeping guitar piece before the rest of the band kicks in is PHENOMENAL. That alone cinches it.

Sabbath vs Sabbath and neither of these songs are close to being their best work. "Killing Yourself to Live" is a bit of a weird two-parter, and "Supernaut" has a better riff even though it cycles through it too much (Bill Ward is the MVP of the track though, love that drum break), so I guess I'll go for the latter.

Finally, Darkthrone, still reppin' the angsty white boy vocals while having some solid music in the background, vs Kampfar, who really bring a unique take to the Satan-worship. I honestly enjoyed the heavier first half more than the methodical second half, but the way it built to the end was really cool. Kampfar for sure.

 

[Shmoolikipod]

Great first round, liked Hush better.

I was about to vote for Genocide, but I don't like the ending too much. After Forever.

Rammstein are a bit too goofy for me. Slateman isn't anything to write home about, and the production could have used some amplification. This isn't black metal ffs. Perfectly good jam otherwise. Honestly, I should vote for Rammstein for the catchiness alone, but they're running with this anyways...

This God Dehtoned song is just the most uninteresting melodeath. Christ that melody from 2:30 to 3:00. If you insist on doing this cliche, either do something interesting alongside it, or don't repeat it four times. This is Gates of Tomorrow levels of bad songwriting. Hate vote for Future Breed Machine. Actually no, Meshuggah is awesome either way

Supernaut.

Triumphant Gleam song wasn't nearly as good as Quintessence, but still decent. Rekviem held my attention more. Quite busy.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

So, part 2. I'll try to be briefer this time.

I am not a fan of blackened death, I am not a fan of early Meshuggah (I like their latter albums more).
Sigma Enigma was a tad catchier, while Future Breed Machine has more variation. Since God Dethroned are momentarily losing and since I like the instrumental part where the guitars are pretty much beautiful, I'l go with Enigma here.

-----

It has been repeated what seems like a million times since yesterday - Supernaut has the greater riff, Killing Yourself to Live is a better overall song. The fomer is a better song off an overall lacklustre (and overrated!) album, the latter is a weaker song off their second best album (where is Sabbra Cadabra? A National Acrobat? Sabbath Bloody Sabbath?). To me, the songs are almost equal, but Killing has much better sound (at least the versions I played back to back - it is much more bass-heavy), it's probably catchier and when in doubt, I'll be supporting the better album.

Killing Yourself to Live.

-----

This final match I'm really not happy about. Yet another song from one of the lesser Darkthrone albums against a black-industrial mix, which is not necessarily a combination I'd love. Rekviem is certainly the more musically interesting and atmospheric song, so I'll be voting for that one. Also, the video is really cute!

 

[Night Prowler]

Hush vs. Unchained - Honestly neither song should be here, but went with Hush as it's catchier.

After Forever vs. Genocide - Same as above. Went with After Forever as I prefer that Sabbath era over this Priest era.

Feuer Frei vs. Slateman - One of Rammstein's best songs vs. a song I never heard before... Easy choice.

Sigma Enigma vs. Future Breed Machine - One of Meshuggah's best songs vs. a song I never heard before... Another easy choice. Hearing Future Breed Machine live was one of the most intense things I've seen in a concert.

Supernaut vs. Killing Yourself To Live - Honestly neither song should be here, so I just flipped a metaphorical coin and went with the latter.

Triumphant Gleam vs. Rekviem - Don't understand why bands such as Darkthrone release music with such shit production, on purpose. It's not "kvlt", it's shit. Anyway, Rekviem is an amazing song which I nominated, so another easy choice.

Weakest round so far tbh.

 

[LooseCannon]

Hi, just as I noted, I'm travelling this week and especially this weekend. I'll try to get an update in tonight, but most likely it will be tomorrow. Thanks for all your patience!

 

[LooseCannon]

Van Halen is silenced by Deep Purple, while Black Sabbath survives Judas Priest's attack. Rammstein simply crushes Godflesh in the round's biggest squash match. Meshuggah squeaks past God Dethroned. Black Sabbath for sure wins the fifth match. Darkthrone fails to be triumphant in falling to Kampfar.

---

Part 1, Round 11, Matches 61-66​

Play In Round	Match 61​	Empire of the Clouds Division​
Megadeth - FFF	vs.​	Metallica - Damage Inc​
Best Music Art 100	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 62​	A Real Dead One Division​
WASP - The Idol	vs.​	KK's Priest - Return of the Sentinel​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	@Kalata​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 63​	A Real Dead One Division​
Megadeth - Wake Up Dead	vs.​	Slayer - Chemical Warfare​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round​	​ Match 64​	Trios Match​	Match 64​	A Real Dead One Division​
Def Leppard - Rock of Ages​	​ vs.​	Dokken - Mr. Scary​	vs.​	Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar on Me​
Popoff 500​	Nominators​	@Jer​	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 65​	The Book of Souls Division​
UFO - Too Hot to Handle	vs.​	The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	@The Sentient​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 66​	The Book of Souls Division​
Megadeth - My Last Words	vs.​	Exodus - The Toxic Waltz​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

 

[LooseCannon]

Folks, as we eventually move to Part II, the round robins, I am hoping to find some volunteers to help me write division summaries. I also am wondering if it's best to do all the games in a division at once, or to rotate through and do 1-2 games per division at a time. Your thoughts welcome.

 

[Jer]

I think I got a lucky draw this time, as Leppard voters will have to split their loyalties. I’m gonna Jesse Ventura this shit right into the governor’s mansion!

Spoiler: Context

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

GMSC - Megadeth Edition!

 

[DJMayes]

Match 61 - Megadeth - FFF

Match 62 - W.A.S.P. - The Idol

Match 63 - Megadeth - Wake Up Dead

Match 64 - Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar On Me

Match 65 - The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again

Match 66 - Megadeth - My Last Words

No time for a write-up today. Megadeth is my favourite thrash band. See you all in a couple of days.

 

[DJ James]

Wake Up Dead vs. Chemical Warfare is criminal! Probably the best matchup so far. Not only are they stone cold classics, but they’re two of my all time favorites as well. Much to think about…

 

[Night Prowler]

FFF vs. Damage Inc. - Neither song should really be here, but Damage Inc. is definitely better.

The Idol vs. Return of the Sentinel - The Idol is amazing. Nominating KK's Priest for a "Greatest Metal Song" game has got to be a joke.

Wake Up Dead vs. Chemical Warfare - Tough call, but went with Megadeth.

Rock of Ages vs. Mr. Scary vs. Pour Some Sugar On Me - None of these songs should be in here, but Pour Some Sugar is a rock classic at least, so it gets my vote.

Too Hot To Handle vs. Won't Get Fooled Again - Neither song should really be here. Too Hot To Handle is probably more metal, but I like Won't Get Fooled more, so it gets my vote.

My Last Words vs. Toxic Waltz - Not really into Exodus but their song is better here.

 

[KidInTheDark666]

FFF is a top 10 Megadeth song imo, I'm definitely glad to see it here.

 

[Jer]

Rock of Ages vs. Mr. Scary vs. Pour Some Sugar On Me - None of these songs should be in here

On genre grounds or on quality grounds? It would be pretty hard to claim that “Mr. Scary” doesn’t qualify as metal…