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 .
Not to jump on you two rounds in a row lol but Layne Staley’s “AHHH!” follower by Jerry’s heavy-ass 7/8 riff blows me away every time I listen to it. You really gotta crank this song up because it unleashes like a hurricane — and this is how the album begins. Also the slightly western tinge on the chorus music is killer, not to mention that bluesy but fiery solo.

Don't worry, I'm absolutely going for strike three next round! (Hey, I did like the Meat Loaf-track, doesn't that count for something?)

I gave it another listen, and my verdict stays the same: it's heavy for sure, and I won't call it a bad song, but it's just not that interesting either. The riff would maybe stand out a bit more if most of the song didn't stay in 7/8 (if I'm not mistaken, only the chorus is in regular time), but I don't know - either way, it's fine, but not great.
 
Don't worry, I'm absolutely going for strike three next round! (Hey, I did like the Meat Loaf-track, doesn't that count for something?)
Yeah the only time I fight you is if you slag off a song I didn't nominate. :P
 
Somewhat shocked I’m the only person on here that nominated Battle Cry
It's not surprising because it's from the band's newer albums. Great song that sounds like classic Priest (with a bit of a Nostradamus vibe in the pre-chorus), although Rob's performance in the last part of the pre-chorus is not that good. One of the band's best new songs imo (intro, harmony, riffs, verses, solos - all really awesome). It should be played live.
 
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This Nightwish song from the early years is another example for me that their music reaches its full magic when it is riff-driven, has great operatic verses/choruses and melodies accompanying them (plus keyboards ofc). Pure Nightwish song.

Edit: Its opponent, Rhapsody Of Fire's song has some really cool parts for its (too long) 19 minutes. It could be a Nightwish long song.
 
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I have never hidden my feelings towards the Reign in Blood album - apart from the first and the last track (and the cool intro to Criminally Insane), it feels mostly just like a chaotic mess of underbaked, underwritten tracks that have been meshed together to hide this nature of theirs - somewhat akin to the Abbey Road medley on the second side of that album (unfortunatelly, King and Hannemann were no Lennon and McCartney as well). Postmortem, however, is one of the more coherent and listenable tracks, the intro riff is actually really cool, though once again, the song's way too weak and stilted compared to stuff like Kreator and Morbid Saint and I don't find it all that memorable.
Dead Embryonic Cells is on the contrary among my less favourite tracks off Arise (and I love that album in general) and it mostly gets interesting only during the instrumental part (which is great), but as a whole it's more varied. I'll follow blind tribalism.
Sepultura.

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Me and wifey actually saw the Priest only once, on the Redeemer tour, which was more or less "oh, well, good enough" from me even then. Nowadays it's one of their few albums I almost don't give a relisten to (although I'm also not on the Firepower hype train myself, to be honest). Battle Cry comes along close to the end of the album and therefore probably gets often overlooked - even by me - though the song itself is pretty solid.

However, I'm more of a doomy bloke than standard heavy metal fan and Grand Magus, whom I've certainly overlooked in the past, are much more to my liking, being much closer to stuff I nowadays usually listen. I won't pretend to be able to discern which of these tracks is better in their own genre and context, but Grand Magus are much closer to my vibe and once again I'll go with Perun's choice, in yet another bout of tribalism from me.

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Not to accuse you lot of disingenuity, but the discrepancy in the votes between the Rhapsody and the Nightwish tracks at first made me feel like people are voting Nightwish purely on name recognition alone. And I say that as 1. someone who has Nightwish in his Top-at-least-10 bands ever, 2. loves without reservation pretty much mainly the Tarja era, 3. considers Oceanborn to be their at least second best album, if not the best one altogether.
And yet, Passion and the Opera is definitely the weakest ling of that album. I can't help it, the downright self-indulgent middle section gives off the vibe of being way too close to one particular aria in general, which I shan't name here (and one of the few most people know) and the main "meat" of the song mostly sounds like a cheaper (and less energetic) version of Sacrament of Wilderness, especially that part that probably serves as a chorus.
As someone who's really serious about both Passion AND the Opera, let me say that this song is rather impassive and the opera is at best Opera 101.
On the contrary, while I acknowledge at least some problems with Gargoyles, Angels of Darkness as well - especially the fact it might be a tad overlong (though that's partly justified by the fact it ends not only the album, but the entire first multi-album saga) and that the cheesy narration is very much love it or hate it - I personally find it hilarious - I can't help but feel both beauty and tremor, a rapturous exaltation in this grotesque, narcissistic chunk of decadent self-indulgence.
The flamenco intro (which, for some reason, was not played by Turilli, but Sascha Paeth), the ABSOLUTELY FUCKING KILLER MAIN RIFF (one of the best Turilli ever did), the intriguing verse melody, which reminds me of Queen's Innuendo, the typical Rhapsody chorus which doesn't only feel appropriately epic, but also has the typically untrivial harmony made in Rhapsody (which might tickle the fancy of resident Symphony X enjoyers)... but also the much better indulgence by Turilli in the middle, which should have been longer, I could listen to his rabid neoclassicalisms for much longer than just a minute and a half.
Nowadays I'm often not in a mood for 20-minutes long tracks, but this is one of those, whose charm always completely overcomes me. I am able to put this one on repeat and listen to it for several times in a row, in fact I did when I was putting together the nominations (which prolonged the process quite a bit).

RHAPSODY, duh. I'm honestly disappointed with you all.

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Now, although @Magnus is among my most beloved members here (hi, mate), we often don't see eye to eye, music-wise. So when I saw the next match being Paradise Lost, whom I really like in general, against Tiamat, a band I know only somewhat, a band that's been nominated by him, a band that is overall much more in the annoying "edgy Satanic" mode (at least from the little I know about them) and has the much worse and more annoying vocals to boot, I was absolutely sure my vote would go to PL.
Add to that the fact that although I can't quite decipher the lyrics (at least not without more time and effort that would seem reasonable at this moment), the Paradise Lost lyrics kinda reminded me of the time when I actually used Heidegger's "will to Death" in my thelogical's bachelor's thesis, some two years ago.
But I am surprised to say... despite the "inebriated roar" of the vocals (seriously, mate, what is it with you and singers sounding like they had way too many before the take?), the Tiamat song was actually the more interesting one. The distinctly Swedish-sounding guitars are indeed quite melodious, the keyboards doing their own "Arabian nights interludes" are making it all colourful and fun and between the rather captivating plodding of the main rhythm and the fast section near the end, I actually even got used to the vocals after all.
Icon is, of course, a classic album, but True Belief is mostly "just good", I found other songs to be more memorable and distinct, especially those that toy with their Gothicism a bit more, like on Christendom, which - now that I think of it - reminds me of latter-era Swallow the Sun as well, at least a bit.
I realise I may be biased because of the aspect of surprise and novelty, getting a really good track from an unexpected band, but I think I'll go with Tiamat here.

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Alice in Chain's best album is opened by two and a half minutes (!) of an off-kilter onslaught, which is nonetheless rabid, desperate and incredibly catchy at the same time - and once again a song that is with me ever since I've been playing Doom all those years ago (it was later present in GTA: San Andreas too). In this miniscule form, it is nonetheless the pars pro toto, the synecdoche of the entire Dirt album, which is and always will be a classic one. Man, Cantrell was a monster, wasn't he?

Against them, there are LedZep, who were my first favourite rock band, but since then they have been overplayed to me in a way AiC probably never will be. Plant's vocals are the most significant culprit, of course, but Rock 'n' Roll... is somewhat fun, but after all is said and done, merely a retro-pastiche which lacks most of the charms which this band has used in the past to captivate and entrance me. The rhythm section is good, but other than that, this is a song that could have been written and performed by anyone. When I put on Zoso, it's because of stuff like Levee or Black Dog or even the overplayed and overexposed Stairway. Or even Battle for Evermore. Not this one.

I feel like a pervert for saying I like Alice in Chains, but it is what it is, right? Es muß sein.

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The last match is pretty meh, with Helmet doing their usual Helmetisms and Alter Bridge, whom I've tried listening to many, many times over and I still fail to see the appeal. I can't help but feel like "this is just your basic radio rock", more or less exactly like Foo Fighters, with the same lack of memorable melodies and character. Dunno, I know Ariana loves them and I like her and I don't want to be offensive to stuff she loves, so I've already said maybe way too much, but I just can't find the hook, the spin to sell them to myself as a great band. And I'm frustrated with that.
Helmet are not exactly my favourite band either, but I feel much more personality in their approach, so Helmet it is.
 
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With all due respect, Alice In Chains' Them Bones CRUSHES Zepplin leaving no quarters ;)

Voted for Judas Priest against Grand Magus, who is not bad either.

The toughest was Slayer Vs. Sepultura! Gave vote to Postmortem (Slayer).

The Nightwish song has a good riff and operatic vocals but for me Rhapsody Of Fire ftw! The song has everything that represents them. Luca Turilli is a legend.

Voted for Tiamat as against Paradise Lost. Not super familiar to either but Tiamat were doing the style of death/doom, only Bolt Thrower were doing at that time with their IVth Crusade album!

Blackbird as against Helmet's Unsung (which is also decent as well).
 
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(Don't get me wrong but for Priest why so many random songs are being picked?)
There's also a lot of list entries for Priest. Keep in mind everything in this round is just a single nomination. Several popular Judas Priest songs have many nominations (Breaking the Law, Painkiller, Victim of Changes, among others) but lots of people have pet favourites that they want to have evaluated.
 
People have pet favourites. It's not like the smaller artists necessarily have their most acclaimed songs here either. Priest is just bigger so they got more nominations.
'kay dude! I'm getting ya. Didn't mean to be harsh on anyone.

And I hope you're safe and doing fine bro. God bless you.
There's also a lot of list entries for Priest. Keep in mind everything in this round is just a single nomination. Several popular Judas Priest songs have many nominations (Breaking the Law, Painkiller, Victim of Changes, among others) but lots of people have pet favourites that they want to have evaluated.
My apologies. Maybe Battle Cry is Priest's Hell On Earth ;)
 
Postmortem is surprisingly coherent for Slayer. Bonus point for the shriek. Otherwise, it’s still a Slayer song and I don’t care for it. Sepultura isn’t my bag either, but I bobbed my head a couple times.

Battle Cry is good but kinda sounds like AI Priest, but Grand Magus was boring. So, Priest.

Rhapsody is just so……much. It’s so overwrought and lame and cheesy and did I mention too long? Passion and The Opera is better in a quarter of the time. What a fun, powerful number with a nice operatic ending that really allows Tarja to let loose.

I don’t think too much of Paradise Lost’s entry here, but I think even less of Tiamat’s vocals.

Them Bones is an absolute firecracker - powerful, unique and captivating. It wastes zero time. What a song! Robert Plant is the only thing that stands out in any way on Rock N Roll. It’s a fun little rip off of Little Richard and Chuck Berry and not as good as either. Alice In Chains should be winning this by a country mile.

Unsung sounds bored. I really have nothing to say about it. It feels really flat in both production and performance. There’s more emotion in the first 3 seconds of Blackbird - what a powerful song! I especially enjoy the little subdued riff salad in the bridge. I’m never in love with Better Creed’s vocal melodies (kinda like Fates Warning - the singer is amazing but the melodies don’t always grab me) but this song is good and light years better than Helmet.
 
"Postmortem", like most Slayer, has good riffs, bad half-singing, and...well, I was going to say terrible solos, but I don't think there was a solo in this song, thankfully. The song is pretty coherent, though it comes off the rails a bit toward the end. Nothing I'd ever normally choose to listen to, but it's not awful. "Dead Embryonic Cells" has generally less interesting riffage and almost melody-free shouty vocals, but it does have an OK solo going for it. It does seem to ape 80s Metallica in the guitars in a number of places, though, including lifting a bit from "Eye Of The Beholder". Both songs are a mixed bag from a songwriting perspective, and honestly I could probably flip a coin here, but I'll give a tip of the hat to Slayer for sounding more original and sparing me from enduring one of their awful solos. Winner: Slayer - "Postmortem"

"Battle Cry" has a cool multi-part harmonized intro and a nice urgency to the verse. The pre-chorus has a Nostradamus-like feel in a good way. Chorus 1 kinda sucks, but chorus 2 is pretty solid, and the slower-tempo bridge is a nice change-up. Rob sounds pretty rough on the higher notes, but overall this is still a very good song. Haven't spent much time with Redeemer Of Souls, but maybe I should revisit it. "On Hooves Of Gold" has a nice atmospheric intro, and I dig the melancholy male chorus. Not really a fan of the timbre of the singer's voice, but he's technically solid. The verse melody reminds me of the bridge melody from Megadeth's "Back In The Day", but otherwise the vocal melodies are pretty good. Another good song overall, certainly more consistent than the Priest song; but the Priest song has much higher highs and has them more often, so sorry @Perun, I'm going to have to go with @DJ James's nominee here. Winner: Judas Priest - "Battle Cry"

"Gargoyles, Angels Of Darkness" has a very pretty flamenco intro with nice female vocal accompaniment. The main riff is cool, but sounds a bit whiny with that choice of guitar tone. Ew, those main vocals are terrible -- I'm now reminded of the main reason why I don't ever listen to Rhapsody, despite my general love of Luca Turilli. (Fabio Lione sucks, full stop. I might even prefer Barlow over him!) The neoclassical flourishes are glorious, as always. The opera singing bits, too. And the songwriting is gratuitously florid, which is exactly what I would want and expect from a Turilli epic. The keyboards feel extra cheesy in a number of places, and the spoken word sections are awful. I'll admit, about 2/3 of this song is straight-up awesome, and if the fat was trimmed and it had a better singer I might have been tempted to vote for it over my own nominee. But it's up against "Passion And The Opera", one of my favorites from Oceanborn for its audacious full embrace of opera-style vocals atop riff-driven metal. All of the guitar and vocal melodies are great here, as are the riffs outside of the vocal sections, and that full-opera bridge in the middle with the series of "ah ah ahs" is simultaneously hilarious and beautiful. Sometimes less is more -- and the tight focus, unique feel, and consistent quality of my own nominee makes this an easy choice. Sorry, @JudasMyGuide. Winner: Nightwish - "Passion And The Opera"

"True Belief" has a cool ominous intro and an OK chorus, but the chunky verse sucks, and those half-melodic off-key vocals are awful. No sir, don't like it. "In A Dream" also has a cool ominous intro, and features the return of the bastard special needs child of Lemmy and Mike Muir on vocals! I like the melodic interplay in the interludes between the verses, though the verses themselves are pretty lame. The chorus is actually pretty OK aside from the bizarre spoken word ending, and I'm not sure how I feel about the B-list horror movie organ in there, but I'm leaning toward the positive on it. The solo's pretty good too, though it feels like it belongs in a different song. Boy, it's a toss-up on which song has worse vocals, but I think I might actually dislike the Tiamat guy a little less, and the Tiamat song is much more interesting. So, sorry @MindRuler, but this is a pretty clear call for @Magnus's nominee. Winner: Tiamat - "In A Dream"

"Them Bones" is a powerful outpouring of queasy anguish and depression with a surprisingly bright chorus and solo. Alice In Chains always does interesting things with harmony, whether it's consonant or dissonant, and Dirt in particular is great at conveying that permeating sense of sickness and depression with brief moments of hopefulness. This song is a tight distillation of that entire vibe, and that makes it a perfect album opener. "Rock And Roll" has a peppy riff and a great vocal line, and the solo is fine, but it's ultimately a light musical snack that doesn't really leave you feeling satisfied. It's also very much rooted in 50s rock 'n roll tropes as the title suggests, and barely even qualifies as hard rock; so for all of those reasons I'm throwing this one to the first nominee. Winner: Alice In Chains - "Them Bones"

"Unsung" is the only Helmet song I was familiar with before the GMSC, and it has a pretty dope riff with enough empty space to let the drums punch through its holes, which has a neat rhythmic effect. Strangely, the singer halfway reminds me of Ozzy here. The vocal melodies are pretty good, and I like the rhythmic breakdown later in the song. Good stuff. "Blackbird" is very melodious and epic with a very good multi-part solo, and Myles Kennedy gives an impassioned performance throughout. I don't like the big swaying guitar part that shows up a few times during the song, and the mastering is overly compressed, but otherwise there isn't really much to criticize here. The thing is, there's something about Kennedy's voice that just isn't to my taste; and despite all the epic roller coaster songwriting on display here, the song never really gets its hooks into me and actually takes me along for that ride. That leaves me sitting on the sideline thinking, "well, this certainly checks almost all the boxes for a well-written and well-executed song", and yet I don't feel much of anything when I listen to it. So I totally understand why many people would love this song and vote for it over other things, and I won't be disappointed if it wins, but I've gotta keep it real and vote for the song that actually did something for me. Sorry, @The Dissident, but I'm going with the list nominee this time. Winner: Helmet - "Unsung"
 
Anyway,

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these five brave and beautiful men (namely @DJ James @DJMayes @Siddharth @KidInTheDark666 and @The Sentient ) are the hoopiest froods of them all, who truly know where their towel is, who know a good music when they hear one and who know what true Beauty is.

And all shall have a beer on me when we meet IRL, if such occasion shall arise.

I love you, mates. Or, at least, "I have never yet known what it was to separate esteem and love".
'Cause

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Just taking the piss, that's all.
 
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