The Greatest Metal Song Cup - Part II, Round 4, Matches 82-87
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" for context.
Confeos
Game time started.
You're both welcome! I know we're not doing live songs, but since you've already voted, let me wholeheartedly recommend you listen to the live version of "Wide Shut" from their Live in Carthage album, which I think blows the studio version out of the water. Actually, listen to the entire concert. Now.
There's a lot of benefit in being first and Saxon definitely had a leg up for being active and signed earlier than a lot of other NWOBHM bands. Not just more exposure but also the opportunity to work with real producers and put out a pro sounding product while other British bands were essentially recording in basements. It makes sense that they got to ride the NWOBHM wave well into the 80s but never came close to reaching the levels of Priest/Maiden/Leppard during this time.
Confeos
Game time started.
Myrath may have toned down the progressiveness on recent albums, but "Wide Shut" is so full of twists and turns that I love every second of it. It almost feels like it's twice as long, yet it never once outstays its welcome. I really liked "Vermillion Moons" as well, and I actually think Arch sounds great on it, but it does drag a little bit. So for this reason I'm going with my own nominee and voting Myrath.
I'm not generally fond of Meshuggah, but "Bleed" is a classic for a reason - the rhythm work is just incredible. "Forward!" wasn't far off, but the sound effects really put me off for some reason. Meshuggah.
"Walk in the Shadows" came on my Spotify a few days ago as a random suggestion, and I liked it a lot. I don't think I've ever given Rage for Order a full spin, but I just might now. Listening to it again, I definitely think it's one of the better Queensrÿche songs I've heard - Tate sounds pretty good, the chorus is catchy, and the solo a highlight as well. On the other hand, while there's nothing wrong with it on paper, "The Heretic" does absolutely nothing for me. Really nothing at all. It just felt like it went on and on and on. And I still don't like Blackie's vocals. Easy vote for Queensrÿche.
Defenders of the Crown is one of my go-to albums whenever I'm in the mood for some solid medieval metal. I did consider nominating something from the album as well, but would probably have went with a song like "Mortal Sinful Wrath" over the title track. Still, it's a great song - pronunciation issues aside, I'm a big fan of Jioti Parcharidis' vocals, and at times he almost sounds like a young, unpolished Bruce. And hey, the lyrics aren't worse than, say, "Alexander the Great", right? As previously stated, I like Manowar a lot, but I do think "Warriors of the World United" is a bit overrated (if that even can be said about a Manowar song) and plodding, so I'm voting Human Fortress here.
It's fairly close in the battle of the Mercyful Fates. Both feature great music, but sadly also horrendously bad vocals. I think King Diamond sounds a tiny bit better on "Curse of the Pharaohs", but "Come to the Sabbath" had much more interesting music, so I'm going with that one.
Neither Saxon song did much for me - they were fine, but nothing more. It's almost a coinflip, but I suppose I did find "Power and the Glory" more memorable, so that one wins it for me here.
I'm not generally fond of Meshuggah, but "Bleed" is a classic for a reason - the rhythm work is just incredible. "Forward!" wasn't far off, but the sound effects really put me off for some reason. Meshuggah.
"Walk in the Shadows" came on my Spotify a few days ago as a random suggestion, and I liked it a lot. I don't think I've ever given Rage for Order a full spin, but I just might now. Listening to it again, I definitely think it's one of the better Queensrÿche songs I've heard - Tate sounds pretty good, the chorus is catchy, and the solo a highlight as well. On the other hand, while there's nothing wrong with it on paper, "The Heretic" does absolutely nothing for me. Really nothing at all. It just felt like it went on and on and on. And I still don't like Blackie's vocals. Easy vote for Queensrÿche.
Defenders of the Crown is one of my go-to albums whenever I'm in the mood for some solid medieval metal. I did consider nominating something from the album as well, but would probably have went with a song like "Mortal Sinful Wrath" over the title track. Still, it's a great song - pronunciation issues aside, I'm a big fan of Jioti Parcharidis' vocals, and at times he almost sounds like a young, unpolished Bruce. And hey, the lyrics aren't worse than, say, "Alexander the Great", right? As previously stated, I like Manowar a lot, but I do think "Warriors of the World United" is a bit overrated (if that even can be said about a Manowar song) and plodding, so I'm voting Human Fortress here.
It's fairly close in the battle of the Mercyful Fates. Both feature great music, but sadly also horrendously bad vocals. I think King Diamond sounds a tiny bit better on "Curse of the Pharaohs", but "Come to the Sabbath" had much more interesting music, so I'm going with that one.
Neither Saxon song did much for me - they were fine, but nothing more. It's almost a coinflip, but I suppose I did find "Power and the Glory" more memorable, so that one wins it for me here.
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
Just briefly this time
Myrath I absolutely love, they're one of the bands that need more love. I suppose I'm unreasonably partial to middle-eastern metal (so for example Orphaned Land as well); one of the reasons being definitely growing up on SOAD. Also, it's nicely proggy and charming in general.
Arch/Mattheos is fine, but I was never a fan of Arch himself. I like the early Fates Warning for the music (more than the latter era, probably), but Arch was the weakest link. Here he's not as obnoxious, but the song itself is also much more pedestrian. An easy vote for Myrath.
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Ah, the archetypal "death" vs "black" fight in the next match - meaning "abrasive technicality" vs "abrasive atmosphere.", however with the latter being still pretty technical in this case. I admit that I don't listen to Anaal Natrakh much any more, because I usually use Cattle Decapitation to scratch that particular itch, but in the end it's more fun, so let's go with Buggery, oh, I mean Anal, oh wait, no, ANAAL. There.
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So, both bands in the next match are the "one album" bands for me - and neither of the tracks is off that one album, so no Operation and no Idol. I kinda wish the WASP song was produced as well as the Ryche song, but despite, it was probably the more interesting one (barely so, though), so my vote goes to the Bee again.
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HUMAN FORTREEEEEES, BAYBEEEEE.
Duh.
What? Manowar are winning? Fuck, this forum went full plebe.
Whatever, you do you, mates, but I don't ever want to hear you complain about any song being cheesy, okay?
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The Mercyful Fate song are pretty much evened out in my book, in general I think I like the sound of the Don't Break the Oath album more, but Pharaohs are probably more fun, so I'll go with the latter.
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I couldn't care less in the Saxon matchup, I mean, both sounds like something a TV producer ordered from a music bank to use "a metal" in the background as ambience. Power and the Glory is probably marginally better, especially in the instrumental section.
Myrath I absolutely love, they're one of the bands that need more love. I suppose I'm unreasonably partial to middle-eastern metal (so for example Orphaned Land as well); one of the reasons being definitely growing up on SOAD. Also, it's nicely proggy and charming in general.
Arch/Mattheos is fine, but I was never a fan of Arch himself. I like the early Fates Warning for the music (more than the latter era, probably), but Arch was the weakest link. Here he's not as obnoxious, but the song itself is also much more pedestrian. An easy vote for Myrath.
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Ah, the archetypal "death" vs "black" fight in the next match - meaning "abrasive technicality" vs "abrasive atmosphere.", however with the latter being still pretty technical in this case. I admit that I don't listen to Anaal Natrakh much any more, because I usually use Cattle Decapitation to scratch that particular itch, but in the end it's more fun, so let's go with Buggery, oh, I mean Anal, oh wait, no, ANAAL. There.
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So, both bands in the next match are the "one album" bands for me - and neither of the tracks is off that one album, so no Operation and no Idol. I kinda wish the WASP song was produced as well as the Ryche song, but despite, it was probably the more interesting one (barely so, though), so my vote goes to the Bee again.
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HUMAN FORTREEEEEES, BAYBEEEEE.
Duh.
What? Manowar are winning? Fuck, this forum went full plebe.
Whatever, you do you, mates, but I don't ever want to hear you complain about any song being cheesy, okay?
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The Mercyful Fate song are pretty much evened out in my book, in general I think I like the sound of the Don't Break the Oath album more, but Pharaohs are probably more fun, so I'll go with the latter.
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I couldn't care less in the Saxon matchup, I mean, both sounds like something a TV producer ordered from a music bank to use "a metal" in the background as ambience. Power and the Glory is probably marginally better, especially in the instrumental section.
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
I do not like Arch's voice; he's another one of those high-register guys with zero depth and grit. If this Myrath song was even half as good as it is, I'd still vote for it. Cool track and sweet bass! I actually listened to Myrath's entire discography over the summer and they are definitely worth checking out for anyone who enjoys eastern tonalities and Symphony X-esque tunes. Their older stuff is more progressive than the newer, "poppier" output, but it's all good.
As much as I don't like Arch's voice, at least he actually sings, which is more than I can say about the Neanderthals in the next match. Of the two, Meshuggah have better music and incredible rhythmic synchronization, so they get the nod here.
The third match contains two bands I've never been a huge fan of, but Queensryche's effort was slightly more interesting to me.
I've never heard of Human Fortress, but this is a cool song that I enjoyed throughout. On the flip side, I've never cared for Manowar and simply don't understand what they're doing. Is it supposed to be funny? Because these lyrics sound like they were written by a pre-schooler. I just don't understand this band, and I've never heard anything by them that pleased me.
Ah, Mercyful Fate. I first heard of them because of that kick ass Metallica medley on Garage, Inc., and was so incredibly disappointed when I discovered that their singer was so much worse than Hetfield. Of these two songs, Curse of the Pharaohs is infinitely more memorable. They'd be a solid band with an actual singer. Much like Manowar, if it's supposed to be funny, it works. Unlike Manowar, this band has interesting music.
Saxon don't do much for me, but Power and the Glory is the better track to my ears, which found Princess of the Night to be boring.
As much as I don't like Arch's voice, at least he actually sings, which is more than I can say about the Neanderthals in the next match. Of the two, Meshuggah have better music and incredible rhythmic synchronization, so they get the nod here.
The third match contains two bands I've never been a huge fan of, but Queensryche's effort was slightly more interesting to me.
I've never heard of Human Fortress, but this is a cool song that I enjoyed throughout. On the flip side, I've never cared for Manowar and simply don't understand what they're doing. Is it supposed to be funny? Because these lyrics sound like they were written by a pre-schooler. I just don't understand this band, and I've never heard anything by them that pleased me.
Ah, Mercyful Fate. I first heard of them because of that kick ass Metallica medley on Garage, Inc., and was so incredibly disappointed when I discovered that their singer was so much worse than Hetfield. Of these two songs, Curse of the Pharaohs is infinitely more memorable. They'd be a solid band with an actual singer. Much like Manowar, if it's supposed to be funny, it works. Unlike Manowar, this band has interesting music.
Saxon don't do much for me, but Power and the Glory is the better track to my ears, which found Princess of the Night to be boring.
Copping Middle Eastern musical styles is such a prog metal cliche that it is kinda cool to hear bands that actually know what they're doing take a crack at it (Orphaned Land is another band that does this in an interesting way). I would rather listen to Myrath than most Dream Theater/Symphony X knockoffs, but I find a lot of the vocal parts to be a bit bland. I like it best when the vocalist gets out of the way of the awesome riffing and instrumental melodicism. Generally I find this sort of thing enjoyable when I hear it, but it lacks that extra element to make me come back to it.
I could never get into Fates Warning. I just don't find their songs to be all that memorable - a lot of meandering and not a lot of hooks. This Arch/Matheos stuff is not much different and I find John Arch's voice to be pretty grating on top of that. It's just not my thing. Wide Shut wins this round easily.
I could probably do without hearing Meshuggah ever again. Not sure what else to say about it really, they do one thing and it's fun for about 5 minutes before it turns really grating. Not enough variety or interesting riffs to keep me engaged with what they're doing. Forward is better in every conceivable way and something I would listen to on my own.
Walk in the Shadows is one of my favorite early Queensryche tracks and a highlight of an album that overall I don't find to be that remarkable. Just kinda has all of the elements of great 'Ryche: awesome riffing, powerful vocals from Tate, and some really impressive shredding (the solos on here are pretty impressive for 1986). This is the exact sort of song that should be on a top Metal list and it's surprising to see Rolling Stone get it right for once. So it came as a surprise to me when The Heretic won my vote. The only match this round where I went in confident about my pick ahead of time and that ended up not being the case. I just couldn't deny the quality of this particular WASP song. Generally I prefer Headless Children to Crimson Idol but am not crazy about either, though this reminded me why. It's just much more interesting, lots of really great melodies and a really dynamic epic that doesn't feel like it's trying too hard. Blackie Lawless is a mixed bag vocally, as always, but it never detracts from the overall song. Great pick.
I always struggle with some of these Power Metal rounds. Human Fortress might be taking what they do more seriously, but Manowar's over the top approach is just more memorable and entertaining. Warriors of the World is a song I am much more likely to come back to, where Defenders of the Crown is something that I forgot about immediately after hearing it and is just another dime-a-dozen power metal track.
I always enjoy Mercyful Fate/King Diamond when it shows up even though I haven't really taken the deep dive on any of that material. I've always felt that for as goofy as King Diamond can be, the quirkiness of the music and the unpredictable twists and turns more than make up for it. Plus Diamond's voice actually feels appropriate for the way the music is written. With that in mind, Come To the Sabbath is both a much stronger track than its competitor and also has the best vocal/instrumental blend. Curse of the Pharoahs is OK but kinda just generic NWOBHM sounding stuff with mildly annoying vocals. It lacks the adventurous feel of Sabbath and any sort of memorable traits.
On the Saxon side of things, I'm not crazy about Saxon but I can enjoy them when they're in the shuffle with other Metal bands. Their music is pretty homogenous sounding and the songs in this particular matchup sound pretty much the same to me. Going for Power and the Glory based on criteria that more or less amounts to a coin toss.
I could never get into Fates Warning. I just don't find their songs to be all that memorable - a lot of meandering and not a lot of hooks. This Arch/Matheos stuff is not much different and I find John Arch's voice to be pretty grating on top of that. It's just not my thing. Wide Shut wins this round easily.
I could probably do without hearing Meshuggah ever again. Not sure what else to say about it really, they do one thing and it's fun for about 5 minutes before it turns really grating. Not enough variety or interesting riffs to keep me engaged with what they're doing. Forward is better in every conceivable way and something I would listen to on my own.
Walk in the Shadows is one of my favorite early Queensryche tracks and a highlight of an album that overall I don't find to be that remarkable. Just kinda has all of the elements of great 'Ryche: awesome riffing, powerful vocals from Tate, and some really impressive shredding (the solos on here are pretty impressive for 1986). This is the exact sort of song that should be on a top Metal list and it's surprising to see Rolling Stone get it right for once. So it came as a surprise to me when The Heretic won my vote. The only match this round where I went in confident about my pick ahead of time and that ended up not being the case. I just couldn't deny the quality of this particular WASP song. Generally I prefer Headless Children to Crimson Idol but am not crazy about either, though this reminded me why. It's just much more interesting, lots of really great melodies and a really dynamic epic that doesn't feel like it's trying too hard. Blackie Lawless is a mixed bag vocally, as always, but it never detracts from the overall song. Great pick.
I always struggle with some of these Power Metal rounds. Human Fortress might be taking what they do more seriously, but Manowar's over the top approach is just more memorable and entertaining. Warriors of the World is a song I am much more likely to come back to, where Defenders of the Crown is something that I forgot about immediately after hearing it and is just another dime-a-dozen power metal track.
I always enjoy Mercyful Fate/King Diamond when it shows up even though I haven't really taken the deep dive on any of that material. I've always felt that for as goofy as King Diamond can be, the quirkiness of the music and the unpredictable twists and turns more than make up for it. Plus Diamond's voice actually feels appropriate for the way the music is written. With that in mind, Come To the Sabbath is both a much stronger track than its competitor and also has the best vocal/instrumental blend. Curse of the Pharoahs is OK but kinda just generic NWOBHM sounding stuff with mildly annoying vocals. It lacks the adventurous feel of Sabbath and any sort of memorable traits.
On the Saxon side of things, I'm not crazy about Saxon but I can enjoy them when they're in the shuffle with other Metal bands. Their music is pretty homogenous sounding and the songs in this particular matchup sound pretty much the same to me. Going for Power and the Glory based on criteria that more or less amounts to a coin toss.
Magnus
Pica Serdica
1. Myrath, because at least they don't sound like recycled Helloween. Could live without hearing either ever again.
2. Member vs list. And making fun of Gaelic even when misspelt by Brummies is a no-no, friend Judas.
3. Member vs list again, plus never QR, plus the vespid track is better.
4. Human Fortress might be worthy descendants of Modern Talking, C. C. Catch and 1980s German disco in general but the other band.
5. Curse, not just because of the member vs list thing, I think it's more interesting musically. Both rule of course.
6. Power. After playing the two Saxon songs in a row, YouTube felt in needed to remind me of the real Princess song, playing Accept's Princess Of The Dawn immediately, even skipping ads. An omen, I think.
2. Member vs list. And making fun of Gaelic even when misspelt by Brummies is a no-no, friend Judas.
3. Member vs list again, plus never QR, plus the vespid track is better.
4. Human Fortress might be worthy descendants of Modern Talking, C. C. Catch and 1980s German disco in general but the other band.
5. Curse, not just because of the member vs list thing, I think it's more interesting musically. Both rule of course.
6. Power. After playing the two Saxon songs in a row, YouTube felt in needed to remind me of the real Princess song, playing Accept's Princess Of The Dawn immediately, even skipping ads. An omen, I think.
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
I realised this might be a sore topic.
Remember, I am having a craic, I'm merely mooning about.
Despite that, I'm trying to achieve the right exact amount of cheeky, so as not to disrupt the law and ordure too much.
Do not get too entangled in the idiosyncracies of my prosody. As Chuck Schuldiner would say, it's a perineal quest.
Magnus
Pica Serdica
ftfy
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
So I listened to these songs yesterday and am only getting around to voting for them right now. I forgot literally everything about Myrath, except that I was really digging it. They were cooking. Arch/Matheos, meanwhile, I have not forgotten for all the wrong reasons. It was decent musically and even had some nice melodic passages. Unfortunately John Arch might be the single worst vocalist in metal history. What the actual fuck is he doing.
"Bleed" is a classic. I dunno about a full album but by themselves Meshuggah songs are awesome, I love their rhythms and grooves. Now I know that the band is called Anaal Nathrakh, which means "snake's breath", but sometimes I really get the feeling that their music is like exploring the anal canal. Here are just a few of the lyrics I thought I heard throughout the song: "Watch me fuck my enemies sloppily!" "Enjoy a cold shit with no paper!" "It'll all be over by Christmas!" Looked it up, 90% of those are in the actual lyrics. I know it's more serious than I'm taking it but they brought a smile to my face. Not enough to beat "Bleed" though.
"The Heretic" is a good song but this is an EASY vote for Queensrÿche. "Walk in the Shadows" is a fucking awesome song. Geoff's voice isn't perfect but especially on the chorus he really shines, and Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton really shine as one of the great guitar duos throughout. That solo is amazing. One of the band's all-time best.
Human Fortress was more interesting overall, and the singer reminds me in some ways of Russell Allen (with less bite and less power, mind you). One of the best Manowar songs so far, though.
Yeah I'm voting for my own nominee. "Come to the Sabbath" works best as the finale to Don't Break the Oath, whereas "Curse of the Pharaohs" is campy goodness all around. Also fantastic guitarwork, the intro alone has like three riffs melded into one and it's fantastic. Also another precursor to "2 Minutes to Midnight".
"Princess of the Night", by far, for real. The only good thing about "Power and the Glory" was the solo. "Princess" has a great riff, catchy chorus, great outro, and TRAIN LYRICS. METAL BAND WROTE A SONG ABOUT A TRAIN. AND IT'S GREAT. Overall Saxon are boring but this song is the only exception I have heard to date. I will skin you fuckers alive.
"Bleed" is a classic. I dunno about a full album but by themselves Meshuggah songs are awesome, I love their rhythms and grooves. Now I know that the band is called Anaal Nathrakh, which means "snake's breath", but sometimes I really get the feeling that their music is like exploring the anal canal. Here are just a few of the lyrics I thought I heard throughout the song: "Watch me fuck my enemies sloppily!" "Enjoy a cold shit with no paper!" "It'll all be over by Christmas!" Looked it up, 90% of those are in the actual lyrics. I know it's more serious than I'm taking it but they brought a smile to my face. Not enough to beat "Bleed" though.
"The Heretic" is a good song but this is an EASY vote for Queensrÿche. "Walk in the Shadows" is a fucking awesome song. Geoff's voice isn't perfect but especially on the chorus he really shines, and Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton really shine as one of the great guitar duos throughout. That solo is amazing. One of the band's all-time best.
Human Fortress was more interesting overall, and the singer reminds me in some ways of Russell Allen (with less bite and less power, mind you). One of the best Manowar songs so far, though.
Yeah I'm voting for my own nominee. "Come to the Sabbath" works best as the finale to Don't Break the Oath, whereas "Curse of the Pharaohs" is campy goodness all around. Also fantastic guitarwork, the intro alone has like three riffs melded into one and it's fantastic. Also another precursor to "2 Minutes to Midnight".
"Princess of the Night", by far, for real. The only good thing about "Power and the Glory" was the solo. "Princess" has a great riff, catchy chorus, great outro, and TRAIN LYRICS. METAL BAND WROTE A SONG ABOUT A TRAIN. AND IT'S GREAT. Overall Saxon are boring but this song is the only exception I have heard to date. I will skin you fuckers alive.
The moon could be any colour, as things are now wide shut with Myrath's victory. Anaal bleeding? Meshuggah likes it. It might be heretical, but Queensrÿche wins. The Human Fortress has been breached by Manowar's united world warriors. Mercyful Fate proves that the Curse of the Pharaoh is more powerful than the Sabbath. And the train is derailed as Power and the Glory wins the Saxon-off.
Part I, Round 33, Matches 193-198
| Play In Round |
| Virtual XI Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pantera - Becoming | vs. | Suicidal Tendencies - How Will I Laugh Tomorrow | |
| Popoff 500 | Nominators | ||
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| Virtual XI Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Diamond - Eye of the Witch | vs. | Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman | |
| @Magnus | Nominators | Popoff 500 | |
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| Virtual XI Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Def Leppard - Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes) | vs. | Quiet Riot - Cum on Feel the Noize | |
| @Jer | Nominators | Popoff 500 | |
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| Seventh Son of a Seventh Son Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annihilator - Alison Hell | vs. | Metallica - Spit Out the Bone | |
| Popoff 500 | Nominators | ||
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
| Play In Round |
| Seventh Son of a Seventh Son Division | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen | vs. | Night Stalker - Children of the Sun | |
| Popoff 500 | Nominators | ||
| Youtube | Spotify | Amazon | Links |
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MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
You know, Nightwish are one of my overall favourite bands. But honestly, the fucking tendency of this cup to pit their much lesser tracks against my nominees/other tracks, making the latter lose ex ante by the merest of popularity contests, might yet change that.
MindRuler
Ancient Mariner
@JudasMyGuide I really liked your song and almost voted for it but that chorus of Storytime! I should dive deeper into Nightwish...and Dark Moor. 
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
@JudasMyGuide I really liked your song and almost voted for it but that chorus of Storytime! I should dive deeper into Nightwish...and Dark Moor.
Oh, it was not aimed at you, just prematurely disappointed expectations, going from experience
Storytime is one of their tracks I almost dislike, actually, because the "I am" structure of the track combined with the theme feels to me a bit like their first jumping the shark, dogwhistling, whatever - I would expect Tuomas to come to me and yell to my ear "FAIRYTALE! WONDER! DISNEY! I'M THE LOST LITTLE BOY!" next.
And although I love Anette - a million times more than Floor - she really sits wrong here for me, in the combination. And in the video.
In a way, it is this single that might have been the point of no return for me, at least in hindsight. Going by gut instinct alone, I feel like I could trace (almost) everything I hate about EFMB and H:::::N back here.
MindRuler
Ancient Mariner
Now that's an interesting statement.
I really thought Anette was the least loved among fans.
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
She often is, but not always. Let me explain.
From a purely technical standpoint, Anette was the "weakest" vocalist of the three. Least powerful, most limited range (actually, I'm not sure if that's completely true, but her high range and her more breathy, airy timbre definitely make it sound like that), somewhat inconsistent live (although I'd say in hindsight that that was a bit overstated back in the day, but whatever).
Also, she followed a famous, iconic, characteristic singer (who was one of the founding members and around whom the sound of the band has been always built), after an acrimonious split - so she was pretty controversial. And she had some trouble singing Tarja's songs live - not just in the general aspects of the performance and approach (see on that below) but also purely technically.
The Bruce-Blaze comparison is not exactly correct - Bruce wasn't in the band in the beginning, the differences in vocals weren't as drastic as in the case of Nightwish and Blaze was IMHO less consistent live than Anette was - but it illustrates the feeling of the fandom back then.
Although I first became the fan at about the Wishmaster era (2000+), I admit that I wasn't as huge a Tarja fan back then as I am now. My attitude even back then was "wait, come on, let's give them a chance".
And the albums they did with Anette were mostly good to great - in fact I remember Steve Harris naming Dark Passion Play as his favourite, which makes sense, because the music was really well-wrought, well-written as songs and despite me vastly preferring the early power metal-adjacent era (the first three albums) and the Tarja albums in general, I can't deny that there's an insane amount of great music, often even experimental (in a good way) and some of the songs are among my favourite nonetheless.
Also, the albums were made with Anette in mind and she definitely bent over backwards trying to be as creative, as much fun with those limited assets of hers, that she (IMHO) overcame her weaknesses and helped make the albums to be as colourful as they were. In the task of "making best use of the talents you have", she was definitely winning against the latter-era Tarja albums and especially the last two albums with Floor.
So, because Anette really fits the music they were doing back then and the albums were undeniably great (and also ever since the band split with her just as acrimoniously), I'd say a lot of people reconsidered their original position and took mercy upon her.
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Enter Floor. One of the female-vocalist legends of the genre. After Forever, ReVamp, I was going crazy when I learned she's coming into Nightwish. A dream come true!
Floor is quite possibly the best singer in Nightwish - at least in what she does; it's really hard to compare opera and pop singing, but as an opera fan, I'd say that Tarja as an opera singer is merely average, or slightly above that (since she has a rather fascinating colour to her voice to me) whereas Floor is absolutely flabbergasting - she can switch her technique on a whim (just see the breathy rasps in Weak Fantasy or her growling under Marco in Yours Is an Empty Hope), she is a very powerful belter, she has a striking, commanding presence...
...and she completely lacks the qualities of the previous singers regarding the atmosphere and the vocal caractère.
Both Tarja and Anette were compatible with the Faërie, the quality that's the most desirable quality of Nightwish (and one of the reasons they are indeed one of my favourite bands). Tarja with the witchy, Mélusine quality of the frosty wind wildering across the moor and the frozen lake; Anette with the chiming of the elfin sprite leading you into a magical village hanging in the crowns of trees... or into a swamp.
Floor is a powerful belter and at first, it indeed really floors you (pun intended), but she was underutilised in the studio and overutilised live - I might have (quite intentionally) crossed the line here in this thread when I dubbed it "wailing like a banshee over the live rendition of old songs", but whether the Mélusine or the Sprite, she just can't capture it - it's all power, power, power and the magic is gone.
In a way, it reminds me of the exact thing that people complained about with Mangini replacing Portnoy in Dream Theater - a more technically proficient musician, but with much less "feeling".
I've already said it somewhere here (or in the Nightwish thread?) I can't help but agree with my wifey's assessment after hearing Amaranth done by Floor as "it's like replacing a butterfly with a bulldozer".
You know, with all due respect.
It also collided with the band going really stale and tired on the last two albums - the better parts are regurgitated from the previous albums, the bad parts are just bland, the worst are failed experiments ... and with the band feeling like it's being in a rut nowadays (and turning into a very professional machine full of the most professional professionals) - which I admit isn't her fault in other way than her being merely present - I really don't have much love towards Floor nowadays. I don't hate her, I still find her impressive. But although I miss Tarja the most, I also miss Anette.
Sorry, I tried to be brief, but it just wrote itself.
