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

What is your favourite song in each match? Vote in all six matchups!

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  • Total voters
    8
  • Poll closed .
I'm not a big fan of the vocals on both songs, Ozzy's song has a great (ballady) music, but King Diamond's has a fantastic metal riff and that alone gets my vote.
Quiet Riot's song is a lot of fun, but Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes) is one of Def Leppard's best songs for me.
I nominated Metallica's Spit Out The Bone because it's one of their ''old-school style'' new songs that I really like, and out of curiosity as to how it would perform. My vote is for it.
Storytime is one of Nightwish's very best and classic songs. I love it. One of Annete's best performances with the band. Dark Moor's song is quite good.
 
Pantera - Becoming vs. Suicidal Tendencies - How Will I Laugh Tomorrow
Becoming is one of the better tracks off the disappointing Far Beyond Driven album, but not what I'd have nominated if I was forced to nominate a track from that album, in fact if I was forced to nominate any Pantera track at all it would have been I'm Broken. The riff is decent but that squeak turns my stomach, nu-metal influences creeping in already at that stage. I picked a Suicidal track from their thrash days, I wanted something that would highlight the rhythm playing of Mike Clark, who is a great thrash rhythm player, and also the amazing Rocky George solo, and didn't want to nominate the more obvious choice of something like You Can't Bring Me Down, which might pop up anyway. Also kudos to @LooseCannon for avoiding linking the edited version, which features one of the worst edits of all time where a word from the section cut to make the song shorter remains on the edit. How Will I Laugh Tomorrow

King Diamond - Eye of the Witch vs. Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman

I only have Fatal Portrait and Abigail so hearing this for the first time, decent enough track, but I wouldn't nominate it ahead of Abigail or The Family Ghost. Also, the keyboard riff is Mother Russia and I think the verse chord progression is also similar to another Maiden one I can't put my finger on that I feel may also be from No Prayer, so a very 1990 vibe going on. Diary of a Madman is a Randy Rhoads masterpiece and also subject matter with which I think Ozzy convinces when singing (see also Bark at the Moon). Diary of a Madman

Def Leppard - Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes) vs. Quiet Riot - Cum on Feel the Noize

Mirror Mirror is a good track and wins this round easy enough, because not only is Cum on Feel the Noize a cover, but Slade's original is also way better. Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)

Annihilator - Alison Hell vs. Metallica - Spit Out the Bone

Alison Hell is a classic that wins this round pretty easy, and also I like Spit Out the Bone quiet a lot but Metallica are going to have some absolute genuine contenders in here and you're probably naming 25-50 other Metallica tracks before you get down to nominating Spit Out the Bone. Alison Hell

Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen vs Night Stalker - Children of the Sun

Sex Pistols can fuck off, the only track I have any time for is Pretty Vacant. Never heard of Night Stalker, the intro section was good but dragged on for a bit long, taking up 2 mins of a 4 min track, and when it kicked in it was a bit like Alter Bridge going for a Sabbathy vibe. I'm not quite intrigued at this stage, but not writing them off either. Children of the Sun

Dark Moor - A New World (Gates of Oblivion version) vs. Nightwish - Storytime

With Power Metal bar 1 or 2 bands I don't really see what sort of originality is being brought to the table and this Dark Moor track definitely falls into this category, it could easily be any one or more of the many other power metal bands that have been in this game. Nightwish is very over produced, almost sounding Industrial at times, but it has a bit more originalty and a hook. Storytime
 
"Becoming" has an OK riff except for that squeal in the middle. The verse is mildly melodic, but Phil Asshole-bro soon devolves into his usual nonsense, and the chorus is terrible, as is the "solo". No sir, don't like it. "How Will I Laugh Tomorrow" is from the later period when Suicidal moved away from pure punk. The singer doesn't have the best melodic delivery, but the vocal and guitar lines are all good, the tonal shifts at the midpoint and near the end are cool, and the solo is great. A very easy call for @srfc's nominee here. Winner: Suicidal Tendencies - "How Will I Laugh Tomorrow"

"Eye Of The Witch" gets bonus points out of the gate for using synth pipe organ. I love the rhythmic change-ups in the main groove. King Diamond sounds better than usual here, hitting more of a Bee Gees vibe in his higher register. Most of the vocal lines are strong and the solos are great. A really good song overall. "Diary Of A Madman" has some really nice acoustic guitar work, and the odd rhythmic feel of the verse is interesting. Ozzy sounds pretty good on the chorus, but the verses don't work as well. Not sure I'm on board with the orchestrated bits, either. The solo's pretty good, and this is definitely an unusual entry in Ozzy's catalog, mostly in a good way. Both tracks have their merits, but I think @Magnus's nominee was a little more consistent overall. Winner: King Diamond - "Eye Of The Witch"

"Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)" is possibly my favorite Def Leppard song. The persistent melancholy feel, the pulsing groove that keeps building tension throughout the track, the strong atmospherics and dynamics that bring the guitars and vocals in and out of the foreground, sometimes in truly explosive fashion; the odd middle eastern flavored interlude that morphs into a more conventional melody that flirts with neoclassical rhythms, and really great vocal lines and guitar fills from start to finish. Love it. It got a tough draw against "Cum On Feel The Noize", which is a pretty much perfectly executed pop-metal song with an excellent solo. The main issue with the Quiet Riot track is that it's a pretty straight cover of the original Slade song, just with the rough edges sanded off and that awesome solo added, so you can only really give them partial credit at best for its greatness. It's a lot easier to spruce up someone else's work than to come up with something great on your own, and I think the Def Leppard track shows a lot more depth in the songwriting too, so I'm going to stick with my own nominee here. Winner: Def Leppard - "Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)"

"Alison Hell" has nice atmosphere, great guitar and bass work, and interesting songwriting, but the vocals pretty much suck. The verse vocals have barely any melody, the chorus is a train wreck, and the bridge, while better, isn't enough to offset the rest. On balance it's a good song that could have been really great with a completely different vocal approach. "Spit Out The Bone" is great late-era Metallica, nice and firey with a sweet main riff and a great vocal performance. The bass solo is an unusual choice in a good way, and the rhythmic interlude that follows is really cool. The first Kirk solo is a silly wah-fest, but the melodic lead that comes afterward is great, and Kirk redeems himself with the final solo. This song was even better than I'd remembered, actually -- an easy win for @Kalata's nominee. Winner: Metallica - "Spit Out The Bone"

"God Save The Queen" has simplistic yet charismatic guitar work, but the vocals are kind of annoying and the song doesn't really do much for me. "Children Of The Sun" has a nice atmospheric intro that runs on a bit too long, but it breaks into a pleasantly thick melodic groove. The vocal melodies are good, and though the accent is pretty noticeable, it doesn't really get in the way. There are only a couple of musical ideas in this track, and they're stretched almost to the breaking point -- but it's still enjoyable for what it is, and that's more than enough for @____no5's nominee to beat its competitor. Winner: Nightstalker - "Children Of The Sun"

"A New World" has pretty good, if derivative, power metal guitar leads. The singer has a pretty thick accent and is delivering something between Angra and Helloween in feel, but none of the vocal melodies stand out as anything particularly great or unique. I like the folky elements that creep in from time to time, but someone needs to take the keyboardist out behind the shed and put him down -- those orchestra hits are inexcusable, and there's some very cheesy use of pads throughout. He should've just stuck to the wind and harpsichord sounds. I really like the neoclassical guitar solo, though. "Storytime" has an ominous intro, but then we get over-the-top bombast and Anette's once again way-too-thin vocals. Aw shit, here comes the Disney orchestration. Yeah, I really don't like latter-era Nightwish. The vocal melody in the chorus is pretty memorable, at least. OK, the choral interlude finally justifies the orchestration, at least for that part. God, this song just feels like Tinkerbell singing on a very special episode of Glee. Can I at least get some macaroni to go with all this fucking cheese? Oof, I am not a fan of either of these songs, but sorry, @JudasMyGuide, I think there were slightly more good elements to latch onto and slightly fewer annoying elements to try to ignore in @DJMayes's nominee. Winner: Nightwish - "Storytime"
 
"Becoming" is just mindless chugging and Phil Anselmo mindlessly doing his annoying tough guy routine. There's way too much Pantera in this game for my taste. "How Will I Laugh Tomorrow" has very mediocre vocals, but the music is awesome - I love the tempo shift and the solos. Easy win for Suicidal Tendencies.

I'm actually quite impressed with "Eye of the Witch" - the music is absolutely amazing, and King Diamond even sounds tolerable most of the song (horrible falsetto wails aside). "Diary of a Madman" is good too, but the transitions are clunky. It feels more like a bunch of decent ideas thrown together than an actual song. I'm going with coherence here and - this is a first! - voting for King Diamond.

"Mirror, Mirror" is definitely the best Def Leppard song we've had so far. I usually don't care much for them, but this is very enjoyable - the darker mood really suits them. As for "Cum On Feel the Noize", I much prefer Slade's version. This cover doesn't really add anything, and I have no idea why it made Popoff's list, but me and him are usually not on the same page anyway. Def Leppard.

Every time I listen to Annihilator, I'm reminded that I need to check them out some more. The music is always consistently great, even if the vocals are quite bad on "Alison Hell". On the other hand, "Spit Out the Bone" is admittedly one of the better tracks from the otherwise very sub-par and disappointing Hardwired. The middle part is great, the verses and chorus okay, but Lars' annihilation (heh) of his snare drum is annoying. Overall, I think Annihilator has the stronger song here.

"God Save the Queen" is good fun, I'll confess, but really does not deserve to be in this game. "Children of the Sun" took a while to get going, but managed to pick it up quite nicely. I'm not blown away, but I'm still gonna vote for Nightstalker.

Well, what can I say about "A New World"? Not much, except that I was very entertained by every second of it. I can't argue for it being original in any way, but the performance was so awesome and energetic that I couldn't help but have a huge smile on my face as I gave it a listen. I'm absolutely going to spin the rest of the album later. As of 2023, Imaginaerum is the last good album Nightwish has done, and "Storytime" is a great, catchy opener with an amazing chorus. I could easily vote in Tuomas and Co.'s favour here, but honestly, it's not that much better than its competitor that the score deserves to be this one-sided, so my vote goes to Dark Moor.
 
Suicidal - just a better song, though I'm fine with Becoming. Also what's with the squeal hatred? It adds flavor.

Ozzy

Def Leopard
- mostly for being member nominated.

Annihilator - I was surprised with how much trouble this one gave me. Spit gets a bit plodding around the slow riff part, plus we will have enough Metallica, I assure you.

Sex Pistols - not metal, but the competitor hardly is as well...

Dark Moor - sorry, how is Dark Moor losing? This Nightwish song is uninspired. A New World has great memorable harmonies and vocal lines. A lot of similarities to Man on a Mission. You know, the song from the album that actually has a claim to being the best in the genre. Am I going to hear the entirety of Imaginaerum before we're finished?
 
I feel like Pantera are underrated a bit on the forum - sure, they're appealing to the lowest common denominator, they're very macho and one-note and they almost sound dated to a degree, but still, Dimebag's guitar (I mean primarily what he's playing, not the tone that leaves a lot to be desired) and even Anselmo have this certain... charm of sorts. A certain slightly charismatic appeal that other similar bands never possessed, IMHO. That said, this song is nothing special, just like the entire Driven album - decent, but certainly not exceptional.
Suicide Tendencies, whom I'm not a huge fan of in general, are bringing their best, however, and bring this unexpected emotionality that can't be maimed even by the singer's voice. I also like the - relative - complexity of the track. I really like the progression of the song. Suicidal Tendencies.

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I admit that very recently I almost got into King Diamond - I was playing Abigail on repeat and to be perfectly honest, there is a certain charm to that record, despite it being rather hard to take the vocals seriously.

This song isn't as good as the best of Diamond or Fate I've heard so far, but it is surprisingly catchy and Diamond is (even more surprisingly, I'd say) much more palatable than usual. Or maybe I've already lost my mind and got perverted by the Smurf wailing, the fuck I know.

That said, the Ozzy track is a deserved classic and - much like the entirety of the first two albums - among the best his solo career has to offer. The switches between the dreamy and the heavy, Randy being actually rather subtle here, the general atmosphere ... it makes for a rather untrivial mixture, actually my first thought would be comparing it to Angra's Holy Land (the title track, not the album in general), but the comparison is not okay. I guess maybe Remember Tomorrow (or its obvious inspiration Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You) might be a better fit?

That said, the match is closer than it should be, blame me overplaying the early Ozzy albums or Diamond being less obnoxious, but the victory of Madman is much less sure than I thought coming into this round.

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I don't care at about the song by Def Leppard (thought it's really fine, especially the chorus - this is the first album where they started to be actual fun, the beginning of the sell-out and I mean that as an endorsement, not a condemnation) ... it's just that Cum On Feel the Noize is so fucking overrated and overplayed and just generally annoying. I mean, I don't like it much even in the Slade version which does at least sport the "BritGlam" sound that makes it a slightly more endearing ... although of all the Slade singles, this is certainly one of those I don't feel the particular need to hear ever again. This version does not bring any improvement, apart from making it sound more 80s, with the added "benefit" of the incredibly stupid lyrics sounding even worse here than in the case of Slade who could kinda pull it off thanks to their lower-class-ruffian image (though I along with Starostin wonder if their entire misspelling shtick wasn't a comlex ploy to have a song with the word "Cum" played on the radio). I have never heard QR being mentioned in a different context than "the previous Randy Rhoads band" and there's nothing here, really, to prove that false. Anyway, the solo is rather fine, I admit, but still - thank you, next.

Def Leppard.

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Despite me listening to several of the latter albums, the only reason for Annihilator to exist are the first two albums - and what albums these are! Allison Hell is balancing on this very precarious ledge of being rather catchy, yet rather hectic and aggressive and having a cool, old-school type of sound. That's a combination thrash bands should strive for and achieving it is not really easy.

Opposing that is Tullica's Spit Out the Bone, which definitely is a return to glory of sorts for them, there's no denying that - I was loving the track back when the Hardwired album came out and I still kinda am. Yes, it's less relentless than Dyer's Eve, but that's to be expected - they were almost thirty years older by then and the fact they recaptured the old spirit at least somewhat is laudable in itself. That said, the length does hurt the track a bit - seven minutes is just way too fucking long. Still, I'd like both these songs to succeed and since Bone is currently losing, well, Spitting it is.

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The next match I'm really not happy about, but seeing as I hate Sex Pistols and I'm at worst lukewarm on Nightstalker (I know of better stoner bands) I'm voting for the much more acceptable offering of the Children of the Sun.

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When I was putting together my nominations list, I knew I would include some Elisa-era Dark Moor, definitely, and not just to keep enough female-fronted metal songs in the game. I genuinely feel that the band was a lightning in a bottle in the early 00s power metal scene, with creative and incredibly catchy songwriting, underrated musical talents (I genuinely think the Garcia-Maroto guitar duo needs more love and recognition) and tons of energy. In fact, I quite proudly nominated two of their songs, since I thought they would be underrepresented in the cup; this is the first one.

Also, since I picked this particular song, I was wondering whether to nominate Freedom Call's Tears Falling


because I really wanted to have at least some work that's unabashedly optimistic, invigoratingly catchy, going fully fairy tale and bringing into life a certain concept I've been thinking about elaborating here on the forum; a certain weird 90s/00s feel that is inherently connected with nostalgia for me, somewhat represented in the early 00s fantasy and power metal boom (which was also prompted a bit by the LOTR movies, by the way) but not being dated to that period only; I get a similar feeling off Blind Guardian's Lost in the Twilight Hall and The Last Candle, which are from 1990. And it's tangibly present in their 2006 song Otherland as well. But I digress.

Anyway, since the optimistic, joyful and bravely naive (I mean that - it takes a much more bravery/courage to be optimistic, idealistic and naive nowadays than to be cynical, edgy and so on) has been already taken by A New World, which is the overall better song, Freedom Call had to go.

But it's not just about nostalgia or ineffable feelings; I find the song to be incredibly solid, incredibly catchy and immsensely well-done on its own merits. I know of bands who'd use only the pre-chorus as chorus. I know of bands who couldn't provide such a sweet solo (*cough * cough Sonata Arctica *cough).
Yes, as some have written, it is not breaking any new ground. But neither are dragons. Dragons are old and clichéd. But you need them in your life much more than you probably realise.

I have already written about my problems with Storytime

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.
and even musically there's something iffy for me. I can't quite put my finger on it, at first I thought it was another case of Tuomas' regurgitation of past successes, but it might be the other way around, that this song was actually the more original one and it's been copied since and I confuse the previous and the latter songs in hindsight. And yet, even if this song is indeed original and didn't copy the riff or the melody of any previous track (of which I'm not completey sure of), it's still an attempt at a rehash of Dark Chest of Wonders at least. And is it better? No, no it isn't.

And Dark Moor at least have a guitarist, anyway. :ninja:

Dark Moor.
 
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1. When I Can't Even Smile Today all the way (even though I not just smiled but laughed a lot today, but that's irrelevant).
2. Obviously.
3. Def vs. Quiet, Leppard.
4. Alison Hell is a classic indeed, and there was a time when Annihilator were my second favourite band after Maiden (hadn't discovered Norwegian black metal yet; probably because it was still in the making) so, sorry @Kalata, I'll have to vote for the Popoff 500 nomination here.
5. I quite like Sex Pistols' song but it has no business being here. Voting for Malaka Sabbath.
6. Dark Moor almost made me vote for Nightwish. Then I remembered what I wrote about the latter recently, so there you go.
 
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Pantera - Becoming vs Suicidal Tendencies - How Will I Laugh Tomorrow. Good to see Suicidal Tendencies, I worship Pantera but not this one.

King Diamond - Eye of the Witch vs Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman. Really not a contest for me. Huge King Diamond song vs a song I never liked. Guitar work of the Diary is obviously great but as a song it doesn't cut for me.

Def Leppard - Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes) vs Quiet Riot - Cum on Feel the Noize. Another smart selection from Jer, another BS from Popoff.

Annihilator - Alison Hell vs Metallica - Spit Out the Bone. I am a big fan of Annihilator's first record, very fond memories since its release it had a huge impact where I was living. Spit out the Bone was a great selection too.

Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen vs Night Stalker - Children of the Sun. No contest for me obviously. Malaka Sabbath. I've seen Night Stalker for first time in a bar so small that you could almost touch the drummer. Who was Argyris, the guy than now signs. He has evolved to a great frontman and Night Stalker from a huge LR "Use" with a breakthrough production like the wine with the years.

Dark Moor - A New World (Gates of Oblivion version) vs Nightwish - Storytime. Difficult one. This style is really not my cup of tea. Both selected by members. Dark Moor I like a bit better.
 
Alison Hell is a classic indeed, and there was a time when Annihilator were my second favourite band after Maiden.

And I was wondering today if Maiden was even your tenth favourite band, wow.

My votes (in bold) :

Pantera - Becoming

Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman

Quiet Riot - Cum on Feel the Noize

Metallica - Spit Out the Bone

Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen

Nightwish - Storytime


They are so bold I cannot even see the others :nuts:
 
As for "Cum On Feel the Noize", I much prefer Slade's version. This cover doesn't really add anything, and I have no idea why it made Popoff's list, but me and him are usually not on the same page anyway.
I have never heard QR being mentioned in a different context than "the previous Randy Rhoads band" and there's nothing here, really, to prove that false.
Don’t overlook the fact that Metal Health was the first metal album to reach #1 on Billboard. Even if it’s a watered-down, glammed-up type of metal, that’s still a major accomplishment and Quiet Riot deserve to be here. “Cum on Feel the Noize” still gets major radio play in the States.
 
Mr. Crowley, Crazy Train, a few more are automatically seeded to group, so we won't be seeing them for awhile.
 
If it was Mr. Crowley instead the results would have been different
Yes, but Diary tops the lists of the best Ozzy albums for many, many fans and the title track is a big reason why. I'm more of a mid 80s and 90s Ozzy fan myself, but it would be a pretty big upset if he lost here. Not that there's anything wrong with King Diamond, I've begun to like his songs too.
 
Becoming feels oddly lifeless for Pantera. Phil sounds good, though, despite some pretty poor lyrics. The guitars sound like chainsaw robots. The music in this Suicidal track is solid and more straightforward than what little I know of the band. The upbeat bridge is obvious Metallica worship. Decent music, but the vocals are laughably weak, so I must go with Pantera here.

King Diamond brings a lovely spookiness, as usual. Pretty sure Iced Earth ripped off this organ line for something off Horror Show? Anyway, King sounds fine here and less Mickey Mouse than usual! Good tune. Diary of a Madman is, hands down, the best instrumental I’ve ever heard from Ozzy. The minor/major shifts, the proggy riffs, the twisted atmosphere, the odd time signatures: it’s a masterful work of music…and Ozzy just shits all over the bed. Like, a triple-wash-required diahrrea. I can only imagine how good this song would sound with a better singer who didn’t sound like convulsing toddler. Ozzy gets lucky here, as the instrumental is so strong that he still gets a win, even though he did his best to ruin it.

I was surprised by Mirror Mirror. It’s a catchy, oddly dark tune that manages to avoid being as overtly saccharine as some of Def Leppard’s bigger songs. Cum On Feel the Noize is an iconic cover that manages to improve upon the original (even while trying to do the opposite), but it’s a lark. Easy vote for Leppard.

Alison Hell has absolutely killer music. Good thrash riffs with just the right amount of technicality and a creepy undertone to the whole song. I just wish the vocals were better. They’re fine for thrash, but occasionally so theatric that they verge on parody. Spit Out The Bone has so much fire, though, despite having pretty pedestrian riffs for Metallica. It’s the most spirited thrash song Metallica have released in this century. If I was voting solely on the first half of the song, I’d give this one to Annihilator, but Metallica’s bridge seals the deal. Stop breathing! And dedicate to me! Plus the stomping goliath riff is so fun. ‘Tallica.

Children of the Sun gets an easy vote because it’s not a punk song. And The Sex Pistols suck. Not sure who Nightstalker are, but this is a solid heavy blues rock song.

Dark Moor bring that classic, uplifting, endless double bass and gang vocal + high tenor yelping that really doesn’t interest me. The solos are fun enough, I suppose, but otherwise A New World is too unironically cheesy for me. Straightforward power metal just fails to capture my attention. The first 20 seconds of Storytime are more engaging, dynamic and unique than the entire Dark Moor song. Imaginaerum is far from my favorite Nightwish album, and this song is just fine by their standards, but it certainly beats the competition here. Yeah, the lyrics are ridiculous, as is the children’s choir, but that’s just all part of the Dead Boy Poet’s charm! The operatic bridge is fantastic and the transition back to the chorus is incredible.
 
Sorry, I tried to be brief, but it just wrote itself.
:D

Re: Nightwish vocalists…

- Floor is, without a doubt, the most capable, consistent, broadly talented singer the band has ever had. Unfortunately, she joined the band during the nadir of Tuomas’ enjoyment of the genre that he (almost single-handedly) created.
- Anette’s albums, though often derided by fanboys, are peak Nightwish. I came to the band via Dark Passion Play, which I still think is their peak, and Imaginaerum is the “overdose” record. Tuomas proved his band concept with DPP and then had to take it one step too far before reinventing the entire band.
- Tarja, though iconic, was certainly not the perfect performance queen that fanboys make her out to be. Floor wipes the *ahem* floor with her any day in terms of consistency.
 
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