Funnily enough, I never was a big fan of The Thing That Should Not Be - it always felt really plodding to me (though not to the level of constipation that Leper Messiah achieves later on the album), stopping the momentum that started so well with Battery and Master... but honestly, relatively recently something clicked and I fell in love with the track. It still has the trademark Tullica melodies, they're just a bit more... drowned? Subtle? Don't know, but nowadays I could actually have the song on repeat - the prominent bassline is quite tasty yet ominous, the ascending guitar riff is cool, the jerky rhythmic feel is actually quite addictive, after you listen to the song enough times. And Lovecraft, heh.
Testament present their usual unassuming best... although wrapped in this "modern thrash" sound/production, that sounds rather sterile and annoying. At least I feel a certain oversaturation there.
Easy win for
Tullica.
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I think I must have underestimated Septicflesh - I'm not sure why I remember the band as being really bad; this particular song was certainly quite intriguing, with industrial, death and doom mixing together with a bit of orchestral seasoning - I probably should hate this, but I don't. It has a certain gothic atmosphere that goes together well with the insane overwrought vocals and the Devin-style drum outbursts.
But then again, Bolt Thrower keep it simple, without any type of extravagant genre breaking and they deliver their best within their usual more or less pure death genre.
Fuck, I don't know. I guess, since they're losing, I should support
Bolt Thrower, but don't make me think about it twice, I might change my mind.
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As for the next pair, I really, really love Stratovarius - they are one of my favourite bands, really. And I am currently on a Strato binge to boot. And yet. Not only is
Ecliptica one of the best power metal albums in general (IMHO!), FullMoon is the pinnacle of that record and it was actually one of the songs I had in my shortlist of nominations for the cup - in the end I've decided to go with The Cage (which crashed and burned, but what can you do, I guess).
Just one thing - it's the smallest thing ever, but what I
absolutely love about the track, even more than the silly "run away run away run away" which sounds like a pack of excited, but typically witless and silly doggos, think
well, besides that I admit that I like the absolutely marginal and stupid thing of how Tony joins together the two halves of the second verse with the vocal melody (
"we're GONNA make the love compLETE tonight..."). It's just such a nice, poppy touch, little of itself, but makes the song complete for me.
And besides - loving Strato as I do... well, with all due respect, I've never been a fan of Hunting. Always felt it was one of their most overrated singles. The chorus is probably too cheery - which sounds weird coming from someone who's just endorsed Sonata Arctica, I know - but it sounds more like Freedom Call or something and I don't think it really fits Stratovarius. That said, the rest is really cool, I like the opening riff and the instrumental part especially, but still, I'm gonna go full Perrin and
run with the wolves.
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Carcass are a legend, indeed, but apart from having to be respectful around them, I don't find them enjoyable all that much. Or, well, any more than any of their brethren. I actually even like No Love Lost - it has a much better sound than the opposition and wheyn they shut up and let it rip in the instrumental section, it's actually great. That said, Sentenced have worse sound, but better content, or at least a more interesting one, with them being this old school tech-death hybrid.
But I think I'm gonna surprise everyone - even myself - and go with
Carcass here. I know, I know, but the song has better flow and over my two listens of each of the tracks, I think I warmed up to No Love Lost more. Also, maybe it's somehow forcing me to vote for the underdog, I don't know. But still, I can't help but feel the Sentenced song is cleverer, but the Carcass one is more well-wrought.
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In the next match, I actually like both bands. The Tragedy song has more of that retro-charm, the PL one is more annoyingly modern, but then again, the guitar lines and the melodies might be a tad stronger.
Dunno. Coin toss told me Theatre. The losing one is currently Theatre.
Theatre it is, but I'm fine with either winning.
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Oh, fuck. First of all, BB shouldn't be in the cup at all, but whatever. Second of all, I actually have spent a lot of time listening to hip hop (you know, your Kendricks and Busta Rhymeses, your Eminems and your Kid Cudis, your Kanyes and your De La Souls, your Biggies and your Lil Waynes, your Snoop Doggs and your Dres and some Public Enemies and Tech N9nes in between).
I understand it enough, I have my favourites, whatever. Yet I've never managed to get into Beastie Boys - that's one band that's just annoying, their raps are quite second grade, it just completely misses the mark with me. If you looked up "wigger" in a dictionary, these three Brooklyn gits would be pictured right next to it. This particular track is even more obnoxious than I'm used to, so that's a no-no from me.
I'm not a huge fan of
Rage either, but at least it's more metal and the base is rather sweet, so...