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

[Mosh]

I wasn't having a pop there, just pointing out it's logical that some may see My Generation as their biggest hit, while others would have other candidates. The same thing was pointed out to me when I was incredulous about Wasting Love's listening count on streaming services and some South American fans explained it was a bit of a hit in South America.

No pop taken. I get what you’re saying for sure.

Honestly - I was labouring under the delusion that - them being one of the "big" bands - most "active rock listeners" (you know, the people who actually move in rock/metal circles, buy records and so on) would know most of their discography, just like with... dunno, Beatles, Kinks, the Stones, Bob Dylan. Zeppelin. Floyd. I do find it weird this is not true.

(Maybe it's because my previous/first community was Only Solitaire? Dunno).

Well I am not sure if some of those early Who singles even came to America until much later. Even if you’re an active rock listener, unless you’re seeking out European oriented circles or a hardcore fan of the band, The Who’s first album might as well be Who’s Next (Tommy is kinda known for Pinball Wizard). I’ve always considered them a 70s band and that is how they are portrayed here.

 

[Jer]

"Even Less" is generally bright and epic, despite the darker subject matter. It's well executed across the board, and I really like the sparse interlude that flows into the feely guitar lead later on. The outro is suitably creepy. Really good stuff. "Ten Speed" has a weird, nervous feel to it. The vocals are thin and offputting to me, and the sickly sweet backing vocals don't really fit. The music is interesting enough, but I can't really get into this kind of groove, so it's hard to enjoy the song much. Sorry, @Mosh, but this is an easy call for @The Dissident's nominee. Winner: Porcupine Tree - "Even Less"

"Maid Of Orleans" has great guitar leads, but WTF is with all these orchestra hits? Seriously, who thought it was acceptable to still use that sound after about 1991? Anyway, the vocal melodies here are good, though the accented vocals aren't great, and the phrasing has issues. The soft backing vocals are a little too sweet, too. But despite the obvious flaws, this is still a legitimately catchy tune with nice guitar work. "On The Way To Ainor" has great guitar leads, but WTF is with all these orchestra hits? Seriously, who thought it was acceptable to still use that sound after about 1991? Anyway, Fabio Lione sounds predictably awful on the softer verse and only slightly less awful on the more powerful stuff. The chorus is way too cheesy for me, though the rest of the music is quite good. Gotta love Turilli soloing with the opera singer on top -- that's exactly the kind of thing I want to hear from him. The extended solo section that follows is fantastic, too. Well, the shitty orchestra hits cancel each other out, and while the Rhapsody song has higher highs, I'm sorry @KidInTheDark666, but Fabio Lione tanks yet another contender and I must vote for @JudasMyGuide's consistently more enjoyable nominee. Winner: Dark Moor - "Maid Of Orleans"

"Carry On" starts off a bit too frenetic for its own good, but I do like the busy guitar leads and the bass leads. Andre Matos has a wimpy character to his voice, and the synths are more twee than I would like, but there are some pretty good melodies here. The backing vocals aren't very good, coming off as kind of sickly, but the solos are nice. Ugh, synth horns must die, though I like the other musical choices during that interlude. A very mixed bag with some good components. "The Human Paradox" has thick but simplistic riffs and a pretty good singer. It's a little more synth-forward than I would like, but the vocal melodies are undeniably good. The solo section is very Kai Hansen, but if you're going to crib, you might as well crib from the best. Good stuff. Both songs have their charms, but sorry @Black Bart, this is a pretty clear call for @KidInTheDark666's nominee. Winner: Dynazty - "The Human Paradox"

"Broken Cog" starts off interestingly with an odd-rhythm chug and some nice color work on top. The spoken word verses work well, and the interlude is pretty groovy, but then screamy guy shows up and takes a dump on the tail end of the song. The spoken word outro works much better. Wow, I was all ready to say that this was the first Meshuggah song I'd heard that I'd actually liked, and then the screaming started. Oh well. "Versvs Christvs" has a cool creepy intro with piano and whispers that unfortunately builds into Cookie Monster nonsense with potbanging punctuation. No thanks. Both songs had some initial potential, but congratusorrylations @Night Prowler, the Meshuggah track is easily the less annoying of the two. Winner: Meshuggah - "Broken Cog"

"Disciple" is pretty typical Slayer -- strong riffs, annoying vocals, shit solo. The songwriting isn't very good here either, though I did appreciate the left turn near the end. "Fucking Hostile" accurately describes my attitude toward Pantera's music. The riffs are just Hetfield worship, the solo sucks, and Phil Asshole-bro sounds terrible as usual. Interestingly enough, though, the vocals here are lower in the mix than on the Slayer song, and there was a hint of melody in the pre-chorus along with a pretty good groove, and I think that's enough to tip the balance. Sorry @Spambot, I genuinely feel ill doing this, but I gotta keep it real and vote for the slightly less obnoxious list nominee here. Winner: Pantera - "Fucking Hostile"

"Stand Up And Shout" has a strong riff (albeit one that gets beaten into the ground) and pretty good vocal melodies. The verse and pre-chorus are good, but the chorus is pretty lame. The solos are also good, if a bit try-hard. Dio sounds good-to-great, as expected. Pretty good overall. "Heart Of A Lion" also has a cool main riff, and I like the melodic interaction between the guitar and vocals during the verse. The chorus isn't as successful, but it's not bad. Really good solos here, though again a bit try-hard. The thumpy bridge is pretty good, and the variant chorus at the end is much stronger than the original one. This one's actually pretty close, with both songs having strong merits and a few drawbacks, but in the end I think I enjoyed @Perun's nominee a little bit more. Winner: Halford - "Heart Of A Lion"

 

[Mosh]

If I get to this round I am almost certain I will be voting for Porcupine Tree over Coheed.

 

[Detective Beauregard]

1. Being a prog guy, I thought for sure I'd be voting for Pork Tree's offering before listening. However, their song goes absolutely nowhere and does relatively little for me, while the Coheed song has an incredibly catchy guitar riff. I love how the bass syncs up with the riff during the verses, too.

2. Cliché power metal warning! Not my thing, but definitely better than matches 4 and 5. For the life of me I just don't see the worship for Rhapsody of Fire that this board seems to have. I mean, it's not bad, but from everything I've heard they're kind of a one-trick pony. The Dark Moor song has catchier melodies and is more fun in an old-school Kamelot sort of way.

3. The Dynazty (lol at that name) song is quite catchy. I've heard quite a bit from Angra that I like (Carolina comes to mind), but this song is a so-so slice of cliché power metal (see above). Giving the vote to Dynazty here, although the instrumental interlude of the Angra song alone almost got me to vote for it.

4. Another round of rough (in a non-Opeth way) vocals. Much like Rhapsody, everything I've heard from Meshuggah indicates that they're a one-trick pony. They're insanely rhythmically talented, but I have to be in a very specific mood to enjoy their music. On the other hand, Behemoth definitely isn't my thing, either, but they're more interesting this time around.

5. Thrash has never been and will never be my thing, so neither of these tracks did much for me. However, Slayer's had better music.

6. Stand Up and Shout is far from my favorite Dio song, but outside of wailing like a shrieking demon, he outclasses Halford as a singer in every imaginable way. The Halford song is fine, but plodding and boring in comparison to Dio's energetic album opener.

Some people are watching the football game. Others are watching the Macy’s parade. I’m playing the GMSC.

Football is just the Packers and the Lions. Nothing to see there.

I absolutely believe that there is a pretty big regional variation in Who hits between the US and UK. I assume some of their mod era material that isn’t very well known here is a much bigger deal there for example, Kids Are Alright, Pictures of Lily, I Can See For Miles, etc.

I can't speak for all Americans, but I've never even heard of the three songs you've listed. So you could very well be correct.

 

[Confeos]

Just a short writeup this time.

Porcupine Tree - both songs were decent, but something about the vocals in the Coheed and Cambria one rubbed me the wrong way.

Dark Moor - another very good tune! It didn't impress me quite as much as their previous entry a few rounds back, but it's still the better song overall here, despite some impressive guitar gymnastics in Rhapsody of Fire's song.

Dynazty - the solo and instrumental bits in the middle were very good in Angra's song, the rest not really that memorable. I have never heard of Dynazty before, but this is a solid offering from them.

Behemoth - did that Meshuggah song really go anywhere? I was still waiting for it really get started, and then it ended. Meanwhile, I liked the dynamics of Behemoth, so they get my vote.

Slayer - I think "Disciple" is a classic, despite Tom Araya putting on one of his more annoying vocal performances. Still, I'd much rather listen to this than Phil Anselmo, so no contest.

Halford - surprisingly good song, I did not expect this. "Stand Up and Shout", despite being the opener on a fantastic album, never did much for me. I think Dio has much better songs.

 

[MindRuler]

3 ties!

 

[JudasMyGuide]

Btw, can you recommend me some Dark Moor songs?

They're mostly worth it only before Elisa (and most of the rest of the band) left, which means the first three albums, but those are superb. The first, Shadowland, is unfortunately really terrible sound-wise (and even vocal-wise, they obviously didn't have the money to do more takes and Elisa had a bad day) - it sounds like a demo and I can't quite recommend it although songs like Walhalla, Calling on the Wind or Flying thrill me. But I wouldn't recommend starting there.

Which means primarily the two albums I represented in this cup, the Hall of the Olden Dreams, where apart from Maid of Orleans that's in this round I love for example Somewhere in Dreams (was on my shortlist for the nominations), Bells of Notre Dame, Quest for the Eternal Flame (I love this one, but my wife doesn't, so it didn't make the shortlist) or Silver Lake.

Then the other album, The Gates of Oblivion, A New World you already know from the cup, then Strange Path of Destiny, In the Heart of Stone or even Starsmaker (Elbereth).

The Fall of Melnibolne from the EP of the same name is controversial, I think. It's a ten minute song and a tad weirder, maybe, some consider it their masterpiece, some hate it with a passion. I think it's great but not their best.

Then I'd go with the debut Shadowland and if you liked everything until then and wanted more, I'd try either Autumnal or Ancestral Romance next, for probably the offerings of the latter-day era, although there's like, one member remaining from the original era.


TL;DR - album-wise The Hall of the Olden Dreams -> The Gates of Oblivion -> The Fall of Melnibolne (EP), if you like everything up to then -> Shadowland. Then probably Autumnal or Ancestral Romance
Also, don't forget to vote for them, they were losing the last time I checked!

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

I’ve always enjoyed the melodies and vibe of Even Less. It’s a good song with melancholic atmosphere and typical Stevie wet production. But I simply cannot pass up an amazingly fun romp from my boys in Coheed and Cambria. I love this band. Ten speed!

Same goes for Match Two, where Rhapsody of Fire clearly have much higher level of performance capabilities but I simply had far more fun listening to the ridiculously pomp melodies of Dark Moor. I won’t be upset with either winning.

I’ve come to learn very quickly thanks to this game that I simply do not like Angra’s vocalist. The music is solid, especially that awesomely weird jazz keyboard synth bridge, but the singing really knocks this down a few pegs. The Human Paradox is a bit more stock, but it’s well-performed and catchy. Kinda sounds like Battle Beast/Beast In Black with a touch more traditional metal. Actually, it sounds like one of those Allen/Lande albums by Magnus Karlsson. The pulled back electronic bridge after the decent solo section is a nice dynamic shift. Good vocals here. I’ll go with Die-nasty if yer nasty.

Broken Cog feels like a right hand guitar technique exercise for odd time signatures. There’s finally a new riff past the 3 minute mark and it gets a little better. It never rises above plodding and sounds like Tool trying to make a “core” song. Behemoth bring that spooky chvrch bvrning atmosphere and some moody piano-driven verses. Their track is far more dynamic and interesting, especially their effective and powerfvl vse of blast beats. Easy tvrnovt here for Versvs Christvs.

Slayer is Slayer. Pedestrian riffs, great drumming, annoying vocals and lyrics, atrocious solos. The final 40 seconds of Disciple are embarrassing. The verses of Fucking Hostile are basically aggro-Metallica on steroids, with lyrics equally as bad as Slayer’s, but at least the chorus and post-chorus have some melodic moments. Dimebag’s solo isn’t great, but it’s better than anything Slayer can do. I guess I’ll go with Pantera.

Stand Up and Shout is a barnburner of an opening track: something that Dio always crushed. It’s nonstop fun with killer vocals (d’uh), riffs, and fiery lead playing by Vivian Campbell. I’ve never heard Heart of a Lion before and, although Halford sounds pretty great, I can’t say the tune does much for me. I do love the verses, though. Really nice melody over a basic chord progression that only Rob could elevate the way he does. Apparently this was an unreleased Priest song meant for Turbo and re-recorded here by Halford’s solo band. Gotta say, it grows on you, and it’s better than most of Turbo, but it’s no Dio.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

unfortunately builds into Cookie Monster nonsense with potbanging punctuation.

 

[Kalata]

They're mostly worth it only before Elisa (and most of the rest of the band) left, which means the first three albums, but those are superb. The first, Shadowland, is unfortunately really terrible sound-wise (and even vocal-wise, they obviously didn't have the money to do more takes and Elisa had a bad day) - it sounds like a demo and I can't quite recommend it although songs like Walhalla, Calling on the Wind or Flying thrill me. But I wouldn't recommend starting there.

Which means primarily the two albums I represented in this cup, the Hall of the Olden Dreams, where apart from Maid of Orleans that's in this round I love for example Somewhere in Dreams (was on my shortlist for the nominations), Bells of Notre Dame, Quest for the Eternal Flame (I love this one, but my wife doesn't, so it didn't make the shortlist) or Silver Lake.

Then the other album, The Gates of Oblivion, A New World you already know from the cup, then Strange Path of Destiny, In the Heart of Stone or even Starsmaker (Elbereth).

The Fall of Melnibolne from the EP of the same name is controversial, I think. It's a ten minute song and a tad weirder, maybe, some consider it their masterpiece, some hate it with a passion. I think it's great but not their best.

Then I'd go with the debut Shadowland and if you liked everything until then and wanted more, I'd try either Autumnal or Ancestral Romance next, for probably the offerings of the latter-day era, although there's like, one member remaining from the original era.


TL;DR - album-wise The Hall of the Olden Dreams -> The Gates of Oblivion -> The Fall of Melnibolne (EP), if you like everything up to then -> Shadowland. Then probably Autumnal or Ancestral Romance
Also, don't forget to vote for them, they were losing the last time I checked!

Thanks for the songs and the links. I liked: Walhalla, Flying, Somewhere In Dreams, Quest For The Eternal Flame, A New World(!), In The Heart Of Stone, Starsmaker and The Fall is interesting (I always appreciated such long songs).

I like the power metal (Helloween-esque) sound, but I feel the vocals could have been stronger. Also, more variety in the songs in one album is necessary. I hope they have it.

 

[Spambot]

Testament and Mastodon aside (because they have several nominations), Dethkok's only entry out? OK. Spinal Tap's only entry out? Fine. KGLW's only entry out? By entry-list WHO? KGLW is out of metal competition by that stuttering talent-less Daltrey and aggressive hack Townsend with song that wasn't even famous enough for those CSI shows?!?! That's it. It's on.

I'm taking names, I'm making memes, I'm checking my spelling.
Blabbermouth is gonna make news out of this thread on daily basis.

To quote my spiritual guru, Ghanaian Shao Khan:

 

[Spambot]

Match 217 - Porcupine Tree
Steven Wilson never clicked with me, but this is the second Porcupine Tree song from this tournament that clicked with me and they aren't even from the same album. I don't know why, is it the voice or guitar sound but something about this one reminds me of David Gilmour's solo work. Nothing wrong with C&C. Oh, and I don't know if it's intentional or RNG based, but I love it when the current playlist starts with something simpler. For those using YT links - just use that 1-month Spotify free trial and press play on Mr. Knickerbocker's playlist. Once you done that, you won't go back to clicking YT links.

Match 218 - Dark Moor
I don't get Rhapsody. Or Rhapsody of Fire. Or Luca Turilli's Rhapsody. Or Turilli/Lione Rhapsody. WTF is that even, Yugoslavia in 90s?! Dark Moor has nice amount of cheese, I was afraid they might go over the top at some point, but they kept it tamed.

Match 219 - Dynasty
Somebody should help that singer in Angra, he sounds like he's in pain. Dynasty has "y" instead of "i" in their name so I know they're cool.

Match 220 - Meshuggah
Broken Cog somehow loses the vibe that it had toward the end. On first listen I expected it to build upon it, on second listen I couldn't help but be disappointed a bit by the ending. Behemoth on the other hand had much better start, much better vibe, but the low are waaaay lower (especially around 2-minute mark).

Match 221 - Slayer
Slayer's "Disciple" lyrics have more truth in them than the whole discographies of some bands that are in this tournament.

Match 222 - Dio
I loved "Resurrection" and I think I've even given "Insurrection" a couple of spins, but I can not remember this Halford song. Or maybe I did heard it but it didn't stand out. Still like Dio's song more.

 

[Diesel 11]

Dynasty has "y" instead of "i" in their name so I know they're cool.

“Dynasty” is spelled with a ‘y’ though, all they changed was the ‘s’ to a ‘z’.

 

[Spambot]

“Dynasty” is spelled with a ‘y’ though, all they changed was the ‘s’ to a ‘z’.

Damn, I knew they were cool, I didn't knew they were that cool.

 

[srfc]

Porcupine Tree - Even Less vs. Coheed and Cambria - Ten Speed
Both of these were an enjoyable enough listen, Coheed and Cambria have the advantage in being a bit shorter and having a bit more melody. Ten Speed

Dark Moor - Maid of Orleans (Hall of Olden Dreams version) vs. Rhapsody of Fire - On the Way to Ainor
I can't put my finger on why but I enjoyed Dark Moor and thought that Rhapsody of Fire was more of the same old same old, even though there isn't huge differences between the two. Maid of Orleans (Hall of Olden Dreams version)

Angra - Carry On vs. Dynazty - The Human Paradox
Power Metal with a bit more than the usual going for it from Angra, but still ultimately Power Metal, the gear shift chorus at the end was an unwelcome development, but the Phil Collins section in the middle was unexpected. Never heard of Dynazty, opening riff is a bit like Blaze's Kill and Destroy in tone. The Power Metal chorus kind of spoilt it a bit. Carry On

Meshuggah - Broken Cog vs. Behemoth - Versvs Christvs
Meshuggah is of no interest to me, there's probably some very technical stuff going on, but I prefer melody and hooks. Behemoth has some elements that I don't like but there's much more going on and it's far superior. Versvs Christvs

Slayer - Disciple vs. Pantera - Fucking Hostile
Disciple is without doubt the best Slayer track post-Divine Intervention, but Fucking Hostile is one of the best Pantera tracks. Fucking Hostile

Dio - Stand Up and Shout vs. Halford - Heart of a Lion
For Heart of a Lion, I have this album but I can't remember the last time I listened to the studio stuff, riff is great, very Screaming for Vengeance era feel. It's not beating Stand Up and Shout though, great opener to one of the best albums of all time Stand Up and Shout

 

[____no5]

Dark Moor - Maid of Orleans (Hall of Olden Dreams version) vs Rhapsody of Fire - On the Way to Ainor jaw dropping battle, thanks both @JudasMyGuide & @KidInTheDark666

 

[Detective Beauregard]

To quote my spiritual guru, Ghanaian Shao Khan:

Massive props for the Mortal Kombat reference.

 

[Shmoolikipod]

Super strong round this time!

Porcupine Tree

Rhapsody - I liked Dark Moor better overall, but 5:10 of Rhapsody is very reminiscent to of Monster Zero March, which is a dirty way to pull on my nostalgia strings. Cheaters.

Spoiler: Monster Zero March

Angra

Behemoth

Pantera - Disciple is great, and woulda won if it didn't have my #1 most hated trope of playing a "rocking" riff to start off a completely incongruos outro. Tool's Rosetta Stoned, Dream Theater's The Dark Eternal Night, Gamma Ray's Changes... Dude, why? Shove your stupid riff in a song that needs one!

Dio

 

[Diesel 11]

Porcupine Tree were great again, beginning to think I need to check them out properly. Coheed and Cambria... whatever.

Decent chorus in the Rhapsody song, but Dark Moor, despite being cheesy as shit, were a bit better. Shades of Iced Earth with a dreadful Sabaton chorus dressed up in Nightwish garbs. Wowzers.

Dynazty wasn't bad, chorus was solid enough, but Angra were better. Mateos isn't the greatest singer ever but those high notes are astounding.

Not a bad Meshuggah song, but a lackluster one, especially considering the other two songs we've already had from them PLUS the fact that "New Millennium Cyanide Christ" isn't in this game. What the fuck, NP. Meanwhile Behemoth are incredibly sinister. If I had heard this track when I was fourteen and just discovering metal I would've been scared shitless. Honestly it kinda terrifies me even now. One of the best tracks I've heard from the band yet.

Wow! Tough matchup. "Disciple" is one of the best post-Seasons Slayer songs, with three distinct sections and Tom Araya going visceral as fuck. Taps into that white guy "I'm not racist, I hate everyone equally!" bullshit but overall it slays. Solo could've been better though. Meanwhile, "Fucking Hostile" is such a tight fucking three minutes. Banger. Gotta give this to Pantera but I could've gone either way, really. Both great songs.

The Halford song wasn't bad, but Dio is way better. Frankly listening to my playlist for the game was fantastic. Once Slayer came on I was just headbanging right through till "Stand Up and Shout" finished.

 

[LooseCannon]

I'm not the biggest fan of Porcupine Tree or Coheed and Cambria, so this was a match I was not necessarily looking forward to. I didn't pick up on much during my listen, but I was feeling Porcupine Tree ahead of C&C, who I found surprisingly pedestrian in this offering.

Dark Moor is getting my vote, later Rhapsody doesn't really do as much for me as earlier Rhapsody, and this is true here. Compared to the previous Rhapsody track, I felt this one indulged Lione too much, instead of covering for his weaknesses.

I always listen to Angra and then after it's done, I forget that I was listening to Angra. Dynazty was at least interesting, surprisingly groovy. I suspected with their name that they might be a bit of a shit band, but it was fine.

Behemoth over Meshuggah in an essential coinflip. Like the name of the track.

I think I'm picking Slayer because they played this one live when I saw them. It's just gut feel at this point, I don't have the time to do a deep listen.

Finally, two tracks I am very familiar with. Stand Up and Shout is lesser, but still really good, Dio. Unlike some of his earliest solo work, there's not much more here than a perfectly good Dio performance. Heart of a Lion makes me wonder what that song would have been like recorded by a good Priest lineup. I really don't care for the Halford solo band, which I find lackluster and flat and made Rob's solo stuff suffer. Still, I like it a bit more as a diamond in the rough. Halford.