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 didn't know either Dark Moor or Rhapsody of Fire, I listening Dark Moor and almost pressed the bottom of winner as I thought it can't get better than that. Then enter Rhapsody of Fire, by the middle of the song I'm jaw dropped but still undecided, then at some point I realise that I like that one a hair better.

Edit: @JudasMyGuide keep that avatar Judas!

Porcupine Tree vs Coheed and Cambria also good battle though way easier to decide vs Porcupine Tree
Angra vs Dynazty was easier to decide for Dynazty as Angra seemed more like a demonstration of guitar skills than a song, good skills thought.
Meshuggah vs Behemoth also great couple, all songs from NP are good, I've chosen the second.
Slayer vs Pantera a classic, almost a draw, it helped that Slayer was a member's choice thus Slayer.
Dio vs Halford, same as above, an almost draw but then a member's vote plus the certainty that we'll have more Dio later on than Halford.
 
Do you want a ten speed? No, said Maidenfans, we want even less. Porcupine Tree. On the way to Ainor, it seems we found Jeanne d'Arc, who was victorious for Dark Moor. The human paradox seems to be that somehow we carry on, as Angra wins. Behemoth's evil Satanic plan seems to have a broken cog as they lose to Meshuggah. Pantera is just absolutely fucking hostile to that disciple. And when you deal with the lion, or at least of a heart one, just follow Dio's example and stand up and shout!

Program note: IE's original recording Burnt Offerings has basically been murdered by the band, and you can find the original version on Youtube, but for consistency's sake I included the "remixed and remastered" version across all platforms.




Part I, Round 38, Matches 223-228


Play In Round
Match 223
Hallowed Be Thy Name Division​
Iced Earth - Burnt Offerings
vs.
Iced Earth - Prophecy​
@Shmoolikipod
Nominators
Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 224
Hallowed Be Thy Name Division​
Nikola Vranjkovic - Vecernja Zvona
vs.
Symphony X - Egypt​
@Night Prowler
Nominators
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 225
Wasted Years Division​
Sepultura - Desperate Cry
vs.
Anthrax - Medusa​
Popoff 500
Nominators
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 226
Wasted Years Division​
Ahab - Old Thunder
vs.
Dark Tranquility - Punish My Heaven​
@Diesel 11
Nominators
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 227
Wasted Years Division​
Manowar - Number 1
vs.
Manowar - Hail and Kill​
Best Music Art 100
Nominators
Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 228
Revelations Division​
Cathedral - Hopkins (The Witchfinder General)
vs.
Candlemass - The Well of Souls​
@srfc
Nominators
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links
 
@LooseCannon
Just out of curiosity, how many Symphony X songs are in this game? (Anything less than 37 is an unsatisfactory answer.)
Symphony XAccolade II
Symphony XChurch of the Machine
Symphony XEgypt
Symphony XFallen
Symphony XMasquerade '98
Symphony XRediscovery, Pt II
Symphony XSmoke and Mirrors
Symphony XThe Divine Wings of Tragedy
Symphony XThe Odyssey
Symphony XThrough the Looking Glass
 
Ctrl+f gives me 10. I counted 14 for Dream Theater and 11 Opeth... 13 fucking Manowar songs... And Stargazer and A Light in the Black barely miss out on each other: ALitB is in division 80 and Stargazer in 81. Fuck!
I think like 3 Manowar songs make it to group. They aren't doing very well in the prelims. And yes, very close to each other, but unlikely they meet anytime soon if both get to the knockout round.
 
Symphony XAccolade II
Symphony XChurch of the Machine
Symphony XEgypt
Symphony XFallen
Symphony XMasquerade '98
Symphony XRediscovery, Pt II
Symphony XSmoke and Mirrors
Symphony XThe Divine Wings of Tragedy
Symphony XThe Odyssey
Symphony XThrough the Looking Glass
Damn. I’m now kicking myself for not nominating Awakenings, The Accolade, Kiss of Fire, The Edge of Forever, Out of the Ashes, Evolution, Communion and the Oracle, Inferno, Wicked, King of Terrors, Revelation, and Legend!
 
Damn. I’m now kicking myself for not nominating Awakenings, The Accolade, Kiss of Fire, The Edge of Forever, Out of the Ashes, Evolution, Communion and the Oracle, Inferno, Wicked, King of Terrors, Revelation, and Legend!
All part of the aforementioned 37. I'm shocked that Awakenings, The Edge of Forever, Candlelight Fantasia, and Communion and the Oracle weren't nominated, and puzzled at Smoke and Mirrors and especially Masquerade '98 being here, but oh well.

I missed the nomination, or 80% of their discography would be here.
 
I'm personally saddened by the lack of Emerald Sword. I never got into Rhapsody (and I'm not rushing to judging from this tournament), but that song is as quintessential to power metal as something like Eagle Fly Free. Heck, I'd replace one of my nominees with it if I knew it's not here... How do our resident Rhapsody enjoyers rate ES?
 
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Iced Earth's Prophecy is a very cool song. A mix of calm parts and a great fast galloping riff. Interesting writing style, which is important. It's one of their best songs I've heard in the game so far. I didn't like their other song.
Symphony X's Egypt has disjointed parts, but they're not not bad. The instrumental section elevates things massively. Awesome stuff. I will always prefer such melodies.
I like early Anthrax. Medusa has a fantastic riff and verses, good pre-chorus and a fine chorus. The solos section is solid too. One of their best songs imo. No contest here.
Number 1 is a nice song with a good riff, verses and especially chorus. But Hail And Kill is one of Manowar's very best. With great vocals, main melodic riff and instrumental section. Both are memorable songs.
 
I'm personally saddened by the lack of Emerald Sword. I never got into Rhapsody (and I'm not rushing to judging from this tournament), but that song is as quintessential to power metal as something like Eagle Fly Free. Heck, I'd replace one of my nominees with it if I knew it's not here... How do our resident Rhapsody enjoyers rate ES?

I'm probably the biggest fan of early Rhapsody around here (or so it seems) - they're in my top 5 bands and primarily so because of the original version of the band without any modifiers in the title, but with all due respect, I thought about nominating ES primarily because of its prestige and legacy (i. e. because of how often people seem to like it and because how inseparable it seems from the power metal as a whole), but of the songs by Rhapsody and solo Turilli I had prepared and was choosing from for the nomination list, it was very low. Still good, still like it, but I had the misfortune of hearing Knightrider of Doom first (and the riffs are rather similar, with the KoD's one feeling more epic/ominous) and the switch into the major scale chorus always felt to me a bit clunky and half-baked.
I always felt it became so famous mainly because it's the most "user friendly" song off their "first significant" album - i. e. akin to everybody knowing only Pull Me Under by Dream Theater; I like most of the other songs on the album more.

The instrumental section is cool, though.
 
It took me quite some time to get into Iced Earth and quite paradoxically, I started to get into them and enjoy Schaffer's stuff only after he did that Capitol thing. And yes, the two were interconnected, because it brought my attention to him, making me wonder about what was the band that was - for all intents and purposes - killed that very day.
I admit that in general, the band used to be too thrashy for me when I was in the power metal mood and I haven't been in a proper thrash mood for several years, I guess. Also, mates, don't crucify me, but Barlow took some getting used to. He's amazing once you get to know him, but at first, he felt really... specific. Like this misbegotten hybrid of Blaze and Halford, I guess? Well, like I said, I really enjoy his vocals now.

This first match is rather easy - Burnt Offerings lacked appeal for me at first, I admit, but over time it indeed became one of the better tracks in IE's discography. I will write more about it after it will (quite deservedly) progress further.
The Prophecy, on the contrary, is already for quite a significant part of its runtime the third (fourth? Dunno, lost count) balladic song on Something Wicked and although it's solid, it always made me think of Melancholy and Watching Over Me - and that I would be rather listening to those instead. I like the riffing in the middle part, but Burnt Offerings take the easy win here.

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I knew absolutely nothing about Nikola Vranjković, apart from guessing his nationality (and who must have nominated him, ehm), but I won't deny I was quite a bit

tarja-boom-tarja-turunen (1).gif

when I heard this. It kinda makes me think of Swallow the Sun, but mixed with something post-rockish (Isis?) and with the almost tribal-sounding drums, and the result has this almost gothic quality. In fact, add Neurosis to the number of artists this reminded me of, with the overall song progression building up in intensity over its significant length - not quite utilising the "bolero effect" as such, but it hit a certain nerve with me, being emotional in a quite untrivial way. Yay! A cool pick, IMHO.

As for the opposing song, I have said it time and again that I am not a fan of Symph X's V - the short songs are among my favourite by them (Fallen itself is probably in my top 5, maybe even top 3), but the epics really don't work for me this time around - Communion and the Oracle has always felt to me like as if Seventh Wonder have decided to do a meandering rehash of The Accolade and Rediscovery also hardly belongs among my favourites, sorry, I just can't help it; I won't be explaining it here, it would take a longer section and 1. it's besides the point, 2. I'm already drowning you with irrelevant asides enough.
(however, combine me not being too charmed by the epics with the fact that with the various interludes and instrumentals that might be excused for pertaining to the "concept", but hardly thrill me on their own and you'll understand why this album being presented as the pinnacle of Symph X irritates me quite a bit)

In a way, Egypt is probably the best of these (or at least it has the best ratio of "sections I genuinely like" and "length") , but still, the vocals in the "five align - find the key" pre-chorus part are just... wack and one of my least favourite moments in the entire Symph X discography and I can't quite get behind Allen's pathetic (meaning of pathos, not pitiful here) delivery in the chorus. The instrumental part is quite good (and elevates the song quite a bit), but still, I'm going to give this one to the Nikola with the even weirder "c" than we Czechs have.

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Ah, a battle of the "underrated" bands - Anthrax are usually underrated in their position of "one of the Big 4" (aka "why are these wankers a part of the Big 4 when Testament/Exodus/whoever should have been included there instead?") and Sepultura being criminally underrated on this very forum (or at least in this very cup).

And I love both of these bands, being not only a staunch supporter of Anthrax being in the Big 4 (because it's also about thrash's subgenres, see? And besides, Testament sucks), but also enjoying Sepultura even at their lowest (or near to it - I genuinely think Roots is a wonderful album) and considering them to be among the thrash's best when they're at their best. And I think Arise might actually be their best album, at least since I stopped the pretensions of being tr00 perfect thrash cuckboi.

So, although Spreading the Disease was my first Anthrax album, and the first one I loved, I admit that my feelings towards it are a bit more ambivalent nowadays. For example, I love Joey Belladonna... but if I wanted to understand the people who can't stand him, I'd probably go listen to this album. He's not bad here, no, but he feels so... prominent. It makes it much easier to perceive him as obnoxious, really. Also, even from that very album, I never liked Medusa in particular; I like Anthrax doing mid-tempo stuff, usually, but combined with the fact this track always felt like the one with the least identity/charm on the album, it feels plodding.

Desperate Cry is much more to my liking. Much more aggressive, some Kisser's Kisserity, cool switches in the tempo and the great doomy section that @MindRuler mentioned, makes me go

ezgif.com-optimize.gif

like a motherfucker, so Sepultura it is.
Man, I need to give Arise a spin again.

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With Ahab - and especially The Call of the Wretched Sea - I remember the very day I discovered them, I was listening to this masterpiece on my way to work back when I was working as a paralegal in Pardubice, I actually remember the exact type of weather that day. Old Thunder is IMHO an excellent pick for the cup, as it is less influenced by "atmospheric/ambient" than The Hunt and more driving and immediately catchy than The Pacific, for example - I really like the guitar sound in combination with the tempo and the riffing, gives the song a certain stoner feel that shows even a funeral doom can have quite a bit of variation.

Unfortunately, this being a forum for Maiden fans, I suspect Dark Tranqulity will unfortunately be most member's pick - shit, yeah, I checked and its 5:0. Ugh.
But no, the song's definitely not bad - I can enjoy most of The Gallery in all its overtuned glory and despite not feeling much need to listen to the band too often given the existence of... dunno, early Amorphis, Amon Amarth of Moonsorrow, I can get the appeal.

Still, I'll go with the more idiosyncratic and original choice here and vote for Ahab.

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I don't get this, I really don't get (once I checked the sheet) how with so many fucking Manowar songs being in the cup, it's so often this B shit, even for their standards. No songs from Louder Than Hell should be in a "Greatest Metal Song Cup", full stop. Number 1 is not completely wretched, as it has this OG Judas Priest-like feel (with Adams almost attempting that sneering half-bark like Halford), but ... meh.

You know, details might be different, but what I wrote about the previous song off this album

Manowar, on the other hand, have definitely had their weaker moment here - and I like the band, up to Triumph of Steel at least.
This is not even particularly catchy or cheesy - it's just... pedestrian. Unmemorable and lackadaisical, the crowd barking "BROTHERS OF METAL", please, no. And again, it's not Manowar hate - the band can (well, more precisely, could) do much better.
Also, their first album with the nonce on the guitar! What a threshold!

(P. S. - anyone has an idea why this is Pt. 1? There's no Pt. 2 on the album. Not that I'm complaining, really, I don't think I really need the continuation, it's just weird)

kinda still stands.

Hail and Kill at least has some real vigour and is catchy in all its cheesy glory, once the song gets going. Definitely more lively and cool to see live (yes, of the limited number of bands I've seen live, Manowar are one of those).

Hail and Kill.

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The last match is tough, I like both of these bands very much, I guess I like the Candlemass style more, but Cathedral have a better song, compared to the bands' respective usual standards, so it kinda evens out. Still, I'll be a tribalist and go with the band of whom I'm generally a bigger fan - and who don't have a music video, to be frank. Candlemass.
 
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