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

[MrKnickerbocker]

Burnt Offerings is a song (and album) that I have never really warmed up to, despite many fans ranking it as one of their favorites. This song exemplifies what I dislike about the album and it’s a roughness, a raw nature to the compositions that I don’t feel best suits the band. The clean vocal melodies in the verses are awkward, the layered vocals at the end are awkward, the solo is awkward…it just never really lands for me even though it has some cool riffing and evil atmosphere. The Prophecy is classic Iced Earth firing on all cylinders: dramatic, highly melodic, and a little bit ridiculous. Barlow sounds amazing, especially when he launches into that heavy section: holy crap. It’s a better song in every way for me.

Serbian Baritone Steven Wilson has a mesmerising song with some excellent atmosphere, enthralling interplay between clean and heavy sections, and really nice percussion. It’s way too long, though. Egypt, however, is a masterpiece. Every note is in the right place and the song captures Symphony X at their majestic best. Everyone gets a moment to shine, be it the shifting drum and guitar polyrhythms, that incredible bass lead section, the beautiful piano outro and Eastern synths throughout or Russell Allen using literally every aspect of his range and intonation. The intro alone is captivating and it only continues to get better from there. One of the absolute best.

The first two minutes of Desperate Cry are pretty solid thrash, but that off-time blast beat that kicks in is atrocious. Cool guitar lead underneath it, though. Luckily the blast beats aren’t prolonged and the syncopated thrash returns. Some of the transitions are pretty bad, but overall this is an alright track from Sepultura. Medusa is a nice rocker from Anthrax that sounds literally nothing like any other Anthrax song ever. The verses are a little bit Journey, which is why Joey Belladonna sounds pretty good on them. As I’ve stated before, Spreading The Disease is the only album where Joey sounds like he fits the music at all. Unfortunately, the lame half-shouted pre-chorus and bridge are really poorly done. It’s not one of Anthrax’s best, but I still far prefer its lameness to Sepultura. “She’s staring at you…with her eyes!” has to be one of the worst lyrics in all of music, though.

Ahab create a strong atmosphere, but once the vocals come in it’s an absolute sludgy mess. At least they create any vibe, however, as opposed to Dark Tranquility, who just gargle yelp over recycled Iron Maiden riffs played double time. There’s technically more melody here and the quiet section is really nice, but, I can appreciate Old Thunder a bit more despite not liking it much at all.

The intro to Number 1 sounds like the worst possible rip-off of Priest’s The Ripper. TL;DR - it never gets any better. Surely this is a joke song about movie montages, right? Team America did it better. Sadly, it still gets my vote because fuck Hail and Kill and that “wet” line. God I hate this band.

Candlemass get another easy vote for me here, as Cathedral make far too much use of sound bites and their singer sounds like Paul Di’Anno on a bad day.

 

[LooseCannon]

I think I've told this story before, but the first or second time I saw Sabaton, I was waiting between acts and as always, they put on a music track. But this time, the track consisted of two songs, something by AC/DC (I think Back in Black) and Manowar's Hail and Kill. For 40-50 minutes, just those two songs on loop. The third time through Hail and Kill, everyone was singing along. The fifth time, people booed. The seventh time, there was just resigned silence. It was amazingly funny.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

I think I've told this story before, but the first or second time I saw Sabaton, I was waiting between acts and as always, they put on a music track. But this time, the track consisted of two songs, something by AC/DC (I think Back in Black) and Manowar's Hail and Kill. For 40-50 minutes, just those two songs on loop. The third time through Hail and Kill, everyone was singing along. The fifth time, people booed. The seventh time, there was just resigned silence. It was amazingly funny.

When I saw Manowar live, I think it was precisely during Hail and Kill when a fight broke out nearby (and in a VIP booth to boot!) which I didn't notice fast enough and therefore it was during Hail and Kill that I almost got a chair broken over me back.

METAAAAAAAL

 

[Diesel 11]

Two great Iced Earth songs here. I love "Prophecy", it's a powerful first chapter in the "Something Wicked" trilogy. Never really peaks per se but is consistently strong all the way through. Killer Barlow performance, and some great guitar playing too, one of the times where Schaffer lets his lead player fucking lead. But it works better in the context of its album, IMO. "Burnt Offerings", meanwhile, is dark, heavy IE from beginning to end. The whole album feels much more like an underground release than most of their work, and has some of their heaviest and most progressive-leaning material. The Exorcist-esque intro is fantastic, the riffs are killer, the way Schaffer and Barlow trade vocals is awesome, and it just slays from beginning to end. This is the band at their most sinister and I wish we heard more from this side of them.

Serbian dude brings a ten minute track that doesn't change much throughout its runtime but also never drags. Love that guitar sound. Strong track. Although if you wanted to be as picky as Night Prowler is you should probably toss this one out for not being metal. I'm sorry but "Egypt" is just in a completely different league, come on. The cinematic intro immediately throws you into the Nile, so fucking cool. Everything that follows is either awesome or gorgeous. I can't imagine being a lover of music and not absolutely enjoying this track and all of its intricacies and layers. And I have no idea what people criticizing Russell's performance want from him instead. He takes you through two different narratives, one heroic and one villainous. Of course he's going to sound coarser and more venomous when he plays the role of the bad guy. This song is amazing and peaks so high with its chorus it's unreal. Easiest vote ever for Symphony X.

Great Sepultura song (intro feels similar to the quiet parts in "Burnt Offerings" oddly enough). Anthrax weren't bad here either.

So The Call of the Wretched Sea, for those who missed my numerous memos, is a concept album about Moby-Dick. "Old Thunder" takes the narrative of Chapter 117, "The Whale Watch", where Fedallah gives Ahab several prophecies about his death:

Started from his slumbers, Ahab, face to face, saw the Parsee; and hooped round by the gloom of the night they seemed the last men in a flooded world. “I have dreamed it again,” said he.
“Of the hearses? Have I not said, old man, that neither hearse nor coffin can be thine?”
“And who are hearsed that die on the sea?”
“But I said, old man, that ere thou couldst die on this voyage, two hearses must verily be seen by thee on the sea; the first not made by mortal hands; and the visible wood of the last one must be grown in America.”
“Aye, aye! a strange sight that, Parsee:—a hearse and its plumes floating over the ocean with the waves for the pall-bearers. Ha! Such a sight we shall not soon see.”
“Believe it or not, thou canst not die till it be seen, old man.”
“And what was that saying about thyself?”
“Though it come to the last, I shall still go before thee thy pilot.”
“And when thou art so gone before—if that ever befall—then ere I can follow, thou must still appear to me, to pilot me still?—Was it not so? Well, then, did I believe all ye say, oh my pilot! I have here two pledges that I shall yet slay Moby Dick and survive it.”
“Take another pledge, old man,” said the Parsee, as his eyes lighted up like fire-flies in the gloom—“Hemp only can kill thee.”
“The gallows, ye mean.—I am immortal then, on land and on sea,” cried Ahab, with a laugh of derision;—“Immortal on land and on sea!”

Well, Ahab is not immortal, and in Chapter 134, "The Chase—Second Day", he finds the first of Fedallah's prophecies coming true, as the harpooner has gone missing after their second attempt to kill Moby Dick:

“Oh, oh, oh! how this splinter gores me now! Accursed fate! that the unconquerable captain in the soul should have such a craven mate!”
“Sir?”
“My body, man, not thee. Give me something for a cane—there, that shivered lance will do. Muster the men. Surely I have not seen him yet. By heaven it cannot be!—missing?—quick! call them all.”
The old man’s hinted thought was true. Upon mustering the company, the Parsee was not there.
“The Parsee!” cried Stubb—“he must have been caught in——”
“The black vomit wrench thee!—run all of ye above, alow, cabin, forecastle—find him—not gone—not gone!”
But quickly they returned to him with the tidings that the Parsee was nowhere to be found.
“Aye, sir,” said Stubb—“caught among the tangles of your line—I thought I saw him dragging under.”
“My line! my line? Gone?—gone? What means that little word?—What death-knell rings in it, that old Ahab shakes as if he were the belfry. The harpoon, too!—toss over the litter there,—d’ye see it?—the forged iron, men, the white whale’s—no, no, no,—blistered fool! this hand did dart it!—’tis in the fish!—Aloft there! Keep him nailed—Quick!—all hands to the rigging of the boats—collect the oars—harpooneers! the irons, the irons!—hoist the royals higher—a pull on all the sheets!—helm there! steady, steady for your life! I’ll ten times girdle the unmeasured globe; yea and dive straight through it, but I’ll slay him yet!”

The next and final chapter of Moby-Dick, "The Chase—Third Day", sees all of the prophecies come true as Ahab meets his demise in his last desperate attempt to kill the White Whale:

While Daggoo and Queequeg were stopping the strained planks; and as the whale swimming out from them, turned, and showed one entire flank as he shot by them again; at that moment a quick cry went up. Lashed round and round to the fish’s back; pinioned in the turns upon turns in which, during the past night, the whale had reeled the involutions of the lines around him, the half torn body of the Parsee was seen; his sable raiment frayed to shreds; his distended eyes turned full upon old Ahab.
The harpoon dropped from his hand.
“Befooled, befooled!”—drawing in a long lean breath—“Aye, Parsee! I see thee again.—Aye, and thou goest before; and this, this then is the hearse that thou didst promise. But I hold thee to the last letter of thy word. Where is the second hearse? Away, mates, to the ship! those boats are useless now; repair them if ye can in time, and return to me; if not, Ahab is enough to die—Down, men! the first thing that but offers to jump from this boat I stand in, that thing I harpoon. Ye are not other men, but my arms and my legs; and so obey me.—Where’s the whale? gone down again?"

[...]

Hearing the tremendous rush of the sea-crashing boat, the whale wheeled round to present his blank forehead at bay; but in that evolution, catching sight of the nearing black hull of the ship; seemingly seeing in it the source of all his persecutions; bethinking it—it may be—a larger and nobler foe; of a sudden, he bore down upon its advancing prow, smiting his jaws amid fiery showers of foam.
Ahab staggered; his hand smote his forehead. “I grow blind; hands! stretch out before me that I may yet grope my way. Is’t night?”
“The whale! The ship!” cried the cringing oarsmen.
“Oars! oars! Slope downwards to thy depths, O sea, that ere it be for ever too late, Ahab may slide this last, last time upon his mark! I see: the ship! the ship! Dash on, my men! Will ye not save my ship?”
But as the oarsmen violently forced their boat through the sledge-hammering seas, the before whale-smitten bow-ends of two planks burst through, and in an instant almost, the temporarily disabled boat lay nearly level with the waves; its half-wading, splashing crew, trying hard to stop the gap and bale out the pouring water.
Meantime, for that one beholding instant, Tashtego’s mast-head hammer remained suspended in his hand; and the red flag, half-wrapping him as with a plaid, then streamed itself straight out from him, as his own forward-flowing heart; while Starbuck and Stubb, standing upon the bowsprit beneath, caught sight of the down-coming monster just as soon as he.
“The whale, the whale! Up helm, up helm! Oh, all ye sweet powers of air, now hug me close! Let not Starbuck die, if die he must, in a woman’s fainting fit. Up helm, I say—ye fools, the jaw! the jaw! Is this the end of all my bursting prayers? all my life-long fidelities? Oh, Ahab, Ahab, lo, thy work. Steady! helmsman, steady. Nay, nay! Up helm again! He turns to meet us! Oh, his unappeasable brow drives on towards one, whose duty tells him he cannot depart. My God, stand by me now!”
“Stand not by me, but stand under me, whoever you are that will now help Stubb; for Stubb, too, sticks here. I grin at thee, thou grinning whale! Who ever helped Stubb, or kept Stubb awake, but Stubb’s own unwinking eye? And now poor Stubb goes to bed upon a mattrass that is all too soft; would it were stuffed with brushwood! I grin at thee, thou grinning whale! Look ye, sun, moon, and stars! I call ye assassins of as good a fellow as ever spouted up his ghost. For all that, I would yet ring glasses with ye, would ye but hand the cup! Oh, oh! oh, oh! thou grinning whale, but there’ll be plenty of gulping soon! Why fly ye not, O Ahab! For me, off shoes and jacket to it; let Stubb die in his drawers! A most mouldy and over salted death, though;—cherries! cherries! cherries! Oh, Flask, for one red cherry ere we die!”
“Cherries? I only wish that we were where they grow. Oh, Stubb, I hope my poor mother’s drawn my part-pay ere this; if not, few coppers will now come to her, for the voyage is up.”
From the ship’s bows, nearly all the seamen now hung inactive; hammers, bits of plank, lances, and harpoons, mechanically retained in their hands, just as they had darted from their various employments; all their enchanted eyes intent upon the whale, which from side to side strangely vibrating his predestinating head, sent a broad band of overspreading semicircular foam before him as he rushed. Retribution, swift vengeance, eternal malice were in his whole aspect, and spite of all that mortal man could do, the solid white buttress of his forehead smote the ship’s starboard bow, till men and timbers reeled. Some fell flat upon their faces. Like dislodged trucks, the heads of the harpooneers aloft shook on their bull-like necks. Through the breach, they heard the waters pour, as mountain torrents down a flume.
“The ship! The hearse!—the second hearse!” cried Ahab from the boat; “its wood could only be American!”
Diving beneath the settling ship, the whale ran quivering along its keel; but turning under water, swiftly shot to the surface again, far off the other bow, but within a few yards of Ahab’s boat, where, for a time, he lay quiescent.
“I turn my body from the sun. What ho, Tashtego! let me hear thy hammer. Oh! ye three unsurrendered spires of mine; thou uncracked keel; and only god-bullied hull; thou firm deck, and haughty helm, and Pole-pointed prow,—death-glorious ship! must ye then perish, and without me? Am I cut off from the last fond pride of meanest shipwrecked captains? Oh, lonely death on lonely life! Oh, now I feel my topmost greatness lies in my topmost grief. Ho, ho! from all your furthest bounds, pour ye now in, ye bold billows of my whole foregone life, and top this one piled comber of my death! Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee. Sink all coffins and all hearses to one common pool! and since neither can be mine, let me then tow to pieces, while still chasing thee, though tied to thee, thou damned whale! Thus, I give up the spear!”
The harpoon was darted; the stricken whale flew forward; with igniting velocity the line ran through the grooves;—ran foul. Ahab stooped to clear it; he did clear it; but the flying turn caught him round the neck, and voicelessly as Turkish mutes bowstring their victim, he was shot out of the boat, ere the crew knew he was gone. Next instant, the heavy eye-splice in the rope’s final end flew out of the stark-empty tub, knocked down an oarsman, and smiting the sea, disappeared in its depths.

This is the tragic destruction that "Old Thunder" is warning of in its slower middle section, which climaxes as Droste screams, "Beware the blasphemous end!" I love the stormy waves that buck our boats in this track, with the plunging drums lurching us forwards to a doom we've already steeled ourselves towards. Rain pelts down from the heavens, but none of it will wash the blood from our hands. And the sea remains ready to swallow us all up.

But, bookending the track is an anthemic whaler chant that never fails to get my head banging: "Look sharp, mariners! Dead whale or sunk boat! Hunt him 'til he spouts black blood - and rolls fin up!" Fuck yeah. I mean that outro alone is better than anything in "Punish My Heaven", which wasn't a bad song but dipped a little towards pirate-y territory too much with those dual guitar bits. And overall just was not focused. Ahab, so fucking easy, so fucking heavy, so fucking hard, all day, every day, doomwards shall I row.

"Hail and Kill" has a mildly catchy chorus. It's pretty garbage overall though. And I don't care for the lines about "young girls in their prime" and raping women, personally. "Number 1" is amazingly stupid but musically it's pretty strong for Manowar. Gets you pumped up a bit.

The final two tracks both had positives. I loved the intro to Cathedral's track, although it became stock fairly quick afterwards. Candlemass were stronger overall; Messiah's vocals are pretty similar to Johan's although a little less strong. Some good riffing in here, nothing that rips me off my seat but nothing bad throughout.

 

[Detective Beauregard]

I used to love Iced Earth. I still like their stuff up until even after Barlow left, as while Ripper was a massive downgrade, the albums with him had some great material. After that they just started repeating themselves and I lost interest a bit, except for that song about pirates on their last album, which was killer. Anyway, Burnt Offerings starts off like a horror movie and is just brutal, and that middle part is demonically creepy.

This is the band at their most sinister and I wish we heard more from this side of them.

Very much agreed. I'm a big fan of most of this album in general.

The Prophecy kicks major ass. It may be the weakest song in the Something Wicked trilogy, but its dynamics and cool bass work (not the coolest bass work we'll hear this round, though) pump it up a little higher than the previous offering. Sorry, Iced Earth, but Iced Earth's The Prophecy triumphantly smashes through the Capitol Building's door.

Unpopular opinion time: Egypt is not among my favorite songs from V. It's still amazing, mind you - but it doesn't reach the highs that Communion and the Oracle and Rediscovery do. Love the intro, the verses, the instrumental interlude, and the bridge... but the pre-chorus and chorus have never done much for me. Nikola Vranjkovic's tune has a great atmosphere that almost reminds me of Tool in some bits. If I cared about lyrics I'd probably be annoyed that I don't understand the language he's singing in. I wish this song were up against Manowar, because it would easily get my vote. Sadly for Mr. Vranjkovic, his song suffers from a disturbing lack of tapped bass solos and not being Symphony X.

Anthrax over Sepultura. Don't care much for either, though.

Ahab create a strong atmosphere, but once the vocals come in it’s an absolute sludgy mess. At least they create any vibe, however, as opposed to Dark Tranquility, who just gargle yelp over recycled Iron Maiden riffs played double time. There’s technically more melody here and the quiet section is really nice, but, I can appreciate Old Thunder a bit more despite not liking it much at all.

This is exactly how I feel.

I hate that I'm forced to vote for Manowar, and it took every ounce of my strength to play by the rules and even vote at all. For the life of me I cannot understand how this band has influenced anything. Number 1, I guess. But I don't care. At all.

Gotta go with Candlemass for the last match. Cool mid-tempo riffage + a title that makes me think of Mortal Kombat = success. Nothing wrong with the Cathedral song, other than being a bit generic for my tastes.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

And I have no idea what people criticizing Russell's performance want from him instead. He takes you through two different narratives, one heroic and one villainous. Of course he's going to sound coarser and more venomous when he plays the role of the bad guy.

Seriously. I wish I had the time to go back through this entire thread and see what the people criticizing Russell have to say about other vocalists.

Sorry, Iced Earth, but Iced Earth's The Prophecy triumphantly smashes through the Capitol Building's door.

Prophecy feels like a mighty bear (spray) coming out of hibernation.

Sadly for Mr. Vranjkovic, his song suffers from a disturbing lack of tapped bass solos and not being Symphony X.

This is a good criteria on which to judge things. “Pretty good song, but 0 Symphony X’s out of 10 for not literally being Symphony X.”

 

[Diesel 11]

This is a good criteria on which to judge things. “Pretty good song, but 0 Symphony X’s out of 10 for not literally being Symphony X.”

Yeah, but sadly even the last three Symphony X songs don’t score high on the Symphony X scale.

 

[Shmoolikipod]

It's simple, really. Fast palm muted riffs make hedgehog brain go happy. Prophecy is better than I remembered. Burnt Offerings

I love Iron Maiden, I love Opeth. Vecernja Zvona is mostly 10 minutes of blending the two. It wasn't mindblowing but it deserves at least the pity vote. Egypt might be the best song on V.

You have to be blind in the ears not to vote for Sepultura here. It had just about everything IIRC. Medusa is still good.

Won't have time to hear the other songs today, so... I know and like Old Thunder, I recognize the name of Hail and Kill, and I'll vote Candlemass because I have yet to hear something bad from them.

 

[LooseCannon]

Much like some of the other Iced Earth fans, the entire Burnt Offerings album never really resonated for me. I get that it's a favourite of many, but I think that's because it was the album that most embodied late 80s American thrash, and following its publication, the band direction changed into the sound I prefer. The title track is thrashy and loud and it's perfectly fine, but not one I ever revisit intentionally. Prophecy is a great intro to the Something Wicked Trilogy, features a lot of clean guitar and strong Barlow vocals. It's not the best song ever, but a clear winner for me.

I listened to the Nikola Vranjkovic song twice, and while I enjoyed the atmosphere of the song, I can't say I particularly enjoyed the vocals. It wasn't an active dislike, I just felt like they didn't match the music. The song feels very long and I can't say I felt it justified its length, but it was a good song, particularly some guitar work I liked. On the other hand it's Symphony X, a great song from a great album in my opinion. I enjoy the strong guitarwork and the duelling vocals from Russell quite a lot. It's not my favourite song by them, but an easy win for Symphony X.

On first listen, I was pretty sure I'd be voting for Anthrax. Medusa is not the typical song of them and it's closer to what I like in general. But man, if that Sepultura song didn't win me over on the second listen. I'm coming to the conclusion that I like a lot of Sepultura except for Roots, which I really don't like.

Ahab, I really like what they're doing under the hood. I love the doomy sound of their guitars, I love the way they build emotion into the song. And then when the vocals, such as they are, come in, it's a wave of unintelligible sound. They eventually lessen the sound wall and do some interesting music underneath the vocals, which I liked more. I desperately want to like this band, but they really don't want me to like them. On the other end, there was some Maiden-ish work on the Dark Tranquility song, but overlain with loud...they aren't growls, I don't know what the right term is here, but it's my least favourite type of vocals. So I'll give it to Ahab.

I don't understand how this is a challenge here. Manowar is a band that makes its bones on one riff and stupid lyrics atop it. Hail and Kill is the prototypical example of this, while Number 1 is an imitator of their own crappy style.

This last matchup was really interesting. I enjoyed both songs fairly a lot, but Candlemass has consistently impressed me in this tournament and continues to take the wins here. Really the apex of this style.

 

[Diesel 11]

I desperately want to like this band, but they really don't want me to like them.

My suggestion: read the lyrics as you listen, and minimize external stimuli. A lot of people see this style of metal as background music, but I find it super rewarding to give it my full attention. And like I told MindRuler, their later albums are a little more accessible to people who aren’t used to funeral doom, incorporating more clean vocals and clean sections into their music. A lot of people gravitate towards The Giant, but I’m a major fan of The Boats of the Glen Carrig for having a ton of bite in their heavier sections and almost psychedelic atmosphere in the quieter bits.

 

[KidInTheDark666]

Burnt Offerings is one of my least favorite Iced Earth albums, but the title track is pretty great. It's no Prophecy though. That one is up there with Wolf as my favorite Barlow-era IE song.

Egypt isn't really a favorite Symphony X song of mine, but it's good enough to win here. The other song was fine too, so maybe this is just familiarity bias.

Every Sepultura song in this game has sucked so far. Medusa is an underrated gem from one of Anthrax's best albums.

Ahab just isn't my style in any way whatsoever. Dark Tranquility has excellent music with a good brand of harsh vocals. Kid likes this veery much.

I liked both of these Manowar songs here, but Hail and Kill is honestly one of the best in the game so far. What a catchy tune!

Both of the songs in the last match are worthy winners, but Cathedral is more to my liking.

 

[Jer]

Hail and Kill is honestly one of the best in the game so far.

Please tell me you only mean in relation to the other Manowar songs in the game, and not overall...?

 

[LooseCannon]

My suggestion: read the lyrics as you listen, and minimize external stimuli.

I have done this in the past. My complaint is that when the lyrics come in, especially around earlier Ahab, it comes upon a wall of incomprehensible sound, and lyrics or no, it just sounds like a Sunn O))) guest spot.

Please tell me you only mean in relation to the other Manowar songs in the game, and not overall...?

The preferred term for a stronger Manowar song should be "least bad".

 

[KidInTheDark666]

Please tell me you only mean in relation to the other Manowar songs in the game, and not overall...?

Nah, overall. Top 5-10 of the songs that weren't my nominees.

 

[Jer]

We really need a facepalm reaction option here.

 

[Mosh]

Last-minute-not-enough-time-to-listen knee jerk votes:

Prophecy vs Burnt Offerings - The only matchup I feel particularly invested in. I've never been a huge fan of the Something Wicked trilogy despite really digging that album. I just find it to be really slow and meandering, especially the song Prophecy. Never understood the popularity of it. On the other hand, Burnt Offerings is my favorite Iced Earth album by a long shot, and the opening track perfectly encapsulates why. Raw brutal energy. Barlow isn't the Barlow of Dark Saga yet, but the character of his vocal performance on this album is not really present on the later studio albums (but he is one of the rare Metal vocalists who does it better live, hence their best work being Alive in Athens).

Egypt. Never heard of the other thing, but I really doubt it's going to measure up against an undeniable Symphony X classic. This song could go far in the game.

Don't love Sepultura, Medusa is another old school classic.

Dark Tranquility over Ahab.

Hail and Kill.

Last round is one that I actually wish I had more time for as I'm interested in both groups, but I'm throwing it to Cathedral as Candlemass already had a bit of an upset victory for my vote last time it appeared in the game.

 

[LooseCannon]

Jon Schaffer's offerings are as burnt as his hopes of being a free man over the next couple years, and this Prophecy came true. The bells have tolled at evening for Nikola Vranjkovic as he is marooned in the Egyptian desert by Symphony X. Anthrax can't hear Sepultura's desperate cry as they're turned to stone. Ahab's old thunder might come from above, but in heaven they get punished by Dark Tranquility. If there's one thing we've learned, it's that Manowar is never number 1, but they are a band you can Hail and Kill. The witchfinder general may be on the prowl, but even he cannot escape from Candlemass's well of souls.

---

Part I, Round 39, Matches 229-234​

Play In Round	Match 229​	Revelations Division​
The Devil's Blood - Christ or Cocaine	vs.​	Boston - More Than A Feeling​
@srfc	Nominators​	Radio EHS 100​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 230​	Revelations Division​
Evanescance - Lithium	vs.​	Faith No More - Caffeine​
Youtube 50	Nominators​	Rolling Stone 100​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 231​	Speed of Light Division​
Rainbow - Spotlight Kid	vs.​	Queensryche - Before the Storm​
@Black Bart	Nominators​	Best Music Art 100​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 232​	Speed of Light Division​
Queen - The March of the Black Queen	vs.​	Winter Rose - Asylum City​
@LooseCannon	Nominators​	@KidInTheDark666​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 233​	Speed of Light Division​
Devin Townsend - The Greys	vs.​	Haken - In Memoriam​
@Shmoolikipod	Nominators​	@Mosh​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 234​	Moonchild Division​
Grand Magus - Fear is the Key	vs.​	WASP - Mean Man​
@srfc	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

 

[Confeos]

Managed to get a quick vote in before the round ended, and here's my thoughts:

Burnt Offerings is my favourite Iced Earth album, and the title track a heavy-as-heck, evil and menacing song. I thought about nominating it myself, but went with something else from that particular album. "Prophecy", I've always felt is the weakest of the Something Wicked-trilogy. It's fine, but it was clearly written to be a part of something bigger, and doesn't work quite as well on its own.

"Vecernja Zvona" didn't really go anywhere, and went on for way too long. "Egypt" was more engaging from the very first second, and full of great technical stuff, just as one would expect from Symphony X. And here I might add a small criticism: while definitely the better song in this round, it still felt like just "another Symphony X"-song - it didn't have that "wow"-effect that a lot of their other stuff has. And for a song named "Egypt", I would have expected more of a mystical, ancient atmosphere than what we got. No matter.

The Sepultura songs in this game have been very hit-or-miss, but I really enjoyed "Desperate Cry". "Medusa" only sounded like Anthrax about half the time, which was very weird.

Let me be honest: growls in doom just doesn't work for me at all; I prefer my doom with a clean, powerful voice. That being said, "Old Thunder" really manages to conjure up a wonderfully depressive atmosphere, and I can absolutely appreciate the way they approach and interpret the source material here. The melodies are both epic and full of sorrow, and the riffing almost hypnotic. I'm not sure I'm sold to the point that I want to check out the rest of Ahab's catalogue, but I'll take it over a perfectly fine, but also very standard melodeath song - I don't mind Dark Tranquility, but I feel I've heard this song done better by other bands before.

In the battle of the Manowars, I'm going with "Hail and Kill" - it has bad lyrics, sure, but that goes for any Manowar song, and the music absolutely slays. "Number 1" is bottom-tier Manowar at best (and if anybody even reads this, I'm fully expecting a "every Manowar song is bottom-tier Manowar").

Finally, I'm going with my own nominee Candlemass ("The Well of Souls" is more uptempo than your standard doom metal song, but it's packed full of fantastic riffs and features one of Messiah's best performances) in the last match, but I really enjoyed the Cathedral song too. I have to check out more of this band; it's right up my alley.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Note: does not contain Winter Rose - Asylum City

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Christ or Cocaine is meant to sound like a song from the 70s, and it’s fun and crunchy, but it cannot compare to Boston’s classic (rock) here from the actual 70s. The falsetto scream of “awaaaaaay” and the subsequent guitarmony are enough to knock The Devil’s Blood far awaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy.

Amy Lee is back with another piano ballad + distorted guitars! It sounds just like her other songs = tortured, but solid belt vocals and a big chorus break. I was bored before the second chorus. Faith No More, on the other hand, I just don’t get? Mike Patton’s voice is so ridiculously over-the-top. I better not catch any of you folks who criticized Russell Allen gushing over this track! The music is interesting enough, but the vocals are too ridiculous. Those talking parts are awful. I truly feel bad about it, but I’m voting for Evanescence.

Rainbow without Dio is lame. It sounds like Blackmore combined a sped up version of Man on the Silver Mountain with A Light In The Black, but then poured water all over it. It’s so glittery. Joe Lynn Turner sounds good and the guitars are good, of course, especially that classical union that trails both solos (speaking of, Don Airey’s keyboard solo here is absolute madness and I don’t know if I love it or despite it). Musically, I really dig this Queensryche track, but as usual, Geoff Tate’s voice is nauseating. I cannot vote for him. My ears hurt. Easy win for Rainbow.

March of the Black Queen is bonkers in only a way Queen can, um, bonk. Just pure theatrical, progress insanity from the get-go. Their competition, glam rock James LaBrie at his absolute shriekiest, falters in nearly every way compared to such delightful weirdness. Hearing LaBrie singing this kind of music really makes him sound great in Dream Theater, though there’s certainly a case to be made that he sounds about as bad here at the beginning of his career as he does nowadays on tour. Freddie and The Boys rightfully take this one by a mile.

The Greys is alright and pretty straightforward for Devin, but it doesn’t do much for me. It’s just one big wall of sound. Haken have far more dynamics in their track and the groove is really cool, while retaining that manic prog sound. It’s a bit all over the place, but I’m more interested by In Memoriam than Devin.

Fear Is The Key is pretty damn cool. Great driving song and riffs with some slightly doomy bits thrown in for good measure. Solid performances all around. I dig this. Every time Grand Magus turn up around here I am interested, I should really give them a proper listen. WASP’s dirty glam song sucks, especially the chorus. Solos are awful, too.