The Greatest Metal Song Cup - Part II, Round 4, Matches 82-87
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JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
srfc
Ancient Mariner
Moonsorrow - Huuto vs. Skyclad - The Wickedest Man in the World
I nominated this as my favourite Skyclad track, it's probably not the most typical of theirs but there's enough in it for people to get the jist of what they are about. The key distinguishing feature of theirs is Walkyier, both the lyricism and delivery. There's also a great collection of riffs, even if the intro does sound a bit close to Primal Scream's Rocks. I gave Moonsorrow about 4 mins due to time constraints, heard enough to know I wasn't going to vote against my own nominee The Wickedest Man in the World
Fates Warning - Eye to Eye vs. Opeth - Ghost of Perdition
Eye to Eye was pretty good in the mould of Queensryche/Crimson Glory, it could have done with some sort of instrumental break, was this an edit? Gave Opeth 4 or so mins as well, heard enough to know who I was voting for, standard reaction from me to Opeth, some good parts I could get on board with spoiled by other shit parts Eye to Eye
Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction vs. Symphony X - Masquerade '98
Devin Townsend sounds like a pissed off Frank Zappa, not for me. Symphony X, not for me either but a bit better. Masquerade '98
Queensryche - Revolution Calling vs. Airbourne - Black Dog Barking
Revolution Calling wouldn't be the one I'd be picking from Mindcrime, you've got to be going for one of the last 3 main songs, but still great. Airbourne are a competent enough band, but they really do not have their own identity, a verse near the end sounds exactly like a similarly placed verse in Have a Drink on Me and given the title of the song, the majority of the song really shouldn't be sounding like Giving the Dog a Bone. Revolution Calling
Villagers of Ioannina City - Zvara vs. Count Raven - Baltic Storm
Villagers of Ioannina City wasn't awful but there was basically just one thing happening for the majority of it's running time. Count Raven was pretty decent, sounded like Dio-era Sabbath if Ozzy was singing. Baltic Storm
Sepultura - Attitude vs. Slayer - Dead Skin Mask
Never heard Attitude before, absolutely atrocious, shameless bandwagon hopping. Dead Skin Mask has probably the evilest riff of all time, Slayer at their most menacing. Dead Skin Mask
I nominated this as my favourite Skyclad track, it's probably not the most typical of theirs but there's enough in it for people to get the jist of what they are about. The key distinguishing feature of theirs is Walkyier, both the lyricism and delivery. There's also a great collection of riffs, even if the intro does sound a bit close to Primal Scream's Rocks. I gave Moonsorrow about 4 mins due to time constraints, heard enough to know I wasn't going to vote against my own nominee The Wickedest Man in the World
Fates Warning - Eye to Eye vs. Opeth - Ghost of Perdition
Eye to Eye was pretty good in the mould of Queensryche/Crimson Glory, it could have done with some sort of instrumental break, was this an edit? Gave Opeth 4 or so mins as well, heard enough to know who I was voting for, standard reaction from me to Opeth, some good parts I could get on board with spoiled by other shit parts Eye to Eye
Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction vs. Symphony X - Masquerade '98
Devin Townsend sounds like a pissed off Frank Zappa, not for me. Symphony X, not for me either but a bit better. Masquerade '98
Queensryche - Revolution Calling vs. Airbourne - Black Dog Barking
Revolution Calling wouldn't be the one I'd be picking from Mindcrime, you've got to be going for one of the last 3 main songs, but still great. Airbourne are a competent enough band, but they really do not have their own identity, a verse near the end sounds exactly like a similarly placed verse in Have a Drink on Me and given the title of the song, the majority of the song really shouldn't be sounding like Giving the Dog a Bone. Revolution Calling
Villagers of Ioannina City - Zvara vs. Count Raven - Baltic Storm
Villagers of Ioannina City wasn't awful but there was basically just one thing happening for the majority of it's running time. Count Raven was pretty decent, sounded like Dio-era Sabbath if Ozzy was singing. Baltic Storm
Sepultura - Attitude vs. Slayer - Dead Skin Mask
Never heard Attitude before, absolutely atrocious, shameless bandwagon hopping. Dead Skin Mask has probably the evilest riff of all time, Slayer at their most menacing. Dead Skin Mask
Jer
'Til Tomorrow
Moonsorrow is a delight. Great riffing and epic orchestrations set a backdrop for an effective example of harsh vocals. Really big fan of these folky melodic extreme Metal affairs, the contrast between the folk instruments, distorted guitars, and harsh vocals creates a blend that you wouldn't expect to work so well - and yet here we are. Around the 11 minute mark it feels like the song is ready to wind down despite a few minutes left to go in the track time. Things pick back up with possibly the most relentless riff in the entire song and an epic chorus to boot. A fantastic finish! The Wickedest Man in the World has some solid riffing, but the in between harsh and clean tuff guy vocals aren't really my style. It's a bit of a hodgepodge though. There's some NWOBHM in there, some Mercyful Fate, some Pantera. In general though there wasn't really anything there that I found particularly compelling. Easy win for Huuto.
Eye to Eye vs Ghost of Perdition: Sorry but I am not even going to listen to Eye To Eye. Ghost of Perdition is my top Opeth track and also in my all time Metal top 10. Just a relentlessly epic song with some of the most incredible riffing and dynamics I have ever heard. The melodicism is also insane. It just does everything. I've raved about the song plenty on here while also making my indifference toward Fates Warning in general pretty clear. No contest.
I already made a comment about Masquerade '98 being a really random Symphony X pick. I genuinely can't understand how this song would make it on to anybody's top anything list. It's not a bad song, it's just such a weird random b-side pick. It's like if someone nominated Charlotte the Harlott '88, like of all Maiden songs really? Like I said though it's not a bad song and there's some decent riffing in there, but it's mostly just standard Symphony X fare without the excitement of their later work. I believe this was around the time of Twilight in Olympus, of which any song would be a much better pick. As for Deconstruction, my comments from Might Masturbator (off the same album) pretty much apply here:
Like the Fates Warning vs Opeth match, Airbourne vs Queensryche is another one with an opponent that has virtually no chance. Once again, you've got a GOAT track from Queensryche up against a bland rocker from a band I don't really like that much. Revolution Calling without any thought necessary.
Villagers of Ioannina City was new for me. Not bad, some decent sludgy riffing and a hypnotic chorus. Probably won't go back to it but I didn't hate it. Not sure what that wind instrument is but I like it! The production on Baltic Sea is really bad. It seems like there was some weird mastering EQ used to make it sound like there's a pillow between me and the speaker. It is offputting enough to distract me from any of the song's positive qualities. There's some decent riffing in there though. Not a big fan of the vocals. It's kinda like "we have Black Sabbath at home." I'll be honest, I ended up getting so much ear fatigue from it that I turned it off around the 7 minute mark. I'm not crazy about either track, but I'm giving it to Zvara for novelty.
I really want to like Sepultura but I can't get into the vocals or riffing at all. The drums are cool, but that's pretty much all they have going for them a lot of the time. I recognize their importance to the development of Metal, but not for me. Dead Skin Mask is kind of a stone cold classic from one of Slayer's more interesting albums. Easy win there as well.
Eye to Eye vs Ghost of Perdition: Sorry but I am not even going to listen to Eye To Eye. Ghost of Perdition is my top Opeth track and also in my all time Metal top 10. Just a relentlessly epic song with some of the most incredible riffing and dynamics I have ever heard. The melodicism is also insane. It just does everything. I've raved about the song plenty on here while also making my indifference toward Fates Warning in general pretty clear. No contest.
I already made a comment about Masquerade '98 being a really random Symphony X pick. I genuinely can't understand how this song would make it on to anybody's top anything list. It's not a bad song, it's just such a weird random b-side pick. It's like if someone nominated Charlotte the Harlott '88, like of all Maiden songs really? Like I said though it's not a bad song and there's some decent riffing in there, but it's mostly just standard Symphony X fare without the excitement of their later work. I believe this was around the time of Twilight in Olympus, of which any song would be a much better pick. As for Deconstruction, my comments from Might Masturbator (off the same album) pretty much apply here:
Funnily enough, the song in this round WAS up against a Twilight in Olympus track, and I went with the Symphony X then. Here I am going the other way. I still maintain that Deconstruction is not a very good choice for this game, but I do think it has slightly more going for it. I do feel kinda bad that people's first impression of a really great album is being taken out of context and think it gives folks the wrong idea about who Devin Townsend is and what he's going for with this particular album, but what are you gonna do?
Like the Fates Warning vs Opeth match, Airbourne vs Queensryche is another one with an opponent that has virtually no chance. Once again, you've got a GOAT track from Queensryche up against a bland rocker from a band I don't really like that much. Revolution Calling without any thought necessary.
Villagers of Ioannina City was new for me. Not bad, some decent sludgy riffing and a hypnotic chorus. Probably won't go back to it but I didn't hate it. Not sure what that wind instrument is but I like it! The production on Baltic Sea is really bad. It seems like there was some weird mastering EQ used to make it sound like there's a pillow between me and the speaker. It is offputting enough to distract me from any of the song's positive qualities. There's some decent riffing in there though. Not a big fan of the vocals. It's kinda like "we have Black Sabbath at home." I'll be honest, I ended up getting so much ear fatigue from it that I turned it off around the 7 minute mark. I'm not crazy about either track, but I'm giving it to Zvara for novelty.
I really want to like Sepultura but I can't get into the vocals or riffing at all. The drums are cool, but that's pretty much all they have going for them a lot of the time. I recognize their importance to the development of Metal, but not for me. Dead Skin Mask is kind of a stone cold classic from one of Slayer's more interesting albums. Easy win there as well.
It it what it is, you know.
____no5
Free Man
Yeap Greek. This comes from the area of Epirus (which means Infinity) where the tribe of Greeks (Greeks not the Hellenes) used to live and it's the mother of pentatonic scale, and polyphonic in Greece and this song has both. Plus the clarinet.
Since clarinet was introduced from West Europe it has become the most important instrument for West /West-North Greece and now it's considering the trademark instrument for that area.
PS I just read that some sort of clarinet was used in ancient Greece, didn't know that, could be.
In any case this area is the only area in Greece that pentatonic scale is still used almost exclusively which makes the people assume that there is the most old music in the country.
My nick name five comes from this belief that wherever pentatonic scales prevail it's a sign of oldest music.
This is the trademark song from this area is written in pentatonic as usual and is talking for a guy in a foreign land (probably Punjab =the land of five rivers, where ATG reach the furthest) who washes his bandana in five rivers and all five were painted by his blood.
This is another song from Villagers, in English this time.
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
I have already expressed my feelings towards Moonsorrow yesterday
Thing is, they are indeed one of the best, most consistent, most significant bands nowadays - and not merely in the folk metal paradigm, but in general - and only now I realise how much I fucked it up by not nominating anything by them. Huuto, off their 2011's Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa album is a great choice anyway, really. From the surprisingly bright acoustic opening to the crushing guitars, it represents MS at their best - harsh, yet atmospheric, sweeping and epic, but also earthy and solid. I can't describe it quite to my liking, what comes to mind is if Heavy Devy joined Primordial and together they decided they liked Opeth back cca in the My Arms, Your Hearse days. Or something. Similes are always misleading and more useful to be funny in the hot-take sort of way that's popular nowadays rather then telling something useful, aren't they? Still, a hauntingly beautiful experience, as always with this band.
Next to that, Skyclad are.. well, fine. As a folk metal afficionado, I have to respect them, really, but I must admit that disregarding their importance and all they brought to the table in terms of ideology, I find their output to be quite hit or miss. Especially on these early albums, you know, I like it, it's fine, but I keep wondering why I'm listening to this and not, say, Eluveitie or Korpiklaani, you know, bands that are much less substantial, but much more enjoyable and gripping all the same. This one has a good groove and is quite memorable, although throughout the listen I had visions coming to me of cca The Real Thing-era Faith No More trying to imitate 90s Metallica, but again, what do I know.
Still, my general preference would probably make me go and vote for them, purely from the point of a folk metal fanboy, were they not put against the absolute monster that is Moonsorrow. Since this is the only song of theirs in the game, I have to fight tooth and nail for it. There isn't any other way.
Seriously, mates, don't fuck this up.
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And more or less the same sentiment I had towards Skyclad I have towards Fates Warning as well. Fates Warning are one of the bands I just can't seem to get into, despite them being one of the "OG serious prog trailblazing progenitors" and whatever. I liked their stuff with Jon Arch, though I definitely didn't like his vocals; after his departure, the sound became much more palatable, but the music became a bit ... antiseptic? Not here, though, fuck's sakes, are they trying to sound like Bryan Adams or what? I can actually enjoy the chorus, in that decadent way that makes me hate myself at 1 AM with a half-drunk bottle of rum by my hand, but really it's this
but with their prog pedigree giving it a false sense of decor, I guess.
Still, tapping into my most decadent tendencies, I'd support the track (God knows we've had worse here), were it not put against fucking Opeth and their fucking Ghost of Perdition off their fucking GREAT MUSICIANing album Ghost Reveries. First album of theirs I bought, the first one we've been playing in car with wifey ad nauseam ... in a way, I still find it to be the most "full" Opeth experience overall, although it was this album in particular that signalled the future development and even downfall of sorts for the band, with Mikael being obviously interested more in prog than metal, but the balance here was still good and the melodies are still "original Opeth". That said - even this song is exceptional. After the sudden jump at the beginning and the shortest growl intro to an album opener to date, there's a lot of fun rhythmic prancing about and quite a lot of ambient/New Age influence in the song, though they never overdo it with the atmosphere. The song is brilliantly well-built and remains in the category of "the familiar", unlike the following Baying of the Hounds which I like even more, for the jazzy subdued section and even wilder experimentation with ambience and song structure --- but to many, that is precisely the weakness of that song. Apart from the initial shock, Ghost of Perdition would even make a good introduction into classic Opeth, in fact, since the song is almost poppy in its approach (and the glossolalic vocals are quite memorable, methinks).
Anyway, a deserved vote for OPETH!
----
Devy vs Symph X is a match I've made my mind about in advance - yes, Deconstruction is insane and overdone and Devy at his most obnoxious, if we discount stuff like Cooked on Phonics, but it's still got that Townsend magic within - between all the chaos and bombast and insanity, there's actually that big heart of his ("Mr Cardiomegaly" should be his stage name) and for all the chaos, it actually holds together quite well and I remember it being enjoyable on the very first listen. His melodic sensibilities rarely fail him, at least since he left SYL. I just wish more people here were able to step out of their comfort zone from time to time.
Anyway, the opposing song - which is currently winning, are you fucking kidding me? - is Symphony X recreating a useless song off their useless album that should have been left at the very bottom of the precipice of history. It's kinda nice, I guess, Symph X standard is pretty high in general, but mostly it's boring and really sounds like an outtake. And not a good one at that. I admit there might be some tribalism and artist preference, but I can't see how I could not vote for Heavy Devy.
-----
After talking about "the only Ryche album that's worth it" ever since the beginning of this cup, it is time to go and show my love for it, huh?
Eh...
Not really. The beginning of Mindcrime is rather rough (much like another prog metal legendary album that shares several similarities with O:M, but I will talk about that one once we get to Suite Sister Mary in the cup); after two introductory songs, you get Revolution Calling which is... fine, I guess. The song doesn't really have an idea and especially the chorus is seriously underwhelming - were it not for the fact the killer title track is following right after, the album might not ever get over this feeling of "waiting for something to happen" that you get for the first 6? 7? 8? minutes.
Still, with all due respect to The Sentient, even this so-so 80s single with a non-chorus is more to my liking than Airbourne's pseudo-AC/DC overdriven hard rock. It's not bad, I'd appreciate it in a pub, somewhere in the background, blasting from a jukebox, but as for this cup, I'm going with Queensryche for once.
-----
In the next match, I really, really wanted to vote for both. With Villagers of Ioannina City, I liked that they are Greek and that the folkish, untrivial harmonies make them stand out quite a bit; also, the stoner sound suits them well. Creative.
And Count Raven are much closer to my preferences in general - not only would I take classic doom over stoner any time of the day, but I also like how CR toy with the spiritual/explicitly Christian themes - I mean, for the cover of their sophomore release they actually used my favourite Leal! (the one I used in the guessing game relatively recently)
I haven't heard their latest album as of yet, but if it's going to be as good as this here song, I'm happy. A cool doomy epic, yep, that's what I needed today.
I wanted to vote for Count Raven, but seing as the opposing song is currently losing rather badly, I'll go with Villagers of Ioannina City.
-----
Sepultura and especially Roots need more love around here. I know, I know, the wretched nu-metal, but that album isn't quite like the other nu albums - although Attitude is definitely closer to the general sound of Papa Roach and the like. But still, the native-fusion dynamics are perceivable even here and even Cavalera losing his shit over it won't make me discount Igor doing some cool tribal-influenced fills in the background and the overall hypnotic qualities of the track. It's not a gem like Ratamahatta is, but I'll vote for the Brazilian underdogs here.
Dead Skin Mask is already from the era where I liked Slayer the most, I guess (meaning South of Heaven - Seasons in the Abyss) and the riff is cool, but the spoken vocals are not and ... I dunno, I'll go with the song that was more immediately captivating for me tonight.
Thing is, they are indeed one of the best, most consistent, most significant bands nowadays - and not merely in the folk metal paradigm, but in general - and only now I realise how much I fucked it up by not nominating anything by them. Huuto, off their 2011's Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa album is a great choice anyway, really. From the surprisingly bright acoustic opening to the crushing guitars, it represents MS at their best - harsh, yet atmospheric, sweeping and epic, but also earthy and solid. I can't describe it quite to my liking, what comes to mind is if Heavy Devy joined Primordial and together they decided they liked Opeth back cca in the My Arms, Your Hearse days. Or something. Similes are always misleading and more useful to be funny in the hot-take sort of way that's popular nowadays rather then telling something useful, aren't they? Still, a hauntingly beautiful experience, as always with this band.
Next to that, Skyclad are.. well, fine. As a folk metal afficionado, I have to respect them, really, but I must admit that disregarding their importance and all they brought to the table in terms of ideology, I find their output to be quite hit or miss. Especially on these early albums, you know, I like it, it's fine, but I keep wondering why I'm listening to this and not, say, Eluveitie or Korpiklaani, you know, bands that are much less substantial, but much more enjoyable and gripping all the same. This one has a good groove and is quite memorable, although throughout the listen I had visions coming to me of cca The Real Thing-era Faith No More trying to imitate 90s Metallica, but again, what do I know.
Still, my general preference would probably make me go and vote for them, purely from the point of a folk metal fanboy, were they not put against the absolute monster that is Moonsorrow. Since this is the only song of theirs in the game, I have to fight tooth and nail for it. There isn't any other way.
Seriously, mates, don't fuck this up.
-----
And more or less the same sentiment I had towards Skyclad I have towards Fates Warning as well. Fates Warning are one of the bands I just can't seem to get into, despite them being one of the "OG serious prog trailblazing progenitors" and whatever. I liked their stuff with Jon Arch, though I definitely didn't like his vocals; after his departure, the sound became much more palatable, but the music became a bit ... antiseptic? Not here, though, fuck's sakes, are they trying to sound like Bryan Adams or what? I can actually enjoy the chorus, in that decadent way that makes me hate myself at 1 AM with a half-drunk bottle of rum by my hand, but really it's this
but with their prog pedigree giving it a false sense of decor, I guess.
Still, tapping into my most decadent tendencies, I'd support the track (God knows we've had worse here), were it not put against fucking Opeth and their fucking Ghost of Perdition off their fucking GREAT MUSICIANing album Ghost Reveries. First album of theirs I bought, the first one we've been playing in car with wifey ad nauseam ... in a way, I still find it to be the most "full" Opeth experience overall, although it was this album in particular that signalled the future development and even downfall of sorts for the band, with Mikael being obviously interested more in prog than metal, but the balance here was still good and the melodies are still "original Opeth". That said - even this song is exceptional. After the sudden jump at the beginning and the shortest growl intro to an album opener to date, there's a lot of fun rhythmic prancing about and quite a lot of ambient/New Age influence in the song, though they never overdo it with the atmosphere. The song is brilliantly well-built and remains in the category of "the familiar", unlike the following Baying of the Hounds which I like even more, for the jazzy subdued section and even wilder experimentation with ambience and song structure --- but to many, that is precisely the weakness of that song. Apart from the initial shock, Ghost of Perdition would even make a good introduction into classic Opeth, in fact, since the song is almost poppy in its approach (and the glossolalic vocals are quite memorable, methinks).
Anyway, a deserved vote for OPETH!
----
Devy vs Symph X is a match I've made my mind about in advance - yes, Deconstruction is insane and overdone and Devy at his most obnoxious, if we discount stuff like Cooked on Phonics, but it's still got that Townsend magic within - between all the chaos and bombast and insanity, there's actually that big heart of his ("Mr Cardiomegaly" should be his stage name) and for all the chaos, it actually holds together quite well and I remember it being enjoyable on the very first listen. His melodic sensibilities rarely fail him, at least since he left SYL. I just wish more people here were able to step out of their comfort zone from time to time.
Anyway, the opposing song - which is currently winning, are you fucking kidding me? - is Symphony X recreating a useless song off their useless album that should have been left at the very bottom of the precipice of history. It's kinda nice, I guess, Symph X standard is pretty high in general, but mostly it's boring and really sounds like an outtake. And not a good one at that. I admit there might be some tribalism and artist preference, but I can't see how I could not vote for Heavy Devy.
-----
After talking about "the only Ryche album that's worth it" ever since the beginning of this cup, it is time to go and show my love for it, huh?
Eh...
Not really. The beginning of Mindcrime is rather rough (much like another prog metal legendary album that shares several similarities with O:M, but I will talk about that one once we get to Suite Sister Mary in the cup); after two introductory songs, you get Revolution Calling which is... fine, I guess. The song doesn't really have an idea and especially the chorus is seriously underwhelming - were it not for the fact the killer title track is following right after, the album might not ever get over this feeling of "waiting for something to happen" that you get for the first 6? 7? 8? minutes.
Still, with all due respect to The Sentient, even this so-so 80s single with a non-chorus is more to my liking than Airbourne's pseudo-AC/DC overdriven hard rock. It's not bad, I'd appreciate it in a pub, somewhere in the background, blasting from a jukebox, but as for this cup, I'm going with Queensryche for once.
-----
In the next match, I really, really wanted to vote for both. With Villagers of Ioannina City, I liked that they are Greek and that the folkish, untrivial harmonies make them stand out quite a bit; also, the stoner sound suits them well. Creative.
And Count Raven are much closer to my preferences in general - not only would I take classic doom over stoner any time of the day, but I also like how CR toy with the spiritual/explicitly Christian themes - I mean, for the cover of their sophomore release they actually used my favourite Leal! (the one I used in the guessing game relatively recently)
I haven't heard their latest album as of yet, but if it's going to be as good as this here song, I'm happy. A cool doomy epic, yep, that's what I needed today.
I wanted to vote for Count Raven, but seing as the opposing song is currently losing rather badly, I'll go with Villagers of Ioannina City.
-----
Sepultura and especially Roots need more love around here. I know, I know, the wretched nu-metal, but that album isn't quite like the other nu albums - although Attitude is definitely closer to the general sound of Papa Roach and the like. But still, the native-fusion dynamics are perceivable even here and even Cavalera losing his shit over it won't make me discount Igor doing some cool tribal-influenced fills in the background and the overall hypnotic qualities of the track. It's not a gem like Ratamahatta is, but I'll vote for the Brazilian underdogs here.
Dead Skin Mask is already from the era where I liked Slayer the most, I guess (meaning South of Heaven - Seasons in the Abyss) and the riff is cool, but the spoken vocals are not and ... I dunno, I'll go with the song that was more immediately captivating for me tonight.
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
Glad to be reassured, though I knew you'd pick correctly in the first ---
You bloody bastard.
Confeos
Game time started.
Glad you like it! I considered nominating something from their earlier albums (High on Infinity remains my favourite), but I honestly think their new album is so strong that I really wanted it to be represented. A full listen is highly recommended!
Magnus
Pica Serdica
No, seriously, do you guys hear it or is it just me?
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
Yep, I will. I also just now realised that you are also behind probably my best discovery here in the cup so far.
Confeos
Game time started.
The first match is really, really tough. The music in "Huuto" is absolutely fantastic. Very enjoyable and immersive. In any other match, I'd vote for it in a heartbeat. But, I just can't help but love Skyclad and and Walkyier's... well, Walkyierisms. Both in regards to his lyrics and his vocals. And the music is incredibly fun, too. Ugh... Alright, I'm going with Moonsorrow, stop yelling at me! (But if Skyclad wins, I'm totally fine with it).
"Eye to Eye" is a perfectly fine song, but it feels like it's lacking something to truly elevate it. And I'm certainly in the minority here, but I prefer John Arch over Ray Alder. I'm not the biggest Opeth-fan by a long shot, but I have to admit "Ghost of Perdition" outclasses its opponent in every single way. Actually, the best stuff I've heard from them so far has been off of Ghost Reveries. Voting for Opeth.
I'm not in the mood for Devin and his madness (nor do I think I ever will be). I've never listened to Symphony X's debut, so can't say anything about the original version of "Masquerade", but "98'" is pretty mediocre by their standards. Still my preferred pick in this match, however. Symphony X, please.
"Revolution Calling" is quite good. Airbourne are very overrated. That means Queensrÿche are the winners in this equation.
"Villagers of Ioannina City" is very unique, for sure, but I'm not quite sold. The folky atmosphere appeals to me, but most of the song feels a bit... iffy? Like it's a bit underbaked. I have to go with my own nominee in Count Raven - it's a heavy, epic and mournful tale of losing one's loved ones to the stormy seas. I could do without the conspiracy theories, though. Also, this is the fifth out of my six doom metal contributions to the cup - I believe I have one more coming up at some point.
Aside from one riff that Blaze surely borrowed for "End Time", nothing really felt memorable about "Attitude". Sepultura continues their trend of popping up with songs that are very hit-or-miss. "Dead Skin Mask" is from a time when Slayer really put out some well-crafted songs. Easy vote.
"Eye to Eye" is a perfectly fine song, but it feels like it's lacking something to truly elevate it. And I'm certainly in the minority here, but I prefer John Arch over Ray Alder. I'm not the biggest Opeth-fan by a long shot, but I have to admit "Ghost of Perdition" outclasses its opponent in every single way. Actually, the best stuff I've heard from them so far has been off of Ghost Reveries. Voting for Opeth.
I'm not in the mood for Devin and his madness (nor do I think I ever will be). I've never listened to Symphony X's debut, so can't say anything about the original version of "Masquerade", but "98'" is pretty mediocre by their standards. Still my preferred pick in this match, however. Symphony X, please.
"Revolution Calling" is quite good. Airbourne are very overrated. That means Queensrÿche are the winners in this equation.
"Villagers of Ioannina City" is very unique, for sure, but I'm not quite sold. The folky atmosphere appeals to me, but most of the song feels a bit... iffy? Like it's a bit underbaked. I have to go with my own nominee in Count Raven - it's a heavy, epic and mournful tale of losing one's loved ones to the stormy seas. I could do without the conspiracy theories, though. Also, this is the fifth out of my six doom metal contributions to the cup - I believe I have one more coming up at some point.
Aside from one riff that Blaze surely borrowed for "End Time", nothing really felt memorable about "Attitude". Sepultura continues their trend of popping up with songs that are very hit-or-miss. "Dead Skin Mask" is from a time when Slayer really put out some well-crafted songs. Easy vote.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Good god the Skyclad vocals suck. Who the hell wants to listen to gruff rap over a hard rock song that also features Pan drunkenly dancing in the background? No thanks, easy vote for Moonsorrow who totally baited me into enjoying one of the coolest black metal tracks I've ever heard. 15 minutes of great music, so investing.
Fates Warning didn't have a bad song. Felt like Queensrÿche in places. But it also never went anywhere. "Ghost of Perdition" is a monster of a track with so many twists and turns. Mikael dips a bit too much into the well of clean vocals for my taste, but a lot of them work as necessary. The outro especially is one of his best clean moments. Also liked the Tool-isms. Opeth, duh, is this a joke?
Pity vote for Devin because this song was 10x better than "The Mighty Masturbator" or whatever that 16 minute track was. I don't care about the cheeseburgers, I don't care about the farting, and I don't care about much in this song - but I do care about the Buckethead-esque romp he sends us in partway through. Also "Masquerade '98" just is not such a much and features one of Russell's worst vocal performances. Neither of these songs should advance but I'll give DT credit for being more interesting overall.
"Revolution Calling" is awesome. "Black Dog Rising" is not bad, and that's the only good thing I can say about it. 'Rÿche.
I thought "Zvara" would win this handily but I guess I was wrong. Very unique and I love the use of non-typical metal instruments. I probably liked Count Raven's song more, but the vocals are not good at all and it has some missed opportunities. Loved the solo, though - very simple yet it's got a great sound and really transports you in a less-is-more approach. But for sheer uniqueness alone I've gotta give this to the Villagers.
And finally, "Attitude" is solid musically but Sepultura's vocals are finally sticking out like a sore thumb. Love the tribal additions to the percussion, but "Dead Skin Mask" is still so much stronger overall. Slayer.
Fates Warning didn't have a bad song. Felt like Queensrÿche in places. But it also never went anywhere. "Ghost of Perdition" is a monster of a track with so many twists and turns. Mikael dips a bit too much into the well of clean vocals for my taste, but a lot of them work as necessary. The outro especially is one of his best clean moments. Also liked the Tool-isms. Opeth, duh, is this a joke?
Pity vote for Devin because this song was 10x better than "The Mighty Masturbator" or whatever that 16 minute track was. I don't care about the cheeseburgers, I don't care about the farting, and I don't care about much in this song - but I do care about the Buckethead-esque romp he sends us in partway through. Also "Masquerade '98" just is not such a much and features one of Russell's worst vocal performances. Neither of these songs should advance but I'll give DT credit for being more interesting overall.
"Revolution Calling" is awesome. "Black Dog Rising" is not bad, and that's the only good thing I can say about it. 'Rÿche.
I thought "Zvara" would win this handily but I guess I was wrong. Very unique and I love the use of non-typical metal instruments. I probably liked Count Raven's song more, but the vocals are not good at all and it has some missed opportunities. Loved the solo, though - very simple yet it's got a great sound and really transports you in a less-is-more approach. But for sheer uniqueness alone I've gotta give this to the Villagers.
And finally, "Attitude" is solid musically but Sepultura's vocals are finally sticking out like a sore thumb. Love the tribal additions to the percussion, but "Dead Skin Mask" is still so much stronger overall. Slayer.
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
This Moonsorrow song is exactly how I like my Finnish pagan folk black prog metal – sprawling, intense, and with incomprehensible lyrics. I’d like this more if it had clean vocals mixed in, but not everyone can be peak-era Opeth. Some of the keyboard melodies have a “journeying through the meadows before the obligatory forest of lost souls” vibe to them, which I’ve always liked. Holy Maiden at 7:12, Batman (and again at 8:53). The song desperately needs some dynamic shifts, but overall this is pretty epic. Skyclad has some great bass and grooves overall, and I like the adventurous sound of the music. But then the vocals enter, and I don’t think they fit the music at all. These are both solid songs, and if the Skyclad one had better vocals I’d consider throwing it a vote, but Moonsorrow takes it for me.
This Fates Warning song (and video, lol) is beyond cheesy, and there’s something so ‘80s (Scorpions, maybe?) about that simple chorus. I prefer later (A Pleasant Shade of Grey onward) Fates Warning, however, and while this song is passable… dude, Opeth. Ghost of Perdition is probably the most well-rounded Opeth song, offering everything – bone-crushing riffs, best-of-both-worlds vocals, folky groovy sections, 6/8, 4/4, dundundundundundundundundunt, dundundunt, GHOST OF PERDITION, RAWR! That solo and final growly section is such a high point of Opeth’s discography, and the “ah ah” interlude is chilling. Super easy vote for a top-five Opeth piece.
I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again, and I’ll definitely be saying it in the future: I don’t get Devin Townsend. He’ll rip into a cool riff and ruin it with weirdness before it can set in. The neoclassical “Symphony X” bit at 2:49 is easily the best part. I’ll be honest: I couldn’t even make it through the whole thing. It ruined cheeseburgers for me. Now yes, this particular Symphony X song has no place in this game, as it is in the bottom third of their catalogue in terms of quality. It’s still Symphony X, so it’s not bad, but the only standout parts to me are the intro, verses, instrumental interlude (tapping bass woohoo!), solo, and outro. The pre-chorus is okay, but I’ve never liked the chorus. Regardless, easy vote for Symphony X here.
Queensryche is a band that have never quite clicked with me, and that’s almost entirely due to Tate’s obnoxious vocals. However, they do have solid songs, and this one isn’t bad. The Airbourne song is… fine. It’s an inoffensive generic rocker that has a “written in five minutes” feel, but it would be good for driving I guess. Queensryche’s song has more depth.
I don’t know what Villagers of Ioannina City is going for here. It’s neat for a few minutes, but this song has no tonal or dynamic changes during its 5:30 runtime. Count Raven recorded this song in a potato, and this one doesn’t have any dynamic shifts either. However, the melodies are stronger, there’s actual riffs, and the album cover has a Symphony X vibe to it. I give credit to the Villagers for being unique, but Count Raven is more enjoyable for me here.
Sepultura… not my thing. All “attitude” but lacking substance. Meanwhile, Dead Skin Mask is one of my favorite Slayer songs (spoilers: there aren’t many). The intro is cool and all, but that riff at 0:50 might be my favorite Slayer riff. Ed Gein was one twisted sicko, and this song just works. Super easy vote for Slayer (again, not something you’ll hear me say often).
Edit: Missed a "dun" in Ghost of Perdition.
This Fates Warning song (and video, lol) is beyond cheesy, and there’s something so ‘80s (Scorpions, maybe?) about that simple chorus. I prefer later (A Pleasant Shade of Grey onward) Fates Warning, however, and while this song is passable… dude, Opeth. Ghost of Perdition is probably the most well-rounded Opeth song, offering everything – bone-crushing riffs, best-of-both-worlds vocals, folky groovy sections, 6/8, 4/4, dundundundundundundundundunt, dundundunt, GHOST OF PERDITION, RAWR! That solo and final growly section is such a high point of Opeth’s discography, and the “ah ah” interlude is chilling. Super easy vote for a top-five Opeth piece.
I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again, and I’ll definitely be saying it in the future: I don’t get Devin Townsend. He’ll rip into a cool riff and ruin it with weirdness before it can set in. The neoclassical “Symphony X” bit at 2:49 is easily the best part. I’ll be honest: I couldn’t even make it through the whole thing. It ruined cheeseburgers for me. Now yes, this particular Symphony X song has no place in this game, as it is in the bottom third of their catalogue in terms of quality. It’s still Symphony X, so it’s not bad, but the only standout parts to me are the intro, verses, instrumental interlude (tapping bass woohoo!), solo, and outro. The pre-chorus is okay, but I’ve never liked the chorus. Regardless, easy vote for Symphony X here.
Queensryche is a band that have never quite clicked with me, and that’s almost entirely due to Tate’s obnoxious vocals. However, they do have solid songs, and this one isn’t bad. The Airbourne song is… fine. It’s an inoffensive generic rocker that has a “written in five minutes” feel, but it would be good for driving I guess. Queensryche’s song has more depth.
I don’t know what Villagers of Ioannina City is going for here. It’s neat for a few minutes, but this song has no tonal or dynamic changes during its 5:30 runtime. Count Raven recorded this song in a potato, and this one doesn’t have any dynamic shifts either. However, the melodies are stronger, there’s actual riffs, and the album cover has a Symphony X vibe to it. I give credit to the Villagers for being unique, but Count Raven is more enjoyable for me here.
Sepultura… not my thing. All “attitude” but lacking substance. Meanwhile, Dead Skin Mask is one of my favorite Slayer songs (spoilers: there aren’t many). The intro is cool and all, but that riff at 0:50 might be my favorite Slayer riff. Ed Gein was one twisted sicko, and this song just works. Super easy vote for Slayer (again, not something you’ll hear me say often).
Edit: Missed a "dun" in Ghost of Perdition.
DJ James
A coma stole my name.
I will listen to it later, I am very familiar with the Motörhead song