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

[srfc]

The Kinks - You Really Got Me vs. Mountain - Mississippi Queen
Going to go with Mississippi Queen on this one, as I feel the Kinks may be subconsciously getting some kudos from Van Halen's cover if I was to vote for them Mississippi Queen

Kamelot - Forever vs. Blind Guardian - Battlefield
Blind Guardian was typical of my opinions on Power Metal, whereas, although it wasn't quite on the level of stuff like some of the Gamma Ray tracks or that round where 2 bands biggest hits faced off, the Kamelot track was at least heading in that direction of not having so much cliches Forever

Ugly Kid Joe - Milkman's Son vs. Thin Lizzy - Don't Believe a Word
I'm not sure if @MrKnickerbocker was joking in an earlier post about not knowing who Ugly Kid Joe were, so just in case, and to benefit anyone else who might need an explanation, they achieved fame in the early 90s off a well received EP which included the well known track Everything About You from the Wayne's World soundtrack. I was a fan of the first album that came out at the time, but lost interest quick enough. This track was from their second album that I never even heard back in the day, and only picked it up after going to see them live about 10 years ago for nostalgia reasons and ending up having a great auld time. They get unfairly judged as a novelty act as there's a bit of humour to their music, but as can be heard from this track there's more to them than that. But unfortunately for them, I'm not even going to vote for them. Don't Believe a Word is a great Lizzy classic, which was originally supposed to be a laid back track, but drummer Brian Downey and guitarist Brian Robertson thought it was shite so changed it into a rocker. As always, the definitive version is on Live and Dangerous. Don't Believe a Word

Saxon - Wheels of Steel vs. Saxon - 747 (Strangers in the Night)
In the Saxon-off, both tracks are at the top level of what Saxon do, certainly their most famous two hits anyway. Both have great riffs, but both suffer from poor arrangement (as a lot of Saxon stuff does). Going to go with 747 as you can't beat opening direct into a solo. 747 (Strangers in the Night)

Korn - Blind vs. Linkin Park - Somewhere I Belong
The release of Blind represents the absolute low point in the history of mankind. Linkin Park quite poor too but this is like taking candy from a baby Somewhere I Belong

Metal Church - Metal Church vs. Black Sabbath - Snowblind
Metal Church is alright enough but Snowblind is one of Sabbath's best tracks, a z-lister band is not beating a top track from a genuine contender for the most important metal band. Snowblind

 

[srfc]

Here's a video of Milkman's Son from that gig, shows how good fun these lads are

 

[KidInTheDark666]

The Kinks
Kamelot
Ugly Kid Joe
747
Linkin Park
Metal Church

 

[Spambot]

Match 253 - Mountain
Somebody once said that Kinks version sounds like propeller plane while Van Halen's is like jumbo jet and I stand behind that one. And I don't mind rock in metal cup, but calling having Kinks in a metal cup song is really stretching it. Mountain isn't that far off, but Mississippi Queen has a lot more "metal" in it.

Match 254 - Blind Guardian
First, kudos to @Shmoolikipod for nominating this one, I never thought I'd see this one in the tournament.
Second, if "Battlefield" it loses by one vote - I'm coming for that coin @Jer

Match 255 - Thin Lizzy
Ugly Kid Joe's song sounded like "just another mainstream rock radio station single hit". Nothing wrong with it, but also nothing that would make me come back to it. Although I still have this feeling about Thin Lizzy's music sounding artificial, I have to admit it had at least some groove.

Match 256 - Saxon
This is actually the only Saxon's album I've heard, so I knew both of these songs. I think it was in 2009 when they were on tour with Iced Earth so I gave it a spin. TBH, nothing stuck much except these two songs, and Wheels of Steel had some energy going for it.

Match 257 - Linkin Park
There are much "better" songs from Meteora, I remember that even when it came out, Somewhere I Belong sounded safe. I don't know if there are "better" songs from Korn's debut, but now I see that whole fuss about Korn's sound and "Roots" from Sepultura.

Match 258 - Black Sabbath
Even Ozzy wasn't bad enough to bring down the musicianship of Iommi and Ward.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

Just (mostly) quickly this time, since most of the round isn't all that interesting indeed.

I love the Kinks, they are actually one of my favourite bands ever ... but for their work from Face to Face onwards, not for their early output. And especially You've Really Got Me - I can't say it's really overrated, since the importance and the influence of that song really can hardly be overstated, but it is definitely overplayed. I don't need to hear this song ever again in my life. Again, saying that as a huge fan of the band.

Mountain are definitely more generic and less innovative, but the earthy hard rock with the raspy vocals sounds really good anyway - kinda remind me of Nazareth of all bands, which is a good thing, so Mountain it is.

-----

Now, the next match are the only two really good songs in this round and I hate the fact one of them is going to be eliminated. Each aims at different things; with Battlefield it's mostly about the massive latter-day era BG bombast, with more complex melodies and their typical wild structure of the song, with less repetition and multi-part feel, Celtic influences, choirs, everything. And it's influenced by the Hildebrandslied, to boot. I really like the song, though I kinda wish they did it earlier, on Nightfall or even the earlier albums - by Opera, the production and mastering would be their own worst enemy. In fact, my possible third nomination by the band was Otherland

which I love A LOT, but it has exactly the same problem - worse, in fact, since the production would be even worse on Twist. I thought it would hurt the song enough so that it wouldn't stand a chance. I don't know what the popular opinion on Battlefield is, but if it won, I'd be fine with that.

That said, my own nomination, Forever, is one of the songs I needed help from my wife to pick - I just couldn't pick from the 20 or so Kamelot songs I had prepared. In the end, we decided we like this one possibly the most. Also, the entire album is a welcome guest in our family - our boys love it very much and we've been playing this album the entire summer, actually.

Also, the chorus is based on Grieg's Solveig's song -

I'm quite sure someone must have mentioned it in the Kamelot thread on this forum as well, but I made the discovery completely on my own, hearing the Grieg piece in an instrumental version in some TV series or somesuch. So, you could call it their "neo-classical" piece, I guess

I'll go with the simple emotionality of Kamelot, strengthened by it being probably closer to the nostalgic type of power metal I love the most. Also, I love Khan.

Karma is such a great album!

-----

Meh, Ugly Kid Joe vs one of Thin Lizzy's lesser singles. Well, whatever Lynott & Co. shit out is better than what most bands could ever aspire to, especially the post-grungy B-listers UKJ.

-----

Anything But Saxon. Oh, wait....

I can't rally tell the songs apart, so I left it to a coin flip. Tails, so 747. Whatever.

-----

That Korn song is incredibly wretched, I feel like it cut away, like, ten years of my life with this one listen alone, but there's not much I wouldn't do to oppose this forums strange benevolence/particularity towards Linkin Park.

-----

The Metal Church song is rather good, but I won't pass on the chance to vote for Ozzy-era Sabbath, even if it's from my possibly second least favourite album from the original six.

 

[DJ James]

For my money, this is the worst GMSC round yet.

Wild, Snowblind is one of Iommis best riffs

 

[Jer]

Second, if "Battlefield" it loses by one vote - I'm coming for that coin @Jer

I guess I'll have to hide it in @Niall Kielt's couch, then...

 

[Shmoolikipod]

My main takeaway from this game so far, is that Linkin Park only have two good songs (Numb and In the End). The prechorus and the drumming in the chorus Battlefield are excellent. Lots of blindness this round. The Saxon songs were better than average, though still worse than Maiden in the repetition department.

 

[Detective Beauregard]

Why is this Kinks song here? I’ve heard it countless times, and never once did the word “metal” or even “heavy” cross my mind. This is like putting a Meshuggah song in a “best of elevator music” competition. Mountain’s song is basically just heavy blues, but there’s more going on and I prefer the groove here.

I was going to go into a rant about how I don’t get the boner this board has for Blind Guardian, but this song actually held my attention throughout. I can see the medieval appeal of this band, especially in the instrumental interlude and gang vocal (almost early Nightwishian) bridge. Hansi’s voice is not generally for me… but he’s a lot more endurable than some of the other wailers (read: Tate). In an alternate universe where this is pitted against a dumb song, it would easily get my vote. But it’s battling a classic Kamelot song from their golden era (Fourth Legacy up to and including Black Halo), which has everything: triumphant melodies, power, symphonic elements, and a much better singer. Oooh that chorus… this is beyond catchy. I haven’t heard this song in a long time, and damn does it hit hard. Kamelot wins. Fatality!

Neither of these songs are my thing, but both have cool bass. I flipped a coin and it went Thin Lizzy’s way. Too bad the song is over before it ever really begins.

What’s with all the Saxon in this game? They’re a band I knew in name only before this competition, and I would’ve been fine if it had stayed that way. I’ve heard nothing by them that I haven’t heard done far better by other artists. Neither of these songs are bad, but rather just generic. Good driving music I suppose. Going with 747 because I like planes.

I love wasting 8 minutes of my life listening to crappy nu-metal. Some of my friends used to blast this shit and get upset when I’d put on metal with solos. I hate that I have to vote for one of these turds and have no choice but to roll with Linkin Park, since even though they’re whiny and there’s rap in there, at least they’re not Korn.

This Metal Church song isn’t bad, I guess. It feels kind of lifeless. I don’t love the Sabbath song, either, but it has more groove. So Ozzy Sabbath it is, as much as I dislike his voice.

 

[Kalata]

Both song are ''equal'' for me, but I think I like the groove of the Mountain song better.
Not that I don't like BG's song at all, but the vocals feels a bit messy. Kamelot's Forever has a Nightwish vibe that I will always prefer. Good chorus.
Thin Lizzy's song has great riffs as always, but I like the Psycho Motel vibe of the Ugly Kid Joe song.
Two of Saxon's big classics. I like the riffs of Wheels Of Steel a lot, but 747 (Strangers In The Night) has a better chorus, so my vote is for it.
Linkin Park, by default.
I'm not a big fan of early Black Sabbath, but the music is much better.

 

[DJ James]

747 is a classic obviously, but I’ve always been more struck by Wheels of Steel. Also voting for Blind Guardian, Thin Lizzy, not Korn, Mountain, and Black Sabbath

 

[Cat Milk Supreme]

I guess I'll have to hide it in @Niall Kielt's couch, then...

Rick James has commandeered my couch, baby.

 

[DJ James]

Also seeing bands like Korn and Linkin Park in here reminds of how I first got into heavy metal, and how my “journey” differs a lot from people my age.

Even at a young age, I’ve always been annoyed with the nu metal and modern rock sound. I have very specific memories of being 11/12/13 and hearing songs from band like Evanscence, Linkin Park and Slipknot and getting headaches, actual headaches, from hearing these songs. It wasn’t until I was 13 that I actively started listening to heavy metal and I started with Iron Maiden.

Seeing bands like Korn and Linkin Park in here is laughable to me. These guys will never, ever be on the same level of actual metal bands, and still to this day I am annoyed with their style.

 

[DJ James]

Seeing bands like Korn and Linkin Park in here is laughable to me. These guys will never, ever be on the same level of actual metal bands, and still to this day I am annoyed with their style.

I should clarify, it’s not so much an active hatred anymore, it’s more so when I’m in metal circles with metal people and I still see these bands being brought up. It brings on a sort of “come on man” thought in my head. I was hoping these bands would’ve left the collective metal consciousness a long time ago.

 

[Diesel 11]

Ran out of time to listen so I threw out some pity votes for the ones losing badly and gave Kamelot and Mountain a boost to win. Also “747” ‘cuz it’s a more interesting title.

 

[Detective Beauregard]

@DJ James I completely agree about the nu-metal stuff. I got into metal via Metallica and soon discovered Maiden and other old-school metal bands, but I always preferred riffs and melody (nu-metal contains very little of the latter). Then I started playing instruments and got into more challenging progressive stuff, and nu-metal actually became a joke.

I also don’t understand how people still bring these bands up in conversation. I have a friend a few years younger than me who loves nu-metal, almost to a point that we think he’s joking. But he came to a costume party a few months ago dressed as Korn’s singer (his wife was Fred Durst), and he sings all this crap at karaoke. No one knows what went wrong with him.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

I also came to metal via Metallica, but I did listen to hip hop in 5th/6th grade and so naturally I liked a lot of nu-metal bands.

I owned Significant Other, Follow the Leader, the first couple Disturbed albums, Rob Zombie, Family Values tour compilations, etc. The heavier stuff never appealed to me (Slipknot, Static-X, Mudvayne, etc). By the time Linkin Park came along I was completely over it and listening to mostly older bands.

Thank Dio I wised up.

 

[KidInTheDark666]

And I still listen to nu metal and think it's some of the best stuff out there.

 

[Mosh]

Cant say I would’ve voted differently than the majority on any of these had I gotten around to it. It is a rough round for sure. I think Saxon is OK but there’s no reason for them to have more than a couple songs in this game. It’s really just that they were the first NWOBHM band to get a whiff of success (and were strangely resilient beyond that).

I have seen You Really Got Me cited as an early Metal influence before, The Kinks definitely brought an amount of grit to the British Invasion that isn’t to be ignored. I think Van Halen made it a song worth listening to though. Mississippi Queen is none the more Metal, but I cannot in good conscience vote against those tasty leads.

Don’t Believe a Word is a solid Lizzy deep cut. Lots of people saying “who?” to Ugly Kid Joe makes me feel as if some justice has been restored to the world.

Nu Metal round came out about right as well. The fact is that Nu Metal was Metal’s last brush with mainstream appeal in the US (as evidenced by almost every millennial or younger Maidenfan citing early encounters with it. It’s not going to leave the collective consciousness because it is a generation defining type of music. It’s like expecting bands like Poison to disappear. Bands like Linkin Park and Korn are too iconic to go anywhere - and we all know that mainstream music is rarely correlated to quality.

Metal Church got a bad draw. Cant deny Snowblind tho.

 

[LooseCannon]

Well, the Mississippi queen really got the Kinks as they are trounced by Mountain. They say time on a battlefield seems like it lasts forever, and Kamelot seems to have proven the truth of it. Don't believe a word that Ugly Kid Joe says, he's not the milkman's son, he's Thin Lizzy's. A 747 may have wheels of steel, but I think Saxon was referring to smaller wheels in that song. 747 (Strangers in the Night). Korn's somewhere they belong, the loser's bin, as they are murdered by Linkin Park. Metal Church's metal church can't be found by those who are snowblind. Black Sabbath.

---

Part I, Round 44, Matches 259-264​

Play In Round	Match 259​	Man on the Edge Division​
Uriah Heep - Look at Yourself	vs.​	KISS - Let Me Go, Rock N Roll​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	@Kalata​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 260​	Stratego Division​
Anthem - Grieve of Heart	vs.​	Accept - Princess of the Dawn​
@Wogmidget	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 261​	Stratego Division​
Judas Priest - Desert Plains	vs.​	Iced Earth - Burning Times​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	@Diesel 11​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 262​	Stratego Division​
Luca Turilli - Legend of Steel	vs.​	Avantasia - The Raven Child​
@JudasMyGuide	Nominators​	@DJMayes​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 263​	Aces High Division​
Heart - Barracuda	vs.​	Alice Cooper - School's Out​
Radio EHS 100	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 264​	Aces High Division​
Soundgarden - Outshined	vs.​	Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​