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

What is your favourite song in each match? Vote in all six matchups!

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  • Total voters
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Buckethead - Jordan vs. Death - Lack of Comprehension
Don't like the on/off switch rhythm of the Buckethead track. Track is good when they stop doing that. There's a bit of Biohazard's Down for Life in the solo. The heavy riff that kicks in at the start of Death is Thin Lizzy's Baby Please Don't Go. Pretty decent track, closer to Kreator than what I was expecting Lack of Comprehension

Metallica - To Live is to Die vs. Megadeth - Devils Island

The melodic riff in To Live is to Die is great, especially the abrupt cut to the clean section, maybe one of the best parts that's been in the game so far, but the rest of the track is average enough. Devil's Island, doesn't get anywhere even close to that high, but is a better overall song. Devils Island

Sabaton - Winged Hussars vs. Blind Guardian - Wheel of Time

Sabaton is like watered down Power Metal to make it more accessible, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, makes them slightly more listenable than the average though. Solo is pretty good. Sound quality of this Blind Guardian is better than their other tracks that have featured, and the band sound like they are playing with each other as opposed to previous tracks where it was every man for himself. Without knowing the lyrics, I can't tell whether the narrative of the song required the sections after the 5 minute odd mark, but it felt the songs was over at that point and that section was tacked on. Both these tracks were way better than I was expecting. Wheel of Time

Led Zeppelin - Communication Breakdown vs. The Runaways - Cherry Bomb

Pretty much every metal riff ever is a rip off of Communication Breakdown. Cherry Bomb is a bit shit. Communication Breakdown

Def Leppard - Let It Go vs. Twisted Sister - Under the Blade

Let it Go is great, Under the Blade is ok Let It Go

Cruachan - Ride On vs. Amorphis - Black Winter Day

I have a couple of Cruachan albums from around this period and saw them live, I'm not a fan of their more Black Metal influenced stuff, but quite liked this period where they were playing stuff that was more like trad standards with a metal edge, rather than metal incorporating token trad elements. The song is a trad standard, with the famous version being by Christy Moore. Surprised they didn't get a big hit with this with Shane McGowan singing a verse ( and he's great on it), the outro when the metal kicks in is brilliant too. Amorphis did nothing for me. Ride On
 
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The male vocalist sounds half-drunk during the softer parts, then overly throaty during the heavier bits, but I've heard much worse.

They're two different singers, the drunk one is Shane McGowan from the Pogues who produced the album, and the other one is the bands usual singer, Keith Fay.
 
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Jordan's verses aren't that far from elevator music (not a diss), I like the saw wavey guitar. He's using a killswitch for that from what I gathered. Anyway, it's a good vehicle for the solo, which is virtuosic and full of character. Don't know how much I like the rhythm guitar being bent to fit the solo, it doesn't sound like a song organic. Don't think it's beating Lack of Comprehension, with that brutal chorus and sweet sweet Schuldiner riffs. Possibly the best song on Human.

To Live is to Die... It was always a weak link in a stellar album, even when 'tallica was all I knew. The drums taking over the acoustic beginning is one of the best things, but the song begins plodding and doesn't ride the momentum. It just devolves into a natural progression of riffs. The little clean part is welcome. The spoken part is awkward. I don't have strong opinions on Devil's Island, it too is a weaker song on its album, but it doesn't feel useless like TLITD.

Wheel of Time's energy is unparalleled in the Blind Guardian discography, except for possibly Mirror Mirror. I read somewhere that it started as an orchestra only song (for Legacy of the Dark Lands), but they kept adding more and more metal elements until it transformed into what it is. I love the gear shift that occurs with the solos, and the two different choruses for the two verses. The interlude and the bridge building up the hype are perfect. The last two choruses do always feel tacked on, that is my only complaint. This song (and Ride into Obsession from the same album) got me reading the massive book series of "Wheel of Time" - which I'm 20 chapters shy of finishing, a year later - and it was so awesome to read the lines used in the song. Winged Hussars gets stuck in the head alright, but it's what Foo Fighters is to rock, it's what 3X² is to X³. It's very nice; I'm not interested. Let the lord of chaos rule!

I'll be honest, my mind drew blank trying to recall Communication Breakdown because Cherry Bomb is so terribly infectious. It's so annoying you gotta love it. Relistening to Communication Breakdown, (which I annoyingly can't abbreviate like I wanted to...) , it's for sure better than the mid-tempo bore I expect from Zep. I'd call it memorable but... ch-ch-ch CHERRY BOMB!

Wow, this might be my favourite Def Leppard song yet. Super fun and catchy rocker. Cool guitar lines. Under the Blade has the atmosphere of The Ripper with more Maidenish guitars. The vocals are so-so. It's good but sounds kind of weak... Def Leppard

Both songs in the folk corner are great. Black Winter Day is very pleasant, I really like the production on that whole album. One of the more chill tracks on there. Cruachan trade the riffs for dynamics and more emphasis on the folk part. The transition feels greedy
 
I found myself enjoying Buckethead more than I normally do, but that Death song is an absolute beast.

Devils Island is a fine enough song, but To Live and To Die is a big emotional beast, the kind Metallica doesn't often do well but has managed to knock out of the park here. Metallica.

While I like Wheel of Time fine, it's one of the songs I think is from the creative nadir of Blind Guardian. Meanwhile, Winged Hussars is one of my favourite Sabaton songs, if only because it's silly and fun.

Not a particular fan of either choice here, but I will give it to Led Zeppelin for creating a lot of the theoretical underpinnings of heavy music.

I fucking love Twisted Sister.

Cruachan impressed me more, plus I trust Perun's taste more than Popoff's.
 
Our whole family is stricken by Covid and I personally feel like shite twice vomited over, so no long posts from me as of now. Maybe I'll miss some rounds as well.

Death over Buckethead, always and ever, no comment.

I know it sounds ridiculous, but To Live Is to Die always seemed more fun to me than Orion - I tend to drift off in the second half of the latter. Devil's Island is fine, but I simply like the Tullica instrumental more.

Anything But Sabaton. Well, not really, but Blind Guardian are thrice the band Joakim and company are and since I've already finished the Wheel of Time series last year, I tend to appreciate BG's songs on the topic all the more (Ride into Obsession is even better, btw)

Zeppelin >>> The Runaways, even if Communication Breakdown is one of their more pedestrian songs.

Don't care, voted for Twisted Sister, for the sake of variety (I've already voted for Leppard in the past)

Like both songs in the last match and I downright love both bands, went with Perun's Cruachan pick also 'cause Shane.
 
Program note: I am travelling this weekend, the next update is likely to be Sunday evening.

It was a lack of comprehension that led Buckethead to think he could cheat Death. To live is to die on the devils island as Megadeth beats Metallica. Sabaton's winged hussars are crushed by the wheel of time as they lose to Blind Guardian. The cherry bomb suffered a communication breakdown. Led Zeppelin. Def Leppard should have let it go, but now they're under Twisted Sister's knife. And it's Cruachan that will ride on during this black winter day.






Part I, Round 46, Matches 271-276


Play In Round
Match 271
Die With Your Boots On Division​
Power Trip - Executioner's Axe (Swing of the Axe)
vs.
Metallica - The Call of Ktulu​
Rolling Stone 100
Nominators
Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 272
Paul Cairns Division​
Cynic - Veil of Maya
vs.
Borknagar - The Rhymes of the Mountain​
@Mosh
Nominators
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 273
Paul Cairns Division​
Hypocrisy - Fire in the Sky
vs.
Amon Amarth - The Pursuit of Vikings​
@Night Prowler
Nominators
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 274
Paul Cairns Division​
Dark Millennium - Beyond the Dragon's Eye
vs.
Nazgul - In Summis Montibus​
@Magnus
Nominators
Best Music Art 100​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links

Play In Round
Match 275
Derek Riggs Division​
Death - Flesh and the Power It Holds
vs.
Entombed - Left Hand Path​
@Confeos
Nominators
Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon

Play In Round
Match 276
Derek Riggs Division​
Brutal Truth - Collateral Damage
vs.
Rush - Working Man​
@Magnus
Nominators
Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon
Links
 
Also surprising choice cut from Rolling Stone with Power Trip. Always thought it was weird how the mainstream rock press coalesced around them, but I'm not complaining.
 
1. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn
2. Tough. Not my favourite Borknagar, and the Cynic one is good, but the Norwegian band eventually
3. Hypocrisy
4. Obviously
5. Ditto
6. When I nominated Collateral Damage I was thinking of @Jer honestly, and of making his usual fit of agony while listening to one of my nominees as short as possible.
 
Executioner’s Tax is a fine enough throwback thrash tune with some aggressively average palm-muted E riffs. The harsh vocals are decidedly not my thing and I don’t think the song goes anywhere at all. The Call of Ktulu is an absolute monster of an instrumental with some of the best atmosphere in metal. The intro is dark and ominous, the icy distorted guitar tones are perfect, and Cliff Burton’s random bass wah’s are quite interesting. I think it overstays it’s welcome by a minute or two, but Metallica bring loads more uniqueness and memorable riffs than Power Trip. I love the ridiculous ending of Ktulu.

I really enjoy the proggy music in Veil of Maya, but literally none of the vocal styles work for me here. The harsh vocals especially are quite off-putting. The riff that first occurs at :45 is absolutely sublime, especially contrasted with the subsequent relaxing session (let’s go jazzy bass slides!). Instrumentally, there’s nothing about this track that I don’t like. Vocally, there’s nothing about this track that I do like. The Rhymes of the Mountain is much more folk-oriented, with some great melodic playing and sweeping dramatic songwriting. I once again don’t love the vocals (the cleans are like slightly thinner Amorphis, the harsh are too black metal shrieky), but they’re decent enough. They do sound auto-tuned, though, which is kind of off-putting in this genre. Musically, I also have no faults here. I think Borknagar have the more complete package, but Cynic are far more unique and that single riff is more memorable than all of The Rhymes. Despite my complete dislike of the vocals, I’m gonna go with Veil of Maya for it’s originality. I think we’ll have a lot more songs in this game that sound like this Borknagar track (including in this round). Either one is worthy of winning. Really good match.

Fire In The Sky is an odd little bit of death metal. It sounds more like traditional metal (especially with that boom-bap and sing-a-long chorus) with a death metal filter. Unfortunately, these vocals are really, really bad. Peter Tägtgren is definitely a talented guy, but his harsh vocal style is very poor. I do really like the symphonic bridge bit, though. The Pursuit of Vikings just crushes like Mjölnir into your face immediately and never lets go. The riff and groove are infectious. Sure, it’s pretty simplistic, but it just absolutely works from start to finish. I’m always amazed at how catchy Amon Amarth can make their death metal. Johan Hegg would perfect his growls on the following album (gone would be the majority of that thinner, less guttural sound you hear during certain parts of Pursuit), but he still sounds pretty powerful. Listen to a live version of this track and Johan sounds like a goddamned Tyrannosaurus! Very, very easy vote for Amon Amarth.

The intro of Beyond the Dragon’s Eye was pretty discordant…and then the riffs started and I realized how little I knew of discordance…does Dark Millennium get off on being atonal? Holy crap. It kinda works. The guitar tone and production is pretty bad, though. Why are the clean vocals quieter than the harsh vocals? Now we’re in a harmonized/spoken word/free jazz guitar solo breakdown? I am bewildered by this whole thing. Is it genius or is it garbage? Before this thing expires we’ve got random (almost off-time) low piano strikes, ridiculously layered chip tune guitars playing counterpoint, a guitar lead that was maybe played by a child and has one of the worst editing moments I’ve ever heard on the final note. This is a bedroom musician, isn’t it? But like, maybe a mad scientist genius one? I have no thoughts and I have all of the thoughts about this song. Oh hey, speaking of WTF, here comes Nazgūl with poor black metal production and riffs overlaid with the cheesiest synths and tone-shifted spoken word bits you’ve ever heard! Wow. Seriously, ya’ll, what a fucking round this is. I’m enjoying the hell out of this match. I think I hate it? But damn, is it interesting. The screaming here literally sounds like someone strangling a goat behind closed doors down a long hallway. Throwing my vote towards Dark Millennium for having much loftier ambitions with their insanity.

Death is Death. As always, Chuck presents a massive helping of riff salad with odd time signatures, melodic bits, and heavy atonal bits. This is, what, the 4th or 5th Death song so far in this game? Clearly his riffing was top notch, but the songs all suffer from a lack of cohesion. His vocals kind of sound like Dave Mustaine trying death metal. Hmmmm, is that it? Is Death basically the death metal Megadeth? If this was a battle purely based on riffs, Death would win every time. His stuff is so crushing and unique. But the vocals don’t work for me and the song never feels like a song so much as a Frankenstein of parts. That said, I utterly hate the first minute of Left Hand Path. It gets better when the blast beats stop. The riffing is very angular and Slayer-like throughout the second section, which is also not my thing, and then, oh yeah, the blast beats start again. The guitar solos might actually be worse than Slayer. Things turn into a Halloween soundtrack around the 4-minute mark and it’s easily the best part of the song, even though the attempt at an epic guitar solo is a fail. Despite the riff salad, this is a no brainer in favor of Death.

The one that is a song. Also the one that contains music.
 
Alright, let's get the FML round over with.

First, let's calibrate the shitometer for extreme vocals:
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Down around 10% we'd have someone like Nikolay Nikolov of Aegonia, while up at 100% we'd have Michael Åkerfeldt of Opeth. Now that we're all on the same page...

"Executioner's Tax (Swing Of The Axe)" has a simplistic but appealing chug that gets a little more interesting as things progress. The non-melodic screamer sucks ass, but he's probably only a 30% on the shitometer. Somehow this song manages to start plodding after only a couple of minutes because it really doesn't go anywhere, and then it eventually stumbles over the finish line. I think I heard maybe two distinct musical ideas in that entire song. No thanks. "The Call Of Ktulu" has a haunting intro, with some fingering Mustaine would reuse later in "Hangar 18". It gets heavy and epic with some nice fills and change-ups, though it perhaps sits in each groove a little longer than it should. Some dope solos on offer here. I like the change in the rhythmic feel around the halfway mark, and the heavy reprise of the opening is cool, as is the extended ending section before the intro reprise. A great, if somewhat bloated instrumental that gets a 0% on the vocal shitometer by default. No contest, the Power Trip song is utterly outclassed here. Winner: Metallica (with a writing assist from Megadave) - "The Call Of Ktulu"

"Veil Of Maya" has some weird computerized melodic vocals alternating with non-melodic screaming that probably lands at about a 40% on the shitometer. There's some beautiful clean guitar and fretless bass work here, and some punchy guitar leads. The solo is very impressive from a technical perspective, but I'm not sure it holds together as a coherent musical statement. This would have been much better without the screamy bits, but the rest of what's here is quite good overall, with some brilliant parts. "The Rhymes Of The Mountain" has an interesting layering of epic melodic verses on top of overheated drums and downmixed black metal vocals. When the extreme vocals inevitably come to the fore, they rate about a 70% on the shitometer, and those cackly parts predictably suck. The clean parts are all quite nice, and there's a much better song waiting to escape from this black metal embrace if they'd just drop the cackles and the PCP-driven drumming -- but that's not the song they committed to tape. Sorry, @JudasMyGuide, but @Mosh's nominee rates lower on the shitometer, has fewer instances of vocal vomiting, and has more impressive instrumental work in general. Winner: Cynic - "Veil Of Maya"

"Fire In The Sky" kicks off with a nice melodic riff, but Gollum soon shows up to cackle about his precious, landing at a dead center 50% on the shitometer. I like the thick harmonies on the dual-guitar riff parts, and I'll give them a bonus point for supporting the cackles with melodic backing vocals on the chorus. The interlude is nice too. That was actually pretty good if you can ignore the extreme vocal parts...but, of course, no one can. "The Pursuit Of Vikings" has some pretty cool melodic riffage, but then Cookie Monster comes in, and he's gotta be around an 85% on the shitometer. The interlude lapses into a trilling version of the riff which is less interesting, but I like the harmonic interplay between the guitars on the next verse. The production is definitely better on this song than on its competitor. Well, both of these were pretty good minus the extreme vocals, but sorry @KiDDo, the vocals on @Night Prowler's nominee were 35% less shitty and had some melody in the chorus, and the rest of the music was pretty comparable, so my choice is clear. Winner: Hypocrisy - "Fire In The Sky"

"Beyond The Dragon's Eye" has some dissonant clean guitars roll incongruously into some chaotic distorted stuff and uneasy harmonized guitars before settling into a doomy groove with some nice leads. The verse vocals trade off between reasonable clean vocals and annoying constipated growls that hit about a 60% on the shitometer. The subdued clean duet section is nice, and the solo's good. Somebody really needs to get this guy some Ex-Lax. The random super-loud piano notes are an interesting touch. Checking the clock around the 5 and a half minute mark. Well, this off-kilter harmonized lead section is interesting. Not sure we needed a reprise of the clean duet, but here we are. This song had a number of interesting ideas, but also a number of stumbles along the way, and of course it would have been much better without the extreme vocals. "In Summis Montibus" -- it's Montibus'n time! Well, that's just noise at the beginning -- and then afterward we get the evil trifecta of synth horns, potbanging, and extreme vocals. Thankfully the vocals are buried a bit in the mix, but they sound like they'd be around 45% on the shitometer. The downtuned spoken word part is silly, though the flute, strings, and harp there sound nice. Fuck, these synth horns are super cheesy. OK, back into pointless noise again. Oh hey, I think I heard two deep-down stomach gurgles in there -- if my ears were better attuned I could probably guess what the dude had for lunch. OK, that was almost complete garbage, so this is an easy call for @Magnus's nominee. Winner: Dark Millennium - "Beyond The Dragon's Eye"

"Flesh And The Power It Holds" opens with a nice sinister lead with some interesting harmonization. The almost doomy riff that follows is also great, especially when the harmonies appear. The thrashy parts are also good, but not quite on the same level. Unfortunately, the predestined piercing non-melodic vocals come in, and they have a bit of a nails-on-the-chalkboard quality, so I'm going to have to give them a 70% on the shitometer. The frenetic drumming here actually works pretty well, probably because it's on-rhythm and not mindless. Great extended solo, too. Checking the clock around the 6 and a half minute mark. Yeah, the rest of the song was unnecessary, but aside from running too long the music was mostly great and put together well, and the only sore spot is the caustic, non-melodic vocals. "Left Hand Path" has verve, but it gets right into the Cookie Monster action, landing at 55% on the shitometer. The drumming borders on potbanging territory, but keeps it just interesting enough that I can't quite label it that way. The riffs actually provide pretty good atmosphere here, too. The first solo is good, but the multi-solo section in the middle feels rushed and directionless. Checking the clock at 3:45, feeling like the song should have ended here. The solos toward the end are quite good, almost enough to justify dragging the song out an extra 3 minutes, though it still feels like a minute or two could have been chopped. The list nominee had its positive elements, but this is still a very easy call for @Confeos's choice. Winner: Death - "Flesh And The Power It Holds"

"Collateral Damage" -- is this track seriously 3 seconds long? I mean, wow, an extreme metal track that doesn't waste my time! Thanks, @Magnus. It's hard to get an accurate shitometer reading on such a small sample, but let's go with 60% as a best guess. I will say that this track pretty much captures everything an extreme vocal could hope to offer without any unnecessary fat, and that's worth something. "Working Man" is far from my favorite Rush track, but it has the advantages of 1) actually being a song, 2) not suffering from any extreme vocals, and 3) having memorable vocal lines. It also has a reasonably good groove and solos, even if it runs on a bit too long. I'm actually tempted to toss the Brutal Truth track an ironic vote for its sheer audacity, but I've got to keep it real and vote for the track that's actually better. Sorry, @Magnus. Winner: Rush - "Working Man"

Alright, class, let's review our shitometer readings for today!
  • 100% - Michael Åkerfeldt of Opeth
  • 85% - Amon Amarth fellow
  • 70% - Chuck Schuldiner of Death
  • 70% - Borknagar bro
  • 60% - Dark Millennium dude
  • 60% - Brutal Truth guy
  • 55% - Entombed gentleman
  • 50% - Hypocrisy chum
  • 45% - Nazgul buddy
  • 40% - Cynic man
  • 30% - Power Trip brother
  • 10% - Nikolay Nikolov of Aegonia
  • 0% - Geddy Lee
  • 0% - James Hetfield on mute
 
First, let's calibrate the shitometer for extreme vocals: Down around 10% we'd have someone like Nikolay Nikolov of Aegonia, while up at 100% we'd have Michael Åkerfeldt of Opeth. Now that we're all on the same page...
So that guy doing a really terrible whisper growl is considered the best of extreme vocals to you? Your shitometer is inverted based on empirical facts. Hence why your tastes on the matter are so confused.
"Executioner's Tax (Swing Of The Axe)" has a simplistic but appealing chug that gets a little more interesting as things progress. The non-melodic screamer sucks ass, but he's probably only a 30% on the shitometer.
70% better than Mikael Åkerfeldt, then? Ok, bud.
"Veil Of Maya" has some weird computerized melodic vocals alternating with non-melodic screaming that probably lands at about a 40% on the shitometer.
This is some of the worst screaming I've ever heard. And yet, still 60% better than Mikael Åkerfeldt? Okkkkkkkay, bud.
"Fire In The Sky" kicks off with a nice melodic riff, but Gollum soon shows up to cackle about his precious, landing at a dead center 50% on the shitometer.
I take back my previous statement. This is some of the worst screaming I've ever heard. Annnnnnd yet, we're back down to 50% better than Mikael Åkerfeldt? Yeeeeah okkkkkkkk, bud.
"The Pursuit Of Vikings" has some pretty cool melodic riffage, but then Cookie Monster comes in, and he's gotta be around an 85% on the shitometer.
Also one of the single best extreme vocalists in the world. And yet, somehow worse than the previous gollums? Yeah yeah, alright alright, okkkkkaaaaay bud.
"Beyond The Dragon's Eye"...The verse vocals trade off between reasonable clean vocals and annoying constipated growls that hit about a 60% on the shitometer.
This bedroom recordist is still 40% better than Mikael Åkerfeldt? YEAH YEAH YEAH OKKKKKKKAY there BUD.
"In Summis Montibus" -- Thankfully the vocals are buried a bit in the mix, but they sound like they'd be around 45% on the shitometer.
THIS DYING GOAT BEHIND 17 WALLS IS 55% BETTER THAN MIKAEL ÅKERFELDT?! YEEEEEEEAHHHH SURE THERE BUD.
Unfortunately, the predestined piercing non-melodic vocals come in, and they have a bit of a nails-on-the-chalkboard quality, so I'm going to have to give them a 70% on the shitometer.
And yet...............somehow still 30% better than Mikael Åkerfeldt? YEAH SURE OKAY OK OKAYEEEE BUD THERE YEAH.
"Left Hand Path" has verve, but it gets right into the Cookie Monster action, landing at 55% on the shitometer.
OOKKKKKKKKKKKK BUDDDDDDD
It's hard to get an accurate shitometer reading on such a small sample, but let's go with 60% as a best guess.
SO 1 SECOND OF SHITTING INTO THE MIC IS STILL 40% BETTER THAN THE BEST IN THE GENRE> KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK BUDDDDDY
  • 100% - Michael Åkerfeldt of Opeth
  • 85% - Amon Amarth fellow
  • 70% - Chuck Schuldiner of Death
  • 70% - Borknagar bro
  • 60% - Dark Millennium dude
  • 60% - Brutal Truth guy
  • 55% - Entombed gentleman
  • 50% - Hypocrisy chum
  • 45% - Nazgul buddy
  • 40% - Cynic man
  • 30% - Power Trip brother
  • 10% - Nikolay Nikolov of Aegonia
  • 0% - Geddy Lee
  • 0% - James Hetfield on mute
I'mma feckin kill meeeself
 
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