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

[Diesel 11]

A big part of it is the vocals, which, let’s admit, aren’t quite up to the level of our prophet Mikael of Akerfeldtius.

Nah, if we’re talking like, debut-Human, when Chuck was singing in about the same range as Mikael, he’s a good two steps ahead. I’ll accept arguments that he’s a little bit too clinical with limited expression but damn the sound of his voice on Leprosy and Human in particular is so fucking chiseled.

 

[Shmoolikipod]

"Working Man" is just not practical to listen to. I had to pause the song since the DOG wanted to go for a walk (). "cOllateraldaMage" would never fail me this way. މއޘ!

 

[Magnus]

Sunday evenings in Canada are longer than elsewhere. Little known fact.

 

[LooseCannon]

Yeah, I ended up not looking at a computer at all until just now. Might update tonight, might not, pretty tired after a long drive.

 

[DJ James]

Yeah, I ended up not looking at a computer at all until just now. Might update tonight, might not, pretty tired after a long drive.

Take a rest LC, you deserve it

 

[LooseCannon]

An executioner's axe simply cannot defeat an eldritch horror, as Metallica wins. Call me a cynic, but I think that a mountain that rhymes is pretty impressive! Borknagar. Amon Amarth wins as a fire in the sky cannot stop the pursuit of vikings. It's ringwraiths vs dragons and I guess Smaug's buddies takes it. Dark Millennium. You'd think that Entombed would take the left hand path to victory, but they forgot that the left hand is made of flesh, and the power it holds is that of Death. I'm in a rush, alright, a rush to get Brutal Truth's joke song out of this game, and I don't care about the collateral damage of declaring Rush the working man winner.


Program note: You may notice that All Along the Watchtower has two nominees. This is because when I assembled the master list, some entrants used "Jimi Hendrix Experience" and some used "The Jimi Hendrix Experience". I only noticed this after the game had begun, so I just fixed it as quick and as least impacting as possible. As it was two list entrants in the hard rock category, I didn't think we'd lose anything by running it through the vote gauntlet. As far as I can tell, everything else is fine and I double checked the entire 1000+ song list after detecting this mistake.

---

Part I, Round 47, Matches 277-282​

Play In Round	Match 277​	Derek Riggs Division​
Manowar - Blood of My Enemies	vs.​	Manowar - Metal Daze​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 278​	The Legacy Division​
Melvins - Night Goat	vs.​	Deftones - Change (In the House of Flies)​
Rolling Stone 100	Nominators​	Radio EHS 100​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 279​	The Legacy Division​
Motörhead - I'm the Doctor	vs.​	Venom - Welcome to Hell​
@DJ James	Nominators​	Rolling Stone 100​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 280​	The Legacy Division​
Black Sabbath - Hole in the Sky	vs.​	W.A.S.P. - Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 281​	Maiden England Division​
Y&T - Mean Streak	vs.​	Montrose - Rock the Nation​
Popoff 500	Nominators​	Popoff 500​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

Play In Round	Match 282​	Maiden England Division​
Jimi Hendrix Experience - All Along the Watchtower	vs.​	Ram Jam - Black Betty​
Popoff 500, Radio EHS 100	Nominators​	Radio EHS 100​
Youtube | Spotify | Amazon	Links​	Youtube | Spotify | Amazon​

 

[KidInTheDark666]

Oh no, Marty's gone wild again.

 

[DJ James]

I’m the Doctor versus Welcome to Hell, life is so unfair!!!

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Both Manowar songs suck. Blood of My Enemies sucks less.

Deftones suck worse than Manowar. Melvins by default.

I’m the Doctor is a pretty middling Motörhead song. Welcome To Hell isn’t much better, but it’s definitely more interesting.

Hole in the Sky kinda sucks, but Animal sucks way more.

Mean Streak is lame, but fine for AOR. Rock the Nation is even lamer and loses all good will for having lyrics about “rocking”.

All Along the Watchtower is an iconic cover of a Bob Dylan song. It’s undoubtedly a classic, but I simply have way more fun with Black Betty. Absolutely killer playing and proggy changes!

(this round was brutal)

 

[Siddharth]

Now this is a round, where I will certainly vote!

Don't get me wrong guys, but Metal Daze is the only Manowar song I actually appreciate (as of yet). Its not the cheesiness but the below par musicianship that I don't really dig them (but hey, I'm open to suggestions!)

Night Goat by Melvins. A really good song by an underrated but influential band. When I first heard Changes, it didn't do much, however I pretty much like it now...

Tough one between Motorhead and Venom but I'll go with I'm The Doctor as it is choosen by an actual forum member. Not to deny the influence of Venom though. Another song in the long list of '2 Minutes To Midnight-like' sounding riffs.

Definitely Hole In The Sky above Animal. WASP is a great band but its up against a damn classic!

Y&T- another very underrated band and one of my favourite, which should get more recognition so definitely going for the classic Mean Streak.

I feel like Jimi Hendrix could have had more songs for better representation here. Black Betty is more in the vein of my style. So Ram Jam for the win!

 

[LooseCannon]

Now this is a round, where I will certainly vote!

You should vote in every round!

 

[Magnus]

I’m the Doctor versus Welcome to Hell, life is so unfair!!!

It is indeed.
Please forgive me but I'll most probably vote for the Venom song, no matter how I like you nomination, and despite the member v. list thing.
I do feel bad about it.
Ah, now I know it's not my fault, yay!

 

[Magnus]

Some really cool 70s stuff in this round, very difficult to choose. Much of it has nothing to do with metal but I'm glad I heard it nevertheless.
(Up till now I didn't really understand why LC had to include so many songs from all kinds of lists but: a) some of them are really cool and I don't think I would have ever heard them otherwise; b) I fully expected Welcome To Hell to be nominated - and more than once - by members so I didn't do it myself, and yeah, thank you so much @Rolling Stone 100).

 

[Jer]

"Blood Of My Enemies" has an OK bass + harmonic intro. The verse rhythm is fine, but the vocal melody isn't anything special, and the half-singing is annoying. The chorus melody is a little better, but not by much. The solo's pretty good at least. God, those high vocal notes sound awful. Well, that was a waste. "Metal Daze" has an OK Priest-like riff, but fuck are those lyrics cheesy. The group vox are terrible too, and the solo is a pretty directionless mess. The groove is a little better in this song than its competitor, I guess. Wow, both of these songs suck, but I guess the first one sucks a little less overall. Winner: Manowar - "Blood Of My Enemies"

"Night Goat" has kind of an aimless bass intro that falls into a plodding groove. The verse and pre-chorus are OK, as are the non-solos. The song is generally inoffensive, but never really goes anywhere. "Change (In The House Of Flies)" has a creepy clean intro that folds into a gentle, uneasy verse. The heavier pre-chorus and chorus are fine, but never really take off. Checking the clock at the 3 and a half minute mark. Yeah, that one dragged on longer than was necessary. Not a fan of either track, but I guess the Deftones song had a little bit more going on, so I'll give it the nod. Winner: Deftones - "Change (In The House Of Flies)"

"I'm The Doctor" (a.k.a. @Perun) has a simple, peppy groove. Not a fan of Lemmy's voice in the first place, and the layered vocals make him sound worse than usual here. The solos are pretty good, though. I don't know, this all sounds so stock and generic musically that it's hard to have much of an opinion about it. In one ear and out the other. "Welcome To Hell" apparently has the looks that kill riffwise, and low-fi production to match. The woman speaking on top of the guy while he keeps singing is bizarre. The song is a mess, but vaguely interesting at times. Yeah, this is another match-up that just makes me shrug my shoulders. I could just flip a coin, but congratulations @DJ James, I'll go with the MaidenFans nominee instead. Winner: Motörhead - "I'm The Doctor"

"Hole In The Sky" has a simple but appealing main riff. The vocal melodies are solid and the solo's alright. Seems like every modern stoner band sounds almost exactly like this song. Well, that was an abrupt ending. Pretty good overall. "Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)" has a much better riff out of the gate, but the lyrics are cringey as hell. The verse vocals are really uneven, but the chorus is better. Bonus point for gratuitous cowbell. Solo's pretty short, but also pretty good. The song has its strong points, and it probably hits higher highs than its competitor, but it really needed more time in the oven and also needed to dial back the nonsense a bit. Overall I think I still need to give this one to Sabbath. Winner: Black Sabbath - "Hole In The Sky"

"Mean Streak" has a cool riff and strong vocal melodies. The singer sounds a bit like Sammy Hagar. Strong bridge. The solo is a bit tryhard at first, but gets its sea legs during the more melodic section that follows. Nice ending, good stuff overall. "Rock The Nation" gets a bonus point for cowbell right out of the gate. This singer sounds even more like Sammy Hagar! The riffage is fine, but doesn't make as much of an impression as the Y&T song's did. The bright variant chorus in the middle is nice, and the solo is fine. Not bad, but this is still a pretty clear call for Y&T. Winner: Y&T - "Mean Streak"

The Hendrix cover of "All Along The Watchtower" is classic for good reason. The vocal melodies are strong and the guitar work is obviously great. Not really anything negative to say about this one. "Black Betty" also has sweet guitar work, and the verses are funky and infectious. It doesn't really hold together as well as a song, though it does go to a number of different places musically. Not really a fan of the harmonized guitar parts here. Both songs are good overall, but the Hendrix track is definitely better. Winner: Jimi Hendrix Experience - "All Along The Watchtower"

 

[Kalata]

Blood Of My Enemies (melodic chorus), Mean Streak (that riff) and Animal (the music is classic WASP, but should have had different lyrics) are the some of the best songs by their respective bands.

Hole In The Sky is not a bad 70's Black Sabbath song.

"Metal Daze" has an OK Priest-like riff...

Priest riff, yes.

 

[Riggatoni]

Blood Of My Enemies (melodic chorus), Mean Streak (that riff) and Animal (the music is classic WASP, but should have had different lyrics) are the some of the best songs by their respective bands.

Hole In The Sky is not a bad 70's Black Sabbath song.

Hole in The Sky has a great riff... Like a lot of Sabbath's other songs, thanks to lord Iommi. Ozzy also sings extremely well; his peak in the band, IMO, was in the albums Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Sabotage (which Hole in the Sky is on). His voice isn't for everyone, and he is not on the level of a singer such as Dickinson, but he made the most of his limited range!

 

[srfc]

Manowar - Blood of My Enemies vs. Manowar - Metal Daze
If the album is called Hail to England, then why does it have the United Kingdom's flag on the cover? The groove is a straightforward Manowar groove that they do well, and the lyrics are the usual guff, the chorus sounds a bit Scorpions. I think the first Manowar album is the closest they get to an actual decent album, at least of the ones I know, and Metal Daze is one of the better songs on it. Metal Daze

Melvins - Night Goat vs. Deftones - Change (In the House of Flies)
I just gave cursory listen to both of these, I heard enough to know I've no interest in hearing anymore. Listened to a fair bit more of Melvins so will give them the win, could only get as far as Chino's windy vocal before I turned that shit off. Night Goat

Motörhead - I'm the Doctor vs. Venom - Welcome to Hell
I'm the Doctor is similar groove to Priest's Steeler. I'd be nominating the title track from this album, but it's a pretty decent Motorhead track. Welcome to Hell, first thought is "she's got the look's that kill!", although I guess Motley are the ones stealing. I'm the Doctor

Black Sabbath - Hole in the Sky vs. W.A.S.P. - Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)
Sabotage is one of my favourites from the Ozzy era, and this is a great opener, what a riff and Ozzy screaming blue murder. Animal is fuckin' stupid lyric wise, there's no getting around that, but it kicks ass. Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)

Y&T - Mean Streak vs. Montrose - Rock the Nation
I was going to say I never heard Y&T before but that riff sounds very familiar. Very hair metal, probably a bit ahead of it's time in that regard, the vocal sounds more like a Two Tickets to Paradise style track. Another one where you're picking Bad Motor Scooter or Rock Candy off that album (Space Station No.5 even) before this track. Mean Streak

Jimi Hendrix Experience - All Along the Watchtower vs. Ram Jam - Black Betty
This one is no contest. All Along the Watchtower

 

[JudasMyGuide]

So, I still feel properly cattled, since the original covid snowballed into a bacterial superinfection or something, so I'm taking antibiotics as well and I just don't feel too well (though better, the fever seems to be gone for good), so I can't really seem to get into the mood for this round which seems just really terrible - there are, like, two songs I like (Sabbath and Hendrix) and I can't even be arsed to properly listen to the rest.

Manowar - going with Blood of My Enemies, because album bias.

Melvins vs Deftones - don't care, voting for Deftones, since I used to like them more in the past and they're currently losing.

Motorhead, lol.

Sabbath, of course.

Montrose are the better band of the two.

Hendrix, no contest.

 

[Riggatoni]

So, I still feel properly cattled, since the original covid snowballed into a bacterial superinfection or something, so I'm taking antibiotics as well and I just don't feel too well (though better, the fever seems to be gone for good), so I can't really seem to get into the mood for this round which seems just really terrible - there are, like, two songs I like (Sabbath and Hendrix) and I can't even be arsed to properly listen to the rest.

Manowar - going with Blood of My Enemies, because album bias.

Melvins vs Deftones - don't care, voting for Deftones, since I used to like them more in the past and they're currently losing.

Motorhead, lol.

Sabbath, of course.

Montrose are the better band of the two.

Hendrix, no contest.

Hope you feel better man. You made some good picks!