Everything Louder Than Everything Else.
It's the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament, which can only mean one thing: 2007 March Madness of Music.
I'm pretty sure everyone who reads this is now familiar with this little March tradition of mine, but I shall explain the premise again. Proof that Ana, Tim, Josh (N.), and I are some of the biggest music nerds in the world, we all come up with 16 music related picks--bands, songs, albums, etc.--and pit them against each other, then we spend a night discussing which is better until there is one winner. This is the 4th year we've done it, and by all acounts could've been the best so far. Just as a history, here are the previous Final 4's and winners.
2004
Jack White - guitarist - White Stripes
Sex Pistols
Weezer
"Free Bird" - Lynyrd Skynyrd
2005
Jimi Hendrix playing guitar with his teeth
Tom Morello - guitar - Rage
Dexter Holland - guitar/vocals - Offspring
"Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin
2006
Metallica
Rage Against the Machine
Black Sabbath
Stone Temple Pilots
For the first time, we actually were able to do this in person after one year of conference calling and the last two years using AIM. So we gathered 'round a 2-liter of Pepsi, a pepperoni pizza, with CDs and multimedia prepared, and began a stirring debate on this year's bracket.
Because of the shortcomings of Photobucket, the bracket has to be cut up so it's legible.
First half
Second half
Final 4
Some quick hits about the bracket:
*Korn, Smashing Pumpkins, and Rage were all well represented in the brackets, pretty unexpectedly, but whatever.
*This is the third straight year Rage Against the Machine has been in the Final 4 in one form or another. What can I say, the four of us love the band.
*Ana went an unusual route by selecting an entire field of guitarist, or as she put it, her heroes and influences. Though noticeably absent were Tom Morello and Kirk Hammett, simply because they've both been in the tournament recently. We don't have a rule against return choices (In fact, Josh's selection of Mudvayne marks their second appearance in the tourney). But it is more appropriate to select new ones. After all there are limitless selections to go 'round.
*Keeping track of who chose the eventual winners, Tim had his first winner this year, Josh has selected the winner in the previous two, and Ana selected the inaugural winner. Which means I'm the only one who still has yet to select a winner. However, this is the third straight year I've selected the runner up.
*Since we had all 4 of us this year, unlike last year when Tim was still deployed in Iraq, we bent the rules back to a 3-1 majority rather than needing a unanimous 3-0 like last year. The 20 time limit we instilled last year we kept as it was a good idea, though we only breached that limit on 3 or 4 occasions. The discussion wrapped up in just under 2 hours, probably the shortest MMOM we've had so far.
Since it wasn't on AIM, I obviously can't give out the transcript of the arguments. However, I did take notes, which I will released right underneath .
BOBBO THE FLOBBO
(1) Freddie Mercury vs. (16)Jacoby Shaddix
Freddie: Unanimous, Papa Roach can suck Freddie's left nut
(8) Rob Zombie vs. (9) Alice Cooper
Rob Zombie: 3-1, Tim withstanding. Cooper may have been the original shock rocker, but Zombie has done it better, we decided
(5)Rage's BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES album vs. (12) KoRn's FOLLOW THE LEADER album
BATTLE: Unanimous. Love both, but Battle was the clear choice between us all.
(4) Rage reunion vs. (13) Police reunion
Rage: Unanimous. All 4 of us Rage lovers, so of course that's the answer. But Tim did let out a sterling rendition of "Roxanne" while we were debating. That was amusing.
(6) "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio vs. (11) "Zero" - Smashing Pumpkins
"Zero": 3-1, Bobbo withstanding. Josh absolutely despises the song while the other two like it but thought "Zero" was better overall. Can't win em all.
(3) "One" (Metallica) music video vs. (14) "Twisted Transistor" (Korn) music video
"One": 3-1, Tim withstanding. Tim fought for Transistor being more fun and more humorous, and more enjoyable. But no denying that "One" is an awesome video.
(7) Smashing Pumpkins' MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS vs. (10) Radiohead's OK COMPUTER
OK: 2-2, time limit elapsed. Settled by coin flip. I'm still a little begrudged that's how we had to settle it.
(2) "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." - Fall of Troy vs. (15) "Glass to the Arson" - Anberlin
"FCPREMIX": 3-0. Josh abstained having never heard either song. Ana hates Anberlin and Tim and I just love the guitar lickage of the Fall of Troy. Easy pick.
ANA BANANA
(1) Jimmy Page vs. (16) Ben Burnley
Page: Unanimous. Like some deep vocalled modern rock guitarist can take down the god of all things rock.
(8) Billy Corgan vs. (9) Dimebag Darrell
Dimebag: Unanimous. Corgan wrote better, but Darrell is the better guitarist. By leaps and bounds.
(5) Slash vs. (12) John Frusciante
Slash: Unanimous. Again, John's the better writer, but Slash is far ahead of him.
(4) Randy Rhoads vs. (13) Richie Blackmore
Rhoads: Unanimous. There was a small debate for Blackmore creating the most recognizable riff ever ("Smoke on the Water"), but Rhoads had him licked 6 ways to Sunday.
(6) David Gilmour vs. (11) Mike Scaccia
Gilmour: Unanimous. I dislike Ministry, Tim claimed his love for the solo on "Hey You", and the other two couldn't deny Dark Side of the Moon to the industrial slinger.
(3) Steve Vai vs. (14) Pete Townshend
Vai: Unanimous. Again, I'm sad because in any other matchup, Townshend would probably win. But Vai is just pure astonishment.
(7) Adam Jones vs. (10) Alex Lifeson
Jones: 3-1, Josh withstanding. And at that, only reason he withstood was due to his general unfamiliarity with Jones. Not to take anything away from Lifeson who does kick a whole lot of ass.
(2) Angus Young vs. (15) John 5.
Angus: 3-1, Josh withstanding. He claims allegiance to the industrial side of the guitar.
TIMMY C. the MOOK
(1) Cheap Trick vs. (16) The Guess Who
Trick: Unanimous. "American Woman" was not enough to pick over the early punks.
(8) Nonpoint vs. (9) Iced Earth
Nonpoint: 3-1, Josh withstanding. I punched him though, to make up for it.
(5) Pink Floyd's THE WALL vs. (12) Red Hot Chili Pepper's STADIUM ARCADIUM
WALL: Unanimous. It was actually Mellon Collie at first challenging The Wall, but after I had that in my bracket, Tim changed it.
(4) Zildjian vs. (13) Paiste
Zildjian: 3-0, Ana abstaining having not a clue about the quality of cymbals.
(6) Audioslave vs. (11) The Nightwatchman
'Slave: Unanimous. Tom Morello sounds good as a folky, but he says a LOT more through his electric.
(3) Vinnie Paul vs. (14) Ray Luzier
Paul: Unanimous. We gave love to Luzier who sounds absolutely dynamic for Army of Anyone. But come on, Vinnie Paul is the sickest drummer alive.
(7) "Heaven and Hot Rods" - STP vs. (10) "Do it For the Kids" - Velvet Revolver
"Kids": 2-2, time limit elapsed. Decided by having Erica listen to both, then making a decision.
(2) Alice in Chains vs. (15) Paw
AiC: Unanimous. Of course.
JOSHULATOR
(1) System of a Down's TOXICITY vs. (16) Sevendust's ANIMOSITY
Toxicity: Unanimous. Greatest album of that early 00's.
(8) Killswitch Engage vs. (9) Arcade Fire
Arcade: 2-1, Rob abstaining since I didn't have a valid opinion on either. Josh fought for the hard rock Engage, but was outnumbered by Tim and Ana loving the MOntreal band.
(5) Al Jourgensen vs. (12) Jonathan Davis
Jon: 3-1, Josh withstanding. His love for the guy is immense, but Tim and I are Korn lovers, and Ana--who last year was all up on Ministry--even took Jon over Al.
(4) Dropbox vs. (13) Mudvayne
Drop: 3-1, Rob withstanding. I just thought Mudvayne was more intelligable.
(6) Lacuna Coil vs. (11) Shiny Toy Guns
Lacuna: Unanimous.
(3) Zack de la Rocha vs. (14) Mike Shinoda
Zack: Unanimous. Damn straight.
(7) Soundgarden's SUPERUNKNOWN vs. (10) Screaming Trees' SWEET OBLVION
SUPERUNKNOWN: Unanimous. Josh gave a fight to the Trees, but knew that Unknown was the better album.
(2) Nine Inch Nails vs. (15) Strapping Young Lad
NIN: Unanimous. I gave love to Devin Townsend's group, but Reznor obviously trumps him and his thugs.
SECOND ROUND-
BOBBO THE FLOBBO
(1) Freddie Mercury vs. (8) Rob Zombie
Freddie: Unanimous. Rob ain't got shit on Freddie.
(4) Rage reunion vs. (5) BATTLE OF LOS ANGLES
BATTLE: Unanimous. It was kind of confusing how to go about judging this. We based it upon which was more fulfilling, and while the potential reunion is thrilling, it wouldn't have been half as thrilling without Battle of Los Angeles.
(3) "One" music video vs. (11) "Zero" - Smashing Pumpkins
"Zero": 3-1, Josh withstanding. This was a comeback since "One" started out up 3-1, but Tim made a strong argument saying that "Zero" was a brilliant song as well as the video for "One" chopped the song up. And that a video should not be better than the song. That won me and Ana over. Josh just frowned.
(2) "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." - Fall of Troy vs. (10) OK COMPUTER
FCPREMIX: 3-1, Josh withstanding. And man is he still pissed about this one. The reason for picking the Fall of Troy song over the Radiohead album was simply because it was more exciting and energized than anything Radiohead had ever done. And that counts in this contest.
ANA BANANA
(1) Jimmy Page vs. (9) Dimebag Darrell
Page: Unanimous. Ana didn't answer right away and made a great argument for Dimebag t beat the purveyor of all things rock. But she did end up agreeing with us.
(4) Randy Rhoads vs. (5) Slash
Rhoads: Unanimous. Love for Slash, but Rhoads could destroy Slash every day of the week.
(3) Steve Vai vs. (6) David Gilmour
Vai: 3-1, Josh withstanding. He tried to argue on the basis of Pink Floyd'dom. But it's Steve fucking Vai.
(2) Angus Young vs. (7) Adam Jones
Jones: 2-1, Josh abstaining, Ana withstanding. This was a debate of the masses. Much to my surprise, it was Tim who didn't take Angus's side first. Ana immediately took Angus, but he and I thought about. He took Adam first and claimed that Angus is immensely talented, but he had no thought process on writing. While Adam is the complete opposite, amazingly detailed and into every flick of his strings. That sold me. Angus is still one of the greatest, and on any other day, he probably would've had my vote. But he didn't today, the day that counted.
TIMMY C.
(1) Cheap Trick vs. (8) Nonpoint
Trick: 3-1, Rob withstanding. I love me Nonpoint, and even in an unwinnable argument, I still won't abandon them.
(4) Zildjian cymbals vs. (5) THE WALL
WALL: Unanimous. They're just cymbals, after all. The Wall is pure amazingness though.
(3) Vinnie Paul vs. (6) Audioslave
VINNIE: Unanimous. I almost can't believe this was unanimous. Almost shows no respect for Audioslave. But I know that's not the case. After all, I even voted for Vinnie, so. That's how good he is.
(2) Alice in Chains vs. (10) "Do it For the Kids" - Velvet Revolver
AiC: Unanimous. Natch.
JOSHULATOR
(1) TOXICITY vs. (9) Arcade Fire
Arcade: 2-1, Rob abstaining, Tim withstanding. A real shocker, and the first #1 seed to go down. The amazing album gets taken down by the Canadian newbies.
(4) Dropbox vs. (12) Jonathan Davis
Jon: 3-1, Ana withstanding. what can I say, the guy plays bagpipes. That is UBER metal. Not really. But he's still better than Dropbox.
(3) Zack de la Rocha vs. (6) Lacuna Coil
Zack: Unanimous. The voice of Rage obliterates the Italian sextet.
(2) Nine Inch Nails vs. (7) SUPERUNKNOWN
NIN: Unanimous. The collective genius of Reznor is enough to trump the great grunge album in our book.
SWEET 16:
(1) Freddie Mercury vs. (5) BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES
Freddie: Unanimous. Godly vocalist is even better than a godly album.
(2) "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." - Fall of Troy vs. (11) "Zero" - Smashing Pumpkins
"Zero": 3-1, Rob withstanding. I guess you can't beat a 90s alternative staple like "Zero". Though I thought FCP is really a better song. Oh well.
(1) Jimmy Page vs. (5) Randy Rhoads
Page: Unanimous. We spent 20 minutes discussing the amazingness of both guitarists, even though we all knew Page is technically better. It was a nice discussion.
(3) Steve Vai vs. (7) Adam Jones
Vai: Unanimous. Jones was good enough to derail Angus Young, but not Vai who IS a supreme shredder and a great riffer. Sorry, Adam.
(1) Cheap Trick vs. (5) THE WALL
WALL: 3-1, Tim withstanding. The boy loves Cheap Trick, but the rest of us know that they never achieved WALL status.
(2) Alice in Chains vs. (3) Vinnie Paul
AiC: Unanimous. Vinnie is a godly drummer, but definitely not better than Alice.
(9) Arcade Fire vs. (12) Jonathan Davis
Jon: Unanimous. In an amazing turn of events, we all took Jonathan over Arcard Fire. It's got to be the experience and the number of awesome tracks he had, even trumping that of his not so awesome tracks. Meh. Jon for the win.
(2) Nine Inch Nails vs. (3) Zack de la Rocha
Zack: 3-1, Josh withstanding. He remained valiant that he loved Zack, but was not, alone, better than NIN. We other three disagreed.
ELITE 8:
(1) Freddie Mercury vs. (11) "Zero" - Smashing Pumpkins
Freddie: Unanimous. There is no song greater than Freddie, especially not this one.
(1) Jimmy Page vs. (3) Steve Vai
Vai: 3-1, Tim withstanding. This was by far the hardest debate so far. It was a long debate even going over the 20 minute time limit. We listened to "Whole Lotta Love". But in the end, Vai got the nod seemingly because he was a better actual player. Page had him beat by light years in the writing department, but when we looked at ACTUAL playing style, it just seemed to me, Ana, and later convincing Josh, that Vai had the upperhand. Page is still GOD though.
(2) Alice in Chains vs. (5) THE WALL
AiC: Unanimous. The Wall made it this far, but they finally met their match; a band that the legendary album ISN'T better than.
(3) Zack de la Rocha vs. (12) Jonathan Davis
Zack: Unanimous. Jon had a magical run, but his days are numbered by the volatile Rage vocalist.
FINAL 4:
(1) Freddie Mercury
vs.
(3) Steve Vai
Another VERY hard decision. We disussed right up until the time limit. The selling point was that Freddie Mercury can easily be the greatest vocalist ever, while it'd be a little bit tougher to make the claim that Vai is the greatest guitarist. It was at that point that I regretted putting Vai in the Final 4, and thought that it would've been DAMN near impossible to pick a winner between Mercury and Page. But what's done was done. And Freddie got the pick, unanimously.
(2) Alice in Chains
vs.
(3) Zack de la Rocha
This late in the tournament, it's hard to pick a single member of a band over an entire band. Some of them do equate better than the sum of an entire band. Zack de la Rocha is an amazing lyricist, probably better than Layne (in my opinion). But as the sum of the entire AiC band? No. It was unfortunately unanimous.
And, the championship bout.
(1) Freddie Mercury vs. (2) Alice in Chains
Again, this late in the tournament, a band member has to be DAMN good to trump an entire band. But if anyone could do it, it's Freddie Mercury. His sultry flamboyant vocals waxed the ears of millions of listeners and inspired many more. Alice in Chains. Amazing alt-metal/grunge band out of Seattle. Legendary vocalist. Signature strongarm music style. Arguably the greatest band of the 90s. How can one honestly pick against this band? 30 minutes of discussion, listening to several AiC songs as well as a couple Queen songs, including "Bohemian Rhapsody", we had a decision...
With a score of 3-1, only Josh withstanding, the winner was
ALICE IN CHAINS
As I know there are bound to be pissed off people, comment with the disapprovals of our decisions.
I'm pretty sure everyone who reads this is now familiar with this little March tradition of mine, but I shall explain the premise again. Proof that Ana, Tim, Josh (N.), and I are some of the biggest music nerds in the world, we all come up with 16 music related picks--bands, songs, albums, etc.--and pit them against each other, then we spend a night discussing which is better until there is one winner. This is the 4th year we've done it, and by all acounts could've been the best so far. Just as a history, here are the previous Final 4's and winners.
2004
Jack White - guitarist - White Stripes
Sex Pistols
Weezer
"Free Bird" - Lynyrd Skynyrd
2005
Jimi Hendrix playing guitar with his teeth
Tom Morello - guitar - Rage
Dexter Holland - guitar/vocals - Offspring
"Stairway to Heaven" - Led Zeppelin
2006
Metallica
Rage Against the Machine
Black Sabbath
Stone Temple Pilots
For the first time, we actually were able to do this in person after one year of conference calling and the last two years using AIM. So we gathered 'round a 2-liter of Pepsi, a pepperoni pizza, with CDs and multimedia prepared, and began a stirring debate on this year's bracket.
Because of the shortcomings of Photobucket, the bracket has to be cut up so it's legible.
First half
Second half
Final 4
Some quick hits about the bracket:
*Korn, Smashing Pumpkins, and Rage were all well represented in the brackets, pretty unexpectedly, but whatever.
*This is the third straight year Rage Against the Machine has been in the Final 4 in one form or another. What can I say, the four of us love the band.
*Ana went an unusual route by selecting an entire field of guitarist, or as she put it, her heroes and influences. Though noticeably absent were Tom Morello and Kirk Hammett, simply because they've both been in the tournament recently. We don't have a rule against return choices (In fact, Josh's selection of Mudvayne marks their second appearance in the tourney). But it is more appropriate to select new ones. After all there are limitless selections to go 'round.
*Keeping track of who chose the eventual winners, Tim had his first winner this year, Josh has selected the winner in the previous two, and Ana selected the inaugural winner. Which means I'm the only one who still has yet to select a winner. However, this is the third straight year I've selected the runner up.
*Since we had all 4 of us this year, unlike last year when Tim was still deployed in Iraq, we bent the rules back to a 3-1 majority rather than needing a unanimous 3-0 like last year. The 20 time limit we instilled last year we kept as it was a good idea, though we only breached that limit on 3 or 4 occasions. The discussion wrapped up in just under 2 hours, probably the shortest MMOM we've had so far.
Since it wasn't on AIM, I obviously can't give out the transcript of the arguments. However, I did take notes, which I will released right underneath .
BOBBO THE FLOBBO
(1) Freddie Mercury vs. (16)Jacoby Shaddix
Freddie: Unanimous, Papa Roach can suck Freddie's left nut
(8) Rob Zombie vs. (9) Alice Cooper
Rob Zombie: 3-1, Tim withstanding. Cooper may have been the original shock rocker, but Zombie has done it better, we decided
(5)Rage's BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES album vs. (12) KoRn's FOLLOW THE LEADER album
BATTLE: Unanimous. Love both, but Battle was the clear choice between us all.
(4) Rage reunion vs. (13) Police reunion
Rage: Unanimous. All 4 of us Rage lovers, so of course that's the answer. But Tim did let out a sterling rendition of "Roxanne" while we were debating. That was amusing.
(6) "Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio vs. (11) "Zero" - Smashing Pumpkins
"Zero": 3-1, Bobbo withstanding. Josh absolutely despises the song while the other two like it but thought "Zero" was better overall. Can't win em all.
(3) "One" (Metallica) music video vs. (14) "Twisted Transistor" (Korn) music video
"One": 3-1, Tim withstanding. Tim fought for Transistor being more fun and more humorous, and more enjoyable. But no denying that "One" is an awesome video.
(7) Smashing Pumpkins' MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS vs. (10) Radiohead's OK COMPUTER
OK: 2-2, time limit elapsed. Settled by coin flip. I'm still a little begrudged that's how we had to settle it.
(2) "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." - Fall of Troy vs. (15) "Glass to the Arson" - Anberlin
"FCPREMIX": 3-0. Josh abstained having never heard either song. Ana hates Anberlin and Tim and I just love the guitar lickage of the Fall of Troy. Easy pick.
ANA BANANA
(1) Jimmy Page vs. (16) Ben Burnley
Page: Unanimous. Like some deep vocalled modern rock guitarist can take down the god of all things rock.
(8) Billy Corgan vs. (9) Dimebag Darrell
Dimebag: Unanimous. Corgan wrote better, but Darrell is the better guitarist. By leaps and bounds.
(5) Slash vs. (12) John Frusciante
Slash: Unanimous. Again, John's the better writer, but Slash is far ahead of him.
(4) Randy Rhoads vs. (13) Richie Blackmore
Rhoads: Unanimous. There was a small debate for Blackmore creating the most recognizable riff ever ("Smoke on the Water"), but Rhoads had him licked 6 ways to Sunday.
(6) David Gilmour vs. (11) Mike Scaccia
Gilmour: Unanimous. I dislike Ministry, Tim claimed his love for the solo on "Hey You", and the other two couldn't deny Dark Side of the Moon to the industrial slinger.
(3) Steve Vai vs. (14) Pete Townshend
Vai: Unanimous. Again, I'm sad because in any other matchup, Townshend would probably win. But Vai is just pure astonishment.
(7) Adam Jones vs. (10) Alex Lifeson
Jones: 3-1, Josh withstanding. And at that, only reason he withstood was due to his general unfamiliarity with Jones. Not to take anything away from Lifeson who does kick a whole lot of ass.
(2) Angus Young vs. (15) John 5.
Angus: 3-1, Josh withstanding. He claims allegiance to the industrial side of the guitar.
TIMMY C. the MOOK
(1) Cheap Trick vs. (16) The Guess Who
Trick: Unanimous. "American Woman" was not enough to pick over the early punks.
(8) Nonpoint vs. (9) Iced Earth
Nonpoint: 3-1, Josh withstanding. I punched him though, to make up for it.
(5) Pink Floyd's THE WALL vs. (12) Red Hot Chili Pepper's STADIUM ARCADIUM
WALL: Unanimous. It was actually Mellon Collie at first challenging The Wall, but after I had that in my bracket, Tim changed it.
(4) Zildjian vs. (13) Paiste
Zildjian: 3-0, Ana abstaining having not a clue about the quality of cymbals.
(6) Audioslave vs. (11) The Nightwatchman
'Slave: Unanimous. Tom Morello sounds good as a folky, but he says a LOT more through his electric.
(3) Vinnie Paul vs. (14) Ray Luzier
Paul: Unanimous. We gave love to Luzier who sounds absolutely dynamic for Army of Anyone. But come on, Vinnie Paul is the sickest drummer alive.
(7) "Heaven and Hot Rods" - STP vs. (10) "Do it For the Kids" - Velvet Revolver
"Kids": 2-2, time limit elapsed. Decided by having Erica listen to both, then making a decision.
(2) Alice in Chains vs. (15) Paw
AiC: Unanimous. Of course.
JOSHULATOR
(1) System of a Down's TOXICITY vs. (16) Sevendust's ANIMOSITY
Toxicity: Unanimous. Greatest album of that early 00's.
(8) Killswitch Engage vs. (9) Arcade Fire
Arcade: 2-1, Rob abstaining since I didn't have a valid opinion on either. Josh fought for the hard rock Engage, but was outnumbered by Tim and Ana loving the MOntreal band.
(5) Al Jourgensen vs. (12) Jonathan Davis
Jon: 3-1, Josh withstanding. His love for the guy is immense, but Tim and I are Korn lovers, and Ana--who last year was all up on Ministry--even took Jon over Al.
(4) Dropbox vs. (13) Mudvayne
Drop: 3-1, Rob withstanding. I just thought Mudvayne was more intelligable.
(6) Lacuna Coil vs. (11) Shiny Toy Guns
Lacuna: Unanimous.
(3) Zack de la Rocha vs. (14) Mike Shinoda
Zack: Unanimous. Damn straight.
(7) Soundgarden's SUPERUNKNOWN vs. (10) Screaming Trees' SWEET OBLVION
SUPERUNKNOWN: Unanimous. Josh gave a fight to the Trees, but knew that Unknown was the better album.
(2) Nine Inch Nails vs. (15) Strapping Young Lad
NIN: Unanimous. I gave love to Devin Townsend's group, but Reznor obviously trumps him and his thugs.
SECOND ROUND-
BOBBO THE FLOBBO
(1) Freddie Mercury vs. (8) Rob Zombie
Freddie: Unanimous. Rob ain't got shit on Freddie.
(4) Rage reunion vs. (5) BATTLE OF LOS ANGLES
BATTLE: Unanimous. It was kind of confusing how to go about judging this. We based it upon which was more fulfilling, and while the potential reunion is thrilling, it wouldn't have been half as thrilling without Battle of Los Angeles.
(3) "One" music video vs. (11) "Zero" - Smashing Pumpkins
"Zero": 3-1, Josh withstanding. This was a comeback since "One" started out up 3-1, but Tim made a strong argument saying that "Zero" was a brilliant song as well as the video for "One" chopped the song up. And that a video should not be better than the song. That won me and Ana over. Josh just frowned.
(2) "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." - Fall of Troy vs. (10) OK COMPUTER
FCPREMIX: 3-1, Josh withstanding. And man is he still pissed about this one. The reason for picking the Fall of Troy song over the Radiohead album was simply because it was more exciting and energized than anything Radiohead had ever done. And that counts in this contest.
ANA BANANA
(1) Jimmy Page vs. (9) Dimebag Darrell
Page: Unanimous. Ana didn't answer right away and made a great argument for Dimebag t beat the purveyor of all things rock. But she did end up agreeing with us.
(4) Randy Rhoads vs. (5) Slash
Rhoads: Unanimous. Love for Slash, but Rhoads could destroy Slash every day of the week.
(3) Steve Vai vs. (6) David Gilmour
Vai: 3-1, Josh withstanding. He tried to argue on the basis of Pink Floyd'dom. But it's Steve fucking Vai.
(2) Angus Young vs. (7) Adam Jones
Jones: 2-1, Josh abstaining, Ana withstanding. This was a debate of the masses. Much to my surprise, it was Tim who didn't take Angus's side first. Ana immediately took Angus, but he and I thought about. He took Adam first and claimed that Angus is immensely talented, but he had no thought process on writing. While Adam is the complete opposite, amazingly detailed and into every flick of his strings. That sold me. Angus is still one of the greatest, and on any other day, he probably would've had my vote. But he didn't today, the day that counted.
TIMMY C.
(1) Cheap Trick vs. (8) Nonpoint
Trick: 3-1, Rob withstanding. I love me Nonpoint, and even in an unwinnable argument, I still won't abandon them.
(4) Zildjian cymbals vs. (5) THE WALL
WALL: Unanimous. They're just cymbals, after all. The Wall is pure amazingness though.
(3) Vinnie Paul vs. (6) Audioslave
VINNIE: Unanimous. I almost can't believe this was unanimous. Almost shows no respect for Audioslave. But I know that's not the case. After all, I even voted for Vinnie, so. That's how good he is.
(2) Alice in Chains vs. (10) "Do it For the Kids" - Velvet Revolver
AiC: Unanimous. Natch.
JOSHULATOR
(1) TOXICITY vs. (9) Arcade Fire
Arcade: 2-1, Rob abstaining, Tim withstanding. A real shocker, and the first #1 seed to go down. The amazing album gets taken down by the Canadian newbies.
(4) Dropbox vs. (12) Jonathan Davis
Jon: 3-1, Ana withstanding. what can I say, the guy plays bagpipes. That is UBER metal. Not really. But he's still better than Dropbox.
(3) Zack de la Rocha vs. (6) Lacuna Coil
Zack: Unanimous. The voice of Rage obliterates the Italian sextet.
(2) Nine Inch Nails vs. (7) SUPERUNKNOWN
NIN: Unanimous. The collective genius of Reznor is enough to trump the great grunge album in our book.
SWEET 16:
(1) Freddie Mercury vs. (5) BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES
Freddie: Unanimous. Godly vocalist is even better than a godly album.
(2) "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." - Fall of Troy vs. (11) "Zero" - Smashing Pumpkins
"Zero": 3-1, Rob withstanding. I guess you can't beat a 90s alternative staple like "Zero". Though I thought FCP is really a better song. Oh well.
(1) Jimmy Page vs. (5) Randy Rhoads
Page: Unanimous. We spent 20 minutes discussing the amazingness of both guitarists, even though we all knew Page is technically better. It was a nice discussion.
(3) Steve Vai vs. (7) Adam Jones
Vai: Unanimous. Jones was good enough to derail Angus Young, but not Vai who IS a supreme shredder and a great riffer. Sorry, Adam.
(1) Cheap Trick vs. (5) THE WALL
WALL: 3-1, Tim withstanding. The boy loves Cheap Trick, but the rest of us know that they never achieved WALL status.
(2) Alice in Chains vs. (3) Vinnie Paul
AiC: Unanimous. Vinnie is a godly drummer, but definitely not better than Alice.
(9) Arcade Fire vs. (12) Jonathan Davis
Jon: Unanimous. In an amazing turn of events, we all took Jonathan over Arcard Fire. It's got to be the experience and the number of awesome tracks he had, even trumping that of his not so awesome tracks. Meh. Jon for the win.
(2) Nine Inch Nails vs. (3) Zack de la Rocha
Zack: 3-1, Josh withstanding. He remained valiant that he loved Zack, but was not, alone, better than NIN. We other three disagreed.
ELITE 8:
(1) Freddie Mercury vs. (11) "Zero" - Smashing Pumpkins
Freddie: Unanimous. There is no song greater than Freddie, especially not this one.
(1) Jimmy Page vs. (3) Steve Vai
Vai: 3-1, Tim withstanding. This was by far the hardest debate so far. It was a long debate even going over the 20 minute time limit. We listened to "Whole Lotta Love". But in the end, Vai got the nod seemingly because he was a better actual player. Page had him beat by light years in the writing department, but when we looked at ACTUAL playing style, it just seemed to me, Ana, and later convincing Josh, that Vai had the upperhand. Page is still GOD though.
(2) Alice in Chains vs. (5) THE WALL
AiC: Unanimous. The Wall made it this far, but they finally met their match; a band that the legendary album ISN'T better than.
(3) Zack de la Rocha vs. (12) Jonathan Davis
Zack: Unanimous. Jon had a magical run, but his days are numbered by the volatile Rage vocalist.
FINAL 4:
(1) Freddie Mercury
vs.
(3) Steve Vai
Another VERY hard decision. We disussed right up until the time limit. The selling point was that Freddie Mercury can easily be the greatest vocalist ever, while it'd be a little bit tougher to make the claim that Vai is the greatest guitarist. It was at that point that I regretted putting Vai in the Final 4, and thought that it would've been DAMN near impossible to pick a winner between Mercury and Page. But what's done was done. And Freddie got the pick, unanimously.
(2) Alice in Chains
vs.
(3) Zack de la Rocha
This late in the tournament, it's hard to pick a single member of a band over an entire band. Some of them do equate better than the sum of an entire band. Zack de la Rocha is an amazing lyricist, probably better than Layne (in my opinion). But as the sum of the entire AiC band? No. It was unfortunately unanimous.
And, the championship bout.
(1) Freddie Mercury vs. (2) Alice in Chains
Again, this late in the tournament, a band member has to be DAMN good to trump an entire band. But if anyone could do it, it's Freddie Mercury. His sultry flamboyant vocals waxed the ears of millions of listeners and inspired many more. Alice in Chains. Amazing alt-metal/grunge band out of Seattle. Legendary vocalist. Signature strongarm music style. Arguably the greatest band of the 90s. How can one honestly pick against this band? 30 minutes of discussion, listening to several AiC songs as well as a couple Queen songs, including "Bohemian Rhapsody", we had a decision...
With a score of 3-1, only Josh withstanding, the winner was
ALICE IN CHAINS
As I know there are bound to be pissed off people, comment with the disapprovals of our decisions.