WrestleZone Rock Tournament Finals - Queen vs Metallica

[IrishCanadian25]

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's official. The final match of the first ever WrestleZone rock tournament has FINALLY been revealed, and it's a true dream match up.

VS

​

I will leave this thread up for several days prior to posting the poll. I expect a posting WAR here, with many of you taking sides immediately and trying to garner support for your band. The thread will be up for debate the entire weekend, and the poll will be posted at some point on Monday.

 

[Agrex]

This is simply a superb final. On one hand you have Queen. On the other you have Metallica. Both bands sold out arena's all over the world, both bands influenced many other bands, both bands have created hit, after hit, after hit, and both bands will go down in the history of rock. Queen have done basically every possible genre in rock, and even created their own. Metallica may have stayed with just metal, but they were still very successful.

Queen is arguably the greatest rock band ever. Freddie Mercury's vocals, Brian May's guitar, John Deacon's bass, and Roger Taylor's drums, all of that added up to create a very unique, and interesting sound. That sound was Queen. Queen just didn't stop with the hits. "Bohemian Rhapsody", "We Are The Champions", "We Will Rock You", Another One Bites The Dust", "The Show Must Go On", "Under Pressure", "Radio Ga Ga", and many more. Whatever Queen did they were successful. Queen sold over 300 million album's world wide. They are lyrical and musical geniuses. The have went platinum countless times, and have won countless awards. Queen has accomplished everything there is to accomplish. I won't even start on the influence on not only music, but the media in general.

Now Metallica, the pioneers of thrash metal. Metallica's original line up consists of James Hetfield as the lead vocalist/rythym guitarist, Kirk Hammett as the lead guitarist, Lars Ulrich as the drummer, and Cliff Burton as bassist. Those four musicians would go on to be one of metal's greatest bands. When you think of heavy metal three bands come straight in mind; Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Metallica. Metallica have also had their fair share of hits including; "One", "Enter Sandman", "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "Master of Puppets", "The Unforgiven", "St. Anger", and many more. Metallica garnered many awards, and have gone platinum a lot of times. They influenced the metal scene, and are still going to this day. They survived the test of time, which many bands could not do.

This was an incredibly hard choice for me, incredibly hard. But I went with Metallica for one simple reason. That reason is because to this day they are still going, and making new stuff. That is just amazing. I'm sure Queen would keep on going as well if not for Mercury's untimely death. But so far I stand in my decision; I think Metallica should win the whole damn thing.

 

[Dylanis]

Metallica.

I do not like Queen very much - maybe they just don't appeal to my liking of music. Metallica, they're ok. So, if I vote out of personal preference, they'd get my vote. Moreover,, I do take influence into my voting booth, and I belive that Metallica's impact on their "sect" of music is a much greater one than Queen. So, I think it's an easy choice.

And just to play devil's advocate...

This is simply a superb final....

This was an incredibly hard choice for me, incredibly hard. But I went with Metallica for one simple reason. That reason is because to this day they are still going, and making new stuff. That is just amazing. I'm sure Queen would keep on going as well if not for Mercury's untimely death. But so far I stand in my decision; I think Metallica should win the whole damn thing.

So, you're voting for Metallica because they still play music, and you believe Queen would still play music, but because of their leaders untimely death, they cannot. So, aren't you basically just voting for Metallica because they didn't have an untimely death? Plus, isn't Queen working on a new album?

Just to clear this up, I am voting for Metallica and don't like Queen at all.

 

[Davi323]

If untimely deaths are reason to vote for the other team, arguably, you could make the case that Metallica isn't really Metallica anymore. Cliff Burton, original member, has been dead far longer than Freddie Mercury. Is AC/DC no longer AC/DC without Bon Scott? Absolutely not. Metallica continued without Cliff Burton, and Queen continued without Freddie Mercury. The surviving members of Queen, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor are still around, and have been using various temporary lead singers. If Metallica is still Metallica with only 3/4 of their original lineup, than Queen is still Queen with 3/4 of theirs.

Dylanis, Queen's new album is currently slated to be released September 1st, 2008 last I heard. So, yes. They are continuing to record and make music without Freddie Mercury, just like Metallica continued to record and make music without Cliff Burton, just like AC/DC continued to record and make music without Bon Scott, and The Who continued to make music without Keith Moon.

If you vote for Queen, fine. If you vote for Metallica, fine. But, if you are only voting for Metallica because of Freddie Mercury's death, considering Cliff Burton, isn't it hypocritical?

 

[Dragonslayer]

I like both bands very, very much - Metallica was basically the first "contemporary" band that got me into Metal and all its subgenres, as I had been listening mostly to classic Hard Rock of the 70ies before; but Queen I have also always enjoyed a great deal, and interestingly, their music is still growing on me to this day; even after listening to their stuff for the hundreth time, there's still new details you discover.

From a composition point of view, Queen are definitely head and shoulders above Metallica, as they have quite a couple of immensely complicated and intricate harmonic structures in their songs, and even if 'Tallica themselves have dished out a few monster classics in the course of their career, Queen have done A LOT more, in very different ways (from classic to bombast rock, to electro-influenced tracks in the 80ies) - and all of these managed to become classics. Bohemian Rhapsody to this day remains one of the greatest songs ever written - and the fact that it has become such a HUGE mainstream success despite it's complicated and unusual structure just underlines the fact that Queen's music is something very special.

For even if Metallica have put out very successful great songs - the only major mainstream success they had was with "Nothing Else Matters", which was entirely NOT the typical Metallica track. Queen, on the other hand, have in some way always been "Queen", even if they as well altered their style over the course of the years.

Which is not to say that mainstream success alone should qualify any band or musician as "great" - for unfortunately we've come to experience that the exact opposite is the case more often than not - but the combination of having intricate song structure and songs that do not follow the same concept every time (e.g. Bohemian Rhapsody) and ALSO garner such a huge level of mainstream success defines really great music for me, because it can appeal to everyone - those who love "good music" from an artistic point of view, and those who will listen to any kind of music if they can somehow relate to it, somehow understand it, and find that "good music" - and Queen managed to appeal to both audiences countless times throughout their career, so it has to be Queen for me.

So my vote goes to Queen this time and yes, they are working on a new album with their new partner-in-crime, Paul Rodgers - I actually saw them already a few years ago when they did their first tour together (playing only old Queen songs and some of Rodger's own from Free and Bad Company), but their new album is supposed to be titled "The Cosmos Rocks" I believe, and I'm definitely going to check them out again this winter when they go back on tour. For even if Freddy Mercury due to his highly recognizable voice and great talent is technically irreplaceable; Rodgers is an accomplished singer in his own right, and has a very different voice to Mercury (warmer sound, more bluesy/soul type of voice), so it's quite cool to hear the old tracks with him on vocals.

 

[Agrex]

So, you're voting for Metallica because they still play music, and you believe Queen would still play music, but because of their leaders untimely death, they cannot. So, aren't you basically just voting for Metallica because they didn't have an untimely death? Plus, isn't Queen working on a new album?

That's not what I meant. I meant that both bands have suffered untimely death's (Cliff Burton for Metallica, and Freddie Mercury for Queen). Although Metallica's loss was not as big as Queen's, they continued to be very successful. While Queen since the death of Mercury have not been as successful. I'm just saying Queen was based around Mercury (I'm not saying that May, Deacon, or Taylor weren't great artists). But Metallica would keep on going even if James Hetfield would die.

And if that's not a good enough reason, then another one is the fact that I simply enjoy Metallica's music more. Queen's music is terrific. But Metallica is one of my top three favourite bands.

 

[Davi323]

But, you could argue that Freddie Mercury died as Queen's career as enormously successful rock stars was already nearing its end, and with Metallica, Cliff Burton died before Metallica really made it big. Whether Queen was less successful after the death of Freddie Mercury or not, I could say that Queen had already been so successful for so long, that it shouldn't matter, and that they were naturally going to experience a lull...Queen already had an enormous twenty one year run as a rock band prior to Mercury's death.

 

[Bentallica]

This is a no brainer for me. I'm going with Queen in this one. The pioneers of the rock anthem, songs like We Are The Champions and We Will Rock You are still very present in our culture today. Where's Metallica? That's right, although they kicked a lot of ass in their heyday, no modern day music listener (i.e. the pop rock fans *groans*) would know any Metallica.

But everybody knows the aformentioned Queen songs. They may not know who they're by, but they know them. And that's a big point right there. Queen earned a spot in history and their music is still popular today. That gives them my vote.

 

[justinsayne]

This is a no brainer for me.

Umm no it's not a no brainer, both bands are pretty evenly match here

I'm going with Queen in this one. The pioneers of the rock anthem, songs like We Are The Champions and We Will Rock You are still very present in our culture today. Where's Metallica? That's right, although they kicked a lot of ass in their heyday, no modern day music listener (i.e. the pop rock fans *groans*) would know any Metallica.

Jesus fucking Christ, ingnorance must really be bliss huh?, I'm not going to take away anything you said about Queen, but you are waaaaaaaaaaaaay off on your Metallica argument, way off, Metallica are the pioneers of of Trash metal, and one of the bands responsable for bring to Metal to the mainstream for you to discredit that is just beyond stupid, Metallica is still kicking ass, want proof just wait till Sept. 12th when Death Magnetic comes out, this album is probably one of the most anticipated albums of the year, and to say no mdern day music listener knows who they are?, are you fucking serious?, I have a 11 year old cousin who owns and listens to a shit load of Metallica, to say modern day music fans don't know who any Metallica is about as intelligent as saying no modern day wrestling fan knows who Hulk Hogan is

But everybody knows the aformentioned Queen songs. They may not know who they're by, but they know them.

Yeah they also know Metallica songs, cause Metallica gets as much if not more radio air play than Queen

And that's a big point right there. Queen earned a spot in history and their music is still popular today. That gives them my vote.

So your saying Metallica has not earned a spot in history, even though their music is still hugely popular, and the only reason you don't see that is because you are blinded by your sheer ignorance?

perhaps you didn't see this video the first time I posted it

[youtube]Q6HqAKtMYNs[/youtube]

 

[HellBoundPower]

Metallica! I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I really don't understand the huge fan following the Queen has on these forums. Maybe it's because throughout my entire life, I've barely heard about Queen. I don't know a single person in my real life that likes Queen. Even my mom, who was born in 1956, said she didn't really enjoy Queen. I told her about this tournament, and she thought it was INSANE the Queen got voted over Led Zeppelin.

On the other hand, EVERYONE knows who Metallica is (well, anyone below 60 anyway). Metallica still puts out hits (they take their sweet time, but they do), and even though people will argue that the quality of their music has gone down, I just think they've evolved. The new stuff seems to be going back to an older formula, and I think it'll be great.

In my opinion Metallica is the great metal band of all time, and the greatest band playing today. Their hits are extraordinary, well made pieces of music. Their instrumentals are so tight, you'd think that James and Kirk can read each other's minds. Their music has inspired so many people to pick up a guitar and become musicians.

So on one hand, Queen has probably sold more albums, put on more concerts, and sold out more arenas. But their star has fizzled out, and they remain a shell of their former selves (mostly due to the death of Freddie Mercury). While Metallica is still making music, still playing huge sold out arenas, and is still letting their legend continue to grow. Metallica is the better band in my eyes, and I think it would be a crime for them to lose to Queen.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Metallica! I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I really don't understand the huge fan following the Queen has on these forums.

What exactly is it that you are having trouble understanding!? Queen may possibly be the greatest band in the history of rock! Can you not fathom that wrestling fans, particularly the ones on this board, are capable of following and appreciating music of a nature beyond thrash metal and heavy, loud guitars? Personally, HBP, it's a bit of an insult to the musical threshold of our members that the reason Queen could have a following escapes you.

Maybe it's because throughout my entire life, I've barely heard about Queen. I don't know a single person in my real life that likes Queen. Even my mom, who was born in 1956, said she didn't really enjoy Queen. I told her about this tournament, and she thought it was INSANE the Queen got voted over Led Zeppelin.

Does Domino's deliver pizza to the rock you've been living under?

Strictly from a pop culture point of view, to say you've barely heard about Queen instantly means you've never watched Flash Gordon, Wayne's World, Highlander, or any annoying underdog sports film in which the closing credits extol the babyface winners with "We Are the Champions."

It also tells me that you've never actually attended a professional sporting event to heard the "stomp, stomp, clap" beat, as simple as it is, of course made famous by Queen's "We Will Rock You."

It tells me you've never heard Vanilla Ice's one lone hit song - Ice Ice Baby - or enjoyed the ensuing controvery about how he ripped the beat off from Queen and David Bowie.

It also tells me that you've missed a) the greatest frontman in the history of rock, Freddie Mercury, and his amazing range and vocal power, b) one of the 5 greatest guitarists of all time in Brian May, whose blues influenced guitar work has rivaled anyone else holding an axe in this lifetime, and c) possibly among the greatest live shows of all time. If you don't believe me, find their shows at Wembley Stadium in 1986.

On the other hand, EVERYONE knows who Metallica is (well, anyone below 60 anyway). Metallica still puts out hits (they take their sweet time, but they do), and even though people will argue that the quality of their music has gone down, I just think they've evolved. The new stuff seems to be going back to an older formula, and I think it'll be great.

Despite all of the garbage included in this passage, you do make one fair point here - people argue the quality of Metallica's music has gone down. That's the thing that amazes me. Metallica fans are so sanguine in their love for the band, yet whenever Metallica tried to evolve, reach a broader or a more sophisticated audience, or if they ever dared show their age or their mortality, those same rabid fans struck them down for it. Exhibits A and B - "S&M" and "Load." Both were awesome experiements for which the band got shit on by their most loyal fans. The result was "St. Anger," musically their worst album ever, which they only produced to appese the base fans who clamored for the harder, angrier yesteryear of Metallica.

Queen never forced ANYTHING. They would take a genre bands made their entire careers off of, do one or two songs, and then move on. They experimented more than any other band I know, and still cranked out mainstream hit after mainstream hit.

Example- the Queen album "A Night at the Opera" was unique because of the way it was set up. Each member of the band - Freddie, Brian, Roger, and John - took a turn writing a song for the album. As a result, the album had such a variety of sounds, because each band member had written AT LEAST one song for the album. That's unheard of, but that's the type of musical talent Queen provided.

In my opinion Metallica is the great metal band of all time, and the greatest band playing today. Their hits are extraordinary, well made pieces of music. Their instrumentals are so tight, you'd think that James and Kirk can read each other's minds. Their music has inspired so many people to pick up a guitar and become musicians.

Greatest Metal band of all time? Ok, some might argue that point with you, but the argument can be made. Greatest band playing today? I don't know about that. Metallica, somewhat like Queen, seems semi-retired. Sure, both bands have new albums coming out this year, but the golden days are long over.

So on one hand, Queen has probably sold more albums

Understatement. Queen has the world record for most time spent on the UK album charts with 1,322 weeks. That's the equivalent of 27 consecutive YEARS with AT LEAST one song on the UK charts. More than The Beatles. More that Zeppelin. More than Elvis.

In 2006, Queen released ANOTHER Greatest Hits album, and it became the highest selling album in UK history. 5.4 million copies. More than The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper.

18 #1 albums.

18 #1 singles.

300+ puls all-time worldwide album sales.

10 #1 DVD's.

The only group in music history to have EVERY MEMBER OF THE BAND write a #1 single!

put on more concerts, and sold out more arenas.

More concerts - probably. Sold out more arenas? No question. Just see the 100,000+ Wembley shows for proof of the live influence.

But their star has fizzled out, and they remain a shell of their former selves (mostly due to the death of Freddie Mercury). While Metallica is still making music, still playing huge sold out arenas, and is still letting their legend continue to grow. Metallica is the better band in my eyes, and I think it would be a crime for them to lose to Queen.

This is the most ridiculous statement of all. "Their star has fizzled out." Have you read the tournament so far, HBP? It's "Greatest Rock Band of All Time." Not the Greatest Rock Band of today! Are you so musically shortsighted that you cannot take yourself out outside of what you can see and touch in the here and now to realize that, all time, Queen is perhaps the greatest ever? Don't you think it's hypocritical that you quote your mother as being shocked Queen went over Zeppelin, when Zeppelin's "star" would have also "fizzled" according to your rather subjective criteria?

Folks, put aside the "modern" arguement, reach down and realize the levels of influence, skill, experimentation, and overall amazement that Queen brought to the table. Metallica is an amazing band, and they deserve to be in the finals. Notice how NONE of my argument is Metallica bashing - I recognize the talent that they bring, which is why I made them the #1 seed in the 80's region. I don't need to bash the competitor, because Queen provides enough solid, concrete, empirical evidence as the Greatest Band in Rock History. I've said it since day one, and nothing has changed.

Respect Metallica. But Vote for Queen. They're the superior overall all-time rock band. And there's no shame in losing to the best.

 

[Koko B Ware's Parrot-Kes!]

My vote here simply has to go to Queen. As previously mentioned by others, Queen have sold far more records than Metallica.

Metallica are in a relatively small genre compared to that of Queen. Let's be honest, apart from ACTUAL metal fans, not a lot of people actually care or even know about Metallica.

Not a lot of people would, for example, have Metallica on their iPods, and listen to them on shuffle from time to time. 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'We Will Rock You' and 'Don't Stop Me Now' etc are classic singalongs. By this, I mean that people will know these songs without knowing too much about Queen.

Freddie Mercury was also perhaps the greatest, most charismatic and energetic frontman of any band. He oozed showmanship naturally it seemed.

Kes

 

[Davi323]

I agree with everything you just said, IrishCanadian25. How can Queen possibly have fizzled out? Doesn't their appearance in the Tournament finals kinda prove that they haven't? Now, I have been consistent about my belief that the Beatles and Elvis Presley were the two single most influential forces in rock and roll history, but, perhaps they were too long ago to get the proper amount of votes, I don't know. But, Queen and Metallica are here.

Between the two, it is no contest. Queen's global success puts them in an entirely different league than Metallica. Queen isn't just one of the most successful rock bands, they are one of the most successful bands, period, any genre. Metallica has a niche following. They are enormously popular within the heavy metal crowd, but, how much cross genre appeal do they have? Queen meanwhile, has that appeal, as their record number of days topping the charts can attest. They have arguably the greatest lead singer ever, the same cannot be said of Metallica. They have far more awards, they have sold more albums, they have landed more top 40 hits, they have stayed on the charts longer, and, to top it off, considering Metallica cites Queen as one of its influences, how can Metallica then be considered more influential?

 

[simpsons_fanatic742]

I'm gonna have to vote for Queen on this one. I'm not a huge fan of either really, but I like Queen better. I can't really get into alot of songs for Metallica, except a few. They just don't do it for me. Queen, however, made songs that have become anthems even to this day. You can't watch a sports movie, or a sports game without hering "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions". I think Queen is more widely recognized. Just an opinion here.

 

[Agrex]

Isn't this tournament about who your favourite band is? You're supposed to vote for the band you like more. To me it doesn't make sense on how someone uses influence as a reason to vote for a band. If this tournament was based on influence, then the Beatles would have won, did they? No. Sure influence is an important part of what a band has done, but I'm sure all the Queen fans didn't start listening to Queen because someone said they were very influential. They probably started listening to Queen because they liked them.

So for one to say that they voted for a band because of their influence makes no sense. That's like me saying "I like Hulk Hogan because he sells".

This is not a rant against Queen, it’s just something that’s been annoying me.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

To answer that, Agrex, this tournament has NEVER been about your favorite band. From Day One, it's been about choosing the greatest band of all time, based on whatever subjective criteria you deem worthy. I originally mentioned things such as longevity, influence, etc. When people came to a match-up where they saw no clear cut winner, they voted for the one they enjoyed the most.

It's just like the Wrestlezone Tournament. You don't vote your favorite. On a few occassions I have had to vote against my favorite bands in matchups where the opponent was clearly the better choice.

You need to go back and read the original rules, my friend.

 

[Bentallica]

What exactly is it that you are having trouble understanding!? Queen may possibly be the greatest band in the history of rock! Can you not fathom that wrestling fans, particularly the ones on this board, are capable of following and appreciating music of a nature beyond thrash metal and heavy, loud guitars? Personally, HBP, it's a bit of an insult to the musical threshold of our members that the reason Queen could have a following escapes you.




Does Domino's deliver pizza to the rock you've been living under?

Strictly from a pop culture point of view, to say you've barely heard about Queen instantly means you've never watched Flash Gordon, Wayne's World, Highlander, or any annoying underdog sports film in which the closing credits extol the babyface winners with "We Are the Champions."

It also tells me that you've never actually attended a professional sporting event to heard the "stomp, stomp, clap" beat, as simple as it is, of course made famous by Queen's "We Will Rock You."

It tells me you've never heard Vanilla Ice's one lone hit song - Ice Ice Baby - or enjoyed the ensuing controvery about how he ripped the beat off from Queen and David Bowie.

It also tells me that you've missed a) the greatest frontman in the history of rock, Freddie Mercury, and his amazing range and vocal power, b) one of the 5 greatest guitarists of all time in Brian May, whose blues influenced guitar work has rivaled anyone else holding an axe in this lifetime, and c) possibly among the greatest live shows of all time. If you don't believe me, find their shows at Wembley Stadium in 1986.



Despite all of the garbage included in this passage, you do make one fair point here - people argue the quality of Metallica's music has gone down. That's the thing that amazes me. Metallica fans are so sanguine in their love for the band, yet whenever Metallica tried to evolve, reach a broader or a more sophisticated audience, or if they ever dared show their age or their mortality, those same rabid fans struck them down for it. Exhibits A and B - "S&M" and "Load." Both were awesome experiements for which the band got shit on by their most loyal fans. The result was "St. Anger," musically their worst album ever, which they only produced to appese the base fans who clamored for the harder, angrier yesteryear of Metallica.

Queen never forced ANYTHING. They would take a genre bands made their entire careers off of, do one or two songs, and then move on. They experimented more than any other band I know, and still cranked out mainstream hit after mainstream hit.

Example- the Queen album "A Night at the Opera" was unique because of the way it was set up. Each member of the band - Freddie, Brian, Roger, and John - took a turn writing a song for the album. As a result, the album had such a variety of sounds, because each band member had written AT LEAST one song for the album. That's unheard of, but that's the type of musical talent Queen provided.



Greatest Metal band of all time? Ok, some might argue that point with you, but the argument can be made. Greatest band playing today? I don't know about that. Metallica, somewhat like Queen, seems semi-retired. Sure, both bands have new albums coming out this year, but the golden days are long over.



Understatement. Queen has the world record for most time spent on the UK album charts with 1,322 weeks. That's the equivalent of 27 consecutive YEARS with AT LEAST one song on the UK charts. More than The Beatles. More that Zeppelin. More than Elvis.

In 2006, Queen released ANOTHER Greatest Hits album, and it became the highest selling album in UK history. 5.4 million copies. More than The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper.

18 #1 albums.

18 #1 singles.

300+ puls all-time worldwide album sales.

10 #1 DVD's.

The only group in music history to have EVERY MEMBER OF THE BAND write a #1 single!



More concerts - probably. Sold out more arenas? No question. Just see the 100,000+ Wembley shows for proof of the live influence.



This is the most ridiculous statement of all. "Their star has fizzled out." Have you read the tournament so far, HBP? It's "Greatest Rock Band of All Time." Not the Greatest Rock Band of today! Are you so musically shortsighted that you cannot take yourself out outside of what you can see and touch in the here and now to realize that, all time, Queen is perhaps the greatest ever? Don't you think it's hypocritical that you quote your mother as being shocked Queen went over Zeppelin, when Zeppelin's "star" would have also "fizzled" according to your rather subjective criteria?

Folks, put aside the "modern" arguement, reach down and realize the levels of influence, skill, experimentation, and overall amazement that Queen brought to the table. Metallica is an amazing band, and they deserve to be in the finals. Notice how NONE of my argument is Metallica bashing - I recognize the talent that they bring, which is why I made them the #1 seed in the 80's region. I don't need to bash the competitor, because Queen provides enough solid, concrete, empirical evidence as the Greatest Band in Rock History. I've said it since day one, and nothing has changed.

Respect Metallica. But Vote for Queen. They're the superior overall all-time rock band. And there's no shame in losing to the best.

QFT. I don't think I can put it better myself, IC. Actually, I know I can't, just see the post I made that Justin ripped apart in the discussion for this match-up.

So, by now, you can tell my vote's going to Queen. The influence they've had in ALL genres of music is unbelievable. I mean, check out Weezer's new Red Album. The song "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations of a Shaker's Hymn)" is almost clearly inspired by Bohemiam Rhapsody in the ways it goes from one style to another. Honestly, do you think Weezer would've done it if Queen didn't do it first?

Well, maybe they would've. But that is completely besides the point. Metallica, albeit a very good band in their own right, just doesn't seem to have that kind of influence. You can listen to a number of different Queen songs and think of a different direction to take one's own musical stylings with each one. With Metallica, you listen and can only think of one direction-metal.

Like IC said, respect Metallica's achievements, but vote for Queen. Simply put, they're just plain superior.

 

[MattMoses]

Is it really fair to compare album sales and use that as a determining factor with these two bands? On one hand we have Queen, who have release fifteen albums of original material, five live albums and over ten compilations. All of these releases contribute to their overall album sales, totalling at somewhere over thirty releases. On the other hand, Metallica have released seven albums of original material, a cover album and two live albums, which comes to the total of ten. So is it really fair to use album sales as a criteria here, when Queen have released over triple the amount of releases Metallica have?

In the entirety of Queen's massive catalogue, only one record has sold better then Metallica's best, which happens to be a greatest hits compilation. We're talking millions as far as Metallica's best selling record compared to Queen's best selling record of original material. Metallica also have the distinction of having the second biggest selling catalog since the year 2000 behind the Beatles, regardless of genre.

Metallica are in a relatively small genre compared to that of Queen. Let's be honest, apart from ACTUAL metal fans, not a lot of people actually care or even know about Metallica.

Not a lot of people would, for example, have Metallica on their iPods, and listen to them on shuffle from time to time.

Where did you get this from? Just as an example, let me direct you to last.fm for a second, one of the biggest online music community websites in the world.

http://www.last.fm/charts/artist

Now, if Metallica are 'a relatively small genre compared to Queen', why are they the sixth most listened to band in the whole database? Remember, this website has over twenty-one million users, with every genre and artist imaginable been listened to, yet Metallica are in the top ten. Not too shabby for a lot of people who wouldn't have Metallica on their ipods huh? (It scrobbles ipod plays).

Now, as for who's sold out more concerts/arenas, I'm not just going to give it to Queen that easy. What you have to remember is, Queen's "Magic Tour" ended in 1986 with only 26 dates. The band never embarked another tour for ninteen years. During those ninteen years, Metallica went on numerous sold out tours selling arenas and stadiums worldwide. It's no secret how frantic their tour was to support the "Black Album". Now, having calculated all the dates Metallica played since they became big enough to sell out stadiums and/or arenas, we come to 758. Now, not knowing the exact time Queen became big enough to sell out stadiums and arenas, but I'm guessing it was around the time of the "A Night at the Opera" tour, we total around 371, give or take a hundred or so for their "A Day At The Races" tour, since I can't find the amount of dates for it.

So all in all, I'm thinking Metallica have sold out more arenas and stadiums due to more touring. But still, both bands are selling out stadiums and arenas to this day.

But as far as awards, influence etc are concerned, Queen are the obvious winners.

 

[RVDgurl]

This is a no brainer for me: Metallica, Metallica, Metallica. Honestly, I'm surprised Queen even made it this far. I do respect Queen as they were a solid rock band, but I never really thought they had anything special about them.
Now Metallica, there is a special band. They single handedly brought metal to the masses. They wrote outstanding metal songs using fantastic riffs, tremendous bass lines, pounding drum beats, and meaningful lyrics.

Metallica. Greatest band ever.

 

[HellBoundPower]

What exactly is it that you are having trouble understanding!? Queen may possibly be the greatest band in the history of rock! Can you not fathom that wrestling fans, particularly the ones on this board, are capable of following and appreciating music of a nature beyond thrash metal and heavy, loud guitars? Personally, HBP, it's a bit of an insult to the musical threshold of our members that the reason Queen could have a following escapes you.

The reason I don't understand it is because I'm not a huge fan of them. I have respect for them, and think they'll solid, but I don't understand the overwhelming amount of support that they're getting in this tournament. I'm not saying I don't understand why they have a following. I just never knew it was such a huge one. It's hard for me to fathom this many people being into Queen.

I can also understand people not being into JUST thrash metal, because I myself like more of a broad selection of rock. I've just never seen the appeal of Queen like everyone on these forums apparently does. And to feel insulted by me not being a big Queen fan, don't you think you're taking that a little personal? It's pretty obvious that you like Queen, but that doesn't mean everyone else has to. You seem to forget that people have their own opinion on things. And mine differs from yours.

Does Domino's deliver pizza to the rock you've been living under?

Yes, they do. But I prefer Papa John's. Better tomato sauce.

Strictly from a pop culture point of view, to say you've barely heard about Queen instantly means you've never watched Flash Gordon, Wayne's World, Highlander, or any annoying underdog sports film in which the closing credits extol the babyface winners with "We Are the Champions."

It also tells me that you've never actually attended a professional sporting event to heard the "stomp, stomp, clap" beat, as simple as it is, of course made famous by Queen's "We Will Rock You."

It tells me you've never heard Vanilla Ice's one lone hit song - Ice Ice Baby - or enjoyed the ensuing controvery about how he ripped the beat off from Queen and David Bowie.

My mom used to watch Highlander all the time, but I didn't know until less than 2 years ago that the theme music was from Queen. It didn't stand out enough for me to really care either. I didn't see Wayne's World until around 1997, and I didn't even know that they were listening to Queen in the car, because I didn't know who they were. And again, I only liked the song when the guitar kicked in, so it didn't have that big of an impression on me.

And yes, I've heard "We Are the Champions", and "We Will Rock You" at sporting events and whatnot, but again I didn't know it was Queen or anything about it. I just knew that an okay song was playing over the speakers.

As for the Vanilla Ice thing, I've heard it, but I didn't know it was a Queen/Bowie beat until around 2000, and I didn't really care because that song is terrible anyway.

All in all, when most of the events and movies/shows came out, I was just a little boy. Freddie Mercury died in 1991, when I was 3 year old, going on 4. So you'd think that would be a valid enough reason for me not to know and recognize all these things. I know damn well I wasn't thinking about Queen when I was 4-9 years old. And I'd also like to add that Queen gets hardly any radio play here in Minnesota, while Metallica gets played once ever hour or two. So when you hear one over the other, you tend to get to know that band more than the other.

It also tells me that you've missed a) the greatest frontman in the history of rock, Freddie Mercury, and his amazing range and vocal power, b) one of the 5 greatest guitarists of all time in Brian May, whose blues influenced guitar work has rivaled anyone else holding an axe in this lifetime, and c) possibly among the greatest live shows of all time. If you don't believe me, find their shows at Wembley Stadium in 1986.

A. I can agree with Freddie Mercury having an amazing range and vocal power, but being the greatest frontman of all time is a matter of opinion. Some people think he is, others don't. I'm one of the people that doesn't. I'll give it to him that he was an amazing singer, and had a stage presence, but some of the things he did/wore were too over the top for my liking.

B. I've never seen Brian May's name in the top five on any list of top guitarists. The hightest I've ever seen his name was in the 20s, while Kirk Hammet from Metallica was number 11. Granted, I think that could just be an opinion as well, but you can't argue with the fact that more people find Hammett a better guitarist than May. But whether he is or not is, again, an opinion.

C. I'm sure Queen put on an amazing show. Metallica does also. They are pretty even in this category. But I would rather see a Metallica show because it's more high energy, and I like their music better.

Despite all of the garbage included in this passage, you do make one fair point here - people argue the quality of Metallica's music has gone down. That's the thing that amazes me. Metallica fans are so sanguine in their love for the band, yet whenever Metallica tried to evolve, reach a broader or a more sophisticated audience, or if they ever dared show their age or their mortality, those same rabid fans struck them down for it. Exhibits A and B - "S&M" and "Load." Both were awesome experiements for which the band got shit on by their most loyal fans. The result was "St. Anger," musically their worst album ever, which they only produced to appese the base fans who clamored for the harder, angrier yesteryear of Metallica.

You seem to be taking my post a little too serious if you're calling my opinion garbage, but I'll just ignore it. As for the rest of you statement, it holds some truth. I agree that Metallica's fanbase kind of turned on them when they decided to experiment with different sounds. I think it's dumb, because some of the material off the Load Era albums was great stuff.

I won't lie though, I do prefer their older stuff. But for people to turn their backs on them because of a change in musical direction is just pointless and dumb. I could understand if they started doing some boy-band shit, but that's about it. Also S&M was an amazing album, and just shows how good Metallica's music is. When you can fit your heavy music in with a Symphony, and make it sound good, you know you career is on the right track.

As for them making St. Anger to please fans by making an "angry" album, I don't necessarily agree with that. I think a lot of the anger on that album was legitimate. Following the Napster lawsuit, Metallica lost a lot of fans. People were criticizing them and making videos taunting them. And I think they got a little pissed off. They were also having problems with Jason Newsted, who quit the band, and also problems with each other. If you've ever seen the "Some Kind of Monster" documentary, you would see a lot of the hardships they had to endure just to make that album. And while it's definitely their worst album, it's still better than the stuff most bands put out nowadays.

This is the most ridiculous statement of all. "Their star has fizzled out." Have you read the tournament so far, HBP? It's "Greatest Rock Band of All Time." Not the Greatest Rock Band of today! Are you so musically shortsighted that you cannot take yourself out outside of what you can see and touch in the here and now to realize that, all time, Queen is perhaps the greatest ever? Don't you think it's hypocritical that you quote your mother as being shocked Queen went over Zeppelin, when Zeppelin's "star" would have also "fizzled" according to your rather subjective criteria?

I am completely aware that this tournament is for the greatest band of all time. But to me it seems relevant that Metallica is able to play today, while Queen (with Mercury) isn't. The thought of actually being able to go to a Metallica concert gets me pretty pumped, while going to Queen doesn't. I see today being as relevant as any of the other time periods on this tournament.

Also, in my opinion, Zeppelin's music is bigger and more important than Queen's. Zeppelin laid the foundation of heavy metal, Queen did not. Zeppelin's star might have fizzled, but I believe their music is superior and has stood the test of time better than Queen. Of course that's just my opinion, based on the fact that Zeppelin is a much more talked about band, and their music plays on the radio a lot more often than Queen's. That's why I found the Zeppelin point relevant enough to mention.

Folks, put aside the "modern" arguement, reach down and realize the levels of influence, skill, experimentation, and overall amazement that Queen brought to the table. Metallica is an amazing band, and they deserve to be in the finals. Notice how NONE of my argument is Metallica bashing - I recognize the talent that they bring, which is why I made them the #1 seed in the 80's region. I don't need to bash the competitor, because Queen provides enough solid, concrete, empirical evidence as the Greatest Band in Rock History. I've said it since day one, and nothing has changed.

I can see your point, putting aside the modern argument. I just brought it up because it's relevant to my opinion of which band I think is the greatest. I also respect that you give Metallica the respect that they deserve. As far as I know, I haven't really bashed Queen either. I only pointed out my opinion on them. I respect Queen, and respect the music they put out. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on who they think is the best, and who should win. You're backing Queen, because you obviously enjoy their music a great deal, and think they're the greatest band of all time. I, on the other hand, believe that Metallica put out better music and is the best of all time. We might not agree, but we each have the right to our own opinions. I respect your choice to pick Queen, just as I hope you respect my choice to vote for Metallica.

In the end, this will all come down to opinion. These two bands are too evenly matched to go just on influence alone. So people will vote for who they like better, and who's music they prefer. And I prefer Metallica, so they got my vote.

 

[Davi323]

If you are going to disqualify Queen because their original front man is dead, then I suggest you disqualify Metallica because of Cliff Burton. Metallica has had 4 different bassists, and 2 different lead guitarists.Which Metallica is the greatest metal band ever? Metallica with bassist Cliff Burton? Jason Newstead? The current version with Robert Trujillo? Or the original bassist, Ron McGovney? Is it the Metallica with Kirk Hammett, or Dave Mustaine? Queen had the same members for over 21 years.

Your entire argument about Queen not being important because they can't play with Freddie Mercury anymore is completely ludicrous, when you consider the lineup changes Metallica has had. Metallica today is not the Metallica of 1982. Nor is it the Metallica of 1986. Sorry, but, Queen is still playing. They are releasing a new album next month, in fact. If Metallica is still Metallica despite the lineup changes, then Queen will still be Queen, even without Freddie doing lead vocals.

 

[HellBoundPower]

The difference is though, that Freddie Mercury was the most important part of Queen. Without his voice, Queen wouldn't have been nearly as successful as they were, or as interesting. His vocals were Queen's biggest strength. With Metallica, bassists are more easily replaced. And while Cliff Burton was a helluva bassist, Jason Newsted was a decent replacement. And Rob Trujillo has been a good replacement as well. It would be different if James Hetfield died, because there wouldn't be a decent replacement for him.

I'm not saying that Queen isn't a valid band without Mercury. I'm just saying that it's not the same. The biggest strength of Queen, the magic is gone. They are still a solid band without him, but it's just not as good. I'm sure you can even admit that. Metallica is still pretty much the same, but just with different bassists. That's the difference.

 

[jmt225]

I haven't voted in any of these polls because I don't really visit the Music Forum since I'm not really passionate about music. I probably have the weirdest music taste on this entire board. But with that being said, how in the world did Queen make it this far and how are they tied against a legendary band like Metallica? I mean, I'll admit I'm not very knowledgeable on the history of Rock 'N Roll, so please excuse my ignorance on the matter, but I guess that would make me a "casual" fan, huh? And as a "casual" fan, I must say the only thing I know about Queen is that they made the 'We are the Champions' and ‘We Will Rock You’ songs. And to be quite honest, if it wasn't for The Mighty Ducks movies, I probably wouldn't even know about those songs to begin with, lol.

Now, Metallica, on the other hand, EVERYONE knows them. Everyone, even "casual" fans like myself, knows that 'The Black Album' ranks as one of, if not THE, most influential rock albums in history. And they made that album AFTER losing probably their best member in Cliff Burton.

Also, I once heard Jack Black and Kyle Gass from Tenacious D claim that "One" is the greatest rock song ever, and I completely agree. That song goes past the word epic. It's unbelievably amazing and I'm sure there's nothing Queen has ever created that would come close in my mind to being as good as that masterpiece.

 

[justinsayne]

*sigh* Oh for fuck sake, seriously people, is it possiable for Queen fans to put over their band without trying to completely bury, discredit, and piss all over the legacy of Metallica, so here I go having to educate you people some more, first up...

My vote here simply has to go to Queen. As previously mentioned by others, Queen have sold far more records than Metallica.

So Queen is better cause they've sold more albums? dude they've had more albums to sell and have been around longer, meaning they've had more time to sell them, also as I've said before albums sales don't mean your a good band (not saying Queen isn't a good band), if album sales determined who the (best bands are, then the freaking Backstreet Boys would be one of the best bands of the fucking 90s for fuck sake, seriously people need to drop the tried old album sales argument

Metallica are in a relatively small genre compared to that of Queen. Let's be honest, apart from ACTUAL metal fans, not a lot of people actually care or even know about Metallica.

Metallica makes up 5% of all radio airplay in the entire fucking world, they've played in over 30 different countries to over 50 million, let me say that again 50 fucking Million people, and that's just people who have seen then live, so yeah clearly not alot of people have heard or care about Metallica

Not a lot of people would, for example, have Metallica on their iPods, and listen to them on shuffle from time to time. 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'We Will Rock You' and 'Don't Stop Me Now' etc are classic singalongs. By this, I mean that people will know these songs without knowing too much about Queen.

That's funny cause that vast majority of people I know have at least one Metallica song on their iPod, and I don't know a single person with Queen on their iPod, also how the fuck can you prove what people have on their iPods anyway, what you do go around the fucking world checking to see what's on everybody iPod, seriously this is the most ridiculous thing in your entire post

and I leave you with this video

[youtube]Q6HqAKtMYNs[/youtube]

(and yes I will be posting that video at the end of every single post I make in this thread, cause apparently some of you are not watching it)

 

[justinsayne]

Alright, now it's your turn...

I agree with everything you just said, IrishCanadian25. How can Queen possibly have fizzled out? Doesn't their appearance in the Tournament finals kinda prove that they haven't?

Not necessarily, could just mean that WZ fans like Queen, gotta keep in mind that WZ poster that have taken part in this tournament are pretty much a microscopic amount of the music listeners in the world, so using the tournament to prove any band hasn't fizzled out is kinda...well yeah I think you see where I'm going with this...

Now, I have been consistent about my belief that the Beatles and Elvis Presley were the two single most influential forces in rock and roll history, but, perhaps they were too long ago to get the proper amount of votes, I don't know. But, Queen and Metallica are here.

That or people just realized that just being influential (and overrated as all fuck) doesn't make you a great band, influence was only one part of the criterial, and IMO both Queen and Metallica are far better bands

Between the two, it is no contest.

Oh what the fuck ever, it absolutely is a contest

Queen's global success puts them in an entirely different league than Metallica.

Really, cause I'm pretty sure Metallica has had crazy over the top global success, stop fucking ignoring and down playing everything they've done, as I said in my last post, they've played over 30 countries and to over 50 million people worlwide, everybody in every fucking counrty in the world knows who fucking Metallica is

Queen isn't just one of the most successful rock bands, they are one of the most successful bands, period, any genre.

The same can be said for Metallica

Metallica has a niche following.

, OMFG!!! this is the single most ludacris thing I have seen anyone post yet, yeah I refer you back to the 50 million people that have seen Metallica, and the other million and millions who have not, that's some impressive niche

They are enormously popular within the heavy metal crowd, but, how much cross genre appeal do they have?

They are enormously popular within every crowd, people who don't listen to metal love Metallica

Queen meanwhile, has that appeal, as their record number of days topping the charts can attest.

Yeah, a.) pretty sure Metallica hashad success topping the charts too, and they did it as a metal band, something that is unheard of

b.)as I've said before using album sales to determine the better band is dumb, I've said this before, if you're going to use chart success and ablum sales to determine who the better band is, then you mind as well start arguing the shit bands like Nsync and Backstreet Boys as well a fucking Miley Cyrus are among some of the greatest musicians, cause they have all had huge album sales and chart success themselves

They have arguably the greatest lead singer ever, the same cannot be said of Metallica.

That is purely opinion, but I would love to hear you prove to me that Freddy Mercury is better than James Hetfield, let alone the greatest leadsinger ever

They have far more awards,

Awards don't mean shit, alot of shit bands have also won awards

they have sold more albums,

They have been around longer, and have more albums out, they should be selling more albums

they have landed more top 40 hits,

Once again, they've been around longer, and have released more songs

they have stayed on the charts longer

,

Didn't Pink Floyd stay on the charts longer than Queen, hmm yeah I beleive they did, oh and look they lost, guessing the duration of time on the charts isn't as relevant in this tournament as you think

and, to top it off, considering Metallica cites Queen as one of its influences, how can Metallica then be considered more influential?

Dude, influence isn't they only criteria you should be using when you vote, it's just one piece of criteria, and being influential doesn't mean you're the better band

now watch the video!
[youtube]Q6HqAKtMYNs[/youtube]