THE BIG FOUR SONG CHALLENGE SERIES - Matchup 181

Anthrax "Defend/Avenge" (2016) VS Megadeth "Foreign Policy" (2016) VS Metallica "Murder One" (2016) VS Slayer "Implode" (2015)

"Defend/Avenge" is weird in how, unlike most songs with a slash in the title, the chorus sings "Defend Avenge!" instead of it being two different songs one after the other.  Though that does play into the theme:  The beginning has a pretty bad-ass riff that seems to be building toward something, and then aw shit there's that stupid march again I talked about in the "Death From Within" blurb.  They do play around with it rhythmically by throwing in subdivisions and changes so it's not unbearable or anything.  And I know, I'm probably the only one out there that has this problem.  I've just...never liked that one beat, and it's used all the time.  Anyway, there are elements besieging the standard song structure, and the chorus girds its loins and fends them off with this square staple of the genre.

"Foreign Policy" is a Fear cover.  No frills, just rock.  And it does. 

The clean intro to "Murder One" (along with the title) are perhaps the worst offenders of "imposter Metallica syndrome" on this album.  Tell me that clean guitar doesn't sound like a parody of a Metallica intro instead of something you thought you'd hear from the band.  Also, "Murder One" isn't a good title.  It seems...beneath Metallica somehow.  Even in context with the lyrics (this song is a tribute to Lemmy) it doesn't make any sense.  Also, you'd think a tribute to Lemmy would sound like Motorhead, but this is the same morose crawl toward inevitability that is everything from track 6-11 on this album (save "Here Comes Revenge").  At least it's only 5:45, which makes it 5:45 too long, but hey, could be worse.  It's not 6:48 too long.

It says something that my first instinct was to start proofreading this blog post when "Implode" came on instead of paying attention to write about it.  This is the first time I've heard it since it came out in 2014 actually, and I didn't even remember it had a fast bit.  It also has a lyric "God still hates us all!" which goes to show which album they tried and failed to ape the style of.

"Foreign Policy": 4
"Defend/Avenge": 3
"Implode": 2
"Murder One": 1

UPDATE TOTALS:

Anthrax: 31
Megadeth: 30
Metallica: 29
Slayer: 21

ALL TIME TOTALS:

Anthrax: 469
Metallica: 453
Slayer: 449
Megadeth: 415

And the once mighty battleship Metallica continues to sink like a stone.  Megadeth has passed them on the update list and Slayer is within striking distance of retaking 2nd place All Time.  Come back tomorrow to see what happens!

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