Song War 10: Ace of Spades Vs Painkiller

Riddle101

Ok, so Song War 9 turned out to be a total failure. But for the people who voted, it was pretty much a draw between the two songs.

Anyway moving on. I went for two songs that are very fast and heavy, Ace of Spades by Motorhead and Painkiller by Judas Priest. My reasons for chosing are pretty much what I said already. Both songs are very fast and heavy, Ace of Spades with that awesome guitar riff and Painkiller on the drums.

My choice goes to Painkiller. I've heard Ace of Spades so many times, and while I still enjoy it. Painkiller has that raw energy in it that makes me think, imagine what it would be like to be in a mosh pit when this is playing. But more importantly it's just a song that I can just rock out to so much. The only thing I prefer Ace of Spade to Painkiller on is the lyrics and vocalist. No offence Rob Halford but I prefer Lemmy tbh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxGsMUguKO4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS6-vI70oc0

nyarlothothep

Motorhead by a long mile. The drum intro to Painkiller is cool but the riff is just stock metal riffing, the vocals are meh and its got all those 80s metal chord progressions you'll also find in Iron Maiden songs. Ace of Spades by contrast is just distilled brilliance, the riff is badass, the chord changes are epic, sweeping, powerful, playing them on guitar, you can get that sense of "if I wrote this I'd be very chuffed with myself", the vocals are dead on, the lyrics have a great past giving a damn about anything at all vibe to them which just plays back into the overall badass renegade vibe of the song, and it's like an aural onslaught, it's relentless, that thrumming bass, the drums, the guitars, it doesn't let up until the end where it concludes with that powerful repeated 1-3 chord progression, which just emphasizes that what you've been listening to is an avalanche of sound.

Nailz

Painkiller, easy choice. Such an awesome old school Metal tune, heavy and hard hitting, the vocals are insanely good, the screeching and screaming in Painkiller is one of Halford's finest, probably the heaviest guitar tone I've heard Priest use in a track and yet it still retains a defined sound, the solo is deadly too. Ace of Spades is good, quite a well known song, and it's very rock n' roll, but as a song it just doesn't touch Painkiller. It's rather generic in comparison too, or at least it has become so with age, I think Painkiller still has the awesome power it has had since it was released.

LH Pathe

The hipster I me says painkiller. Ace of Spades got played the fùck out.. Hearin it everywhere made me bored of it instead of it becoming infectious?! Great song but it gets played at suits' poker tables, for instance. Lemmy has to shun most of his fans besides painkiller just rips more

D.Q

Voted Ace of Spades. Timeless song, incredible lyrics and just a cool vibe. You can almost taste the **** beer in a horrible smoky bar.

Painkiller, is great until the vocals kick in, cant take that sort of stuff seriously.

jack presley

Maybe blasphemous to say but I'm actually bored with Ace of Spades these days. Used to love it but can't stand it anymore

Kess73

Not even close for me. Motorhead all day long.

GLaDOS

Both great songs in a good old fashioned 'rock the **** out' kinda way, went for Ace of Spades though. Actually one of the first heavy songs I remember enjoying, think it was from Tony Hawks 3

lord lucan

Ace of Spades easily for me. Despite hearing it more times than i care to remember it still makes me want to throw up the devil horns and rock the **** out!

Malice

I voted for Ace of Spades even if it definitely overplayed. Halford's vocals are just too screechy for me although the rest of the song is still pretty good. I'm getting a distinct nostalgic vibe of the Doom soundtrack off it .

Max Power1

Painkiller for me anyway. Probably subconsciously down to the overplaying of Ace of Spades, but I just prefer it anyway.

xerces

I voted for Ace of Spades.

Other members have covered the elements of the two songs very well, so I'll say that I prefer the more relatable lyrics of Ace of Spades to the fantastically themed Painkiller. I imagine that most people can identify with/appreciate that feeling of all or nothing, ballzy risk taking being described by Lemmy, with the guitar work bolstering the adrenaline fuelled, carefree chaos of it all. Plus I love a good game of Texas Hold'em, so I get a kick out of references such as a 'dead man's hand'.

DrumSteve

Ah gotta be AOS. Halfords vocals do my head in, plus AOS is just ****in cool.