Iron Maiden - New Bruce Dickinson solo album 1st March. First tracks on p4

The reaction to it has been alright so far. People saying it's a darker album, and apparently the one line choruses are non existent.

It has leaked.

Squinty wrote:It has leaked.

Look, I know we're all excited, but there's no need for that.

Knoyleo wrote:
Squinty wrote:It has leaked.

Look, I know we're all excited, but there's no need for that.

no context thread, here I come.

I've been through the album a few times now and am still digesting it and while there's a couple of songs that I'm feeling like are misses, most of them are really hitting for me.

- Senjutsu (which I was initially lukewarm on) and Stratego (which I took an instant liking to) are a great pair of opening tracks.
- Lost in a Lost World is the first of four very long Harris tracks and along with The Parchment and Hell on Earth are the highlights of the album for me. Bruce is in particularly good form in all three and Hell on Earth has some top tier Maiden melodies.
- The other epic, Death of the Celts, is however quite a disappointment. It's really not doing much for me which is surprising because it's rare for me not to click with a Harris crafted epic but alas, something about this one isn't working.
- Darkest Hour is the other miss of the album. Death of the Celts at least has some mildly interesting ambitions but Darkest Hour is a painfully by the numbers ballad and quite a slog to get through. The beach ambiance is nice at least.
- Days of Future Past is a solid short rocker and among the better ones of the modern era.
- There's a weirdly common recurring piano synth on a few songs throughout the first disc of the album. I'm not sure why they felt the need to use the exact same synth sound in three or four closely grouped together songs. It's weird hearing it pop up so many times in such a short span and is sometimes a tad distractingly loud in the mix.
- There's a strawberry float ton of audible distortion, clipping, and crackle in certain parts of The Parchment. It's probably present in other songs on the album but it's really noticeable on this track in particular. It's very unfortunate and I'm assuming it's a consequence of loudness war fuckery. Nice one Shirley.

Anyway, overall first impressions: I don't think this quite reaches the highs The Book of Souls did for me but it is nonetheless a really solid follow up. It is very much operating in the mould modern Maiden has done so for quite some time now and whether that's a good or bad thing varies based on who you ask. For me, it's good news indeed.

Just finished my first listen. Delivery was late.

In contrast to the above, Darkest Hour was the one that stood out the most for me, despite the perhaps over-familiar lyrical ground.

I'll give it a go later. Means another world tour I guess.

Probably do holograms instead.

If they do, let's have ones from the 7th Son tour.

Not very much has grabbed me on this. Hell on Earth is good, but the song meanders at the beginning and I have no idea why they pasted the two bits together like that. It's so abrupt.

Just listening to it this morning while I do some work and suddenly something hit me like a two-ton heavy thing. Squinty - you in particular will know what I'm talking about, but hopefully some others will too.

Death Of The Celts. The very start, but even more so 50 seconds in. It's Queensrÿche's Eyes of a Stranger! I'll never not hear it now.

rinks wrote:Just listening to it this morning while I do some work and suddenly something hit me like a two-ton heavy thing. Squinty - you in particular will know what I'm talking about, but hopefully some others will too.

Death Of The Celts. The very start, but even more so 50 seconds in. It's Queensrÿche's Eyes of a Stranger! I'll never not hear it now.

Yeah, I can hear this :lol:

Really similar idea.

Not Iron Maiden, but I've been listening to Blaze Bayley's Infinite Entanglement trilogy. Really recommend it. The second album in the trilogy is my favourite.

Sounds like Blaze Bayley had a heart attack but seems to be fine.

Oh gooseberry fool. I never accepted him as part of Maiden, because I was such a Wolfsbane fan. Now they're back together, and this happens. Hope he'll be OK.

The irony of his now-postponed solo gigs being billed as the "unstoppable tour".

They're no Snow Patrol or Killers.

Honestly don't think I've ever listened to an Iron Maiden song :oops:

Tomous wrote:They're no Snow Patrol or Killers.

Or Keane.

Preezy wrote:Honestly don't think I've ever listened to an Iron Maiden song

Every time I see this thread bumped, I assume one of the band members has died. Won't be long now.

Iron Maiden - New Bruce Dickinson solo album 1st March. First tracks on p4

Who is online

Affiliates