18th Studio Album discussion

Siddharth

Siddharth

Long Distance Trooper
Now don't look at me like that! Someone had to do it.

As of now, we have no official news or statement regarding the next album. So, it is going to be solely speculation based. You may discuss what you are expecting from the next album. Themes, production, tonality or anything music-wise. Also, please don't forget to post related links whenever there is news regarding the above.

Speaking of which, I found Senjutsu to have grown on me and its a good enough record. I just feel like the production in the last three albums has been a bit dry in the final mix. Even though production on Brave New World was very good! They may go for any theme with Eddie and the overall atmosphere in the record. Musically, I would be pleased if its anywhere between Powerslave and Somewhere In Time, in terms of intensity with a few epics in it instead of every next song being in that category (which has pretty much become a norm for reunion Maiden). I may be asking too much!
 
Now you jinxed it! :p

Hopefully we'll get another album. TBOS was a great record and I liked SNJ even more, though as you noted I'm not a fan of the production. I dislike the way these albums were recorded too, but I'm afraid if we get another one it'll be in the same vein.

I think songwriting-wise we shouldn't expect too many wild things. It's probably going to be typical post-reunion Maiden. As long as Steve delivers something like the latter half of TRATB or Hell On Earth I'll be happy. Curious to see if it's another double album or if they show some restraint, should we get a new one.
 
Vaenyr said:
Now you jinxed it! :p

Hopefully we'll get another album. TBOS was a great record and I liked SNJ even more, though as you noted I'm not a fan of the production. I dislike the way these albums were recorded too, but I'm afraid if we get another one it'll be in the same vein.

I think songwriting-wise we shouldn't expect too many wild things. It's probably going to be typical post-reunion Maiden. As long as Steve delivers something like the latter half of TRATB or Hell On Earth I'll be happy. Curious to see if it's another double album or if they show some restraint, should we get a new one.
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After Invincible Shield I will be very picky about maiden production next time. If they record something.
 
Meliegree said:
After Invincible Shield I will be very picky about maiden production next time. If they record something.
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Yeah, after reading your post I listened to song Invincible Shield once again. Such a nice warm round sound. At the end of their career Priest upped their summary/resume very high.
 
Boroking said:
Honestly I prefer Maidens production with all its flaws to the generic ‘21st century metal’ Sneap sound.
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These flaws are called being lazy. I think I understand you, but rationalizing Maiden's lazy approach to sound to save a few cents / due to Harris' lack of competence / Kevin's lack of assertiveness by calling properly recorded albums 'generic' is, in my opinion, an insult to those artists who try to do something for fans, such as, for example, to record a good-sounding album.
 
Sneap's production is not for everyone for sure, but it's not like Invincible Shield sounds exactly like Firepower. It doesn't even sound like Saxon's Hell, Fire and Damnation, which was released a few weeks before IS. Of course, people can complain that records produced by Sneap have a lot in common, but this is heavy metal. You expect the guitars to sound heavy, you want the drums to be powerful, and you don't want the vocals to be hidden deep in the mix. When I listen to IS and HFaD, I don't hear the same album recorded twice. I think it may be a bit different in Accept's case, they seem to like one formula, they decided it works well and repeat the whole thing again and again. And after all, we're talking about legacy acts here. I don't expect any of these bands to put out a groundbreaking record that would change my life, I just want fun. Despite any possible disadvantages, Sneap's albums are able to give me this kind of entertainment.

What's also important is that Sneap actually works with the bands he collaborates with. This is the most important difference between him and Shirely. Producers aren't just guys who will press a button and document what you did in the studio, they're supposed to be helpful. That's why Martin Birch was so respected. Sneap will tell Halford to sing again and again to choose the best track (again - the same attitude that Birch had, Bruce was even annoyed by the exhausting TNotB sessions), Shirley will accept anything the band gives him to work with. The sound itself is a matter of preference, but I think that Maiden's recent LPs sound poorly and there's no power in them. I've heard that non-metal albums produced by Shirley sound good, but I don't know them, so I can't judge.
 
I’m not expecting an 18th album as I would rather be pleasantly surprised than set myself up for disappointment. Knowing Maiden’s schedules and how they operate, the best chance for an album is to record early 2025, do a nostalgia summer tour, release in September with a full scale tour the following year(s). Their touring plans for both of the previous two albums have been screwed up, so we have to go back to 2010 for the last time an album rollout went as planned, but it seems for TBOS and Senjutsu they intended on doing a run of greatest hits touring with a new song thrown in as a taster before the album release. Now I would really like to be proven wrong on this front, but it seems highly likely the next Maiden tour is their last. I just don’t see them ending their career on a tour of newer material. I also get the feeling that the pandemic ironically extended their touring years slightly which also diminishes the possibility of them going studio only as was once hinted at.

Now if there were to be a new album, it’s not hard to think about what it would sound like. Probably recorded in Paris again and definitely produced by Kevin Shirley. Anyone expecting it to sound unlike the previous reunion albums is delusional.

I predicted (and I think a few others) early on that a follow up to TBOS would be another double album, it definitely feels like that will be the standard going forward but I’m a little less sure that they would do a third in a row. I think it mostly just depends on Steve really. He really brought the kitchen sink on Senjutsu so it’s hard to imagine him doing that again, but I also have learned not to doubt Steve Harris.

I would expect Bruce to once again only write with Adrian with 2 or 3 shorter rockers. No solo compositions. Two Janick songs, a short song and an epic with an acoustic intro. Probably something from Dave. Probably one or two Smith/Harris tracks. That leaves room for a couple more Harris epics.
 
I expect the same approach as the last 2 albums, although I'm not sure about a double album again, it depends on the number of Steve's long songs. Varied album for sure. That's what works best for Maiden. 10 songs, at 2 epics from Steve, 2/3 shorter songs from Adrian and Bruce, at least 1 song from Adrian and Steve, 2 Janick and Steve songs and more from Steve, I guess. There should be a Dave song this time.
It would be curious if Bruce will show some of the leftovers from TMP to Steve (again), although the material on the album is not very Maiden-esque.

All I want from the production is to sound different (in feel, we know what to expect) from the previous album/s, no mistakes left(!), solid drum sound, to not sound that muddy and to have a more powerful rhythm sound. That's it. Above all, I want a powerful sound, not a perfect one. Kevin is capable of this sound (BNW), but Steve/the band decide. As Bruce said, they are not easy to work with. I want them to tweak their sound a bit for the album (something different and fresh), but at the same time I expect the same approach. Sneap's production will be good for only one Maiden album imo.

Some of my wishes are:

Dave to write a song.
Some songs to use the classic Maiden harmonies.
The album to have 3/4 short rockers instead of 2 (11 songs total).
Bruce to do more takes in the studio, no more lazy approaches please.
Interesting structures, like for SJ - ballad (I don't expect from the next album), acoustic parts, lots of solos/melodies/time changes, interesting drumming, bass playing, solos, gallops, high and soft vocals, anthemic choruses, etc. Also, I'm not sure if it's that likely (after SJ and Nicko), but I want more faster (not that fast or for the long songs - for the shorter ones) songs.
No parts that feel like they are missing. Really hope so.

The musical scope of the album - SJ/TBOS style with a SIT feel. Inspired by the current tour. That would be interesting. Song themes to be the usual topics for Maiden. And tbh, I just want Steve to deliver a few new classics like on every album.

Eddie/album's theme - I want something ancient themed or something sea related.

It's hard to predict anything now, but I really hope there will be at least one more album. I mean the other classic bands are still putting out new music.
 
Mosh said:
Knowing Maiden’s schedules and how they operate, the best chance for an album is to record early 2025, do a nostalgia summer tour, release in September with a full scale tour the following year(s).
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Nostalgia tour for only 1 year? Unlikely.
Mosh said:
but it seems for TBOS and Senjutsu they intended on doing a run of greatest hits touring with a new song thrown in as a taster before the album release.
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This is news to me? For SJ, this would have been possible with the 3rd leg of the Legacy tour.
Mosh said:
I just don’t see them ending their career on a tour of newer material.
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The next tour will most likely be Hits again. The current tour is more like an album tour and I can't seen them playing songs from a new album for so many years in a row, plus the SIT songs (maybe sans Alexander) that they omitted for so long. And the band will want something new, to bring back more different old songs. Possible new album in 2026 at the earliest, but Bruce said they won't do a farewell tour, so. Nothing surprising in that, even with touring as a priority now. They aren't getting any younger, but why do some of you expect Maiden to retire sooner (or than the other old bands... they have younger members, but still, do they often talk about retirement). Nicko? Understandable. With fewer shows is possible to be a bit longer, right.
Edit: Bruce is more active than ever and I don't think this means that Maiden are ready to retire, he has more time for solo touring now.
 
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Kalata said:
The next tour will most likely be Hits again. Possible new album in 2026 at the earliest, but Bruce said they won't do a farewell tour, so. They aren't getting any younger, but why do some of you expect Maiden to retire sooner than the other old bands. Nicko? Bruce is more active than ever.
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Nicko is old (as a touring metal band drummer). Several years ago they said that there will be no lineup changes, so... As actively touring band, by 2027-2028 Maiden, most likely, will be done.
 
Meliegree said:
These flaws are called being lazy. I think I understand you, but rationalizing Maiden's lazy approach to sound to save a few cents / due to Harris' lack of competence / Kevin's lack of assertiveness by calling properly recorded albums 'generic' is, in my opinion, an insult to those artists who try to do something for fans, such as, for example, to record a good-sounding album.
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Every Sneap record sounds the same. Priest sounds the same as Saxon who sound the same as Accept. It’s all initially good, but I get bored very quickly.

It’s hard to explain this in a relatable way but the music creates images in my head and every Sneap recording is just shiny and golden, whilst Senjutsu is multiple coloured lines snaking within eachother which I find much more interesting and enjoyable.
 
Boroking said:
Every Sneap record sounds the same. Priest sounds the same as Saxon who sound the same as Accept. It’s all initially good, but I get bored very quickly.

It’s hard to explain this in a relatable way but the music creates images in my head and every Sneap recording is just shiny and golden, whilst Senjutsu is multiple coloured lines snaking within eachother which I find much more interesting and enjoyable.
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You are of course entitled to your opinion, but the bolded in particular doesn't reflect my experience at all.

I've said it before, but in a perfect world (in my opinion of course) we'd get Maiden's songwriting with Priest's production.

And I'll repeat it every single time someone claims that the flaws in modern Maiden albums make them more authentic: Maiden used to record until they got perfect performances for every song, with Powerslave and SSOASS being the best examples. Unless someone is going to argue that those two albums are "generic", "sterile" or whatever else people like to throw around, I feel that it's more of a rationalization and excusing of Maiden's recent productions, than it is an honest matter of preference. Feels much more like copium to me.
Maiden used to give a damn about capturing the best performance and having a great sounding production. Nowadays the live feel is much more important to them. I heavily disagree with their opinion, but it is what it is.
 
Vaenyr said:
You are of course entitled to your opinion, but the bolded in particular doesn't reflect my experience at all.

I've said it before, but in a perfect world (in my opinion of course) we'd get Maiden's songwriting with Priest's production.

And I'll repeat it every single time someone claims that the flaws in modern Maiden albums make them more authentic: Maiden used to record until they got perfect performances for every song, with Powerslave and SSOASS being the best examples. Unless someone is going to argue that those two albums are "generic", "sterile" or whatever else people like to throw around, I feel that it's more of a rationalization and excusing of Maiden's recent productions, than it is an honest matter of preference. Feels much more like copium to me.
Maiden used to give a damn about capturing the best performance and having a great sounding production. Nowadays the live feel is much more important to them. I heavily disagree with their opinion, but it is what it is.
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It’s not the clipping or anything that I enjoy. There are issues which I agree seem like laziness, an extra take or two would have benefited. But overall the sound is so much more organic, whilst Sneap’s production feels like all sheen and shine.
 
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