Bruce Dickinson

Do we know how long the song is? I felt like there is more than 45 seconds in the end part...
The mix is bad in this leak, I hope the official is not like this.
Song is very good, the chorus made me happy, a little Helloween-esque... :)
 
This is a different approach for Bruce. Btw, that's not the full song on the link, we're are only missing the leaked outro (I guess), which I now like.

I thought the production will be more polished than TOS, but the mix is certainly not that good. Bruce's vocals are not that clear. The production is not bad by means. Hope on the official release is better, but I doubt it.

I like:
- the intro (great way to start a show).
- the main riff.
- the dark verses
- the melodic chorus has a great hook, I like it. It wouldn't sound out of place in an BTP/AOB/TOS song (or even DOD). The ''again'' part after it has a Skunkworks vibe. This part is not needed imo, it's too ''happy''.
- the drumming, especially during the pre-chorus.

I'm not a fan for now:
- the pre-chorus is dramatic and a nice contrast to the verses, but the transition is not that smooth. Steve is a master at this.
- the spoken part (by Bruce) before the solo. I don't find it necessary. The heavy riff after it, I like though.
- Roy's solo is too short and not interesting.
- the high vocal part after the solo is short, Bruce doesn't sound that good on it and doesn't lead to anything more interesting/different part. There should have had a (short) melody here.

Overall a very good and solid song. Something different yet typical for Bruce. The most I liked is the contrast/twist between heaviness, light and shade, melodic chorus and dramatic parts. Bruce sounds great and younger in most of the parts of the song. Definitely not a grower, I like it from the second listen.
 
I heard something like 20 seconds of this song and I'll wait till official release. Sound is, to my ear, much more muddy than teasers.
 
Vaenyr said:
Bruce sounds so much younger and much better than basically the entirety of Senjutsu. Except the post solo section where he strains to hell and back, which sounds genuinely bad. Seriously Bruce, cut that shit out, no one wants to hear that.
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I actually like the “strain”, it’s the aged air raid siren and it’s still Bruce, just older and more weathered. As long as he does it in modesty and not throughout an entire song, I’m perfectly fine with it.
 
InfiniteDreamer544 said:
I actually like the “strain”, it’s the aged air raid siren and it’s still Bruce, just older and more weathered. As long as he does it in modesty and not throughout an entire song, I’m perfectly fine with it.
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That's fair, it's obviously subjective. I don't like the strain because the higher register of Bruce is getting pushed more and more in the last few years and he becomes increasingly unintelligible, which is a shame because Bruce used to be a master of diction and enunciation.

It doesn't help that the specific section soumds quite random and unfinished, like it's not going anywhere. I just hope that the rest of the album doesn't have similar sections which feel more like Bruce going "I can still hit these notes, time to put it in" instead of thinking about if these sections actually add to the song or not. We'll see though. I'm cautiously optimistic.
 
riff said:
Sounds like Senjutsu Bruce turned up to the studio for this one.
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Well, he recorded the vocals for the album in 2022. That's is his natural voice now. I bet he will sing the song better live.
Azas said:
I don't know why, but I got the impression that this song leans more to Skunkworks era. Maybe it's just wrong assumption.

Imo, this song is nowhere near AOB/TCW/TOS quality
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Only the chorus. And it's hard to compete with that trio of albums. It will take time, but I like it more and more with every listen, especially the pre-chorus.
Jer said:
and not all the melodies hit me the first time through
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Why is there no (obviously a short) melody/harmony for a song that is over 5 minutes long? It would have been really fitting and another needed hook after the really short instrumental part.
Starblind said:
Song is very good, the chorus made me happy, a little Helloween-esque...
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Same here. It really has a power metal vibe to it.
Vaenyr said:
It doesn't help that the specific section soumds quite random and unfinished, like it's not going anywhere. I just hope that the rest of the album doesn't have similar sections which feel more like Bruce going "I can still hit these notes, time to put it in" instead of thinking about if these sections actually add to the song or not. We'll see though. I'm cautiously optimistic.
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This. Like the spoken part.
 
Vaenyr said:
Bruce sounds so much younger and much better than basically the entirety of Senjutsu.
Other than that I'll have to get used to the chorus, which sounds a bit too early 2000's alternative rock to me; not a fan.
The production is okay, but not as good as it should've been. At least it's not TBOS/SNJ tier.
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This is actually true for the chorus (the different riff under the chorus too). Maybe this is a song from the TOS sessions. It is very possible.

I wouldn't say the production is better than SJ or that Bruce sounds so much better than on SJ. The harmony vocals help.
 
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I really hope the album won't be full of short instrumental parts (without many melodic passages) and solos. I know it's 1 guitar but Bruce and Roy can do better. The rest of the album should have more interesting songs, this one is - and they definitely had plenty of time to work on those ideas. The interesting sections are important and they have shown that they can create them many times. Even the shorter ones in TOS.

Roy promised the album goes heavier than TCW, and this song sort of succeeds with that, but not with the chorus, which I like a lot.

We have to say that the song is pure Bruce solo!
 
Vaenyr said:
That's fair, it's obviously subjective. I don't like the strain because the higher register of Bruce is getting pushed more and more in the last few years and he becomes increasingly unintelligible, which is a shame because Bruce used to be a master of diction and enunciation.

It doesn't help that the specific section soumds quite random and unfinished, like it's not going anywhere. I just hope that the rest of the album doesn't have similar sections which feel more like Bruce going "I can still hit these notes, time to put it in" instead of thinking about if these sections actually add to the song or not. We'll see though. I'm cautiously optimistic.
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Good points. He’s even unintelligible at times while speaking. Either way, he’s the GOAT and I will happily buy anything he sings on. It’s fun to nitpick but it’s simply because we are super fans on an online forum, so why not?
 
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