DJMayes
Ancient Mariner
10 - Paschendale
Paschendale is another one of those songs which manages to get the atmosphere just right, but it does it in an odd way I'd almost criticise any other song for doing. The way it achieves this is through an almost modular form of songwriting; I always view this song as several distinct "chunks" that are put together by use of dynamic changes; either very distinct changes in volume and intensity or through silence and Nicko's trademark (on this song, anyway) drum ripple he opens it up with. On one hand it doesn't create a flow or sustained progression throughout the song, but on the other it does manage to paint a very convincing picture, using the dynamics to shift between the desperate charges and the trenches.
The intro is what I consider one of the trench parts. The guitar melody is wonderfully bleak, with the sparsity of the bass and drums really adding to that sense of desperation. And it's almost instantly juxtaposed at 0:29 with one of the high-octane "charging" sections of music, as suddenly over as it began. This time round, we get some keyboard to add to the morose atmosphere for some great texture. Paschendale appreciates the flourishes like this, and I am a big fan of the orchestral version from the No More Lies EP. We get another charging section, before we reach a second, heavier style of verse.
This verse feels less desperate than before, but equally as tense. The keyboards do good work here and 1:36 sees the tension reach its climax as the charge begins, before returning to the verse again. 1:57 sees more wonderful keyboard work, and then we get to the chorus. The highlight of the chorus here isn't actually any of the band members here - though they do good work, and this is a nice cohesive chorus that suits the song. The highlight for me is the faint keyboards underneath that seem to be the main melody here.The post chorus section sees more tension build up before another charge at 2:50, this one longer than the others and bringing us to 3:16, and what I consider the end of the first section of the song.
After another Nicko peal, we get a guitar melody that doesn't really seem to match either of the moods I described earlier, but is good nonetheless. This is followed by some riffage that really appreciates the orchestral backup, before the "cruelty has a human heart" verse section. The lyrics are very powerful, but I don't think the music here quite matches that power until Bruce sings "and over we goooo" for perhaps the most haunting moment of the song.
Then, we get into the instrumental section. The first riff that plays is a really nice use of dynamics, and segues into the first of Paschendale's great solos, backed up with some understated keyboard work. The second solo is the better one, and segues nicely into the "blood is falling like the rain" section. This is an odd climax, as it sounds almost triumphant to me. Likely me misconstruing the mood, but there we go. One final solo, another charging verse section, and we return to the chorus for a couple more run throughs. The second adds some good emphasis to the vocals, and allows for the tension to be filtered out, as the song and battle ends, leaving only the bleak opening riff (and keyboards) to play out to bring the song to a close.
To its credit, Paschendale is incredibly accessible for a song over 8 minutes long, something I credit to Adrian's repetition of key musical motifs throughout the song, such as the bleak opening guitars. It's the song that got me into the entire Dance of Death album, and it's their best war song in my opinion due to its meticulous attention to atmosphere. Other songs (such as The Longest Day) have some fantastic musical motifs that I think reflect the theme of war really nicely but I don't think they maintain it as well as this song does.
I've always supposed the orchestral version wasn't released on the album because they intended to play it live, and due to a lack of an orchestra wanted the album version to sound as the live version. I can understand that, though personally I really appreciate the extra texture that the orchestral version brings. I'm similarly a fan of said versions of Dance of Death, but I feel they make a much more noticeable difference here.
Top 25:
Paschendale is another one of those songs which manages to get the atmosphere just right, but it does it in an odd way I'd almost criticise any other song for doing. The way it achieves this is through an almost modular form of songwriting; I always view this song as several distinct "chunks" that are put together by use of dynamic changes; either very distinct changes in volume and intensity or through silence and Nicko's trademark (on this song, anyway) drum ripple he opens it up with. On one hand it doesn't create a flow or sustained progression throughout the song, but on the other it does manage to paint a very convincing picture, using the dynamics to shift between the desperate charges and the trenches.
The intro is what I consider one of the trench parts. The guitar melody is wonderfully bleak, with the sparsity of the bass and drums really adding to that sense of desperation. And it's almost instantly juxtaposed at 0:29 with one of the high-octane "charging" sections of music, as suddenly over as it began. This time round, we get some keyboard to add to the morose atmosphere for some great texture. Paschendale appreciates the flourishes like this, and I am a big fan of the orchestral version from the No More Lies EP. We get another charging section, before we reach a second, heavier style of verse.
This verse feels less desperate than before, but equally as tense. The keyboards do good work here and 1:36 sees the tension reach its climax as the charge begins, before returning to the verse again. 1:57 sees more wonderful keyboard work, and then we get to the chorus. The highlight of the chorus here isn't actually any of the band members here - though they do good work, and this is a nice cohesive chorus that suits the song. The highlight for me is the faint keyboards underneath that seem to be the main melody here.The post chorus section sees more tension build up before another charge at 2:50, this one longer than the others and bringing us to 3:16, and what I consider the end of the first section of the song.
After another Nicko peal, we get a guitar melody that doesn't really seem to match either of the moods I described earlier, but is good nonetheless. This is followed by some riffage that really appreciates the orchestral backup, before the "cruelty has a human heart" verse section. The lyrics are very powerful, but I don't think the music here quite matches that power until Bruce sings "and over we goooo" for perhaps the most haunting moment of the song.
Then, we get into the instrumental section. The first riff that plays is a really nice use of dynamics, and segues into the first of Paschendale's great solos, backed up with some understated keyboard work. The second solo is the better one, and segues nicely into the "blood is falling like the rain" section. This is an odd climax, as it sounds almost triumphant to me. Likely me misconstruing the mood, but there we go. One final solo, another charging verse section, and we return to the chorus for a couple more run throughs. The second adds some good emphasis to the vocals, and allows for the tension to be filtered out, as the song and battle ends, leaving only the bleak opening riff (and keyboards) to play out to bring the song to a close.
To its credit, Paschendale is incredibly accessible for a song over 8 minutes long, something I credit to Adrian's repetition of key musical motifs throughout the song, such as the bleak opening guitars. It's the song that got me into the entire Dance of Death album, and it's their best war song in my opinion due to its meticulous attention to atmosphere. Other songs (such as The Longest Day) have some fantastic musical motifs that I think reflect the theme of war really nicely but I don't think they maintain it as well as this song does.
I've always supposed the orchestral version wasn't released on the album because they intended to play it live, and due to a lack of an orchestra wanted the album version to sound as the live version. I can understand that, though personally I really appreciate the extra texture that the orchestral version brings. I'm similarly a fan of said versions of Dance of Death, but I feel they make a much more noticeable difference here.
Top 25:
25 - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
24 - The Edge Of Darkness
23 - Revelations
22 - Judas Be My Guide
21 - Lord Of Light
20 - Judgement Of Heaven
19 - The Red And The Black
18 - Blood Brothers
17 - Wasted Years
16 - Face In The Sand
15 - The Number Of The Beast
14 - The Talisman
13 - Shadows Of The Valley
12 - Killers
11 - Aces High
10 - Paschendale
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Songs Remaining:
Run To The Hills
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Flight of Icarus
Powerslave
Infinite Dreams
Fear Of The Dark
Dance of Death
Satellite 15... The Final Frontier
Empire of the Clouds
24 - The Edge Of Darkness
23 - Revelations
22 - Judas Be My Guide
21 - Lord Of Light
20 - Judgement Of Heaven
19 - The Red And The Black
18 - Blood Brothers
17 - Wasted Years
16 - Face In The Sand
15 - The Number Of The Beast
14 - The Talisman
13 - Shadows Of The Valley
12 - Killers
11 - Aces High
10 - Paschendale
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Songs Remaining:
Run To The Hills
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Flight of Icarus
Powerslave
Infinite Dreams
Fear Of The Dark
Dance of Death
Satellite 15... The Final Frontier
Empire of the Clouds
