"The Book of Souls" - Official pre-release thread (CONTAINS ALBUM SPOILERS)

Status
Not open for further replies.
srfc said:
could the issues with amazon.com be a case that there is a delay in the physical formats being pressed in the States? I'm sure stuff has been delayed like that before, death on the road springs to mind?
Click to expand...


I think Amazon had pricing issues ... I ordered the 3LP set for $13.98 .. that is what it still shows as in my cart
 
"As co-plotter and later sole plotter in the Marvel Method, Ditko took Strange into ever-more-abstract realms. In an epic 17-issue story arc in Strange Tales #130-146 (March 1965-July 1966), Ditko introduced the cosmic character Eternity, who personified the universe and was depicted as a silhouette whose outlines are filled with the cosmos.[9] As historian Bradford W. Wright described"

Synopsis for "If Eternity Should Fail!"
Traveling to Eternity's realm, Dr. Strange comes face to face with the living embodiment of Eternity. Strange asks the being to grant him with the power to defeat Dormammu and save his master, however after much consideration Eternity decrees that Strange needs no additional power, as he has the means to defeat Dormammu on his own.

Traveling back to Earth's dimension, Dr. Strange learns that Baron Mordo had kidnapped the unconscious body of the Ancient One and transported him to the Dark Dimension and is now being held hostage along with Clea. Strange is then told to duel Mordo for their freedom: http://marvel.wikia.com/Strange_Tales_Vol_1_138#Appearing_in_.22If_Eternity_Should_Fail.21.22

Would certainly make for some interesting lyrics I think if the song is about Dr. Strange and the character Eternity :D
 
sjsaur said:
Another very detailed Jannick interview. There ARE some minor spoilers about some of the songs stylist direction
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/inte..._valid_now_and_what_we_play_now_is_valid.html
Click to expand...
Late reaction, I know, but what a great interview again. Very revealing about that audition. Looks like H wasn't even out of the band yet (or he hardly realized it).
And I also didn't realize that Janick was already a Maiden member and had recorded NPFTD before he went with Bruce on tour.
 
Last edited:
SixesAlltheway said:
"As co-plotter and later sole plotter in the Marvel Method, Ditko took Strange into ever-more-abstract realms. In an epic 17-issue story arc in Strange Tales #130-146 (March 1965-July 1966), Ditko introduced the cosmic character Eternity, who personified the universe and was depicted as a silhouette whose outlines are filled with the cosmos.[9] As historian Bradford W. Wright described"

Synopsis for "If Eternity Should Fail!"
Traveling to Eternity's realm, Dr. Strange comes face to face with the living embodiment of Eternity. Strange asks the being to grant him with the power to defeat Dormammu and save his master, however after much consideration Eternity decrees that Strange needs no additional power, as he has the means to defeat Dormammu on his own.

Traveling back to Earth's dimension, Dr. Strange learns that Baron Mordo had kidnapped the unconscious body of the Ancient One and transported him to the Dark Dimension and is now being held hostage along with Clea. Strange is then told to duel Mordo for their freedom: http://marvel.wikia.com/Strange_Tales_Vol_1_138#Appearing_in_.22If_Eternity_Should_Fail.21.22

Would certainly make for some interesting lyrics I think if the song is about Dr. Strange and the character Eternity :D
Click to expand...

I personally doubt it's actually about that storyline specifically. I'm just saying that I wouldn't surprised if Bruce were to make some nods to the character and his mythos in the song.

Again, look at the lyrics for "Darkside of Aquarius." It's all about the apocalypse and refers to both Christian and Buddhist lore with the Four Horsemen and the Wheel of Dharma. Then in the bridge, there's this brief little bit where Bruce refers to a Silver Surfer pushing the wheel. Just a simple nod, but it's there nonetheless and helps build and evoke the blended cosmic story that Bruce is telling.
 
I don't know if this is a Canadian thing or not, but I've not once seen a physically released single before, so I'm not entirely sure that there will be one for Speed of Light. Although, the rational behind Amazon in the states not getting a physical pre order option baffles me.
 
I hope it's happening - but I'm honestly not going to believe there will be a physical single release until I actually see it. I guess we'll know next week!
 
So each member brought at least an hour worth of material. This is what excites me. Over the last 5 years these guys must have accumulated tons of good riffs and ideas.

This wait for the single is killing me. Cant understand, with less than a month to go, why we cant have the single or at least some reviews yet.
 
Jadukor said:
So each member brought at least an hour worth of material. This is what excites me. Over the last 5 years these guys must have accumulated tons of good riffs and ideas.

This wait for the single is killing me. Cant understand, with less than a month to go, why we cant have the single or at least some reviews yet.
Click to expand...
There is 1 full review of the album. Check out Brig's "news at a glance" thread. ;)
 
Hmmmmm, it says "page not found" when I click the link to the review. I'll re-post it here:
Strap yourself in and say a quick prayer to Eddie as Maiden pull out all the stops – and Bruce gets epic on the piano.

A new Iron Maiden album is always a big event, not least because the band have somehow sustained a startling level of popularity for the vast majority of their three decades.

What is less frequently acknowledged, however, is that since the return of Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith for 2000’s Brave New World, Maiden have not only cemented their status as metal’s most revered band but, audaciously, built upon it, becoming ever more dominant and in-demand as a result.

Of course, The Book Of Souls arrives amid an additional storm of drama, Dickinson’s genuinely shocking brush with cancer erecting an unexpected and unwanted backdrop of struggle and triumph behind a long-awaited album – Maiden’s 16th – that didn’t exactly need an extra boost.

Completed before their singer received his jarring diagnosis, The Book Of Souls is the sound of a band at the peak of their powers, both individual and collective, and Dickinson’s own performance gives no clues whatsoever as to his then vexed state of health. One might glibly note that this would have been an excellent final statement for all concerned, but it’s hard to think of another band of this vintage that would be capable of sounding this vital and inspired.

It begins with one of two songs written solely by Dickinson. If Eternity Should Failstarts with an eerie, almost psychedelic intro, the air raid siren’s restrained tones floating in shimmering space, before the first of countless towering riffs crashes in. Dark in tone and texture and a dash heavier than Maiden have ever sounded before, its eight-and-a-half minutes rush by in what seems like half that amount, soaring choruses and a typically deft change of pace midway through adding bite to the barrage.

Maiden’s recent albums have been notable primarily for the epic and progressive nature of their contents, and while The Book Of Souls certainly saunters down that avenue on numerous occasions, it is also an album that brims with flashes of succinctness. Speed Of Light, Death Or Glory and Tears Of A Clown all climax at around the five minute mark, and all three are instant top-notch Maiden anthems, the shrewd songwriting hand of Adrian Smith making its presence felt and bringing plenty of that off-kilter edge that was sometimes missed during the decade he spent away from the line-up. Meanwhile, both The Great Unknown and When The River Runs Deep speak volumes about the intuitive chemistry between Smith and Steve Harris, their collaborative efforts producing monstrous mini-symphonies for Dickinson to unleash that vein-popping vibrato over.

Nonetheless, The Book Of Souls will doubtless be celebrated most for its epics, and if you thought Maiden had pulled out all the stops in the past, you may need to strap yourself in and say a quick prayer to Eddie this time round. The Red And The Black is Harris’ only sole composition here, but it’s one of the most exhilarating and fluid things he has ever written; nearly 14 minutes of interwoven rhythms and riffs, a brief nod to the dramatic thud of Flight Of Icarus here, a dewy-eyed salute to Thin Lizzy there and a healthy slab of mob-friendly backing vocals that must surely mean that this will become an immediate live favourite when Maiden take The Book Of Soulsout on the road.

The same goes for the title track, an almost ludicrously grandiose and theatrical affair that crams more smart ideas into its ten-and-a-half minutes than any band this enduring should have left in the tank at this point. And if Dickinson could sound any less like a man about to discover a tumour in his throat... well, needless to say that his recovery has been perhaps the least surprising thing about Maiden’s recent history. The interplay between the Three Amigos reaches a similar peak on the rumbling sprawl of Shadows Of The Valley and, best of all, on Harris and Dave Murray’s dark and unsettling The Man Of Sorrows, wherein Kevin Shirley’s powerful, unfussy production shines a light on the sublimely organic interplay between these six musicians.

So far, so brilliant. And yet even the most wildly optimistic Maiden fan might find themselves momentarily gobsmacked by The Book Of Souls’ conclusion. The longest song the band have ever recorded, Empire Of The Clouds is essentially an 18-minute heavy metal opera, replete with Dickinson on piano for the first time and sumptuous orchestral flourishes that add hugely to the song’s cinematic feel.

A detailed but poetic account of the R101 airship disaster of 1930, it’s a stunning piece of work and clearly a labour of love for Dickinson, the song’s author, in particular. And coming at the end of such a consistent and remarkable slab of idiosyncratic heavy metal, it poses one obvious question: is there anything that Iron Maiden can’t do? The Book Of Souls suggests not.

Given that this sounds nothing like the work of a band nearing the end of their love affair with music, the future may even hold greater wonders. Bloody hell.

FINAL VERDICT: 9/10
Click to expand...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top