Bruce Dickinson

Ruflux said:
It's... interesting. For whatever reason it was already up on Apple Music before the video premiered despite the listed release date being 2 Dec, but I had another go at it with the video just now and I think it's okay. On my first listen it felt incredibly disjointed at times, like they forgot to add transitions but watching the video it didn't bother me anymore.

Production isn't really much of a step above some of Maiden's recent stuff. Sure it's cleaner, but the guitars are a bit thin and the drum sound is just so fake and weird that it puts me off. I wasn't expecting anything else since I always felt ToS was a downgrade from TCW on that front but it's still a bit of a shame.
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AGree about production. Annoys me when it is just assumed Roy Z production will be perfect and better than Maiden production. This is not always a given. And I couldn't say this track is better produced than Shirley Maiden at all. In fact, it was a let down for me. Good intro music and an interesting dark vibe that gives way to an awkward bridge and a cheesy chorus that I didn't like so much. Hopefully rest of the album is stronger.
 
Cosmiceddie said:
I don't get all your whining about the song, the production and the video.

What more do you want? This is NEAT!
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It is neat, that much most of us can agree on. It's not extraordinary though. There are a few things like the production or the drum sound that keep the song from reaching its true potential. We aren't required to unconditionally adore every single aspect of Bruce and Maiden. There are things that can, and arguably should, be criticized.

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Patrick92 said:
I dont get the love for the Priest sound? I find it so generic and boring. It sounds great, its not that. But its like a A.I created generic metal sound. I dont like it

Loving Afterglow more and more
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Damn, I couldn't disagree more. The new Priest album is (in my opinion of course) the perfect example of a fantastic and modern heavy metal production. The bass is strong and audible (though it could be a bit more present). The guitars are hefty and chunky in just the right ways while the leads are buttery smooth. The vocals are always present, while the harmonies and "whoah"s are tastefully mixed, never taking away the focus. The drums are a tiny bit too modern (particularly the snare), but sound generally amazing. The effects like bells are well mixed and don't stick out.

Furthermore, every musician delivered great performances and thought out arrangements. I love Maiden, but the last few albums have been far too "jam session"-y for me. And before someone claims that's the Maiden way: SSOASS-era Maiden would've never allowed some of the takes that landed on recent albums. Maiden used to be perfectionists but they haven't been in decades. I'm not even a big Priest fan, though the last releases have been awesome, but as far as production goes Priest blows Maiden completely out of the water. There's no contest.
Maiden's songwriting with a production on the level of modern Priest would be perfection. As it stands currently we have to compromise unfortunately.
 
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Helmuth Von Moltke said:
AGree about production. Annoys me when it is just assumed Roy Z production will be perfect and better than Maiden production. This is not always a given. And I couldn't say this track is better produced than Shirley Maiden at all. In fact, it was a let down for me. Good intro music and an interesting dark vibe that gives way to an awkward bridge and a cheesy chorus that I didn't like so much. Hopefully rest of the album is stronger.
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Agreed.

I find the production quite lacklustre. I am currently listening to The Chemical Wedding and I cannot believe that it is the work of the same producer.
 
Helmuth Von Moltke said:
AGree about production. Annoys me when it is just assumed Roy Z production will be perfect and better than Maiden production. This is not always a given. And I couldn't say this track is better produced than Shirley Maiden at all. In fact, it was a let down for me. Good intro music and an interesting dark vibe that gives way to an awkward bridge and a cheesy chorus that I didn't like so much. Hopefully rest of the album is stronger.
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Agreed. After Halford IV: Made of Metal my trust in Roy Z production fallen down a little bit. I love Halford solo works and this was only album that I didn't liked very much thanks to production.

Either way - still excited for Mandrake Project. :)
 
The_7th_one said:
I think it will be another video…It could be fine to turn every song in a videoclip but 4 months until the album…
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Perhaps a second single/video will be released on 17th January to accompany the release of the first comic:

www.themandrakeproject.com

The Mandrake Project - Album Coming March 1 2024 - The Mandrake Project

The Mandrake Project will be released on March 1st, via BMG on Double Vinyl, Deluxe CD, CD & Digital formats. Across ten inventive, expansive and absorbing tracks, Bruce Dickinson and his long-term co-writer and producer Roy Z, have created one of 2024’s defining rock albums.
www.themandrakeproject.com www.themandrakeproject.com
 
redandtheblack92 said:
Sonata is the one I look forward to the most. Might be darkly emotional.
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For sure. His longest solo song to date. Even with Maiden? Bruce said it will be a calm atmospheric piece, I just hope it's not like that for 10 minutes. At least it will probably have melodies/harmonies and longer solos and instrumental parts. I also hope for interesting and different parts.
eddie666 said:
I can't hear the vocals much. What I'm here for.
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It's not that bad.
Azas said:
[Pre-Chorus]
All has come to nothing
All will burn in hell
Now the bridge is broken
All is overcome

I don't like this part. The way Bruce sings it, very annoying. Plus it changes pace of the song for the worse.
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I like it a lot. The change of pace is not perfect, but it fits in a weird way.
Vaenyr said:
As for "Eternity Has Failed", I'm not sure that it is the reworking of IESF. The latter was originally supposed to be the opening track of the album and since it is a concept album I could see IESF being the introduction to the concept and a warning of things to come, while EHF comes later after things have gone wrong and continues the storyline. So for me I see two possibilies: Either Eternity Has Failed is a reworking of IESF, maybe minus the intro and outro? Would explain the length. It would obviously have different lyrics as well. The other possibility is that it is an entirely different track that is only connected by the overall theme of the album. Maybe a "The Alchemist" type of song, which was its own thing but featured a reprise of the "Chemical Wedding" chorus as a quote/leitmotif. Maybe EHF will do the same with IESF.
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I think it is. Minus the intro because it's not the opener (hope there will be a proper solo in its place), but maybe the outro will be there. The Alchemist-type of song is possible, yes.
GhostofCain said:
I am currently listening to The Chemical Wedding and I cannot believe that it is the work of the same producer.
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Me too.
The_7th_one said:
I think it will be another video…It could be fine to turn every song in a videoclip but 4 months until the album…
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I think so too, but let there be only one more single from a 10-songs album.
 
I realise I'm not probably the intended audience, as the only BD album I like is Accident (but then, I like that one more than about half/two thirds of Maiden-proper albums themselves) and sure, the production is wobbly and it sounds like a combination of a Tyranny outtake (the verses) and Bruce collaborating with Imagine Dragons (the pre-chorus and chorus), but...

...that said, I enjoyed it a lot in the end. Looking forward to the album now, actually.
 
Patrick92 said:
I dont get the love for the Priest sound? I find it so generic and boring. It sounds great, its not that. But its like a A.I created generic metal sound. I dont like it
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Same. I also find it 100% generic. I liked Redeemer of Souls back in 2014, but then Firepower sounded exactly like Redeemer, but less inspired and now it looks like Invincible Shield traced the same path. I never understood all the love about Firepower.
 
Shavasku said:
Same. I also find it 100% generic. I liked Redeemer of Souls back in 2014, but then Firepower sounded exactly like Redeemer, but less inspired and now it looks like Invincible Shield traced the same path. I never understood all the love about Firepower.
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Honestly, I have a problem with modern metal production in general - the extreme releases are often brickwalled to death (and some of the non-extreme as well) and sometimes it feels really artificial and as if a computer individually tweaked every single layer of sound - I understand that in metalcore, but it turns me off modern thrash and it is for example one of the reasons I can't like Unleash the Archers as much as the rest of the forum seems to.

The Priest albums you mentioned are also like that.
 
JudasMyGuide said:
Honestly, I have a problem with modern metal production in general - the extreme releases are often brickwalled to death (and some of the non-extreme as well) and sometimes it feels really artificial and as if a computer individually tweaked every single layer of sound - I understand that in metalcore, but it turns me off modern thrash and it is for example one of the reasons I can't like Unleash the Archers as much as the rest of the forum seems to.

The Priest albums you mentioned are also like that.
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Indeed. I'm no expert at all, but the feeling I get from Firepower is: "hey, look... here we go again with super fast metal solos, some good riffs here and there and here comes Halford high pitch screams from time to time because heavy fucking metal, yeah!". I mean... it worked great on songs such as Halls of Walhalla back in 2014. Great song. But I just feel like from 2014 on, every Judas Priest record has a Halls of Walhalla 2.0, 3.0 and so on, just because it worked back then. To sum it up: it doesn't sound fresh for me.

Complain all you want about Maiden, but their albums always sound fresh for me. Right, but that's just my opinion and I think we are going a bit off topic - my bad.
 
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Meliegree said:
Agreed. After Halford IV: Made of Metal my trust in Roy Z production fallen down a little bit.

Either way - still excited for Mandrake Project. :)
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Of course, Bruce always delivers quality stuff. I think most fans expected a heavy, fast and with high vocals song. We have to wait for the whole album for that. This single is like TWOTW for Maiden. It's purpose. Well, minus the instrumental section and solos. Agree about Roy's production.

I thought about something, maybe the album won't have that many (or any wow) long melodic interludes because they have to play these songs live with 1 guitar. I hope not. While I love Tyranny, it didn't have many longer sections. I thought with this new album would be different, even with 1 guitar. Let's wait and see.
 
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Regarding the sound and production of the new song. I was initially disappointed as Bruce sounded way to quiet in the mix and there was a terrible hiss from the drums.

When I first listened on Apple Music it was in Dolby atmos but now the album is available to pre order I’ve added the album to my downloads on Apple Music and the album appears as hi-res lossless and just listened to afterglow again and it sounds bloody brilliant. Way, way better than the stand alone Dolby atmos track that first popped up.

Just blasted it through my Apple TV and stereo connected HomePods and it sounded immense. Bruce’s vocals sounded much better, higher in the mix and more clarity. The whole track, especially the drums sounded much crisper and clearer.

Very happy now.
 
Shavasku said:
Indeed. I'm not expert at all, but the feeling I get from Firepower is: "hey, look... here we go again with super fast metal solos, some good riffs here and there and here comes Halford high pitch screams from time to time because heavy fucking metal, yeah!". I mean... it worked great on songs such as Halls of Walhalla back in 2014. Great song. But I just feel like from 2014 on, every Judas Priest record has a Halls of Walhalla 2.0, 3.0 and so on, just because it worked back then. To sum it up: it doesn't sound fresh for me.

Complain all you want about Maiden, but their albums always sound fresh for me. Right, but that's just my opinion and I think we are going a bit off topic - my bad.
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I know what you mean but I describe it differently.

Maiden albums still sound somehow authentic, somehow raw at times. Always they have a unique personality.

Priest albums now sound produced in a factory for making 'perfect modern metal songs'.
 
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