The X Factor Vs. Senjutsu

Which album is your favourite?

  • Total voters
    58
Helmuth Von Moltke said:
I’m going to pick X Factor, because it pushed Maiden’s sound further forward than any album since then. It’s badly flawed for all the reasons we know, but it is a really important album in Maiden’s musical journey.
Click to expand...
So true, but the quality of the songs is the most important.
Helmuth Von Moltke said:
Whereas Senjutsu is a fine album indeed, but it’s just another reunion era album to me. It’s the sixth of six, and the formula is starting to wear thin for me by now.
Click to expand...
While I can't see it or want it to be that drastic, it's probably needed in some way. How can they freshen it up? Better production, more shorter (can't see it now, tbh) and energetic songs (energetic because of Simon, but Steve, Adrian and Bruce will have the say, so I'm not sure, new energy now... too comfort?), longer songs but with much shorter intros (maybe, you know for something different to say, although I can't imagine Steve's songs), more classic style with harmonies (please)...? It's their style for half of the discography. If they want a double album again, just add more songs instead, like two more shorter rockers like Stratego, Steve can still write them. Bruce and Adrian's songs usually bring the balance, Janick too. Steve will write a few songs on his own again, most likely long. They should have fresh ideas, like for every album. If you want 3-4 big and long songs, then add 3-4 shorter rockers, not just 2 at most.
 
Last edited:
Kalata said:
How can they freshen it up? Better production, more shorter and energetic songs, longer songs but with much shorter intros, more classic style with harmonies...? It's their style for half of the discography.
Click to expand...
so the biggest hope is Simon changes the energy and offers an injection of fresh air in the studio.

next hope is that in the last few years, Adrian, Steve and Bruce have spent more time on side projects / solo career than at any stage in the reunion era. So the hope is again for new energy.

finally, just a bit of self awareness and the possibility that ‘Steve-ising’ almost everything, & interspersing these long songs with Smith/Dickinson songs of variable quality, just doesn’t do it for them anymore.

It’s likely their last album, I’d really hope for a proper last hurrah with different energy this time. But I’m a friendly critic of Souls and Senjutsu, I think each has songs of incredibly quality plus mediocre padding. Others may be happy with another double album in that format. I’m hoping for something different…
 
Senjutsu for me, one of their better recent albums and with Hell on Earth as the closer it wins out no problem.

TXF has a couple of good tracks on it but it`s just is a period of Maiden i couldn`t get in to.
 
runsilentrundeep said:
TXF for me, the album saw me through a dark time. It’s one of my favourite maiden albums

Despite its flaws, it has a pretty unique vibe - if only it had better production :(
Click to expand...
There is on youtube a few different mix. Im not a fan of the remasters or remix. I like how x factor sounds for x factor not for the resto of the albums
 
It's a toss up to me, as they're both in my top 5. Senjutsu is a very strong album and has The Parchment, which is a top 5 Maiden song for me. Probably my second favorite actually. But the X Factor, the whole album, is just a vibe. It's so dark that if it was a horse it'd be a dark horse. And the song writing is stellar.

In my parallel universe fantasy, there's a version of the X Factor that include the three dropped tracks, and also is the last album Martin Birch produced instead of Fear of the Dark. Imagine an X Factor produced by Birch. Still dark, but sharper and heavier and Birch would know exactly what to do to get the best performance out of Blaze.
 
Both great albums, both in my Maiden Top 5 but with a little preference for Senjutsu.
While X Factor has Sign Of The Cross, Edge Of Darkness and The Unbeliever, The Parchment and Hell On Earth devour all three of them. That ending is unseen on any Maiden album since the combo Powerslave/Rime
 
Helmuth Von Moltke said:
I’m going to pick X Factor, because it pushed Maiden’s sound further forward than any album since then. It’s badly flawed for all the reasons we know, but it is a really important album in Maiden’s musical journey.

Whereas Senjutsu is a fine album indeed, but it’s just another reunion era album to me. It’s the sixth of six, and the formula is starting to wear thin for me by now.
Click to expand...
This is my opinion on it as well. I was really excited when I first heard The Writing on the Wall. I thought we were in for something really different. My hopes were extinguished when I saw the amount of Harris solo writing on Senjutsu.

That being said Stratego and Hell on Earth are certified bangers. The Parchment and Days of Future Past are great as well.
 
Listening to AMOLAD now. Is it weird to say that album, (or at least some songs like For The Greater Good Of God for instance) feel abit like a bridge between X Factor and Senjutsu?
 
Abas said:
I am curious to hear more what's clicked with you as other albums in the reunion era. Not for the sake of argument at all - just to hear more from your perspective
Click to expand...
For me, it is the first time that the tropes of the reunion era started to wear thin. Here are my thoughts.

  • The album didn’t need to be a double album. You can just hear them stretching out songs and ideas. All of the epics fee dragged out to no effect. For example, I love Hell on Earth but the intro and outro are too long.
  • I also get the feeling that they were not all ‘into’ making the album. Nicko wasn’t at first and I think the writing credits show that Harris did the heavy lifting. There was also an interview where someone said that they just waiting around for Steve to finish songs. It doesn’t sound like a team effort.
  • Did we really need another Janick song with the same sodding intro?
  • Darkest Hour is a poor man’s Coming Home with half the song dedicated to seagulls.
  • There are too many songs that have the guitars doubling up the vocal line. It’s really lazy.
It’s a good album, but it feels like it was put together in a rush with rehashed ideas. As I previously mentioned, The Writing on the Wall (and possibly Days of Future Past) felt fresh and exciting. It’s a shame that the rest of the album didn’t live up to that.
 
Ascendingthethrone said:
For me, it is the first time that the tropes of the reunion era started to wear thin. Here are my thoughts.

  • The album didn’t need to be a double album. You can just hear them stretching out songs and ideas. All of the epics fee dragged out to no effect. For example, I love Hell on Earth but the intro and outro are too long.
  • I also get the feeling that they were not all ‘into’ making the album. Nicko wasn’t at first and I think the writing credits show that Harris did the heavy lifting. There was also an interview where someone said that they just waiting around for Steve to finish songs. It doesn’t sound like a team effort.
  • Did we really need another Janick song with the same sodding intro?
  • Darkest Hour is a poor man’s Coming Home with half the song dedicated to seagulls.
  • There are too many songs that have the guitars doubling up the vocal line. It’s really lazy.
It’s a good album, but it feels like it was put together in a rush with rehashed ideas. As I previously mentioned, The Writing on the Wall (and possibly Days of Future Past) felt fresh and exciting. It’s a shame that the rest of the album didn’t live up to that.
Click to expand...
Darkest hour has NOTHING compred to coming home ,out of thre shadows. Boring,very boring.
About the senjutsu work i think was nicko who didnt want. But the band nowadays maybe since reunion spend less time in the studio than the 80s. Maybe they come with most of the songs but they dont like to spend 3 months there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top