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

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I believe Powerslave and Revelations are the only solo Bruce credits in the catalogue.
Both longer songs and both with cool instrumental parts.

...and welcome back Mega :welcome:
 
Thanks mckindog, good to be back.

If Steve or one of the others does indeed help with the composition, shouldn't they be credited too?
 
Bruce plays guitar, guys. He might not play it in the band, but he plays it. He might play piano, too, but I'm not sure. A lot of lead singers who write songs can play instruments. Dio did it, too. They just get other guys to record it and play it live because they far more proficient at singing.
 
As a guitar player, I find that as I get better at playing, my compositions become more elaborate and complex, often to incorporate the newly learned techniques.

Because of this, I wonder how bruce can come up with such amazing music (assuming he is a mediocre player).

I guess some people just have a gift! (and obviously bruce has many of those)
 
I think the other guys do more than "just" record it and play it live...But who knows :) I think it's possible that he does get some help from Steve or Smith or whomever with the transitions or maybe they have ideas for bridges and of course solos and whatever to make the track work better....As long as the track is mostly still Bruce's original ideas, he gets the credit.
 
So after a careful analysis of the track listing, I think that we have a good sign for those who like "shorter" songs. Three songs in the five minute range (4:30-5:29). But those who hate long tracks at the same time will probably still be more disappointed. As for me, I say bring on the 25 minute songs.
 
hypo13 said:
More the songwriting on the final frontier rather than the production. This song production wise was very live, at one point when the three guitars broke into one of their infamous harmonys, the bass and drums had an almost sloppy feel to them. Bruce sounded great though and there is a cool double track vocal bit that i remember liking. It's never ideal to hear a long song once on somebody else's stereo and come away with anything more than brief impression. I'll be buying the new album though and I'm looking forward to it as music as the rest of you.
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It is only natural that some people inside the music industry have already heard a part of the album....if not all of it. It is also very possible that this is the first review of a new song. It is also quite possible to get a song in the next weeks. I don't expect so much from Steve and Jan.All hopes on the Bruce and H songs.
 
Gk1 said:
I don't expect so much from Steve and Jan.All hopes on the Bruce and H songs.
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Opposite from me then... Pretty much all of Gers/Harris tracks on last 4 albums are great. A lot of interesting melodies. H wrote "Mother of Mercy", "Wildest Dreams", "Fallen Angel", "The Final Frontier" and "El Dorado", which pardon me for saying, looks like pure mediocrity beside "Dance of Death", "Montsegur", "The Legacy", "The Talisman", "The Alchemist" and "The Pilgrim". :)

SixesAlltheway said:
I think it's possible that he does get some help from Steve or Smith or whomever with the transitions or maybe they have ideas for bridges and of course solos and whatever to make the track work better....As long as the track is mostly still Bruce's original ideas, he gets the credit.
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Traditionally, a song was something that could be performed on just a guitar or a piano and vocals - so basically the melodies, chord sequence, the structure and lyrics is what makes up a song - the rest is arrangement, which isn't part of the songwriting credit. (Traditionally.)
 
Andi Deris has pretty much become the main songwriter in Helloween and writes most songs on his own because he plays guitar, but doesn't record the guitar parts on the album or play live. I never thought of Bruce as being like that, but I guess he must be.

Other than the fact it's a double album, I'm excited. I love the newer, more progressive Maiden. I like that their not to progressive in the same way as Dream Theater is. Dream Theater ruins most songs with wankfests that include overly long keyboard solos. Just imagine something like that in a Maiden song... Unlike Dream Theater, every note tells a story.
 
I like what Steve and Janick usually come up with, even if those songs aren't my favorites off the album. That said, I'm hoping The Red and the Black is more along the lines of When the Wild Wind Blows, as far as Steve's more recent solo compositions go. I think it's really going to be Bruce's songs (including the ones he co-wrote with H) that make or break the album for me, especially that sidelong epic. I'm excited, if a tad bit cautious...
 
Out of the shadows is the latest contribution by Bruce.Steve just helped with the chorus melody (I think). If Bruce had any help at all a second name would also be included in the credits
 
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Don't know who it was, I think it was you @Chained Prometheus who was looking for Maiden's inspirations. Now that Out of The Shadows was brought up by @Gk1 I read an old interview just the other day where Bruce pointed out that Out of The Shadows is one of their most prog rock, Tull-like tracks. I'll see if I can find the link again.
 
Maturin said:
Opposite from me then... Pretty much all of Gers/Harris tracks on last 4 albums are great. A lot of interesting melodies. H wrote "Mother of Mercy", "Wildest Dreams", "Fallen Angel", "The Final Frontier" and "El Dorado", which pardon me for saying, looks like pure mediocrity beside "Dance of Death", "Montsegur", "The Legacy", "The Talisman", "The Alchemist" and "The Pilgrim". :)
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To be honest with you I think that almost all of Jan's ideas are top notch. I really admire this guy. But he leaves almost all his ideas to Steve. And this is where things go wrong......IT IS THE ARRANGEMENTS I hate. All the Jan songs you mention are just great ideas repeated to Death. Brilliant music ideas arranged dreadfully.

In the other hand H had nothing to do with the Final Frontier song...it is that his name is there due to the intro. I prefer the thick guitar sound of H's songs.Some riffs for a change,good rhythm changes,classy solos and much more together arrangements.

All in all I think it is quite rare that you would find a bad music idea in a Maiden album....most of the time it is the arrangements that are done quick and the songs put together in a hurry.

I still remember the part in the AMOLAD documentary where Steve said to Jan(while he was playing the legacy intro) something along the lines.........then this part played twice and then this part again.....it is as if he arranges parts out of experience and not using any feeling at all.

Some times I really feel that they do not even bother to properly listen to what they record.
 
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SixesAlltheway said:
Don't know who it was, I think it was you @Chained Prometheus who was looking for Maiden's inspirations. Now that Out of The Shadows was brought up by @Gk1 I read an old interview just the other day where Bruce pointed out that Out of The Shadows is one of their most prog rock, Tull-like tracks. I'll see if I can find the link again.
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That's definitely interesting. I'm not all that familiar with Tull myself, aside from Thick as a Brick. I should probably get more familiar with them as preparation.
 
SixesAlltheway said:
Don't know who it was, I think it was you @Chained Prometheus who was looking for Maiden's inspirations. Now that Out of The Shadows was brought up by @Gk1 I read an old interview just the other day where Bruce pointed out that Out of The Shadows is one of their most prog rock, Tull-like tracks. I'll see if I can find the link again.
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He is talking about the part after the solo.Every now and then such a folk melody would find its way in the songs :)
 
Maturin said:
H wrote "Mother of Mercy", "Wildest Dreams", "Fallen Angel", "The Final Frontier" and "El Dorado", which pardon me for saying, looks like pure mediocrity...
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Adrian Smith wrote Paschendale, Iron Maiden's greatest song.

That's all I really wanted to post but you know I'm not stopping there.

Adrian Smith designed the Lamborghini Miura.
Adrian Smith cooks a delicious pumpkin pie every fall.
Adrian Smith never opens doors. He glares at closed doors and they open out of fear.
Adrian Smith invented the science of landscaping, just so he could make Dennis Stratton mow his lawn.
Adrian Smith has declined diplomatic immunity from the US, stating that he ought to be given "favored nation" trading status instead.
Adrian Smith is now.
 
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