Does Maiden care anymore?

PlayClassics!

Educated Fool
5 years since the last album, and they still write most of the new album going into the studio, don't rehearse much, and don't bother with the production, just the same old "going for a live sound", put out a generic rock single with a video game where the band even cant be bothered to be shown playing, and to top it off, don't even bother to make a cover for the single, just use a black/white version of the album cover....

To me, it seems Maiden these days simply don't care. Steve seems to have more passion for British Lion now, Bruce has his flying and what not, Nicko spends most of his time barbequing in the Florida sun....

To some extent, I find some of it understandable considering how long they've been going. Doesn't mean I find it forgivable. They still call it Iron Maiden, and for me that name means I should expect more.

If you have 5 bloody years on your hands, what's your excuse, really? Bruce happened to have a song lying about for a future solo album that Steve picked up on, another came to be by coincidence because he found a piano in the studio....? Harris is out touring with BL, and is appearantly including a lot of new songs in their setlist. It just seems to me a lack of interest going into the studio so unprepared after such a long break, not having a lot of finished songs with them. Having heard the single, which practically oozes of this attitude of "hey let's just play a bit, they'll still love it and buy it, we're Maiden" attitude, I am seriously losing all hope that the album will be much better. I'm sure parts of it will be good, they're great musicians at the core and even on a bad day, Maiden is usually good enough for a lot of people, but back in the day Steve had a standard they shouldn't settle with that, but always go the extra mile to give people the very best they could. That work ethic seems dead and buried, and I'm fed up with paying for it!
 
100% agree with you mate, Maiden will always be my favourite band but I really miss the BNW, DOD era I think those albums are amazing and was really expecting something more then a song what sounds like an unfinished demo.;)
 
The thing I will give you, is the "going for the live sound", (not counting the horrible, almost untampered tom sound) in the regard that the drum playing mistakes in the song is distracting. This is definitely intentional, as I hear zero auto tuning on the vocals as well (audible in spots throughout AMOLAD and TFF). They are looking for natural, not perfect, but I'd prefer the tom fills not to sound sloppy. I'm all for neglecting tuning though. I hate auto tuning with a passion.



I like the new song in itself. Very cool guitar melodies, main riff and attitude.
 
Last edited:
I dig the song in itself though and the boys obviously care. But the tom fills sloppiness and the tom sound is getting more and more on my nerves than the first couple listens.
 
Yea I agree and I love having these conversations as maiden are my life. I hated TFF not too mention the album cover looked nothing like eddie. I just feel people like me wanted a catchy wicker man or rainmaker single instead but i hope the rest of the album is good but in my mind BNW was PERFECT of how maiden should be and sound but that's just my opionion.B)
 
Yea I agree and I love having these conversations as maiden are my life but I hated TFF not too mention the album cover looked nothing like eddie and I just feel people like me wanted a catchy wicker man or rainmaker single instead but i hope the rest of the album is good but n my mind BNW was PERFECT of how maiden should be and sound but that's just my opionionB)

Full stops. Use them.
 
First, it's not exactly like they haven't been doing anything over the last 5 years so I don't get that argument.

In the history of music no bands have liked doing music videos. So if you're Maiden and you don't have to, why the hell would you? Total waste of time.

This "single" artwork is 100% a result of the US record company trying to drive sales. There was no effort put in there because it's really not that big of a deal.

I agree about the live sound - I wish this sounded better. But I'm not going to say they don't care after getting probably the most stock Maiden song off of this upcoming album. If I judged the last 4 albums on singles alone I would have never bothered.
 
I can't stand how every time Maiden announces an album and you start to read about the 'Making Of The Album' in which they say stuff like "Yeah it all happened very smoothly, we went in the studio and finished 4 songs in 2 days and the rest of the songs were made up on the spot and we instantly recorced everything and it sounds very live bla bla bla" ....as if that is a good thing ::)
 
Yeah this "live sound" approach is at the heart of whats wrong at the moment for me.

I am not sure why they think fans want the live sound when all their greatest albums had studio sound. On top of that they do put out top notch tour dvds so its not as if fans wont get to hear the live sound.

Now the live sound approach has rushed things so much that it is evident in the vocals, the drums and the guitar solos. The riffs are still good though. They band should ask themselves if it would have been possible to write Alexander the Great or Powerslave using this approach, where every solo is so well thought out. My enthusiasm is getting filled by more and more of anxiety... I didnt like TFF and this one might just go in that direction.
 
Steve has been obsessed with this "live sound in the studio" since No Prayer For The Dying, it's all he ever talks about in interviews of trying to recreate what they do on stage in the studio....

In my opinion, it's a lost cause, because it simply isn't meant to happen. You will never get a fully "live" sound other than on a stage, in front of a crowd. It's not so much about the sound as about the vibe, anyway. That lapdog Shirley won't tell them, though, he's too happy with the money he's making from their futile quest!

If the purpose of sounding "live" is so all-important, why the hell even bother going into the studio? Just play a gig with the new songs and record it, then!
 
5 years since the last album, and they still write most of the new album going into the studio, don't rehearse much, and don't bother with the production, just the same old "going for a live sound", put out a generic rock single with a video game where the band even cant be bothered to be shown playing, and to top it off, don't even bother to make a cover for the single, just use a black/white version of the album cover....

To me, it seems Maiden these days simply don't care. Steve seems to have more passion for British Lion now, Bruce has his flying and what not, Nicko spends most of his time barbequing in the Florida sun....

To some extent, I find some of it understandable considering how long they've been going. Doesn't mean I find it forgivable. They still call it Iron Maiden, and for me that name means I should expect more.

If you have 5 bloody years on your hands, what's your excuse, really? Bruce happened to have a song lying about for a future solo album that Steve picked up on, another came to be by coincidence because he found a piano in the studio....? Harris is out touring with BL, and is appearantly including a lot of new songs in their setlist. It just seems to me a lack of interest going into the studio so unprepared after such a long break, not having a lot of finished songs with them. Having heard the single, which practically oozes of this attitude of "hey let's just play a bit, they'll still love it and buy it, we're Maiden" attitude, I am seriously losing all hope that the album will be much better. I'm sure parts of it will be good, they're great musicians at the core and even on a bad day, Maiden is usually good enough for a lot of people, but back in the day Steve had a standard they shouldn't settle with that, but always go the extra mile to give people the very best they could. That work ethic seems dead and buried, and I'm fed up with paying for it!

I know right?
There is no excuse for them making the album they want to make on the schedule they want make it.
They should be making what real fans — meaning you — want to hear, when and how you want to hear it.

That Iron Maiden, so fucking entitled. o_O
 
I know right?
There is no excuse for them making the album they want to make on the schedule they want make it.
They should be making what real fans — meaning you — want to hear, when and how you want to hear it.

That Iron Maiden, so fucking entitled. o_O
If its good, fans wouldnt care if it was pulled out of their asses. As long as it is good. Is it possible for a fan to criticize a Maiden song for their approach to it here without having to hear this "real fan" bull shit? I would hope so unless you want blind fanboys forming a circle praising every bad note and drum beat in the songs. If you want to do it, to me thats cool too. I will respect your opinion and let you be.
 
If its good, fans wouldnt care if it was pulled out of their asses. As long as it is good. Is it possible for a fan to criticize a Maiden song for their approach to it here without having to hear this "real fan" bull shit? I would hope so unless you want blind fanboys forming a circle praising every bad note and drum beat in the songs. If you want to do it, to me thats cool too. I will respect your opinion and let you be.

Are you implying that I suggested people who don't like Speed of Light aren't real fans?
Where do you see that?
 
That is correct. Unless my sarcasm detector has failed me

Not at all. With the exception of the odd troll, people posting on here do so because they are fans, full stop. PlayClassics is a fan, even though his fandom comes across as having a striking resemblance to a middle-age man's grudge against his high-school girlfriend.

"Real fans" is an artificial construct designed to attack people for having different opinions.
While I strongly disagree with most of PlayClassic's post, I was only responding to his implication ("If you have 5 bloody years on your hands, what's your excuse, really?") that Iron Maiden (or any artist) needs to live up to a standard created by these "real fans."

They're artists. They create. You respond. They owe you nothing.
 
Yeah this "live sound" approach is at the heart of whats wrong at the moment for me.

I am not sure why they think fans want the live sound when all their greatest albums had studio sound. On top of that they do put out top notch tour dvds so its not as if fans wont get to hear the live sound.

Now the live sound approach has rushed things so much that it is evident in the vocals, the drums and the guitar solos. The riffs are still good though. They band should ask themselves if it would have been possible to write Alexander the Great or Powerslave using this approach, where every solo is so well thought out. My enthusiasm is getting filled by more and more of anxiety... I didnt like TFF and this one might just go in that direction.

I personally think they keep pulling out that line because they are too tired from a life of making complex albums and now just want to make albums which are easier and straightforward to make. That way they can play it in concert and people can think 'it sounds just like it does on the album!'.


And stop the real fan bullshit discussion. Don't turn every thread into an argument.
 
make albums which are easier and straightforward to make.
That's why Isle of Avalon is so basic and boring. You're absolutely correct.

In the end, I think it's easy to say they don't care - when we haven't heard the album. I think there's a lot of work that goes into the album regardless of the amount of time put into it. As long as the band is happy with it, they should release it.
 
Back
Top