2 Minutes to Midnight

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How good is 2 Minutes to Midnight on a scale of 1-10?

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With a crash, "Aces High" dies away and we are thrust into Powerslave's second track by one of the great Maiden riffs of all time. Yes, it's a riff style that many have used throughout metal's history, but Maiden really perfected it here.

"2 Minutes To Midnight" is a popular song, but it's popular for a reason. 10/10. Great stuff.
 
A catchy, iconic riff with percussive accents kicks into a great uptempo verse. Bruce's tremolo is a little out of control here, but not to the point of distraction. This switches gears into an excellent, slower feel pre-chorus with cool bass fills before breaking into a faster, soaring chorus.

Another round of verse through chorus and we get a great uptempo solo with some harmonized bits followed by an excellent, slightly bluesier solo. This leads into an extended subdued interlude with a plaintive, bluesy lead. This kicks back into a final round of verse through chorus that morphs into a variant chorus and a brief outro punctuated by a final shouted lyric.

This is a superb rocker that hops deftly back and forth between harder and softer feels, and it has great lyrics, too. The minor weaknesses aren't enough to deny this song a 10/10.
 
Staccato riffs were all the rage back in the day, but Maiden's is arguably the pinnacle. "2 Minutes To Midnight" opens with some fiery riffing and cool drumbeats, before exploding into a mid-paced song to keep the energy from "Aces High" going, even if it's not as fast. It's a really strong number and one of the best of their singles - an awesome track all-told. 10
 

Your Maiden blasphemy

Yes. Hmm, must make a Murray songs Spotify-list. I have one.....only thing is it has just gone down by 3 songs cos the 98 remasters have disappeared off Spotify, so no Sanctuary, Twilight Zone or Total Eclipse ☹️
forum.maidenfans.com

Nice discussion on the rhythm section of 2 Minutes to Midnight in the proceeding few posts in the above thread, it really belongs here.

Also, I'm linking my post in the thread, just to bring a bit more attention and praise to that, for no reason, one note change he puts in.

Discussion starts here
 
Fantastic intro and riff/rhythm. Very good verses and the pre-chorus/chorus are one of my favorites. Both solos are great. Great drumming. Everything is perfect in this song. Classic for Maiden. 10/10
 
Judging from various YouTube comments that converge, it is apparently the official alternate version was that broadcast, at least, in Brazil and Australia instead of the "feature" one, in the days of the promotion of the album.

Besides, while looking it up, I've found a curiousity:
:D
I wouldn't mind a Russian speaker telling us what the lyrics are about.

And another one which resets the scale as to who "invented" the riff:
 
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When was the last time Janick started the song live, the 2003 summer tour?

Liked how Bruce used this segment to introduce Janick to the audience, like in Stockholm 2003.

And Rock In Rio 2001 as well, "Mr. Janick Gers comes to Rio".

Adrian has always played the intro since the AMOLAD tour though?
 
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TheTalisman said:
And Rock In Rio 2001 as well, "Mr. Janick Gers comes to Rio".
Click to expand...

That was a throw back to his solo days when he used to introduce it as "Mr Smith comes to [insert town here]" a pun on the Jimmy Stewart film Mr Smith Goes to Washington. The joke doesn't work for Janick which always annoyed me:lol:
 
I voted 8.

However, as with any song I really like (Maiden or otherwise), it's been a 10. It all depends on the mood I'm in.

Everyone knows what I'm talking about, of course. Some days, music is just better.
 
I like Adrian's groovy solo in the studio version, but I admit that I like his (changed) version live a lot too:

^ If I'm not mistaken, he started to change this solo live since SBIT tour?

Btw, I also like Janick's short solo live after the solos. It fits great.
 
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