Slartibartfarst42
Trooper
Having been disappointed in the previous two albums, I was wary about this album before it's release. Having followed Iron Maiden for 41 years, I didn't want my favourite band to end with a whimper.
My first encounter with this album was 'The Writing on the Wall' and my primary hope was that Bruce's voice didn't sound too strained, as it had on the previous two albums. In that regard, I was left undecided. His voice did sound a little strained in places, but it was nothing like as bad as it had been on TBOS. Furthermore, this was a really good song, with a strong melody and a very catchy chorus. In many ways it was a bit of a musical departure for Maiden but I loved the fact that even after all these years, they were still trying new things. The thing that really floored me, and still does, is Adrian's solo. What he plays here is simply stunning and is quite possibly my favourite solo from any Maiden album. There was certainly enough here to make me want to listen to more.
Next up came Stratego and this is one of my favourite tracks on the album. Bruce's singing is fantastic, the song is very melodic and catchy and the whole thing just really works perfectly. I absolutely love this song and at this point I was greatly encouraged. The early signs were good that this would be another great album and Bruce's voice was sounding better than it had in years. I was now waiting very impatiently for Senjutsu to be released.
I won't do a song by song critique here, but after 41 years of following the band through all their many ups and occasional downs, I will say that this is a stunningly good album. There are a lot of great tracks here, so finding fault is extremely difficult. If I had to pick weaknesses, I'd say that Death of the Celts isn't brilliant. It's a good song, but it reminds me too much of The Clansman without being anything like as good as that song. I'd also say it's far too long. I prefer The Parchment as a song, but again I'd say it's too long. I think I would have preferred it if both of these songs, and especially Death of the Celts, had been trimmed so that the album would go onto one CD. Other than these minor complaints, I really can't find fault here. Every other song is excellent and Hell on Earth is an absolute masterpiece that ranks right up alongside the best in Maiden's history. The music here is filled with light and shade, it has melody in abundance, the playing is top drawer and the songwriting is amongst the finest they have ever done.
It's easy to get overly enthusiastic about a new album, but I've listened to this a lot now and I would rank this album very high in their catalogue. In many ways, Senjutsu reminds me of SSOASS. That album didn't have the classic tracks of other albums of that era, but it was the culmination of everything they had been working towards since The Number of the Beast and in that regard, SSOASS was the pinnacle of their achievements to that point. Senjutsu feels similar to me. Since BNW they have been developing the three guitar sound and moving in a more Prog Rock direction, and this album is the culmination of that journey. There have been great albums along the way, but this, for me, is the second great pinnacle of achievement in their history. It's a big claim, but I really think that this is their SSOASS moment of the reunion era. I'm going to have a serious rethink about my ranked order of Iron Maiden albums now, but I suspect that Senjutsu is going to end up very high indeed. I've been with Iron Maiden from the very first album, back when I was just 16 years old in 1980. Iron Maiden changed my life and their music has given me a great deal of pleasure, satisfaction and joy. I don't want them to stop, but realistically, time waits for no man and we have to be realistic that this may be their last album. They aren't young men anymore, all being in their sixties, and Nicko will be 70 next year. How much longer can he realistically play drums for a band like Iron Maiden? This could sadly be the end for Iron Maiden now, but if it is, I am pleased they have been able to end on an album that is one of the best they have ever done, and arguably, could very well be the best album of them all.
My first encounter with this album was 'The Writing on the Wall' and my primary hope was that Bruce's voice didn't sound too strained, as it had on the previous two albums. In that regard, I was left undecided. His voice did sound a little strained in places, but it was nothing like as bad as it had been on TBOS. Furthermore, this was a really good song, with a strong melody and a very catchy chorus. In many ways it was a bit of a musical departure for Maiden but I loved the fact that even after all these years, they were still trying new things. The thing that really floored me, and still does, is Adrian's solo. What he plays here is simply stunning and is quite possibly my favourite solo from any Maiden album. There was certainly enough here to make me want to listen to more.
Next up came Stratego and this is one of my favourite tracks on the album. Bruce's singing is fantastic, the song is very melodic and catchy and the whole thing just really works perfectly. I absolutely love this song and at this point I was greatly encouraged. The early signs were good that this would be another great album and Bruce's voice was sounding better than it had in years. I was now waiting very impatiently for Senjutsu to be released.
I won't do a song by song critique here, but after 41 years of following the band through all their many ups and occasional downs, I will say that this is a stunningly good album. There are a lot of great tracks here, so finding fault is extremely difficult. If I had to pick weaknesses, I'd say that Death of the Celts isn't brilliant. It's a good song, but it reminds me too much of The Clansman without being anything like as good as that song. I'd also say it's far too long. I prefer The Parchment as a song, but again I'd say it's too long. I think I would have preferred it if both of these songs, and especially Death of the Celts, had been trimmed so that the album would go onto one CD. Other than these minor complaints, I really can't find fault here. Every other song is excellent and Hell on Earth is an absolute masterpiece that ranks right up alongside the best in Maiden's history. The music here is filled with light and shade, it has melody in abundance, the playing is top drawer and the songwriting is amongst the finest they have ever done.
It's easy to get overly enthusiastic about a new album, but I've listened to this a lot now and I would rank this album very high in their catalogue. In many ways, Senjutsu reminds me of SSOASS. That album didn't have the classic tracks of other albums of that era, but it was the culmination of everything they had been working towards since The Number of the Beast and in that regard, SSOASS was the pinnacle of their achievements to that point. Senjutsu feels similar to me. Since BNW they have been developing the three guitar sound and moving in a more Prog Rock direction, and this album is the culmination of that journey. There have been great albums along the way, but this, for me, is the second great pinnacle of achievement in their history. It's a big claim, but I really think that this is their SSOASS moment of the reunion era. I'm going to have a serious rethink about my ranked order of Iron Maiden albums now, but I suspect that Senjutsu is going to end up very high indeed. I've been with Iron Maiden from the very first album, back when I was just 16 years old in 1980. Iron Maiden changed my life and their music has given me a great deal of pleasure, satisfaction and joy. I don't want them to stop, but realistically, time waits for no man and we have to be realistic that this may be their last album. They aren't young men anymore, all being in their sixties, and Nicko will be 70 next year. How much longer can he realistically play drums for a band like Iron Maiden? This could sadly be the end for Iron Maiden now, but if it is, I am pleased they have been able to end on an album that is one of the best they have ever done, and arguably, could very well be the best album of them all.