Senjutsu - 3rd September 2021

Kalata said:
...For me all songs in the album are great/excellent anyway, but I don't understand why DOTC is not higher in the rankings of the fans. ...
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I was also surprised to read some fans find it weak and boring. I find Steve’s bass lines alone so interesting and how the guitar solos arise and take over.
The bass and guitar playing actually reminded me of “Powerslave“ and then I had to laugh about that because some fans complained about the song and wanted “Powerslave II” instead. :D
 
Senjutsu is in my Top 3 Maiden albums. I love it. The album even exceeded my expectations. Melodic masterpiece with memorable and epic songs! Not a single bad song imo and some of the songs are contenders for my Top 10.


Btw, I'm still wondering why the album is without a song written by Dave... I doubt that the ideas he brought were not worthy and let's not forget that he writes with Steve. Maybe the song would have been my least favorite from the album (like it is the case with Dave's songs for the previous two albums, they are good songs though), but I miss his trademark melodic intros. Since 2006 he writes only one song per album anyway and I guess it's just that this time Steve decide to write the majority of the album (like in the 80's and 90's) - this is great because he once again surpassed himself.
The 3rd Smith/Dickinson song could have been a Murray/Harris one. I think Dave's song would have been a short rocker (since his last three songs were long), if Steve didn't decide to combine his two songs into one. I'm sure Dave has gathered ideas and can easily write one song for an album every five years, so it was an unexpected move.

This album will most probably remain the only reunion album without writing contribution from Dave (I'm sure his song will be included for the next one). He was on a streak since 1998! Powerslave is the only other album without any writing contribution from him.
 
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Kalata said:
Senjutsu is in my Top 3 Maiden albums. I love it. The album even exceeded my expectations. Melodic masterpiece! Not a single bad song imo.


Btw, I'm still wondering why the album is without a song written by Dave... I doubt that the ideas he brought were not worthy and let's not forget that he writes with Steve. Maybe the song would have been my least favorite from the album (like it is the case with Dave's songs for the previous two albums, they are good songs though), but I miss his trademark melodic intros. Since 2006 he writes only one song per album anyway and I guess it's just that this time Steve decide to write the majority of the album (like in the 80's and 90's) - this is great because he once again surpassed himself.
The 3rd Smith/Dickinson song could have been a Murray/Harris one. I think Dave's song would have been a short rocker (since his last three songs were long), if Steve didn't decide to combine his two songs into one.

This album will most probably remain the only reunion album without writing contribution from Dave (I'm sure his song will be included for the next one). He was on a streak since 1998! Powerslave is the only other album without any writing contribution from him.
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My theory is that Dave just isn't in songwriting mode much these days.
 
Didn’t they kinda pull into the studio in 2019 in a sorta “let’s we what comes out?” And mashed writing and recording together? It’s quite possible Dave doesn’t work great in that setting, and instead prefers the old “well tour now, then in 10 months we’ll be in the studio,” because that foresight tells him he should start being in songwriting mode. Some writers are probably fantastic at being spontaneous, but it’s not a good fit for everyone.

Also note, this is pure conjecture on my part. I’ve no idea why Dave doesn’t have a writing credit, this is just what makes sense as a possible scenario.
 
Whilst I do not think Senjutsu is a bad album in itself, I still find it significantly weaker than most of their post-reunion material. A shame, but it is what it is.
 
Senjutsu is still good. I'd currently place it 5th, behind SIT, SSOASS, DOD and TBOS (not necessarily in that order). I don't think that's changed from when I last evaluated it.

My views on particular songs have changed, though. Probably the biggest mover is Hell on Earth, which has lost most of its novelty and sits towards the tail end of my personal ranking. I have found a greater appreciation for The Time Machine, though.
 
I still listen to Senjutsu once a day on average. I think I can say with confidence now that I feel the title track, Stratego and Darkest Churchill are pretty meh (although the latter has some great soloing), but overall it's a great album with highlights aplenty.

A while ago I was on the bus, listening to Hell on Earth; then I got off and wanted to remove my mask, but I just couldn't bear taking off the headphones just for one second during this song. Given how much I've come to hate wearing masks, that should tell you something.
 
srfc said:
I doubt it's coincidental, you obviously prefer other compositions to Harris solo ones.
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I think the Harris solo songs on this album are all very strong. It is the back to back stinkers of Time Machine and Darkest Hour that brings the album down for me. I like everything either side of those two songs. I hope my views change over time. I can see Time Machine as a grower.
 
Give Time Machine time to grow. It´s a fantastic song! Not a fan of Darkest Hour´s chorus but I really like the intro and the solo´s.
 
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