Hell On Earth

How good is Hell on Earth on a scale of 1-10?

  • Total voters
    61
Edington said:
Who do we think is playing the lead melody after the final "Love in anger/Life in danger"? I'd have said Janick as he tends to take the lead on Steve's tracks with Adrian harmonising, but the rhythm track sounds closer to Janick's tone than Dave's. Could also be that Steve wanted the classic Maiden duo to sign off what could be their final album.
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Probably it is Gers + Smith. The rhythm guitar is very Murray-esque (he's very similar to Gers when it comes to rhythm sections, check The Red and the Black).

But at the end it depends on how they recorded the album.
 
TheTalisman said:
That's right. Sometimes there is a lot of overdubbing of parts involved.

In Como Estais Amigos for example, it sounds like Janick recorded 2 lead guitars for the middle section, while Dave played rhythm:


3:13 and onwards it's also Janick playing a riff with a rather sharp tone, while he also solos at the same time, while Dave is playing power chords. That was unique for just that song, so I think there could have been some unusual parts recorded on Senjutsu as well.

I still think it's Dave (and Adrian) playing that part in Hell on Earth and not Janick though, because of the smooth neck pickup sound and the delay you can hear. I can hear 2 rhythm guitars too, when I listen with headphones - I believe that they recorded 4 guitars totally on this part.
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It's a bit different context since Janick wrote the music for Como Estais Amigos and at the time they had only two guitars, so it was logical that he had to record two voices (2nd rhythm + solo).

I don't know if they recorded Senjutsu live—if not, it's possible that any of them recorded both the melodies and/or the chords and Shirley mixed it. But I must admit, indeed it has a 'golden years' vibe so it's possible that it was Dave and Adrian, with Janick at the rhythm section.
 
TheTalisman said:
@Edington Listen closely at 9:41, you can hear a little bit of a delay effect after that the drums come to a stop. That's 100 % Dave's sound and not Janick. But it sounds double tracked at the same time, and therefore I can't tell for sure if it's Dave alone playing this. Adrian plays that melody earlier so it might be him in the mix as well.

The lead part starting at 3:02 and onwards is definitely Dave alone though! That is a really well played piece, he also plays along with Bruce's vocals.
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Murder of Rue Morgue said:
Probably it is Gers + Smith. The rhythm guitar is very Murray-esque (he's very similar to Gers when it comes to rhythm sections, check The Red and the Black).
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Yeah, it's surprisingly tricky, I can usually tell the three apart with no issue but this line throws me a bit. As I said, I'd be inclined to say it's Janick and Adrian as they tend to play the bulk of the lead lines on Steve's songs, but the tone sounds much closer to Dave's. With Steve writing four epics on this album I guess he decided to split the lead playing out a bit more.

I would say the line at 3:02 is actually Janick, the tone is basically the same as the one he used for his lead break in Shadows of the Valley, plus I can hear a few pick harmonics in there, which Dave rarely uses. I think that might be Dave coming in at 4:35 though.
 
I re-listened to it.

Every melody sounds 100% Gers + Smith to me as usual including the 'main theme' ("I wish I could go back", etc.) and the 'variation' ("Beginning of a sunrise bores a big hole in the sky", etc.). There's no vibrato in the held notes. The high voice is Gers IMO. I won't repudiate what I said, it has a 'golden years' vibe, but it sounds more Gers + Smith than Murray + Smith to me.

Smith plays the whammy bar break after verses 1 and 2 and the one after the 'chorus'.
 
Who plays the lead before the drums enter and the song kicks off? Is it Dave all the way from start?
 
I don't know if it's already been mentioned here and I'm too lazy to go back and look it up, but in the opening section right after the intro you can really clearly hear the sliding on the strings of the guitars. It's especially noticeable when I listen to the song with headphones on. Somehow I didn't notice it until a while ago and I wonder how easy or difficult it is to filter out something like that when editing a song?

Starting around 2:15 if anyone wants to hear what I mean


It doesn't necessarily bother me, but if you start paying attention to it but it can get on your nerves if you're solely paying attention to that sound. Like just paying attention to the syntheziser sound of songs from Somewhere in Time or Seventh Son. Or the chorus part of Stratego.
 
Poto said:
Who plays the lead before the drums enter and the song kicks off? Is it Dave all the way from start?
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It sounds like Janick to me. But it could be Dave, the leads have vibes of some songs from the BNW album in which he plays the intros. Or maybe both of them? I think Dave plays the intro in ''The Parchment'' and he certainly plays leads in ''Lost In A Lost World'' and ''Death Of The Celts'', but probably not their intros.
 
The last of our epics trilogy is perhaps the most quintessentially Harris. The lyrically driven epic with a huge chorus and lyrics from the perspective of someone who feels disconnected from the outside world and, much more frequent in Harris' later years, one who is disgusted with the direction of humanity. Think Hallowed Be Thy Name, For the Greater Good of God, The Sign of the Cross, even Rime of the Ancient Mariner if you dig into the allegory. Basically, the most iconic Maiden epics. It's no surprise that the fanbase loves this song, it really epitomizes those classic Maiden elements. And, true to Harris' form, despite the dire tone of the song there is still a shed of optimism on the other side.

Mark my words, believe my soul lives on
Don't worry now that I have gone
I've gone beyond to seek the truth
When you know that your time is close at hand
Maybe then you'll begin to understand
Life down here is just a strange illusion

At the end of the day, it's the same message. 40 years later it is a bit wiser and maybe a little less flowery, but the sentiment is still there. If this is the last Maiden album, I can hardly think of a more appropriate swan song. 10.
 
Each time I hear this sing it makes me more worried about the future of mankind.

“You dance on the graves who bled for us
Do you really think they'll come for us?
Knowledge and virtue, taken by lust
Live on the edge of those that you trust
You think that you have all the answers for all
In your arrogant way only one way to fall
Burning a lamp that is fire in your hands
Taking you further from these lands”

We’re at a stage in history where we aren’t defending a physical wall but things that we should take for granted, freedom, esp freedom of speech, freedom to defend ourselves, freedom to have views different from the marauding woke mob who insist “there is only one way to fall” in their “arrogant way” for instance, I have never felt so under threat as a woman in all my adult life. Try and discuss issues that are important and you’re shut down by mantras/magical words/war cries that are regurgitated sound bites.

The art of war has never been so important but this time we’re fighting arrogance, stupidity, censorship and loss of freedom

Well done Steve!

Senjutsu is as as much about freedom as it is about war, in fact I think the album argues the two can never be truely separated.
 
Instant classic and favorite! One of Maiden's all time best songs! I love it. All of the melodies sound nostalgic and epic (some of Maiden's best) and the theme is presented perfectly with both the music and the lyrics (like on the whole album). Steve is just amazing really. The chorus lyrics are top stuff. Bruce also helps with his golden voice now, as in almost all the songs and here he sounds probably the best on the album and younger.
The intro - although being too long - is pure gold. The emotion it carries is fantastic. Impact right from the start. The actual start of the song with the drums and the gallop is pure joy and a great way to kick off things. Verses, pre-chorus and especially chorus(!) are all AMAZING. This chorus could very well be my favorite chorus ever! The calm middle part is a brilliant idea. Love it so much. All of the solos are strong - the chagne of pace with Dave's one, Adrian with a very fitting melody and start (yet again, and a bit of a unique solo for him) and Janick's one perfectly describes the message of the whole song. ''Love in anger, Life in danger'' part is one of Maiden's best. It feels like a 2nd chorus. All of the tempo changes and melodies are needed and great. The outro is needed too, but it's a bit too long for me though. Especially when - I wish this golden chorus was repeated at least one more time (3 times overall would have been magic). Such a strange decision by Steve. I will always wonder why. As a whole, the song is a real diamond and a magical experience! Top 10 stuff (like the previous song and at least 4-5 songs overall from the album for me)! 10/10
 
TheMercenary said:
For me, the best album closer is "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner". It's a way better song than "Hell On Earth" that is too cheesy, not heavy and epic enough for me compared to 'Powerslave' 8th song. ;)
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After your comment, I re-listened to Hell on Earth and Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The second song is cool I have no doubt. But Hell on Earth wins by having a more emotional and dense sound. The first time I listened to it I almost cried. The second song never evoked that feeling. So my vote for Hell on Earth.
 
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