Invaders

How good is Invaders on a scale of 1-10?


  • Total voters
    13
5 years passed, tastes change I suppose. :D

I think when I was 14, what mattered most to me was what the guitars were doing, as well as the vocals to a lesser extent. Now when I listen to music I'm looking at the whole picture, as well as assessing everybody's individual parts. When revisiting some of these songs, I actually find myself focusing in on the rhythm section more. I've been picking up nuances that I didn't hear five years ago.

So I still enjoy the things I mentioned back then, like I said in my review yesterday I love the riffing all over this song. Still a very enjoyable and creative solo section. But all that a 9 does not make. Something about the song just feels like a Killers leftover to me, while it's enjoyable it also doesn't amaze me. Bruce's performance is comparatively reserved and I find the drums to be a bit dull. 6 seems appropriate because it's good, just not great.
 
The best song the band ever done, and my favorite. This song and Gangland rip on The Number of the Beast album.
 
It's definitely grown on me. Thought it was dreadful the first listen and the chorus is still a bit silly.

But it's redeemed by some outstanding work by Clive and some nice solos. It would potentially be great if it wasnt for the vocal to be honest.

6
 
Cheesy cheesy chorus. This one always seemed to me like a B-TEC version of Murders In The Rue Morgue. So it is a filler.

6/10
 
First time I listened to it, I thought it was the weakest song on the album. A few listens later and it's become a firm favorite. Hovering between 8 and 9 but I'll go with 8 for now.
 
I agree with others that the chorus can be kind of annoying, but I think this song already shows some of the new things that had become possible with Bruce’s arrival, and overall it’s a decent song and a good intro. 7/10
 
Insanely energetic track opening an insanely energetic album. Not a masterpiece, not great, but still very good, especially as an opener. Shoud've opened the Beast On the Road tour. 7.
 
We're on to NOTB, folks! This is where Bruce Dickinson enters the fray! Clive Burr is out after this album! It's the landmark Maiden album, it's the one which everyone knows! It's become part of musical history! Again, Bruce Freaking Dickinson has joined the band! What could possibly go wrong?

...except when the first song is Invaders, it really doesn't give off the best first impression for the new guy. Bruce sounds totally off singing this song, it doesn't sound refined. It's like he's halfway stuck between wanting to really showcase his vocal chops, especially compared to the last guy, and wanting to sing gruff and tough like Di'Anno used to. To please all kinds of Maiden fans I'm sure off. But it sure doesn't come off very well here. The song is sloppy as well, the verses seem hastily put together and the chorus is a freaking joke. "Invaaaaders..." And then insert some random thing vikings liked to do. Like raping! And it's all done in such a cheerful way! Bruce and the guitars seem to treat this like it's some kind of fun activity! Now I understand why people can get so angry about stuff like Drifter, if this is the type of stuff they are angry about.

The instrumentation is certainly not anything to write home about either. Point is, this song blows. Er, I'll give it a 2/10 because I don't think it's entirely pointless, even though they already did a song called Invasion about vikings...well, it's like that one except a bit less, uh...whatever.

Wow, how did Bruce Dickinson manage to capture the fans with this weak, weak introduction?

...huh, the very next song?
 
With some fast drumming, bass, and guitars, we are plunged head-first into Maiden's third album and then - holy shit, new singer!

"Invaders" is an underrated Maiden song, but that's understandable because at the same time it isn't one of their best. Still, it's a great opener, very fun, very catchy, Bruce sounds cool, and it's better than "Invasion" on all fronts. The change-up during the instrumental section is kinda bland, but other than that, nice song.

7/10. It gets better, but this is still a great introduction to the classic Maiden sound and the greatest vocalist to ever live.
 
Aggressive percussion and bass announce the arrival of the classic Maiden era. This kicks into a melodic uptempo riff, then a great tension-building verse with sweet bass fills. Bruce sounds strong here. The pre-chorus pushes the tension even higher, then...

WTF is this chorus? Bruce sings the title lyric, then tosses out a random verb about vikings while Steve plays some scales on the bass. Then, because it apparently worked so well the first time, they do it again. Really disappointing.

Another round of great verse through lame-ish chorus and we kick into a great solo, then a less focused one. More verse through disappointing chorus, then an intro reprise to wrap things up.

This is a tight little rocker that would have been excellent if it weren't for that WTF chorus. On balance I'd give it a 7/10.
 
The new and improved Iron Maiden announces itself with a hard-boiled opener that moves into a nice verse as Bruce introduces himself by letting loose and describing a Viking invasion. The only thing that bugs me is the instrumental, which feels like a hold-over from the last album. The chorus doesn't bother me, it's silly, yes, but hey. Maiden have done plenty of other short rockers that kick this song's ass, but it's good enough for what it is, and definitely above average. 6
 
Not their best song by far. Like others have said, it has a very weak chorus. The verses are okay, but the riffs aren’t very creative. Overall not a great introduction to Bruce Dickinson, honestly. 6/10
 
Here's some trivia about the song

Is the only disc opener that hasn't been played live.

Was one of the last songs constructed, hurridly to fill out the album.

The song has been covered by bands such as Candiria, Dream Theater, Engrave, Kemuri, Midnite Hellion, Rotors To Rust & Sadus.

Want to know more about the songs of Maiden? Go and subscribe here https://www.subscribepage.com/luisma666
 
Good fast song for a opener (bombastic intro). Great riff and verses, but the chorus is meh. Good solos. The chorus is the only weak part in the song.... Underrated short rocker. 7/10

This song sounds like a leftover from the Killers album.
 
Second Maiden song I ever heard and the one which convinced me that I would be a lifer as far as this band is concerned. I had been eyeing Iron Maiden albums in my local Asda for months because of those covers. Then Can I Play With Madness smashed the Top 5 in the UK and I loved it. Went to the shop the next day and bought Number Of The Beast on vinyl for £3.99. The year was 1988 and I was 11 years old.
 
Back
Top