My impression is that Steve approaches music as a composer, while Dave's mentality is more like that of a player. I can see him put together a cover band with some friends from Maui and play Hendrix at small clubs just for fun and NOBODY knowing about it. While I feel British Lion were (partially) intended by Steve as a way to "feel young" again, playing in pubs, clubs, small venues, etc. Like Smith/Kotzen. Less pretentious, less stressful, just for the fun of it. Put out a new album every now and then, knowing it will sell by default given the names involved, but not pretending to make a living out of it.
One thing in that Iron Maiden always distinguished is that there has never been much gossip around them. No hotel rooms destroyed, no drug abuse, no fast supercars crashed. They never "Americanized" themselves (like Ozzy or Led Zeppelin did, for example). Just five (now six) blokes playing music and living their lives.
Yeah, this is their general vibes altogether. Honestly, I've always felt they were a bit too high-brow for that. I know 'Arry likes his football and "up the Hammers" and whatnot, but he likes Wishbone Ash and Genesis and likes to write songs about books and films and history. He might be working class by birth, but he's a nerd - maybe it's the combination that makes Maiden so enticing. In a way, it's an upgrade on Lynnott, who was more on the "street poet" side, but again, surprisingly high-brow and tasteful for his environment. Although he was able to put out lyrics like "Oh, poor Romeo // Sittin' all on his own-eo", but that's yet a different story.
Which is why I don't get the obsession with the early days era that rears its head from time to time (and with the current tour) - ever since the debut (with Phantom, Transylvania etc.) they never really were a pub band, they never felt truly comfortable in that role for me. They obviously weren't satisfied with stuff that everyone else was able to do (although it's ironic that their title song played at every concert is precisely of that make) and I find the popularity of some of that early stuff baffling. They are, and always were, leagues away from the rest of their NWOBHM brethren - they always felt closer to... well, Genesis than Saxon and I'm not talking about the length of their songs.
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Back to the next studio album - honestly, with
Senjutsu feeling a bit like a revisit of their career (there were definitely parts that reminded me of other parts, but for once, I'm okay with that - in this context) and with Hell on Earth being the perfect swan song, being not just one of my favourite Maiden songs overall, but also one of the more poignant, I'm not even sure we
need another studio album, or at least, I hope that their possibly last album won't be worse.
Also, another album of lengthy, dark and kinda sombre songs (which is what they excel at nowadays) might be already a bit too much for the general populace ... and I
don't want a "back to basics" type of record, for reasons I wote above - it'd be similarly misguided like The Beatles going "back to basics" on
Let It Be - from a band capable of
The White Album and
Abbey Road, nobody wants a cover of Besame Mucho, a generic 12-bar blues or some unmelodic, "rocking" rockabilly track that feels like going through the motions.
I suppose there's nothing else to do than to wait and see.
), Blaze is like the guy sitting in the back of the pub, smoking a pipe with a thousand yard stare.
