18th Studio Album discussion

[cyanopsis]

RFYL had a new Eddie a whole marketing campaign and new merch plus a tour. So other than the recording/writing a new album has exactly the same work involved.

As mentioned there's other people who actually do the overwhelming bulk of the work. Maiden just communicate artwork ideas and provide feedback on what comes back. Marketing is entirely handled by the social media team. There'll be some members doing a handful of interviews, again no different than they're doing on the RFYL tour cycle.

No matter who's doing what, a new album is an engagement that goes on for several years. If there's no hard plans right now for an actual album recording, they will have to commit to that pretty soon if they intend to work like they have done in the past. Steve's mindset will have to change on how this machinery operates if they'll casually use 2027 to record but don't plan much further.

 

[dickinson1978]

No matter who's doing what, a new album is an engagement that goes on for several years. If there's no hard plans right now for an actual album recording, they will have to commit to that pretty soon if they intend to work like they have done in the past. Steve's mindset will have to change on how this machinery operates if they'll casually use 2027 to record but don't plan much further.

If they dont record im sure theyll tour with a a lot of songs they dont play usually. Like future past tour but with many rare songs for the fans.

 

[Kalata]

No matter who's doing what, a new album is an engagement that goes on for several years. If there's no hard plans right now for an actual album recording, they will have to commit to that pretty soon if they intend to work like they have done in the past. Steve's mindset will have to change on how this machinery operates if they'll casually use 2027 to record but don't plan much further.

Yep, but they could do an album tour 1 year with next year's schedule, right?
I like to think they still want to do it in secret and that Steve is a little hesitant because of Nicko's importance to the band. Early 2027 or 2028 is our best chance for recording.

If they dont record im sure theyll tour with a a lot of songs they dont play usually. Like future past tour but with many rare songs for the fans.

^I would like to think the same- but what if Bruce refuses to play some of those rare songs, like with Only The Good Die Young...

The thing is, it's easier for them to do a new album tour (with 5 mandatory classics) than to think of a new stage and theme for a different tour (although RFYL Part 2 is there, more Reunion songs is probably more likely than a whole/more deep cuts tour from all albums). The current tour is not exactly creative.

 

[AncientMariner_Essex]

I’ve said I think they’ll be no new album and I stand by that, despite others not agreeing. I hope I’m proved wrong I really do as I’d love a new album but I don’t think it’s gonna happen.

Here’s my take on Maidens future:

I think once Nicko hung up the drum sticks the rest of the band, especially Steve sat down and had a serious talk and were seriously contemplating ending things. I remember a documentary a few years back, might have been the matter of life and death doc but I may be wrong and Steve said the reunion line up is so strong that they would all quit if one member did. I also remember Steve in the past saying he’ll never play with another drummer if Nicko stopped.

Now in steps Rod. He reminds the band that they’ve all signed contracts for the run for your lives tour so if they really did want to stop it would be a complex thing, would involve losing a lot of money and would put a lot of road crew out of a job.

The band decide to honour the run for your lives tour and that’s why they choose Simon to drum. He’s been playing with Steve for over a decade and can easily slot in and the intention was to just finish up the tour and retire after in 2027. No point hiring a big name or a younger guy as theirs no long term future really for the drummer.

Rod comes up with the idea of testing the waters with stadium dates. The reason for playing stadiums is to see how they go with the idea being that Maiden will never truly retire and if it’s successful they can always stop touring and just pull out the odd stadium gig when they feel like it. This is what Knebworth is next year. They’ve sold out the London stadium so now they’ll see how many they can pull to knebworth. If a success then it shows they could do just one summer festival like date in the uk each year instead of a full tour.

2027 is still going to be the year they retire. They won’t say this and have said already they are just taking a year out but this is really the retirement year. I can see a release of a live boxset with run for your lives album and blu ray and even perhaps a future past release. Towards the end of the year they’ll announce run for your lives pt. 2 in 2028 which will be a set made up mainly from the reunion era with a handful of classics still in the mix to appease the casuals. This will be a much shortened tour and probably not even an actual tour just a few stadium gigs. As they’ve been away a year the demand to see maiden live will have grown so they can get away with not doing another full blown classics tour.

This will go on till 2030 at which time they will just fade away after with the odd festival headline date and maybe their own knebworth style concerts in various countries.

A new album is a big undertaking and yes as others have pointed out of course they have other people around them to do the grunt work but Steve and Bruce especially have a big say in the design of the new Eddie and the merch campaign and theme of the album. A new album is a big commitment with a build up a release and a tour to support it. A new album will commit the band to at least 3 years minimum and I just don’t think it’s gonna happen.

You can’t compare a new maiden album to a new album by other artists of a similar age as a new Saxon or priest album isn’t as big an event as a new maiden album.

That’s my take. By 2030 they’ll all be mid 70’s and ready to kick back and enjoy retirement with the door open to play the odd big gig and Bruce, Adrian and Steve all have other side projects to scratch the itch of new music.

 

[onurb]

What's the point of recording a new album? They released Senjutsu, and the wave of hate surrounding it was absurd (and still is today). And at the end of the day, the people who complain about repetitive setlists will be the same ones who will complain if they release a new album and add a lot of new songs to the set. People will never be satisfied with anything.

Steve's mindset has changed a bit in recent years. From what he's been saying, I don't think he wants to record a new album (in the medium term). He suggests he wants to continue touring, with the band playing their existing catalog.

And it doesn't matter if Bruce said he wants to record a new album, I think Steve still has the final say in these kinds of internal band matters.

 

[GhostofCain]

What's the point of recording a new album? They released Senjutsu, and the wave of hate surrounding it was absurd (and still is today). And at the end of the day, the people who complain about repetitive setlists will be the same ones who will complain if they release a new album and add a lot of new songs to the set. People will never be satisfied with anything.

Steve's mindset has changed a bit in recent years. From what he's been saying, I don't think he wants to record a new album (in the medium term). He suggests he wants to continue touring, with the band playing their existing catalog.

And it doesn't matter if Bruce said he wants to record a new album, I think Steve still has the final say in these kinds of internal band matters.

Steve basically says in the Rock Candy interview that he does not care about the criticism recent albums/what they do receive online.