Don't agree with the ratings (I'm not that harsh 
), but we have the same bottom three 
), but we have the same bottom three 
Book Of Souls: Rate each song out of 10, give an overall rating!
- Thread starter CriggyPeyers
- Start date
Be Greek or Be Dead
Invader
lol if you give a non-classic album an 8.77 I am wondering how you are rating the classics from the 80s
mirtilo
Educated Fool
hahaha, funny, isn't it?
This is because, imo, albums are like wine. They need to get older before turns into a classic.
Like BNW, just few years ago I could start to considerate this album a classic.
Liveone
Nomad
I love Invaders.
Now there's a classic Maiden song.
Longboats have been sighted and the evidence of war has begun,
Many Nordic fighting men, their swords and shields gleam in the sun.
Hell yeah!!!!
Black Bart
Ancient Mariner
1. If Eternity Should Fail 9/10
2. Speed of Light 9/10
3. The Great Unknown 6/10
4. The Red and the Black 8.5/10
5. When The River Runs Deep 8/10 (I'm among those who like the chorus)
6. The Book of Souls 9.5/10 (if only they hadn't felt necessary to put the acoustic intro and outro...much too reminescent of almost every other Gers/Harris songs)
7. Death or Glory 8/10
8. Shadows of the Valley 6.5/10 (The "into the valley of death, fear no evil" part saves the song, in my opinion)
9. Tears of a Clown 10/10 (simply a great song)
10. The Man of Sorrows 8/10 (cool slow guitar harmonies)
11. Empire of the Clouds 9.5/10
Average: (the total of the marks amounts to 92 points - same number as the minutes on the album!
) 8.4 /10
2. Speed of Light 9/10
3. The Great Unknown 6/10
4. The Red and the Black 8.5/10
5. When The River Runs Deep 8/10 (I'm among those who like the chorus)
6. The Book of Souls 9.5/10 (if only they hadn't felt necessary to put the acoustic intro and outro...much too reminescent of almost every other Gers/Harris songs)
7. Death or Glory 8/10
8. Shadows of the Valley 6.5/10 (The "into the valley of death, fear no evil" part saves the song, in my opinion)
9. Tears of a Clown 10/10 (simply a great song)
10. The Man of Sorrows 8/10 (cool slow guitar harmonies)
11. Empire of the Clouds 9.5/10
Average: (the total of the marks amounts to 92 points - same number as the minutes on the album!
) 8.4 /10
desultory
1-2-3-compassion
Not many. But good for you. I just approach new album time differently is all.
desultory
1-2-3-compassion
Of course.
Not.
Is every new Maiden album an instant classic to you?
If it is, I want to be you. A nice li'l rookie nookie.
mirtilo
Educated Fool
I hate when he screams "falling to the GROOOOOUND" in the first verse. It's the only thing I dislike in this song.
Brave New Pilgrim
What not to do if your bird sh#$% on you....
Deus_Adrian
Prince of the Final Frontier
On a scale of 1-10 empire being a 10...graded on a curve. Lol
IESF -9
SOL-7
TGU-8
TRATB -9
WTRRD -8
TBOS- 9
DOG -5 (lol. Its he dog of the album.)
SOTV -6.5
TOAC - 8
MOS- 6
EOTC- 10
IESF -9
SOL-7
TGU-8
TRATB -9
WTRRD -8
TBOS- 9
DOG -5 (lol. Its he dog of the album.)
SOTV -6.5
TOAC - 8
MOS- 6
EOTC- 10
Black Bart
Ancient Mariner
Well, I think it is the only interesting thing in the song.
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
It’s still a bit too early to tell, but here we go… (For once I’ll experiment with brevity )
1. If Eternity Should Fail: 8/10 - the ending could be better, leave that stuff to Chemical Wedding
2. Speed of Light: 8/10 - this rocker seriously grows on me. It's infectious.
3. The Great Unknown: 7/10 - TXF throwback, fun, but inessential
4. The Red and the Black: 9/10 - just like the title track of SSOASS, the instrumental part is made in heaven.
5. When the River Runs Deep 7/10 - good and fun rocker
6. The Book of Souls: 10/10 - Janick-made perfection! Worth buying this album for that one.
7. Death or Glory: 6/10 - a forgettable rocker, but it keeps you entertained anyway
8. Shadows of the Valley: 10/10 - you can say how much does the song plagiarize or whatnot… but it’s pure thrill. I just love it, sorry.
9. Tears of a Clown: 9/10 - an unexpected highlight, a very emotional song, those solos are killer!
10. The Man of Sorrows: 7/10 - like it less than before, but it’s still an interesting song which I wouldn’t skip for the world
11. Empire of the Clouds: 7/10 - good, but flawed. Too long, not too cohesive… It’s great, but for its length it should be better.
8.0 is my rating unless I made a mistake. Tomorrow it'll be all different, so don't get too upset about this one...
)1. If Eternity Should Fail: 8/10 - the ending could be better, leave that stuff to Chemical Wedding
2. Speed of Light: 8/10 - this rocker seriously grows on me. It's infectious.
3. The Great Unknown: 7/10 - TXF throwback, fun, but inessential
4. The Red and the Black: 9/10 - just like the title track of SSOASS, the instrumental part is made in heaven.
5. When the River Runs Deep 7/10 - good and fun rocker
6. The Book of Souls: 10/10 - Janick-made perfection! Worth buying this album for that one.
7. Death or Glory: 6/10 - a forgettable rocker, but it keeps you entertained anyway
8. Shadows of the Valley: 10/10 - you can say how much does the song plagiarize or whatnot… but it’s pure thrill. I just love it, sorry.
9. Tears of a Clown: 9/10 - an unexpected highlight, a very emotional song, those solos are killer!
10. The Man of Sorrows: 7/10 - like it less than before, but it’s still an interesting song which I wouldn’t skip for the world
11. Empire of the Clouds: 7/10 - good, but flawed. Too long, not too cohesive… It’s great, but for its length it should be better.
8.0 is my rating unless I made a mistake. Tomorrow it'll be all different, so don't get too upset about this one...
Last edited:
First, the obligatory introduction: I've been a fan for 32 years having bought Powerslave album the very day it came out. I've seen the band 4 times, twice in the '80's then twice more in the last few years.
I've listened to the BOS 4 times, just enough to form some first impressions. (These ratings are relative to the rest of their catalog, so any score over 7 is pretty good versus anything else they've done)
1) If Eternity Should Fail: 7/10... Not a fan of the spoken part at the end either
2) Speed of Light: 8/10... As someone said, it sounds much better in the context of the rest of the album
3) The Great Unknown: 8/10...Great vocals
4) The Red and the Black: 5/10... Pains me to say it, but Steve has done much, much better. The only real letdown of the album for me
5) When the River Runs Deep: 8/10... Catchy
6) The Book of Souls: 9/10...A commanding, heavy track
7) Death or Glory: 9/10... I seem to be in the minority here
8) Shadows of the Valley: 8/10 .... Torn on this one since two parts where lifted nearly note for note from two other songs. But I really enjoy it, so I'll give it a pass
9) Tears of a Clown: N/A.... Good song and I give them credit for doing something totally different. But it's not for me at all. An "always skip" for me, but I see why people like it.
10) The Man of Sorrows: 6/10...A bit nondescript.
11) Empire of the Clouds: 10/10 Love this. On paper, it seems like a horrible idea...Maiden does Broadway, but it works for me.
So, in all, I really like the BOS overall. Maybe only 1 or 2 "classics" but a lot of very strong material. Plus, no outright terrible songs.
I've listened to the BOS 4 times, just enough to form some first impressions. (These ratings are relative to the rest of their catalog, so any score over 7 is pretty good versus anything else they've done)
1) If Eternity Should Fail: 7/10... Not a fan of the spoken part at the end either
2) Speed of Light: 8/10... As someone said, it sounds much better in the context of the rest of the album
3) The Great Unknown: 8/10...Great vocals
4) The Red and the Black: 5/10... Pains me to say it, but Steve has done much, much better. The only real letdown of the album for me
5) When the River Runs Deep: 8/10... Catchy
6) The Book of Souls: 9/10...A commanding, heavy track
7) Death or Glory: 9/10... I seem to be in the minority here
8) Shadows of the Valley: 8/10 .... Torn on this one since two parts where lifted nearly note for note from two other songs. But I really enjoy it, so I'll give it a pass
9) Tears of a Clown: N/A.... Good song and I give them credit for doing something totally different. But it's not for me at all. An "always skip" for me, but I see why people like it.
10) The Man of Sorrows: 6/10...A bit nondescript.
11) Empire of the Clouds: 10/10 Love this. On paper, it seems like a horrible idea...Maiden does Broadway, but it works for me.
So, in all, I really like the BOS overall. Maybe only 1 or 2 "classics" but a lot of very strong material. Plus, no outright terrible songs.
Nick2632
Nomad
1- If Eternity Should Fail: 8/10. A good opener, but I don't like it as much as the rest of the album. Maybe a few more chances and I will, yet it's still a good song on a great album.
2- Speed Of Light: 9/10. I really liked this song when the single was released and I like it even more now. Still no 10.
3- The Great Unknown: 9/10. Another strong song, but not quite as good as the following...
4- The Red And The Black: 10/10. My 2nd favorite! Love the intro/outro. Love the vocals. Love the song!!
5- When The River Runs Deep: 10/10. Really liking this one as well. Nice heavy riffs and I like the lyrics.
6- The Book Of Souls: 10/10. 3rd favorite on the album! Like the one before, HEAVY riffs and great lyrics!! This song rocks!
7- Death Or Glory: 7/10. Everyone's got to have a least favorite I guess? Maybe it will grow on me, still a pretty good song.
8- Shadows Of The Valley: 9/10. Another real strong song here!
9- Tears Of A Clown: 10/10. Immediately my favorite short rocker on the album and still is. Great song.
10- The Man Of Sorrows: 10/10. Another favorite of mine! I might say this is my 4th favorite! This album feels like it could have been a very strong album if it ended here! Would have been 74 minutes! But...
11- Empire Of The Clouds: 10/10. This song just tops off entire album perfectly and made it very well worth it to make The Book Of Souls a double album because of it!! My #1 song off the album anyway! Definitely one of my favorite songs and is very enjoyable all the way through! I can see why some fans wouldn't like it, it's nothing close to anything Maiden has ever done before!!
My full album rating after 18 days and 20+ full listens to The Book Of Souls is 9.3! not to mention all the longest songs are 10's. This is definitely a great album, really feels like a journey!
2- Speed Of Light: 9/10. I really liked this song when the single was released and I like it even more now. Still no 10.
3- The Great Unknown: 9/10. Another strong song, but not quite as good as the following...
4- The Red And The Black: 10/10. My 2nd favorite! Love the intro/outro. Love the vocals. Love the song!!
5- When The River Runs Deep: 10/10. Really liking this one as well. Nice heavy riffs and I like the lyrics.
6- The Book Of Souls: 10/10. 3rd favorite on the album! Like the one before, HEAVY riffs and great lyrics!! This song rocks!
7- Death Or Glory: 7/10. Everyone's got to have a least favorite I guess? Maybe it will grow on me, still a pretty good song.
8- Shadows Of The Valley: 9/10. Another real strong song here!
9- Tears Of A Clown: 10/10. Immediately my favorite short rocker on the album and still is. Great song.
10- The Man Of Sorrows: 10/10. Another favorite of mine! I might say this is my 4th favorite! This album feels like it could have been a very strong album if it ended here! Would have been 74 minutes! But...
11- Empire Of The Clouds: 10/10. This song just tops off entire album perfectly and made it very well worth it to make The Book Of Souls a double album because of it!! My #1 song off the album anyway! Definitely one of my favorite songs and is very enjoyable all the way through! I can see why some fans wouldn't like it, it's nothing close to anything Maiden has ever done before!!
My full album rating after 18 days and 20+ full listens to The Book Of Souls is 9.3! not to mention all the longest songs are 10's. This is definitely a great album, really feels like a journey!
Be Greek or Be Dead
Invader
I fucking love that part. What's wrong with you!!! (only kidding). in fact I am gonna stop right now singing that line in my head and put the headphones on to listen to it one more time. Cheers mirtilo
mirtilo
Educated Fool
Winter
softly falling to the GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOUNND 
This is how I feel. Hurt my ears. I think Bruce should sing softly this part and let the music grow later.
But I fucking love The Great Unknown, is one of my favorites.
2minutes2am
R101
01 - If Eternity Should Fail - 9/10
02 - Speed Of Light - 8/10
03 - The Great Unknown - 9/10
04 - The Red And The Black - 10/10
05 - When The River Runs Deep - 9/10
06 - The Book Of Souls - 9/10
07 - Death Or Glory - 9/10
08 - Shadows Of The Valley - 9/10
09 - Tears Of A Clown - 10/10
10 - The Man Of Sorrows - 7/10
11 - Empire Of The Clouds - 10/10
02 - Speed Of Light - 8/10
03 - The Great Unknown - 9/10
04 - The Red And The Black - 10/10
05 - When The River Runs Deep - 9/10
06 - The Book Of Souls - 9/10
07 - Death Or Glory - 9/10
08 - Shadows Of The Valley - 9/10
09 - Tears Of A Clown - 10/10
10 - The Man Of Sorrows - 7/10
11 - Empire Of The Clouds - 10/10
rgba
Invader
01 - If Eternity Should Fail - 10/10
02 - Speed Of Light - 7/10
03 - The Great Unknown - 9/10
04 - The Red And The Black - 10/10
05 - When The River Runs Deep - 8/10
06 - The Book Of Souls - 10/10
07 - Death Or Glory - 8/10
08 - Shadows Of The Valley - 7/10
09 - Tears Of A Clown - 9/10
10 - The Man Of Sorrows - 9/10
11 - Empire Of The Clouds - 10/10
02 - Speed Of Light - 7/10
03 - The Great Unknown - 9/10
04 - The Red And The Black - 10/10
05 - When The River Runs Deep - 8/10
06 - The Book Of Souls - 10/10
07 - Death Or Glory - 8/10
08 - Shadows Of The Valley - 7/10
09 - Tears Of A Clown - 9/10
10 - The Man Of Sorrows - 9/10
11 - Empire Of The Clouds - 10/10