Brave New World - Album

[Randalf]

I don't have a problem with the sound of the album (I like it), but I don't think the production of an album makes the songs better or not.

I don't think so either, but recording, mixing and other production values can definitely underline various aspects of a song, e.g punchiness of the riffs or levels, dynamics & power of the rhythmic department. That, along with Bruce's capabilities as a vocalist make the "VXI leftovers" on BNW sound a lot more punchy, even if they step into a couple of familiar pitfalls - most notably repetition.

 

[Gk1]

Could you please say which are the ''problems'' of this album? I don't expect that we all will like the same albums, but I think BNW is an album with only one remark - the instrumental section of ''The Nomad''. The first four songs are undeniable classics, two great epics, the album closer is a unique song, ''The Fallen Angel'' is one of the band's best short rockers and ''Out Of The Silent Planet'' is one of their best singles. Great production too.

1) Endless and non-varying chorus repetitions ( Brave new world, Wickerman, Out of the silent planet, Mercenary, Dream of mirrors)
2) Non existing drum fills or any drum variation in OOTSP, The nomad, half of TLBLAH, Dream of mirrors
3) Nomad being a rip off
4) Drums way too loud in the mix
5) Steve completely avoiding the interesting bass lines

 

[Black Bart]

1) Endless and non-varying chorus repetitions ( Brave new world, Wickerman, Out of the silent planet, Mercenary, Dream of mirrors)
2) Non existing drum fills or any drum variation in OOTSP, The nomad, half of TLBLAH, Dream of mirrors
3) Nomad being a rip off
4) Drums way too loud in the mix
5) Steve completely avoiding the interesting bass lines

Harsh, but honest.

 

[efekåseo_suomi]

Just read this on Wikipedia:

NME were extremely unfavourable towards the release, arguing that the band's past "dismissal of the outside world, which kept them safe all those years, now leaves them looking rather obsolete". The magazine also compared the band to more contemporary acts such as Korn and Slipknot and felt Iron Maiden were "no longer the high priests of the black arts, and seem almost innocent by comparison". Blabbermouth.net were also negative, stating that the band sound "tired and uninspired", and concluding that "[Brave New World] will fail to leave a lasting mark on the face of the current metal scene.

Crazy to think NME and Blabbermouth were so hard. They could easily have done Out of the Silent Planet and The Fallen Angel in the set for the entire original tour back in 2001 (they could have replaced Wrathchild with The Fallen Angel and maybe Out of the Silent Planet in the encores instead of Sanctuary. But if it was up to me this album tour should have been a full album performance, just like A Matter of Life and Death. The next logical step in regard to the Iron Maiden history tour setup would be some form of celebration of this album. They could do a 25th anniversary tour of it in 2025 and throw in Bring Your Daughter, Lord of the Flies and Man on the Edge so we get a few those rarley played 90's songs. That would be 13 songs, so theres room of 4-5 overplayed "classics"

 

[Yax]

Just read this on Wikipedia:

Crazy to think NME and Blabbermouth were so hard.

Classic Metal was only about to become popular again at that time and Nu metal rules the scene. I'd expect nothing less than lukewarm reception and/or harsh words.

 

[Mosh]

I remember this attitude well when I was a kid. Maiden were “has beens” and were frequently criticized for not modernizing their sound to keep up with the Nu Metal craze. I feel like the respect they have now as a legacy act didn’t start to manifest until the last decade.

 

[Yax]

I don't know, by 2005 at the latest, Maiden were cool again, in Sweden anyway.

 

[TheMercenary]

Maiden were always cool in France. The fanbase that the band has in there is crazy. Despite the fact that some people in Victor Hugo's country didn't like Blaze Bayley when he replaced Bruce Dickinson behind the microphone, most of the fans still supported Steve Harris and co. during The X Factor and Virtual XI era. I was one of them. In France, a lot of progressive or prog related bands have seen the light of day during the 90's as Manigance or Eternal Flight, that's why most of metalhead kept an eye and some interest into Maiden's work during this period of band's career.

 

[Yax]

Yeah, Maiden played for 6000-8000 in 1998 in Sweden following the Best of the Beast as well, compared to a few hundred in Gothenburg in 1995. Maiden did fairly well during the Blaze years in parts of the world, all things considered.

 

[srfc]

NME would not really be a good judge of what is and isn't a good metal album.

 

[srfc]

I don't know, by 2005 at the latest, Maiden were cool again, in Sweden anyway.

Yep I'd put it around that time too.

They played Dublin for the first time in 7 years in 2003. They sold out the Point, which I suspect was probably the first time they'd sold it out (1993 was half full, I wasn't there in 1990 but would be surprised if it was sold out), and in 2005 they played an outdoor Rugby stadium to I think something like 24,000, which was unprecedented although Marilyn Manson as support certainly contributed.

They were definitely bigger than they ever had been in Ireland by that stage.

 

[____no5]

As much as I love Brave New World and AMOLAD, they haven't left a lasting mark in the metal scene of 00s the way Painkiller did since 1990s. Though they left for sure a huge lasting mark on us, Maidenfans, and that is one of the reasons that eventually became so big again.

 

[Diesel 11]

As much as I love Brave New World and AMOLAD, they haven't left a lasting mark in the metal scene of 00s the way Painkiller did since 1990s.

You’re comparing apples to oranges. BNW was a massive landmark in metal in the early 2000s because it was the definitive comeback record from a band regrouping with a former singer. Even Judas Priest felt the ripples of this and Halford eventually joined the fold again, only Angel of Retribution didn’t rock the boat nearly as much as BNW. Painkiller is from a different era altogether and should not be used as a reference point. It was a comeback album, but in a very different way.

 

[____no5]

You’re comparing apples to oranges. BNW was a massive landmark in metal in the early 2000s because it was the definitive comeback record from a band regrouping with a former singer. Even Judas Priest felt the ripples of this and Halford eventually joined the fold again, only Angel of Retribution didn’t rock the boat nearly as much as BNW. Painkiller is from a different era altogether and should not be used as a reference point. It was a comeback album, but in a very different way.

Put aside fruits, eras and come back concept for a second. Painkiller is such a good album that it exists in many people's list as the best Judas Priest ever or as best Metal's ever.

BNW's impact was due to it being a very solid album after two borderline bad albums, great sound after poor sound, great singer after an insufficient one, return of Adrian, better songwriting, many things. When dust was settled you still had a great album but not of such grandeur to be widely considered as best Maiden, let alone Metal.

 

[MindRuler]

Manigance

Signe De Vie! It´s the French Vanden Plas. Another great French metal album from that period was Visionnaire from Misanthrope.

 

[Kalata]

I don't think so either, but recording, mixing and other production values can definitely underline various aspects of a song, e.g punchiness of the riffs or levels, dynamics & power of the rhythmic department. That, along with Bruce's capabilities as a vocalist make the "VXI leftovers" on BNW sound a lot more punchy, even if they step into a couple of familiar pitfalls - most notably repetition.

Agreed.

1) Endless and non-varying chorus repetitions ( Brave new world, Wickerman, Out of the silent planet, Mercenary, Dream of mirrors)
2) Non existing drum fills or any drum variation in OOTSP, The nomad, half of TLBLAH, Dream of mirrors
3) Nomad being a rip off
4) Drums way too loud in the mix
5) Steve completely avoiding the interesting bass lines

1- like in every album, right.
2- the drums are better than on the previous album and are definitely good, solid and interesting enough, especially for the specifics of the songs (Thin Line, Mirrors).
4- the mix of the drums is one of the best things about the production.
5- about bass lines/melodic interludes, it's curious that after this album the band started using more of the classic Maiden approach again. Maybe Adrian and Bruce were allowed to write like for his solo album, the band wanted something different from the previous album and maybe this was talked before they started writing (like for TXF), as odd as it sounds. And Steve's bass playing after 1990 is not like in the 80's or for all the songs.

I remember this attitude well when I was a kid. Maiden were “has beens” and were frequently criticized for not modernizing their sound to keep up with the Nu Metal craze. I feel like the respect they have now as a legacy act didn’t start to manifest until the last decade.

I think the first 2 Reunion albums definitely can be considered ''modernizing'' (to say) their sound for the millennium. Heavier, some hard rock riffs and very playful choruses like from that era.

I don't know, by 2005 at the latest, Maiden were cool again, in Sweden anyway.

I feel right after the Reunion and RIR the band was cool again. Promotions, tours (thinking of the Dortmund concert reaction), documentaries. From 2005 to 2008 it grew and grew.

As much as I love Brave New World and AMOLAD, they haven't left a lasting mark in the metal scene of 00s the way Painkiller did since 1990s. Though they left for sure a huge lasting mark on us, Maidenfans, and that is one of the reasons that eventually became so big again.

The comparison is different, 10 years is a lot of time, Maiden should have make a really heavy album to be noticeable? But I think BNW can be called a landmark metal album, which is enough. Definitely a top Maiden album for most fans and critics and not just because of the impact of Bruce and Adrian's return. Albums with lasting mark are from the 70's until the 90's.

 

[Kalata]

The next logical step in regard to the Iron Maiden history tour setup would be some form of celebration of this album. They could do a 25th anniversary tour of it in 2025 and throw in Bring Your Daughter, Lord of the Flies and Man on the Edge so we get a few those rarley played 90's songs. That would be 13 songs, so theres room of 4-5 overplayed "classics"

It wouldn't be surprising for this important and classic (it's praised) album, but they would rather do for the whole Reunion era. The 80's albums are the only ones to have specific History tours. And they do it for them because some of the tours have live video releases (like BNW) and for the younger fans. The next logical step in regard to the History tours were the 90's era, Donington '92.

 

[Kalata]

Listening to the album again, I thought about something:

Adrian's solos remind me of his guitar work on Bruce's solo albums - more so than any of the next albums. That's normal, I guess.

 

[Ascendingthethrone]

Listening to the album again, I thought about something:

Adrian's solos remind me of his guitar work on Bruce's solo albums - more so than any of the next albums. That's normal, I guess.

The one thing I find weird about Brave New World is how few solos Adrian actually has, especially compared to recent albums. I count The Wicker Man, The Mercenary, and The Fallen Angel. Is that it? I can’t remember if he does on on the Nomad. I can’t bring myself to listen to it!