Brighter Than A Thousand Suns

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How good is Brighter Than A Thousand Suns on a scale of 1-10?

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This song is amazing. I remember this song taking a long time to grow on me, but once it finally clicked it became one of my favorites. The verse riff for this song is probably the heaviest in their catalog and overall it's easily one of their most dynamic. Most modern Maiden epics tend to have a slow intro, a heavy body, and then maybe a heavy outro. Very rarely do they shift gears within the song, but it happens a lot in this one. I used to find the "out of the darkness" bits to be a little repetitive but they really aren't. Even though the lyrics are repeating, the music underneath is changing and growing more sinister, fitting the repeated lyric. There are so many great melodies and riffs on this song, with a structure that keeps the listener guessing. Also unique to this song is that it's an Adrian penned song with a Janick solo, but no Dave solo. As far as I know, that's the only one of the sort in the Maiden discography. That was also a great decision, Janick's manic playing style really fits the tone and that part of the song much better than Dave's. It also happens to be one of the best Janick solos in general. Before that, Adrian comes in with his epic solo that signals the climax of the song. I also love how his solo features the riff for the final chorus. It's a very subtle but effective way of introducing that riff.

10
 
Eddieson said:
Without hesitation one of Maidens heaviest songs ever
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I agree. And the song does not even sound very typical, but it's just nothing short of mindblowing. The haunting beginning with those lyrics, then the guitars come in...
This song sends shivers down my spine. Every fucking time. It's just so colourful and atmospheric and unique.

For the opportunity to actually experience this masterpiece live, I consider myself very lucky.

10/10.
 
And here we go, my second favourite Iron Maiden song at the moment. The intro alone gives me chills and that transition into the heavy verse riff is one of the best Maiden moments. Also, the lyrics here are amazing, although that's somewhat to be expected from this album, every song on AMOLAD has solid lyrics in one way or another. Also, the length is absolutely perfect. Not a single note seems wasted on this 08:44 track. But eh, that's my bias talking. No song is perfect and this one's no exception. It's just really freaking close to being that good.

#3 favourite Maiden-related song, also counting Bruce's solo career. Only a sliver behind The Trooper and Navigate The Seas Of The Sun.

10/10, easily.
 
A goddamn masterpiece. If you took away the lyrics, it would still remind you of atomic bombs exploding. One of the greats of the modern era. 10/10 would explode again.
 
Incredible song. One of their best lyrics ever, brutal, poetic and foreboding. The main verse riff is so heavy, absolute brilliance. Then that chorus hits which is absolutely chilling. Great solo by Adrian. And the final chorus is scintillating with Nicko going ballistic

10
 
Perfection. From the heavy riffing, to Bruce's mindblowing vocal performance of his own chilling lyrics and Nicko's drumming. Adrian and Janick deliver two of the finest Maiden solos ever. When you listen to this song, play it LOUD.

10/10
 
10/10

Brighter Than a Thousand Suns is Maiden’s proggiest and heaviest song yet. A crushing Adrian riff in 7/4 leads the song, with Bruce spitting pure vitriol at the creation of the atomic bomb. His voice conveys vivid imagery, whispering the chorus as the cloud of the bomb breaks the horizon and bursting into a full wail as the shockwave hits the city. Another brilliant song, another brilliant Adrian solo. Janick busts out the whammy bar effects during his solo and it fits nicely into the chaos. The old gallop returns in the bridge, but it feels more pointed than ever before, ridged and angry, punctuated by brief melodic moments cut in half to make the whole thing that much more anxious. It's just a damned massive song.
 
Listened to AMOLAD a couple days ago, and I think Janick's solo in this song might be my favourite on the entire album. It's so damn good. It fits so well to the song as well, breaking the song down to the heavy riff after the fast mid-part.
 
A strong song, not the most memorable for me but still great. Goes on a little too long but that can be overlooked enough to give it an 8/10.
 
Okay, so here we've come to the first proper epic on the album. "Brighter Than a Thousand Suns" is... is... ... brilliant. There's no other way to describe it, it's just brilliant. It's quite possibly the most memorable track on the record, and one of Maiden's very best. Agressive lyrics accompanied by an extremely heavy instrumental which perfectly reflects the horrors of nuclear warfare. The solos are simply fantastic (Janick's is the highlight of the two) and the main riff is just brutal. Definitely a 10!
 
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A very good try at a heavier song than usual, maybe their heaviest together with The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg. I would say it works very well overall, so it’s strange that they didn’t go for it again in the following albums.
I find everything about this song very good, apart from the E=MC^2 line, which I find incredibly cheesy as a physics student. 9/10
 
A soft lead supports a gentle vocal over a neat 7/8 rhythm. This soon kicks into a surprisingly heavy groove for Maiden and a harsher, plodding verse. This kicks into 4/4 for a soaring pre-chorus.

Another round of verse and pre-chorus, and then we get a gorgeous soft rendition of the chorus on top of light arpeggios, which builds up into a heavier rendition which is also great.

A sweet solo breaks into a faster cut-time bridge. "E EQUALS MC SQUARED, YOU CAN'T RELATE!" I love it, screw you guys! This is split up by some nice harmonized breaks that build into a great vocal crescendo. A pretty good solo follows, then another round of verse and pre-chorus, before we get a sweet variation on the softer chorus that goes heavy again before a final intro reprise with the chilling "holy father, we have sinned" lyric.

So much of this song is so excellent, but on repeated listens the verse tends to grate a little, and there are a handful of weaker moments. This shaves off just enough to round it down to a 9/10.
 
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