Bruce Dickinson Solovivor 2024 - "BOOK OF THEL" WINS!
- Thread starter Diesel 11
- Start date
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Omega
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
Tears. Great solo and all, but the other three songs are untouchable in my book.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Aquarius
Don’t @ me bruv
Don’t @ me bruv
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
I’m happy to have a “Book of Thel” finish. Although I will @ @JudasMyGuide out of respect in case he wants to return to vote it out.
Kalata
Out of the Silent Planet
Expected Top 3 and really impossible to vote.
Tears is untouchable for me. I could nitpick about the other 2 beasts (no repetition of the chorus in Aquarius, 1 minute spoken outro for Book), but I'll vote for the later because I find Aquarius just a tiny bit catchier, which sounds weird saying it. Book sounds very epic.
Tears is untouchable for me. I could nitpick about the other 2 beasts (no repetition of the chorus in Aquarius, 1 minute spoken outro for Book), but I'll vote for the later because I find Aquarius just a tiny bit catchier, which sounds weird saying it. Book sounds very epic.
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
Book of Thel is hands down Bruce’s best song. This is crazy.
Tears is a top 10 but not a top 5 in my book.
Tears is a top 10 but not a top 5 in my book.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Tears had so many votes in earlier rounds that I’m shocked it made it into the top 3, let alone looks set to make the top 2. Thel has pretty consistently had less votes than the other two here so I’m really surprised it’s started racking up points now.
Ascendingthethrone
Ancient Mariner
Sorry Tears. Your reputation can’t save you now.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Top 10
01.
02.
03. Tears of the Dragon
04. Omega
05. Chemical Wedding
06. The Tower
07. Jerusalem
08. Accident of Birth
09. The Alchemist
10. A Tyranny of Souls
FINAL ROUND
"Darkside of Aquarius"
VS.
"Book of Thel"
"Darkside of Aquarius"
VS.
"Book of Thel"
This is it folks. I wanna thank you all for participating since we started this back in May. It's been a ton of fun and I'm pretty happy with the Top 10 we've assembled so far. We've reached the end of the line, one more matchup remaining and goddamn is it a doozy.
"Darkside of Aquarius" and "Book of Thel" were probably always destined to meet head to head in the final round. They've consistently been the forum's two favorite Bruce songs throughout the history of these survivors (although in the Bruce Dickinson rankings thread "Tears of the Dragon" scored higher points because of fewer detractors). They've got a lot in common too - both come from the 1997-1999 lineup of the Bruce Dickinson band, the most popular iteration; both act as their album's 'epic'; both have massive choruses; many would argue that they both follow the same framework yet succeed both succeed on their own merits.
Those who champion "Aquarius" will likely point to the song's originality. If you were listening to Accident of Birth for the first time in '97, here was one of the most powerful examples that Bruce had not only not fallen off, but had actively resurrected a form of himself that was able to break out beyond the shadows of the Iron Maiden legacy. The darkened sounds of rumbling basslines and slithering guitars paint a scene of infernal rhymes as the vocalist unleashes something within himself, soaring upon a chorus harkening to Eastern religion and a bridge lifting imagery from the Marvel universe. Roy Z and Adrian Smith are a fiery guitar duo as the song twists beyond its frameworks in an anthemic climax that remains a crowd favorite when played live.
Those who champion "Thel" will likely point to the song being an even better distillation of the vibes from "Aquarius", tunneling even deeper into darkness. Inspired by William Blake's poem of the same name, Bruce takes this tale of unlearning innocence and fills it with human sacrifice and a dash of Shakespeare. This is by far the best example of the band behind Bruce's most beloved album. While Bruce is letting it rip during the verses, erupting for that powerful chorus, and crooning during the bridge, Adrian and Roy twist and turn through heavy riffs and screaming solos, Dave Ingraham gets a monster "Tom Sawyer"-esque drum fill, and Eddie Casillas (one of the song's co-writers) gets to take the spotlight for the bass intro and interlude. It's devilishly exciting and even gets a recital of Blake's poetry in the outro, courtesy of Arthur Brown.
I'm going to be voting for "Aquarius" here as "Book of Thel" to me feels kind of like the ultimate Bruce Dickinson song - not necessarily my favorite, but it's got everything I love about his solo career wrapped up in one eight minute masterpiece - but regardless of which one you choose, thank you for being a part of this and GO VOTE! You will decide the winner of the Bruce Dickinson 2024 SOLOVIVOR!
Leaving this one open for 4 days so get on it!
