Bruce Dickinson Solovivor 2024: THE TOP 10 - #5

[Mosh]

Vocal performance notwithstanding, I think Mandrake is a far superior album to ToS. I'll take weird and creative Bruce over not-good-enough-for-a-Maiden-album Bruce any day.

 

[Diesel 11]

Voting for everything from Tyranny except Abduction (the only great song), Navigate and River (the next best two).

Voting for “Kill Devil Hill” is a crime.

I think this listen is proving to me that TOS is absolutely the third best Bruce album. Mandrake will likely rank under Skunkworks but above BTP and TM.

 

[Vaenyr]

TMP is either the worst Bruce album or my second least favorite, depending on how I feel about Tattooed Millionaire on a given day. ToS on the other hand is in my top 3, tied with TCW right after Skunkworks.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Voting for “Kill Devil Hill” is a crime.

Eh, the vocal melodies feel cramped and improvised.

 

[Kalata]

Voting for everything from Tyranny except Abduction (the only great song)...
But it just feels pretty average, even when it's good.

Wow. You don't like the overall simpler approach to the songs and the instrumental parts? 1 guitar after all. Which can be said for all of Bruce's albums, maybe without TCW.

Navigate and River (the next best two).

Kudos about River.

Eh, the vocal melodies feel cramped and improvised.

The vocal melodies on the whole album are brilliant imo. And the ones on Kill Devil Hill are so impactful.

Vocal performance notwithstanding, I think Mandrake is a far superior album to ToS. I'll take weird and creative Bruce over not-good-enough-for-a-Maiden-album Bruce any day.

''Not-good-enough-for-a-Maiden-album''? Abduction, Kill Devil Hill, Power Of The Sun, Devil On A Hog (DOD vibe), even River and the title track. Ofc more complex. I like varied albums (like TMP), but I think TOS is very creative and very metal, which I like a lot.

 

[Vaenyr]

Eh, the vocal melodies feel cramped and improvised.

Huh, they follow the guitars carefully. Every single note makes sense and has a purpose. The only line that I could see being called "cramped and improvised" is "The wreckage of heaven".

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Wow. You don't like the overall simpler approach to the songs and the instrumental parts? 1 guitar after all. Which can be said for all of Bruce's albums, maybe without TCW.

I just don't think the songs are as good. I like the music well enough.

The vocal melodies on the whole album are brilliant imo. And the ones on Kill Devil Hill are so impactful.

I don't hear that. Some songs are good. Some feel half-assed vocally.

Huh, they follow the guitars carefully. Every single note makes sense and has a purpose. The only line that I could see being called "cramped and improvised" is "The wreckage of heaven".

Yeah, that whole section is the culprit. From "wreckage of heaven" until the second chorus is just a mess.

I will say, though. Ya'll are right. It's a pretty good and I was being too harsh. Not sure what I heard before, but it's definitely not deserving of a vote (and I'm sure will stick around a bit more).

 

[Vaenyr]

The Redemption of @MrKnickerbocker

 

[MindRuler]

The Redemption of @MrKnickerbocker

Sounds like the title of a remixed Blaze album.

 

[Diesel 11]

Eliminated after Round 18:
Mars Within - 17 votes
Believil - 13 votes
Power of the Sun - 11 votes
Devil on a Hog - 11 votes
River of No Return - 10 votes

 

[Diesel 11]

Voting for:

• A Tyranny of Souls
• Eternal

 

[Jer]

The Alchemist
Abduction
Soul Intruders
Navigate The Seas Of The Sun

 

[Eddieson]

Chemical Wedding
Soul Intruders
Kill Devil Hill
Eternal

 

[Kalata]

Eliminated after Round 18:
Power of the Sun - 11 votes
Devil on a Hog - 11 votes
River of No Return - 10 votes

Let's see...
Power Of The Sun (a Maiden-level short rocker and one of his best solo songs imo, shame!), River Of No Return (underrated, one of Bruce's best verses ever imo), Devil On A Hog (deserves more praise for its vocal melodies)... yeah.

Votes:

Chemical Wedding
Jerusalem (quality ideas)
The Alchemist - I'm really sorry, but given the others songs. If I have to say something I wish this song had (or could have had): a 2nd (and longer) solo by Adrian definitely and maybe a more interesting instrumental part with weird sounds.

 

[MindRuler]

With pain in my heart this time.
Damn it was difficult to pick 4.

 

[TheMercenary]

I chose 5 of them this time :

• Chemical Wedding (very weird song, doesn't fit to my conception of heavy metal)
• The Alchemist (very boring track)
• Soul Intruders (once again, very bizarre song and boring as well)
• Kill Devil Hill (this is a pop song, not a heavy metal one)
• Eternal (eternal boredom)

 

[Azas]

I chose 5 of them this time :

• Chemical Wedding (very weird song, doesn't fit to my conception of heavy metal)
• The Alchemist (very boring track)
• Soul Intruders (once again, very bizarre song and boring as well)
• Kill Devil Hill (this is a pop song, not a heavy metal one)
• Eternal (eternal boredom)

Those are MASTERPIECE tracks to my taste. It's the very essence of The Chemical Wedding album and the will to achieve something above mortal realm and metaphysical. Kill Devil Hill outro is on par. Eternal is 100 better than hard rock filler Devil on A Hog.

 

[Diesel 11]

You guys can make it easy on yourselves and just vote one song from TCW and two from TOS. Four songs will be promoted from every album.

 

[TheMercenary]

Those are MASTERPIECE tracks to my taste.

To your taste only, not to mine.

 

[Azas]

To your taste only, not to mine.

But... Those songs are diamonds OBJECTIVELY... You, as metal journalist/reviewer should have know this. Because I said so, ya know.