Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
Right. This is exactly when the song starts being good, about halfway through.
Bruce Dickinson Solovivor 2024: THE TOP 10 - #5
- Thread starter Diesel 11
- Start date
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Freak - Fuzzed-out double tracked guitars slither in through the stereo system like a wyrm rising from its cave of treasures. And what treasures await! I really like all three of Bruce's previous albums but this is absolutely next level. Frankly this is even better than most of Maiden's catalogue. Bruce absolutely lays down the gauntlet on the vocals, detailing mystical lyrics about some sort of demonic surfer whose master, nay, mistress is shrouded in mystery. Everything about this song fucking ROCKS. What the fuck have we just stumbled upon, dude?
Toltec 7 Arrival - A brief interlude that perfectly executes what it sets out to do - add to the mystique of the album.
Starchildren - And then that bulldozer of a riff drops in and LET'S FUCKING GO, DUDE! This is the moment that Accident of Birth really erupts and proves that the magic of "Freak" was not just a fluke, but also not even the biggest highlight on the record. "Starchildren" is AWESOME, a fucking banger with a powerful chorus in which Bruce absolutely uses the full extent of his lungs. Killer, killer, killer.
Taking the Queen - This is where the album's fairy tale themes really take root. Much more subdued at first with its acoustic guitars but Bruce talks about sleeping beauties as though the snow is falling through his eyes and then booms when the hawklords and beasts, not to mention the wraiths of night, make their appearance. The song reaches its soaring peak with a STUNNING guitar solo, followed right after with the bridge, one of Bruce's most jaw-dropping vocal performances. "A STOOONE ROOOLLS CLOOOSED OOON A LIIIFE..." FUCK. IT'S SO GOOD.
Darkside of Aquarius - Kind of the centerpiece of the record, picking up immediately where "Taking the Queen" leaves off, before plunging into an absolutely balls-out metal riff that chugs along like a B-52 about to take off. This is so much heavier than ANYTHING Bruce has done before. And then that performance. Out of this world. The four horsemen of the apocalypse descend and leave you completely devastated. The chorus absolutely soars. The change up at the end disappointed me when I first heard the song because I wanted more of that chorus, but now I think it's a brilliant way to shift gears with the track as Bruce sings about silver surfers and his need to move the Wheel of Dharma. Angelic choirs rise from the heavens and it is glorious, spell-binding, and enthralling all at once. I'm exhausted, man, and we're not even halfway through the album!
Road to Hell - "Darkside" has barely faded out and Dave Ingraham is already kicking off the next monster. "Road to Hell" is as close to Maiden as you're gonna get in the Bruce solo canon, but it still has its own unique sound that sets it apart. This is a classic Smith/Dickinson rocker and, dare I say it, possibly the best example of how well they work together at writing kickass single material. The dual guitar riff is an immediate throwback, I love the vocal effects that makes Bruce sound like he's singing through a jet turbine, the pre-chorus SOARS, and the chorus itself is catchy and punches hard. Not to mention the incredible solo!! Awesome song.
Man of Sorrows - Finally a bit of a breather, as Bruce and co. bring out the synths and the pianos for a ballad about Aleister Crowley. Melodramatic, perhaps, but shit, this song is AWESOME. The chorus astounds, the solo is incredible, the whole thing is both alluring yet tinted in tragedy. Beautiful, powerful, gobsmacking even. If this is how passionate Bruce gets over a weird English magician dude, I'd love to see what he writes for his wife.
Accident of Birth - Could have easily been the album's opening track but instead it's cheekily placed towards the back half of the record. Almost like a second coming in a way, pumping us back up from the previous emotional rollercoaster. This one is firmly a fist-in-the-air, no-fucks-given beast, rising from the depths of hell itself to deliver a killer metallic anthem. The chorus is a show-stopper. Bruce is back, baby. Bruce is fucking back. And he's taking names, he's laying down the gauntlet, he's cutting the Gordian knot and leaving everyone else in his wake. With a song like this it is no wonder that Steve needed to get him back into the fold. He was too powerful.
The Magician - With guitars that don't crunch so much as they do glide, "The Magician" emerges from the muck left over from the title track and keeps the party going. Another Crowley-inspired song, but this time Bruce is playing the role with some winks and nudges. The chorus is built for an audience to sing along to, one of the most fun choruses Bruce has ever done. He's clearly enjoying this one completely. And yet he is blown completely out of the water as Adrian and Roy drop two of the album's coolest guitar solos one after the other. Talk about putting Jesus in his place, shit! The whole ensemble did not need to go nearly as hard on this track as they did, but dammit they fucking did, and elevated what could have been a solid filler track into an absolute highlight.
Welcome to the Pit - Probably the least beloved song on the record, but I think "Welcome to the Pit" absolutely fucks. There's something deeply disturbing behind the utter groove that it slithers along with. Bruce almost gets twistedly sensual in spots, too. Another track where the performances completely lift what could have been a filler. The chorus is almost psychedelic as it erupts and I love it. Definitely carved from the same block that Psycho Motel emerged from, but these performers are on such a different level here. Killer.
Omega - This song was for a while my least favorite on the album. My logic was that the verses were incredible - beautiful, emotional reminiscences of a survivor of the apocalypse who is left a wanderer in the desert plains. The rest of the song, I thought, didn't quite match up to that same emotive energy. But as time has gone on, not only is this a contender for my favorite song on the album, but it's the rest of the track after the verses that I feel make it really come to life. Bruce's voice is once again incredible, but Z and H truly make this song explode, whether it's with that rolling, rumbling chorus riff to the guitar solos and finally to what is to me the highlight of the song - the dual guitar explosion where they twist and turn around each other like shooting stars and fireworks within my ear drums. After that, Bruce's "TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR FUTURE!" sucker-punches me right back into the wasteland and I have completely lost myself in the spectacle. Fucking brilliant track.
Arc of Space - And finally, given that there's no way your body will be able to handle anything else after "Omega", Bruce and Roy take the stage with a beautiful acoustic finale about hope. Bruce's voice soars, Roy adds some flamenco flair, and the two close out the album with grace, style, and, finesse.
The Ghost of Cain - Leave it to Bruce et al to be on such a roll that one of the best tracks in their discography doesn't even make it onto (most editions of) the album! Another Adrian-penned number, this track is like a Halloween rollercoaster ride, with an incomparable dual guitar riff leading before Bruce just delivers YET ANOTHER CONTENDER for his best vocal performance. God DAMN he does not hold back. The verses rock. The pre-chorus rocks. The chorus itself, FUCKING ROCKS. The solo? IT ROCKS! Dave Ingraham even gets a big drum fill and it... wait for it... yeah, it ROCKS! This song is awesome and could have easily been a single. Chalk it up to the album's high quality that they ended up setting it aside. But fuck, don't overlook it.
This album is superb, pretty much perfect from start to finish. The production is excellent and the entire ensemble give performances that most musicians could only dream of. Picking which songs to vote for really makes me feel like I'm slitting the throat of my darlings, but after much contemplation I think I could go with Toltec 7 Arrival, Welcome to the Pit, and Arc of Space, plus Solar Confinement to bow out Skunkworks. Boy... what a doozy. This album is so good.
Toltec 7 Arrival - A brief interlude that perfectly executes what it sets out to do - add to the mystique of the album.
Starchildren - And then that bulldozer of a riff drops in and LET'S FUCKING GO, DUDE! This is the moment that Accident of Birth really erupts and proves that the magic of "Freak" was not just a fluke, but also not even the biggest highlight on the record. "Starchildren" is AWESOME, a fucking banger with a powerful chorus in which Bruce absolutely uses the full extent of his lungs. Killer, killer, killer.
Taking the Queen - This is where the album's fairy tale themes really take root. Much more subdued at first with its acoustic guitars but Bruce talks about sleeping beauties as though the snow is falling through his eyes and then booms when the hawklords and beasts, not to mention the wraiths of night, make their appearance. The song reaches its soaring peak with a STUNNING guitar solo, followed right after with the bridge, one of Bruce's most jaw-dropping vocal performances. "A STOOONE ROOOLLS CLOOOSED OOON A LIIIFE..." FUCK. IT'S SO GOOD.
Darkside of Aquarius - Kind of the centerpiece of the record, picking up immediately where "Taking the Queen" leaves off, before plunging into an absolutely balls-out metal riff that chugs along like a B-52 about to take off. This is so much heavier than ANYTHING Bruce has done before. And then that performance. Out of this world. The four horsemen of the apocalypse descend and leave you completely devastated. The chorus absolutely soars. The change up at the end disappointed me when I first heard the song because I wanted more of that chorus, but now I think it's a brilliant way to shift gears with the track as Bruce sings about silver surfers and his need to move the Wheel of Dharma. Angelic choirs rise from the heavens and it is glorious, spell-binding, and enthralling all at once. I'm exhausted, man, and we're not even halfway through the album!
Road to Hell - "Darkside" has barely faded out and Dave Ingraham is already kicking off the next monster. "Road to Hell" is as close to Maiden as you're gonna get in the Bruce solo canon, but it still has its own unique sound that sets it apart. This is a classic Smith/Dickinson rocker and, dare I say it, possibly the best example of how well they work together at writing kickass single material. The dual guitar riff is an immediate throwback, I love the vocal effects that makes Bruce sound like he's singing through a jet turbine, the pre-chorus SOARS, and the chorus itself is catchy and punches hard. Not to mention the incredible solo!! Awesome song.
Man of Sorrows - Finally a bit of a breather, as Bruce and co. bring out the synths and the pianos for a ballad about Aleister Crowley. Melodramatic, perhaps, but shit, this song is AWESOME. The chorus astounds, the solo is incredible, the whole thing is both alluring yet tinted in tragedy. Beautiful, powerful, gobsmacking even. If this is how passionate Bruce gets over a weird English magician dude, I'd love to see what he writes for his wife.
Accident of Birth - Could have easily been the album's opening track but instead it's cheekily placed towards the back half of the record. Almost like a second coming in a way, pumping us back up from the previous emotional rollercoaster. This one is firmly a fist-in-the-air, no-fucks-given beast, rising from the depths of hell itself to deliver a killer metallic anthem. The chorus is a show-stopper. Bruce is back, baby. Bruce is fucking back. And he's taking names, he's laying down the gauntlet, he's cutting the Gordian knot and leaving everyone else in his wake. With a song like this it is no wonder that Steve needed to get him back into the fold. He was too powerful.
The Magician - With guitars that don't crunch so much as they do glide, "The Magician" emerges from the muck left over from the title track and keeps the party going. Another Crowley-inspired song, but this time Bruce is playing the role with some winks and nudges. The chorus is built for an audience to sing along to, one of the most fun choruses Bruce has ever done. He's clearly enjoying this one completely. And yet he is blown completely out of the water as Adrian and Roy drop two of the album's coolest guitar solos one after the other. Talk about putting Jesus in his place, shit! The whole ensemble did not need to go nearly as hard on this track as they did, but dammit they fucking did, and elevated what could have been a solid filler track into an absolute highlight.
Welcome to the Pit - Probably the least beloved song on the record, but I think "Welcome to the Pit" absolutely fucks. There's something deeply disturbing behind the utter groove that it slithers along with. Bruce almost gets twistedly sensual in spots, too. Another track where the performances completely lift what could have been a filler. The chorus is almost psychedelic as it erupts and I love it. Definitely carved from the same block that Psycho Motel emerged from, but these performers are on such a different level here. Killer.
Omega - This song was for a while my least favorite on the album. My logic was that the verses were incredible - beautiful, emotional reminiscences of a survivor of the apocalypse who is left a wanderer in the desert plains. The rest of the song, I thought, didn't quite match up to that same emotive energy. But as time has gone on, not only is this a contender for my favorite song on the album, but it's the rest of the track after the verses that I feel make it really come to life. Bruce's voice is once again incredible, but Z and H truly make this song explode, whether it's with that rolling, rumbling chorus riff to the guitar solos and finally to what is to me the highlight of the song - the dual guitar explosion where they twist and turn around each other like shooting stars and fireworks within my ear drums. After that, Bruce's "TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR FUTURE!" sucker-punches me right back into the wasteland and I have completely lost myself in the spectacle. Fucking brilliant track.
Arc of Space - And finally, given that there's no way your body will be able to handle anything else after "Omega", Bruce and Roy take the stage with a beautiful acoustic finale about hope. Bruce's voice soars, Roy adds some flamenco flair, and the two close out the album with grace, style, and, finesse.
The Ghost of Cain - Leave it to Bruce et al to be on such a roll that one of the best tracks in their discography doesn't even make it onto (most editions of) the album! Another Adrian-penned number, this track is like a Halloween rollercoaster ride, with an incomparable dual guitar riff leading before Bruce just delivers YET ANOTHER CONTENDER for his best vocal performance. God DAMN he does not hold back. The verses rock. The pre-chorus rocks. The chorus itself, FUCKING ROCKS. The solo? IT ROCKS! Dave Ingraham even gets a big drum fill and it... wait for it... yeah, it ROCKS! This song is awesome and could have easily been a single. Chalk it up to the album's high quality that they ended up setting it aside. But fuck, don't overlook it.
This album is superb, pretty much perfect from start to finish. The production is excellent and the entire ensemble give performances that most musicians could only dream of. Picking which songs to vote for really makes me feel like I'm slitting the throat of my darlings, but after much contemplation I think I could go with Toltec 7 Arrival, Welcome to the Pit, and Arc of Space, plus Solar Confinement to bow out Skunkworks. Boy... what a doozy. This album is so good.
Kalata
Out of the Silent Planet
Darkside Of Aquarius is probably the only song with such a great chorus that I can accept without another repetition in the second half of it - only because the second half is so effective, captivating and athemic (as well). Good job, Bruce. Just an epic song! Shadow Of The Gods has a similar approach.
Indeed. Legendary songs. I'm not a big fan of 2 of the songs, but AOB is one of my top favorite albums as a whole piece. There is a certain magic. Lyrics, melodies, vocals/ideas, guitar parts, vibe.
I mean, excluding Arc Of Space, Welcome To The Pit and the heaviness of the title track, Starchildren and Freak - it's basically a Maiden album (with less longer instrumental sections and) with so strong material. Good summary.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Eliminated after Round 12:
Toltec 7 Arrival - 16 votes
Welcome to the Pit - 13 votes
Inertia - 10 votes
Freak - 10 votes
The Ghost of Cain - 10 votes
Promoted after Round 12:
Back from the Edge
Solar Confinement
Innerspace
Strange Death in Paradise
ROUND 13
 | The Chemical Wedding (1998) 1. King in Crimson (4:43) Dickinson/Z 2. Chemical Wedding (4:06) Dickinson/Z 3. The Tower (4:45) Dickinson/Z 4. Killing Floor (4:29) Dickinson/Smith 5. Book of Thel (8:13) Dickinson/Z/Casillas 6. Gates of Urizen (4:25) Dickinson/Z 7. Jerusalem (6:42) Dickinson/Z/Blake 8. Trumpets of Jericho (5:59) Dickinson/Z 9. Machine Men (5:41) Dickinson/Smith 10. The Alchemist (6:00/8:27 w/bonus track) Dickinson/Z Bonus track: 11. Return of the King (5:06) Dickinson/Smith 12. Real World (3:59) Dickinson/Z 13. Confeos (5:09/7:35 w/bonus track) |
Kalata
Out of the Silent Planet
Well, it seems The Ghost Of Cain is an underrated song. Quality album material! The traditional strong solo rocker of Bruce, every part is great.
I'm glad Solar Confinement is promoted, but Inertia is such a cool song and one of the album's highlights. Typical of the album, awesome verses and a nice soaring chorus. I guess it's considered a classic from the album.
Votes:
Starchildren (great verses and effective chorus, but it lacks something... I guess in the instrumental section)
Arc Of Space (very nice acoustic ballad, but I think it's my ''least'' favorite of his ballads, which says a lot about the quality)
Killing Floor (I like it a lot more now, a very moving song, but that chorus...)
Confeos (Roy's solo is great, but that's it)
The competition is brutal now.
Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
The three best songs on the album got promoted in the end, so I can’t complain…
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Man of Sorrows
The Magician
Killing Floor
Gates of Urizen (the single weakest song on CW)
Machine Men
Real World
Confeos
The Magician
Killing Floor
Gates of Urizen (the single weakest song on CW)
Machine Men
Real World
Confeos
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
King in Crimson - Dave Ingraham kicks us in with his drums, and then the sound of skull-crushing guitars tear through the speakers and tear your head down with it. Roy and Adrian, with their special detuned axes (apparently utilizing some bass strings on them as well), manages to meld the doom of Sabbath with the gusto of Maiden-esque trad metal and the crunch of post-Pantera heaviness. The result is the heaviest thing on or off this fucking planet. Bruce and the boys have something to prove.
Without giving you a chance to catch your breath, they leap right into the fray with a punching, pounding groove as the air raid siren summons something dark from deep within his soul. He barks out the verses like a hungry mutt, and then sweeps away the spectacle with a stunning, anthemic chorus that lifts you off your feet. And if that wasn't already good enough, Z and H prove once and for all their guitar skills as a duo in the instrumental section, each laying down a solo so good it deserves to go in a hall of fame. Rapturous. What a way to open up an album.
Chemical Wedding - "King in Crimson" was the hook; "Chemical Wedding" is the mission statement. With barely a pause between tracks, we are plunged right into another killer riff, smooth as the sea but pummeling like a tidal wave. Bruce dons his storytelling coat, tempting the audience to follow him into the river of the verse, before sending them shooting over the waterfall that is the chorus. AND SO WE LAYYYY... holy fuck. This might legitimately be the best chorus ever. So much passion and power projected in such simple lines. It is a thing of beauty. The song is amazing and lays the chorus on thick, but it works completely. I'm sold. I want this track played at both my wedding AND my funeral.
The Tower - And does the spark ever burn out? Hell no. "The Tower" sees Roy and Adrian vying for the attention of the old Maiden fans who miss the blazing dual guitar work from albums like The Number of the Beast and Powerslave. With lightning-like fingers they light up the record after Eddie Casillas's iconic bass intro (giving "Wrathchild" a run for its money for sure, sorry Steve), laying down a brilliant double guitar riff that immediately hooks you once again. Where the previous two songs had something to prove, this one builds on the imagery in truly fun ways. Bruce is belting out tarot references like his life depends on it. It's amazing. Another chorus that knocks it out of the park. The man is alive and doing exactly what he's best at. And the guitar odyssey doesn't end with the riff; the whole instrumental section is just... magic. They wind in and out of one another with ease and precision. This is an anthem for the ages, an iconic concert staple for a reason.
Killing Floor - We're back to full-blown heaviness with the album's single (although "The Tower" would've been a better choice IMO). The first of two Adrian-penned songs, "Killing Floor" brings up visions of panzers and then shoots cannonball riffage at you as though you're actually facing one. And it's not a one-trick pony, too. Bruce is once again wrapped up in his storytelling mode, singing about dreamtime and ecstasy, before exploding like a volcano in the chorus. Some of the harshest vocals he's ever done. And for extra dynamics, the bridge transforms into a medieval romp as the frontman's vocals take center stage like a prancing jester. Was that a necessary inclusion? Hell no, most artists would never have even thought to include that. But they did, and it 100% makes the song that much better with its presence.
Book of Thel - William Blake's The Book of Thel is about a girl trying to find the answers to her questions about life and shit. Well, Bruce sees that and flips it on its head completely. The childlike innocence of Thel has been replaced with a dark, brooding, and foreboding monster of a track that waxes poetic about priestesses and snakes, virgins and sacrificial rights. In a way, it takes the original poem's theme of innocence and pushes it to that next level. And goddamn is it utterly brilliant.
"Book of Thel" kind of repeats the "Darkside of Aquarius" formula but arguably even more successfully. This song is usually considered the album's defining moment and for good reason. The dark heaviness is in full display here, Bruce paints a truly vivid picture with the lyrics, and the chorus is just phenomenal. In a lot of ways it does what the rest of the album does and in eight minutes puts things into super focus. The beast changes up for the instrumental sections where you can tell Eddie Casillas's writing credit comes into full effect (the man is the unsung hero of much of the album and especially this track, those bass chops are incredible). We get another great vocal bridge from Bruce, awesome solos, and then to top it all off, Dave Ingraham gets an insane drum fill before we head back into the verse. Perfect, utterly perfect.
The ending also sees Bruce's hero Arthur Brown come out of the shadows for the first time with a spoken word piece that links this song with the next. The roots of the album are starting to dig in a bit deeper.
Gates of Urizen - After such a big song, and four headbangers prior, it makes sense to change this up a bit, and Bruce gives us what is on its face a power ballad, but feels so much more... powerful than your average attempt at the style. Even the clean electric guitars have a lot of muscle here. Bruce's voice is subdued and ethereal. The chorus sways like willows in the breeze. The lyrics talk about souls and spectres, almost like they're showing off the sinews that bind us with one another. But then when the chorus appears for the second time the song suddenly kicks from first into fourth gear as Bruce's voice ERUPTS. The quiet verses gave him time to build up the power he needed to let the forces of nature storm like a hurricane. Holy shit. One of his best vocals ever. And the cherry on top? A beautiful guitar solo from Adrian Smith.
Jerusalem - The William Blake inspiration really comes into focus here with Bruce's retelling of his iconic poem "And did those feet in ancient time". When he sings Blake's lines, he does so with a reverence for the words that really show how strongly he identifies with them. But as an artist in his own right, he builds a new structure around the original text and reshapes it in a new context. Bruce lets loose completely in the chorus, crying "LET IT RAIN!" This was his Shawshank moment even before Maiden wrote "Rainmaker". He also drops lines about kings and queens before Roy and H take us through the natural English world with their guitars. Twisting and turning through forests and fields and finally coming back to Bruce as he implores Jerusalem to "walk into the light and dissolve the chains". From its use of the mandolin to Arthur Brown's enigmatic outro (taken from Blake's other poem Jerusalem: The Emancipation of the Giant Albion), this is a beautiful track with so many layers that perfectly blend to create something even Blake would shed a tear to.
Trumpets of Jericho - And then that riff kicks in. This song is a motherfucker. Heavy as hell, thundering and twisted, blending biblical narratives with Greek mythology and changing the outcome of Joshua's march around the walls of Jericho, this was the track that got me into solo Bruce. It was unlike anything I'd ever heard before. Heavy and melodic, earnest and powerful, with a belting chorus that makes you want to belt right alongside it. I go back and forth on what my favorite track on the record is, but usually I say it's this one. It's such a good fucking song.
Machine Men - Kind of the album's hidden gem, being the only song not played live yet. The tanks are back in focus on this second Adrian tune, as Bruce sings about the horrors of war from a completely new perspective than we've heard him do before. This one is just a juggernaut from start to finish, giving you no time to rest as the guitars continue to inflict damage upon your eardrums. Lots of little textures hiding within the riffs as well that are easy to miss. Bruce really gets to hold those notes as well. Easy to overlook, but this track is a killer.
The Alchemist - Wrapping up the album's concepts in another layered track, "The Alchemist" has clearly become a fan favorite because of how perfectly it manages to execute the record's ending. The watery intro lures you into a typical TCW track with a chorus that may hit a little closer to home than many of the others on the album. Using the concepts of alchemy, Bruce is basically telling the world here, look, I'm not gonna play your games anymore. This isn't Maiden. I'm doing my own thing, and I'm going to do it to the best of my ability, and if you like it, then come along for the ride. It's so good. He even brings a tear to the eye with the final rapturous chorus, before flipping the script and leaving us with a final reprise of the "Chemical Wedding" chorus.
Fuck, man. It's all come full circle.
I always need a couple minutes to process the magnificence of what I've just heard, and luckily they understood the assignment. A little more than two minutes of silence lets you attempt to regulate your emotions, before Arthur Brown returns with one final Blake quote that almost seems humorous as a bonus message. But I need it, truly.
The hidden quote is what really proves to me again and again the album's perfection. It is perfectly structured, with perfect songs and perfect segues. The performances are perfect. Everything about this album is perfect. I try not to listen to it too often because absence makes the heart grow fonder. When I turn this album on after a period of not hearing it, it sweeps me right off my feet completely. This is my favorite album of all time and it is everything I love about metal, everything I love about metal, distilled down into the best 57 minutes of my life, performed by the most underrated band on the planet. The fact that we didn't get a follow up from these five guys is criminal, but what they left behind in two fucking years deserves to be lauded until the sun has evaporated. I fucking love this album.
Return of the King - Left off the record for good reason as there's no good way to include it, but this track kicks ass too. Bruce singing about Arthurian legend with the kind of gusto like he's actually waiting for the heroes of Avalon to reemerge is so good. More great instrumental work as well. One of the best of his bonus songs.
Real World - Aaaaaaand it's a completely different story here. Boring song that actively would've driven down the quality of the record.
Confeos - Same goes for this one, and the fact that they attached the hidden ending to this track in the remaster is legitimately criminal (just as criminal as leaving it off the FUCKING VINYL WHAT THE FUCK BRUCE???). Bruce attempts to make a Deep Purple song about anal sex. Not here for it, brother. I specifically bought the original 1998 CD just to avoid these tracks. It wouldn't be so bad if they were surrounded by weaker material, but the sheer strength of the album itself really highlights just how bad these two songs are.
Easiest votes of my life for Real World and Confeos. Also gonna hit The Magician, Arc of Space, Killing Floor, and Return of the King, but I don't feel good about those votes given the strength of all the other material. These two records are just so good, man. Dickinson/Z/Smith/Casillas/Ingraham was a hell of a lineup and completely on fire for the three years they were together. Absolutely deserve to be remember as more than just Bruce's solo band. I would take them over Iron Fucking Maiden.
Without giving you a chance to catch your breath, they leap right into the fray with a punching, pounding groove as the air raid siren summons something dark from deep within his soul. He barks out the verses like a hungry mutt, and then sweeps away the spectacle with a stunning, anthemic chorus that lifts you off your feet. And if that wasn't already good enough, Z and H prove once and for all their guitar skills as a duo in the instrumental section, each laying down a solo so good it deserves to go in a hall of fame. Rapturous. What a way to open up an album.
Chemical Wedding - "King in Crimson" was the hook; "Chemical Wedding" is the mission statement. With barely a pause between tracks, we are plunged right into another killer riff, smooth as the sea but pummeling like a tidal wave. Bruce dons his storytelling coat, tempting the audience to follow him into the river of the verse, before sending them shooting over the waterfall that is the chorus. AND SO WE LAYYYY... holy fuck. This might legitimately be the best chorus ever. So much passion and power projected in such simple lines. It is a thing of beauty. The song is amazing and lays the chorus on thick, but it works completely. I'm sold. I want this track played at both my wedding AND my funeral.
The Tower - And does the spark ever burn out? Hell no. "The Tower" sees Roy and Adrian vying for the attention of the old Maiden fans who miss the blazing dual guitar work from albums like The Number of the Beast and Powerslave. With lightning-like fingers they light up the record after Eddie Casillas's iconic bass intro (giving "Wrathchild" a run for its money for sure, sorry Steve), laying down a brilliant double guitar riff that immediately hooks you once again. Where the previous two songs had something to prove, this one builds on the imagery in truly fun ways. Bruce is belting out tarot references like his life depends on it. It's amazing. Another chorus that knocks it out of the park. The man is alive and doing exactly what he's best at. And the guitar odyssey doesn't end with the riff; the whole instrumental section is just... magic. They wind in and out of one another with ease and precision. This is an anthem for the ages, an iconic concert staple for a reason.
Killing Floor - We're back to full-blown heaviness with the album's single (although "The Tower" would've been a better choice IMO). The first of two Adrian-penned songs, "Killing Floor" brings up visions of panzers and then shoots cannonball riffage at you as though you're actually facing one. And it's not a one-trick pony, too. Bruce is once again wrapped up in his storytelling mode, singing about dreamtime and ecstasy, before exploding like a volcano in the chorus. Some of the harshest vocals he's ever done. And for extra dynamics, the bridge transforms into a medieval romp as the frontman's vocals take center stage like a prancing jester. Was that a necessary inclusion? Hell no, most artists would never have even thought to include that. But they did, and it 100% makes the song that much better with its presence.
Book of Thel - William Blake's The Book of Thel is about a girl trying to find the answers to her questions about life and shit. Well, Bruce sees that and flips it on its head completely. The childlike innocence of Thel has been replaced with a dark, brooding, and foreboding monster of a track that waxes poetic about priestesses and snakes, virgins and sacrificial rights. In a way, it takes the original poem's theme of innocence and pushes it to that next level. And goddamn is it utterly brilliant.
"Book of Thel" kind of repeats the "Darkside of Aquarius" formula but arguably even more successfully. This song is usually considered the album's defining moment and for good reason. The dark heaviness is in full display here, Bruce paints a truly vivid picture with the lyrics, and the chorus is just phenomenal. In a lot of ways it does what the rest of the album does and in eight minutes puts things into super focus. The beast changes up for the instrumental sections where you can tell Eddie Casillas's writing credit comes into full effect (the man is the unsung hero of much of the album and especially this track, those bass chops are incredible). We get another great vocal bridge from Bruce, awesome solos, and then to top it all off, Dave Ingraham gets an insane drum fill before we head back into the verse. Perfect, utterly perfect.
The ending also sees Bruce's hero Arthur Brown come out of the shadows for the first time with a spoken word piece that links this song with the next. The roots of the album are starting to dig in a bit deeper.
Gates of Urizen - After such a big song, and four headbangers prior, it makes sense to change this up a bit, and Bruce gives us what is on its face a power ballad, but feels so much more... powerful than your average attempt at the style. Even the clean electric guitars have a lot of muscle here. Bruce's voice is subdued and ethereal. The chorus sways like willows in the breeze. The lyrics talk about souls and spectres, almost like they're showing off the sinews that bind us with one another. But then when the chorus appears for the second time the song suddenly kicks from first into fourth gear as Bruce's voice ERUPTS. The quiet verses gave him time to build up the power he needed to let the forces of nature storm like a hurricane. Holy shit. One of his best vocals ever. And the cherry on top? A beautiful guitar solo from Adrian Smith.
Jerusalem - The William Blake inspiration really comes into focus here with Bruce's retelling of his iconic poem "And did those feet in ancient time". When he sings Blake's lines, he does so with a reverence for the words that really show how strongly he identifies with them. But as an artist in his own right, he builds a new structure around the original text and reshapes it in a new context. Bruce lets loose completely in the chorus, crying "LET IT RAIN!" This was his Shawshank moment even before Maiden wrote "Rainmaker". He also drops lines about kings and queens before Roy and H take us through the natural English world with their guitars. Twisting and turning through forests and fields and finally coming back to Bruce as he implores Jerusalem to "walk into the light and dissolve the chains". From its use of the mandolin to Arthur Brown's enigmatic outro (taken from Blake's other poem Jerusalem: The Emancipation of the Giant Albion), this is a beautiful track with so many layers that perfectly blend to create something even Blake would shed a tear to.
Trumpets of Jericho - And then that riff kicks in. This song is a motherfucker. Heavy as hell, thundering and twisted, blending biblical narratives with Greek mythology and changing the outcome of Joshua's march around the walls of Jericho, this was the track that got me into solo Bruce. It was unlike anything I'd ever heard before. Heavy and melodic, earnest and powerful, with a belting chorus that makes you want to belt right alongside it. I go back and forth on what my favorite track on the record is, but usually I say it's this one. It's such a good fucking song.
Machine Men - Kind of the album's hidden gem, being the only song not played live yet. The tanks are back in focus on this second Adrian tune, as Bruce sings about the horrors of war from a completely new perspective than we've heard him do before. This one is just a juggernaut from start to finish, giving you no time to rest as the guitars continue to inflict damage upon your eardrums. Lots of little textures hiding within the riffs as well that are easy to miss. Bruce really gets to hold those notes as well. Easy to overlook, but this track is a killer.
The Alchemist - Wrapping up the album's concepts in another layered track, "The Alchemist" has clearly become a fan favorite because of how perfectly it manages to execute the record's ending. The watery intro lures you into a typical TCW track with a chorus that may hit a little closer to home than many of the others on the album. Using the concepts of alchemy, Bruce is basically telling the world here, look, I'm not gonna play your games anymore. This isn't Maiden. I'm doing my own thing, and I'm going to do it to the best of my ability, and if you like it, then come along for the ride. It's so good. He even brings a tear to the eye with the final rapturous chorus, before flipping the script and leaving us with a final reprise of the "Chemical Wedding" chorus.
Fuck, man. It's all come full circle.
I always need a couple minutes to process the magnificence of what I've just heard, and luckily they understood the assignment. A little more than two minutes of silence lets you attempt to regulate your emotions, before Arthur Brown returns with one final Blake quote that almost seems humorous as a bonus message. But I need it, truly.
The hidden quote is what really proves to me again and again the album's perfection. It is perfectly structured, with perfect songs and perfect segues. The performances are perfect. Everything about this album is perfect. I try not to listen to it too often because absence makes the heart grow fonder. When I turn this album on after a period of not hearing it, it sweeps me right off my feet completely. This is my favorite album of all time and it is everything I love about metal, everything I love about metal, distilled down into the best 57 minutes of my life, performed by the most underrated band on the planet. The fact that we didn't get a follow up from these five guys is criminal, but what they left behind in two fucking years deserves to be lauded until the sun has evaporated. I fucking love this album.
Return of the King - Left off the record for good reason as there's no good way to include it, but this track kicks ass too. Bruce singing about Arthurian legend with the kind of gusto like he's actually waiting for the heroes of Avalon to reemerge is so good. More great instrumental work as well. One of the best of his bonus songs.
Real World - Aaaaaaand it's a completely different story here. Boring song that actively would've driven down the quality of the record.
Confeos - Same goes for this one, and the fact that they attached the hidden ending to this track in the remaster is legitimately criminal (just as criminal as leaving it off the FUCKING VINYL WHAT THE FUCK BRUCE???). Bruce attempts to make a Deep Purple song about anal sex. Not here for it, brother. I specifically bought the original 1998 CD just to avoid these tracks. It wouldn't be so bad if they were surrounded by weaker material, but the sheer strength of the album itself really highlights just how bad these two songs are.
Easiest votes of my life for Real World and Confeos. Also gonna hit The Magician, Arc of Space, Killing Floor, and Return of the King, but I don't feel good about those votes given the strength of all the other material. These two records are just so good, man. Dickinson/Z/Smith/Casillas/Ingraham was a hell of a lineup and completely on fire for the three years they were together. Absolutely deserve to be remember as more than just Bruce's solo band. I would take them over Iron Fucking Maiden.
Kalata
Out of the Silent Planet
I actually don't think the album has a weak song, or a weak aspect of some ideas (''unlike'' AOB ). Love Urizen's vibe and vocals.
Spot on. This is truly a special and unique album. Few albums are like that. Its follow-up with this special band would have been so curious. A perfect album, although I wish some parts were added like:
- 2nd solo by Adrian in the title track.
- different chorus for Killing Floor.
- more interesting instrumental/middle part for Trumpets Of Jericho.
- more different melodies/sounds/solo for Alchemist.
That's it really. Metal perfection in terms of everything.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Weak being relative. I’d probably rate it a 7/10.
I actually don’t think CW or AOB has a song weaker than 7/10.
