Here we go, the epic Harris trilogy. The thing I love about these three epic tracks is that they each showcase a different element of Maiden that I love. I was saying since TBOS was released that on the 17th album Steve may want to top Bruce's ambition with Empire of the Clouds. He kinda did, although he took the approach of writing three epics rather than one big epic. I like it because we get more variety that way.
As for Celts itself. The Clansman is one of my favorite Maiden songs. The nonstop onslaught of melodies throughout the song mixed with the soaring choruses kinda creates the model for a modern Maiden epic. Celts takes that model and, somehow, improves upon it. Sure there's no giant "FREEDOM!" chorus, but they did that already. Instead we have something darker, more thought provoking, older but aged gracefully. I love the riffs throughout this song and each solo is incredible. Every guitar player used to their fullest strengths. The lyrics depict a grimmer setting and one that is more ambiguous (in a good way) and personal. The melodic material is so close to The Clansman that I'm actually surprised that they didn't reprise any of the riffs, although they come very very close in a few spots. It's so rare to have a Maiden song that feels like a sequel to an earlier track but also without feeling that there's recycled material. This is probably my favorite on the album and could make my top 10. 10.
