Empire Of The Clouds

How good is Empire of the Clouds on a scale of 1-10?

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    31
I think he's trying to rationalize his not liking it, giving "objective reasons" out loud, so it seems to the rest of us that he's trying to convince us too.

Neither is actually necessary :D
 
LooseCannon said:
Nobody is going to force themselves to like it. People will love it, some people will develop long opinions about it. Personally, I find it very odd, some people's opinions - but they're allowed to have them.

I still think this is going to end up in the top 25 Maiden songs once the polls are opened.
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I think it'll be top ten in this survivor, maybe even top 3.
 
Adore this song but... This would be much better as a 13min song or so. Too much same simple parts repeated all over, but story telling, melody and atmosphere is superb
 
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CycleMotion said:
Adore this song but... This would be much better as a 13min song or so. Too much same simple parts repeated all over, but story telling, melody and atmosphere is superb
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The only part I think goes on too long is the triplet "Legacy" riff. Everything else is written to the perfect length.
 
This will end up in my top 20 I think. There is just too much win to overpower a few of the negatives. A bit like the legacy. The legacy's first 3 minutes is boring imo but the last 3 minutes I one of the best things maiden has done
 
After a couple weeks of listening to the song, I must say that I'm still impressed. It is truly a majestic song, with the opening and closing being among the best material Maiden has ever written. The middle instrumental parts are also pretty solid with some truly awesome moments. However, like many here, I can't help but feel it would have been even stronger with a few minutes shaved off, although I'd have to listen to it a few more times to offer some thoughts as to what parts could be taken away.

In many ways, this song reminds me of Dream Theater at its most epic. When it works, it really works, but at times it's a bit too much :)
 
Literally just listened to it again in its entirety. The 18 minutes just flew by. This song absolutely oozes depth and emotion. I'm sticking to my guns and saying that this is one of the top 5 songs Maiden have ever done.
 
Mosh said:
I think it'll be top ten in this survivor, maybe even top 3.
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Really hope it doesn't make the top 10. In fact, I'd probably vote it once the weakest tracks on the album are gone (and there aren't many).
 
CycleMotion said:
Adore this song but... This would be much better as a 13min song or so. Too much same simple parts repeated all over, but story telling, melody and atmosphere is superb
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Pretty much this. There are some things done fantastically in this song, but it's overly long without any need to be, other than the fact that it broke Rime's previous record.

Perhaps my love/hate relationship has to do with my love for songs that can do so much in a smaller package. That's the reason I love Aces High so much, the reason I love The Sentinel over some other excellent Judas Priest epics etc.
 
RTC said:
Pretty much this. There are some things done fantastically in this song, but it's overly long without any need to be, other than the fact that it broke Rime's previous record.

Perhaps my love/hate relationship has to do with my love for songs that can do so much in a smaller package. That's the reason I love Aces High so much, the reason I love The Sentinel over some other excellent Judas Priest epics etc.
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Man, we share same thoughts, Aces High is my favorite song and The Sentinel from Judas Priest
 
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It's a great song. It's a masterpiece. It's Maiden's most ambitious and daring work ever created. Is it my favorite song on the album? I don't think so. But it's definitely the greatest.

Mosh said:
Empire, on the other hand, has a very tight and exact structure that is dictated by the lyrics. It's very programmatic, the music is there to tell a story. There's an interview with Bruce where he talks about writing it and how he'd write one section and then ask himself "what happens next in the story". That totally comes through in the music. The S.O.S part is awesome because it's musical foreshadowing. The crash hasn't happened yet, but we all know it's coming. This is a nuance that Maiden hasn't really used before. Usually the music is tonally appropriate to the lyrics, but it never goes as far as to actually provide imagery to the lyrics like in Empire. As for the repetition of that part, it creates dramatic tension. Bruce is slapping us in the face with what's yet to come. He's emphasizing an important part through music.
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Exactly why I love this song: the music tells the story in perfect sync with the lyrics. Bruce is a master storyteller and he puts that same emotion and care into his music here (as well as his words).
 
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