Empire Of The Clouds

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

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    31
After listening to it during an hour long listening session with other Maiden epics, I'll say this:

Empire of the Clouds is a fucking great song. It may well be a top 10 Maiden song, and it does not feel out of place among great epics like Rime or Paschendale, or more recent efforts like The Legacy or WTWWB.

Bruce has done a great job here at combining storytelling through words and through music.
 
The reason that I adore this track so much is that it just oozes with emotion. Honestly, I think this song resonated with me on an emotional level more than any other Maiden track I've ever heard. Definitely a top ten GOAT track for me. Hell, probably a top five.
 
Bruce is no pianist. But given his limitations its a great song. Totally out of character for Maiden but very nice song, not their best, but I do like it.
 
I've been trying to not burn myself out on this song by not listening to it excessively. But I just took a re-listen, and the emotions are still there from when I first listened to it. I still think it's an absolutely stunning track.

One criticism I have though of the song is that it should have ended after the final "dreams live on". The last verse slightly dampens the emotional impact of those lines.

:)
 
When I listened to this when I was half-asleep flying to Glasgow, I suddenly realised that going into the song with a critical mind, whether positive or negative, is a bad idea. There's something about the song that captures the essence of a journey, and its grandiose. It made me see the song in an entirely new light.

Does that make the song a masterpiece? Definitely not in my opinion. If you analyse it, the song starts to capsize on itself; there are multiple issues with the song, and with such an ambitious effort, it's to be expected. But whether you're a critic or a thrill seeker, try listening to the song in another way, and draw your own conclusions.
 
One page of replies for each minute of the song, it can be a coincidence.

Ok, so I bought the album on September 6th and listened to a new song every week. It was a torture. I decided to wait until college was over to listen to Empire. Wow. It was worth the wait.

And the morse code at 6:56 and 8:30... How could this song be cooler?
 
Aces_High said:
Ok, so I bought the album on September 6th and listened to a new song every week. It was a torture. I decided to wait until college was over to listen to Empire. Wow. It was worth the wait.
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That's a very odd way to hear a new album. Why didn't you just play the album? You couldn't spare 2 hours in 4 months? o_O
 
SinisterMinisterX said:
That's a very odd way to hear a new album. Why didn't you just play the album? You couldn't spare 2 hours in 4 months? o_O
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I think hearing a new album in one listen provides more joy than a human can handle. There must be a point where happiness neurotransmitters begin to lose their effect after a prolonged period of time. Like eating eleven full plates of a delicious food.
Take Aces High. I heard it for the first time after having listened to Maiden for a few hours and.. Haha... I didn't like it! :D
 
That's why you listen to full albums a lot to develop an attention span. Once you've done that, listening to a complete album for the first time can be a very special experience.
 
I agree with @Mosh , that's actually one of the only ways I listen to music. I hear about a band, I listen to an album by that band, then (depending on my impression) I'll go back and listen to singular songs from that album. I rarely listen to a single album over ten times. I mean, full, sit-down and stare at my computer screen kind of listens.
 
From: http://www.riffyou.com/could-this-be-the-record-store-day-2016-release-list/
Record Store Day usually sends vinyl collectors either into a vinyl frenzy, or a rage over the concept of the whole event. Whichever side you’re on, we respect your choice.
Well, today we discovered a list shared on the boards.vinylcollective.com page – under the ‘RSD 2016 list’ title – that may very well tell us what’s coming out on Record Store Day (April 16, 2016.) A user by the name of ‘redroom’ supplied the information.
Before we get deeper into this, Riffyou.com can’t independently confirm that the titles listed below will actually be available on Record Store Day. Please keep that in mind as you move forward in this article.
That said, this list has a tremendous amount of detail within it, leading us to believe that it can’t be totally bullshit.

Iron Maiden – The Empire Of The Clouds [12”] (Picture Disc image of ‘Eddie’, b-side is exclusive interview, gatefold, indie-retail exclusive)
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Bruce mentioned about maybe playing it sometime, not a maiden gig but some other kind of event. It got me thinking about maiden playing with an orchestra. I cant see them doing an S&M style gig but I thought some kind of low key show (in a cathedral maybe, or the cart & horses!) with Empire as the show piece and maybe a couple of other tunes. Even if its just a 'live' video, I dont think we've heard the last of Empire. And no doubt we would all do our bit to put an 18min song into the top 10!
 
If it is released as a single, it will break the record for what I believe is the longest single ever released which is Blind Guardian's And Then There Was Silence unless it's edited by a lot.
 
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