Okay guys...I was wondering how you guys define Epic songs? Obviously everyone can give an example of them, such as Phantom of the Opera, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Alexander the Great, Sign of the Cross, The Clansman...
But exactly what makes these songs epics?
For me it's a combination of the following:
Length. In order for a song to be an epic it has to be long, at least 7 minutes. Looking at the classic definition of epic poetry we find that those too have to be long.
Combination of music: All the classic Maiden epics given above are similar in that they have various sections of music, slow, fast, solos. A straight rocker, even if it was that long, wouldn't be an epic.
Lyrical content: Epics should be about something with meaning. For instance, I honestly don't consider "The Angel and the Gambler" to be an epic, because the lyrics don't tell either a tale or a very powerful story.
Those are my three criteria. So what do you mates think? And I'll give an example of an underrated epic here, namely The Unbeliever.
But exactly what makes these songs epics?
For me it's a combination of the following:
Length. In order for a song to be an epic it has to be long, at least 7 minutes. Looking at the classic definition of epic poetry we find that those too have to be long.
Combination of music: All the classic Maiden epics given above are similar in that they have various sections of music, slow, fast, solos. A straight rocker, even if it was that long, wouldn't be an epic.
Lyrical content: Epics should be about something with meaning. For instance, I honestly don't consider "The Angel and the Gambler" to be an epic, because the lyrics don't tell either a tale or a very powerful story.
Those are my three criteria. So what do you mates think? And I'll give an example of an underrated epic here, namely The Unbeliever.