Fear is the Key

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How good is Fear is the Key on a scale of 1-10?

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    14
I personally feel this is a very underrated track, I love the riffs, melodies, lyrics, and Bruce's vocals here. It's my favorite on the album next to Wasting Love and especially Afraid to Shoot Strangers.
 
I cound not stand this song when it first came out, but over time, I like it more ... I still do not think it is great, but it is a solid track.
 
I'm always surprised by how good the song is, because I never remember how it goes when I read the title. And the first half of the song is good!
The riffs and the melodies are cool. The riffs almost feels a little oriental at places which is cool! But then 3:25 comes, and the second part of the song indeed feels like a mess, and even feels quite awkward as well. Fortunately the song goes back to the original theme in the last minute which saves the song a bit.

6/10
 
5. I feel it's a little all over the place at times but I still enjoy it. Worst on the album though.

Rankings:

Previous Albums:

Iron Maiden - 6.67

8 - Prowler
6 - Sanctuary
7 - Remember Tomorrow
6 - Running Free
9 - Phantom Of The Opera
7 - Transylvania
4 - Strange World
6 - Charlotte The Harlot
7 - Iron Maiden

Killers - 5.91

6 - The Ides Of March
6 - Wrathchild
6 - Murders In The Rue Morgue
5 - Another Life
5 - Genghis Khan
5 - Innocent Exile
8 - Killers
5 - Prodigal Son
8 - Purgatory
6 - Twilight Zone
5 - Drifter

The Number Of The Beast - 7.56

6 - Invaders
7 - Children Of The Damned
8 - The Prisoner
7 - 22 Acacia Avenue
9 - The Number Of The Beast
10 - Run To The Hills
6 - Gangland
5 - Total Eclipse
10 - Hallowed Be Thy Name

Piece Of Mind - 7.44

8 - Where Eagles Dare
9 - Revelations
9 - Flight Of Icarus
7 - Die With Your Boots On
8 - The Trooper
7 - Still Life
6 - Quest For Fire
6 - Sun And Steel
7 - To Tame A Land

Powerslave - 6.75

8 - Aces High
7 - 2 Minutes To Midnight
3 - Loss Fer Words
7 - Flash Of The Blade
5 - The Duellists
6 - Back In The Village
9 - Powerslave
9 - Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

Somewhere In Time - 8.00

8 - Caught Somewhere In Time
9 - Wasted Years
8 - Sea Of Madness
8 - Heaven Can Wait
8 - The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner
7 - Stranger In A Strange Land
8 - Deja Vu
8 - Alexander The Great

Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son - 8.25

7 - Moonchild
9 - Infinite Dreams
9 - Can I Play With Madness
9 - The Evil That Men Do
10 - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
6 - The Prophecy
8 - The Clairvoyant
8 - Only The Good Die Young

No Prayer For The Dying - 6.90

6 - Tailgunner
6 - Holy Smoke
8 - No Prayer For The Dying
7 - Public Enema Number One
7 - Fates Warning
7 - The Assassin
6 - Run Silent Run Deep
8 - Hooks In You
8 - Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter
6 - Mother Russia

Fear Of The Dark

7 - Be Quick Or Be Dead
8 - From Here To Eternity
9 - Afraid To Shoot Strangers
5 - Fear Is The Key
 
The intro sounds like a failed version of Powerslave, the verses are a bit bland, and I'm not sure what happens after 2:30, but whatever it is I don't like it. Not a disaster, but certainly a bad song.
3/10
 
I'm listening to Fear is the Key now, and I'm surprised how good it is. It's been a while since I heard it, but I always thought this was one of the weaker Maiden songs. In any case, the guitar playing is good, and Bruce doesn't sound half bad either. 6/10
 
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6/10

Fear Is the Key is such a strange song. A dark stomping rhythm and twisting, malevolent Jancik riff make this sound more like a Bruce solo track (or a 90’s-era Dio song, for that matter). The vocals are absolutely stellar in the first half. Bruce incorporates a lot of blues influence with great results. The first three-and-a-half minutes are a darker sound than generally expected from Maiden and it works rather well, but then comes the bridge, a piece of music so horrendous that I cannot imagine how Martin Birch, Rod Smallwood, or Steve Harris allowed it to happen. A time change leads Bruce to repeat earlier verses, but with absolutely no rhythm or melody. It sounds like garbage and really taints what could have been a stand-out track.
 
I actually don't dislike this song. I really like the riffs and Bruce sounds tolerable here. Really good prechoruse and chorus that's catchy but also has that Maiden feel. They're also singing about something a bit more substantial but also unusual for Maiden, which I can appreciate. Then you get a cool noisy instrumental section and a call and response thing which also works. I also like that it takes awhile for the main chorus to show up.

But then the bridge. It's so out of place and unnecessary. It's cool they wanted to do something different but it's just a mess. Bruce's vocals are annoying and the whole thing is so underdeveloped. It really spoils an otherwise good song.

Luckily it's a short part of the song and the rest is still salvageable.

7
 
I always felt "Fear Is The Key" would've been a great song but like many said the part where Bruce sings "lies and lies and lies" was annoying and grating, I wish they would've left that part off the song, overall I give "Fear Is The Key" a 7/10.
 
This is a really underrated song with a powerful subject. Some inspired guitarwork and riffing throughout and I like the dramatic build up and structure. There's something slightly 80s about it which I find myself liking without knowing why

7
 
This song is like a Donald Trump debate. It starts out coherent and it might even have a point, even if it's a little different. Then it breaks down into a rambling, incoherent mess.

Saved only by some cool riffs. 3/10.
 
A weird song, the intro riff reminds me of Led Zeppelin, the verses and chorus aren't all that bad, chorus is actually quite good with a nice melody and very good singing from Bruce, but then it's like they didn't know how to finish the song, the part from 3.30 on until the guitar solo is really atrocious, one of the worst moments in their entire catalogue. If it was a 3 minute song finishing after the second chorus, it would have been way much better!
5/10
 
Listening to it again, it's actually a good song. At least, it starts out really strong, and would probably get an 8 or a 9 if it stayed on that path. Then that... whatever it is cuts in and loses almost all credibility it might have had. At least it ends strong but still... 7/10 after much deliberation.
 
Great song, and one of the most underrated, too! Its lyrics touch a pretty sensitive subject matter, even by today's standards, and Maiden get it done perfectly (my favorite part is when they reference Freddy Mercury's death in "[...] nobody cares 'til somebody famous dies"). The solos are even more chaotic than in "Be Quick Or Be Dead" or "From Here To Eternity", especially the interlude (2:43-3:08). Dave and Janick just go crazy! One of the best moments in a Maiden song. 8.
 
A somewhat queasy intro leads into an OK verse riff. The verse vocal is "meh". The chorus is catchy, but gives way to the queasy groove again pretty quickly.

More verse and chorus, followed by a forgettable bridge and some meandering before returning to a more coherent interlude...and then we're in a completely different song.

Hey, let's do some acoustic noodling with Bruce doing free association lyrics and random wailing. That sounds like a great idea!

This finally returns to the queasy groove and another stab at the bridge before the song runs out of steam.

This song might have been passable if it didn't lose its mind in the middle. Oops. 5/10.
 
Black Thunder said:
Re: Daily Song: Fear is the Key

Hooks In You
Gates Of Tomorrow (Bruce sings the chorus like he's on crack)
The Apparition (just... poor)

1's are/will be urged to these.

Not TAATG - it just needs to be shortened 4 minutes or so.
Click to expand...
nah GOT is a cool track, it deserves it's place on DOD. The same can't be said about some of the other songs....
 
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