Five years later: The Final Frontier revisited

Five years later, what do you think of the Final Frontier

  • I absolutely love it. It's among their best.

    Votes: 29 23.8%

  • It's a strong album that stands up well to the test of time.

    Votes: 61 50.0%

  • It's OK. I like it, or at least parts of it, but I don't listen to it much.

    Votes: 26 21.3%

  • For a Maiden album, it's pretty weak.

    Votes: 9 7.4%
  • Total voters
    122
There aren't many modern classics simply because they don't write memorable tracks these days, the way they used to back in the 80's, and to some extent also in the 90's. These days when Maiden records an album is just a few weeks of musicial masturbation with Shirley sleeping at the control desk. I'm not saying modern Maiden is crap, I'm just saying they're nothing compared to the old Maiden. Technically they're actually better these days, but what this band badly needs is a Martin Birch, but it will never happen again. Birch could turn a musically fairly average song into a classic, he just had that magic. Shirley even said himself in the biography that he doesn't interfer with the music, he seems to be there just to amuse the band and boost their egos by saying how great everything they play is, even when it isn't.
I almost cry when I think of what Martin Birch could have made of the musical ideas that have been on the last album. You speak of modern classics, and Birch would have given us tons of them. As it stands, we have four decent albums, whereas we could have had four magical ones. :(
 
PlayClassics! said:
There aren't many modern classics simply because they don't write memorable tracks these days, the way they used to back in the 80's, and to some extent also in the 90's. These days when Maiden records an album is just a few weeks of musicial masturbation with Shirley sleeping at the control desk. I'm not saying modern Maiden is crap, I'm just saying they're nothing compared to the old Maiden. Technically they're actually better these days, but what this band badly needs is a Martin Birch, but it will never happen again. Birch could turn a musically fairly average song into a classic, he just had that magic. Shirley even said himself in the biography that he doesn't interfer with the music, he seems to be there just to amuse the band and boost their egos by saying how great everything they play is, even when it isn't.
I almost cry when I think of what Martin Birch could have made of the musical ideas that have been on the last album. You speak of modern classics, and Birch would have given us tons of them. As it stands, we have four decent albums, whereas we could have had four magical ones. :(
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I believe that Martin himself said that he never interfered with the songs,just with the perfection of the recordings and the sound.So I think that the arrangements and structured were always done by the group.He had his way of creating a great sound.I also think that Shirley has a very sloppy way of eorking with Maiden.But I can only really blame the group as the rest of his work is quite good
 
Modern classics are more comparable to lesser played older cassics such as Powerslave and Caught Somewhere In Time...

Creating another The Trooper or NOTB won't happen considering there are now 15+ albums to squeeze into a setlist and the history tours continue to reinforce the older classics into new fans.

Better songs? Dance of Death eclipses Hallowed Be Thy Name, These Colours Dont Run eclipses 2 Minutes to Midnight, WTWWB eclipses Gangland.
 
I think this is a really great album with Maiden continuing to try out new things. The only I song I don't overly care for is The Final Frontier. I might even say it is the least interesting/exciting opening song they have ever done in my opinion (Satellite 15 is great fun though). Other than that, every song on here is really awesome and essential listening for me. I love how this album continues the prog style from the previous album, but at the same time has a warmer/more "classic" vibe to the songwriting and production.
 
Maiden do not write the song of the 80's simply because there are not the 80's anymore. The world is changed, and the music as a consequence. They followed exactly all the changes of the Heavy music, ride them on the peak: the glory of the 80's, the crisis of the 90's, the rebirth of the new century with this new "progressive" and "aggressive" vein. And I am happy that Iron Maiden always evolved, this means that we love an "alive" band, and not some static statue of the past. We can live them and not just remembering them. For this reason i hate TFF, is a big step backwords, the first time that they stopped their evolution, just to reach a sound that is not them. They are able to write a Paschendale or a For the greater good of god, but they are not able to write an album made only of Paschendale. They throw away very good ideas (the central part of Starblind, the melody of when the wild wind blows, the charge of talisman ecc...) only because they wanted to complicate things. BNW was a restart album, a true manifesto of the 2000's Maiden: powerful, melodic, heavy, solid. DoD was more reflective, mature, but always with the correct mix of heavy and melodic parts. AMOLAD is a masterpiece, a true punch in the stomach, great text, great music, perfect mix, the only flaw is that is a bit repetitive in the long tracks. But this is only my 20 cent thoughts...
 
ironbaz said:
For this reason i hate TFF, is a big step backwords, the first time that they stopped their evolution, just to reach a sound that is not them. They are able to write a Paschendale or a For the greater good of god, but they are not able to write an album made only of Paschendale. They throw away very good ideas (the central part of Starblind, the melody of when the wild wind blows, the charge of talisman ecc...) only because they wanted to complicate things.
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How, in any way, is The Final Frontier "a sound that is not" Maiden? If anything, it sounds far more like traditional Maiden than AMOLAD. It can't be both a "step backward" and not sound like Maiden. And I don't see why ideas are "thrown away" simply because they are placed within a larger whole?
 
Gk1 said:
On the other handthe chorus is so boring and repetitive.
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Yeah, Iron Maiden has never used repetitive choruses before The Wicker Man....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm running free, yeah, I'm running free
I'm running free, yeah, I'm running free!

I'm a wrathchild
Oooh I'm a wrathchild
Cause I'm a wrathchild

Please, take me away, take me away so far away
Please, take me away, take me away so far away
Please, take me away, take me away so far away

I want you to sing it, sing it, sing it, sing it along
I want you to sing it, sing it, sing it, sing it along

Children of the damned, children of the damned
Children of the damned, children of the damned

Run to the hills, run for your lives
Run to the hills, run for your lives

Fly on your way like an eagle, fly as high as the sun
On your way like an eagle, fly as high as the sun

If you're gonna die, you're gonna die, gonna die, die with your boots on

Rolling, turning, diving
Rolling, turning, diving
Rolling, turning, diving
Rolling, turning, diving

Back in the village again in the village back in the village again

Caught somewhere in time
Caught somewhere in time
Caught somewhere in time

Heaven can wait, heaven can wait, heaven can wait, heaven can wait till another day
Heaven can wait, heaven can wait, heaven can wait, heaven can wait till another day

Run on and on, run on and on, the loneliness of the long distance runner
Run on and on, run on and on, the loneliness of the long distance runner
Run on and on, run on and on, the loneliness of the long distance runner
Run on and on, run on and on, the loneliness of the long distance runner

Feel like I've been here before, feel like I've been here before
Feel like I've been here before, feel like I've been here before

The evil that men do lives on and on
The evil that men do lives on and on
The evil that men do lives on and on
The evil that men do lives on and on

Seventh son of a seventh son
Seventh son of a seventh son
Seventh son of a seventh son
Seventh son of a seventh son

Only the good die young - all the evil seems to live forever
Only the good die young - all the evil seems to live forever
Only the good die young
Only the good die young

Climb into the sky, never wonder why - tailgunner, you're a tailgunner
Climb into the sky, never wonder why - tailgunner, you're a tailgunner
Climb into the sky, never wonder why - tailgunner, you're a tailgunner
Climb into the sky, never wonder why - tailgunner, you're a tailgunner

Better watch out, cause I'm the assassin
Better watch out, cause I'm the assassin
Better watch out, better watch out
Better watch out, cause I'm the assassin
Better watch out, cause I'm the assassin

Hell ain't a bad place, hell is from here to eternity
Hell ain't a bad place, hell is from here to eternity
Hell ain't a bad place, hell is from here to eternity
Hell ain't a bad place, hell is from here to eternity

Afraid, afraid to shoot strangers
Afraid, afraid to shoot strangers
Afraid, afraid to shoot strangers
Afraid, afraid to shoot strangers

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Repetitive choruses are 100% part of Iron Maiden's history. Deal with it.
 
LooseCannon said:
Yeah, Iron Maiden has never used repetitive choruses before The Wicker Man....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm running free, yeah, I'm running free
I'm running free, yeah, I'm running free!

I'm a wrathchild
Oooh I'm a wrathchild
Cause I'm a wrathchild

Please, take me away, take me away so far away
Please, take me away, take me away so far away
Please, take me away, take me away so far away

I want you to sing it, sing it, sing it, sing it along
I want you to sing it, sing it, sing it, sing it along

Children of the damned, children of the damned
Children of the damned, children of the damned

Run to the hills, run for your lives
Run to the hills, run for your lives

Fly on your way like an eagle, fly as high as the sun
On your way like an eagle, fly as high as the sun

If you're gonna die, you're gonna die, gonna die, die with your boots on

Rolling, turning, diving
Rolling, turning, diving
Rolling, turning, diving
Rolling, turning, diving

Back in the village again in the village back in the village again

Caught somewhere in time
Caught somewhere in time
Caught somewhere in time

Heaven can wait, heaven can wait, heaven can wait, heaven can wait till another day
Heaven can wait, heaven can wait, heaven can wait, heaven can wait till another day

Run on and on, run on and on, the loneliness of the long distance runner
Run on and on, run on and on, the loneliness of the long distance runner
Run on and on, run on and on, the loneliness of the long distance runner
Run on and on, run on and on, the loneliness of the long distance runner

Feel like I've been here before, feel like I've been here before
Feel like I've been here before, feel like I've been here before

The evil that men do lives on and on
The evil that men do lives on and on
The evil that men do lives on and on
The evil that men do lives on and on

Seventh son of a seventh son
Seventh son of a seventh son
Seventh son of a seventh son
Seventh son of a seventh son

Only the good die young - all the evil seems to live forever
Only the good die young - all the evil seems to live forever
Only the good die young
Only the good die young

Climb into the sky, never wonder why - tailgunner, you're a tailgunner
Climb into the sky, never wonder why - tailgunner, you're a tailgunner
Climb into the sky, never wonder why - tailgunner, you're a tailgunner
Climb into the sky, never wonder why - tailgunner, you're a tailgunner

Better watch out, cause I'm the assassin
Better watch out, cause I'm the assassin
Better watch out, better watch out
Better watch out, cause I'm the assassin
Better watch out, cause I'm the assassin

Hell ain't a bad place, hell is from here to eternity
Hell ain't a bad place, hell is from here to eternity
Hell ain't a bad place, hell is from here to eternity
Hell ain't a bad place, hell is from here to eternity

Afraid, afraid to shoot strangers
Afraid, afraid to shoot strangers
Afraid, afraid to shoot strangers
Afraid, afraid to shoot strangers

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Repetitive choruses are 100% part of Iron Maiden's history. Deal with it.
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LC I think we already went through all that again,didn't we:innocent:? Lets just say that in my book The Wickerman chorus is one of the worse ones I ever heard.In most other cases the chorus repetition might complement a song.In the specific case it is just holding the song from progressing.Of course this my own opinion and I was quite disappointed by the song onfirst and on 1000th listen .
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
How, in any way, is The Final Frontier "a sound that is not" Maiden? If anything, it sounds far more like traditional Maiden than AMOLAD. It can't be both a "step backward" and not sound like Maiden. And I don't see why ideas are "thrown away" simply because they are placed within a larger whole?
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Because they did not sound as I expected after AMOLAD. I refuse to think that TFF is reflective of the new Maiden era. I'd like to think that they was very busy (and maybe lazy) to put together better their ideas, which, I repeat, are beautiful.
 
ironbaz said:
Because they did not sound as I expected after AMOLAD. I refuse to think that TFF is reflective of the new Maiden era. I'd like to think that they was very busy (and maybe lazy) to put together better their ideas, which, I repeat, are beautiful.
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Again, I get that you don't like it, but there is absolutely no way you can call the songwriting on The Final Frontier "lazy." Good or bad, it may be some of Maiden's most complex material ever. IMO, the only reunion album that feels lazy in the songwriting department is Dance of Death - like they spent a lot of time on half of the songs and then threw the rest together.
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
Again, I get that you don't like it, but there is absolutely no way you can call the songwriting on The Final Frontier "lazy." Good or bad, it may be some of Maiden's most complex material ever. IMO, the only reunion album that feels lazy in the songwriting department is Dance of Death - like they spent a lot of time on half of the songs and then threw the rest together.
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I am sorry but i do not see it this way. In my opinion is much more difficult to create a song of 5 minutes like Revelations in which there are a melodic part, an heavy one, another melodic, a great riff, and all mixed up together without "edges". Every song of TFF is or banal or a sequence of musically different parts without any kind of amalgamation. For example, starblind is beautiful but without 2 minutes of boring stuff and the central part fused and recalled all in the cong could have been a masterpiece.

I partially agree on DoD, but the work is not lazy, simply lacks of good ideas for half of the album.
 
Lazy is possibly the last word I would use to describe DOD. There is so much variety. A killer acoustic. A couple early maiden style rockers. An epic in paschendale. The title track that is a musical journey that nails the albums theme. The documentary/making of DOD shows a band in complete control of their craft, experiencing a new high point in their career. Not lazy. Just perfect.
 
Bornless1 I admire your enthusiasm but sadly I can't agree.In my opinion the killer acoustic is Tears of the dragon and not Journeyman. However I always liked DOD much mofe than BNW
 
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