Fortunes of War

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How good is Fortunes of War on a scale of 1-10?

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'fortunes Of War'

Again a song about war and what is left behind when the fighting is over. Even though this one's a good song I think they did not need to include both The Aftermath and this song on the album since they both deal with almost the same topic.
 
'fortunes Of War'

[!--QuoteBegin-Uwe+Aug 29 2004, 06:45 PM--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(Uwe @ Aug 29 2004, 06:45 PM)[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]Again a song about war and what is left behind when the fighting is over. Even though this one's a good song I think they did not need to include both The Aftermath and this song on the album since they both deal with almost the same topic.
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Yes, maybe you’re right, but I think that the two songs aren't talking about the same type of war :
'The Aftermath' is talking about the First World War and its pointlessness.
In ‘Fortunes of War’, I think it’s more about a recent war.

The guy was more a witness to the events than an actor :

I’m scarred for life
But it’s not my flesh that’s wounded


Anyway, I give to this song 4,5/5 : it’s like the whole album : dark, heavy... perfect !
 
'fortunes Of War'

this is the only war related maiden song we dont know which war it's lyrics are about. any ideas?
 
'fortunes Of War'

[!--QuoteBegin--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]this is the only war related maiden song we dont know which war it's lyrics are about. any ideas?[/quote]

I doubt Steve had a particular war in mind when he wrote the lyrics. The narrator seems to be extremely traumatized, and such traumas as in this song are best known to me from the First World War and the Vietnam War. Considering there already are songs about these two wars on this album (even though "The Aftermath" has a more universal feel to it as well), it seems rather unlikely if this song would really be about a historical war. It could be a continuation of "Afrad To Shoot Strangers", in which case it would be about the Gulf War. There have been reports by soldiers who fought in this war who were devastated by instances when they had to kill suicide bombers who were running towards them- and who were children.
In the same vein, it could be inspired by the Second World War, even though I know of no popularily-known case in which an Allied soldier has suffered these traumata- except for the case of the pilots of the Enola Gay, the aeroplane which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima (which is also mentioned in "Tail Gunner"). This has proven to be a myth, however, the pilots have always been proud of what they did and regarded it their patriotic duty.
I have seen interviews of British bomber pilots who regretted firebombing German cities, particularly Hamburg, but these have gained popular recognition only in the past couple of years.
I seem to recall reading about traumatas such as the one described in the song happening to soldiers who fought in the Korean War.

In some way, this song also reminds me of the philosophic-ish background of the film "First Blood" (the first part of the "Rambo" series). So maybe it is indeed about Vietnam.

To narrow it down, my guesses are Vietnam and Korea, with the two World Wars also sticking out as a possibility.

On another note, I think this song is very good. It is a good anti-war song with great instrumentals and a very dark mood around it. Certainly not the best on the album, but still very good.

Rating: 4
 
Re: 'fortunes Of War'

Uwe said:
Even though this one's a good song I think they did not need to include both The Aftermath and this song on the album since they both deal with almost the same topic.
Click to expand...

I disagree. This song is more about a soldiers post traumatic depression, than about the actual war itself. I mean ya, it has to do with war, as that is the cause, but in this song the war is over and done with. I think it fits the album nicely.

Personally I like this one better than The Aftermath. It has a nice build up and a good irony in the chorus. The soldiers "fortunes of war" aren't much of a fortune at all.
 
Daily Song: Fortunes of War

Welcome to the Daily Vote Thread! Rules are here.

Remember, only a decent review will count towards the contest.

Today's song: Fortunes of War

Yesterday's song remains open for voting! You can find it here.
This song is slow, brooding, and powerful; the thesis for what The X Factor is as an album. While I enjoy it, it has never fully connected with me. I think it is a hint slower than it needed to be. I give this song a 7/10, but there are days it approaches 8.
 
Re: Daily Song: Fortunes of War

Like Sign of the Cross, I again prefer the first half. That slow pace (quite unique in Maiden) is exactly what I adore here. Threatening and heavy as fuck. I love the build-up, and Blaze does a phenominal job during those verses.

I hear voices in my head
Could I really be going crazy
In the night the visions seem so real
Do you care if you live or die
When you laugh are you really crying
You're not sure what's real anymore

Magnificent stuff, not only the vocals, but also these intriguing lyrics ! :notworthy:

The later instrumental part with the galloping rhythm and the guitar lines did set a trend, for later songs to come.
Dream of Mirrors, The Talisman: These parts are echoes of
Fortunes of War, Fortunes of War, Fortunes of War, it's all done before.

9

For the ones who would like to see a live version, check out how heavy it is with those roaring guitars.  :shred:
Nice detail: Steve switches neatly between acoustic and electric bass.
 
Re: Daily Song: Fortunes of War

I'm listening to it now, and it really is a great song. I love the mid part, between the intro and the verse/chorus whatever. And the part after the chorus too. It has a great atmosphere, and the recording sounds a bit low-tech as far as guitars go, but it gives it even more feel.

8/10.
 
Re: Daily Song: Fortunes of War

Great song, powerful lyrics, intense atmosphere. If there was one thing I would have to criticise, it's how with this song, the poor, thin production of the album shows. The live guitars are so much heavier. Still, I don't think the studio version suffers very much, the live version just wins a lot. 10/10.
 
Re: Daily Song: Fortunes of War

Another good song, and like Foro I really like the beginning of the song for its mood and for the insightful lyrics. It sounds like a natural follow-up to Afraid To Shoot Strangers. This ex-soldier has overcome his fear to shoot strangers, but has trouble coming to peace with what he has done - something which is quite common among ex-soldiers. One can be trained to overcome the hesitation one naturally has to kill another human, but it does leave its mark on most.

When it comes to the "Fortunes of War, Fortunes of War, Fortunes of War, it's all done before" ( :P) part, I don't really think it fits very well - that part would've been better off without vocals. Also I think Blaze is off-key in the chorus.

When I was getting into The X Factor, this was my second favourite song, after Sign of the Cross - now there are others I rate just as highly (or higher). It earns a strong 8 from me.
 
Re: Daily Song: Fortunes of War

When I first got The X Factor, I absolutely loved this song.  My appreciation for it has decreased a bit with time, though it's still an excellent song.  Fantastic lyrics too.  This is one song I would really love to hear live.  A solid 8.
 
Re: Daily Song: Fortunes of War

8/10 Good song and played out in a rather dark and heavy mood.

@Perun: I've not heard this live, but I would imagine this would sound pretty damn good.
 
Re: Daily Song: Fortunes of War

This is where Blaze's vocals become a problem for me.  Yesterday I listened to X Factor start to finish and as the album goes on, I like it less and less mainly due to the all the songs being sung in essentially the same way.  There is nice variety in the musical portions and some parts being flat out amazing.  But from this song on, Blaze really brings the album down.  If I were listening to music on a shuffle, I would give this song a solid 7 ... being almost 20 minutes into the album, I give it a 5 ... so I will split the difference and make it a 6.
 
Re: Daily Song: Fortunes of War

Pretty good number, I'd probably give it a 7.  I like the buildup and the lyrics, but never cared for the song title as the chorus section.

I also think the album production hinders this song.  It was pretty damn heavy live, especially those sections in between the acoustic parts.
 
Re: Daily Song: Fortunes of War

Albie said:
@Perun: I've not heard this live, but I would imagine this would sound pretty damn good.
Click to expand...

Check out the link Foro posted. It's from the Brazil '96 bootleg, and the best recording I know. Simply amazing!
 
Re: Daily Song: Fortunes of War

10! This is a wonderful, melancholic and deeply meaningful song. The intro is one Maiden's best, the way Blaze sings gives me chills everytime I listen to it; the melodies and solos are, once again, blinding! H and Davey shone in the 80's, but Davey and Jan made their partnership as great as Davey and H, in their own manner. I think this is the Blaze era song I most want back on the set list for some of the next tours. An all time Maiden classic from one of the most underrated Metal albums of the 90's. :edmetal:
 
Re: Daily Song: Fortunes of War

One of the slow, heavy songs, like a number of The X Factor songs, this one however has magnificent lyrics. The one exception is the chorus, with the repeating title dragging the song down slightly. Still a very respectable 8.
 
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