Ghost of the Navigator

[Mosh]

Janick has a tendency to stuff his songs with great riffs. I’ve noticed that when the other guitarists write the songs, they tend to hold back for moments where there are vocals (for Adrian this especially makes sense since he is a singer as well). With Janick, there’s something interesting going on in the guitar department pretty much all the time. This song is a great example of that. So many crushing riffs, melodies, and cool chord progressions. Despite that, it doesn’t feel too busy. Bruce’s vocal parts are great. The seafaring lyric perfectly matches the rickety rhythms and dramatic chords. The new 3 guitar lineup is used to full effect here. Some great harmonies there.

10

 

[Boroking]

When i first heard this song as a teenager who just wanted to headbang i was initially a little confused. It was more complex and layered then anything else i was listening to, with choppy guitars rising and falling like the waves and the song seeming drenched in grey and steel blue tones.

Bruce is a real star here, his wailings and almost wistful cries in the pre-chorus send shivers dancing up my spine. This was the moment when i realised that compared to most of the bands i was listening to around 2000, Iron Maiden were in a different league. Brave New World as a record was massive in my musical maturity and development and Ghost of the Navigator was the first track which showed me that. 10/10