If Eternity Should Fail

How good is If Eternity Should Fail on a scale of 1-10?

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    23
As I said before tbis is a good song but the production is not giving that extra heaviness needed. Also what is it with the keyboard sound?! This is not an atmospheric si ister sound...this is just funny.
 
Severian said:
I have a major problem with this song, am i really supposed to believe that an Immortal cosmic zombie that harvests and devours the souls of humanity for all of eternity would start it's introduction with "Good Day" :p
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Well, to be fair some of the most sinister humans have also been quite polite. A good example of a person would be Dick "My company had monopoly on stealing oil in Iraq" Cheney. Seems polite in greetings, but when told "The majority of Americans think that the war is causing too many American and Iraqi lives to be spilled", his answer was "So?" with a sinister smile. Sinister people who are polite are so because it also allows them to be more manipulative, which makes it more creepy in my opinion.

Gk1 said:
As I said before tbis is a good song but the production is not giving that extra heaviness needed. Also what is it with the keyboard sound?! This is not an atmospheric si ister sound...this is just funny.
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In my opinion it sounds ancient. It brings my mind to an ancient biblical desert landscape. Thousands of years back in Egypt or possibly what became Arabia. Quite fitting in my opinion with the theme "soul".
 
Sounds vaguely like didgeridoo or some sort of ancient wind instrument to me, if you mean the opening. I think it fits the song.
 
One of the 3 best on the album that rank with the bands greatest. Reeks of Bruce's solo stuff but, fits Maiden very well. Like the lyrics, the harmonies & the bass/drum roll at the break.
 
I like me some Bruce solo stuff and that is what this is. Not really much going on here, it's simplistic to a fault, but that does allow Bruce to shine and shine he does.
Does anyone know what nikopolis he is referring to? i'm assuming he's talking of one the cities with that name. i guess it could be necropolis but i don't hear no r in there.
 
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Alot of discussion on the spoken word ending but does anyone have any thoughts on the actual lyrics themselves? I'm getting a "Cult of Death" vibe but they seem pretty cryptic which is not unusual for Maiden, anybody got any ideas?
 
Did you saw IESF is Dropped-D? First time ever Iron Maiden records a song in Drop D. Fits nicely with Bruce's voice.
 
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mirtilo said:
Did you saw IESF is Dropped-D? First time ever Iron Maiden records a song in Drop D. Fits nicely with Bruce's voice.
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Bout time. It's part of what made Bruce Dickinson's solo albums always sound more metal than what Maiden put out at the same time ;)
 
Actually, Adrian tuned down to drop D for a at least one song on BNW. The thin line and the fallen angel I thinl
 
Babo 91 said:
Actually, Adrian tuned down to drop D for a at least one song on BNW. The thin line and the fallen angel I thinl
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No it was Ghost Of The Navigator, The Fallen Angel and Brave New World.
Other songs from reunion era are Rainmaker, Reincarnation of BB, The Legacy and The Talisman. Mother Of Mercy doesn't count because it's D standard.:D

Live H tunes to drop D on RTTH, HCW, FOTD, Killers, Sign Of The Cross, sometimes CIPWM (2008), sometimes Trooper, Iron Maiden, The Clairvoyant, TNOB and used to on Aces High, Wrathchild and HBTN.
 
I need some help with what Necropolis is saying at the end.
At one point I hear "and I suck the lives from ___ my bed" What is he sayig before "my bed"?
and in the following line, is he saying "I owns two servants"?
 
Skylar said:
I need some help with what Necropolis is saying at the end.
At one point I hear "and I suck the lives from ___ my bed" What is he sayig before "my bed"?
and in the following line, is he saying "I owns two servants"?
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"Good day, My name is necropolis.
I am formed of the dead
I am the harvester of the soul
And I suck the lives from my bed
I own two sons, I gave them breath
And I fill their living corpses with my bile
What humanity I knew I have long forgotten
For me, eternity is nothing but a short while"
 
^ it reeeally sounds like he's saying something between "from" and "my bed" though. Also I hear "servants" instead of "sons". Does anyone have the physical CD yet with the lyrics?
 
"And I suck the lives from around my bed"

Everything else is right
 
There's a readable photograph of the lyrics in post #40 here: http://forum.maidenfans.com/threads/the-book-of-souls-deluxe-book-contents.32440/page-2

Everyone has been missing the fact that Necropolis speaks a word after "soul." He's actually not the harvester of just the soul, but the harvester of the soul meat, which makes him about ten times cooler.

In case it disappears, here's the text in that photo (minus chorus repetitions) as best I can tell.
Here is the soul of a man
Here in this place for the taking
Clothed in white, stand in the light
Here is the soul of a man

Time to speak with the shaman again
Conjure the jester again
Black dog in the ruins is howling my name
So here is the soul of a man

When the world was virgin
Before the coming of men
Just a solar witness
The beginning of the end

From a world of magma
To a cold rock face
The ascent of madness
And a human race

We are strange believers all of us
There are stranger truths immortal lust
We rise from slumber he calls our name
Recalls our number abide with pain

CHORUS:

Reef in a sail at the edge of the world
If eternity should fail
Waiting in line for/at the ending of time
If eternity should fail

Reef in a sail at the edge of the world
If eternity should fail
Waiting in line for/at the ending of time
If eternity should fail

To God's illusion which I recall
Was our delusion
Before the fall
The angels come and the angels go
But the Lord of Light shining below

Eternal blackness beyond the stars
We think our wisdom will get that far
At the master's table the table's bare
No land of plenty, devastation, despair

CHORUS x3

Good day my name is Necropolis
I am formed of the dead
I am the harvester of the soul meat
And I suck the lives from around my bed
My own two sons I gave them breath
And I filled their living corpses with my bile
What humanity I knew I have long forgotten
For me eternity is nothing
But a short while
 
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Official lyrics:

Here is the soul of a man
Here in this place for the taking
Clothed in white, stand in the light
Here is the soul of a man

Time to speak with the shaman again
Conjure the jester again
Black dog in the ruins is howling my name
So here is the soul of a man

When the world was virgin
Before the coming of men
Just a solar witness
The beginning of the end
From a world of magma
To a cold rock face
The ascent of madness
And a human race

We are strange believers all of us
There are stranger truths immortal lust
We rise from slumber he calls our name
Recalls our number abide with pain

Reef in a sail at the edge of the world
If eternity should fail
Waiting in line for the ending of time
If eternity should fail
Reef in a sail at the edge of the world
If eternity should fail
Waiting in line for the ending of time
If eternity should fail

To god’s illusion which I recall
Was our delusion
Before the fall
The angels come and the angels go
But the lord of light shining below

Eternal blackness beyond the stars
We think our wisdom will get that far
At the master’s table the table’s bare
No land of plenty, devastation, despair

Reef in a sail at the edge of the world
If eternity should fail
Waiting in line for the ending of time
If eternity should fail
Reef in a sail at the edge of the world
If eternity should fail
Waiting in line at the ending of time
If eternity should fail

Reef in a sail at the edge of the world
If eternity should fail
Waiting in line for the ending of time
If eternity should fail
Reef in a sail at the edge of the world
If eternity should fail
Waiting in line at the ending of time
If eternity should fail
Reef in a sail at the edge of the world
If eternity should fail
Waiting in line at the ending of time
If eternity should fail
Reef in a sail at the edge of the world
If eternity should fail
Waiting in line at the ending of time
If eternity should fail

Good day my name is Necropolis
I am formed of the dead
I am the harvester of the soul meat
And I suck the lives from around my bed
My own two sons I gave them breath
And I filled their living corpses with my bile
What humanity I knew I have long forgotten
For me eternity is nothing
But a short while
 
Probably the Bruce-iest (and by that I mean Bruce Dickinson the solo band) Maiden song so far. It reminds me of a certain Bruce song, but can't really recall which one... Solo-not-solo section is totally AoB/CW though. Chorus is immense. Can easily imagine them playing this one live with Bruce letting the audience sing the "if eternity should fail" part :)
 
I kind of wish the intro would have been done with guitars instead of the keyboard. Otherwise this is one of the best songs for sure.
I can't wait to hear this one live!
 
Love it! A great opener and an obvious Dickinson composition meant to be in a new solo album. I would have taken the spoken part at the end because I think it makes no sense with the rest of the album, hower it doesn't take anyhting from the song
 
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