Iron Maiden studio album 17 rumours and speculations

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I share your annoyance about the last 2 years being wasted as an opportunity to move the band forward.

To put this in another way, a period of time longer than THE ENTIRE BLAZE ERA! has passed between when Maiden last released new music in September 2015 and now. In fact, it took Maiden exactly six years to do the following:

28 August 1993 - play Raising Hell
December 1993 - announce Blaze
1994, 95, 96, 97, 98 - entire Blaze era
Jan 1999 - announce Bruce+H
11 July 1999 - first Ed Hunter Tour show

yes that's right folks. It took Maiden the same time to lose Bruce, have an entire new singer era, get Bruce and H back and start touring with a new lineup... So if we are facing a gap from Sept 2015 until say late 2021 for a new album, that's 6 years. If it drifts into 2022 then its 7 years.

What a strange use of their twilight years.
 
srfc said:
People are making too much out of the length of time involved, the album would have came out last year if it wasn't for Covid. You can't just whitewash over that.
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In Italy we have a way of saying that goes:

"If my grandad had three balls, he would be a pinball machine".

Covid happened. But that's not an excuse anymore, as tons of bands have released their music in a physical and digital format over the last 14 months. And bands or artists that generally sell less copies than Maiden, I'd say. This is to say that, at this point, a great band should take count of the time fans have been waiting, by now, and find a way to give them at least one fresh and brand new track, despite a different tour to finish. Don't care about contract obligations or whatever. Finding a way about that is part of their job, too. This is my take.
Include the song in the next setlist and release it now. I refuse to believe that can't be done.
 
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Fabio Maiden said:
In Italy we have a way of saying that goes:

"If my grandad had three balls, he would be a pinball wizard".

Covid happened. But that's not an excuse anymore, as tons of bands have released their music in a physical and digital format over the last 14 months. And bands or artists that generally sell less copies than Maiden, I'd say. This is to say that, at this point, a great band should take count of the time fans have been waiting, by now, and find a way to give them at least one fresh and brand new track, despite a different tour to finish. Don't care about contract obligations or whatever. Finding a way about that is part of their job, too. This is my take.
Include the song in the next setlist and release it now. I refuse to believe that can't be done.
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They can easily do what you ask.

But maybe wait until they play that gig and see if a new song is in the set first before getting angry at the band.
 
Fabio Maiden said:
Covid happened. But that's not an excuse anymore, as tons of bands have released their music in a physical and digital format over the last 14 months.
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Well that's the thing. For better or worse, or actually for better and worse, Maiden isn't like tons of other bands. But I get your frustration!

Fabio Maiden said:
Don't care about contract obligations or whatever. Finding a way about that is part of their job, too. This is my take.
Include the song in the next setlist and release it now. I refuse to believe that can't be done.
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At this point, it's rather difficult to put any emphasis on what is actually part of their "job." They don't have to do this for their living anymore and more or less, it's a product you either support... or you don't, but it holds little to none obligation for them. Of course, it's great if and when they want to keep up with the high standards of their live shows and other products (of course, I'm not talking about the release schedule now).

Someone once compared being a fan of Iron Maiden to supporting a sports team. Sometimes you're more into it, sometimes less. It can be frustrating, but almost nothing can change the initial love or the history you have together and you stay on board, even during tougher times.

I used to be more harsh towards Maiden's moves, with their setlists, album release policy and pretty much everything, but now... ah, well maybe it's just that I'm not demanding enough, but I've found peace with the situation as it is. It could be so much worse anyway. And it's still looking like we got new Maiden shows and new Maiden music sooner or later, so... You know, they're still around.

That all being said, yes, I agree that it would be amazing if they bothered to get together and do something productive now when the break in touring allows it, but hey... As mentioned, at this point it's not like they have to, and one of the reasons they've managed to keep this thing together this far is probably the fact that they're free to pursue other things and Maiden is more of a mothership they unite under every now and then to kick some serious ass on stage (or in studio, but anyway).

For some long-living bands, getting together, along with writing and recording new music regularly works just fine. Then again, there's bands like Nightwish, who have more or less similar approach with Maiden: gaps between the album releases can very well be close to five years and between gigantic tours there are long gaps. Of course, Maiden usually does some touring every year, but the connection I'm trying to indicate is that the band, as a group spending time together, isn't around that much.
 
Fabio Maiden said:
... we got Bruce interview with Download where he said that "a lot of things are coming between now and the start of the tour, things which people will be chaffed and joyful about"

June is 3 days away, and the previous two albums were presented (artwork and tracklisting) in June, just saying...
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They can reveal the album cover and the track list this year or next year (before the start of the tour). Or they can release the single before the start of the tour next year, but I doubt. I also doubt that they will play it during the tour <-> It will shift the focus from the tour... big time.
Also, I think they want to be sure that they can go on tour before releasing the album.

Maybe the only plausible scenario would be the reveal of the album cover and track list with an announcement that the album will be released after the 3rd and final leg of LOTB tour. But I don't think they will release anything before that.
This is how can be done:

June-July 2022: 3rd and final leg of LOTB tour
August 2022: release of a video concert from the tour (hope they will find time for that)
August 2022: release of the (first) single
September 2022: release of the new album
(October)/November-December 2022: 1st leg of the new album tour
summer of 2023: 2nd leg of the new album tour (May-August 2023)

Although the scenario with ''Wildest Dreams'' and ''El Dorado'' (for Give Me Ed & TFF 2010 leg tours) was different.

... I don't know what to think anymore. This album already becomes ''legendary''.
Mosh said:
1: The album isn’t going to come out until a tour can go with it, so 2021 is out. Book of Souls was a strange exception, but information leading up to that release seems to clearly suggest that they had every intention of touring ahead of the release. I actually think they’re probably doing everything to avoid a repeat of what happened there.

2: Maiden isn’t going to “stealth” release the album. There is going to be a good 3-4 month hype campaign as usual.
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You could be right, but who knows...
 
I think originally the band's intention was to just wait a year, complete the LOTB tour and then focus on the new album.

Given the fact that we will now have to wait ANOTHER year for the LOTB tour to even restart, let alone finish, i feel that they're going to simply release the damn album, finish the "current" tour and then tour behind the new album.

AC/DC is a much more "reserved" band and they basically did that. They were supposed to release their new album just before Covid hit and then Covid hit. Fans knew about the album for a considerable time and rumours were circulating and they eventually just released it because there's no point in just keeping the album forever. My bet is on Maiden doing the same.

The only real difference is the fact that Maiden already had many dates to finish, and i think it's pretty honorable that they do finish them. I have a ticket to see them here in Portugal for a year now and i will still have to wait until July 31 2022 (More than a year) to finally see them. I would be seriously angry if they just cancel. AC/DC were not in the middle of a tour when covid hit. That's the big difference i think.
 
Helmuth Von Moltke said:
I share your annoyance about the last 2 years being wasted as an opportunity to move the band forward.

To put this in another way, a period of time longer than THE ENTIRE BLAZE ERA! has passed between when Maiden last released new music in September 2015 and now. In fact, it took Maiden exactly six years to do the following:

28 August 1993 - play Raising Hell
December 1993 - announce Blaze
1994, 95, 96, 97, 98 - entire Blaze era
Jan 1999 - announce Bruce+H
11 July 1999 - first Ed Hunter Tour show

yes that's right folks. It took Maiden the same time to lose Bruce, have an entire new singer era, get Bruce and H back and start touring with a new lineup... So if we are facing a gap from Sept 2015 until say late 2021 for a new album, that's 6 years. If it drifts into 2022 then its 7 years.

What a strange use of their twilight years.
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Well back in the day it took them even less time to move from that first Cart & Horses gig to The Beast on the Road tour, losing three singers (and many other members) before ending up with Brucie in the process.
1622314076545.png
 
srfc said:
People are making too much out of the length of time involved, the album would have came out last year if it wasn't for Covid. You can't just whitewash over that.
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For me it matters: I really rated the fact that Maiden were in a league of their own amongst 'big' hard rock/metal bands in album release frequency. Even when they slowed down they never had the big, yawning gaps that bands like AC/DC, Metallica, Def Leppard, Priest, Deep Purple, even Slayer forced on their fans.

No, Maiden were in a league of their own. Despite clearly not needing to, they put out a new album at least every 5 years, often more frequently. It is actually a big deal for me that the 'as regular as clockwork' aspect of Maiden has ended.

Yes, the pandemic was exceptional. But even without it, had it all gone to plan, do we really think album 17 would have come out just after the planned third LOTB leg in late 2020? I actually even doubt that, and I think the balance of attention to retro tours (this one and Maiden England) has actually cost Maiden forward creative momentum in their later years.

Delaying a new album by two years is a disaster in my mind, if as you say it was ready back in 2020. Which I now doubt.
 
The biggest problem/dilemma for me is that I don't find much enjoyment in the latest Maiden albums...So while I of course would like to see one of my favourite bands active and releasing music I'm also realistic and content now in the mindset that Maiden won't knock me off my feet anymore musically and it makes it easier to just accept and appreciate the stuff they've already put out for us in the past. Of course I still hope for good things in the future but I'm also very happy with where we are right now.
 
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