Iron Maiden studio album 17 rumours and speculations

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Best of reunion albums:

Best opener (by far the easiest pick of this exertion). Without a doubt: If Eternity Should Fail. Despite its outro, bringing down the total experience, it is so much better than the openers from the other four albums
Most consistent album: A Matter of Life and Death but Brave New World is very close second.
Best song: The Man of Sorrows
Best production: Tough one. I don't have one clear favourite. Probably Brave New World or A Matter of Life and Death
Best artwork: Brave New World

Worst of reunion albums:

Worst opener: Wildest Dreams
Least consistent album: Dance of Death
Worst song: The Red and the Black, because:
Forostar said:
I get a great vibe from these sections starting with:
The black jack king and the red queen clash....
The good luck charm is overkill....
Meanwhile we play the waiting game....
You hedge your bets the battle lost....

Among my favourite on the whole album!

Unfortunately the chorus, mentioning the title, is much worse.

Thuuu reeeeeeeeeeed aaaand thuuu blaaaack, na naaaaaaaa naaaa na naa na naaa.

Tedious melody, and the basis for a large chunk in the instrumental part. It's as Rush's Natural Science, starting good and going downhill around halfway. :/
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Dr. Eddies Wingman said:
.... Finally, the main reason why I don't think this song is great (still solid, but not top drawer: There are hardly any changes in tempo or feel. Let's have a look at the other really long songs Maiden have done:
  • Empire of the Clouds: Different atmospheres, different tempos, even different time signatures.
  • Rime - plenty of changes in atmosphere. Calm mid section followed by a gradual (and bloody fantastic) build-up. Also, the part leading up to the mid section, from "There, calls the Mariner ..." represents a change from the main motif we hear for the first minutes of the song.
  • Sign of the Cross also has great contrasts in tempo and feel. The tension builds from 5:00 onwards, and again we have a slightly altered time signature, then the suspense is realeased through the up-tempo riff starting at 7:58 and two blistering solos from Dave and Janick.
  • WTWWB - again a song with proper mood changes. From the calm of the couple's living room, with only the usual doomsday TV news, through the mid part where we realize that these guys actually are serious about their paranoia, to the tragedy when they think the apocalypse is happening and take the poison.
  • The Book of Souls: The first part has a pretty standard build-up, with verse, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, repeat. The second half - instrumental breaks and solos with a couple of sung partsn in between. I feel this song has more variation than TRATB.
  • The Angel and the Gambler: The thematic predecessor of TRATB, this one is infamous for its chorus repetition - and rightfully so, if you ask me. But even this much maligned song has changes in feel and tempo.
  • Seventh Son of a Seventh Son: Almost three songs in one. An anthemic first half with an operatic Bruce on full blast, an atmospheric breakdown, and then a pace-filled instrumental finish.
In my opinion, this is a good 8-minute song stretched out to more than 13 minutes. Still good, and it will probably work really well live, but not enough variation to be a truly great "sit down and listen" experience.
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Forostar said:
Eddie Wingman largely states objective facts. I guess it's up to the listerener if they minds these facts or not. That's where taste comes in.
I was planning to write a more detailed post on what my problems are with this song (not sure when), but EW already mentioned a lot.

Perhaps just this:

People who love this song say there are so many melodies. Well, here's my answer: I also like melodies, but when they are done over lengthy frameworks (chord schemes) taking one and a half minute before it changes, it's getting too long. A different melody, solo or lyric on top sounds a bit different on the surface, but I just feel that in reality, it does not. The melodies are also simple, and a bit lengthy. It does not sound exciting.

We have this one and a half minute (more even) 6.29 - 7.14 which reminds me a lot of When the Wild Wind Blows. It has the same chord progression.

Then there is the stuff before it:
4.58 - 6.29
And after it:
7.49 - 9.09

Even though the first contains some "The Red and the Blaaaaack" lyrics, and other parts have melodies or solos, it's still all over the same chord scheme.
This is, I believe, what makes the song tedious, monotone and repetitive. In total we have around four and a half minutes of samish music, which eventually becomes one big drag.

So, I find it good until 4.58. And I like some parts from 9.09 til the end. But the 4.58 - 9.09 part: the least diverse section in the history of Iron Maiden, kills it. The problem is that it even has impact on what comes after it. There's good stuff coming after 9.09, but the interest has gone down, the patience has ended. And I even get another thought of "Another part? When does it ever end?"
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Worst production: Dance of Death. Not a big fan of some choices on The Final Frontier and The Book of Souls as well. The first had not very good guitar solo productions. The Mother of Mercy solo was too short. The Starblind "background" solos are too much in the background. Not a big fan of what was tried in The Man Who Should Be King solo. The latter had some crappy choices/takes with vocals (cringing in When the River Runs Deep) and guitars (disturbing noise during the melody in Speed of Light). I see the point of almost live recording albums, but guitars and vocals can be redone (or changed) when not good enough. Especially when a band is as big as Maiden more time should be taken imo.
Worst artwork: Dance of Death. I also dislike The Final Frontier's artwork.
 
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Fine. I'll play.

Best opener: If Eternity Should Fail
Most consistent album: AMOLAD, followed by TBOS
Best song: Tough. Don't think I can pick.
Best production: AMOLAD, followed by BNW
Best artwork: TBOS

Worst opener: Satellite 15/TFF
Least consistent album: TFF
Worst song: Age of Innocence or Mother of Mercy
Worst production: DOD
Worst artwork: TFF by concept, DOD by execution
 
Lists? Lists!

Best opener: The Wicker Man
Most consistent album: Brave New World
Best song: impossible
Best production: Brave New World
Best artwork: AMOLAD cover, TBOS for additional artwork

Worst opener: Satellite 15/TFF
Least consistent album: Dance of Death (songs are either amazing or mediocre-at-best)
Worst song: The Man Who Would Be King
Worst production: Dance of Death
Worst artwork: TFF by concept, DOD by execution
 
Best opener: The Wicker Man
Most consistent album: Brave New World
Best song: Dance Of Death
Best production: AMOL&D
Best artwork: AMOL&D

Worst opener: Wildest Dreams
Least consistent album: Dance Of Death
Worst song: The Alchemist
Worst production: Dance Of Death
Worst artwork: Dance Of Death
 
Imma get in on this:

Best of reunion albums:

Best opener: Satellite 15...The Final Frontier
Most consistent album: The Book Of Souls
Best song: Empire Of The Clouds
Best production: ???
Best artwork: Brave New World


Worst of reunion albums:

Worst opener: Different World
Least consistent album: The Final Frontier (some great songs and then some utter duds in the middle)
Worst song: Starblind
Worst production: ???
Worst artwork: Dance Of Death

(Honorary mention to DoD because it is my second favourite reunion album behind BoS; the short songs on it get too much hate even if NF and GOT are comparatively low points.)
 
Agreed on the shorter DOD songs apart from Wildest crap chorus Dreams. I like the other short ones. I dislike No More Lines and Repetitive Face in the Band.
 
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Best opener: OK, I'll say The Wicker Man, although S15... TFF holds a special place in my heart.
Most consistent album: Hands down AMoLaD, not even a contest.
Best song: The Legacy, but I can't not mention some of my other personal standouts: The Book of Souls, Dance of Death, Out of the Silent Planet, WtWWB...
Best production: AMoLaD for sure.
Best artwork: Are we talking covers or general art direction? Cover is tough. Actually none of them stands out to me when I think about it. Maybe BNW or AMoLaD. TBoS had so damn much potential looking at the stuff in the booklet, yet they used something plain and boring for the actual cover.

Worst opener: Wildest Dreams (I still enjoy the song quite a lot)
Least consistent album: TBoS by far.
Worst song: I've never put too much thought into it, but When the River Runs Deep could be the one.
Worst production: Dance of Death.
Worst artwork: Again, difficult to pick. DoD for technicalities (although I love the art direction of the album), TBoS for the concept (just the cover, the additional stuff is great). TFF cover is meh, but at least it has some kind of vibe.

Overall best album: A Matter of Life and Death.
Overall worst: I'm not dead sure, but probably The Book of Souls. Very uneven.
 
BNW: always will rate high for me if not partially because of the reunion and the bliss that came along with it. Production is immaculate.

DOD: best overall songs of the reunion. DOD, PFD, Rainmaker alone make it great. Love the other songs as well. Only negative is the repetition in the NML chorus. But my favorite album BY FAR of the reunion. Production is fine and draws way to much criticism here. IMO.

AMOLAD: excellent dark and consistent. Concert/set list was a thing of legend. 2nd best release of the new era Maiden.

FF: very underrated album that has grown on me in last couple years. Only songs I don't love are wild wind and Satelite. Unnecessary long and hate that it's attached to FF.

BOS: just ok by Maiden standards. 2 of my Least favorite Maiden songs ever Red/black and eternity. High praise for The rest especially Bruces epic master stroke , SOL and shadows of the valley. Expecting a major uptick with next album!
 
Best of reunion albums:

Best opener: If Eternity Should Fail
Most consistent album: A Matter of Life and Death
Best song: Dance of Death/The Talisman/If Eternity Should Fail/The Book of Souls/For The Greater Good of God/Ghost of the Navigator/Paschendale/Brighter Than A Thousand Suns. (I can't choose)
Best production: Brave New World
Best artwork: A Matter of Life and Death


Worst of reunion albums:

Worst opener: Wildest Dreams
Least consistent album: Dance of Death
Worst song: When The Wild Wind Blows and pretty much the half of the DOD album.
Worst production: Dance of Death
Worst artwork: Dance of Death
 
bornless1 said:
BNW: always will rate high for me if not partially because of the reunion and the bliss that came along with it. Production is immaculate.

DOD: best overall songs of the reunion. DOD, PFD, Rainmaker alone make it great. Love the other songs as well. Only negative is the repetition in the NML chorus. But my favorite album BY FAR of the reunion. Production is fine and draws way to much criticism here. IMO.

AMOLAD: excellent dark and consistent. Concert/set list was a thing of legend. 2nd best release of the new era Maiden.

FF: very underrated album that has grown on me in last couple years. Only songs I don't love are wild wind and Satelite. Unnecessary long and hate that it's attached to FF.

BOS: just ok by Maiden standards. 2 of my Least favorite Maiden songs ever Red/black and eternity. High praise for The rest especially Bruces epic master stroke , SOL and shadows of the valley. Expecting a major uptick with next album!
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I really like No More Lies ! think that the repetitive chorus is ok at this song, unlike on The Angel and the Gambler - which if it was, to say, 4:10 minutes long, it would be cool single and song ;)
DOD has a couple of fillers, 2 or 3, but without them it is a classic album and a very strong one, equal to the TBOS and better than TFF(even with the fillers), but not better than BNW and AMOLAD ! I only don't like ,that, Journeyman don't have a solo !
BNW, the album is equal to the albums from the 80's, for me and better than Killers !!!
 
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Brave New World is my favorite Maiden album ! and yeah, it is better than Killers, for me !!! Maiden only plays Wrathchild from the album , and probably it has a reason :rolleyes: Killers is the least played album from the 80's !
 
If I have to pick the worst Maiden album from the 80's, which is impossible, but I would say: Killers !
 
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Best opener: The Wicker Man
Most consistent album: Brave New World
Best song: When the Wild Wind Blows or The Red and the Black
Best production: Brave New World
Best artwork: The Book of Souls

Worst opener: Satellite 15/TFF
Least consistent album: Dance of Death
Worst song: Mother of Mercy / Speed of Light
Worst production: Dance of Death
Worst artwork: The Final Frontier (at least, on Dance of Death, Eddie is recognizable)
 
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