Most depressing Maiden material

terrell39

terrell39

Ancient Mariner
As far as songs go, if we are strictly speaking about lyrics, Innocent Exile, Sea of Madness & Final Frontier are downers. If we count music and lyrics together, I would say Empire of the Clouds, Children of the Damned, & Paschendale

As far as LPs go, how about the entire X Factor LP?

BTW, back around the time Piece of Mind released, I asked a buddy of mine his opinion of Maiden and he said, "The music is killer, but all the songs are about fucking dying!":) Funny, but true!
 
Sure, TXF is the most depressing. The mood, the lyrics, the sound, the situation in the band itself... All of it adds to the atmosphere. As for particular lyrics, for me it's probably 2 A.M. It really resonates with me.
 
My theory as to why TXF was so sad is that at the time Steve wrote the LP, he was going through a divorce, Bruce left, and Martin retired...all within the same time period! I would be sad too.
 
You're both right, TXF is definitely their bleakest. Like, nothing else comes even close.

But if I were to pick a single song... maybe I'd pick Brighter Than a Thousand Suns. Just a feeling.
 
terrell39 said:
My theory as to why TXF was so sad is that at the time Steve wrote the LP, he was going through a divorce, Bruce left, and Martin retired...all within the same time period! I would be sad too.
Click to expand...

Didn't his father also die?
 
I think Steve's said that's one of the reasons why, he was in a rough spot. And likely also why he reacted to negative reviews extremely heavily.
 
All my dark dreams drift like smoke in the breeze
The fear grips me as I fall towards my sleep
Here comes the nightmare that never ends
Here is the dream that makes monsters of men

In the house of my soul
In rooms of ugliness and cold
Memories locked away
All the doubts and fears I never faced

Now they come again
I am falling down to meet with them
Fears within us all
Mine awake and they stand up tall

Look for the truth
Deepest cut of all from you
Knife of the truth
Blade of hatred slicing through

I pray my sleep will break
Maybe this time I won't wake
Weakness I hide so well
This dagger in my mind will tell

It's my final stand
I make a fist out of each hand
To shadows of the past
Take a breath and I scream attack

Look for the truth
Deepest cut of all from you
Knife of the truth
Blade of hatred slicing through

Here is the truth
Deepest cut of all from you
Knife of the truth
Blade of hatred slicing through

Yeah, Steve must have had a hard time in his life when he wrote this...also the mood of the melody and the chords are also their most depressing I think...
 
They're getting progressively darker as they get older (which is not that uncommon, really) - just today I have re-listened to TBoS and it's not a happy album. Bits and pieces, yes (SoL, WtRRD), but overall it's very dark and brooding, both in terms of music and lyrics. AMoLaD was no laughing matter either and while not on the level of these two aforementioned albums or TXF, both TFF and DOD have much larger amounts of darkness and melancholy than pretty much any given 80's album (though DoD slightly less so).
 
Maiden is anything but depressing to me. If we are talking about dark, that's a different thing. But dark doesn't have to be bad or depressing, either. Sometimes a darker melody or a moodier lyric can make you feel better. Lately, if I want to listen to Maiden, chances are I will listen to TBOS (naturally), TXF (as usual) or AMOLAD (not the happiest, either) and they will inevitably make me feel good. The brilliant music and performance cheer me up and I don't care if Look for the Truth is depressing in the eyes of most people.
A divorce may be one of the best things to happen to you in life.:D
 
Forostar said:
That was later.
Click to expand...

Was it now? I keep remembering there were 4 factors influencing the dark sound - the divorce, the deteriorating relationship with Bruce, Martin Birch retiring, and I thought that was the fourth one. I don't remember where I read it, so I might be wrong.
 
In my memory his father died later. I thought Blood Brothers had to do with his death, or the melancholic feel about his death led to the song, or that the song is a tribute to his father. So I assumed he died around that album, or in 1999.
 
To me, it makes more sense that he wrote about it on the first album possible. I guess it takes more research to see if that statement on that website is correct.
I tried to search but couldn't find much yet. Only a picture of the two (according to this site):
steve+harris+father+1982.jpg
 
Forostar said:
To me, it makes more sense that he wrote about it on the first album possible. I guess it takes more research to see if that statement on that website is correct.
I tried to search but couldn't find much yet. Only a picture of the two (according to this site):
steve+harris+father+1982.jpg
Click to expand...
That's what Steve would look like with short hair.
 
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