New Single - The Writing on the Wall

[DJMayes]

I won’t convince you about how much better a powerslave2 would have done, and it is speculation anyway, so there is no point to further continue this discussion.

It's a disingenuous discussion anyway, because I don't think Powerslave is even the best selling Maiden album. Based on e.g. https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iron-maiden-u-s-album-sales-revealed/ the sales of Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind and Fear of the Dark appear to be much higher.

 

[Kalata]

TBH if I was Harris I would give the reigns to Gers and ask him to write an entire classic-sounding Maiden album, he is the only one who still gets it judging by the songs he has written post-reunion.

Speaking of Janick, I expect great songs from him again. Let's hope more than 2 this time. I'm sure his songs will be one of the best on the album.
I also expect (as always) the great epic of the album from Steve.

 

[Courbet]

A Powerslave 2 would sell like crazy nowadays, don’t kid yourself about whether it would be relevant or not.

Sorry to jump in- but you make a big mistake in your argument.
Maiden doesn’t want to make powerslave 2 saying they can’t write short, fast songs seems odd. Have you considered the art form of being a band with maidens legacy? They make music, then people decide if they like it. You decided you do not enjoy the new song- that’s it. Done over.

all this ‘they should, they can’t’ is a waste of energy. They make and we judge. That’s how art / entertainment works.
There isn’t anything hypothetical about this.

move on lol.

 

[mtmccox]

The Writing is growing on me with every listen. It's slowly becoming a familiar awesome tune to rock to, and that just makes me happy.

I still can't escape the feeling that this is either an introduction or just a small taste of something greater and complex. I have a strong feeling of "a story" for some reason. Even though lyrics don't play into these cards. Guess we'll see on Monday.

PS: some people here are annoying as shit

 

[Powrslave]

Love the Originality with this song. Awaiting a much thought out album hopefully with Bruce belting out some fast screaming....sometimes

 

[Azas]

Live in the studio recording style impacts songs with certain degree of looseness on the drums or whole rhythm section, I am not sure about that, and this aspect is detrimental in my point of view.

 

[Kalata]

You can't argue that new song is light years different sounding to TBOS.

The production of the new single is similar to the production of TBOS album, but it is more clean. The drums sound is also different (better in TBOS imo), the bass is low in the mix and maybe the guitars sound is a little bit different too.

I like the production of TBOS album.

 

[johnglen]

It's a disingenuous discussion anyway, because I don't think Powerslave is even the best selling Maiden album. Based on e.g. https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/iron-maiden-u-s-album-sales-revealed/ the sales of Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind and Fear of the Dark appear to be much higher.

Did you even read the article you posted ? These are soundscan era numbers, sales post 1991, no wonder FOTD is higher.

Anyway I am old enough to have been a Maiden fan during the Powerslave era and let me tell that was the peak of the Maiden craze, it was the closest they got to crack the U.S mainstream. Had they actually released a powerslave2 after Powerslave , instead of SIT, they would be like Metallica in the U.S. That was their big missed chance, in the year of Master of Puppets and Reign in Blood they released a mellower (compared to Powerslave) album and failed to capitalise on the hype they had created with the world slavery tour. Yes SIT did great but that was on the back of the WSTour, Americans didn’t like that style hence 7th son’s failure there.

Disclaimer, Powerslave is not my favourite Maiden album.

 

[Azas]

The production of the new single is similar to the production of TBOS album, but it is more clean. The drums sound is also different (better in TBOS imo), the bass is low in the mix and maybe the guitars sound is a little bit different too.

I like the production of TBOS album.

Compare Powerslave sound to SIT. Light years difference. Now compare TBOS and new song in terms of sound. It's in the same solar system. That's the point.

 

[DJMayes]

Did you even read the article you posted ? These are soundscan era numbers, sales post 1991, no wonder FOTD is higher.

Anyway I am old enough to have been a Maiden fan during the Powerslave era and let me tell that was the peak of the Maiden craze, it was the closest they got to crack the U.S mainstream. Had they actually released a powerslave2 after Powerslave , instead of SIT, they would be like Metallica in the U.S. That was their big missed chance, in the year of Master of Puppets and Reign in Blood they released a mellower (compared to Powerslave) album and failed to capitalise on the hype they had created with the world slavery tour. Yes SIT did great but that was on the back of the WSTour, Americans didn’t like that style hence 7th son’s failure there.

Disclaimer, Powerslave is not my favourite Maiden album.

Yes I did. I also mentioned NOTB and POM because I expected your response. If you can find better numbers I'd be glad to see them; these were the best I could find.

 

[Kalata]

they can’t write great short, fast songs,

Oh, they can:

Spoiler

The Wicker Man
The Mercenary
The Fallen Angel
Wildest Dreams
Rainmaker
Different World
The Pilgrim
The Final Frontier
The Alchemist
Speed Of Light
Death Or Glory

... an average of two short rockers per album.

Live in the studio recording style impacts songs with certain degree of looseness on the drums or whole rhythm section, I am not sure about that, and this aspect is detrimental in my point of view.

Even if ''live in the studio'' production is like in BNW?...

 

[Yax]

Did you even read the article you posted ? These are soundscan era numbers, sales post 1991, no wonder FOTD is higher.

Anyway I am old enough to have been a Maiden fan during the Powerslave era and let me tell that was the peak of the Maiden craze, it was the closest they got to crack the U.S mainstream. Had they actually released a powerslave2 after Powerslave , instead of SIT, they would be like Metallica in the U.S. That was their big missed chance, in the year of Master of Puppets and Reign in Blood they released a mellower (compared to Powerslave) album and failed to capitalise on the hype they had created with the world slavery tour. Yes SIT did great but that was on the back of the WSTour, Americans didn’t like that style hence 7th son’s failure there.

Disclaimer, Powerslave is not my favourite Maiden album.

Yeah, I remember reading a Harris interview around AMOLAD's release which touched upon about how the American audience, to his disappointment, never got SiT.

 

[Twarkle]

Rime in my opinion is the weakest song on that album. Far too long and repetitive, drags on quite a bit. none of the other songs have that problem.

You’re probably going to take a lot of crap for that opinion, but I agree with you. The thing is, when that came out metal bands weren’t doing songs of that length. The hard rock magazines and press at the time made a huge deal over it and the fans often looked to it a source of pride, like, “name another band that could do this”. But in the progressive rock world, Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, etc had been releasing longer, more complex, epic material for years at that point.

The impact it had on the metal community was important though, as I think it played a huge role in more bands trying lengthier and more complex songs. Helloween‘s songs “Halloween“ and ”Keeper Of The Seven Keys” come to mind as songs that I think Rime opened the gates for.

 

[Flaming Blimp Crash]

Okay, we need to make a group agreement here. We need to send a representative to Bruce's speaking tour to specifically ask who wrote the lyrics to the song.

 

[Powrslave]

Had they actually released a powerslave2 after Powerslave , instead of SIT, they would be like Metallica in the U.S. That was their big missed chance, in the year of Master of Puppets and Reign in Blood they released a mellower (compared to Powerslave) album and failed to capitalise on the hype they had created with the world slavery tour. Yes SIT did great but that was on the back of the WSTour, Americans didn’t like that style hence 7th son’s failure there.

Thats a really fascinating point of view, never heard that theory before. I think Maiden was just a bit too classy for the USA back then, rather than belt out ' I Raped Your Mother Today' . If what they did plus Live After Death didnt do it for them then I doubt much else would of. I aint sure crusing LA boulevard getting their knobs licked, drinking n druggn like Crue, GnR, WASP etc was Maidens style either. That's the level you needed to be at there.

 

[Azas]

From Brave New World straight to The Chemical Wedding, this I would call one helluva evolution. All Maiden, to hell, all metal community would shit themselves.

 

[Twarkle]

Yes SIT did great but that was on the back of the WSTour, Americans didn’t like that style hence 7th son’s failure there.

Disclaimer, Powerslave is not my favourite Maiden album.

7th Son landed at #12 on the US chart, while Powerslave topped out at #21. That’s not obviously not an abject failure.

Though like you, I’m old enough to have purchased Powerslave when it was released (though once again I had to wait for my parents to come home so they could drive me to Good Vibrations to buy it. I was a young metal head, lol) and I don’t remember people being as enthusiastic about 7th Son as they were Powerslave. It’s my favorite Maiden album, though.

 

[Kalata]

I have a strong feeling of "a story" for some

If you mean the inscription ''story of Bruce'' in the video of the single, I think this is because he is responsible for the concept of the video.

Yeah, I remember reading a Harris interview around AMOLAD's release which touched upon about how the American audience, to his disappointment, never got SiT.

Wasn't it the SSOASS album?

 

[The_17th_Son]

Anyway I am old enough to have been a Maiden fan during the Powerslave era and let me tell that was the peak of the Maiden craze, it was the closest they got to crack the U.S mainstream.

Who cares about Maiden cracking the mainstream or not? Is that more important than artistic integrity or their enjoyment of the craft? This seems to mean a lot to you - more than the music itself - and I find it very confusing.

Also, you've spent three full days bitching about the new track. Some might say that is plenty, thankyouverymuch.

 

[Magnus]

Don't know why so many on this thread are shocked Adrian wrote lyrics. He wrote lyrics for 3 songs on SIT.

Yes, and they are quite different from Bruce's pretentious style I believe I see on TWOTW.