Nights of the Dead, Legacy of the Beast: Live in Mexico City (new live album)

[Poto]

"We do all of our songs in MAIDEN, we do all of them in the original key," he continued. "We don't detune, like some other people do. We don't do any of that. I suppose if one day we have to, we have to, but we don't have to do it now, and I think the songs sound better as a result of it. They're meant to be played in that key."

BRUCE DICKINSON Says IRON MAIDEN Performs All Of Its Songs In The Original Key: 'We Don't Detune, Like Some Other People Do'

During his October 27 spoke-word appearance in Vienna, Austria, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson talked about his vocal warm-up technique and his insistence on performing the band's songs in their original key. He said (see video below): "People ask me, 'How do you warm up your voice before a...

www.blabbermouth.net

Adrian suggested back in 2014 to tune down on some songs while recording TBOS. Does anyone remember that interview? Was it in a FC magazine?

 

[Randalf]

Adrian suggested back in 2014 to tune down on some songs while recording TBOS. Does anyone remember that interview? Was it in a FC magazine?

I wonder if The Great Unknown was one of them. It might work very well.

 

[srfc]

re: Air Raid Siren

Trumpets of Jericho is tuned down to something mad like A and he's still singing Air Raid Siren in it.

 

[srfc]

Listening to LOTF from DOTR. Sounds really cool, but it's from 18 years ago, and also they just modulated it to E from F#.

Yep apologies, my mistake, I knew they changed the key and just presumed it was from E to D.

 

[Mega]

"We do all of our songs in MAIDEN, we do all of them in the original key," he continued. "We don't detune, like some other people do. We don't do any of that. I suppose if one day we have to, we have to, but we don't have to do it now, and I think the songs sound better as a result of it. They're meant to be played in that key."

BRUCE DICKINSON Says IRON MAIDEN Performs All Of Its Songs In The Original Key: 'We Don't Detune, Like Some Other People Do'

During his October 27 spoke-word appearance in Vienna, Austria, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson talked about his vocal warm-up technique and his insistence on performing the band's songs in their original key. He said (see video below): "People ask me, 'How do you warm up your voice before a...

www.blabbermouth.net

Adrian suggested back in 2014 to tune down on some songs while recording TBOS. Does anyone remember that interview? Was it in a FC magazine?

Fantastic, thank you. I rescind my statement about Steve and direct my criticism at Bruce.

re: Air Raid Siren

Trumpets of Jericho is tuned down to something mad like A and he's still singing Air Raid Siren in it.

Also a good point (and a really good and heavy song). Obviously, the vocal range of a song depends on the arrangement and not solely on the key, but the fact remains that if Bruce sang old songs like Aces High or The Trooper in a lower key, while singing the same melodies, he'd have an easier time (and IMO sound better).

 

[karljant]

I also heard that Bruce had the flu in Mexico? If someone has a recent example of Bruce sounding great I'd love to hear it.

Yup... I don't know if it was the flu but he was sick during a portion of the south american leg of the tour. And man I do agree with you... Bruce sounds baaaaaaaad during those shows (Rock in Rio 2019 is also awful). Even so, during the 2018 leg of LOTB he sounded pretty decent. Yes, his voice sounds a bit eroded, yes he struggles on some more demanding parts but IMO overall he can still deliver it reasonably fine.

 

[Mega]

Yup... I don't know if it was the flu but he was sick during a portion of the south american leg of the tour. And man I do agree with you... Bruce sounds baaaaaaaad during those shows (Rock in Rio 2019 is also awful). Even so, during the 2018 leg of LOTB he sounded pretty decent. Yes, his voice sounds a bit eroded, yes he struggles on some more demanding parts but IMO overall he can still deliver it reasonably fine.

Thanks. I think he sounds marginally better. Maybe more energetic? But the mix is obviously not there, being a cam capture, so it's hard to know for sure.
In any case, from only a couple of songs I can tell I'd rather have this show than the Mexico one.

 

[karljant]

I think he sounds marginally better. Maybe more energetic?

I agree but IMO it's not even the main difference. His voice sounds way less strained, raucous and he gets out of of key waaaaaaaay less times. I would prefer the band would downtune at least a semitone but if this is the Bruce we're going to get in E tunned Iron Maiden it works good enough for me.

 

[Deleted member 7164]

Even if Steve doesn't want to tune down, Roy Z wrote Bruce songs in the key of D 25 years ago. Why do Maiden keep writing songs in E is beyond me.

Half of AoB/TCW tracks are in E standard, a lot of Maiden is in D standard

 

[Mega]

Half of AoB/TCW tracks are in E standard, a lot of Maiden is in D standard

I don't know about half, but I'm too lazy to check.
No Maiden tracks are in D standard, they're all in E (other than Adrian on drop D in some newer songs).
What I assume you meant was that some Maiden songs are in the key of D, which is of course true. It depends on the arrangement.

Down tuning a guitar and playing an existing song with the same fingering will result in a lower piece, by definition.

 

[Deleted member 7164]

No Maiden tracks are in D standard, they're all in E (other than Adrian on drop D in some newer songs).

Number of The Beast, Run To the Hills just to name the elephants.
Key =/= guitar tuning

 

[Deleted member 7164]

What I assume you meant was that some Maiden songs are in the key of D, which is of course true. It depends on the arrangement.

Yes, sorry I didn't see this part of the post.

On topic, The Alchemist from Chemical Wedding is in the key of E, but I guess it's played in drop tuning. Trumpets is very low, however the chord charts say it's E standard tuning (bollocks I think, I'll check out later on my own).

Dickinson's theoretical range is C2 to B5. In a lot of reunion material Harris will anchor him to E4, which is okay if you go down with the vocal melody and not up.

 

[Mosh]

Without looking I’m fairly certain Trumpet’s of Jericho is in Drop A.

 

[Deleted member 7164]

Correct both Trumpets and King in Crimson are drop A with the fabled Chemical Wedding bass string.

P.S. a variety of tunings here - not exactly a common feature of albums of Chemical Wedding calibre. drop A, C, D and standard E
P.P.S. this live album so bad, going offtopic about TCW is doing it a favour.

 

[Mega]

Yeah, it's a six string drop A, which I assume makes the rest of the guitar in D standard (like Periphery and Mastodon often do) but it might just be E standard with a low A. I have no idea.

 

[GhostofCain]

"We do all of our songs in MAIDEN, we do all of them in the original key," he continued. "We don't detune, like some other people do. We don't do any of that. I suppose if one day we have to, we have to, but we don't have to do it now, and I think the songs sound better as a result of it. They're meant to be played in that key."

BRUCE DICKINSON Says IRON MAIDEN Performs All Of Its Songs In The Original Key: 'We Don't Detune, Like Some Other People Do'

During his October 27 spoke-word appearance in Vienna, Austria, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson talked about his vocal warm-up technique and his insistence on performing the band's songs in their original key. He said (see video below): "People ask me, 'How do you warm up your voice before a...

www.blabbermouth.net

Adrian suggested back in 2014 to tune down on some songs while recording TBOS. Does anyone remember that interview? Was it in a FC magazine?

The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | Death Or Glory: Iron Maiden Interviewed

Iron Maiden are just about to release their 16th album, The Book Of Souls; Harry Sword thinks it might be their best yet. He gets the inside story from guitarists Adrian Smith and Janick Gers

thequietus.com

 

[Poto]

The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | Death Or Glory: Iron Maiden Interviewed

Iron Maiden are just about to release their 16th album, The Book Of Souls; Harry Sword thinks it might be their best yet. He gets the inside story from guitarists Adrian Smith and Janick Gers

thequietus.com

That's the one!

Adrian sounded quite happy with the production on TBOS, so for those who didn't like it probably shouldn't get their hopes up when it comes to Senjutsu.

 

[Mosh]

Also Adrian has had some pretty muddy sounding solo albums. I don’t think he’s some audiophile who has a keen ear for production necessarily, he just likes having more effects on the guitars. That seems to be the constant sticking point between him and Steve.

 

[Ruflux]

That's the one!

Adrian sounded quite happy with the production on TBOS, so for those who didn't like it probably shouldn't get their hopes up when it comes to Senjutsu.

Personally I wouldn't take his word for it, but TWOTW sounds like an alright step up from TBOS to me, so if they keep to that level on the rest of the album, I think it'll be okay overall.

 

[Deleted member 7164]

He does have an ear for pitches, thats for sure. About the rest, well PRR is pretty spot on as far as production goes.