No Prayer for the Dying could have been Amazing

the problem with statements like NPftD is a better album than TNotB is context, actually the lack of it. let's say that NPftD is better musically for the sake of argument. but we don't have (most of us) a time machine to go back in time to 1982 to see the impact of a fresh TNotB album for the metal world. that album is hugely influential, it doesn't matter subjectively what you think about it. if you ask 100 post-1982 metal bands what album between these two they consider more influential, at least 99 will point out to the TNotB album.

now for me personally there's no contest, pretty much any song on TNotB album, except for maybe two (not even sure about that), is just better than anything off of NPftD... just another level of inspiration for the band.

edit: I remember as a teenage back in 1992 listening to the TNotB album for the first time. and for the tenth time in a row being all amazed, and then being even more amazed when I found out that the album came out in 1982. that album sounds fresh and actual almost 35 years later. madness... really can't say the same about the NPftD album.

Mosh said:
If Bruce sang in his normal singing style on that album I think it would've made the songs worse.
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aye

they wanted a "garage" album instead of an epic one. so Bruce sang on it accodingly...
 
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I find that the sound/production on 'No Prayer For The Dying' is superior to both 'Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son' and 'Powerslave'. I do dig the way Bruce sings there.
 
I don't think it's fair to compare the production those three albums. All three are trying to do different things and serve a certain purpose. While No Prayer's production fits it, it definitely wouldn't fit Seventh Son or Powerslave. So they're not really comparable.
 
I understand the views of you guys and there is no argument that there are some true "sh*t songs" on it that didn't seem evident on any past albums, only future ones. It is like they lost inspiration altogether from 1990 on and of course lost not one but 2 strong song writers and left Steve and Janick to most of it as we all know Dave will write one song in a 3 year period. I do think the strong songs on NPFTD are really good though. I enjoy them more than not so strong songs on previous albums and I enjoy the album overall more than FOTD. Just the way I feel and you all know how I feel about NOTB. I don't hate it, I'm just tired of it.
 
I don't actually find them shit, just not on a par with much of the previous work.
 
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cynick said:
the problem with statements like NPftD is a better album than TNotB is context, actually the lack of it. let's say that NPftD is better musically for the sake of argument. but we don't have (most of us) a time machine to go back in time to 1982 to see the impact of a fresh TNotB album for the metal world. that album is hugely influential, it doesn't matter subjectively what you think about it. if you ask 100 post-1982 metal bands what album between these two they consider more influential, at least 99 will point out to the TNotB album.
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I personally hate this argument. People say things like this to me all the time when I tell them, "Eh, I don't really like that album," or, "It's not very good." Just because it was influential and important to a certain time and place does not mean the music is amazing. This is pretty much the argument I have with all of my punk friends who try to get me to enjoy early hardcore because it was "important."
 
There's a difference between appreciating something for its context and having a musical preference. Anyone can appreciate the impact NotB had on Maiden and metal and I think we'll all agree it was a more "important" album than No Prayer, but so what? That doesn't mean everybody has to prefer it by default. That all comes down to opinion.
 
Mosh said:
There's a difference between appreciating something for its context and having a musical preference. Anyone can appreciate the impact NotB had on Maiden and metal and I think we'll all agree it was a more "important" album than No Prayer, but so what? That doesn't mean everybody has to prefer it by default. That all comes down to opinion.
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that's exactly what I said myself...
 
For me too, or at least it comes close to that place, "battling" with The X-Factor, and (by now) having probably beaten AMOLAD and TFF by an inch.
 
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It's the only Maiden album I dislike. Sure, albums like St Anger and The World Needs A Hero are MUCH worse, but the only song I'd consider really good is Holy Smoke. The album goes off a cliff after the title track though and never recovers.
 
Perun said:
That's the only song on it that I find irredeemable. o_O Well, that and maybe Hooks in You.
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It's a lot of fun. I like the subject material the song covers, the riffs are memorable and the solo is great.

For me, Hooks and Fates are the two worst songs on the album, but for entirely different reasons. Hooks is obnoxious and annoying (if a little catchy), Fates is dull and unmemorable.
 
I'm not going into the subject of Holy Smoke again, because we've had that in the relevant thread. Plus, I don't enjoy discussing lyrics as much as I used to anymore.
 
RTC said:
It's the only Maiden album I dislike. Sure, albums like St Anger and The World Needs A Hero are MUCH worse, but the only song I'd consider really good is Holy Smoke. The album goes off a cliff after the title track though and never recovers.
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What happened to Run Silent Run Deep, Bring Your Daughter...To The Slaughter and Mother Russia?
 
Stardust said:
What happened to Run Silent Run Deep, Bring Your Daughter...To The Slaughter and Mother Russia?
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RSRD is average.
BYD is fun enough, but doesn't have much going for it.
Mother Russia, in comparison to some of the other ending epics (even medium tier ones like OTGDY) is a joke. Probably on par with Como Estais Amigos, The Legacy and Thin Line for me, but not the worst.
 
Even though Mother Russia is just a shorter version of Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, I really like it. It's kinda repetitive but I like repetition if the part its repeating is good.
 
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