Gosh, Age of Innocence is even worse 22 years later. What a cringe fest! A shame, because the rest of the album is pretty good, with Paschendale being the standout track. Quite possibly their heaviest album since Powerslave.
Agree about DOD. Heaviest since Powerslave? Maybe AMOLAD. Although Monstegur (Powerslave vibe), Age, Lies and Paschendale are heavy.
Back then they wanted to have 2-3(at most) standout longer songs in an album. Paschendale, title track.
Age Of Innocence is odd. And not just the lyrics. It's probably my
least favorite Reunion era song. It's like Steve and Dave wanted to write a ''different'' song again (after Thin Line for the previous album) and one that has a an early 2000's metal vibe. Some of the vocal ideas could have been in a Bruce solo song, not Maiden. Although Dave was in a mood to write heavier songs back then. It starst as a typical Dave song, but then only the harmonies and maybe the chorus (which is typical for the album) are pure Maiden. His wild solo is cool. Kind of unusual song.
HAH is such a classic album. Sound, writing and vibes. No fillers, 8 songs, only if we compare the songs (Walk Away?).
To say something about the songs which are not the big classics from it:
Lady Evil - reminds me of Dio Rainbow era. A rocker that works.
Wishing Well - a gem.
Walk Away - as if it was written for the next BS album. Probably the weakest song, but still the riffs and the melodic approach are nice. It's just the chorus, but it's not bad. It's like glam metal.
Lonely Is The Word - more Rainbow style. Such a slow song with a long classic guitar playing in feel (along with the keys!) is probably best ending to this essential metal album. It's very effective. Classic BS.
Riding The Eagle is one of Primal Fear's perfect examples of their style of writing melodic and memorable choruses. It's classic metal and power metal in one, but that really helped shape their sound and impact.
