Out of the Silent Planet

[Great Sage]

You know, this song frustrates me maybey more than any other song by anyone. It has potential to be truly brilliant but Maiden fucked up by half arsing the chorus and repeating the same lines twice. It needed a change in lyrics and melody after the first half of the chorus and less repetition at the end and it could have been one of their best.

 

[bearfan]

You know, this song frustrates me maybey more than any other song by anyone. It has potential to be truly brilliant but Maiden fucked up by half arsing the chorus and repeating the same lines twice. It needed a change in lyrics and melody after the first half of the chorus and less repetition at the end and it could have been one of their best.

I agree, it also came off pretty poorly live, one of the very few Maiden songs IMO that sounds worse live than on the album.

 

[Srogyy]

I must be one of very few people for whom it's the favourite one. Out of the Silent Planet is 100% Maiden that I like the most. Like a signature. It gives me some kind of energy every time I listen to it. There's absolutely nothing I dislike about this track.

I agree with bearfan, though. But I don't mind the absence of this song in the setlists, because, as you said, it didn't work well live. The studio version is just perfect.

 

[stephan]

Some of the best songs they made, the guitar intro is awesome and so is the drum chorus. You can't expect to have a 1 hour orgasm, keep it real. The 6:30 minute song was perfectly executed, few can do a listenable 4 minute song.

 

[stephan]

I must be one of very few people for whom it's the favourite one. Out of the Silent Planet is 100% Maiden that I like the most. Like a signature. It gives me some kind of energy every time I listen to it. There's absolutely nothing I dislike about this track.

I agree with bearfan, though. But I don't mind the absence of this song in the setlists, because, as you said, it didn't work well live. The studio version is just perfect.

This one is #1 in my playlist.

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

10.

Love this song.

 

[Gk1]

Too long,repetative with awful drum playing apart from the bass drum.Good vocals,poor arrangement.

 

[Maturin]

Fantastic song. Love the drumming pattern, and how awesome it feels when Nicko goes from the half-time pattern into full gallop in the second chorus. Love the production - Shirley did an awesome job on this track, where the guitar that pans back and forth in the stereo field during the second and third chorus probably is my favourite detail together with the vocal harmonies in the pre chorus.

10.

 

[Eddieson]

I wrote in on of the Powerslave reviews that Powerslave feels a little like a concept-abum and that the album cover affects how you feel for the songs. This is very true for this one as well. While the cover shows us some kind of dystopian future as told about in the book, I feel like we're watching the silent planet and that the lyrics also fits in with the art. (I know it isn't making 100 % sense but that's how I perceive it).

This is a great song. There is a cool, kind of a spacey intro, before the verse kicks in. Bruces performance in powerful on this one, and match very well with the lyrics. A great detail is the harmony on the pre chorus! Another great detail is the drums. I don't normally pay much attention to those, more to the vocals and the guitars, but I do on this song. Nickos groovy playing really makes the song interesting (and that snare hit at 1:07 is one of the most effective snare hits I've heard).

Unfortunately the second part suffers from a little too much repetition, but that doesn't affect the song to much. Still a really great song and the fourth 8 in a row.

8/10

 

[Nick2632]

I'm listening to this song right now. It's a good song, but I HATE the chorus!! If it had a completely different chorus I would give it a 9/10, but that chorus nearly ruins it for me so 6/10.

 

[Pand]

This has become my favourite track on the album. A great intro, excellent vocals, a positively catchy chorus, some brilliant drumming, and a great energy throughout.
10/10

 

[Mosh]

This song has a really unique intro which I'm still not sure I like, but once the song starts rocking it's classic Maiden. You even get the choir of Bruce from the 80s. I don't like it on Flight of Icarus and I still don't like it on OOTSP. The chorus also overstays its welcome by the end, despite being cool. The verses are probably the most exciting thing for me.

The instrumental section is awesome, very unexpected.

I like this song for doing something different. I remember reading an interview where they called it the modern Run To the Hills, it definitely has that vibe, but it's not a rehash. Kind of defines the album in that way. I find it odd how it's buried toward the end of the album and was rarely played live, despite being a single.

Solid rocker, although it's probably my least favorite of the rockers on this album.

6

 

[Detective Beauregard]

I've never been a huge fan of this song, but I don't think any song on this album is weak. I like the Celtic (I think?) intro and the instrumental section, but the chorus is a bit obnoxious at times. Maiden in general have a tendency to repeat their choruses too often with too little variation, which I've never been a fan of (it even goes against the more progressive direction the band took with the reunion-era stuff).

 

[ThisAintNoFairyTale]

Weak and unnecessary opening minute, followed by a decent but generic rocker. Bruce's lyrics save it somewhat. 6/10

 

[LooseCannon]

This song should have been better. It has a fantastic sound, but I can only justify a 8/10.

 

[BeThyJames]

Really struggled to rate this one. It's very close to a great song but the poppy and repetitive chorus just takes the fun out of it for me after a few listens. The build to that chorus is brilliant though and it is a nice song up to about the 3/4 point.

7

 

[Poto]

If it wasn't for the repetition, this would have been better. This is one of Maiden's catchiest songs.

8/10

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

10/10

Out of the Silent Planet has a distinctly alien quality to it, which is fitting considering it is about aliens. A slinky opening riff with starry acoustic chord accents and multi-layered choruses add an eery feel to this track. The verses are incredibly heavy and Bruce sounds ferocious. His harmonies are perfect. Out of the Silent Planet is a skilled exercise in beauty and darkness. Janick slips back into his old sputtering, completely insane guitar soloing, but it actually fits this song. The outro riffs jam away while the rhythm section breaks into a half time, another powerful compositional choice.

 

[bearfan]

Never really understood why this did not work live/make it in the setlist more. Really good song

 

[MrKnickerbocker]

Agreed. It seems like it would've come off great live.