Please post reviews and thoughts on Senjutsu here

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______no5 said:
Agree with this one.



No way. Neither beats those but it's not the point. And besides as you said, it's very close to AMOLAD. Close and below ;)
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FTGGOG and Legacy clicked instantly for me and I still listen to those two tracks all the time. I think the hooks in the Parchment, HoE are a little more complex and might take time to settle. Let's revisit this during #18 :cheers:
 
This is better than AMOLAD. Don't get me wrong I kissed that record's ass but Senjutsu seems to be more fun to listen to. It has nooks and crannies to discover like TFF. The Steve epics are great. They play around with familiar territory while also sounding unique in their own way. The melodies on this record are some of the best they've ever put together in this era.
 
Josh said:
This is better than AMOLAD. Don't get me wrong I kissed that record's ass but Senjutsu seems to be more fun to listen to.
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It's more fun to listen to, but this does not translates immediately to "better than".

Anyway, it's too early to rate or rank, let's enjoy this diamond and stop thinking. Time will tell where it stands and time only.
And frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.
 
First listen was roughly 4/10.
Second listen 6/10 which mutated into a 7/10 after Hell On Earth.
That's a decent trajectory. I will say that I was very disappointed after my first listen. First listen was the most disappointing since VXI. Now I know why Bruce Bruce said about playin to less people for a Senjustu tour.

There has been talk in the past about recycling riffs that didnt click with me. For example Wasted Years/Shadow of The Valley. Ok, maybe the same notes/style of play but the vibe is totally different so I didnt notice it til I read about it on here. But with this album some of the recycling really stands out, the vibe is similar, not just the notes. I cant remember song names/sections but Ive heard Wild Wind a couple of times on this album, and The Legacy and Edge of Darkness and one of those X Factor b sides, too. Ive no issue with Maiden sounding lilke Maiden plus 17 albums plus 45yrs etc but some moments on Senjustu are strikingly derivative, to these ears.

Also, there were a few transitions that didnt work. Again, I cant remember where or when but I noticed a couple of parts that sounded obviously pasted together. For example, a sustained vibrato that just died and then the next bit came in. Seemed lazy to me. Surely 5 more minutes at the desk and Shirley could have smoothed these out.

Anyway, that's enough of the negative chat. There is much digest on this album, Im sure. Its better than St Anger, at least.
 
______no5 said:
It's more fun to listen to, but this does not translates immediately to "better than".

Anyway, it's too early to rate or rank, let's enjoy this diamond and stop thinking. Time will tell where it stands and time only.
And frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.
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Yes, it's impossible (imo) to rate an album so soon. I loved TBOS when it came out and it has gone quite down in my list since then. I still like it very much because it's very fun to listen to, but yeah. Regarding Senjutsu, what I like about it is that I enjoy it more and more each listen while also being fun, I feel like it's a grower, but only time will tell. AMOLAD is still on another league but it took a lot to grow on me.
 
Josh said:
This is better than AMOLAD. Don't get me wrong I kissed that record's ass but Senjutsu seems to be more fun to listen to. It has nooks and crannies to discover like TFF. The Steve epics are great. They play around with familiar territory while also sounding unique in their own way. The melodies on this record are some of the best they've ever put together in this era.
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Senjutsu has a couple of issues that stopping it topping AMOLAD for me, agree with it being more fun but the older album has a more thematically dark aura that makes it more emotionally heavy listen but ultimately a better record overall, the quality between both albums is only fractional to me though and if i can get over the minor problems i have with Senjutsu and it ends up bettering AMOLAD then that will be an incredible achievement on Maiden's part. I'm mostly conflicted now on what's next for the band, this would an iconic final album but knowing they still have this kind of quality material in them kind of makes me want even more
 
Got the choruses of Senjutsu, Darkest Hour and Hell On Earth stuck in my head after 2nd day of listening...

That's a good sign.
 
For the debate between AMOLAD vs Senjutsu lets look at some song match ups:
Different world vs Stratego
Longest day vs Darkest Hour
The Pilgrim vs The Time Machine
Out of the Shadows vs TWOTW
FTGGOG vs HoE
The Legacy vs The Parchment

AMOLAD is just such a strong album, even the weakest song is quite good.
 
This album keeps getting better and better with each listen, man. This isn’t a one time spin kind of album. It does have a sizable share of flaws, but also I’m so obsessed with it. Great moments throughout and while I don’t think it’ll top BNW and TBOS, it might very well eclipse the other reunion albums. “The Parchment” is probably my favorite so far, but I’m gonna need way more time to digest it all.

NEW IRON MAIDEN, MAN! And fuck is it good. I am 100% satisfied and can’t wait to keep diving in in the days to come. Here’s just a little list of highlights:

— H’s solo in “The Writing on the Wall”.
— The chorus to “Hell on Earth”.
— Splashing waves and seagulls to bookend “Darkest Hour”.
— Bruce holding that final line in “The Parchment”.
— The chorus to “Days of Future Past”.
— The chorus lyrics in “Stratego”.
— The pumping, jammy instrumental sections on some of those big epics.
— The intro / outro to “The Parchment”. Completely unique and a terrific way to open and close the monster.

I could draw up a list of negatives too but I’ll save that for down the road. I’m just trying to be really positive in spite of my critical and analytical brain, because I do fucking love this album. Maybe not as much as other Maiden albums, but it’s hard to even think of those at the moment. I’m focused solely on Senjutsu and goddamn is it a treasure trove.
 
My copy arrived just in time for me to rip it and put it on my phone for a flight. I have listened to it once straight through. Some cool ideas, but not as many hooks as I had hoped. Death of the Celts should (deservedly) get much love on this forum. The intro almost reminded me of Pink Floyd (almost—actually it sounds more like The Legacy). I also really liked Days of Future Past, perhaps because it is a short banger. Lots of slow intros on the longer songs, which is getting to be a bit of a cliche, I’m afraid. And of course the album is too long and indulgent, would have been better if edited to a single-LP length. Some songs drag. But there is definitely an effort to make the album cinematic, and they get points for sounding a bit different than previous releases and trying new ideas. Will need to give it more listens to get a judgment, but my initial reaction is “good but not great.” Artwork is pretty sweet though.
 
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After 10+ sessions with album I must say that overall this is the strongest post-reunion album for me. Even with obvious flaws. Bruce is amazing here, Steve have some great parts and Nicko is a beast. Adrian & Janick & Dave shine. Very dark yet melodic and with Bruce solo stuff feel. One song that is not very good is LIALW but outro is do good that I would not cut this song from album. Other than that - amazing. Its funny how singles sound different than the rest of the album.

I also play this album to my wife - i always like to see reactions of people who are not hardcore fans. For her that also was very strong and interesting album. She liked Bruce mid-vocals more than his usual way of singing.
 
The prodigal has returned
Give us our own revenge
With the power he learned
We will burn the same again
A betrayal of angels in a foreign land
A revenge for the merciful destiny at hand


For all those who have written
In the sand will be told
That the same will happen, searching for gold
Like a fire in the sky
I can feel strength return
Heading for afterlife, meet me there

These verses on The Parchment can't get out of my mind. Brilliant, epic moment!

I really hope it gets played live, but I have the feeling it won't :(
 
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