Please post reviews and thoughts on Senjutsu here

Status
Not open for further replies.
I really think Senjutsu is Maiden's most emotionally charged album. AMOLAD (my fav. of the reunion era) was dark in the sense that it was heavy and menacing. This one is dark because it's more somber, and emotionally tense. I've been blasting it for a while now, and I can almost feel chest pains cos of how intense this album sounds, lol.
 
Darkest Hour reminds me of Man of Sorrows from TBOS which was my favorite track from that album... Darkest Hour right now is my favorite. Album will take some growing for me... right now, I still think TBOS is a stronger album but time will tell.
 
Alright, here's some off-colour opinions

Senjutsu: NOT A SUITABLE OPENER. Has cool ideas, but has a chronic lack of energy and generally drags
Stratego: The album's best poster child, and has grown on me rather (even if a cover version I came across had better production). Worthy of the actual show-opening slot if they ever give this album a proper tour
WOTW: Most recognisable departure from the album's AMOLAD/TFF-crossover shtick, and it works. Still repeats itself to excess, but I don't mind
LIALW: Hey look, they said the name of the song as the chorus! But seriously, this sounds like a shorter out-take from AMOLAD (not that that's necessarily bad). The middle instrumental is borderline w/r/t excess repetition, but on the upside it has the ATSS/WTWWB-type riff show up, which is always appreciated. Loses marks for its 90-second outro, but is otherwise quite good
DOFP: Possibly the mid-tempo-est rocker that ever mid-tempo'd. Sounds almost like a 7-8 minute track with all the extra bits taken out, and benefits as a result. H's riffing is the backbone of this song, so it's a bit of a shame that it's smothered a bit by the production, but that combined with a good Bruce showing produces a decent track
Time Machine: I've cooled on this one since first listen (a common thread through the album's back end, unfortunately). The early verse is pretty average, but after the pace picks up at the 3:08 mark it does improve (possibly because it sounds a bit like HBTN). Solos add more here than on much of the album. Still not sure what to make of the Talisman intro/outro.
Darkest Hour: Wasn't expecting to like the ballad, but here the "atmospheric" thing actually works here. Chorus is a particular highlight, even though (as previously alluded to) it's held back by muddy production. I guess Adrian is now the band's best songwriter. (also helps that the lyrics are cracking)
DOTC: basically, play Clansman at 90% speed and you're most of the way there. Bearing in mind the vague celtsh-isms, the main body consists of the standard Harris formula: A lyric sheet the size of an essay compromising the first half, followed by an extended instrumental section of varied, decent-quality melodies repeated too many times.
Parchment: Gets out of the gate fairly forcefully, and I don't mind the vaguely TTAL-ish riff. However, this pace and tone are carried on pretty much unchanged for the first two thirds (and spends the best part of two whole minutes on guitar solos, which is a stretch even for me). Finally develops some grandeur around the 9(!) minute mark, and when things speed up another minute down the line we at last arrive at the fully formed song promised at the outset. Ironically, this reprieve is almost fleeting (compared to the rest of the song, anyway) and is the one element which could almost justify hanging around a bar longer. In conclusion, never have I heard a Maiden song in more dire need of a swift and brutal edit, so detrimental is the song's sheer length to its qualities.
HOE: ahh, the ol' C-D-E strikes again. Quiet intro leads into a strong riff-fest lightly borrowed from WTWWB, but unlike Parchment there's enough variety here to keep me engaged. Briefly turns into Sign of the Cross in the middle (which makes for a nice twist), before transitioning rather neatly back into mid-tempo riffery. Has another unbearably long outro, but is otherwise a good and varied epic. Easily the strongest of the three Harris epics
 
I don't understand why some people get bored if there are too few melody changes etc. do you have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or what? : D of course I'm kidding, it's good that we like different things. It means the album is doing the job. But I don't understand the problem some people have with C D E etc. but maybe it's a matter of times.

Either way I would rank this album around #2 place in post reunion albums.
 
So last night I did my fourth listen and it was the first one on which I could actually close my eyes and concentrate entirely on the music from start to finish. The moments that stick with me the most for now are the intro to Days of Future Past, Death of the Celts as a whole and the chorus(?) of Hell on Earth.
Just to be sure, I'm not grading or ranking stuff or trying to designate a favourite song, it's just what first comes to mind when thinking back to the album after the fourth listen.
I'm not sure I "get" the title track yet. I know I will love it at some point because I love melodic vocal lines, but when listening to it now, I'm still sort of waiting for it to "kick in" as you would expect from an album opener.
The Parchment is a very intense listening experience, and there will be a lot to discover here.
Darkest Hour sounds really cheesy in a not-so-good way as of now, but that may change.
I haven't read any of the lyrics yet, nor am I particularly eager to, but maybe they will help appreciate some of the songs more somewhere down the line.
 
I heard the album again in full yesterday. 4th or 5th time. Harris may have written the two least and the two best songs (in my opinion of course). But both Janick songs are also very strong. Stratego is a fine ride all the way, The Time Machine has a very infectious groove and melodies later on.

The solo segment in Darkest Hour is fantastic, really something to look forward to. Senjutsu and Days of Future Past are sort of growing. The latter has some sweet drumming going in as well. Very light, good stuff, but its chorus is a bit bland. And the first "single" on the surface it does not feel that special (solos aside) but it has some (inner) strength in the riffs and I like the pre chrorus (or second half verses) too.
 
Im going to revisit my opinion on death of the Celts. Instrumental part is avarage but with good groove caried by Bruce vocal line. I would say that this song needs Janick songwriting touch because Im sure that his style could elevate this song.
 
____no5 said:
Two least being Lost in a Lost World & Death of the Celts?
Click to expand...
Yes.

Crazy but I'm already doubting about Lost in a Lost World. I tend to get less bothered by the ATSS/WTWWB reminiscence, also because the beginning and end are so wonderful. I also like the build-up a lot, before the chorus arrives. Death of the Celts is probably my least fav of the album (I do not dislike it a lot, but the instrumental section is not that grabbing), but Lost in a Lost World could turn out more special than a few others (it also has one of the better Murray solos).
 
Forostar said:
Yes.
Click to expand...
I started to appreciate Lost World, a grower, but it still suffers from that damn Maiden curse of uninspired and plain guitar pattern that kills this song. Also, there is an extra part in there which should have been cut. The intro and the outro are nice and the vocal melody line saves the song somewhat.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top