Honestly, I think it's just going to be a break in 2027 and that's it. While scaling back on the number of gigs per year similar to what Metallica does now may seem plausible, the fact that Bruce/Steve/Adrian have been ramping up their efforts towards their respective solo projects would indicate they're not exactly wanting to slow down - so who would that benefit?
Good call, but the other band members who don't have solo projects are curious - Dave and Janick.
Taking a whole year break (*especially now) is because they don't know what to do. Continue (with the new lineup, no doubt), write an album, next tour and ideas. Playing just their usual songs for the next 5 or more years would be a surprise. We speculate about their future because they always move on with new albums and the age factor.
This is it: for the first time since the reunion I have a concern about ambition. Obviously ambition is absent at the moment to make new music, as far as we can tell.
Me too, unfortunately. The question is, would their solo projects compensate the writing ambition? Bruce, I guess so. Adrian really likes SK style.
Nickos departure also complicates things. It feels as if gigs (in terms of their fun and their profitability) is the thing the band basically agrees on above all else.
This. Replacing Nicko live is different than replacing him in the studio. And they always said they would retire together...
I also sense from some of Bruce’s many interview comments that he is reflecting again on the distance between Steve’s approach to composing and his own (probably with the freedom of his solos work now his main experience here).
Isn't that normal for Bruce, I don't view it as an issue. And he can release solo albums wherever he wants.
I think it has less to do with money (apart from not losing it) and more to do with maintaining their profile/visibility (which was essentially why they refused to release Senjutsu until they could tour it).
Well said, and especially now. They won't release a new album if they won't tour it. You know, they're an active band.
That does not stop many bands smaller than Maiden releasing albums regularly, does it?
Yes, everything else is just excuses. It's not about money or merch (they are part of everything), but about the artist's desire to express themselves again and again.
Something Steve said in his recent interview caught my attention: writing new songs stresses him out. To me, that shows he actually cares about it. It’s not hard for him to write something that sounds like a good song, he’s doing plenty of those for British Lion. But a new Maiden song needs to feel special, and for that he really has to get into the right mindset and dig deep.
That's most likely true, but just don't say you don't have time, or say atm. I think Steve feels more pressure to deliver (a Maiden album is special for him and for us) with each album since AMOLAD.
It's been like that at least since Powerslave. I can't think of any other band that has this level of "packaging" several years of activity based on a single album release and its cover. It's always been important for Maiden, not just when album sales went down. And I'm convinced album sales has nothing to do with their willingness to record or not. The economy of Maiden has always been about exposure. Serious tour ethics around a generous re-occuring schedule along with albums that get a nice price tag just shortly after being released. Maiden is for everyone, everywhere.
Overall good points, but I disagree with the first sentence. Maybe in the 90's (although they were in like a peak), or since early Reunion when they covered everything musically. But with the latest albums, they've proven that they still have a lot to say. One artist needs to be creative during its whole career, right?
I agree with your overall points, but this caught my attention. In the case of Judas Priest I like their most recent albums a lot more than most of what I've heard from their "classics". The reunion-era of Maiden is one of my overall favorites as well, so to me these new releases are definitely satisfying and I'd love to get as many albums as still possible.
Agreed. But it even doesn't matter if the material is as good or better, isn't the main thing for a band to move forward - to do that, they need to release new music, it's as simple as that. Especially a band like Maiden. You have to be excited about the whole process. That's essential. You're always going to play the hits. As much new music as possible, like their peers (Priest, Accept, Saxon) do.
