Senjutsu - 20 Months Later

Azas said:
Senjutsu album mixed with The Book Of Souls album would create the ultimate post reunion album for me.
Click to expand...
Agree partially. If you put out Days Of Future Past, Darkest Hour and Death Of The Celts, and replace them by Speed Of Light, Death Or Glory and The Book Of Souls, you would have a very nice album. :)
 
Last edited:
GhostofCain said:
I stand by my previous comment. In my humble opinion, Senjutsu is the weakest post-reunion Maiden album.
Click to expand...
I used to have this view of the album but not anymore. I have always enjoyed Book of Souls but I think it is the weakest of the reunion era (despite the title track being my favourite Maiden song).

In regards to Senjutsu, the album has really grown on me recently. Here are my views of the songs.

Senjutsu- I was a bit taken back by this song when I first heard it. I listened to it in a field near the East Midlands airport and now I love it.

Stratego and TWOTW- loved since the first listen.

LIALW- sure there is some recycling in the middle but the intro and outro make up for this.

DOFP- killer.

Time Machine. I once called this the worst song since Age of Innocence. I take this back. I have learnt to appreciate it’s twists and turns.

Darkest Hour. It’s a decent enough ballad.

DOTC. The atmosphere is great on this song and I love Bruce’s vocals. It really shows how his voice is richer in his older age.

The Parchment- I can see the criticisms about this song but the tempo and length don’t bother me. I think it is quite a different approach for them and it works.

HOE- ridiculously good song. The chorus is one of their best ever and the twists and turns keep me interested.
 
GhostofCain said:
I stand by my previous comment. In my humble opinion, Senjutsu is the weakest post-reunion Maiden album.
Click to expand...
For me Book of souls is the weakest reunion album. I still enjoy it and there’s some cracking songs there and it’s a solid 7/10 album. I just like every other reunion album slightly more.

Senjutsu is a cracker and my joint favourite reunion album with AMOLAD.
 
AncientMariner_Essex said:
For me Book of souls is the weakest reunion album. I still enjoy it and there’s some cracking songs there and it’s a solid 7/10 album. I just like every other reunion album slightly more.

Senjutsu is a cracker and my joint favourite reunion album with AMOLAD.
Click to expand...
BOS is there most generic, album stuff like Speed Of Light, Great Unknown, River Runs Deep, Shadows Of The Valley, Man Of Sorrows do nothing for me, all paint by numbers Maiden and nothing remotely that interesting
 
Ironalice said:
BOS is there most generic, album stuff like Speed Of Light, Great Unknown, River Runs Deep, Shadows Of The Valley, Man Of Sorrows do nothing for me, all paint by numbers Maiden and nothing remotely that interesting
Click to expand...

Nothing paint-by-numbers about The Great Unknown. It’s a unique Maiden song that doesn’t sound like any other. The live version is amazing.
 
Iron Lurker said:
Coming up on a year and Senjutsu is still my favorite reunion era album.
Click to expand...

Only BNW and possibly AMOLAD approach the consistent greatness of Senjutsu. And nothing builds with quite the grandeur or epic scale of a Parchment or Lost in a Lost World on either of those excellent albums IMHO.

There's anthemic/triumphant songs that harken back to Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son (The Time Machine, Stratego), there's somber ballads and reflective epics that wield inspiration from 90's Maiden (The Darkest Hour, Hell on Earth) yet vastly improve on this template with better dynamics and a more seamless flow and fluidity between transitions and tempo shifts.

And songs that present heretofore unexplored/underexplored sounds and soundscapes (Title Track, The Writing on the Wall).

When a barnburner like "Days of Future Past" is your least-played track on the album, it's a good indicator of the depth of excellence within.
 
And AMOLAD? Fantastic performances, vocals beautiful or aggressive depending on the calling of each section of the songs. Unbridled passion and the excellence we've come to expect from Iron Maiden from day 1.

But ... (and a fairly big but): many transitions that are jarring. The transitions and progressions haven't become smoother over the past 16 years of repeat listens.

A frustrating album, but probably still my 3rd or 4th fave reunion album. Bests Book of Souls and Dance of Death by a decent amount.
 
Last edited:
Pibroch_Whistler said:
Only BNW and possibly AMOLAD approach the consistent greatness of Senjutsu. And nothing builds with quite the grandeur or epic scale of a Parchment or Lost in a Lost World on either of those excellent albums IMHO.

There's anthemic/triumphant songs that harken back to Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son (The Time Machine, Stratego), there's somber ballads and reflective epics that wield inspiration from 90's Maiden (The Darkest Hour, Hell on Earth) yet vastly improve on this template with better dynamics and a more seamless flow and fluidity between transitions and tempo shifts.

And songs that present heretofore unexplored/underexplored sounds and soundscapes (Title Track, The Writing on the Wall).

When a barnburner like "Days of Future Past" is your least-played track on the album, it's a good indicator of the depth of excellence within.
Click to expand...
This person gets it!:cheers:
 
1: Senjutsu
2: Brave New World
3 (tie) - The Final Frontier (from IoA onward, TFF wallops nearly any comparable Maiden song run, I rarely listen to songs before Alchemist though)
... TFF is tied with AMOLAD (very consistent throughout)
4: Dance of Death
5: The Book of Souls (the one I listen to least but --- TRIGGER WARNING --- still better than ANY Rush, Judas Priest, or Dream Theater album released in the 21st Century!!!
 
I can't miss the opportunity to wish "Senjutsu" a happy birthday.
Thank you for all the great moments, at home, on the beach, in the forest.
I could even measure time with you once, when I had no watch, but knew when I left the supermarket, knew the bus schedule and knew the length of the songs.
 
Happy birthday, Senjutsu!

My thoughts towards the album stabilised a while ago. It's one of their better albums with a lot to love. In particular, The Writing On The Wall and The Parchment are two of the bands best songs. On the other hand, I'm perpetually disappointed by the fact Hell On Earth only does that chorus once and yet carries on for five minutes afterwards. I'm guilty of regularly skipping the second half of the song.
 
DJMayes said:
Happy birthday, Senjutsu!

My thoughts towards the album stabilised a while ago. It's one of their better albums with a lot to love. In particular, The Writing On The Wall and The Parchment are two of the bands best songs. On the other hand, I'm perpetually disappointed by the fact Hell On Earth only does that chorus once and yet carries on for five minutes afterwards. I'm guilty of regularly skipping the second half of the song.
Click to expand...
I still just don't get The Parchment. Listened to it many times and don't think my opinion is gonna change on this now but I find it incredible boring. I just plods like some of the Blaze era stuff. In fact I think its one of my least fav Maiden songs ever.
 
Christopher Baines said:
I still just don't get The Parchment. Listened to it many times and don't think my opinion is gonna change on this now but I find it incredible boring. I just plods like some of the Blaze era stuff. In fact I think its one of my least fav Maiden songs ever.
Click to expand...
Wait a minute...really? :eek:
Well to each his own offcourse. It´s my favourite of Senjutsu and in my Maiden Songs Top 20.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top