Senjutsu - 20 Months Later

Diesel 11 said:
And see, I actually disagree with this. I think that Senjutsu, as much as I like it, feels more rushed and less hashed-out than TBOS did. Take, for instance, "Days of Future Past", which almost feels like it's missing a solo, or "Lost in a Lost World", which feels a bit randomly assembled. Even "Hell on Earth" which feels like it deserved a bit more exploration, or "Death of the Celts" which is missing something more epic in the instrumental section. Even though I like the songs it took a bit of time to really get fully into them because of this. The songs on TBOS all feel very complete to me.


I don't dislike the production, it's a bit amateurish but the thunderous drums have a great old-world vibe that fully brings you into the scope of the record.
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Days of future past its like a b side from Accident of birth a really bad one.
 
matic22 said:
A good example is the 2nd part of The Legacy. Those are some great innovative guitar arrangements without getting in the way of vocals. Possibly one of the last great examples by Maiden how to use 3 guitars and a voice on top.
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This is actually an interesting comment since when I first heard that part, I wasn't sure what to think. I like it now, but it definitely felt a bit busy and unlike how Maiden usually does their arrangements. It does still stick out today.

Considering no part since has so many distinct guitar parts under the vocals, I get the feeling the band weren't too sure about it either. I can also see why: in the live setting I think it kind of becomes a hot mess and that's what matters to Steve the most. Plus it takes time and effort to figure more complex parts like that out, which is antithetical to how Kevin and Steve operate in the studio.
 
Ruflux said:
Plus it takes time and effort to figure more complex parts like that out, which is antithetical to how Kevin and Steve operate in the studio.
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This. And to me, it seems like they put less and less time and effort into it on every album since AMLOAD.
 
Ruflux said:
This is actually an interesting comment since when I first heard that part, I wasn't sure what to think. I like it now, but it definitely felt a bit busy and unlike how Maiden usually does their arrangements. It does still stick out today.

Considering no part since has so many distinct guitar parts under the vocals, I get the feeling the band weren't too sure about it either. I can also see why: in the live setting I think it kind of becomes a hot mess and that's what matters to Steve the most. Plus it takes time and effort to figure more complex parts like that out, which is antithetical to how Kevin and Steve operate in the studio.
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arraganments...... BNW is not lazy with the arrangements for me there is as much work as SSOASS or any of those 80s albums. But nowadays i think the spend much less time than 80s in the studio
 
Just listened to "The Parchment" while walking through the heath.
Bruce in the role of the narrator spreads the story of a revenge seeker and sounds as if he is totally in the story.
Then the guitars pick up and effortlessly the image arises in my mind's eye of the narrator setting off, perhaps gathering his troops, etc. Then the narrator's voice comes back and tells us how he feels.
I wouldn't change anything about that, nor would I make an instrumental out of it.
Do I hear any mistakes that could be corrected? Yes, absolutely.
But the album still means a lot to me, because it's the real talent to create such an atmosphere, to make such a story come alive. The techniques you learn in music school and university and I'm not saying it's unimportant, of course not.
But that's not yet what makes music really meaningful and lasting.
 
dickinson1978 said:
arraganments...... BNW is not lazy with the arrangements for me there is as much work as SSOASS or any of those 80s albums. But nowadays i think the spend much less time than 80s in the studio
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BNW might not be lazy with arrangements (whatever that actually means) because it’s not doing a single new thing since X Factor and VXI.
 
Senjutsu was the first album release by Maiden which I actively experienced since becoming a fan so there is some bias there. But it is still my favorite Maiden album after AMOLAD.
It does not have too many songs I would consider a 10/10 but it is a very consistent album in my opinion. Like AMOLAD, almost every song has at least one moment/section/melody/idea that simply gives me chills. The only song that sounds rather uninspired to me is Days of Future Past, which seems to be an unpopular opinion.
Anyway, I will probably always have fond memories of this album and its release back in 2021.
 
matic22 said:
If you like the melody, it doesn't need to repeat 1822 times.
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I have listened to the melody 1822 times. I listened to it 1822 times more, and then some 1823 times. I still love them and keep coming back for them. I love them especially for the way the vocal and guitar melody lines manages to follow and intertwine with one another.

I describe the album as a bonafide one hundred and thirtyeight. The highest number any music can be graded. Because it's a 69 on each of my ears.

If that isn't a fair benchmark to use in rating this album so highly, then I'm not even good to review and put words on my impressions from music.
 
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Iron Lurker said:
I still remember leaving the X Factor show at a small club in Atlanta with the sinking feeling that Maiden was about done. Blaze tried that night but he lost his voice towards the end of the set, literally croaked through the encores.
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That was my feeling at the end of the Virtual XI show I went to.
 
GhostofCain said:
That was my feeling at the end of the Virtual XI show I went to.
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I missed that tour. Not torn up about it as VXI is my least fav Maiden album. They were supposed to play the same club in Atlanta but the show (as well as others) was cancelled. I would have been there, though.
 
Of course, it has some good songs, great moments, specially, Dave's tone and solos, which are the best moments on the album (perhaps, best production of the Shirley ordered by Harris era albums), but, it is lackluster; title track and Hell On Earth sound badly arranged in the vocal lines department, both songs drag along and are some of Maiden's most boring tunes. The obsession with repetition is, still, very noxious to the enjoyment and objectiveness in many songs of the 6 men line up. Might be the bottom champion of the Maiden albums ranking.
 
GhostofCain said:
That was my feeling at the end of the Virtual XI show I went to.
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And mine but in 96. Watching them in a small village in Spain with the wind fucking the courtain behaind nicko and thinking this is not what i saw in the videos from 80s and 90s. Blaze wasnt a good singer he did a decent obsucure album but thats all. I love x factor and virtual xi and blaze but he was not the right man to sing the classics
 
dickinson1978 said:
And mine but in 96. Watching them in a small village in Spain with the wind fucking the courtain behaind nicko and thinking this is not what i saw in the videos from 80s and 90s. Blaze wasnt a good singer he did a decent obsucure album but thats all. I love x factor and virtual xi and blaze but he was not the right man to sing the classics
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I liked the show I saw in 1996 more than the 1998 one, but it might be because it was my first Maiden show and an eventful road trip (to say the least):

Your First Maiden Gig

My first gig was their Sunday headlining spot at Download 2016 during the Book Of Souls tour. I usually avoid festivals like the plague but the lineup that day was so strong - Iron Maiden, Nightwish, Disturbed, Halestorm, Amon Amarth amongst others - that I relented and bought a day ticket...
forum.maidenfans.com
 
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