Senjutsu - 3rd September 2021

Ironalice said:
Was there a need to have this on a triple LP tho? It's effectively 2 songs per side some will have a single track. Would have all fit on 2 very easily
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In order for a vinyl to sound its best, it needs to have under a certain amount of music on each side. In addition, the thicker the vinyl the better, as that help define the dynamic range.
 
daan said:
I'm all for as much quality stuff as possible, but in reality there was quite some weak material on TBoS (songs or parts of songs) and I would be fine if it didn't make the cut.
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Might be an unpopular opinion but I find the second half except Empire could easily be removed and the album wouldn't suffer.
 
Josh said:
Might be an unpopular opinion but I find the second half except Empire could easily be removed and the album wouldn't suffer.
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To each their own; I think the second half is the stronger one, and would put 3 of the songs (EOTC, SOTV and TOAC) very high in my personal ranking.

I think parts of songs that bloat them unnecessarily (yes, I'm still mad Satellite 15 wasn't separated from TFF) and hurt that song are more of a concern than entire tracks, which you can skip more easily.
 
Yea, the denouement on Empire is fucking phenomenal. The whole "...came to die in France" verse is sets a mood. I really want to hear another "off-kilter" song in the vein of Starblind. Starblind has been my absolute fave Maiden song since the album came out, and that's from someone who's been with the band since '88.
 
waspfan said:
capajpg-jpg.15925
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Davey on the far left looks particularly ravishing here. Nicko cleans up real nice. Steve and Bruce in the middle make a dashing pair. Janick’s new cue ball look is…intriguing. Adrian looks classy with the spyglass too.

This seems like pretty excessive packaging for a special edition single. At least we can look forward to the B-sides “Parcheesi” and “Cluedo”!
 
MaidenUlster said:
I think there's something in this.
#17 was finished in 2019. If they were in the studio in 2020 that could have been to work on Nights of the Dead, but if Bruce is writing new material (and I accept that that might nkt actually be the case) that can only be for IM#18.
They might have decided that now they've run out of 80s tours to re-run they want to go out doing what they've always done - touring for a new album.
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That's what im thinking, these tours inbetween albums are done, they could go out with back to back album tours
 
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A few thoughts:

-The artwork is quite cool. I get why some people wanted something more "busy," especially since the last album had a similar vibe. I think Wilkinson works well with less, though. It's eye-popping.
- Gers/Harris collaborations ended up being my favorite songs from the last three albums, so I have my eyes on "Stratego" and " The Time Machine." No pressure! :p
- I'm a little surprised Janick didn't partake in something on a more epic scale, though. That seems to be his bread and butter. Since "The Writing on the Wall" already has the market cornered on acoustic intros, I'm not really expecting one from Gers this time around.
- Considering Bruce's words about some different-sounding tracks, I'm a little bummed that Dave didn't write something. Dave might not be the most prolific writer, but he's one of the most unique. He often brings weird stuff to the fold that makes me rethink albums a bit or adds layers I wasn't quite expecting. I appreciate Dave's ability to think outside the box.
- Steve's been busy! Bruce said the tracks are varied, so I fully expect Steve's epics will all have their own flavors to them. I'm very, very intrigued.
- I'm wondering if there's a ballad on the album, or if maybe Bruce brought something more piano-driven to the fold. Maybe "Days of Future Past" isn't the rocker many people assume it is?
- "Darkest Hour" is a long composition for Adrian and Bruce, and I'm already wrapping my head around how that track might sound.
- I might be misremembering this, but I feel like this is the shortest time between an album announcement and a release date in the reunion era. A month-and-a-half-wait is very reasonable for a crazy fan like me. Often, I'm hoping for a few singles before an album drops, but I really don't think I'll need another to get me to the finish line this time.
 
enjoying reading all the observations/takes on the new album title/cover/tracklist. personally, i wish there had been more short songs as i get fatigued by the epics unless they are really varied in arrangements/temps/time changes. i really don't care for the 2+ minute long intros of tinkling on guitars/weird vocals/jungle/space noises we've seen a lot of lately. don't hate them but just think - like George Lucas - more judicious editing and more "no's" in the room rather than a bunch of buttkissers would be helpful. all that said, i do expect this album just by the appearance and song titles to be pretty aggressive/heavy/purpose-built. and more Adrian is a good thing for me as i've always found his songwriting to be the most immediate "pop" of all of them. just have a gut feeling this will be legit solid 8/10 in the overall canon and a definite reunion era gem. we will soon find out yee-haw !
 
I'm such a sucker for a Gers writing credit. Stratego and The Time Machine were the first tracks to really catch my eye. I saw it mentioned a bunch of pages back but if I am envisioning a BQOBD vibe from this one. The Time Machine is interesting because while it is a Gers/Harris song it is not in the traditional length of one of their epics (TBOS, Talisman, etc). Very intriguing stuff, and the funniest part is everybody could be fully wrong about everything:bigsmile: As dragging as the release lead-up seems I love the speculation talks
 
My first reactions yesterday:

The album title, artwork and even the song titles caught me off-guard
I have no problem with longer songs; as I've mentioned several times around here, I don't really fancy for "short rockers" at this point, as I find their biggest assets being somewhere else nowadays. I just hope they're a bit more thought-of than some of the stuff on TBOS - which I really love, but slightly more focused and finished effort would be nice, for a chance. However, I was really hoping for a shorter, more compact album in terms on runtime, as these 70 to 80 minute mammoths are always a bit overwhelming to take on and I really like to listen these albums on one sitting. But then again, I found TBOS, whatever faults it might have, quite an easy to listen thoroughly, as I think the pacing is quite perfect there - especially given it's runtime! So in that regard, I'm rather confident about Senjutsu, even though it doesn't seem like fulfilled daydream just yet. :) Bruce's remarks about one or two songs being somewhat different got me excited. I always appreciate when they - and artists in general - try out new things and try to keep it fresh.

MaidenHeaven said:
- Considering Bruce's words about some different-sounding tracks, I'm a little bummed that Dave didn't write something. Dave might not be the most prolific writer, but he's one of the most unique. He often brings weird stuff to the fold that makes me rethink albums a bit or adds layers I wasn't quite expecting. I appreciate Dave's ability to think outside the box.
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I agree about this! Dave's writing efforts haven't been my favourites from the last two albums, but I like how he sometimes provides the "oddball" of the record. The Man Who Would be King still remains as a song I still haven't quite decided what I think about and The Man of Sorrows has been one of the biggest growers of TBOS for me, albeit I think it's one of the songs their recording and production approach hurts the most. It has a lot of interesting things going on, but even for me (who often likes their "semi-live recording & production"), it's slightly too demoish and a a bit... off, at times. With additional take or two and a bit more polish and effort, I think it would become considerably better.
 
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As foreseen by yours truly in this forum weeks and weeks ago, the longest track on the new album doesn't exceed the 13 minutes.

I'm so hyped for this.
That Eddie is so savage...

One of the best Maiden album covers of all times.
Maiden always take a step forward.

Another black blackground with no details.
Pretty much unexpected, for the second time in a row, after TBOS, but there we go...

I'm not the biggest fan of the word 'Senjutsu'.
NOT for the concept and the choice. But for how it sounds, not being japanese myself. Anyway, there are a lot of better sounding words in that language, as well. But if they needed that expression, I'm ok with that. I'll get used to it, of course!
 
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Randalf said:
I agree about this! Dave's writing efforts haven't been my favourites from the last two albums, but I like how he sometimes provides the "oddball" of the record. The Man Who Would be King still remains as a song I still haven't quite decided what I think about and The Man of Sorrows has been one of the biggest growers of TBOS for me, albeit I think it's one of the songs their recording and production approach hurts the most. It has a lot of interesting things going on, but even for me (who often likes their "semi-live recording & production"), it's slightly too demoish and a a bit... off, at times. With additional take or two and a bit more polish and effort, I think it would become considerably better.
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Both those songs are far from bad, but they are just standard middle of the road tracks that really could have easily been left off there respective albums and not been missed, I guess what he brought to the table this time either didnt make the cut or he simply just had nothing to add.

Still hoping his trademark sound shine though the album tho and hes come up with a lot of memorable solos at least
 
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