Senjutsu - 3rd September 2021

I loved it too and it has become my most favorite Maiden album of all time which could soon be tied or topped.

Also, I changed the countdown to New Zealand time which is the earliest you can stream it legally. And if you go by that, only 6 days and 12 hours to go!
 
I loved BOS when it first came out. Then going back to it I didn't think it aged very well. Then I gave it another spin last weekend and found a new appreciation for it.
 
Josh said:
I loved BOS when it first came out. Then going back to it I didn't think it aged very well. Then I gave it another spin last weekend and found a new appreciation for it.
Click to expand...
I listened to it yesterday and felt that as well. My problem with TBOS is that I feel it's a little bit overly long. IESF and the title track are absolute masterpieces imo but I feel that there are some good to great tracks that would also be masterpieces if they were trimmed down a little, like TRATB, Empire and even SOTV, for example. I also don't care much for WTRRD, imo it's one of the lesser songs of the reunion era. Anyway, these are just a few nitpicks of what I don't like in it, but overall it's still a top 10 Maiden album for me (that might not be saying much but I love almost all of them so yeah it is). While I feel they could trim it down a little there are lots of awesome moments in it and it's just so much fun to listen to it.
 
I was disappointed by BOS initially but I grew to like it. The title track is one of my favourite songs of the reunion era and I still spin Shadows of the Valley and the live version of If Eternity Should Fail regularly.
 
TBOS is my favourite Maiden album. I consider all of EOTC, SOTV, TOAC and TBOS as masterpieces, and I really like IESF, DOG, and TRATB. TGU is good (but ends a chorus too early imo), WTRRD and SOL are fine, and I can take or leave TMOS.

If Senjutsu comes even close to it as an album I'll be very happy. Very promising first two tracks at any rate.
 
DJMayes said:
TBOS is my favourite Maiden album. I consider all of EOTC, SOTV, TOAC and TBOS as masterpieces, and I really like IESF, DOG, and TRATB. TGU is good (but ends a chorus too early imo), WTRRD and SOL are fine, and I can take or leave TMOS.

If Senjutsu comes even close to it as an album I'll be very happy. Very promising first two tracks at any rate.
Click to expand...
It’s good to see someone else who has a lot of love for TBOS. I rank it at number 4 overall.

I anticipate that Senjutsu will be even better
 
TBOS is in my top five Maiden albums along with X Factor, Powerslave, 7th Son, and Final Frontier. It sounded like a revitalized band when it came out. Heavy, dark, mysterious, and quite fast and hard at points too, more so than TFF. For a 90 minute album to have zero filler to me is absurd, but it’s true. I love they brought the old logo back. I love the Eddie they used for the cover. Everything about Book of Souls is a marriage of all their best ideas and song writing over 40+ years. TFF is a more progressive and complex album, but TBOS makes up for it by just kicking ass. Speed of Light and Death or Glory are probably my favorite short/speedy track of the entire reunion.

And none of that even touches how it felt to listen to the first time, knowing the band could’ve ended with Bruce’s cancer. And they’re just on fire the entire time.
 
When TBoS came out I couldn’t stop listening to it. Like it was the only album I listened to for the next couple of months and had a hard time withdrawing and listening to older Maiden. With Senjutsu I think I’ll be addicted. Even today I only listen to Stratego and sometimes WOTW and very rarely old Maiden.
 
If Eternity Should Fail definitely sounded amazing right from the start. It was definitely a huge step up from the previous album opener and set the album up in outstanding way.

I remember liking When the River Runs Deep quite a lot, as it sounded very fresh and energetic on those first listens. The Red and the Black felt just as ridiculous-but-great as it does now and Tears of a Clown was instantly one of my favourites. I also appreciated Death or Glory a lot, as the vocal lines felt quite fresh. The title track felt very epic, but it took a couple of listens to really take in. Empire of the Clouds was satisfying on first listen.

Overall, my opinion on TBOS has changed surprisingly little from the very first listens. I still think it's, given it's runtime, quite well paced and easy to listen to with no terrible drops in quality, even if some of the songs feel very unfinished. It's got a strong vibe and in all of it's roughness it sounded more inspired than the dry and clinical, albeit probably more consistent The Final Frontier.

I still love IESF. The title track has grown a lot and has become one of my favourites from the recent albums. The Red and the Black has settled to it's strange locker of being an ridiculously awesome blast in every possible way, for better and worse. I still appreciate and like Empire of the Clouds a lot and it's poetic storytelling has grown on me, even if some of the instrumental parts might have benefited from a serious refinement.

So, in many ways, TBOS was quite easy one to get into after a couple of listens. For me, Shadows of the Valley and The Man of Sorrows were and kind of still are sort of oddities. The first mentioned is very good song, but I still think it could've ended soon after the awesome
"Into the valley of death fear no evil
We will go forward no matter the cost..." part. I like the bluesy vibe and melancholy in The Man of Sorrows and there's certain mature depth in it, but it's probably one of the songs most hurt by the recording & production approach, as it's a bit too demoish and it might have needed a little bit of polish.

Interesting to see if Senjutsu "clicks together" as quickly as TBOS did for me and if my opinions change over time. A week..!
 
I am so f'kin ready for the Senjutsu production. Wired earphones, customized blutooth headphones, car speakers, soundbar, stereo speakers...I got everything. Also know a weed dealer should it be needed for the experimental tracks. Nothing can stop me from enjoying the album. Show me what you got Steve and Kevin.

:jedi:
 
I was very impressed with IESF, title track and EOTC on my first spins of TBOS. TRATB took a bit more time to digest. The rest hasn’t really stuck or grown on me and I do wish they would’ve rehearsed a bit more before recording and also put a bit more effort in the production, but that’s a very subjective opinion. All in all, an OK album, but probably my least favorite of the reunion era so far… I think Senjutsu will require multiple play throughs and time to digest since it seems to be more complex in arrangements and structures in comparison to TBOS. Bring it on!
 
The most curious info from this review (click here), thanks to @Gk1 :


The title track is unexpectedly heavy with a dark solo, even darker keyboards and a Powerslave-esque riff (at the end).

''Lost In A Lost World'' - 2 minutes long ballad-like intro, the guitars sound incredibly hard and rough, 2 solos and Bruce still sounds like a twenty years old and has an almost intimidating presence... the voice is partially broadened with an effect.

''Days Of Future Past'' - could fit in Somewhere In Time album, great chorus and the keyboards have an even high status than their time on SSOASS.

''The Time Machine'' - keyboards (again), 3 solos and towards the second third, the song takes a rhythmically unpredictable turn that is only known in this form from this band. The respective rhythm work makes this song perhaps the highlight of the entire record.

''Darkest Hour'' is then as threatening as ''Wasting Love'' - probably the mood or the structure of the song.

''Death Of The Celts'' - bass intro (the bass is always present throughout the song), the arrangement is initially only supplemented by keyboards and vocals and heavy guitars. This song is again compared with ''The Clansman''.

''The Parchment'' - the oriental melodies are very reminiscent of ''Powerslave'' (like in ''Stratego'', btw) and continuously sounding keyboards (yet again).

''Hell On Earth'' - more than 2 minutes long intro (with keyboards), galloping rhythm and atypical (for the band) arrangement. In any case, this song is a wonderful loud-quiet number in this opulent album.
 
Kalata said:
The most curious info from this review (click here), thanks to @Gk1 :


The title track is unexpectedly heavy with a dark solo, even darker keyboards and a Powerslave-esque riff (at the end).

''Lost In A Lost World'' - 2 minutes long ballad-like intro, the guitars sound incredibly hard and rough, 2 solos and Bruce still sounds like a twenty years old and has an almost intimidating presence... the voice is partially broadened with an effect.

''Days Of Future Past'' - could fit in Somewhere In Time album, great chorus and the keyboards have an even high status than their time on SSOASS.

''The Time Machine'' - keyboards (again), 3 solos and towards the second third, the song takes a rhythmically unpredictable turn that is only known in this form from this band. The respective rhythm work makes this song perhaps the highlight of the entire record.

''Darkest Hour'' is then as threatening as ''Wasting Love'' - probably the mood or the structure of the song.

''Death Of The Celts'' - bass intro (the bass is always present throughout the song), the arrangement is initially only supplemented by keyboards and vocals and heavy guitars. This song is again compared with ''The Clansman''.

''The Parchment'' - the oriental melodies are very reminiscent of ''Powerslave'' (like in ''Stratego'', btw) and continuously sounding keyboards (yet again).

''Hell On Earth'' - more than 2 minutes long intro (with keyboards), galloping rhythm and atypical (for the band) arrangement. In any case, this song is a wonderful loud-quiet number in this opulent album.
Click to expand...
GIVE ME THE DARN ALBUM NOWWWWWWWWWWW !!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top