Similar length but no way of knowing. I'll hazard a guess that the key will be in Em thoughI am guessing this song will be something similar to "The Pilgrim"? Thoughts?

Similar length but no way of knowing. I'll hazard a guess that the key will be in Em thoughI am guessing this song will be something similar to "The Pilgrim"? Thoughts?
Well, ''The Pilgrim'' has Arabic/Eastern vibes. I can see ''Stratego'' to contain some Japanese-style melodies.I am guessing this song will be something similar to "The Pilgrim"? Thoughts?
On the subject of the Harris epics, I think Empire of the Clouds accidentally illustrated Steve Harris's songwriting genuis.
Sorry to Empire of the Clouds fans, but I think it is overlong, boring and devoid of adrenaline pumping or inspiring musical passages in the latter half. Even the crescendo part of the airship coming down sounds limp. The song actually takes BOS down a notch for me. Full respect to Bruce since he was ill, but the song somehow doesn't feel complete to me, more like the scaffold to be edited and embellished later on.
And it showed me that although we may take Harris's epics for granted, or even criticise them, he has an ear for writing compelling longer traditional metal songs. And my god, he writes them himself and brings them fully composed to the band!
Say what you want folks, but 30 or so minutes of Harris material to close Senjutsu sounds far more appealing than the snoozefest of Bruce's 20 minute attempt at prog rock amateur dramatics. Maiden would never have built its early musical reputation as a force of nature based on Empire of the Clouds, I can tell you that much. If Empire appeared on a 1982-1992 album it may have sunk them.
Sorry to rant and apologies to all Empire of the Clouds fans - I'm happy the song keeps you entertained. Personally I give it 6/10 and think it is only slightly less of a disaster than Loch Ness by Judas Priest, which ruined their Angel... album.
I should preface this reply with the note that Empire of the Clouds is, in my opinion one of the best things Maiden have ever released. That said...Sorry to Empire of the Clouds fans, but I think it is overlong, boring and devoid of adrenaline pumping or inspiring musical passages in the latter half.
I agree to the extent that 18 minutes constitutes a significantly larger proportion of albums then than it does now. If you didn't like Empire and it takes up close to half the album alone, it will put a damper on things. With TBOS, you can just stop the album a track early and you still have an albums worth of material to listen to.Maiden would never have built its early musical reputation as a force of nature based on Empire of the Clouds, I can tell you that much. If Empire appeared on a 1982-1992 album it may have sunk them.
Is it a 6/10 or a disaster? Choose one. (And Loch Ness is fine.)Sorry to rant and apologies to all Empire of the Clouds fans - I'm happy the song keeps you entertained. Personally I give it 6/10 and think it is only slightly less of a disaster than Loch Ness by Judas Priest, which ruined their Angel... album.
I tend to agree somewhat. There was a debate here about what if recent long or epic songs appeared on earlier albums, would they be classified as classics? Take Seventh Son, the song, would you cut a second of it? Not a chance! Take Phantom of the Opera, would you cut a second of it? Not me. Or Rime, or Caught Somewhere in Time etc. The big difference between earlier epic songs and recent ones, is the latter try to be proggy, try to be proggy very hard and sometimes I can hear it. They try too hard and the songs sometimes do not flow. That's the difference. Does it flow? Is it interesting? You can write much longer songs without dragging if the storytelling has a curve, an interesting musical ride. This is where a producer comes into play, to direct the musicians without rewriting the piece or change the original music too much, just give reasonable directions. Other than that, I like post-reunion Maiden, but there is a clear change in how they compose and it's not perfect, which is fine too.On the subject of the Harris epics, I think Empire of the Clouds accidentally illustrated Steve Harris's songwriting genuis.
Sorry to Empire of the Clouds fans, but I think it is overlong, boring and devoid of adrenaline pumping or inspiring musical passages in the latter half. Even the crescendo part of the airship coming down sounds limp. The song actually takes BOS down a notch for me. Full respect to Bruce since he was ill, but the song somehow doesn't feel complete to me, more like the scaffold to be edited and embellished later on.
And it showed me that although we may take Harris's epics for granted, or even criticise them, he has an ear for writing compelling longer traditional metal songs. And my god, he writes them himself and brings them fully composed to the band!
Say what you want folks, but 30 or so minutes of Harris material to close Senjutsu sounds far more appealing than the snoozefest of Bruce's 20 minute attempt at prog rock amateur dramatics. Maiden would never have built its early musical reputation as a force of nature based on Empire of the Clouds, I can tell you that much. If Empire appeared on a 1982-1992 album it may have sunk them.
Sorry to rant and apologies to all Empire of the Clouds fans - I'm happy the song keeps you entertained. Personally I give it 6/10 and think it is only slightly less of a disaster than Loch Ness by Judas Priest, which ruined their Angel... album.
Empire of the Clouds to me is an average song, which could have been really great. The lyrics are amazing, the storytelling starts off very well, then the instrumental section which is way too long, simply forgets to lift the piece and goes nowhere. It's a failed attempt at trying to be proggy and the entire song becomes uninteresting to me. While there are good ideas in it like having that Morse code section, it's mostly lacking ideas. When the Wild Wind Blows is a much more mature song and more interesting to me.I should preface this reply with the note that Empire of the Clouds is, in my opinion one of the best things Maiden have ever released. That said...
I agree to the extent that 18 minutes constitutes a significantly larger proportion of albums then than it does now. If you didn't like Empire and it takes up close to half the album alone, it will put a damper on things. With TBOS, you can just stop the album a track early and you still have an albums worth of material to listen to.
At the same time, you could have made room for it on most of the older albums whilst keeping the classics on there, so I feel it's a slightly hyperbolic point.
Is it a 6/10 or a disaster? Choose one. (And Loch Ness is fine.)
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Still looking forward to Steve's songs. Blood Brothers and For The Greater Good of God are the best tracks on their respective albums as far as I'm concerned.
It should be illegal for a solo to be this good
Hyperbole be thy name!I should preface this reply with the note that Empire of the Clouds is, in my opinion one of the best things Maiden have ever released. That said...
I agree to the extent that 18 minutes constitutes a significantly larger proportion of albums then than it does now. If you didn't like Empire and it takes up close to half the album alone, it will put a damper on things. With TBOS, you can just stop the album a track early and you still have an albums worth of material to listen to.
At the same time, you could have made room for it on most of the older albums whilst keeping the classics on there, so I feel it's a slightly hyperbolic point.
Is it a 6/10 or a disaster? Choose one. (And Loch Ness is fine.)
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Still looking forward to Steve's songs. Blood Brothers and For The Greater Good of God are the best tracks on their respective albums as far as I'm concerned.
Most of this is criticism towards the production and not the album really and can be said about every other shirley album. Yeah BNW has repetitive choruses but for some reason they dont bother me like they do on other albums. Yes the record isn't perfect, it doesn't sound like 80's maiden but in my book its a 9/10 record. That being said, VXI was my introduction to maiden and although I dont like some elements of it I like it as a record.Well, I just hated the close relation to VXI. In most of the songs Nicko is not even bothering to perform a drum roll. The choruses on most songs are so repetitive and blunt. The usage of the 3 guitars is sub-par, H's contribution is too little. The sound IMO is very unbalanced with the drums too high in the mix. It always sounded like a half-baked record...at least more that the other reunion albums. Bruce's singing however is fantastic for the last time on a Maiden record. I think that since DOD he sounds too strained and forced.
I didn't expect that from you @Mosh![]()
My problem was never that it does not sound like 80s Maiden to be honest with you.Most of this is criticism towards the production and not the album really and can be said about every other shirley album. Yeah BNW has repetitive choruses but for some reason they dont bother me like they do on other albums. Yes the record isn't perfect, it doesn't sound like 80's maiden but in my book its a 9/10 record. That being said, VXI was my introduction to maiden and although I dont like some elements of it I like it as a record.
I am almost 100% with you on this one! Although there was no song to pull me back to Maiden, I stay loyal cause it is interesting to see where they want to go with each album, and their back catalog untill 1992 can't be surpassed by any other band IMO. It has been around 30 years they last did a trully good album, I do not like a lot of their newer material but I can also still enjoy some song parts and especially the solos.It's actually a sensible thought.
I did not think VXI is bad but I thought it's one of their worst albums. I was not that enamored with BNW either although I've liked the album on release, I thought something like Chemical Wedding is miles ahead of both, and when DoD came out I was already on another train station. I was not aware of a new Maiden album and I didn't like it that much when it came out. Everyone was screaming Paschendale I think it's a good song (not that good on the album tho), nowhere near the hype.
I heard MP3s officially released at AMOLAD time and I did not get it at all. I just didn't.
Recall talking to a friend saying Maiden have gone into some direction I don't understand. And I've been already high on progressive metal train at that point. I remember saying Maiden beats, melodies, riffs, I don't get any more. The weird phrasing of the voice over a dull 'metal' riff such as Thousand Suns over an irregular drum beat. Huh
At that late 2006 the thing that got me "back" into Maiden was one of the stuff that brought me in in the first place. Somewhere In Time. After some years of listening to 'technical' music I remember being awestruck over guitar sound and Smith solos on the record. I thought to myself, well this is highly technical. Maybe not overly complex but god damn these guys can play. That got me back. And soon after, Benjamin Breeg came on random shuffle and I got hooked.
So to TLDR - reunion Maiden wasn't an insta-hit for me, at least after BNW. It took some time to click, it did after a few years. The point is, if that didn't happen, I am not sure I would be around here.
What Mosh meant is how can you not have enthusiasm about the band's new material and still hang around for decades?
Btw, isn't it strange that only Bruce and Steve have actually heard the final, finished, mixed and mastered product?