Senjutsu - 3rd September 2021

Visas take a long time to get and probably even longer with Covid being a thing. If Bruce says they’re securing visas it’s because they need them to tour for this album. It doesn’t mean anything about another new album. Rod likes to have things planned well in advance; we all know this. Don’t get too excited about a second new album. If there’s gonna be one it’ll be at least another 3-4 years before we hear anything.
 
  • and especially the album title. I don't like it. Sounds strange and very un-Maidenish... weird choice. But the most important thing is the songs to be great. I knew they will go for a one word album title this time. From the tracklist, ''The Time Machine'' would have been a very good album title.

I think it being un-Maidenish is what makes it very interesting. At this point, I really like when they venture a bit out of their... well, if not comfort zone, at least something put another foot in the territory of something less-expected. Personally, I wouldn't cheer for "The Time Machine" as an album title. :p I think Senjutsu felt a bit odd at first, but now... I think it's quite cool and rather fitting. In addition to loosely translating as "tactics/strategy/art of war", it's also "scrying" and the "art of sages." For an ageing band and especially the lyrical themes TBOS touched, I think it's quite an interesting and somehow graceful, even.

About the song structures:

I get the acoustic intro & outro, busy vocal lines, chorus repeats with OO-OOs meme, but to be fair, TBOS didn't really have those acoustic intro & outro pieces that much. Yes, the title track. The Red and the Black and Empire of the Clouds open and close with the same motif and whatnot, but all of the three are rather different, anyway, and they're not going anywhere near The Talisman, where the kinda cool intro feels like a separate piece, or When the Wild Wind Blows (which I love, anyway!) where the outro repeating the intro feels a bit copy-pasted.

Through earth and water, fire and wind
You came at last, nothing was the end!
 
Rod likes to have things planned well in advance; we all know this. Don’t get too excited about a second new album. If there’s gonna be one it’ll be at least another 3-4 years before we hear anything.
^ This. But maybe they already started gathering some ideas for the album #18. They had a lot of free time (this time).
 
I'd admire a blue ray about the writing process and rehearsals. Similar to Metallicas Hardwired Documentary
 
This sounds like something which I have to learn. Some songs could profit from a little bit of editing. ;)

Do you have a link on tipps and tricks how to get started or is the best way to simply "jump into the cold water" and find out for myself?
 
Goodness, album number 17 isn't even released yet and people are already demanding number 18.
It's based off what Bruce said over the last year. That he and Steve had been "working a little bit together in the studio" and that he's spent "three months sat on a balcony writing about military history, which may or may not turn into something".

All of those things were a good year to eighteen months after they'd wrapped recording Senjutsu.
 
The Japanese characters on the album cover are "Art" "War" probably meaning the Art of War.

But I thought "The Art of War" was a Chinese book.
The Japanese characters literally say Sen-Jutsu. The top character is Sen.

Japanese words can take on a different meaning dependant on their context with other characters.

In this case, you are correct - the loose translation would be art of war.

Sen is war, fight, battle....
Justu is technique, method, skill or trick

Hence the Technique of Battle, which could also be called the Art of War.

I hope this puts it to bed once and for all :)
 
It's based off what Bruce said over the last year. That he and Steve had been "working a little bit together in the studio" and that he's spent "three months sat on a balcony writing about military history, which may or may not turn into something".

All of those things were a good year to eighteen months after they'd wrapped recording Senjutsu.

Working a little bit together in the studio could well refer to Nights of the Dead.

Regarding what could come out of Bruce writing something during lockdown, I'll believe it when he actually releases it (if he does). I am still waiting to hear the Paganini rock opera he was writing back in 1990...
 
It's based off what Bruce said over the last year. That he and Steve had been "working a little bit together in the studio" and that he's spent "three months sat on a balcony writing about military history, which may or may not turn into something".

All of those things were a good year to eighteen months after they'd wrapped recording Senjutsu.

There is nothing, absolutely nothing that mandates an interpretation of album 18 being in the works. Bruce could be writing a book or a script for a documentary or whatever, the studio activity could refer to NOTD or Senjutsu polishes. You just read into things what you want to read and don't even consider alternatives.

Nobody demanded that. We just speculating and guessing.

And then you'll hype yourselves into believing album 18 is happening and be disappointed when it won't and be angry with Maiden because you think they misled you or they're keeping something from you or whatever. It's all happened before. Why not focus on the actual new studio album that is actually going to be released in six week's time?
 
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