Shadows Of The Valley

How good is Shadows of the Valley on a scale of 1-10?

  • Total voters
    26
It's got some really good melodies. They actually flow quite nice.
 
TheSpectreWithin said:
With...Fallen Angel verses, it's the least original piece on the album.
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If the verses are a distant cousin to the chorus of Fallen Angel then I see this as a sign of how strong Shadows of the Valley is. Having a chorus-like verse followed by an amazing chorus of its own and several harmony passages makes this the most melodic song on the album. Then there is of course the second chorus "Into the valley of death..." and to top off the highlights each guitarist plays a memorable solo.

And I love the raven in the lyrics.

10 outta 10
 
At this point this is my favorite song from BoS, I completly agree with The Mid-Distance Runner. I love sing chorus with Bruce and this song is the one that I can't get off my head, yesterday I was humming it at the store and it took me minute or two to realize what I'm doing.
 
SinisterMinisterX said:
Someone in chat (Eddie's Wingman I think) pointed out it's also found in The Fallen Angel. I think it's just Iron Maiden's default groove in a triple meter. The bassline is a 6/8 gallop and Steve uses that all over the Maiden repertoire.
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Hm, I can't recall mentioning that, but I have noticed the similarity to Fallen Angel, so I won't rule out that I mentioned it. Anyway, I agree with you here. It sounds like a pretty standard Maiden groove.

@Forostar - I hear what you mean by the WED reference.
 
I'm glad that this song is getting more love. Nothing overly groundbreaking about it, just a damn fine Maiden tune.
 
For me at least, this is one of the better songs on the album, and this is a very strong album, so that's saying a lot. It grabbed me at first listen more than any of the other more mid-tempo tracks on the album other than the opener did. I really like Bruce's vocals here, and the way the theme of the raven in the lyrics returns to grab your attention. There's a lot of lyrical and musical callbacks in this song, but it's still a pretty unique slice of Maiden for me in spite of that. The lyrics, melodies, and flow are really outstanding. Again, nice work from Janick and Steve.
 
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Meliegree said:
I know that this is totally wrong but I like to think that this song is inspired by Game of Thrones. :]
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There are phrases that make me think of Game of Thrones as well.
"Listen closely to the raven's call" The three eyed raven
"Follow north for the call of the wild" The wildilings beyond the Wall
"Look all out for a small wayward child" One of "The Children" that finds Bran, Hodor and Meera

You get the picture :)
 
tuto said:
There are phrases that make me think of Game of Thrones as well.
"Listen closely to the raven's call" The three eyed raven
"Follow north for the call of the wild" The wildilings beyond the Wall
"Look all out for a small wayward child" One of "The Children" that finds Bran, Hodor and Meera

You get the picture :)
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Also, "The fear that's inside of the men of the oath", i.e. The Night's Watch.
 
One of the best parts on the album is where janick solos mid tempo and then it goes into a higher tempo trademark Maiden style melody
 
I absolutely love the melodies on this song - some of the strongest on the entire album I'd say. The intro is a bit unnecessary and I actually feel they could have removed a solo section here (the one towards the end) to no detriment to the song which would have shortened it up by 30 seconds or so. But everything else here is awesome - I love the melodies that Jan brought in for this album.
 
It's good to see this song is getting a lot of love. It's currently my 4th favorite from the album. Although I'm not counting on it, I really hope they decide to play this one live. I think it would work out quite well.
 
Lampwick 43 said:
It's good to see this song is getting a lot of love. It's currently my 4th favorite from the album. Although I'm not counting on it, I really hope they decide to play this one live. I think it would work out quite well.
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5.50 (Into the Valley of Death, follow me now...) would be absolutely incredible to hear live.
 
I think this is a fantastic song. Just like every other tune on the album it is energetic, powerful and catchy. I liked it from the start but with the chorus stuck in my head it is growing on me even more.
 
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