Sign of the Cross

How good is Sign of the Cross on a scale of 1-10?

  • 7

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 6

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  • 5

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  • 4

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  • 3

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  • 2

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  • 1

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  • Total voters
    25
Re: 'sign Of The Cross'

It might be worth noting that after the death of Judas, the apostles replaced him with Matthias - thus restoring the number to twelve.
 
Re: 'sign Of The Cross'

Your interpretation seems very relevant, as if the song itself is just chock full of interpretations. What strikes me most is that Constantine's events are very well fit to the lyrics. SOTC may have more than one setting, or that Constantine is contemplating of the 12 disciples that helped spread Christianity, eventually to this empire.
 
Re: 'sign Of The Cross'

I don't actually think this is what Steve was thinking of when he wrote the song, it just happens to dovetail rather nicely with early Byzantine history! It's yet another reason why Iron Maiden's so cool; most of their songs have multiple interpretations that can be left up to the listener to decide which is right.
 
Re: 'sign Of The Cross'

Seems like Steve attempting to write another 'Hallowed Be Thy Name', with the way a series of short verses are all sung in rapid succession, with a long, extended instrumental piece playing the remainder of the song with a final sung verse at the end.
  Still a great song though, one of my top 3 or 4 favourites from the X Factor

Though i find it interesting how it was placed at the start of the album, was Steve so nervous about the new singer that he felt the need to place the epic song (which are usually the best ones on the albums) at the start so as to try and grab the attention of the listeners straight away, so as to prove the band can still cut it without Bruce?
 
Re: 'sign Of The Cross'

''Sign Of The Cross'' is one of my favourite songs by Maiden, so the song meaning has been very important to me. Here's my interpetation. The music is VERY dark and sad. This is not ironic or funny, this is DEAD serious. The whole mood of the song is like that. Lyrically, I think it's about the fear of being judged. Either by God or the Church the character is obviousily scared to death that he's being judged. BTW: there Is somthing that's actually called ''Sign of the Cross'', it's a christian greeting. Check it out on Wikipedia (not 100% reliable, but good enough)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_of_the_cross
 
Re: 'sign Of The Cross'

seely said:
Though i find it interesting how it was placed at the start of the album, was Steve so nervous about the new singer that he felt the need to place the epic song (which are usually the best ones on the albums) at the start so as to try and grab the attention of the listeners straight away, so as to prove the band can still cut it without Bruce?
I think it's completely the opposite to that. A song like Futureal grabs your attention straight away, but Sign of the Cross is a song that grows on you, and requires you to listen attentively; it even starts with near silence. As a statement, I would suggest it's Steve saying "We're Iron Maiden and we do what the fuck we want".
 
Re: 'sign Of The Cross'

national acrobat said:
As a statement, I would suggest it's Steve saying "We're Iron Maiden and we do what the fuck we want".
Yeah,  shame this attitude has changed nowadays  ::) :(.
 
Re: 'sign Of The Cross'

Hmm...don't think so. Like someone said, their latest record has intros that are longer than average pop song. They played that record from A-Z on tour. They pulled out few rabbits out of the hat for Early Days tour. That kind of attitude seems to mellow down with SBIT tour, but i still think they're playing the songs they want to play.
 
Re: 'sign Of The Cross'

Different World and The Wicker Man are a bit over 4 minutes each (okay, The Wicker Man is 4:36).  Wildest Dreams is under that.  All of them are the shortest or second shortest songs on the album.  I'd say the average pop song is 3-4 minutes, so there's not much difference.  Compare this to post-2000s openers: Caught Somewhere in Time  7:26, Where Eagles Dare 6:10, Moonchild 5:41, Sign of the Cross 11:18.  If you count The Ides of March and Wrathchild as one opener (I do, since the first seems like an intro instrumental to the second, not a separate song; a bit like The Hellion/Electric Eye), then only Invaders, Be Quick or Be Dead, and Futureal are shorter than any of those.  Prowler, Tailgunner, and Aces High come close, but the first two are longer than Wildest Dreams and Aces High is longer than both that and Different World.  So overall, in the 2000s they haven't really changed much, and have got actually gotten shorter (on average) in the openers.

But true, they are longer than your average pop song.  ;)
 
Re: 'sign Of The Cross'

I believe you meant pre-2000  :halo:

In any case, i wasn't speaking about opener tracks, i was speaking about intros to songs like Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg, Legacy, Lord Of Light, Longest Day...
 
Re: 'sign Of The Cross'

In any case, this particular thread is about "Sign Of The Cross" so let's get back on topic, shall we?
 
Re: 'sign Of The Cross'

So I haven't taken the time to read through the thread and see if the issue was brought up, but I read somewhere that this song is about Steve leaving his wife.

Why did Steve and his wife divorce? The theory is that he cheated on his wife, and that's what this song is about (which would make perfect sense, but it's hard to believe Steve would do that). I wanted to run the idea by just to make sure.

Just curious.
 
Re: 'sign Of The Cross'

Interesting, given that on Look For The Truth and The Unbeliever, he seems quite concerned about his own fears and being judged by what he is or what he had done.
 
Re: 'sign Of The Cross'

This is the best song from X Factor, and as already mentioned an unusual opener due to its length...
I would had preferred it end, during the instrumental part though (like To Tame A Land does)
and not return to the spoken low temp outro...

Of course this is a classical issue for a lot of tunes from 1995 forward, but in the case of Sign of the Cross
I believe that it has considerably taken away something from its magic...

Without it, it would have been an unbeatable 5 stars song, now I'll give it 4
 
Daily Song: Sign of the Cross

Welcome to the Daily Vote Thread! Rules are here.

Remember, only a decent review will count towards the contest.

Today's song: Sign of the Cross

Yesterday's song remains open for voting! You can find it here.
Honestly? Could it be any better? Sign of the Cross kicks off "The X Factor" with a hell of a bang. Yes, it is slower in some ways, but it is the herald call of modern Maiden; slower intro, a long, involved instrumental section, a more progressive sound. The song is incredible. 10/10.
 
Re: Daily Song: Sign of the Cross

When I knew Maiden had a new album out with Blaze on vocals, before I heard it I tried to visualise what it would be like. I had this notion that they would be standing in a very dark place and the music would be slow and moody - then it bang, it would come to life. Sounds bizarre, but that how it was. 10/10.
 
Re: Daily Song: Sign of the Cross

Maiden's best song of the 90's. Definitely in the top 5 best songs of the 90's.

It's got a dark feeling, epic proportions, great solos, very cool moody interlude. Everything fits together perfectly. 10/10.
 
Re: Daily Song: Sign of the Cross

Great song, but there is something missing to make it a perfect Maiden song. The intro is kinda long, still a good song, tho.

9/10.
 
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