Steve Harris

I just started listening and am on the 2nd song. It's not too bad. It sounds like an above average 70's rock album with somewhat above average vocals. Maybe after a few listens, it will kind of grow on me.
 
Just finished with it and it was good but I can definitely agree with what everyone says about the vocalist. Not that there is a problem with him but I just don't think he's right for the music. I mean, there are actually some songs on the album that his voice fits and I liked them but others, it just seemed off. I think what Steve should have done was maybe use different vocalists for different songs or picked a differnet vocalist all together but then again, I'm not the almighty Steve Harris so who am I to say what he should have done. His vision, his album :yes:. The musical aspect of the album is fantasic. That part of it could stand alone without any vocals IMO.

All in all, it's good for Steve's first solo album :). I might not end up buying the whole thing but maybe pick and choose some songs off itunes.
 
I can agree that the vocals ar not too great for the music. I mostly agree with you, Moon Child, on the subject, I think there's nothing wrong with the vocalist, his voice just doesn't fit the music. There are songs where he sounds fairly good, though, such as, if I remember correctly, Karma Killer.

I think musically it was a very good album, though, and if we see more in this vein it will only be a good thing. A lot of it sounded surprisingly un-Maiden-ish, though there were some clear 'Arry moments. The bass is nice and loud in the mix, so that's a good thing. ;)

It looks like the American iTunes won't be selling it (probably because approximately 10 people in the whole country care), so after listening to it I went ahead and preordered the CD, since Amazon sells MP3s, not lossless.
 
Very, very good album, much better than I had expected! Vocalist is OK, not outstanding but he has a nice voice to listen to. ALTHOUGH, I would have absolutely LOVED if Steve had teamed up with Blaze Bayley again to sing on this!!!
 
425 said:
I can agree that the vocals ar not too great for the music. I mostly agree with you, Moon Child, on the subject, I think there's nothing wrong with the vocalist, his voice just doesn't fit the music. There are songs where he sounds fairly good, though, such as, if I remember correctly, Karma Killer.
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Yeah, Karma Killer was one of them and Judas stood out too as a song that he fit very well. It seems the heavier sounding songs he didn't fit and the lighter ones he did.

425 said:
It looks like the American iTunes won't be selling it (probably because approximately 10 people in the whole country care), so after listening to it I went ahead and preordered the CD, since Amazon sells MP3s, not lossless.
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That's kind of dumb but I guess I can see why. Not enough market over here *sigh*. I still might not buy the whole album. It's good for what it is but to me, its not buy worthy. It's more so pick and choose for me because I didn't like all the songs and it didn't flow as an album you could listen to from start to finish.
 
Forostar said:
I will not play anything before I get the CD. But these comments make me very curious.
Power is not always necessary. Vocal melodies are more important imo (and steady singing of course).
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Eh, I just bought it on mp3. I can understand the negative comments on the vocals a bit better now.
Perhaps the bigger problem is that the songs vary heavily in quality. Also the production varies per song.
Especially the first three songs sound dimmer than e.g. the fourth.

Speaking about the fourth, it feels like the album makes a restart. It's quite rare because not only the sound is more clear and heavily produced (pretty different), but Us Against the World also almost sounds like it is a different band.

I am playing the album for the third time in a row now, and will comment more later. I already have a clear favourite song in which I actually like the vocal contribution (wouldn't change a bit of it)!
 
I like the album a lot. I am very happy about the whole thing really, it feels very coherent and natural. I was kind of dreading a musical clash like Primal Rock Rebellion. This is quite the opposite. A band in which everyone is striving for the exact same thing, in an area in which they feel extremely comfortable. Great melodies, very nostalgic and commercial-ish, but still with a lot of heart.

Love the vocals, by the way. Perfect for this thing.

Now I have an album to take me through a dark and cold winter. Greetings from Sweden!
 
I like the album. Not a great or very good album but a good album. Us Against the World and The Lesson stand out, especially because it's the songs on which the vocalist fits most.

A World Without Heaven is most creative one but it's mostly ruined by vocals.
 
Forostar said:
I already have a clear favourite song in which I actually like the vocal contribution (wouldn't change a bit of it)!
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Is it Judas ? I really love his voice on this one. He sounds very much like Bono, which I don't appreciate, but, here, that works. And Steve is known for his abrupt bereaks and time changes, but here, at 2:36, he really hits hard. I thought my player had a breakdown.
 
Forostar said:
I already have a clear favourite song in which I actually like the vocal contribution (wouldn't change a bit of it)!
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Is it Judas ? I really love his voice on this one. He sounds very much like Bono, which I don't appreciate, but, here, that works. And Steve is known for his abrupt bereaks and time changes, but here, at 2:36, he really hits hard. I thought my player had a breakdown.
 
I also thought my player had a breakdown on that moment! :)
It is These Are the Hands, but A World Without Heaven is also excellent, I think.
 
There's so much great music out there. I'd rather not bother with something that's to me mediocre - At best. I mean sure, it might grow on me a slight bit, but that would mean I'd be missing out on other stuff to enjoy instead. I'm going to listen to NoTB or Brave New World today instead.

Now, Primal Rock Rebellion. That was pretty cool.
 
Yes, there's so much great music out there. But this is Steve Harris' first solo album.
And this is the Maidenfans forum. So, that's enough reason for me to be blown away by such little patience by a Maidenfan. No offense, these are the circumstances as I see them. Hope you don't mind. :)

Besides, you could have heard the wrong tracks. (As told) I think that the songs are pretty different.
But it's your own choice, of course. Again, I'd never play just a few tracks if I'd be really interested in it.
And I am interested, since Harris is playing on all of them.
 
I have to admit I was intrigued at first, but was severely let down. So it's not a matter of interest, just that my expectations weren't met.
 
Yax said:
my expectations weren't met.
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You had expectations for a few songs or for a whole album?

On the Primal Rock Rebellion album I can easily name three songs that I find disappointing.
I am glad that I heard the rest. Not that this happens with every album, but you can never know before you try.
 
I had expectations for the music. I expected a vocalist I could appreciate. I expected to be hooked instantly, or least have my interest maintaned. Don't try and say I have to listen through the entire album three times over with a notepad and pencil in my hand to understand its value :p . You often realise right away whether it's something you're going to appreciate or not - Which is the same reason I did not bother with Blaze's latest album (I loved the three first and liked the rest up until the King of Metal) after hearing the title track.
 
Often yes. I did the same with that Blaze album, but that's because I lost some interest in him before that.

But this time I thought it was different.

And the music on this album is stylistically diverse (it differs per track).

Well, in all honesty: I was disappointed by the first three tracks (especially by the vocals!) and then when the 4th hit in, I suddenly thought "Hey, is this still turning into something?". It sounds pretty different (both in style and production). Later, after completing the whole, I realized that the album has quite a few different things going on.
I have played it 4 times, and I can enjoy the opening track much more now. Fantastic melodic bass patterns!
Too bad that it sounds like the singer sings half in the mic during the first two songs. Or perhaps these were mixed in a different way. I can understand that people think he sounds weak, but the vocals are low in the mix as well, and at times, the bass is really loud. Again I state: this is mainly at the beginning of the album, later there's some more balance.

So imo: especially in this case, I do not think that the first three songs are representative for the style and quality of this whole album.
 
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