The Alchemist

How good is The Alchemist on a scale of 1-10?

  • Total voters
    12
Daily Song: The Alchemist

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Today's song: The Alchemist

Yesterday's song remains open for voting! You can find it here.

I think this track nails it. Bruce kills here, and another Janick Gers special. 9/10. One of my favourite prototypical fast tracks of the Reunion Era, for sure.
 
Re: Daily Song: The Alchemist

10/10. One of, if not the best of the uptempo rockers. Janick's blistering solo is one of my all time favourites, and one of his best. Cool lyrics...I always enjoy researching a new topic that the band has introduced me to. Bruce's vocal is outstanding, and his rapid delivery is remarkable. For me, this is one of those timeless pieces that could have come off one of the '80's albums. A killer tune...
 
Re: Daily Song: The Alchemist

Bruce's storytelling intensity during the second verse adds something special. The chorus is musically and vocally sweet as honey, perfect. Janick's solo is a thrill to listen to everytime in a "will he or won't he lose control of this crazy solo". He rides it to the end like a master of the rodeo and it is a definite candidate for best solo on an album full of amazing solos.

My favourite reunion rocker/short song including openers.

10
 
Re: Daily Song: The Alchemist

7/10, one of my least faves from the album but still a good song. The highlight is the solo.
 
Re: Daily Song: The Alchemist

Somehow 'The Alchemist' reminds me of 'Montsegur'...I quite like the song, the vocal melody in the chorus with the guitar harmony part over and above. (8/10)
 
Re: Daily Song: The Alchemist

7/10. It's pretty good but just does not inspire me to not press the "next track" button.
 
Re: Daily Song: The Alchemist

It's catchy, but irritating. I think it would fit DOD, but not this album. Worst song from TFF. 5/10.
 
Re: Daily Song: The Alchemist

We now have entered the best part of the album: the middle (alright it's a bit over the middle/beginning of the 2nd half  :D ).

music
This really was the type of song I hadn't expected anymore. A short and strong song!
Maiden can still do it! Rainmaker was perhaps the last one of this level. That one had its own qualities, but this one has way more energy. A very fresh song.

In fact, I find it one of the best short songs (under 5 minutes) of this line-up. Yes, it does remind us a lot of "Be Quick or Be Dead" and "Man on the Edge" (some riffs, and the couplets), but this song has more melody in the chorus, and there's another aspect I admire: There are many different parts in this short and fast track. How did he come up with all this shit all of a sudden? Must be "strange alchemy!" I wonder why this wasn’t used as the title…

A lot of variation, great chorus, and some powerful guitar melodies. Janick: I am less happy with your other track, but thanks for this one! This is indeed what the album needed. :rocker:

lyrics
Ranko said:
My dreams of empire from my frozen queen will come to pass - dreams of empire from his frozen queen? Who is this frozen queen, what empire did she dream of?
Click to expand...

I thought of the idea that this song is about Bruce himself. I know it's about Doctor Dee, but he says "I am Doctor Dee" and I see a double meaning in it.

In this case, with "frozen queen" Bruce refers to his solo career which in fact is frozen, and is one of the few important aspects in his life he's still dreaming of, to continue it, at some point.

Bruce is a magus, an alchemist, who mixes all kinds of elements in his life to make it worth for him.

When he wrote "Taking the Queen" Bruce's solo career was injected with new life (or "alchemy" if you like), but at this time he has left his queen for a longer period... She is frozen.

In "The Alchemist" he writes: "Know this, I will return to this land.... ", and "chain up the demons set free", and "restore the knowledge memory", hinting at us that he still has the will to continue it one day.

There are more songs which reflect on life on The Final Frontier. There's more than meets the eye.

9
 
Re: Daily Song: The Alchemist

This song is good and memorable, but I fail to see anything special about it. 6/10.
 
Re: Daily Song: The Alchemist

This is Iron Maiden going through the motions. On paper it has everything to be a solid song, but the execution is just not there. Initially I absolutely hated this song (as in one of their worst ever) but I have come around to tolerate it, especially the strange alchemy bit. The intro has been done before (this is a basic rehash of many of the shorter length "rockers" of the 2000s), the verses are especially weak and the "I'm the master of the tides", "I'm the keeper of the books" sections just don't seem to fit. Not only have we heard this song before, but Bruce used the title before, and unfortunately this is no Wicker Man (or The Alchemist--which I find to be one his best). 3
 
Re: Daily Song: The Alchemist

I'll give this a 9/10.  I find it odd that so many want Maiden to return to their older style on some songs and when they do those tend to be the lesser rated ones like this one.  To me this is the most old school Maiden has sounded in a long time.  Probably since Fallen Angel on BNW.  I'll continue to point to songs like this and Talisman as to why Janick continues to be so important to Maiden.

Honestly the only thing I don't like about this number is the title.  Great dual leads, great lyrics, a good vocal performance and a great Gers solo. 
 
Re: Daily Song: The Alchemist

I am one of those who strongly prefer Maiden's old style, but I don't hear it in The Alchemist. I do however hear it in El Dorado (and even to an extent in The Talisman). The Alchemist is a very typical rocker of the 2000s era, and few of these songs (Rainmaker, Wicker Man being the exceptions) do anything for me. This song seems tossed off, and doesn't have the hunger of the earlier material. I am also not a huge fan of Janick's playing style which tends to be much sloppier than the smooth, precise solos from Murray and Smith, though I certainly do appreciate many of Gers' songs such as Ghost of the Navigator and Ghost of The Navigator II: The Talisman.
 
Re: Daily Song: The Alchemist

In the past, I've complained a bit about the lack of shorter, more to the point songs on recent Maiden albums, but I think I was wrong to do so. Lengthy progressive stuff is what they do best these days. This is another perfectly acceptable "rocker" that somehow drifts by without leaving any mark. At least it doesn't drag. 6/10.
 
Re: Daily Song: The Alchemist

What a great song! First one to get my attention off of TFF. Generally I don't really like Janick songs but this one is a gem. 10/10
 
Re: Daily Song: The Alchemist

A kickass throwback that could have fit in perfectly on Powerslave. Compact, well-structured with a breakneck pace, cool lyric, nice chorus, and ripping solo — everything a rocker should be. Nine.
 
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