The Book of Souls: General album discussion

It's a shame to hear that.

Having listened to Disc 2 now, some additional thoughts/questions:

1) Does Death or Glory have a lick underneath the chorus (particularly the 2nd)? If there is it's so subtle I think I might be hearing things.

2) SOTV gets a slightly more atmospheric chorus due to the orchestration being ever so slightly more noticeable is the main change I remember.

3) TOAC shoots up. There's stuff behind he verses (esp. 2nd) I never noticed before and an already strong chorus gets a little boost.

4) MOS is surprisingly not as different as I expected/hoped. Can't recall anything in particular but that is likely due to what came after...

5) ...Empire Of The Clouds. Man, this has so much hidden depth. As a general point there seems to be a lot of very, very subtle percussion that it's easy to totally miss on lower quality versions. I recall not thinking any percussion came in until the marching snare drum; I missed this and seemingly half the stuff in the piece. Just a few of the more specific things I recall now noticing:

1) during the verses the piano still plays even during the electric guitar bits (e.g. "sailors of the sky") and it's incredibly easy to miss in MP3

2) Someone mentioned hearing bells and I couldn't for the life of me hear them before but I'm pretty sure I heard them between the 7-8 minute mark in the glorious riff after the SOS. I contend you would need superhuman hearing to hear them on a standard copy though.

3) After the second SOS riff at around 8:30, there is a very quiet bit of percussion that sounds a bit like a very quiet metronome tick, but not as regular; it carries on through the rest of the song until the crash. I think it's meant to be rain; can anyone confirm?

Again I think it really needs reiterating how much renewed appreciation I have for Nicko after listening to that. It's quite sad to think how many people could potentially miss the absolutely glorious work he does on that last song.
 
Like with all new Maiden albums this one seems to be getting a bit of a mixed response. For the most part, the diehards (those of us crazy enough to seek out and actively post on Maiden message boards) like it a lot, many claiming best since Seventh Son or at the least best in awhile.

Among the general public the reception seems a bit more mixed. Clearly folks with unrealistic expectations or just people who don't like newer Maiden. There's never going to be a way of pleasing them.

After nearly a week of listening to little but this album all I know is that I love it. To be fair I kind of knew I'd like it before even listening to it but something about the way this band writes songs and produces albums just hits me where no other bands do.
 
I really like the album after two weeks of intense listening. I only skip TRATB. I think the production is really weak. There is no punch at all, in my opinion. It is real shame. There are some really cool riffs and melodies that get lost in the paper thin guitar sound and pottery drum sound. However the song writing is quite consistent as far as I am concerned.
 
I've been scouring reviews for days and keeping up with the comments here to see if anything speaks to what I've been feeling about this album, and actually have found most of them to be unconditionally positive (mainly looking at the main press, and Amazon.com and Amazon.de). Metal-Archives seemed to have a fair mix of reviews though, and then this less-than-effusive one was just posted on one of my favorite metal blogs: http://www.angrymetalguy.com/iron-maiden-the-book-of-souls-review/

Angry Metal Guy has been doing a very well-thought out retrospective of Maiden's career and ranked their albums from "worst to be(a)st." It's a fun read if you haven't checked it out yet. He has some interesting and very strong opinions (sometimes controversial!) and I think he expresses a lot better than I can some of my impressions of the new album. I've waited until now to post anything because I wanted to have time to let everything sink in.

I had pumped myself up all Friday afternoon and waited until late in the evening to dive into the music for the first time with headphones. After all that buildup and excitement though, I have to admit the first few songs came as a letdown. It was a struggle to get through disc 1, but I did enjoy much of disc 2 on first listen. Since that evening I've listened to the album everywhere. A few times on headphones, several times blaring through the stereo, and on repeat during a car trip. I still can't say I love the album, but I like it and hope it will continue to grow on me. I'm one of the fans who quietly worships TFF and has developed an intense appreciation for AMOLAD even though neither of them surpasses ones like NOTB, POM, and SSOASS in my book. I put the modern albums and classic albums on separate pedestals and I listen to them at different times depending on my mood. Usually modern Maiden takes multiple listens to reveal new riches. I just don't know how often I will be coming back to TBOS.

I was going to give a song-by-song review but a lot of you have already done such a good job with this, I'd just be repeating all the same strengths and weaknesses, so I'm going to skip that for now. The songs that stood out to me were the beautiful Man of Sorrows, EOTC, and TOAC. IESF and TBOS have grown on me since then. Like a few of you here, I'm still not sure where TRATB stands. I like parts of it, but not the song as a whole. This album has been frustrating because the melodies on it didn't hook me right away (especially true for disc 1). Neither did the guitar solos. There were just a couple sections that made me sit up and get carried away by the music (intro to EOTC, for example, and that spacey section in TMOS). It's as if Maiden wrote some of their most straightforward music and then tried to make it more complex as an afterthought. (And I like complexity!).

There are a lot of different Maiden elements on display here: the folksy, the storytelling, the pensive and existential, the theatrical and epic, and the dashing and somewhat comical. Maiden usually use all these different elements very well. For me, it's just not coming together this time and the album lacks cohesion. Stricter editing and more rehearsals might have helped.
 
I don't consider myself diehard, but I'm here and listened to them, on and off, since'81. I like new Maiden, I thought TFF was wonderful.
I just don't want to rain on the parade.
BOS is the least creative of all their albums to me. All previous 15 were unique whilst staying within their rigid structure.
BOS isn't different at all. In fact it deliberately apes previous works and falls into self-parady. And the production is rough, but that's to be expected.

But it's still Maiden and I like it to a degree.
 
eddie666 said:
BOS is the least creative of all their albums to me. All previous 15 were unique whilst staying within their rigid structure.
BOS isn't different at all. In fact it deliberately apes previous works and falls into self-parady.
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Agree with you here! I haven't been able to figure out the identity of the album yet. Maiden haven't been self-referential since their "Iron Maiden" song in 1980, and that's something I really respect them for. They don't have to pander to that sort of thing. I would rather hear all original melodies and riffs, than repurposed ones, even if this was an intentional move. Maybe these repeated bits and pieces are supposed to be a shout-out to the biggest fans? If so, I hope it will be a temporary experiment.
 
The review I read in Aardschok (Dutch metal mag) had a rating of 8, which is quite good, but the text was negative. E.g.:
"The album is one big recycle bin!"
 
Hehehe!

Indeed. The reviewer exagerrates a bit I think:

"In TRATB you hear a lot of Rime of the Ancient Mariner."
A lot? Not really, at least not in length, or in many different parts.

"The guitar solo in Speed of Light is the same melody as the vocal line in Futureal"
This is better, I heard that too (I think I was the first). But it's not the guitar solo, but a melody.

"The beginning of Shadows of the Valley, begins exactly as Wasted Years"
Exactly? Nah.

"And so, almost every song is a feast of recognition (is very familiar). You could make a quiz out of it."
Shall we? ;--) Maybe, rather not. Not yet at least.

Positive commentary:
Still the album is better than the previous two efforts so that's good. And the cover as well. Also he is impressed by the final song although he preferred to have the story in eight minutes. <_<
 
Ok, so after almost two weeks my opinion is little different. Still mindblowing album but not great. It's just amazing. And this is first maiden album in long time where I like every song.

My only issue is with Nicko and Steve. Nicko is to quiet and I almost can't hear Steve but that's maybe my headphones.
 
"In TRATB you hear a lot of Rime of the Ancient Mariner."

Or nothing at all. I don't hear any Rime at all in that song.

"The guitar solo in Speed of Light is the same melody as the vocal line in Futureal"
I can't hear that similarity. Can you point to some exact points in both songs where they are similar?

"The beginning of Shadows of the Valley, begins exactly as Wasted Years"
This reviewer does not play the guitar.

"And so, almost every song is a feast of recognition (is very familiar). You could make a quiz out of it."
Bollocks. For a song to be a "feast of recognition" I think it would require a major motif or part being very similar to a different song. Or even more than one per song.
 
Dr. Eddies Wingman said:
"In TRATB you hear a lot of Rime of the Ancient Mariner."

Or nothing at all. I don't hear any Rime at all in that song.
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Dr. Eddies Wingman said:
"The guitar solo in Speed of Light is the same melody as the vocal line in Futureal"
I can't hear that similarity. Can you point to some exact points in both songs where they are similar?
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Hmm I am now listening to Futureal and the end of the melody is clearly different.
Initially I thought of the vocal melody in Futureal's verses:
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and these guitars (which are also heard under Bruce in the prechorus) in Speed of Light:
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Now I hear more differences.
 
So @Forostar ,

I'm actually quite interested to know how the album holds up for you in regards to what you said prior to the release if you remember that.

Naturally, I don't remember your choice words back then but you predicted that the album would "challenge" the fan base. Also you hoped Maiden would not repeat themselves. How do you think they did?

There's more than a few nods to old stuff on the album I think. But what's your thoughts?
 
Well, that slow gallop is used in Rime, but it's hardly the most unique guitar rhythm part in Maiden's history. It is a very typical motif not just in Maiden, but in heavy metal in general. Prime example.


As for the Futureal-Speed of Light comparison: I understand now which part he finds similar. If you count the guitar melody as four bars of 4/4, the second of the four bars is similar to the second bar of the Futureal verse. But saying that the guitar melody in SoL is the same as the vocal line in Futureal based on this? Hell no.
 
Sixes, I can't speak for the whole fanbase, nor can I speak for the specific part of the fanbase I adressed (which was a part I did not identity with myself). We could look up my literal words, but it's up to these people what they think, to see how close or far I was with these comments.

I have longed for Maiden getting out of certain formulas and I think they did that very well, The Red and the Black being an exception. There are some recyclings in other songs, but not that clear or annoying as in some stuff from the past. Perhaps I can bear it better than on older records, who knows, because of the energy and creativity this album encompasses. The opening track, the last three are fine new moments in the Maiden catalogue.

The first two songs on side B have very catchy melodies imo. This side is very, very satisfying. Side one closes with the majestic, epic title track. I hear Losfer Words, but it also has some great vocal work and solos going on there.
 
There's some slow intros there but this time it has been chosen very carefully. Yes, nods to Losfer, Wasted Years, some SIT stuff...but overall I'm in agreement with you - also with this:

Forostar said:
The opening track, the last three are fine new moments in the Maiden catalogue.
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My favorite four tracks on the album :)
 
Dr. Eddies Wingman said:
Well, that slow gallop is used in Rime, but it's hardly the most unique guitar rhythm part in Maiden's history. It is a very typical motif not just in Maiden, but in heavy metal in general. Prime example.
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I hear a difference in that Dio song Wingman!

HD: taa-tatataa-tatataa-taa-taa, taa-tatataa-tatataaaaa-taa
Rime: taa-tatataa tatataa tatataa tatataa tatataa tatataa
 
SixesAlltheway said:
There's some slow intros there but this time it has been chosen very carefully. Yes, nods to Losfer, Wasted Years, some SIT stuff...but overall I'm in agreement with you - also with this:



My favorite four tracks on the album :)
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In the first week I thought so as well. but I am still not sure, because the first two songs on side B are very nice in their own right, even if they feel less dramatic, epic. Hard to compare. And there are moments when I find the title track as least as good as Eternity and the others. Can't make up my mind yet, I am not going to rate yet. :)
 
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