THE CRUSADE OF EPICS: Results -> A Change Of Seasons wins!
- Thread starter Night Prowler
- Start date
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
I like “Child In Time”, but I don’t love it. It doesn’t really do a whole lot overall. The lyrics are interesting, and I really appreciate Gillan’s high notes, but I’m not a terribly big fan of the instrumental section in the middle, and I don’t think it’s a terribly creative song as a whole. I do appreciate what it’s going for though, and it is a good song, just not a great one.
RANDOM: Listening to “Child In Time” made me a little sad that no one nominated Uriah Heep’s “July Morning”. That’s a phenomenal epic from a ‘70s proto-metal band, way better than anything Deep Purple ever did.
Now, “Keeper Of The Seven Keys”, on the other hand — I struggle to think of anything I’d change about this song. Maybe Kiske’s accent isn’t the best, but he hits those notes, man. This song is just so much more creative, inventive, and epic than DP’s. The music rocks hard as fuck. Each section is well thought-out, and even if the story is a bit cheesy, it works because they make it work. And when Kiske hits the final high, goddamn. It’s the gold standard of power metal epics.
Keeper Of The Seven Keys.
RANDOM: Listening to “Child In Time” made me a little sad that no one nominated Uriah Heep’s “July Morning”. That’s a phenomenal epic from a ‘70s proto-metal band, way better than anything Deep Purple ever did.
Now, “Keeper Of The Seven Keys”, on the other hand — I struggle to think of anything I’d change about this song. Maybe Kiske’s accent isn’t the best, but he hits those notes, man. This song is just so much more creative, inventive, and epic than DP’s. The music rocks hard as fuck. Each section is well thought-out, and even if the story is a bit cheesy, it works because they make it work. And when Kiske hits the final high, goddamn. It’s the gold standard of power metal epics.
Keeper Of The Seven Keys.
Child in Time isn't just long, it's got some structure about it with a bit of buildup. One thing I'm not keen on is the last minute or so, which just seems tacked on and pointless, rather than a good way of playing out. It really sounds dated too.
Helloween isn't a band I associate with epics. Too playful and with little depth. Keeper of the Seven Keys is a bit throwaway and messy in the verses. The instrumental parts/solos are really quite nice, though, they make up for the scrappy bits. It plays out quite nicely too.
Not a really clear cut choice here, but going for Helloween.
Helloween isn't a band I associate with epics. Too playful and with little depth. Keeper of the Seven Keys is a bit throwaway and messy in the verses. The instrumental parts/solos are really quite nice, though, they make up for the scrappy bits. It plays out quite nicely too.
Not a really clear cut choice here, but going for Helloween.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Keeper of the Seven Keys is kind of messy, but very interesting. I really, really can't stand Kiske's voice, but the music is mostly really good.
Child in Time...is Deep Purple. Revolutionary, I'm sure, but ultimately feels like a blues jam. It certainly doesn't need to be 10 minutes long.
Child in Time...is Deep Purple. Revolutionary, I'm sure, but ultimately feels like a blues jam. It certainly doesn't need to be 10 minutes long.
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
July Morning actually sounds to me like a bastard child of these two songs at hand. It's structurally simplistic (like CIT), yet sounds much closer to the inadequate boastful bombast of KOTSK (CIT for all its flaws is actually more of a lament in that regard). It has the old-school naivete of CIT, but is also full of Kiskesque flamboyant vocal histrionics that are really off-putting (lah-lah-LAAAAAAAH! LAAAAAAH! LAAAAAAAAAH!).
That said, I really like the Moog madness that Mann unleashes in the outro.
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
And to all the others (I don't ask Diz, cause he likes Kind Diamond) - is it more that you actually like Kiske's off caterwauling or is it not enough to put you off?
KidInTheDark666
What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine too
Kiske is amazing.
KidInTheDark666
What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine too
And over 30 years later he sounds almost exactly the same as back then.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
FYI: I don’t think Kiske is great, but I respect him, and his high notes at the end of “Keeper” are pretty damn good.
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
Hey, I don't even mind this type of singing in general - it's not my favourite, but you won't really find me complaining about John Arch in early Fates Warning (which is on similar level).
It's just that the way he forces it and the way it sounds make me wonder whether the trailing off is a genuine intentional embellishment (that sucks) or whether his control is...not that great. Unfortunately, he got famous in a genre where a lot of regular people equal "sings high" with "sings great"...
The chorus of Keeper is actually really beautiful, but after the first two lines he completely loses me - it sounds strained and over-emoted and off... that's why I have even a hard time respecting him often.
Not everywhere it's this bad - in Eagles Fly Free for example his lines are much better supported by the music and he sounds really good there.
Oh, there's this interview with him
"Many people don't even try to learn how to sing or play right anymore, because the producer can fix it. That's the bad side about it. You don't need to be perfect to convince. There is a charm in not being perfect. If you listen carefully to my records, you will always hear me being a bit sharp or flat here and there within a normal frame. Those elements are totally gone if you use those tool. And it does take away performance and life, because slides in and out of tune are often wanted in a performance."
So let's just say, really, he's keeping it real. Too real for me.
It's just that the way he forces it and the way it sounds make me wonder whether the trailing off is a genuine intentional embellishment (that sucks) or whether his control is...not that great. Unfortunately, he got famous in a genre where a lot of regular people equal "sings high" with "sings great"...
The chorus of Keeper is actually really beautiful, but after the first two lines he completely loses me - it sounds strained and over-emoted and off... that's why I have even a hard time respecting him often.
Not everywhere it's this bad - in Eagles Fly Free for example his lines are much better supported by the music and he sounds really good there.
Oh, there's this interview with him
"Many people don't even try to learn how to sing or play right anymore, because the producer can fix it. That's the bad side about it. You don't need to be perfect to convince. There is a charm in not being perfect. If you listen carefully to my records, you will always hear me being a bit sharp or flat here and there within a normal frame. Those elements are totally gone if you use those tool. And it does take away performance and life, because slides in and out of tune are often wanted in a performance."
So let's just say, really, he's keeping it real. Too real for me.
The Dissident
Ancient Mariner
Keeper is fantastic, but Child In Time is a masterpiece
I've listened to a lot of Child In Time in recent games... for Gillan and Lord in BBE for instance. Still... while it's great... it's not that varied or inventive. It's basically just a mashup of 3 distinct parts:
- keyboards + Gillan - great part
- Gillan screaming - starts out OK but gets tedious after a while
- guitar solo - cool, but could also be shorter
Keeper Of The Seven Keys is way more balanced and varied and goes through many different non-repetitive parts. Feels more like a full album the way it goes through all the different sections, rather than a medley like Child In Time. Also, I love Kiske's vocals.
- keyboards + Gillan - great part
- Gillan screaming - starts out OK but gets tedious after a while
- guitar solo - cool, but could also be shorter
Keeper Of The Seven Keys is way more balanced and varied and goes through many different non-repetitive parts. Feels more like a full album the way it goes through all the different sections, rather than a medley like Child In Time. Also, I love Kiske's vocals.
SixesAlltheway
Ancient Mariner
Child in Time makes the more lasting impression for me.
Several reasons for this. The repetition, the composition that is relatively simple. Ian Gillan makes sure that Child in Time penetrates our brains by using the song title in the first sentence...And then there's the melancholic lyrics which makes for a bittersweet feeling together with the music. And then I'm not even getting into the level of performance from everyone in the band.
Several reasons for this. The repetition, the composition that is relatively simple. Ian Gillan makes sure that Child in Time penetrates our brains by using the song title in the first sentence...And then there's the melancholic lyrics which makes for a bittersweet feeling together with the music. And then I'm not even getting into the level of performance from everyone in the band.
Child in Time passed me by, Keeper is pretty damn good.
Results of Round 2:
Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys
Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand (Nominated by @Collin, @Brigantium)
W.A.S.P. - The Great Misconceptions Of Me (Nominated by @The Dissident)
Well damn. I nominated Achilles because I find it has great 'epic' credentials, structure and drama. But I'd vote for Great Misconceptions up against so many of the other nominations, that's a cracking big finale song. I'm really torn.