The Final Frontier: individual album judgement by yours truly

For me this album would have been perfect (well, not perfect, but better):

-> if the title track was without Satellite 15
-> and TMWWBK to be a short rocker (4 min.)

For sure it's (unfairly) a lot underrated.
 
Kalata said:
if the title track was without Satellite 15
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Satellite 15 is a pretty unique start to a Maiden album though. I wouldn’t want them to get rid of it, but maybe slim it down so it isn’t as long as it is.
 
Diesel 11 said:
Satellite 15 is a pretty unique start to a Maiden album though. I wouldn’t want them to get rid of it, but maybe slim it down so it isn’t as long as it is.
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1 or at most 2 minutes long would have been better. I'm glad that it is not a separate track. I cannot denied that it sets the atmosphere of the album quite well though.

Recently, I listen a lot to the title track (of course, skip the 4 minutes intro!) and I like it more and more. Yeah, it's pretty simple for a Maiden title track, but has a wonderful chorus and brutal solos. Straightforward rocker! I think I should gave it more than a 6. It would be great to see it live again (El Dorado too).
 
1. Satellite 15… The Final Frontier 9/10
2. El Dorado 9/10
3 Mother of Mercy 7/10
4 Coming Home 8/10
5- the alchemist 8/10
6- isle of avalon 10/10
7- Starblind 10/10
8-The Talisman 7/10
9-The man who would be king 9/10
10-When the wild wind blows 9/10

8,6/10

BRILLIANT

In my humble opinion, it's a very Good album with lot of creative ideas. (It's remarkable that there are six songs where Adrian is credited)
The best ones are Isle of Avalon and Starblind (progressive songs at its best). Adrian is superb in both.
The weakest songs for me are Mother of Mercy and The Talisman. Bruce is singing at his limit here, maybe if the song was created in a lower key he would sang more comfortable. Because I'm suffering hearing the chorus in both of the songs really.
The man who would be king is a very good song with beautiful melodies, the riffs sometimes reminds me to The Thin line between love and hate. I don't know why all the songs co-written with Dave Murray are always in the 'B side' of the album.
The cover artwork is one of the worst in Maiden's catalog. I would choose El Dorado cover single, that kind of style of retro scify-comics drawings
 
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Fine for you, but The Talisman is too long musically and lyrically. It's a good story but too long and compressed in 9 min. There's no breath on it. The first 2 minutes is practically the same that The Legacy and the Janick solo is horrible here and reminds me to Fear is the Key. And repeat what I said before, If the song was created in a lower key Bruce could sing more comfortable.
 
Satellite 15 8/10
El Dorado 8/10
Mother of Mercy 8/10
Coming Home 10/10
The Alchemist 9/10
Isle of Avalon 10/10
Starblind 10/10
The Talisman 10/10
The Man Who Would Be King 7/10
Where The Wild Wind Blows 9/10

Average song rating 8.9
Overall album rating 88%
 
  1. Satellite 15 - 6/10
  2. The Final Frontier - 8.75/10
  3. El Dorado - 7.75/10
  4. Mother of Mercy - 7.75/10
  5. Coming Home - 7.25/10
  6. The Alchemist - 8.5/10
  7. Isle of Avalon - 8.75/10
  8. Starblind - 7.5/10
  9. The Talisman - 9.25/10
  10. The Man who would be King - 7.25/10
  11. When the wild wind blows - 9.75/10
Average: 8.04/10
 
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THE FINAL FRONTIER (2010)

1. Satellite 15... The Final Frontier - 9/10
The intro is quite interesting, although a bit lengthy. I really dig TFF though, such a fun rocker.

2. El Dorado - 9/10
Bruce really has a lot of issues throughout this album, and while he shines on the chorus, the verses lack that special sort of punch he’d be able to infect on another record. Love the triple guitar solos though.

3. Mother Of Mercy - 5/10
Pros: the music is pretty decent and the “soldier of war” and ending parts are good. But man, what a waste. After an album of war related material, this feels almost pedestrian. The lyrics are bland, they shoehorn in religion for no reason... it’s a bland song.

4. Coming Home - 10/10
This one feels sorta like a solo Bruce song, and he really throws himself into it. Great lyrics too.

5. The Alchemist - 8/10
Solid rocker, it’s fun and catchy. The instrumental is neato.

6. Isle Of Avalon - 8/10
If Bruce put on a better performance this one would be awesome. Unfortunately, it ends up being strong yet a bit tedious.

7. Starblind - 8/10
It’s poetry with music behind it. Not the strongest song ever, although I dig parts of the instrumental section.

8. The Talisman - 10/10
Fuck yes. Exactly what was needed to rejuvenate the album. Bruce is fucking fantastic here.

9. The Man Who Would Be King - 7/10
Weird amalgamation although not a terrible song. Stale in places, interesting in others.

10. When The Wild Wind Blows - 10/10
Mammoth closer. Two great instrumental sections and a haunting tale unfolding before you. Truly epic.

A weird album for the band. Has its moments, has its pitfalls too.

Rating: 84%
 
The Final Frontier - My Review

Satellite 15… The Final Frontier: 7
El Dorado: 7,5
Mother Of Mercy: 8
Coming Home: 8,5
The Alchemist: 8
Isle Of Avalon: 7,5
Starblind: 9
The Talisman: 10
The Man Who Would Be King: 9
When The Wild Wind Blows: 9,5

Album Average: 8,5
 
The tentative title for the song ''The Alchemist'' was House Of Dr. D

Originally, Adrian would also have a solo in ''The Man Who Would Be King'' (after Dave's solo) - but it was replaced with the triple-lead guitar harmony.

source:../ Kevin Shirley's diary for The Final Frontier

ironmaiden.com

THE FINAL FRONTIER - RECORDING DIARY BY KEVIN SHIRLEY - Iron Maiden

January 6, 2010 Los Angeles – Nassau Been working flat-out at home in Malibu. I’m pretty burnt out. I’ve just remixed the classic Deep Purple album, Come Taste The Band […]
ironmaiden.com ironmaiden.com
 
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