This album has grown on me the most of any Maiden album over the years since TXF because, though I agree much of it retreads old territory, there were a lot of new ideas and concepts. I prefer BNW and AMOLAD as far as post-reunion albums, but they're very much standard Maiden fodder. TFF is more playful. I've been meaning to do a whole write-up about how the album has aged, but for now:
Satellite 15... The Final Frontier - 3. Satellite 15 alone I'd give an 8 (bold I know but bizarre kind of electronic instrumental numbers are in my wheelhouse), but TFF is such a boring ass letdown from a rather novel intro by Maiden standards. Sat15 is a unique breath of fresh air that leads into a paint-by-numbers Maiden tune. Besides, the biggest flaw of AMOLAD is its one line x4 choruses, and here we have The Final Frontier x4 as the first thing we hear, the stage-setting tune.
El Dorado - 7. Slick, a callback to Wasted Years and 2MTM. While it is unoriginal for old Maiden, these short, smart songs are in short supply post-reunion.
Mother of Mercy - 7. I talked about this song's flaws at length
here. The instrumentation, verses, and prechorus hold enough promise for me to put this song at a 7.
Coming Home - 10. Don't think this needs too much explanation. Stellar lyrics, an instrumental that captures perfectly that swell that comes up in your chest when you return home after an extended leave. It borrows a lot from Out of the Shadows, imo, but in a good way.
The Alchemist - 8. This probably requires more explanation. The Alchemist is El Dorado's deceptively smarter cousin. It's a lot simpler with no frills, but it hits in all the right places and its strengths unfold with more active listening. I had this ranked the lowest when I first listened to the album, but
my obsession with John Dee came through I came to appreciate it as a nice change of pace from Iron Maiden's progressive tendencies. Also really enjoy how the upbeat guitarline contrasts the morose vocals.
Isle of Avalon - 9. This was probably their most ambitious song. I imagine this song was intended to be the "Paschendale" of TFF, the fan favorite for hardcore fans with taste. It's cinematic without overstaying its welcome, it's boundary-pushing sonically for Maiden, and it sounds like the culmination of all the other songs (which makes its placement as the centerpiece of the album perfect). I wish I could've given this song a 10 but despite the song composition's tight execution, the production keeps it from reaching its potential. It should sound as dynamic as Pasch, but it doesn't. Such a shame.
Starblind - 10. Fucking perfect song. While Isle was SUPPOSED to be the Pasch of the album, Starblind ended up being that for me. I can't call it the ultimate Maiden song because what makes it great is that it takes a typical Iron Maiden element (atheism) and it plays with that element in innovative, ingenious ways. The guitars sound like a cold, blustery wind, the lyrics are pure poetry, the solos and melismas are gripping, and it's all held together by Steve's and Nicko's incredibly tight performances. Maiden really broke from their comfort zone with this and it was incredibly rewarding.
The Talisman - 9. I'm a sucker for nautical Maiden songs (Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Ghost of the Navigator are in my top 3 all-time) so this song had kind of an easy time. Again, this retreads The Legacy with a rather unnecessary intro (kind of the reverse Sat15 problem), but I overlook it because the rest of the song is so well executed. The guitar riff, like GotN, sounds like waves crashing against a ship. Both GoTN and The Talisman share that sense of adventure in tone, but The Talisman has an undercurrent of fear. It's the excitement and trepidation that come with a tremendously risky life transition, and while it doesn't end well for the narrator, the music doesn't really dwell on that, focusing on the more adrenaline-driven emotions.
The Man Who Would Be King - 7? I'm gonna compare this with Isle of Avalon. One of the reasons I praise IOA is it's very "tight." Despite its length, it doesn't feel like it's wandering off anywhere, keeping the listener engaged the whole way. TMWWBK has a more meandering energy, partially because it has a wider range of ideas. It suffers from rather static production even more so than IOA. The guitar work on this song is gorgeous and a standout in the entire Maiden catalogue. I struggled with rating this song because I love many moments in the song, but I can't love the song as a whole. The main riff during the clunky verses and prechorus is a boring riff that sounds like it was used on every VXI song, and the transitions to the most beautiful moments on the song aren't smooth.
Edit: It just hit me that the riff was actually reflecting Still Life, a song that has an atmospheric feel but a very basic riff underlining the verses. The difference of course is that Still Life places the focus during this basic riff on Bruce, allowing room for his passionate delivery to shine. Unfortunately, the vocals are about as basic and dispassionate as the guitar riff in TMWWBK so it can't be as easily dismissed. What a pity.
When The Wild Wind Blows - 8.5. So many repeated ideas. I struggled rating this song too because in a lot of ways it's standard Maiden fodder, except even fucking longer. That being said, it does feel like a very distinguished song from the rest of their catalogue. It comes across to me like a campfire song, a story a father tells his kids while roasting marshmallows over a fire? There's something folksy about the unison vocal and guitar melodies, and the chugging bridge sounds like the ground is falling apart beneath the characters' feet. Simple yet cinematic. I appreciate this song for having an interesting direction despite its audacious repetition of previous Maiden songs.
The ratings are against Maiden's entire discography. Considering most of them are 7+, I've grown so much fonder of TFF (except the title track fuck the title track).
