The Parchment

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


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Jon

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Thread for all discussion of the track 'The Parchment' from Iron Maiden's 17th studio album 'Senjutsu'.
 
I heard some early 70s influence there too, not too direct but a bit of a Wishbone Ash or Uriah Heep vibe.

Not Beckett here -- when Maiden does Beckett, they just steal wholesale and don't give proper credit for it.

(Now I'm afraid to play the Beckett album again, for fear I'll find another song Maiden stole from...)
 
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First of all; WOW! Incredible that Steve Harris could still write a 10+ minute song of this quality, maybe song of the album for me now, and my favourite Harris song since Fear of the Dark. Yes, we hear alot of To Tame a Land and Powerslave in this one but it really don't seem like a copy-and-paste or nostalgia thing here, these elements hold their own in the new context of this song. Really enjoy the long instumental section on this one and Bruce is amazing towards the end, should have been the closer for the album, strong showing here and think it will go down as one of Maiden's greats
 
This one is going to take a while to fully sink in, but I already really enjoy it. It's definitely the most epic track on the album. Reminds me a bit of TTAL and Nomad in that parts feel like a film score (minus the Beckett plagiarism as far as I know lol). 6 solos? Fuck yeah!
 
It is hard to praise this song enough. I wanted to wait a while with writing in these song topics but I cannot control my admiration anymore.

This is so bloody good. The tempo, that beginning, with its haunting bass and keyboard. The drumming, the groove. That arabic/(middle) eastern vibe. The riffing. And on top of this, also the best solo of the album. Dave Murray.

My, my, this is outright fantastic. How can a band of such age, after so many decades, produce this.
 
Great song. Maybe a little too long. It would have been perfect to bring an orchestra on this song.
 
Good luck with enjoying this album, then. It happens in several songs. Although I'd say the guitar (melody) could have been there first and Bruce follows but also does variations (sings faster).

This is Maiden for you since The Final Frontier.
 
By now, I've been noticing that some parts are repeated a "bit" (perhaps too) often. I confess that I wasn't bothered by it at first, but it is slowly creeping up a bit.

Still.... the huge force coming from this beast is immense. Very heavy riffs, the tempo (a little slower than usual) is a giving that extra touch.
Nicko's drums are really cool to follow. And how the guitars alternate between melodies and riffs as well. Very cool on headphones.
 
Of course there is repetition. Even Bruce said it in his interview. We knew that beforehand. There is a reason why most bands don't do songs as long. What makes this special to me is that the previous efforts for more than 20 years were just BAD (IMO). This song contains a certain majic and punch regardless of its' shortcomings.
 
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