TREASURE ISLAND - New Maiden Album (June 6)

[____no5]

White Whales
(Harris) 12:45

--Instrumental--

 

[Diesel 11]

White Whales
(Harris) 12:45

--Instrumental--

White Whales
(Harris) • 12:45

Put out to sea in the early morn
Anchors raised, sails untorn
Didn’t see coming the titanic storm
That broke upon me, a soul forlorn

Wasted time wandering through
Looking upon the ocean blue
For that which scarred me, tore me in two
Left my mind shattered, left me to rue

The skies were all calm, the sails were furled
Another day’s harvest, silent all the world
Peace was my friend, horizons wide
Had no glimpse of the monsters that hide

Suddenly awakened, to my horror and amaze
And anger that tore like flesh set ablaze
Pain and misfortune are all that I see
The harrowing evil that ripped right through me

Every waking hour, I see a mocking grin
Leering at me, beckoning my soul from within
If murder makes a man mad, then mad I must be
The waves carry a madness that is my sea

I can see a billowing white
In my head every second, every day, every night
To rid this evil, for that I hoist the sails
I must kill my white whales

I have become obsessed
With something that has done me wrong
Cannot let go of this anger
Cannot let go of the pain

I take my life in my hands
I wash my hands of the matter
This matter that drives me on
Would shatter many a soul not worth living

And the great blue shroud of the sea
Rolled on as it rolled through the centuries

I ignore all of the warnings
They stand in my way
There is a hell to pay
The hunt carries on and on and on

And the great blue shroud of the sea
Rolled on as it rolled through the centuries
And from Hell’s heart I stab at thee
To purify the evil that’s within me

And the great blue shroud of the sea
Rolled on as it rolled through the centuries
And from Hell’s heart I stab at thee
To purify the evil that’s within me

My last act will forever be
To rid my life of the scourge that defies me
I know that to kill I sail
I must destroy my white whales

Only death can be my cure
Can save my twisted mind from despair
I have lost myself to my obsession
And thus I give up the spear
And thus I give up my breath

 

[Diesel 11]

Well, now that April Fools' Day is coming to an end, time to thank everyone who enjoyed this year's spectacle because I had a lot of fun putting it together. Firstly a shoutout to @Night Prowler , who has always been my inspiration when I do this. Sworn Angel is the GOAT. Love you, man.

So where did Treasure Island first originate in my head? This post, nearly two years ago. Yeah, this whole thing has been in my drafts since summer of 2023. I have been constantly tweaking the idea since I first came up with it. The original had a different tracklist:

1. Treasure Island (Gers/Harris) 11:22
2. Swashbuckler (Gers/Harris) 4:45
3. All For One (Smith/Dickinson) 6:57
4. Hallowed Ground (Smith/Dickinson) 6:11
5. The Count Of Monte Cristo (Smith/Harris) 7:48
6. The Man In The Iron Mask (Harris) 11:57
7. The Call Of The Wild (Gers/Harris) 8:17
8. White Whales (Harris) 12:45
9. Lady Macbeth (Smith/Dickinson) 7:19
10. Invisible Man (Harris) 8:46
11. The Wind In The Willows (Harris) 12:29

I was never really satisfied with how literary this was, so over the past 22 months I've come up with other possible ideas for song titles, rearranged the tracklist, etc. The end result is what you saw in the opening post.

The tracklist isn't the only thing that evolved. I've also spent a ton of time going through free photo editors to find a better title font lmao. The one I settled with still isn't perfect, but it's good enough. Here's the link to the picture I found for Eddie. I was really happy to see that it was right in the style of the previous two albums, with the face shot and the black background.

So why did I wait this long to use Treasure Island for my April Fools' joke? Well one of the big things is that I always want them to feel a little believable. The timing just wasn't right last year. Maiden would not release an album right after Bruce, in the middle of a tour, and with Bruce himself going on a solo tour. It doesn't make sense. So instead I threw out that Steve Harris/Janick Gers album which was fun but nothing big.

This year made a lot more sense. The band is about to embark on a new tour, they're celebrating their 50th anniversary, and there was a lot of impatience in the 18th album speculation thread that made me think the time was right. Obviously I do this for shits and giggles, but I also enjoy the fanfiction aspect of these things, and so I really try to go all in when I do this kind of thing.

So why the Kerrang! interview and the song lyrics? Well, again, I had this shit in my drafts for nearly two years. In that time I kept thinking about the songs and what they could sound like, and before I knew it I was also writing lyrics and coming up with melodies for them. It was a lot of fun and when I prepared to drop the thread this year I decided to use the opportunity to show off what's been bouncing around my noggin for so damn long.

It seems like people enjoyed the thread, I enjoyed tinkering with it. April Fools' is a big dumb day but it's also so much fun to invest yourself in it. So thank you to everyone who left a like or a laugh and had some fun with me today imagining Treasure Island with me. Now time to answer my mailbox!

Who designed the cover, Azas Riggs?

Nah, Eddie would've had six fingers and a crooked nose then.

The June 6 is telling 6 x3 =18 albums

Not intentional, it was just the date that made the most sense!

Was it last year's or yesteryear that had the Somewhere in Paris spoof joke?

2023.

It would be much better if the effort was put in to really make it sound like it could be genuine then post it a week after April fools day. That would really suck people in and would be hilarious watching so many people lose their mind over a new album only to find out it’s all fake

If I did that people would yell at me for wasting their time just like you're doing now. Not to mention I couldn't even blame it on the calendar lol.

I like it, but I would have made less of the songs pirates related.

It's 2/12 songs man! Both written by Janick! Give it a chance!

Reading the lyrics and making up a, albeit blurry, rendition in ones head is fun. I WANT MY SWASHBUCKLER SONG FOR REAL NOW, DAMNIT.

This was the goal.

Another classic Harris line in a Murray co-written song

Yeah the biggest thing with this is that with each song I had to try to approach it from a Maiden perspective. Steve was the easiest 'cuz I could just throw a rough draft together and boom, it's not like he'd go back and edit it lol.

@Diesel 11, have you been listening to Dartagnan (and maybe The Pogues) as well as Alestorm? I see familiar themes emerging here ...

Nope. I haven't listened to Alestorm in years (barring a couple songs here and there that pop up on my partner's playlists).

Dat you Azas

Everything here was written by me, Diesel 11. No AI generation whatsoever. It probably would've been better if I had used ChatGPT, but I have morals! I have standards! I have ethics! I am DIESEL! I AM

This is my one day of the year where I go full Azas. Or maybe Azas just goes full Diesel everyday?

-------------

Okay, so now that that's over with, and I've cleared this from my inventory, it's time for me to polish off my The Book of Kings concept I made back in 2021? 22?

For real though, I have no idea what April 1, 2026, will bring. But come hell or high water, I will see you then!

 

[____no5]

Next album we want at least one instrumental

 

[Mosh]

Next year I am obviously expecting you to record the songs as well.

 

[Azas]

Dat you Azas

Ha ha, that's so nice of you. Three of my fiction short stories was published in my home country (although, I admit that was a while ago) So, in that aspect i'm doing fine. I have the chops, thank you.




Deluxe Edition:

Japanese edition:

Bahamas edition:

Collector's edition:

 

[MindRuler]

Nice @Diesel 11 ! You put a lot of effort and love in this one.

 

[Spambot]

Next year I am obviously expecting you to record the songs as well.

Powered by Diesel tour in 2027.

 

[Vaenyr]

I really appreciate the effort you put into this @Diesel 11 and props for not taking the easy way out and using AI!

 

[____no5]

Next album we want at least one instrumental

Don't look at me like that, make it happen Diesel

 

[Brigantium]

Thing is I really WANT to hear what a Maiden Wind in the Willows song would be like now. And why stop there? Why not the disturbing horror that is Watership Down?

 

[Vaenyr]

In a twist of fate Steve somehow stumbles upon this post and decides to go ahead with a pirate themed Maiden album as soon as possible. He'll do his best old Bilbo impression:

 

[Black Abyss Babe]

Why not the disturbing horror that is Watership Down?

In a twist of fate Steve somehow stumbles upon this post and decides to go ahead with a pirate themed Maiden album as soon as possible

To be released on September 19th, obviously ...

 

[Black Abyss Babe]

Oh and, of course, never forget this:
https://forum.maidenfans.com/threads/new-album-wrath-of-the-waters-fake.71696/post-891184

Come on Steve - it's what the fans want