Tron's Maiden Countdown - ROTAM and AMOLAD win

Re: Tron's Maiden Countdown!

Breeg is VG. Up at #14? Well, if you say so. OotSP #13? Hmmm; not sure about that. I few might think it should be a trifle lower.

I'm quite looking forward to your top 10.
 
Re: Tron's Maiden Countdown!

I like Breeg once it gets heavy but the intro, while nice, has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the rest of the song which knocks it down a bit for me.  It's always felt tacked on.

Out of the Silent Planet is a good song hampered by needless chorus repetition like much of BNW.  Great melodies though!
 
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Ive always taken the intro to breeg as part of it... sort of the character introducing us to his life and suffering? never as just pinned on for me.
:huh:
 
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If your going to knock Breeg for this kind of intro, it would be slightly inconsistent to not criticise other Maiden songs which follow thie same structure; and this would be numerous tracks. Yes/no?
 
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Davey's opening guitar lick is truly haunting...a highlight of AMOLAD along with his solo after the crushingly heavy yet harmonic breakdown riff.
 
Re: Tron's Maiden Countdown!

CriedWhenBrucieLeft said:
If your going to knock Breeg for this kind of intro, it would be slightly inconsistent to not criticise other Maiden songs which follow thie same structure; and this would be numerous tracks. Yes/no?
He's not knocking the song structure of Breeg - He's just saying that the intro doesn't mix that well with the rest of the song.
 
Re: Tron's Maiden Countdown!

#12 - El Dorado - That breakdown at the start grabs me, then the story blows me away. I loved it from its first release in ...June? and thats not left much atall. A brilliant galloping bass section follows into some epic riffs and away into a song packed with powerful musical skill almost showcasing their heavier side. A story comes along in the styling of NPFTD but with a modern twist and more maturity, like a ghost story it was a cold winters night  :) and dark images of us being played as a joke im a jester with no tears... plus smoke and mirrors and the likes is never good in terms of wan...bankers (sorry letter out of place  :lol:)          The story captures well the climate at the time and the returning mood around bankers and their fictitious fields of plenty. I love the brief return to this jokey political writing and it fuelled a bit of nostalgia and caused holy smoke PE#1 to rise To the high end of my ratings.    In addition to the incredible story of that ship of fools sinking, the high chorus and heavy sound make it stand out as one of the best from the latest album for me.

#11 - Still Life - Seem a bit random given my trends? perhaps, but its amazing  :) that slow melodic and chiming intro like a vision, or more a view into our characters wandering sanity. Bruce has a gentle yet fearful sound to the start in the dark depths their faces beconing me and moving to a frustration of being made into a madman introducing a cymbal driven pace... The song centres around this story of a man losing his sanity and slowly coming to the realisation hes lost it and becoming paranoid. It moves at a strangely fun or strangely strange pace through NIGHTMARES! (wonderfully chanted) and i will give you piece of mind my dear? which is clearly madness. The soloing is great and crazy of course  ::)                                                      Then a pretty dark ending which in he takes someone to death to save them from the insanity he experiences alone. Pretty dark but the character sounds happy, deepening that insane sound (someone needs a padded cell) A very fun song and one where the story does continue and go along a path to a dark finale.
 
Re: Tron's Maiden Countdown!

Yax said:
He's not knocking the song structure of Breeg - He's just saying that the intro doesn't mix that well with the rest of the song.

I would suggest a comment, where a song introduction is described as having "absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the rest of the song" and which "knocks it down a bit for me" --is a comment criticising (or "knocking") said song. Ditto: "doesn't mix that well".
 
Re: Tron's Maiden Countdown!

CriedWhenBrucieLeft said:
I would suggest a comment, where a song introduction is described as having "absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the rest of the song" and which "knocks it down a bit for me" --is a comment criticising (or "knocking") said song. Ditto: "doesn't mix that well".
Yes, but he's not knocking it BECAUSE of the song's structure - He's not  saying that songs with slow and mellow intros suck. He's saying it doesn't work in this particular song.
 
Re: Tron's Maiden Countdown!

Yeah id say hes just referring to the structure or working of that intro not working on that particular song rather than as a whole concept...

[glow=red,2,300]ANYWAY[/glow]  :D  My latest update  :lol:
 
Re: Tron's Maiden Countdown!

Yax said:
Yes, but he's not knocking it BECAUSE of the song's structure - He's not  saying that songs with slow and mellow intros suck. He's saying it doesn't work in this particular song.

No, he is knocking it because of its structure. That's exactly what he's criticising, in this case. But, you're right, he's not necessarily criticising all songs which have a similar structure. Sorry Yax, but I'm an argumentative bastard!  :D

I like your two choices Tron. I still really like El Dorado. And, SL is a great track. I remember how thrilling it was watching the start of Dave's solo on Maiden England, when I first saw it.
 
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#10 - The Longest Day - The almost orchestral marching intro preparing for a song that i really cant get enough of, puking shaking fear, no escape, enter hells gates... The mood builds incredibly through the approach to the beach and the building anxiety while the soldiers knew what was coming, it helps the suspense that we also know whats coming. Bruce lets out that massive chorus it gives me chills everytime i hear it to imagine the scene that day. The ammount of emotion put into one section of music, the high vocals building bass and harmonising guitar... a ghostly hand reaches through the veil, blood and sand we will prevail just how f***ing amazing is that writing (my favourite line of the song as you might have guessed) likening the longest day to a darker trooper on steroids you take my life but ill take yours too style.                                  The feast for emotion continues and instrumental takes over at 4:32. It pounds away at first like gunfire before a more lunging  ;) area of guitar and then that amazing solo and the swaying melody again lost to gunfire. Im left in awe.         


Album #4 - Brave New World -
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Great songs Out of the Silent planet, The thin line between love and hate, Brave new World and live giants like the wicker man, Blood brothers and ghost of the navigator. Unfortunately the later 3 songs dont really come up to much when they arent being played live and this seems to be the story of the album, They are all amazing live tracks (that weve heard) and on paper shold be fantastic but dont work anywhere near as well on an ipod. Its creeping down and i can imagine it below the last couple of albums soon... For now though im happy with it here, some of these songs i do love as youve seen and unfortunately some songs are gradually fading and losing their appeal like overplayed wicker man.
 
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#9 - Powerslave - another masterpiece to continue the top 10. starting off with that unmistakeable gallop and to bruces ancient tale dropping into a cantering drum beat before away into tell me why... where the voice becomes harsher but along with harmonies behind it and a driving powerful sound. the whole feel of the song pumps out power and then the melodic instrumental section gives thoughtful respite prior to a return of pace with massive high soloing...                the solos return to the hardedged story and galloping heavy music.      I love the dark sound of this which isnt that common of the eighties, the story also develops well with the grand notes rising around egyptian religious imagery.    all making a great song that i would love to see live
 
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#8 - Hallowed be thy Name - A very good song but for me not the undisputeable number one by any means... its dark and emotional with the story of a man headed to the gallows. Its straight story line is one of its main draws, its a brilliant subject and easily followed with the song. First emotional im waiting to die and reflecting on life building up to 5oclock. Then to building cymbals and guitar the emotion takes off into frustration and fear with bursts of thought intermittantly between bass and drum pulses like a heartbeat. This whole section is really full of image with a man being taken up to the gallows going mad with fear and crying uncontrollably, the music conveys it brilliantly if theres a god, why does he let me go. a huge drum roll drives in an instrumental section that i give to be moment(s) of death with more beautiful lines taking over like the leaving of the soul after a harsh section where he couldve been fighting to be free.
The emotive nature of the music in this song is what builds on the story massively.
 
Re: Tron's Maiden Countdown!

been busy all day and full of some kind of that annoying common cold thing. ill do two songs and an album tomorrow at 1-2pm ish
 
Re: Tron's Maiden Countdown!

Ok not 1-2pm then  ... Amolad anyone?
#7 - Lord of Light - A mystical intro sounding troubling and terrifying with Bruce ghost like above it all. Then from light haunting sound a huge heartstopping riff and bruce explodes into the fray with power and vibrato on the building why the slaughter  :blush:, the vocals sound angry and massive with the equal instrumental which continues its complexity behind. The story as with most of the album is dark and troubling lucifer was just an angel lead astray and i love their ability to do this without sounding like theyre just throwing dark images together in a hodgepodge. it all comes together for the more gentle chorus give your life to the lord of light.
After this the song dies down through a sudden fade in pace to more melody than pounding soar. More story builds like a prayer to the lord and a warning to us all free your soul and let it fly before a more stripped down powerful section than began and then the guitars build back up into their inevitable amazing solos through a culmination of drumming and high pitch shreaking guitar work. For me this song and all that follow are perfect now. Free your soul and let it fly  :edmetal:

#6 - The Legacy - The perfect closer for amolad and the best close theyve ever made. The beginning is a dark reminder of the horrors of war to atmospheric music that sounds perfect for the collect your dead story we get and summarising the album that has come before it and the section ending with only time will tell if the scars of war ever heal.    Through light plucking we build to the guitars that hit like a very aggressive church organ which is wonderful. A crashing marching beat then takes over and carries Bruces lyrics of hate with a light flowing background carrying i cant begin to understand..., without a huge crunching riff it creates a powerful sound with a defiant march of horrible war tales that we can all call upon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbgKTZ9p6wI.
At 5:34 a more lively pace carries away with guitar melodies intermittantly springing off and driving with the drums, Bruce then returns with his final testimonial we seem destined to live in fear, death.. ..becoming a way of life, they benefit from death and pain and despair really powerful lines in this bit, one can only speculate who the last lines are directed at but that video offers one view  :lol:


Album #3 - Powerslave -
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An iconic album, i even have shoes with the album art on  ;)  Spawning some amazing songs like 2 minutes to midnight, powerslave and Rotam aswell as Aces High and losfer words getting honorable mentions. The rest of the songs sit around mediocre for me, nothing special but nothing bad atall. The album has a very distinct sound, the early 80s harsh sound is completely gone and the growing polished sound reaches its peak prior to the more experimental following albums. I love this sound and the soloing is consistently brilliant throughout the album, a big album for the guitars with the music being very centred around them to my ears.  :ok: The rest of the band on top form and especially Nicko who also comes forward here for me.
 
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