Your Maiden blasphemy

Maiden's music doesn't allow room for three guitars to be utilized in a bigger fashion. They'd have to change their sound to do so. They've never been a "layer upon layer upon layer" type of band.

Three guitars do make a difference live when they're playing harmonies by creating a wider sound.
 
@The Flash : I think it makes little sense to keep three guitar players in your band and barely use any harmonies in your new music.
As for the layer upon layer thing: Bruce's solo albums and Maiden's older albums make use of layered guitars ( Powerslave, Somewhere in Time etc ).
@CriedWhenBrucieLeft :This whole thing of 3 guitars playing the same riff (sloppy most of the time, with no real accuracy due to the "we want a live feel" approach) is driving me crazy. It took them 15 years to make a good use of the three guitars in "If Eternity should fail". For once Janick did not play a melody for Bruce to sing along. ( When the wild wind blows easily comes to mind where we have to go through that pattern for 3 whole minutes). I expected more cause they can offer more. Whether this is considered as garbage or not is not something that really concerns me. Maiden used to be my favorite band, I still follow them after 27 years of being a fan. However I find it disappointing that I need to wait for a Bruce solo album to listen to some more interesting guitar work than Maiden. So If eternity should fail is the song I 've been waiting for years for Maiden to do. (it is the only time where although it is repetitive you can at least hear strong melodies, harmonies, nice rythm guitar work and so on.
 
Two points.

Firstly, now you're really saying what you meant. Before this, you were talking garbage i.e.
Gk1 said:
Adrian is the only one giving some texture to the songs.
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Gk1 said:
Dave us just sitting there playing chords
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Gk1 said:
Janick is just dancing around playing three note melodies.
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I was just calling that out for what it is. Talking nonsense.

Now in respect to their poor use of three guitars in the studio (& live); those points you make are totally fair.
Gk1 said:
However I find it disappointing that I need to wait for a Bruce solo album to listen to some more interesting guitar work than Maiden.
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My gripe here, is going back to what you were (& still are) implying:
Gk1 said:
Maiden sbould let H write in drop D. It is a pity that H has done his best songs being away from Maiden over the last 20 years.
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... namely that Bruce's solo albums are great because of Adrian Smith. H uses drop D live with Maiden already. And yet you're still complaining about how Maiden use all three of them live; either because you didn't realise this, or because it makes little difference.

In my opinion you're missing the point of why Bruce's solo albums are so good. It's not because Adrian unleashed some memorable drop D licks. It's because Bruce's songwriting is excellent & Roy's guitar work is immense, bordering on being superior to anything Maiden have done (in the guitar department) in the last 20 years. Adrian's role in this is fairly minor in my opinion.
 
CriedWhenBrucieLeft said:
Two points.

In my opinion you're missing the point of why Bruce's solo albums are so good. It's not because Adrian unleashed some memorable drop D licks. It's because Bruce's songwriting is excellent & Roy's guitar work is immense, bordering on being superior to anything Maiden have done (in the guitar department) in the last 20 years. Adrian's role in this is fairly minor in my opinion.
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I agree that H plays a minor role (compared to Roy who writes the bulk of the albums.).....But all songs written by H : Ghost of Cain, Road to Hell, Into the Pit ( hope got the title right), Killing Floor, Machine Men, Return of the King are so much better than anything he did with Maiden after his return (IMO). It seems that he did spend time on the writing process adding bits and pieces that made the tracks interesting. It is as if in Maiden they don't even try. I mean Different World and Wildest dreams? Really???
(Ok maybe I am overreacting as these songs are mostly ruined by Steve's awful and childish lyrics). Then again you have Kevin & Steve bury the songs underneath "strange" and lifeless - to say the least - production. Not a single post 1999 Maiden -studio -song has the right "pace" if you ask me.

Anyway what I am trying to say is that I think that Maiden still have great ideas. IMO they don't spend enough time on their material in the studio. I understand the good intentions regarding the live feeling and all that. But just go through the fast paced and breathtaking Be Quick or be dead track and then go through any of the post 2000 "fast songs". There is no comparison sound wise, energy wise, structure wise, and in most cases playing wise. It is a pity if you ask me. Maiden can offer so much more cause they still got brilliant ideas. I however find it disturbing that Bruce and H are so much better outside Maiden. Even the Rock Rebel Rebellion album, I thought had amazing music by H. (Justin's vocals were kind of overwhelming for my liking.)
Seeing H add some melodies live (under the chorus of eternity should fail, in the end of Tears of a Clown, and in the bridge of and Death or glory) only shows me that he can also understand that the songs might sound a bit empty as recorded. If they could just stop learning the songs as they play them and record them......
 
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Gk1 said:
Ghost of Cain, Road to Hell, Into the Pit ( hope got the title right), Killing Floor, Machine Men, Return of the King are so much better than anything he did with Maiden after his return
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Well, that's unpopular
 
frus said:
Well, that's unpopular
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It seems I got to the core of the thread's purpose after all :) Even if people don't like these songs, I think we can all agree that there are no spare, repetitive parts in there.
 
I think Maiden utilize three guitarists more than they get credit for. It's mostly happening in the rhythm department and it's subtle but it's still there.
 
frus said:
I'm sure there are 4 or 5 layered guitars on Thin Line
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Yep, this is right. The are also more layers in The Legacy. I just feel that this needs to be done more often. As for BWN....so in a complete album we get 10 sec of triple guitar harmony. come on guys you know what I am talking about :P
 
Whooten said:
I see you are new to the site. EVERYONE on this site except me agrees with you. I, however, am not sure it is even top 5 on Dance of Death. That's an unpopular Maiden opinion.
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I certainly don't rank Paschendale very high, it would be in my bottom 20. I don't think I've listened to it during the last 5 years.
 
Gk1 said:
triple guitar harmony
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You know, I don't think triple harmony even sounds that good, especially if the song doesn't call for it. For instance, I liked the Trooper harmony better with just two guitars

Double harmony + rhythm guitar is a good use of 3 guitar players
 
I feel like the exact opposite, honestly. Dual harmony + rhythm guitar feels like a waste of a perfectly good guitar player to me, unless the harmony is very specific in such a way that it'd probably not be improved with the addition of a third harmonizing guitar. Everywhere else three guitars makes for a richer, better sounding harmony section. The Trooper especially benefits from this, since it gives the harmony a bit more texture, largely thanks to Adrian's playing.

Caught Somewhere in Time is probably the biggest obvious exception, I can't see that harmony working as a three-part, and especially not considering that would mean no rhythm guitar to hold it together (it always sounded kinda weird live to me).
 
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