IRON MAIDEN Senjutsu Album Review | BangerTV
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- čas přidán 2. 09. 2021
- Martin Popoff sounds off on Iron Maiden's first new album in 6 years. Their 17th studio album Senjutsu is out today via Parlophone Records / BMG
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Maiden's strength in the 80s was that they could write longer songs like Hallowed Be Thy Name, Phantom of the Opera, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Powerslave, and they were filled with so many different riffs, solos and sudden tempo changes that you were thoroughly entertained for the entire duration of the song without feeling its length. Maiden lost the ability to do this. Song length isn's their problem, just purely repetitiveness.
Felt the same way, later I spent a year listening to several of their related releases - there is so much music to appreciate in each song and each album - takes a lot of time to appreciate - I found it to be worth my time
One of Maiden's best albums IMO. I absolutely LOVE Stratego, The Writing on the Wall, Lost in a Lost World, Days of Future Past, Darkest Hour, The Parchment, and Hell on Earth. The opener is also super atmospheric and really gives you a good feel for the tone of the album. It reminded me a lot of Sattelite 15 from the equally wonderful Final Frontier.
New album just means a future tour and a opportunity to see them.
It's been 21.5 months since this album came out. The more I listened to it, the more I understood how great it is! The last 3 tracks are all amazing, and I love the way they flow from one to the next. I constantly have those 3 on when doing work around the house. I think Senjutsu is a really good album made by adults, for adults (this in not adolescent or kid metal). I give it an 8 out of 10.
I love Martin. He doesn't hold back to appeal to the fanboys. . Very unbiased review.
He is one of the very top guys for sure
Popoff needs to take some ADHD meds and stop whining about long songs.
Yes! The Iron Maiden cult is extremely strong. Nobody is saying they do not deserve all the praise they get. But my god! People are so jaded. I truly believe they put this album on and hear Iron Maiden from 1987 and it’s so far from that.
We aren’t being critical of Maiden’s career but we sure as hell are being critical of this album. There are two things I guess you never do, insult someone’s mother and tell a metalhead the new Iron Maiden album isn’t great. Some of these fans would die for this band. I truly believe that. It just amazes me.
@@flipstag maiden should drink some coffee and speed up a bit
@@Caroline_Alys right?!? It’s like diving a high performance car and it’s stuck in second gear and won’t go any faster. One of the most frustrating listening experiences I’ve had in a long time and I’ve listened to it 3 complete times.
Regarding Nicko's drumming, it's amazing that he is 69 years old and blowing our minds. He reminds us a double kick and blast beats aren't the only thing that proves you to be a great drummer.
Not only that…. His drums sound amazing! ALWAYS!! But his drum sound on this album is ridiculous!!!
When I watch old rock drummers from the 60s and 70s I can't help but feel like modern metal drummers have lost some technique. The drummer for Jimi Hendrix is going off in a live footage I was watching. And the drummer for Blue Cheer was awesome. I feel like the new drummers have lost the swing that guys like Bill Ward had. I love extreme metal, but blast beats aren't everything
@@Gregbaltzer Yeah, definitely agree. Nice perspective.
@@Gregbaltzer totally agree!!! NO British metal/hard rock drummer swings harder than Paicey!!!! Bonham a close second. And Nicko, easy 3rd. They all have the same sense of “swing” and swagger as American drummers! Well, the same swagger American drummers used to have… The sad thing, is most American drummers can’t swing like that anymore- they have rejected their rhythmic heritage. And most play like drum machines because that’s what gets you on the radio (actually, prolly the labels’ faults for insisting everything be quantized…) Used to be a time when hard rock/metal drummers learned how to play by grooving to R&B tunes (Bonham), and jazz (Nicko and the Chief)! Modern drummers don’t care-make it sound like Green Day and Maroon 5-that’s good enough- we’ll get it on the iTunes trending…. Even the prog drummers are just playing snare drum study crap. No one ROCKS anymore. And that’s why most modern hard rock and metal sucks! To be honest…. any “modern” music…. Start rocking and I’ll start buying again. Sorry, I’ll get off my soapbox now.
It blows me away at his age! Nicko
Great review Martin! I really appreciate Maiden still being around and making listenable to great music!
Maiden say they lock themselves in and write from scratch in a three to four weeks window-only. I think this is the problem post 2000. They should up their game and spend more time composing. Their work is utterly boring the past 20 years.
Listenable music....is it enough for band like Maiden? Just asking not trying to be mean by any means
AI can write better Maiden music post 2000 than Maiden themselves.
There are only so many ways you can say "the new Maiden album is a piece of shyatt!"
And we've been saying it for about two decades.
who's "we" I don't recall ever saying that.............new Iron Maiden is just as good as the old.
@george H. "Their new albuns are just as good as the old ones" You Iron Maiden fans have the worst standards
@@andrewvanhalen1984 Correct. Damn noobs.
AMORPHIS!
Also: Y'all should do an Iron Maiden albums ranked like you did with Mastodon and Judas Priest. Im curious where BangerTV thinks all the albums stack up
1. Seventh son
2. Iron Maiden
3. Powerslave.
4. Piece of mind
5. The number of the beast
6. Killers
7. The X Factor
8. Somewhere in time
9. Fear of the dark
10. Virtual XI
11. No prayer for the dying
12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 every very boring and uninspired album they have made post-reunion.
@@salvatorenastasi6475 what an awful list. Brave new world is better than several of the pre-reunion albums. Easily
@@DaveTheFuckingBrave whatever; it's your taste against mine. De gustibus non disputandum est... tastes can't be disputed. Learn something.
@@DaveTheFuckingBrave agree to disagree. I myself never listen to it, and I do listen to even the X-Factor fr time to time.
Brave new world feels like a Bayley era album sang by Bruce. Dance of death starts to have a Dickinson feel to it and matter brought the Adrien back to force... Final frontier had its moments but some tracks were ok. Book of soul was great. But lacked consistency. Sunjutsu is a mix of both later entries... I still prefer matter.
@@DownMemoryLaneParis I love matter but I also love BNW. It’s not like the blaze albums at all. Blaze albums are very dark, BNW is not dark at all.
Brave New World overrated? I disagree. A Matter of Life and Death excellent album? Totally agree with that.
For the Greater Good of God is one of my favourite Iron Maiden songs, A matter of Life and Death is awesome
@@BunnyOnASnuman AMOLAD and BNW are way better than the last Two albums. Not even close.
Brave New World is my favorite album.
@@prehistoricgentlemanbird9131 For what it's worth here's my ranking:
1. Powerslave
2. Piece of Mind
3. Iron Maiden
4. Somewhere in Time
5. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
6. Number of the Beast
7. Brave New World
8. A Matter of Life and Death
9. Killers
10. X-Factor
11. Dance of Death
12. Book of Souls
13. Senjutsu
14. Fear of the Dark
15. Final Frontier
16. No Prayer for the Dying
17. Virtual XI
@@Mustaine1ify AMOLAD is better than their last album? Are you high? AMOLAD in 8th place, the fuck is happening?
I feel this album is pretty slow and mellow, kind of miss the faster songs they had in The Book of Souls. Not bad but I like the last two albums better.
Me too!
Yup! I Agree too.
One or two Wasted Years, Can I play with Madness or The Final Frontier type songs in between the big monsters would of helped break up the monotony. This is not a Maiden sing-along album. I have a very hard time making out the lyrics on many of the songs, but Martin Popoff tells me that this one of the great qualities of Senjutsu. If it were up to me Kevin Shirley would have been sent packing after Matter of Life/Death. Bruce's vocals need a little more work to put them up front.
Book of Souls is a fantastic album even though it plateaus a bit. Don't know why but all these classic bands seem to put out super long albums, just wish they'd focus a bit more on quality over quantity.
I’m with you too. It’s a great album, but could use a fast song or a faster section to a song.
Totally agree. It's pleasant, but not much more. Book of Souls had some lulls, too, but this is the first album they have put out without any great songs that immediately grabbed me or at least appeared after 10 listens. It needs at least one song like If Eternity Should Fail, Mother of Mercy, For The Greater Good of God, Dance of Death or something...
Been waiting for this the whole morning!!!
I love this record, start to finish. I’m not here to argue or compare it to previous records. It’s fantastic the whole way through.
The fact that there still around at there age still putting out solid work I’m happy with this album there’s no such thing as bad maiden
they've earned that eternal respect, you're absolutely right
That's how I'm looking at it. I dont give "passes", its early for me spinning this album. It's at least "good", whether or not its " all time great" remains to be seen, but I am grateful to the only thing pure and righteous and consistent in my life.
One Rivet head saying thanks.
we can respect their history... but we gotta stop fooling ourselves... has been 15+ years that iron maiden relase average albuns... if we keep massaging their balls like this, the band will end before they launch a real masterpiece...
"that's is no bad maiden" i heard and probably said the same thing 5 years ago, it was just an excuse to say "the album is not that good, but is Iron Maiden"
The last album was pretty bad, though. This one is great!!
@@rodolfoalvim yea.where is just one good classic first pumping riff? Wheres a "scream for me eddieee!!!" Where is a good fuel lead part. Just one? Its iron maiden. It's part if them. I knew months ago tho that this album wouldn't be that. The only way that would've happened is if they stopped touring for a decade, couldn't tour,lost a member or something, and just wanted to do one for the fans. Maiden hasn't done something super good in 30 years
Appreciate the video. Album is best listened to from start to finish. No songs that really standout (worthy of individual listen), but none that are throw away either. Best thing about it is that their songs are always better live because of the energy they bring to their shows. Looking forward to the tour.
Finally! Someone that doesnt sugarcoat long and boring by claiming its "prog" thank you!
Yes, I was glad to hear him say that openly.
Well maiden have a lot of 10 minutes prog songs in the past. They had Jethro Tull covers. Steve Harris is a huge fan of Genesis, they included a lot of synths in Seventh Son. Etc. They have some Classic Epics. Senjutsu is almost 9 minutes and is one of my favourites. The same with Lost in a Lost world, the vocals on the intro are killer.
Prog doesn’t necessarily refer to odd time signatures, which maiden certainly have done over the years. It could also include odd song structure, which is all over this album.
@@robstokes1604 Do you know which Iron Maiden songs (or the best ones) that use uncommon time signatures?
@@noahcooper2105 off the top of my head…. Alexander the Great, Unbeliever. A few in the modern era.
Got it today, and i enjoy it. It seems a little derivative in places, but this is Iron Maiden. If they didn’t sound like Iron Maiden, it would be weird….
Worth the purchase.
Was looking forward to the review of Martin! Personally I loved the album. My second favorite since the reunion after BNW, which I totally love.
Funny fact my after 2000 ranking is almost the opposite of Martin’s. That’s why I love album rankings :)
My first two favourites are also BNW and Senjutsu now. Then 2003, 2010, 2006, 2015. Mostly based on the mood they evoke in me. This a matter of taste, not of life and death. :)
I think anyone who dislikes BNW is very suspicious…
@@DaveTheFuckingBrave Suspicious is liking BNW when it has the same problems Virtual XI had (and yet that one was bashed at release, 'cause Bruce was not in it, I guess).
@@Ziomaletto it does not. Virtual XI has a very mediocre production (and that’s being generous. BNW sounds amazing. BNW has the better vocals (although I love me some Blaze) and better melodies.
@@DaveTheFuckingBrave Fuck no. Virtual XI and Brave New World both sound like shit. Same soft and overly clean production, reducing the sound of Iron Maiden to a glorified glam rock.
Melodies on BNM are often some of the most trite and cringe-inducing noises ever recorded (Wicker Man genuinely makes me vomit every time I hear it). Bruce sounds awful in this album, especially compared to Chemical Wedding, where there's still sharpiness in his voice. He's wailing like a dying antelope on BNM and it's annoying to listen to. He should stop forcing out higher pitch long ass time ago.
I fully agree with your review and I love that Amorphis shirt you’re wearing!! :)
I love Martin's reviews!! Now you have to update the Iron Maiden Album By Album book... hehehe
Best album since Dance of Death for me. Hell on Earth and Time Machine has some of Maidens best melodies.
Best since "Brave New World" for me. There are plenty highs on BNW, but Senjutsu is more consistent.
@@theutopiantrainer completely agree! Very strong record indeed
Dance of Death probably the worst since Bruce Bruce rejoined
@@ianagnew8286 agree
@@ianagnew8286 Dance of Death worse than Final Frontier?
No chance in hell.
This is a pretty much on point review. I honestly really haven't cared much for anything they've done since Fear of the Dark. I'm not sure if it's the lack of Martin Birch to reel them in and focus, too few big riffs, too many extended intros and too many bloated 10 and 12 minute "epics" that could have been trimmed down to 8. I try to give it a chance and end up bored and going back to Powerslave.
Good, then dont ever listen to it again.
@@EricFarmer01 honestly, I probably won't. I wish I would've heard the whole thing before I bought it.
As someone in their 50s who grew up on Maiden I found myself agreeing with a lot of Popoff's points. That got me thinking, does your viewpoint on Maiden depend on when you first discovered them? Much like the Star Wars movies there seems to be a great divide depending on what your first exposure was. If you started listening in the early 2000s then this fits right in, but if your first memories are Killers, Number of the Beast, Powerslave, etc, then you're looking at new Maiden differently. Regardless though, a new Maiden album is always cause to celebrate.
Hej zgadzam się w pełni odnośnie zależności kiedy kto zaczął słuchać Maidenów. Ja zacząłem 6 lat temu i teraz nieprzerwanie na mojej liście są wszystkie albumy i szczerze nie przeszkadza mi to , że ich styl się zmieniał po prostu fajnie się słucha ich melodyjnego grania. Gdyby zatrzymali się w pewnym momencie to te 17 albumów byłoby jednym i tym samym a tak to jest sporo do osłuchania i każdy fan lubi bardziej inny album niż ten drugi fan :) Fajne jest to, że stare pryki po 60 nadal są w stanie tworzyć , nie odgrywać coś tylko stworzyć coś nowego dlatego nie ma co hejtować i kłócić się która era IM była lepsza :) Mnie nie porywają dwa pierwsze albumy są po prostu dobre tak jak i reszta :)
@@bersewrker88 Och, nie sądzę, że można się spierać o to, która era jest najlepsza, po prostu ciekawi mnie, czy istnieje korelacja.
@@ScottRKrol uwierz mi ,że można i wielu fanów to się spiera co jest dość żenujące. Kapela daje radę na każdej płycie. Zastanawiasz się nad korelacją …. no dla mnie całą dyskografię łączy melodyjność. To po prostu wpada w ucho. Może dlatego, że od razu sluchałem wszystkich płyt w tym samym czasie to wszędzie było czuć tą nutkę Maidenów. Jedynie z płytami Blazea miałem problem bo nijak mi jego głos nie pasował tzn do niektórych ok do innych ….. po prostu wył ale muzycznie to nadal była ekstraklasa :)
@@bersewrker88 Zgadzać się! Zwłaszcza o Blaze. 😃🤘
@notwastd Yeah I know, it "blows" every other band out of the water.
Iron Maiden is Iron Maiden, they do what they want. To me this album is a continuation of the past 20 years of them increasing the amount of prog in their work. Personally i love the long songs. And as for the comparisons aka the clansman to death of the celts, its good to see them adding and growing with the years. Kind of like this is how much more experience we have. Also really like the darker brooding feeling of the album. Most Maiden songs are quite heavy topics but this album just hits and sits differently tonally
This album is a poetic and harmonic masterpiece. The instrumental breakdowns throughout are sensational, and the trio of epics Death of the Celts, The Parchment, and Hell on Earth are crazy good!
My sentiments exactly!! 👍🏻
This is one of the most boring pieces of music I have ever heard.
it is? LOL NO it's NOT
Im so happy that im not you guys, feeling bad for you because you cant enjoy this fckin masterpiece (( :
@@green9766 I just need to know what’s so good! I just don’t understand what makes this a masterpiece?
Totally agree with Martin's comment that Maiden aren't proggy just because they write long songs.
super excited to hear it
Awesome review from mighty martin.!!!!!!!
Hell on Earth is the best song they've written in 15 years.
Yep
I actually like Lost in a lost world better. It's got a sick instrumental part that makes me head bang!
In 20y
Indeed. I got my Maiden fix with Stratego which is a great song. However, when I heard Hell on earth I thought the same thing. Best song in 20 years.
This is actually my least favorite tune from the new album
I liked Maiden in the 80s when they were a metal band and had good solid rhythms.
and didn't bore you to death.....kick you in the nuts for 45 minutes and there you go.
like them again
Great review, love ur RUSH trilogy as well man!!
Hey Martin, thanks for this review. I love Iron Maiden, but things are starting to sound the same with the last 3 albums. Another album that came out yesterday was the new album from The Night Flight Orchestra and people need to start listening to these guys they are awesome!!!
I think The Parchment is a fabulous tune.
“Tune”, your showing your age
@@Xxrocknrollgod as opposed to what word?
... and yeah, I'm old.
Better than dead.
Steve songs don't stand out? I beg to differ sir! 'Hell on Earth' is nothing short of perfection! The long intro and outro are beautiful.
As for your Amorphis top... excellent band!
One my favs on album
Great reviewer!
The parchment could have been 10 minutes longer and I would not have complained. It is such an amazing song.
IRON MAIDEN fans are as passionate as TOOL fan are.
We love our family and will fight to the death for them.
🤘UP THE IRONS🤘
Yeah sure 😂
How ironic, Maiden and Tool are my 2 favorite bands 😏
Some people refer to both fanbases as passionate, I call them pretentious.
Makes sense since every Maiden record from Fear Of The Dark onward has been Tool for boomers.
Hate tool and love maiden. Can’t like em all I guess
Personally I think it’s brilliant! I’ve been a big fan since the 80’s and I’m just grateful to have new music. I’m not going to knock it, I really like it.
Had it on repeat all day. Possibly my favourite Maiden album since Brave New World. In relation to the controversy over the production quality - something that really didn't help is that the production quality on Stratego is probably the worst from the entire album. I have to admit I was worried after listening to that track when it first came out but no - the rest of the tracks are much better produced.
I would say Lost in a Lost World also sounds pretty bad.there are some weird effects on Bruce's voice,and that bothers me so much
Still the same muddy production as before.
@@painkiller47pk this, the chorus is bad, outro rocks though. also the guitars seems to be clipping during some songs
@@painkiller47pk I get the impression it's a dual vocal recording. I think he's singing with himself on the chorus. Sounds a little odd but probably designed to be a future concert favourite.
it's that annoying lead sound that mimics Bruce's vocals. put some fucking reverb on it. they did it on book of souls too on the red and the black.
Can we all talk about Martin’s Amorphis shirt?
One of my fave bands 😎👍
@@winniebrune I prefer the first two, but they're a great band, full stop.
This is Iron Maiden dammit, they've given us great music for decades, the only issue I have with this album is that it ends, now I'm going to buy the shirt and play the hell out of this album because it could be their last
Thank you. All.these negative comments are insane. All maiden is epic. Ridiculous. Fans can be such ....
100% I have listened 4 times through now and am gutted every time it ends. Such a good album
Exactly what I did !!
@@DrDommm just cause we hold one of our favorite bands to some standards doesn’t mean we don’t love them. We just expect something better
@@danielmalsch3832 hard to beat this double cd senjutsu is fabulous 👌
People complain it's tool long, but for me it was over before I even knew it. "Wait, that was the last track?" Was my genuine reaction. I just miss the riffage; in their later years, they've taken more to composing stacked chord structures that are very rich and big sounding, but there aren't many standout riffs like Number of the Beast or harmonized leads like Aces High. I do love that Bruce lays down more harmonized vocals here tho. Overall, I think this was more enjoyable than Book of Souls; there were definitely some tracks on there that kind of outstayed their welcome and could've been pared down considerably. I can't wait for them to come to California though, I'm absolutely JONESING for a Maiden show lol
Agree 100% with this. It's been over a decade since theyve even tried to attempt any kind of iconic standout riff like the intro to The Trooper. It really is just like you say how it's more chord progressions than riffs
Long songs are fine, but they have to be interesting. The ones here tend to drone on and are missing that classic Maiden quality. It's as if maiden are actively steering away from what made people like them in the first place, and only Hell on Earth has those vintage Maiden chord progressions and melodies.
I think if the sections of the songs were trimmed down so as to not have as many repetitions it would be fine, but all the bloated intros and middle sections which don't really do anything just make it a bit of a chore to get through.
Spot on. And the riffs imho is what makes early Maiden classics so memorable.
I'll take this riffs ANY day. I enjoy modern Maiden but man do I miss their earlier songwriting.
@@nebularain3338 I get that feeling as well, Seems that they want to distance themselves from the "glory days." Now where getting to the point of (3) 10+ minute songs, (4) 7+ minute songs, Jesus, I can't even remember the lyrics or what the songs sounds like.
Classic shirt! Loved that tour.
Great Shirt, Martin! The Album arrived today, just a few minutes ago....
Ok you heard Martin's thoughts on Senjutsu. Agree? Disagree? Let us know what YOU think!
The review is on point! I really think this is one of their best albums of this decades by far. And yes is a good follow up for Book of Souls they feel like brothers but being honest I will like that they change at some point the producer I Think is time for that.
100% agree
@@manuelcervantes1259 🤘we are Blood brothers 😂🎶 Overall those simple details the álbum is good great, basically they have never put a bad album since Bruce and Adrian return in Brave New World I personally absolutely love that álbum is just a fuckin masterpiece every member was on fire at that moment in Brave!
I also feel his review is accurate. A lot of great things, some not so great, a little predictable at times, but overall a decent album
@@mkinne3121 Absolutely💯🤘!! Bit predictable at times but men when you realize this is there 17 álbum and they still have the inspiration, the melodies and the ability to write good material at their late 60 is bizarre!!
I must say though, it's awesome to see Bruce with long hair again! Talking about Bruce, his solo albums still kick so much ass... I wish they would bring some of that almost thrashy sound into Maiden! It's like Judas Priest... Painkiller was basically thrash, and Rob Halford couldn't get enough of it so he left Judas Priest to create Fight. He came back and inspired the band to incorporate some of what he learned from that. Bruce should encourage Maiden to dare to step outside the zone of this unfortunate formula they've got going, break some boundaries , and dare to be vicious again!
Great point, I love Bruce's solo work. I was talking to some guys a few years back who being new to Maiden, were deriding the solo Bruce stuff without having heard it. I said"No, It doesnt suck at all, put some of those albums on!"
A fella on the comments thread recently said ACCIDENT OF BIRTH and CHEMICHAL WEDDING were the best Maiden albums they never released, lol! Loved that comment.
Richard that's so sweet. You like Bruce's hair. Who cares about the album being pure garbage. Bruce has long hair. 🤣😂🤣
Judas Priest… thrash?! More like hair-metal.
You have got to be sniffing glue and huffing paint to call Judas Priest thrash🤣😂🤣
For me this is one of those albums that You need to listen 2 or 3 times before You can apreciate it
Took me a while but I absolutely love it now
Initially I didn't really enjoy it much except for a few songs but now it's grown on me and I love it
Doesn't work, still sounds like a group of tired old men going through the motions.
I listened to it 5 times and it still sucks.
If you listen often enough, any shit music sounds good after a while. Doesn't mean it is good. Good material should click immediately.
This review is just ad what I thought. You're a detailed reviewer.
The Solo's, drumming are fantastic on this album. Very solid album.
I have been a Maiden fan for 40 years and they are by far my favorite band.....listened to this album 3 times so far. Sadly, not impressed. Hoping it will grow on me but I'm not feeling the energy here.
it's taken me about 10 listens so far, and I'm really starting to find some of it stays with me long after it has finished. The Parchment in particular I'm loving !!
It’s very slow and boring
It's grown on me quite a bit. I liked a few of the songs right away, but some of the others didn't grab me on first listen either, but I've appreciated them more on each spin so far. I find a lot more of this album sticking with me than with BoS.
It's even worse than Book of S**t. How anyone fails to see that is astonishing. As a guitarist, I'm beyond tired of Harris's Em to C and Am to F progressions. The man cannot be bothered to try better.
@@Bwarock and how many albums, as a guitarist, have you put out??🤪
Here’s the thing Darren, music taste is subjective. I happen to enjoy the sounds on this album. If you don’t, that’s perfectly fine, but it’s not for you to tell others what they can and cannot enjoy.
🤘🏻
I am a die hard Maiden fan, I love songs from pretty much all their albums. I was patiently waiting for Senjutsu to come out. It's not too bad overall, I am not really surprised but it's also not totally what I was expecting is well. Before the album came out, I did like the song Stratego. I feel like the album is not as good as Books of Souls but I am still not sure, sometimes it takes a awhile for the songs to grow on me. For me it happens a lot with Iron Maiden. I might hear a song and not really think much of it, but when I listen to the song again later, I really dig it. Death of the Celts is my favorite song on the album. Pretty good album overall, I enjoyed it, but I kind of wish some songs were a bit heavier, but that's just me. Bruce's vocals are in really good shape, a great job by him. Like you said, musicianship is amazing as well, Nicko's drumming is spot on and the guitar work is great, Steve's bass has its signature sound is well. I will give the album 75% out of 100.
Martin was spot on. The long songs are long and repetitive, not proggy!! Funny, but it only took a few seconds on Rime of The Ancient Mariner to Bruce start singing. Remember when Maiden long songs were 7 minute long? Those were the days...
I know. I miss the old days when a long maiden song, an epic, was 7 minutes long and not 11, 13, 18 minutes long
True, I don’t mind a long intro if it’s good but rime of.. really showed what you can do with a faster pace.
@@phillytheflyerable Let's forget Rime of the Ancient Mariner which until 2015 was the longest song at 13 minutes and that's from Powerslave. And Seventh Son of the Seventh Son is nearly 10 minutes. They have always been doing long songs.
@@okagron Well, that is exactly what I said: remember when the long songs were 7 minute long and there were just 1 or 2 per album and they had no boring intros/outros? That was a whole different deal. From 95 on, the long songs are dime a dozen, well over 7 minutes and with loads of boring intros/outros. Sorry, but you can't compare Rime..., Alexander..., Seventh... to the those long songs post X-Factor.
@@angusiha Does it matter how many there are? As long as the songs are good, it doesn't matter. And i will compare them because i can.
As a big fan of 60's and 70's progressive rock, as well as a big fan of metal, I find very little "progressive" about Iron Maiden. Even during the "Somewhere in Time" and "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" eras, they were AT MOST flirting with progressive instrumentation, arrangement and composition. I think Steve Harris really fancies himself a progressive musician, but I just don't hear it. Song length, conceptual lyrics, LOTS of repetition and the occasional tendency to reprise do not a prog band make.
Agree. I don t understand why it is so hard for them making an album in the style of Piece of Mind again instead of these long songs whitout any significant changes... Over and over the same riff
@@spaceshifterstereogunmachine Because they already made that album.
@@chaosapiant yeah but they have made already 6 Brave New World albums since the 2000... I just prefer the style they had in the 80s
@@spaceshifterstereogunmachine no they haven't. If anything,Brave New World was closer to Piece Of Mind than anything since.
Love it. It’s been playing steady here since it arrived .
At 7:53 I love that you subbed out the terrible Dance of Death cover with the same art I use for my Spotify DoD mix, a much more appropriate cover.
Just curious, but what do you mean by "my Spotify DoD mix" ?
I definitely agree about the complaints about the songs not being proggy, just long, but this was actually the one album where it worked for me and I wasn't bored, it felt more patient and organic rather than flat out repetitious
I have to go back and listen a few more times but I'm not blown away, honestly., I just miss the harmonized guitar leads of much of the 80s stuff. Moreover, I don't find the guitar solos to be all that memorable, well-orchestrated or well placed. They're mostly shredding. The best solo on the album is Adrian's from TWOTW.
Yeah but I guess now that they have 3 guitarists, it ends up being prog metal these days. Just a different era of maiden i guess
I’ve only given it one go yet but I’m super disappointed so far - mainly because I actually liked both singles quite a lot. But I’ve yet to find another song that catches me like these two did
Agreed. Love maiden, but if this was any other band releasing this album, it would be considered pretty average and generic
@@DaveTheFuckingBrave I quite enjoy "The Writing on the wall" and "Days of future past", but that's about it. The rest wasn't inspiring for me at all. The production is also quite muddy imo.
@@loafbringer have you ever listened to anything prog? Long winded repetition and senseless shredding is not prog, it's poor songwriting, lack of ideas and ultimately boring. Comparing the best metal band ever (in the 80s) and the great band (in the 90s), to this boredom, post 2000 they shouldn't even be called Iron Maiden.
It all started to slip after Seventh Son...
I get your point. I just think it has to do with the general eighties vibe, which isn’t repeatable.
@@martyndunn6337 It's the material...they were writing better songs. Personally I think they peaked with Somewhere In Time. Although Powerslave is my all time favourite. That album changed my life.
Yup
finally we agree with something martin! spot on review!
This album is the best sleep aid ever.
I guess if you have horrible taste in music
Great review Martin! I really like this album, and also love The Book of Souls. I'm a pretty big fan of the long songs on the album, especially The Parchment and Hell on Earth. I definitely agree Death of The Celts sounds a lot like The Clansman.
Made a decision a couple years back not to watch this channel anymore. But, i like Martin, and i love Iron Maiden. Great review, as always.
It's fantastic to listen while driving
Totally agree.... Its an ok album, that's it really.
My 2000s Maiden albums ranked
1. A Matter of Life and Death
2. Brave New World
3. Dance of Death
4. Senjutsu
5. The Book of Souls
6. The Final Frontier
1) Senjutsu
2) BNW
3) The Final Frontier
4) Book
5) AMOLAD
6) Dance
3rd and 4th are very close.... actually, on any given day, Book and Frontier could leap frog Brave New World.
1. Brave new world
2. Dance if death
3. A matter if life and death
4. Book of souls
5. Final frontier.
Haven’t jammed senjetsu enough to rank it yet
Perfect review
I agree AMOLAD, has been my top one as well. Although I feel it's to early to compare the new album at this time. Thanks for your review dude.
I’m afraid to listen to this record. The first track that I had heard…boring.
I might be too old school. Their first five records are gold and then they got pretty monotonous to me.
You should be afraid indeed.
Dont see the problem when you are old school.
They always stayed true to their heavy metal sound.
This is old school metal.
@@dennisvanopstal7360 not really, their is a huge difference between 80’s maiden song writing and post 2000 maiden writing
@@GeorgeZimmermen no not huge 😏
Its really minor actually
The only band that changed less is AC/DC
The changes that a band like Linkin Park made or Bring Me The Horizon.
That is huge.
The album artwork is 5 stars. Masterpiece.
It's like hearing my exact toughts. I agree w everything said
Hey i have the same marshall amp the MS4 :) keep on rocking bro. !!! up the iron's !!!
10/10 album for me. To my ears this is the heaviest Maiden album since at least A Matter of Life and Death, if not Powerslave. It's funny, when A Matter of Life and Death came out, everyone said the songs were too slow and boring. Now it's considered to be the most beloved album of the reunion era. Mark my words, time will be similarly kind to Senjutsu.
To be honest I think it is the softest album after X Factor. I didn't find it heavy at all. Subjective I guess.
lol, heavy?
@@thenomad4123 Same, not heavy at all
Heavy ? Dire straits was heavier
Yeah I find it far from heavy. I found myself thinking that the tempo was often slower than it should be.
I honestly haven't cared about a new Iron Maiden album in a long time but I'll always listen to Martin opine on music.
Eddie in full samurai armor with a katana, I was expecting the songs to be a little more exciting.
Death of the Celts and Hell on Earth are masterpieces.
I liked really liked Writing on the Wall and Death if the Celts, and some of the soloing on the album was pretty cool. The problem though is that Iron Maiden only knows 3 chord progressions, and so a lot of their songs sound the same. The early albums are amazing, but I can only hear the C D E and the E C G D chord progressions so many time before they become stale.
Really ?? They are doing it for more than 40 years. Noticed that now ? Enjoy them for what they are. But if it´s a "problem", just don´t listen. Simple.
Was anyone else disappointed by the lack of harmony guitars and big hooks and choruses? I love maiden to death but it seems like they missed some of the key components that make so much of their other albums great. There was an excess of build up with the prog elements but not enough reward with catchy hooks and soaring leads. With that said "Hell On Earth" has some of the best melodies I ever heard but the structure of it didn't allow proper repetition of it. As always though Up The Irons!
Totally agreed
Where did they find some of those alternative covers? Specifically the Dance of Death and Book of Souls ones?
I just saw you on SOT. Martin Popoff = the The Flash of heavy metal
Yes a bit too long indeed, but Iron Maiden has done long but fast paced songs in the past: Caught Somewhere in Time, Heaven Can Wait, 22 Acacia Avenue, 2 Minutes to Midnight, Fear Of The Dark... all of them past the mark of 6-7 minutes. The difference to me in the last 20 years is that they don't use fast rythms as often as they used to, and that makes their long songs pretty much have the same composition and make them really challenging to keep up, even for long time fans (27 years out of my 37 in my case). Anyway I think is the fresher stuff they had release since Brave New World.
Exactly! The long songs are always mid tempo and slow. We need more variety and that classic fast paced maiden sound.
The Parchment is a great song, Hell On Earth is also pretty damn good.
Thank you for discussing the long songs situation. I have been an Iron Maiden fan for more than 30 years. However, they have become obsessed with extremely long songs. Book of Souls had Empire of the Clouds which was 18 minutes long! This album is no different with their average song being 7 minutes or longer. Yes, back in the old days there was Rime of the Ancient Mariner which was 13 minutes long, but it is a very entertaining and cool song. The new ones, not that much.
Rime fk'ng slays from the opening punch in the face to the last note. Powerslave was the final album with the classic gritty Maiden sound. They went with guitar synths and really slick production with Somewhere In Time back in 1986. That album is also incredible IMO. They sound huge and the songs kick ass! Priest did the same with Turbo but I much prefer S.I.T.
Good review.
I will continue to listen to Powerslave and what came before it... ;)
You do that LeDouche
@@hallowedend1 Another 12yo troll
This album is dangerous! Don't listen to it while driving! You will fall asleep at the wheel. It's a perfect sleeping pill! (as everything Maiden released since 1992 is)
You nailed it !
The review to watch.
I really enjoyed this album when listening to it for the first time. Actually kind of surprised how good it sounds and it kept me interested the entire time. A+
I see Martin prefers the "alternative" artwork for Dance of Death, haha.
also he prefers a fanmade Book of Souls cover with the background :)
Great shirt 👍🏻🍺🍺
I agree 100% about the long songs. They made a couple reaeaeally good before the 2000s, but their strength was in normal length, simple and fast heavy metal. Killers and No Prayers of the Dying are my all time favorites. Killers is even very punk-related to me (we all now Di’Anno was a punk😀). I was a bit disappointed in Book of Souls, the post-2000 album i bought. Speed of light is a great song though, would even call it a Maiden-classic. But all the post-2000 albums never really convinced me....great review! Very honest!
funny to see all these misunderstandings of what punk is
Put me to sleep. Forgot what I just heard minutes after hearing it. Did Nico fall asleep during recording? Not their finest hour.
I'm probably one of only a handful watching this whose favorite Maiden era is the Paul Di'Anno era. I love the 80s Dickinson era (especially his first three albums with the band), but I don't think they've ever surpassed those first two records.
Totally agree .. The DiAnno /Clive Burr era Maiden is the best by far Those first 2 albums are simply phenomenal! Except for the odd song here and there …everything Maiden has put out in the last 30 years has been boring , mundane , repetitive shit
I went to my first concert on July 1st 1981 .. Some band with a cool name was opening for Priest . Never heard of this cool named band .. Nobody stood up when they started blasting away .. Took about a minute and the place went crazy .It was The Killer's Tour . passed that point , seemingly all of us aspiring wannabe musicians lived and breathed Maiden . I think after Powerslave , I started losing interest in their new music . I held out hope .This new album is uninspired and doesn't move me . I can't imagine them all sitting around the console and agreeing with each other ." This is Great " ...It's drivel , monotony ..
I do agree that The Time Machine is phenomenal, as well. The Time Machine and Lost In A Lost World are my favorites on this album.
Very honest review, I think too many reviewers are quick to either outright hate or adore Maiden records because of how big they are. But this was a very realistic take.
Couldn't agree more. As soon as the album art was revealed I had a feeling this would just be an uninspired rehash of BOS and my gut feeling turned out to be correct. The only stuff that was new and exciting to me was showcased as the two singles and they were really the only tracks that I enjoyed, apart from Days of Future Past which was fun. Overall my first listen to Senjutsu felt like I was watching a 3 hour movie except I had already had the best moments spoiled by the trailer a week beforehand
Feel pretty much the same about the album myself, the one with the acoustic intro sounded almost identical to one on Bos. Stratego, The Writing on The Wall and Days of Future Past were the only songs I truly enjoyed on this album.
I just wish they'd stop writing these 10 mins songs. The only 10+ min song Maiden ever wrote that remains one my favorites to this day is Ryme Of The Ancient Mariner. Most of the others just feel long for the sake of being long. It's annoying and makes it really challenging to sit through much of their recent albums.
Dude , I love A mater of life and death and the final frontier, I love the last 20 years of maiden. Me very grateful
I agree 100% on what you said about "Lost In A Lost World". It does sound like "Afraid To Shoot Strangers" and it would be better if it weren't a very long song!
Yep, I'm one of those weirdos that likes Final Frontier as well. The repetitive musical themes on Senjutsu make it tough to get through at times.