Five full listens through and I’m loving this album. Too soon to rank it in comparison to their others, but I’m not finding any significant flaws with it. Been a fan since summer ‘84 ( bought Powerslave on its release day!) and continue to love this band!!
Necrotic Nick- I've been a fan since I was about 15 and this one my grow on me but it hasn't after 2 and half listens which is a bad sign for me. I still like it better than Book of Souls and The Final Frontier but not nearly as much as Brave New World, Dance of Death and A Matter of Life and Death. Time will tell though.
In my opinion I adored the title track "SENJUTSU" had a very sotic feeling to it. Awsome imagery and imagination. Hearing "distant drums" put's you right on the battlefield. Love it 🤘
Necrotic Nick- I actually really dig that one. It's very different but I like the darker tone of that song and using it as an opener is pretty bold. While Stratego or Days of Future Past might have been more tradition album openers for Maiden this one set the pace differently.
Fellas, I love this channel from the bottom of my heart. Hear me out: keep listening because this album is not immediate at all, and it gets better and better as you play it. I mentally gave it a 2 out of 5 on first play, after listening to it nonstop for the last two days, this is an easy 4 out of 5. Nick, I hated Death of the Celts too, but this morning as I was biking the midsection hit me and dude, listen closely, there's some Killers-era passages there with the bass and riffs. This record has a lot of little details that reveal themselves slowly. And let's all agree that the ending in Lost in a Lost World, with Bruce singing the pre-chorus melody, is one of the most special Bruce moments of all time. It's simply beautiful, man.
Necrotic Nick- I've had two and half run throughs of this one and it hasn't grown on me as far as liking stuff that I already liked. The tracks that missed the mark for me still miss the mark. If I'm being honest, Death of Celts has not gotten any better with repeat listens. While I love Maiden I haven't been much of a fan of the material post A Matter of Life and Death. It seems more in love with the grandiose production rather than the riffs. This is a good album that is a bit on the bloated side. There's a lot of killer moments on here but there's a lot that could have been trimmed down.
@@thrallsofmetal The more and more listens the better for me. I think what some people don't get yet is that Maiden (for a little while already) are more of a progressive rock band influence and structure with metal/maiden influences, not the other way around, like in the past (thats why guitars aren`t supposed to be that pronounced). I think it's a great album, dark, and mature (except the first singles that are more "standard") P.S The guy on the left (Nick) and middle guy are cool to hear, but every time I watched a video of yours with the guy on the right in it, he doesn`t contribute really, he's just there putting on faces and spitting out bullshit & nonsense XD
I really liked hell on earth, stratego, parchment is good too and the guitar solo in darkest hour is soo good and smooth. Can't wait to find what the Thralls think
Incredible album. Lost in a lost world hit me really hard,Stratego and days of future past are the packet numbers for the stuck in the 80's fans, and hell on earth is a masterpiece
Necrotic Nick- I would have loved that sound on this one. Make it more raw, drop the keys out and beef up those guitars. This album could use some more beef in the guitars.
Other than that I think the album is pretty damn good except for Lost in a Lost World... that song is just redundant and lackluster. Remove that song and maybe trim the Parchment a little bit and this is probably the best since Seventh Son
Really great album. Bruce is in good shape and love the mix and sound. Hell on Earth, Days Of Future Past, The Time Machine are amazing songs. Love your videos Thralls!
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! I think it's a good album and there are some flat out killer stand out tracks but it's kinda bloated. Bruce does sound good now that he's in a more comfortable range.
In the age of "spotify and co" most produced songs show a simple songstructure. We can be happy that bands like Maiden shows how broad metal can sounds. Great album!
Necrotic Nick- It's a good album, but it needs to be trimmed down. Some of the songs are bloated as hell when if they were cut down a bit I think they'd be strong.
I noticed that Iron Maiden overall always give you your money's worth with whatever they release. The albums, the frequent box sets, awesome shirts, artwork etc.
Necrotic Nick- I will seldom argue against that. They're icons and they always treat their fans to tons of different stuff. They're pretty much KISS level when it comes down to marketing.
Loving the vids keep em coming! Hell on earth is incredible, rest of the album didn't grab me too much except the classic riff in the abrupt changeup partway through the time machine. Writing on the wall is very interesting and creative musically. Gonna give the disc a few more tries
For those of us who got this on vinyl, it's 3 disc set. And totally worth it. I hear elements of the solo albums from Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickenson, nothing as heavy as Chemical Wedding but other elements are there. Also, no, don't take anything off of it. No such thing as too long. You can't rate something down because it's 'too long', just listen to something else between the individual discs and rate each song individually.
Necrotic Nick- I picked up the CD still. I have to disagree with you though on song length. If a song stagnates or just continuously draws out a part without really doing anything with it then it gets old. Sleep's Dopesmoker is too long for me but that's just me. You can rate this anyway you want since it's entirely subjective though. We just have different criteria and different tastes here.
Any keyboard influence likely did not come from Kevin Shirley. Martin Popoff's last RUSH book 'Driven' goes into great detail about how Shirley struggled with those guys trying to remove the keyboard element from their sound. It's why he's called "The Caveman".
@@benedictdonald4338 I've met him! We actually figured out that we're distantly related, thanks to my aunt who studies genealogy. He'll play tonight against Price.
Cynic are releasing their fourth studio album, Ascension Codes, on November 26th. It will be the band's first album since 2014's Kindly Bent to Free Us, which was released around the time that their guitarist/frontman Paul Masvidal and drummer Sean Reinert both came out as gay. The album will also be the first album since the passing of both Reinert and bassist Sean Malone last year. You gotta review the Cynic album to top off that weekend, which includes Black Label Society and Hypocrisy.
Necrotic Nick- Very aware of all of that info, bud. We've been following news of a new Cynic album since Humanoid dropped forever ago. Jammed the new single this morning too. It'll be reviewed.
I love that you guys used "A Matter of Life and Death" in the background! I feel after all the years of being a Maiden fan that , that album is the best post 80's maiden album followed by "Brave New World". I feel the best post 80's era for Maiden are definitely the 00's. Four solid albums with the two of them being masterpieces in my opinion.
Necrotic Nick- I'd agree. I think A Matter of Life and Death brought a more raw dark feel that the music had been missing for a bit. It's easily my favorite since Bruce came back into the fold.
Great review pointing some aspects (both positive and negative) common to my own opinion. Here goes nothing. Disc 1: Seventeen records and forty one years after their debut it's hard to predict how a Maiden album will boot. But this one seems to go really down the Samurai/ oriental war theme from the get go. All of a sudden a really belicose like pompous anthem explodes as the rumbling of Nicko's toms really carries this mid tempo monster onward. Man this thing sounds really, really powerful as Bruce gives voice to this call to arms to repel the northern invaders (Mongols perhaps).The solos are on point (especially the ones before the 2nd refrain). The bridge also rules. Overall a peculiar way to start the album but I mostly loved it and surely adds some new hues to Maiden's palette.
Stratego follows and here we get a majorly galloping pattern dominating tune. And while this may not quite be absolute top tier Maiden on this kind of tunes let me tell you: IMO it surely comes close! Not that I totally revere everything it brings: there's the lead guitar mimic syndrome on the verses and I would even understand if it only was dropped halfway but putting it all the damn way is a bit exhausting. The keyboard sound picked for this one still sound cheap to me (unlike the melody itself that happens to be quite good). Wel and that's the only stuff I liked the least... and truth be told I can live with it since the rest of the song is truly exciting. The rhythmic section is simply pure Metal energy and Bruce's voice here sounds great: the dynamics between lows and highs are absolutely masterful and the chorus is truly epic! Plus the "I hear you calling my name... etc" part is a perfect slingshot and serves as a superb bridge to the verses once again (great writing). Also like the way the solo comes before the chorus and the section that gives way to it is another blatant example of simple yet cunning sense of composition and song structuring. Amazing song. When it comes to The Writing On The Wall there's something in this track that is absolutely captivating. The way that really cool desolate acoustic intro breaks the silence followed by this unique riff regarding Maiden's legacy. And yes I surely can imagine it as a western movie's score. The lyrics on this one are top notch: full on social/ political metaphorical matters smartly penned that are superbly reinforced by the song's video clip. Vocals sound great and really start bringing the song into other direction when Bruce spearheads the pre chorus inflection and the whole thing achieves its full grandeur. We're still presented with some stellar soloing action by Adrian but I really feel WOTW's true strength resides in some kind of dormant and yet immensely powerful force that lies a few inches below the surface during the whole track, like a volcano eruption that doesn't come to happen... and although it didn't you felt its power and damn sure know it's a question of time until one day it all explodes. Strong as hell in so many aspects while bringing some new flavors to Maiden's table. Simply love it. Then comes the first Steve type epic tune: Lost In A Lost World. The songs's intro Is truly top stuff. As for the verses this is tough and strong material: dense and muscular and yes, reminding somewhat of a less dark X Factor vibe, yet making justice to the Indian nation's demise and tragedy. The pre-chorus is also cool but once again the play along vocals/ lead guitar annoys me. The refrain then comes as a punch. And although I like the effect it brings to the whole song (and Bruce's voice is on point) I think it reminds a bit too much The Wicker Man (that in its place reminded Afraid to Shoot Strangers). The next harmony is also to be a bit too similar to Afraid To Shoot Strangers and a passage of When The Wild Wind Blows. We're then propelled into an array of the said guitar melody and man... there could be at least half of the repetitions before the solo! So, although I loved it the first time I listened to it I can see some of its faults Still think it's a great tune nonetheless. Days Of Future Past starts wit a really cool intro. And let me ask you: do you like The Pilgrim's main riff? Then you'll also dig this one since it's down the same venue. The chorus has this certain pomp and dramatic feel to it and is followed by a really cool solo. A brief calm bridge that works wonders follows before the refrain is recovered for a last go and the song comes full circle as it finishes with the intro. Hey! This is far from being a masterpiece but it's simple, has bounce, drama and is well put together. The Time Machine closes the first disc and has a cool concept regarding the lyrics (my take is it deals with a man that somewhat reached immortality or something near to it). As for the music itself I have to say there's lots of blatant recycling going on. For starts the intro's melody is somewhat similar to The Talisman. The main section is an intricate major key mesh that kind of threads prog rock territory with a really colorful mesh that flows into a shinny chorus (IMO the best section on the track). Then this goes full recycling mode (Edge Of Darkness' main melody auto rip off) followed by the chorus and then a couple of different patterns upon which some solid soloing action is placed. It all then returns to the "Edge Of Darkness" part as the song slows down and returns to intro. Cool parts but also features some blatant auto rip offs the song could easily be shorter.
Love the album. Fitting evolution for older rockers. Epic songs, messages, lengthy songs. Great imagery, concept, Eddie lol I want to play this while running around as a Samurai in Ghosts of Tsushima, or Sekiro lol
Necrotic Nick- I generally have no problem with longer songs but they have to be engaging and there was some stuff that could have been trimmed down a bit. I do love the new Eddie though. He's looking pretty badass these days.
I can't get into a lot of the newer iron maiden albums. A lot of it sounds to folky or something. I still think their best is somewhere in time that is in my opinion iron maiden at their peak. Every band member you can tell put their full potential into that album. No filler songs on that album. Stranger in a strange land has imo one of the best metal guitar solos I ever heard. Niko Mcbrain was incredible as well with his triplets and the way he worked them cymbals and that bass drum.
Necrotic Nick- I'm definitely more of a classic Iron Maiden fan for the most part. I've liked the reunion material but most of it has paled in comparison to the classics. I do love Somewhere in Time but I'm more of a Killers and Powerslave fanboy. So many of those songs are ingrained in my DNA at this point.
@@thrallsofmetal powerslave is a great one as well. Dave Murray's solo on the song powerslave is probably his best he's done. Killers is the only one I like with original singer it kinda showed what direction they wanted to go
Necrotic Nick- It seems like it's pretty divisive among critics and fans so far. We were definitely a bit divided on this one as well so I'm not surprised.
Adrian Smith is a fucking boss. He needs to become the taskmaster and whip the other two lads into shape. And HEY! Time Machine is cool! It's straight up Maidenized Genesis/Jethro Tull.
Necrotic Nick- I definitely agree the Adrian showed a bit more heart on his songs than others. I think they need to start really writing together as a band rather than writing individually. Yeah, still not a fan of Time Machine after multiple listens. It just feels too disjointed for me.
Nancy Wilson of Heart once stated in an interview that she felt every great band has about a five year 'hot spot' when they tend to write the strongest material. Iron Maiden is a great example of this- and boy do I miss 1982-87.
It's weird that everywhere I look and read, folks are talking about how different it is that the opening track isn't a short/fast rocker. That's been the case since 2010's Final Frontier which means it's been 15 years since the last time they had a short rocking tune as an opener, which was Different World on A Matter of Life and Death. That said, this opening track is the strongest they've done since Moonchild.
Necrotic Nick- Not only is it not your traditional Maiden rocker it's very dark and brooding and doesn't really get anthemic until the chorus. Generally Maiden while drive home the anthemic feel from the rip but this one kinda took more time getting to that feeling. I actually liked that as well.
Honestly, I really enjoyed that review, you all pretty much shared the same positives and negatives as I did (and I’m a die hard UK Maiden fan from the late 80’s) as well as picking out the same uncanny opinions in regards to Bruce’s lower tone, song length and how it’s pretty much the Smith show. I am so impressed with this album, even though I agree with your points. The selling point of an album for me is dissecting each song rather than dissecting the album, ie; if 55% of a song gets me, it’s a point…..4/5 for me overall….Anyway I digress. Well done boys. Stella review, entertaining, factual and now ….im a subscriber. 👏🏻
Necrotic Nick- Thanks! We try to get as deep as we can with the reviews and of course pepper in some levity along the way. It's an interesting listen when it comes down to all the tonal shifts and how all over the place it is. I still enjoy it though. There's some legit bangers on this one. Welcome aboard!
Senjutsu is a good album and hell on earth so far would be my favorite track my only gripe would be is that I wish there were a few fast and energetic tracks on senjutsu like on those first 5 albums. Great review on the new maiden release.
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, Ben! Yeah, I liked a good amount of the material on here but it definitely needed some more uptempo rockers like Days of Future Past and Stratego. Hell on Earth was a killer closing track though. It was the most epic of the epic tracks in my book.
Funny that Shredlord mentions the leads from Darkest Hour being reminiscent or Coming Home from TFF. There is a series of about 11 notes in that solo at 5:06 that are actually ripped straight from Coming Home. For about two and a half seconds I thought the song changed and it really threw me off because that solo was one of my all time favorite Maiden moments. And on that note, I completely agree that Adrian Smith carries this record. The songs he wrote with Bruce are the best tracks by far whereas Harris's songs sound like there was nobody in the room to give him any feedback.
I’ll defend maiden to the grave but even I’ll admit this album has loads of reused riffs. Adrian ALWAYS uses the one lick from his solo on dance of death (on his solos in speed of light and writing on the wall), the intro to the time machine sounds exactly like the talisman and the fast bit is very similar to the edge of darkness. Death of the Celts sounds so much like the clansman because the intro is played almost exactly the same in the same key as well.
@@chriscleo Yeah. I'm trying really hard to like this but they've given me too many reasons not too. Several times I thought they were about to break in to a passage from an old (or even newer) song and that shit where the chorus follows the melody note for note is kind of annoying and makes it sound like a cheesy musical or something. I watched tje making of AMOLAD last night and they were talking about how Bruce and Steve disagree on that. Steve said he likes to do that so the melody will stick in your head because that's the part people remember as opposed to the vocals. Bruce seemed to be saying you shouldn't force it and do what's right for the song and I agree. I think this could have used for them to take the last two years to do some more refinement before releasing it.
Got to disagree on the "No more keyboards" comment, because my favorite maiden albums are sit & ssoass. To me it provides a great atmosphere, and can turn a pretty good song into a great song. Just my personal preference.
Necrotic Nick- While I don't mind the keys on those albums the keys on this one really don't add anything to the music itself. They just sound cheesy to me and honestly they could have been replaced with some more guitar lines. Just my opinion though.
Necrotic Nick- I'm still at the point where I haven't gained any new appreciation for the stuff that I didn't like before but I haven't lost any appreciation for the things I already liked. I think it's good, but definitely has some weak spots.
Necrotic Nick- I hear you on the individual songs being stronger than the album as a whole. I get that feeling as well since the flow of this album is all over the place really.
My favorite part of the album is the 60 bonus! seconds of sleepy-time ocean waves ‘n’ seagulls ambience they put at the end of "Darkest Hour," because apparently somebody thought this thing wasn't long enough already.
I just listened to it twice all the way thru and I must say I found it rather epic. Each song seems to tell its own tale and I'm really digging the keyboard flourishes as well. It's missing a bit of the bombast of the 80s but it seems it to be a deliberate choice opting for a more mournful tone.
Necrotic Nick- I'm still really on the fence with this one. After 3 listens I didn't find anything new I really got into but at least the tracks I already dig are still good to me. I can't take the keyboards though. They really don't add much to album outside of a few moments.
After listening to this album over and over again since its release, I completely agree with other viewers when they say "It gets better the more you listen to it". Honestly, I love the clansman so i was super excited to hear death of the celts! As soon as it finished I was certain that it would be my favourite song off the album until Hell on Earth really hit me. I keep hearing people slag off Lost in a lost world and all i can think of is "Why???" I honestly love that song and i think you guys are exactly right when you say "rips off" old songs. I dont mind this so much since it's their own material that they're ripping off haha and its why i love them. The verse in Lost world is identical to The man who would be king off the final frontier but i still love it. The Parchment gave me a "Red and the Black" kind of vibe from Book of souls and not for its gallops or anything but purely for the continuation that it has with riffs and licks just carrying on and never ending haha. amazingly shreddy solo in there too which is always nice. Anyways I ranked all the maiden albums the other day and chucked Senjutsu at number 7 out of 17. but as an album alone - easily 4 out of 5. Great Review guys! Up the Goddamn Irons! \m/
On the 1st run we like Senjutsu, Lost in a Lost World, Days of Future Past. The rest of the songs take too long to get going or some guitar parts sound like past albums I heard before, like on the song Time Machine. The album did not sound fresh.
Necrotic Nick- I think Hell on Earth and Stratego are great tracks but Time Machine and Death of the Celts just need to go. You can probably get it down to one disc with those two removed.
Hi guys shame you don't like album so much it gets better the more you listen to it, I'm so frickin happy new Maiden album and a Bond film holy crap. Keep safe all the best from UK. 👌✌🏴🤙😁👍🤘
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! I wish this album had grown on me with more listens but it really hasn't. I still like the songs I liked initially but nothing else has grown on me at. This one may just not be for me. I'll still love all the early stuff for sure though. That stuff is pretty much timeless.
Yeah man agree. I would buy the album again if they would make a special edition remix and nix the F’n synth and punch up the guitar. Merry F’n Xmas indeed.
Necrotic Nick- Actually, I might too. I'd want Death of the Celts and The Time Machine as bonus tracks on a separate disc so I didn't have to skip over them since I wasn't a fan.
Got to be honest guys- I was neither overwhelmed or underwhelmed, just whelmed. Maiden are my favourite ever band- "Number of the Beast" 7 inch is what made me a metal head and I've been a fan since 82. I just feel this has some amazing moments on it but overall it's too self indulgent. I loved the lead single, it's their best single for years- really up there with some of their classics. I agree with your analysis on Kevin Shirley's production values, I definitely agree that maybe they need to try something and someone else in the chair. I thought that, especially on the vocals, the mixing was patchy on some tracks. All in all it's too long.. so long my future self visited me via time travel and told me to keep the kettle on. It just lacked punch- needed, like you guys sort of said, some classic metal Maiden thumpers, it's been years since we've had a Run to the Hills or Two Minutes to Midnight banger. I kept wishing this was Priest's "Firepower" in style and punch- that LP is just banging from the same level of epic titans in Metal- they even out Maiden Maiden on some tracks like Children of the Sun. It's a gnarly fucking heavy guitar record and sounds incredible- amazing tones.. and riffs! Again- I fucking love Maiden- I've spent years as an illustrator making my own single covers from tracks on their LP's- but this just felt like Book of Souls part two and I hope they go back to a shorter, punchier sound and tracklist next cycle. The fact they've hinted at playing it live in it's entirety fills me with fucking dread.. it's a bit toooo Tap "Jazz Odyssey" to put that on stage. 3/5 for me, not because it's a 3, but because I really wanted, or at least expected something else after the release of Writing on the Wall, as it hinted at other directions.
Another killer review fella's!! Only heard a handfull of songs and haven't fully immersed myself for an 100:20 epic! lol but keep up the great work! until next time!
Disc 2: Darkest Hour is a really melodic and calm song yet with a tragic and dark tone to it. It's well written and it would easily fit in any one of later Dickinson's solo records (the sang intro and verses sounds a bit like Gates Of Urizen while not reaching by no means its excellence).Great solos too. Ok while not fantastic. The album then finishes with a trilogy of epic songs penned by Steve Harris, the first being Death Of The Celts. After more than a minute of cool ambiance (although once again it could be briefer) we get a bass/ finger picking guitar combo that vaguely reminds a passage from Virtual XI's The Clansman. Bruce starts singing upon the last of this patterns till it opens up to fat chords while the vocals keep on hitting the folk like lullaby and man this sounds great. And what about the chorus? Can things get more pompous and folk like epic than this? Don't know about you but I think the band absolutely nails it here as a whole. After a truly deep guitar solo a sudden break sends this song unto 100% vintage Maiden bouncing up front bass plus guitar harmonies territory (although once again it could be repeated less times). Some more soloing action and the song returns to the chorus, just in time to end in the verse like sang lullaby that gives melody to the verses. Great tune with lots of juice proving once again that when Maiden gets folk inspired you can only expect great things. The Parchment follows gently and what comes to my mind is something more in the vein of Ravel's Bolero before the band hit the gas. And if pompous mid tempo heavy stuff full of keyboards like The Book Of Souls (the song) is your thing then you'll love this. Not that's recycling by any means (once again the band shows they can explore similar venues without copying themselves). Plus a certain middle eastern flavor is added to the mix even in the following solos and guitar harmonies. I think once again there are too many repetitions here, so by the middle of the song the initial mega punch is lost a bit and things start to get a bit stagnant. By the 6.45 minute mark a new melody seems to point where the track is heading next (somewhat similar to The Nomad's mid section) as Bruce comes sings the guitar's melody on top (well you already know what I think about this but it is what it is). After some twist and turns and some more soloing, the song ends with a cool guitar harmony that reminds me of the band's debut title track bridge. Overall there's everything here necessary to make a great epic Maiden tune but I don't know... Although having its charm the song seems to drag itself at times and features too many twists and turns. And to close the album we get Hell On Earth. And I must stress from the get go how absolutely gorgeous the opening calm sections are, truly immersive. But once again, the same effect would be achieved with a couple less bars. The track then goes full galloping mode and wanders through all the sections from what one could call the song's second act even before Bruce lays a single singing line on it. That being said let's get the "cons" out of the way so we can enjoy this anthem for the beast of a tune it is shall we? First there's the underlying mimic guitar thing again. And while it works on the pre-chorus it surely once again could be doing something else during the verses. You may say I'm nit picking but this track's overall humongous quality demands this much attention to detail IMO. My other complaint (and this one I must underline) is how the hell you compose such a marvelously epic chorus and only play the sang version once? Man, make this song 14 minutes long... I could care less! This chorus is bonkers and Bruce really nails it. Well while I'm strongly pointing out stuff I consider thet could be better achieved you must be thinking I'm not much into this tune. Wrong. What happens is that when you compose such an opus like this one each minor "flaw" is way more noticeable than in a "merely" great song. Because IMO Hell On Earth this is a truly epic and fantastic Maiden opus overall! The pre chorus, the aforementioned refrain... fantastic stuff! And the way the solos make the perfect bridge to the song's next act is something. The spine chilling still part (really enjoy the doubled voices here) has that crescendo and tension before the whole thing explodes once again and man how I love the passion and fire Bruce puts on this section (that raspy tone in "anger"... wow)! The guitar harmony and solos here are also really good and the song fades as it returns to the intro soft melody. This song my friends is just another great chapter added to Maiden's gigantic legacy. So there you have it: more than 4 decades after their debut it's almost incredible how these guys can pull such a record. Not that it's on par with their best ones (nor is it expected to). But fact is it's rock solid and one of those albums that IMO doesn't feature a single stinker or blatant filler which is one hell of an achievement on a double album. Bruce's voice (now cured of cancer complications) is sounding better than the previous album. The production is nothing out of this world but it's ok, even slightly better than some previous efforts.On the downside some songs could use some trimming here and there, sometimes it gets a bit tiring and repetitive and in some other sections there's still an excessive use of lead guitar and vocals mimicking. Nevertheless as a whole this record is a triumph. And if this is Iron Maiden's swansong it surely is a glorious way to say goodbye! I'll give it a 8/10 points.
I honestly love the album but I can understand why people find it strange. They did some weird things on this album, and one thing I can definitely agree with is get rid of those keys. When I first heard Stratego and heard the quick synth-y strings over the chorus I honestly found it kind of cheesy. Places where the keys do work on this album are in the intro section of Hell on Earth (got to be my favourite song by a long shot!). Very different for Maiden, and watching the videos leading up to the album release I'm not surprised as Bruce, Adrian, Steve, and Nicko have all said that it's got surprises. To me it definitely sounds like the first three post-reunion albums were mashed together for the overall sound, with a sprinkling of some of the solo style from The Frontier (especially Adrian and his work on Starblind and Isle of Avalon). I found the first listen of this better than the first listen of Book of Souls, and I'm looking forward to drumming this in over the next few weeks!
Necrotic Nick- This is a bit of an odd album. Tonally it's kind of all over the place but that does make it an interesting listen because the mood will shift around a lot. The songs I really enjoyed I really got into for sure like Hell on Earth, Stratego, Darkest Hour, Days of Future Past and the title track but some of of it wasn't up to snuff for me. I like it more than Book of Souls and The Final Frontier but but less than the other reunion albums for sure.
@@thrallsofmetal Thanks for the reply, Nick! I have to agree with you on the first 3 post-reunion albums. They set the bar really high with those so you know, any content released after that is going to already have high expectations (even 20 years on).
Necrotic Nick- I've given it about 3 full run throughs but while I still really enjoy the songs I initially enjoyed the songs I didn't haven't grown on me.
Iron Maiden is my favorite band, I have very different opinions than other people of their material. 1 one them being that these past 3 albums are their weakest. TWOTW is an alright song, nothing really too special, but when i heard the chorus i thought "that sounds like something i would make up in the backyard to sound catchy" but TWOTW isn't a bad song and it does have some cool moments to it. Stratego on the other hand made me have a good feeling with this record. Bruce harmonized with himself which he hasn't done in a long time. They brought the gallop back, and overall it was catchy and didn't overstay it's welcome. When listening to this album today and yesterday, I noticed that I kept losing interest. The Parchment I was getting bored in, but then 3:31 came in, and it kinda brought it back a bit. The Time Machine although not sounding like an iron maiden song. I felt it had a strong melody with a catchy chord progression at around 3:17. And i like the vocals overtop, and i feel like it sounds good coming back to the chorus. The album has highs and lows and for memes, I might refer to it as Sensnoozutsu. The title track though has different moods happening. And it sounds like the band was maybe going for some different sounds. For the last 3 songs i was starting to wait for the album to conclude ngl. They have their moments, but Steve to me draws things out for too long and makes me lose interest and some things will drag on for longer than necessary. Also the artwork i prefer the fan version of the actual artwork. (the fan one being the one with a glowing red sun, and kind of an embery vibe to it with an japenese structure to the left) I'd give it 3/5, with time this album will probably grow on me, but for now these are my thoughts. I also don't mean for any of this to be whiny, one dude i know sounds real whiny when their going over something they don't like, so i'm trying to make sure im not falling under that lol. Favorite Song:Stratego EDIT:Bruce's vocals on this album a ton better than he did on TBOS. He is going down with his voice instead of staying up high. At around 1:09 on Days of Future Past Bruce does his vocal thing that i'm not too big a fan of. Also a lot of this reminded me of stuff from The Final Frontier and Dance of Death. More DoD than TFF but still. The intro to The Time Machine sounds a lot like The Talisman imo. There's probably more to add, but thats about all lol. EDIT2:ok yeah the time machine is kinda of memable with that verse lmao EDIT3: Yeah i forgot a lot of information. Alright last bit: This album could have been trimmed to an hour easily. These songs don't need to be this long. Those last 3 escpcially. That's also another probably I have, it seems like the more and more steve got into the production, the more and more the songs got unnecessarily long. The band could have trimmed of 10 minutes and would have been able to put it on a single disc. I feel like they just wanted to have the whole Double Disc spectacle with it if that makes sense.
Necrotic Nick- My main issues with this was the overbearing length of the album, too many keyboards, uneven production and some of the songwriting. When they're one they're on but when they're off it can be a bit of a chore to listen to. I feel there's a lot of recycled material here too. I think they need to work together more in the studio and see if they can get some of that old magic back.
@@thrallsofmetal Agreed, cause the band will send steve riffs or different ideas, and steve will put the songs together that way. At least that's from what i've heard. But yeah, there is a lot of recycled material on this record.
I can't understand the Hate this Album gets from many Fans and Critics. Might be their strongest since Brave New World. And Bruce sounds great for a 63 Years old cancer survivor.
Necrotic Nick- This one seems to be pretty divisive amongst the fans. I think it's still good but it does have some glaring flaws in my opinion but I still enjoyed most of it. I think it's better than Book of Souls and The Final Frontier but not as good as the other reunion era albums. Bruce does sound pretty good on this and him dropping down a bit in his deliver was a good move. He sounds less strained this time.
@@thrallsofmetal Imo BNW is in the Top 5. DOD is more of a hit & miss. Songs like Rainmaker, No more Lies and DOD are fantastic, but a lot of mediocrity like Wildest Dreams, Gates of Tomorrow, New Frontier ... AMOLAD is consistently good, but misses some 'hits'. FF is maybe the worst ever, and BOS has a great first half and a strange second half.
Just bought the 2 CD ed. tonight at Target, playing it right now. So far, so good. I also picked up a diecast Batman Returns Armored Batmobile because....just because.
Hey guys great review, I have watched a lot of Senjutsu reviews and yours is certainly one of the best, honest but respectful. I watched one review where the guy just dissed everything about the album, the band and the vocals, it was the most disrespectful thing Ive heard said about Iron Maiden. The guy obviously had know idea about metal. I think the album is great but I do share the same feelings as yourselves but saying that, ITS FUCKING IRON MAIDEN so whats not to like. UP THE IRONS
These guys at least understand what Adrian Smith is to the band. I watched a review from some joker who “tolerates” Adrian Smith. Tolerates Adrian Smith. Not Janick. Adrian Smith. Huh?? Wuh?? Dude is not only the feeling of the musical section, but also a very good song writer.
Theyve taken some different steps in some songs and kept on some the classic maiden..love it! The time between 1980- 1992 won't be back. We all must appreciate them before they're gone
Necrotic Nick- I will always appreciate them but it's hard not to long for the sound that made them the iconic band they are. While I like a good chunk of this and see it as an improvement over Book of Souls and Final Frontier it's still missing that energy of the classics.
You guys should review some of the new wave hardcore stuff (Jesus Piece, Knocked Loose, Code Orange, Kublai Khan, etc). Jesus Pieces Only Self is easily my favorite album out of this new scene. It’s kinda cool to see this scene form and see people form new bands. Also the Omerta hyperviolence EP is hella cool, can’t wait for new Omertà stuff.
Where to begin. The album does have a little something for everyone and I think…think…it’s better than Book of Souls but I put it at the bottom of the post Brave New World records just above The Book of Souls. The opening track is a bit harder and less energetic than per the opening song formula. But to plodding and long, though I dig the beefier guitar tone there. I have to remember that these are seasoned musicians and that the 80s and early 90s are gone. However, I would think that if you’re going to deal with age then shorter songs with more out of the gate punch would be recommended. Overall, I am a bit disappointed. But I am a fan and will be glad to get a new record from them. The glory days are gone but not forgotten is my problem.
Nick, are Yall familiar with the movie from 1986 called wanted: dead or alive starring the late Rutger Hauer and the one and only Gene Simmons from Kiss?
First time I heard IM was on The Number of the Beast 1982. Quit listening after Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 1988. They are okay, just not into their music anymore. Seen them live 1983 and 1988. 🤘🎸🇬🇧
Necrotic Nick- I was big into Dance of Death and A Matter of Life and Death when they dropped but The Final Frontier and Book of Souls didn't do much for me. I like this one more than the last 2 though.
I will have to check it out, thank you guys for the review!!!!!! Just one question, what des the title of the album means!? Or is there a song in the album, ? 🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🔥🔥🔥, country western, with a Japanese title, or its not japanese!?……
Maiden fan since 82 here and would like to say after 4 listens I would say it’s the best album since Matter of life and death.It may continue to grow on me but to me 80% of this album is rehashed guitar melodies,vocal melodies and lyrical ideas they have been doing for the past 20 years.Still love my Maiden though! Up the Irons!
Necrotic Nick- I'd agree that it's the best since A Matter of Life and Death but the albums after that one aren't that strong in my opinion. I do like this but it does feel like very familiar territory down to distinct riffs on the album sounding like callbacks to their earlier material.
Also.....you guys obviously love metal. You must check out into eternity. The album buried in oblivion. As well as the band byzantine. The album ...and they shall take up serpents
Necrotic Nick- I'm definitely familiar with both Into Eternity and Byzantine. I own all of Byzantine's album. I've always dug their style. The album is actually 1 hour and 22 mins roughly so it is just a bit over the threshold for a single disc.
It is too long yes, but that's what has made some of these songs really fun to play on guitar. And I agree, they really need to find a way to better utilize their three guitars, and if you have three guitars, it's just my opinion but then you don't exactly need keyboards. Especially if you're a band like Iron Maiden, that sound has always felt out of place when they've done it imo.
You know, I realized something while listening to this album. I kept going back to a clip from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" where characters who haven't appeared in the movie yet look at the camera and say "Get on with it!" "Yes. Get on with it!" Even God himself says "Get on with it!" And I loved Book of Souls, which arguably has the exact same problems, but I always have such a great time with it. Book of Souls bring me in, but as far as i can tell Senjutsu does not. Maybe i need to give it a few more listens, but as of now, I just want to go do something else
Necrotic Nick- Yeah, I definitely got that feeling a lot on some of the longer tracks like Death of Celts and The Parchment. To be honest I got that feeling a lot on Book of Souls too which I'm not much of a fan of. I'm still jamming this one though to get a better feel for it.
I have not heard this new album yet, but are Iron Maiden actually using synths or is it just the different pickups on their guitars that were once known as synth guitars? Remember Maiden's Somewhere in Time and Judas Priest's Turbo albums from the 80's? those were synth guitars, not actual synthesizer keyboards. Just curious. Looking forward to picking this album up.
Necrotic Nick- There's actual synth/ keyboards listed in the credits and it's Steve Harris playing them for the most part. I still recommend this if you're a big Maiden fan though
I swear when the seagull sfx started in Darkest Hour I thought my playlist switched to Estranged by GNR Ahah! And then the kinda intro guitar riff reminds me of the outro to Another Brick in the Wall part III. But anyway overall I love this album. I only think they need to mix Bruce’s vocals higher I feel this way in a lot of even live performances in recent times. My main issue I think is just mixing but I’m easy to please. I think I like everything but blaze era but more I just don’t feel the voice coz I like when Bruce sings like the Clansmen etc (which I think death of the celts feels like pt2 of this)
Necrotic Nick- I think slightly different production (someone who emulates Birch's classic sound) and some shorter songs would benefit the band. Bruce has lost a bit of the range but I do like that he didn't try to push to hard for high notes as much on this. I still love Maiden but I don't like the newer stuff nearly as much as the classics, but those are classics for a reason.
Great review, dudes. Maiden diehard for life. Certainly felt similarly to how y'all did. Solid album. I, too, long for a new producer and shorter, more concise songs. They should let Arthur Rizk (Eternal Champion, Sumerlands) produce their next one. Give those guitars some nuts. That and 4:30 tracks = hot shit. Respect to the band for doing what they want to do, though, honestly. Up the Irons.
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! Dude that's awesome pick for a producer. He gives bands a really tight, organic sound and the mixes sound rich and heavy. I still have my love for Maiden but it's more the classic era but I'm just happy they're still with us.
Hahaha, the song that's 3 weeks long. And SpreadLord brings up a great point: Enoigh of this long-winded producer. By no means do I want another No Prayer For The Dying, but I wouldn't mind a shorter, more concise, rocking Maiden album. Thanks for the review guys! Up The Irons!
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! Yeah, there's a lot of fat to trim off this one but it did deliver some rockers. I would love to see Maiden take on another producer and get that old sound with shorter songs rolling again. That's Maiden at their strongest and it also makes the epic track stand out more.
brilliant review guys, i personally thought Lost in a Lost World was one of the strongest on the album along with Stratego and Hell on Earth, but i loved all of it... though there might be a slight recency bias haha... I phucking LOVE Maiden \m/
Necrotic Nick- As much as I love Maiden and loved some of these tracks it was still missing something while being overloaded with other stuff. Not a terrible release but not as good as most of the Bruce reunion material.
This is the most contemporary sounding album they’ve made in 20 years. Not just another album from old boys but something here and now. It’s a lot to take in and not very immediate. I suggest we will all grow to like it if given the chance and a few more listens.
Necrotic Nick- I've gone over it about 3 times now and the songs that I don't care for haven't grown on me much at all but the songs I already liked haven't lost their luster. It's a decent album but it definitely has it's issues.
@@thrallsofmetal Hello Nick. It’s the sound of Maiden- as its been for several albums now. Long ponderous plodding, sometimes the sound of a prog band rowing backwards through treacle. I don’t think anyone confronts Steve Harris, nobody tells him “no” and he’s stearing the band stubbornly in a direction which we have to get used to. On a positive note- Bruce sounds better than he has for quite a while. I agree the record has its issues but we are never getting another Powerslave and this is how the band will always sound from now on I think.
Necrotic Nick- I had a feeling it would be divisive just judging by the first single and the response to that. Hell, all 3 of us were pretty divided. lol
Necrotic Nick- As much as I don't want to admit they sound tired, they kind of do. I think a different producer might help but I think someone that can give them a bit of throw back to that Birch sound is needed.
Five full listens through and I’m loving this album. Too soon to rank it in comparison to their others, but I’m not finding any significant flaws with it.
Been a fan since summer ‘84 ( bought Powerslave on its release day!) and continue to love this band!!
Necrotic Nick- I've been a fan since I was about 15 and this one my grow on me but it hasn't after 2 and half listens which is a bad sign for me. I still like it better than Book of Souls and The Final Frontier but not nearly as much as Brave New World, Dance of Death and A Matter of Life and Death. Time will tell though.
In my opinion I adored the title track "SENJUTSU" had a very sotic feeling to it. Awsome imagery and imagination. Hearing "distant drums" put's you right on the battlefield. Love it 🤘
Necrotic Nick- I actually really dig that one. It's very different but I like the darker tone of that song and using it as an opener is pretty bold. While Stratego or Days of Future Past might have been more tradition album openers for Maiden this one set the pace differently.
Scream for me, Brazil!!!! lmao Awesome video, guys! Greetings from Brazil!
The parchment is a masterpiece
Agreed, I don't think it's as repetitive as people say, never crossed my mind
Love this song
Yep on 2nd listen, I really like this song
Agreed but then the whole album is a masterpiece.definite 9/10 perhaps even 9.5/10
The word masterpiece is used too freely around here.
Fellas, I love this channel from the bottom of my heart. Hear me out: keep listening because this album is not immediate at all, and it gets better and better as you play it. I mentally gave it a 2 out of 5 on first play, after listening to it nonstop for the last two days, this is an easy 4 out of 5.
Nick, I hated Death of the Celts too, but this morning as I was biking the midsection hit me and dude, listen closely, there's some Killers-era passages there with the bass and riffs. This record has a lot of little details that reveal themselves slowly.
And let's all agree that the ending in Lost in a Lost World, with Bruce singing the pre-chorus melody, is one of the most special Bruce moments of all time. It's simply beautiful, man.
Necrotic Nick- I've had two and half run throughs of this one and it hasn't grown on me as far as liking stuff that I already liked. The tracks that missed the mark for me still miss the mark. If I'm being honest, Death of Celts has not gotten any better with repeat listens. While I love Maiden I haven't been much of a fan of the material post A Matter of Life and Death. It seems more in love with the grandiose production rather than the riffs. This is a good album that is a bit on the bloated side. There's a lot of killer moments on here but there's a lot that could have been trimmed down.
@@thrallsofmetal The more and more listens the better for me. I think what some people don't get yet is that Maiden (for a little while already) are more of a progressive rock band influence and structure with metal/maiden influences, not the other way around, like in the past (thats why guitars aren`t supposed to be that pronounced). I think it's a great album, dark, and mature (except the first singles that are more "standard")
P.S The guy on the left (Nick) and middle guy are cool to hear, but every time I watched a video of yours with the guy on the right in it, he doesn`t contribute really, he's just there putting on faces and spitting out bullshit & nonsense XD
i mean book of souls also took me many listens to get into im sure this will be the same
How many listens did it take for u?
@@choptopshusband shit i cant remember man maybe like 3 or 4
I really liked hell on earth, stratego, parchment is good too and the guitar solo in darkest hour is soo good and smooth. Can't wait to find what the Thralls think
Hell on Earth is a good ass song, Stratego is a great single and Darkest Hour is another excellent ballad.
@@crazyking1896 Yeah and parchment too
Incredible album. Lost in a lost world hit me really hard,Stratego and days of future past are the packet numbers for the stuck in the 80's fans, and hell on earth is a masterpiece
Hell on Earth is easily my favourite on the album, but for me, Lost in a Lost word is my least favourite
@@lungbarrowuk fair enough, we all have our own views
@@alyx1654 Yeah, usually there's a general consensus about a Maiden album but this one has so many different opinions. Really interesting \m/
days of future past is nothing like the 80's, calm down
@@phillytheflyerable as in short and to the point for all those who think maiden only ever recorded run to the hills or the trooper
Kevin Shirley is not to blame, he could make it sound like Powerslave if he wanted to. The one to blame here is Arry.
Necrotic Nick- I would have loved that sound on this one. Make it more raw, drop the keys out and beef up those guitars. This album could use some more beef in the guitars.
Correct. It's Steve's kid...
Other than that I think the album is pretty damn good except for Lost in a Lost World... that song is just redundant and lackluster. Remove that song and maybe trim the Parchment a little bit and this is probably the best since Seventh Son
“The parchment” is INSANE.
Insanely repetitive.
Necrotic Nick- It's a good track, it's just too long.
Really great album. Bruce is in good shape and love the mix and sound. Hell on Earth, Days Of Future Past, The Time Machine are amazing songs. Love your videos Thralls!
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! I think it's a good album and there are some flat out killer stand out tracks but it's kinda bloated. Bruce does sound good now that he's in a more comfortable range.
I like this album better then the last 2 albums.
Great review guys. You hit the nail o the head!!
In the age of "spotify and co" most produced songs show a simple songstructure. We can be happy that bands like Maiden shows how broad metal can sounds. Great album!
Necrotic Nick- It's a good album, but it needs to be trimmed down. Some of the songs are bloated as hell when if they were cut down a bit I think they'd be strong.
I noticed that Iron Maiden overall always give you your money's worth with whatever they release. The albums, the frequent box sets, awesome shirts, artwork etc.
Necrotic Nick- I will seldom argue against that. They're icons and they always treat their fans to tons of different stuff. They're pretty much KISS level when it comes down to marketing.
I wish they would hand the controls over to Roy Z.Shirley surely has to go! Great review guys! Up the Irons!
Exactly. Listen to Bruce records with Roy Z and listen just after to Kevin Shirley's Maiden and it's night and day.
YES! Or Jens Bogren?
Harris needs to step down from production too. They are all in their comfort zone since Final Frontier.
Steve Harris is the boss in Iron Maiden. Your talking nonsense
@@7zuma7 you must me deaf then.
Loving the vids keep em coming! Hell on earth is incredible, rest of the album didn't grab me too much except the classic riff in the abrupt changeup partway through the time machine. Writing on the wall is very interesting and creative musically. Gonna give the disc a few more tries
For those of us who got this on vinyl, it's 3 disc set. And totally worth it. I hear elements of the solo albums from Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickenson, nothing as heavy as Chemical Wedding but other elements are there.
Also, no, don't take anything off of it. No such thing as too long. You can't rate something down because it's 'too long', just listen to something else between the individual discs and rate each song individually.
Necrotic Nick- I picked up the CD still. I have to disagree with you though on song length. If a song stagnates or just continuously draws out a part without really doing anything with it then it gets old. Sleep's Dopesmoker is too long for me but that's just me. You can rate this anyway you want since it's entirely subjective though. We just have different criteria and different tastes here.
Sure you can think it's long when there 2 minutes of slow build up and one minute of the same thing in the outro. Like Hell On Earth for example.
i love the transition between track 1 and 2 flows nicely
Necrotic Nick- I definitely dig the title track and Stratego. I wouldn't have minded some more material on this one like Stratego honestly.
Had a lot of fun with this record
Necrotic Nick- It's an interesting listen. Lots of different stuff on this one.
You played frisbee with it?
Any keyboard influence likely did not come from Kevin Shirley. Martin Popoff's last RUSH book 'Driven' goes into great detail about how Shirley struggled with those guys trying to remove the keyboard element from their sound. It's why he's called "The Caveman".
Brandon, will you be in tonight’s lineup against the lefty? Or is it the pine for you?
@@benedictdonald4338 I've met him! We actually figured out that we're distantly related, thanks to my aunt who studies genealogy. He'll play tonight against Price.
@@brandonbelt5055 that’s awesome!
Cynic are releasing their fourth studio album, Ascension Codes, on November 26th. It will be the band's first album since 2014's Kindly Bent to Free Us, which was released around the time that their guitarist/frontman Paul Masvidal and drummer Sean Reinert both came out as gay. The album will also be the first album since the passing of both Reinert and bassist Sean Malone last year. You gotta review the Cynic album to top off that weekend, which includes Black Label Society and Hypocrisy.
Necrotic Nick- Very aware of all of that info, bud. We've been following news of a new Cynic album since Humanoid dropped forever ago. Jammed the new single this morning too. It'll be reviewed.
I saw ghost of the navigator live. It was great because the crowd didnt know but in the end were singing it.
Necrotic Nick- Sounds like a pretty awesome moment. I love see a band win a crowd over with a deep cut every now and then.
I love that you guys used "A Matter of Life and Death" in the background! I feel after all the years of being a Maiden fan that , that album is the best post 80's maiden album followed by "Brave New World". I feel the best post 80's era for Maiden are definitely the 00's. Four solid albums with the two of them being masterpieces in my opinion.
Necrotic Nick- I'd agree. I think A Matter of Life and Death brought a more raw dark feel that the music had been missing for a bit. It's easily my favorite since Bruce came back into the fold.
Loved the album, one of the best of the Reunion era for me
I loved it. Added to my collection.
I love the clicking of the bass on this album and the quite frankly rawness of the whole recording.
Necrotic Nick- I like that it's raw but those guitars needed some more beef to them for my tastes.
Damn…I love The Time Machine! Great album and great review 🤘
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man!
Great review pointing some aspects (both positive and negative) common to my own opinion. Here goes nothing.
Disc 1:
Seventeen records and forty one years after their debut it's hard to predict how a Maiden album will boot. But this one seems to go really down the Samurai/ oriental war theme from the get go. All of a sudden a really belicose like pompous anthem explodes as the rumbling of Nicko's toms really carries this mid tempo monster onward. Man this thing sounds really, really powerful as Bruce gives voice to this call to arms to repel the northern invaders (Mongols perhaps).The solos are on point (especially the ones before the 2nd refrain). The bridge also rules. Overall a peculiar way to start the album but I mostly loved it and surely adds some new hues to Maiden's palette.
Stratego follows and here we get a majorly galloping pattern dominating tune. And while this may not quite be absolute top tier Maiden on this kind of tunes let me tell you: IMO it surely comes close! Not that I totally revere everything it brings: there's the lead guitar mimic syndrome on the verses and I would even understand if it only was dropped halfway but putting it all the damn way is a bit exhausting. The keyboard sound picked for this one still sound cheap to me (unlike the melody itself that happens to be quite good). Wel and that's the only stuff I liked the least... and truth be told I can live with it since the rest of the song is truly exciting. The rhythmic section is simply pure Metal energy and Bruce's voice here sounds great: the dynamics between lows and highs are absolutely masterful and the chorus is truly epic! Plus the "I hear you calling my name... etc" part is a perfect slingshot and serves as a superb bridge to the verses once again (great writing). Also like the way the solo comes before the chorus and the section that gives way to it is another blatant example of simple yet cunning sense of composition and song structuring. Amazing song.
When it comes to The Writing On The Wall there's something in this track that is absolutely captivating. The way that really cool desolate acoustic intro breaks the silence followed by this unique riff regarding Maiden's legacy. And yes I surely can imagine it as a western movie's score. The lyrics on this one are top notch: full on social/ political metaphorical matters smartly penned that are superbly reinforced by the song's video clip. Vocals sound great and really start bringing the song into other direction when Bruce spearheads the pre chorus inflection and the whole thing achieves its full grandeur. We're still presented with some stellar soloing action by Adrian but I really feel WOTW's true strength resides in some kind of dormant and yet immensely powerful force that lies a few inches below the surface during the whole track, like a volcano eruption that doesn't come to happen... and although it didn't you felt its power and damn sure know it's a question of time until one day it all explodes. Strong as hell in so many aspects while bringing some new flavors to Maiden's table. Simply love it.
Then comes the first Steve type epic tune: Lost In A Lost World. The songs's intro Is truly top stuff. As for the verses this is tough and strong material: dense and muscular and yes, reminding somewhat of a less dark X Factor vibe, yet making justice to the Indian nation's demise and tragedy. The pre-chorus is also cool but once again the play along vocals/ lead guitar annoys me. The refrain then comes as a punch. And although I like the effect it brings to the whole song (and Bruce's voice is on point) I think it reminds a bit too much The Wicker Man (that in its place reminded Afraid to Shoot Strangers). The next harmony is also to be a bit too similar to Afraid To Shoot Strangers and a passage of When The Wild Wind Blows. We're then propelled into an array of the said guitar melody and man... there could be at least half of the repetitions before the solo! So, although I loved it the first time I listened to it I can see some of its faults Still think it's a great tune nonetheless.
Days Of Future Past starts wit a really cool intro. And let me ask you: do you like The Pilgrim's main riff? Then you'll also dig this one since it's down the same venue. The chorus has this certain pomp and dramatic feel to it and is followed by a really cool solo. A brief calm bridge that works wonders follows before the refrain is recovered for a last go and the song comes full circle as it finishes with the intro. Hey! This is far from being a masterpiece but it's simple, has bounce, drama and is well put together.
The Time Machine closes the first disc and has a cool concept regarding the lyrics (my take is it deals with a man that somewhat reached immortality or something near to it). As for the music itself I have to say there's lots of blatant recycling going on. For starts the intro's melody is somewhat similar to The Talisman. The main section is an intricate major key mesh that kind of threads prog rock territory with a really colorful mesh that flows into a shinny chorus (IMO the best section on the track). Then this goes full recycling mode (Edge Of Darkness' main melody auto rip off) followed by the chorus and then a couple of different patterns upon which some solid soloing action is placed. It all then returns to the "Edge Of Darkness" part as the song slows down and returns to intro. Cool parts but also features some blatant auto rip offs the song could easily be shorter.
Great review and great channel.
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! We appreciate that!
Love the album. Fitting evolution for older rockers. Epic songs, messages, lengthy songs. Great imagery, concept, Eddie lol I want to play this while running around as a Samurai in Ghosts of Tsushima, or Sekiro lol
Necrotic Nick- I generally have no problem with longer songs but they have to be engaging and there was some stuff that could have been trimmed down a bit. I do love the new Eddie though. He's looking pretty badass these days.
I can't get into a lot of the newer iron maiden albums. A lot of it sounds to folky or something. I still think their best is somewhere in time that is in my opinion iron maiden at their peak. Every band member you can tell put their full potential into that album. No filler songs on that album. Stranger in a strange land has imo one of the best metal guitar solos I ever heard. Niko Mcbrain was incredible as well with his triplets and the way he worked them cymbals and that bass drum.
Necrotic Nick- I'm definitely more of a classic Iron Maiden fan for the most part. I've liked the reunion material but most of it has paled in comparison to the classics. I do love Somewhere in Time but I'm more of a Killers and Powerslave fanboy. So many of those songs are ingrained in my DNA at this point.
@@thrallsofmetal powerslave is a great one as well. Dave Murray's solo on the song powerslave is probably his best he's done. Killers is the only one I like with original singer it kinda showed what direction they wanted to go
I haven’t listen to the album just yet. But listening to a bunch of other reviews about it online has made me very interested in checking it out.
Necrotic Nick- It seems like it's pretty divisive among critics and fans so far. We were definitely a bit divided on this one as well so I'm not surprised.
I think Death of the Celts is in my top 10 Maiden tracks of all time. Love it.
Necrotic Nick- Yeah, I've gotta disagree with you there. Different strokes for different folks though.
Fantastic album. Their best since AMOLAD and kind of similar to that album. 9/10
I agree, most similar to AMOLAD since the reunion, and it really is much better than The Book of Souls.
Adrian Smith is a fucking boss. He needs to become the taskmaster and whip the other two lads into shape.
And HEY! Time Machine is cool! It's straight up Maidenized Genesis/Jethro Tull.
Necrotic Nick- I definitely agree the Adrian showed a bit more heart on his songs than others. I think they need to start really writing together as a band rather than writing individually. Yeah, still not a fan of Time Machine after multiple listens. It just feels too disjointed for me.
I agree with Time Machine. It adds some levity to an otherwise dark album.
Christmas time in Maiden land bah humbug rivals getting back to the caveman circle pit from the Benediction review. The catch phrases are priceless
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! I had to have some fun with this one. lol
Nancy Wilson of Heart once stated in an interview that she felt every great band has about a five year 'hot spot' when they tend to write the strongest material. Iron Maiden is a great example of this- and boy do I miss 1982-87.
Necrotic Nick- I like the first 3 in the reunion era but while those are good Killers through Somewhere in Time are untouchable.
15:40 glad I wasn’t the only one that heard that 😂
Lost in A Lost World: Pink Floyd intro, a killer intro IMO
Necrotic Nick- It did have some Pink Floyd vides that I enjoyed in the intro.
It's weird that everywhere I look and read, folks are talking about how different it is that the opening track isn't a short/fast rocker. That's been the case since 2010's Final Frontier which means it's been 15 years since the last time they had a short rocking tune as an opener, which was Different World on A Matter of Life and Death. That said, this opening track is the strongest they've done since Moonchild.
Necrotic Nick- Not only is it not your traditional Maiden rocker it's very dark and brooding and doesn't really get anthemic until the chorus. Generally Maiden while drive home the anthemic feel from the rip but this one kinda took more time getting to that feeling. I actually liked that as well.
You're going to compare that opening track to moonchild? I should hit the report abuse button!
Honestly, I really enjoyed that review, you all pretty much shared the same positives and negatives as I did (and I’m a die hard UK Maiden fan from the late 80’s) as well as picking out the same uncanny opinions in regards to Bruce’s lower tone, song length and how it’s pretty much the Smith show.
I am so impressed with this album, even though I agree with your points. The selling point of an album for me is dissecting each song rather than dissecting the album, ie; if 55% of a song gets me, it’s a point…..4/5 for me overall….Anyway I digress.
Well done boys. Stella review, entertaining, factual and now ….im a subscriber. 👏🏻
Necrotic Nick- Thanks! We try to get as deep as we can with the reviews and of course pepper in some levity along the way. It's an interesting listen when it comes down to all the tonal shifts and how all over the place it is. I still enjoy it though. There's some legit bangers on this one. Welcome aboard!
Senjutsu is a good album and hell on earth so far would be my favorite track my only gripe would be is that I wish there were a few fast and energetic tracks on senjutsu like on those first 5 albums. Great review on the new maiden release.
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, Ben! Yeah, I liked a good amount of the material on here but it definitely needed some more uptempo rockers like Days of Future Past and Stratego. Hell on Earth was a killer closing track though. It was the most epic of the epic tracks in my book.
Funny that Shredlord mentions the leads from Darkest Hour being reminiscent or Coming Home from TFF. There is a series of about 11 notes in that solo at 5:06 that are actually ripped straight from Coming Home. For about two and a half seconds I thought the song changed and it really threw me off because that solo was one of my all time favorite Maiden moments. And on that note, I completely agree that Adrian Smith carries this record. The songs he wrote with Bruce are the best tracks by far whereas Harris's songs sound like there was nobody in the room to give him any feedback.
I’ll defend maiden to the grave but even I’ll admit this album has loads of reused riffs. Adrian ALWAYS uses the one lick from his solo on dance of death (on his solos in speed of light and writing on the wall), the intro to the time machine sounds exactly like the talisman and the fast bit is very similar to the edge of darkness. Death of the Celts sounds so much like the clansman because the intro is played almost exactly the same in the same key as well.
@@chriscleo Yeah. I'm trying really hard to like this but they've given me too many reasons not too. Several times I thought they were about to break in to a passage from an old (or even newer) song and that shit where the chorus follows the melody note for note is kind of annoying and makes it sound like a cheesy musical or something. I watched tje making of AMOLAD last night and they were talking about how Bruce and Steve disagree on that. Steve said he likes to do that so the melody will stick in your head because that's the part people remember as opposed to the vocals. Bruce seemed to be saying you shouldn't force it and do what's right for the song and I agree. I think this could have used for them to take the last two years to do some more refinement before releasing it.
Got to disagree on the "No more keyboards" comment, because my favorite maiden albums are sit & ssoass. To me it provides a great atmosphere, and can turn a pretty good song into a great song. Just my personal preference.
Necrotic Nick- While I don't mind the keys on those albums the keys on this one really don't add anything to the music itself. They just sound cheesy to me and honestly they could have been replaced with some more guitar lines. Just my opinion though.
9:25 Yes! Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that!
I can't believe people are complaining about the mix, it sounds amazing to me. 4.5 for me, great album.
Necrotic Nick- I think the guitars need more beef and those keys need to disappear completely.
You must listen on Mp3 or shitty system.
I have listened to this album a lot in the last couple of days and appreciate it more with each listen great album.
Necrotic Nick- I'm still at the point where I haven't gained any new appreciation for the stuff that I didn't like before but I haven't lost any appreciation for the things I already liked. I think it's good, but definitely has some weak spots.
Love the album.. the solo's on Darkest Hour give me chills everytime I listen to it..
Necrotic Nick- Both solos on that alum are probably my favorites on the album. I love all the feel in them.
I wish I liked this more. On first listen, at least. We'll see what happens.
I think I enjoy it more as individual songs than an entire album.
Necrotic Nick- I hear you on the individual songs being stronger than the album as a whole. I get that feeling as well since the flow of this album is all over the place really.
I just retired my No Prayer for the Dying tour shirt.. The last shirt I still have from high school
My favorite part of the album is the 60 bonus! seconds of sleepy-time ocean waves ‘n’ seagulls ambience they put at the end of "Darkest Hour," because apparently somebody thought this thing wasn't long enough already.
Necrotic Nick- Yeah, the extra stuff and all the clean, long-winded openings on this one got old pretty quick.
Great Rock In Rio impression in the beginning haha 🤘
Necrotic Nick- He was doing that around the table when we were jamming it and we were laughing our asses off.
Great jam! The parchment is my favorite
Necrotic Nick- It's a good song with some killer riffs. Kinda needs to be a bit shorter.
I just listened to it twice all the way thru and I must say I found it rather epic. Each song seems to tell its own tale and I'm really digging the keyboard flourishes as well. It's missing a bit of the bombast of the 80s but it seems it to be a deliberate choice opting for a more mournful tone.
Necrotic Nick- I'm still really on the fence with this one. After 3 listens I didn't find anything new I really got into but at least the tracks I already dig are still good to me. I can't take the keyboards though. They really don't add much to album outside of a few moments.
After listening to this album over and over again since its release, I completely agree with other viewers when they say "It gets better the more you listen to it". Honestly, I love the clansman so i was super excited to hear death of the celts! As soon as it finished I was certain that it would be my favourite song off the album until Hell on Earth really hit me.
I keep hearing people slag off Lost in a lost world and all i can think of is "Why???" I honestly love that song and i think you guys are exactly right when you say "rips off" old songs. I dont mind this so much since it's their own material that they're ripping off haha and its why i love them. The verse in Lost world is identical to The man who would be king off the final frontier but i still love it.
The Parchment gave me a "Red and the Black" kind of vibe from Book of souls and not for its gallops or anything but purely for the continuation that it has with riffs and licks just carrying on and never ending haha. amazingly shreddy solo in there too which is always nice.
Anyways I ranked all the maiden albums the other day and chucked Senjutsu at number 7 out of 17. but as an album alone - easily 4 out of 5.
Great Review guys! Up the Goddamn Irons! \m/
On the 1st run we like Senjutsu, Lost in a Lost World, Days of Future Past. The rest of the songs take too long to get going or some guitar parts sound like past albums I heard before, like on the song Time Machine. The album did not sound fresh.
Necrotic Nick- I think Hell on Earth and Stratego are great tracks but Time Machine and Death of the Celts just need to go. You can probably get it down to one disc with those two removed.
I love this album
Hi guys shame you don't like album so much it gets better the more you listen to it, I'm so frickin happy new Maiden album and a Bond film holy crap. Keep safe all the best from UK. 👌✌🏴🤙😁👍🤘
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! I wish this album had grown on me with more listens but it really hasn't. I still like the songs I liked initially but nothing else has grown on me at. This one may just not be for me. I'll still love all the early stuff for sure though. That stuff is pretty much timeless.
Yeah man agree. I would buy the album again if they would make a special edition remix and nix the F’n synth and punch up the guitar. Merry F’n Xmas indeed.
Necrotic Nick- Actually, I might too. I'd want Death of the Celts and The Time Machine as bonus tracks on a separate disc so I didn't have to skip over them since I wasn't a fan.
Got to be honest guys- I was neither overwhelmed or underwhelmed, just whelmed.
Maiden are my favourite ever band- "Number of the Beast" 7 inch is what made me a metal head and I've been a fan since 82. I just feel this has some amazing moments on it but overall it's too self indulgent. I loved the lead single, it's their best single for years- really up there with some of their classics.
I agree with your analysis on Kevin Shirley's production values, I definitely agree that maybe they need to try something and someone else in the chair. I thought that, especially on the vocals, the mixing was patchy on some tracks. All in all it's too long.. so long my future self visited me via time travel and told me to keep the kettle on. It just lacked punch- needed, like you guys sort of said, some classic metal Maiden thumpers, it's been years since we've had a Run to the Hills or Two Minutes to Midnight banger.
I kept wishing this was Priest's "Firepower" in style and punch- that LP is just banging from the same level of epic titans in Metal- they even out Maiden Maiden on some tracks like Children of the Sun. It's a gnarly fucking heavy guitar record and sounds incredible- amazing tones.. and riffs!
Again- I fucking love Maiden- I've spent years as an illustrator making my own single covers from tracks on their LP's- but this just felt like Book of Souls part two and I hope they go back to a shorter, punchier sound and tracklist next cycle.
The fact they've hinted at playing it live in it's entirety fills me with fucking dread.. it's a bit toooo Tap "Jazz Odyssey" to put that on stage.
3/5 for me, not because it's a 3, but because I really wanted, or at least expected something else after the release of Writing on the Wall, as it hinted at other directions.
The middle section of Death of the Celts is the highlight of the album to me.Brought back Losfer Words/Duelist mid section vibes!
Another killer review fella's!! Only heard a handfull of songs and haven't fully immersed myself for an 100:20 epic! lol but keep up the great work! until next time!
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! You might want to take the day off of work so you can listen to the album from start to finish. lol
Disc 2:
Darkest Hour is a really melodic and calm song yet with a tragic and dark tone to it. It's well written and it would easily fit in any one of later Dickinson's solo records (the sang intro and verses sounds a bit like Gates Of Urizen while not reaching by no means its excellence).Great solos too. Ok while not fantastic.
The album then finishes with a trilogy of epic songs penned by Steve Harris, the first being Death Of The Celts. After more than a minute of cool ambiance (although once again it could be briefer) we get a bass/ finger picking guitar combo that vaguely reminds a passage from Virtual XI's The Clansman. Bruce starts singing upon the last of this patterns till it opens up to fat chords while the vocals keep on hitting the folk like lullaby and man this sounds great. And what about the chorus? Can things get more pompous and folk like epic than this? Don't know about you but I think the band absolutely nails it here as a whole. After a truly deep guitar solo a sudden break sends this song unto 100% vintage Maiden bouncing up front bass plus guitar harmonies territory (although once again it could be repeated less times). Some more soloing action and the song returns to the chorus, just in time to end in the verse like sang lullaby that gives melody to the verses. Great tune with lots of juice proving once again that when Maiden gets folk inspired you can only expect great things.
The Parchment follows gently and what comes to my mind is something more in the vein of Ravel's Bolero before the band hit the gas. And if pompous mid tempo heavy stuff full of keyboards like The Book Of Souls (the song) is your thing then you'll love this. Not that's recycling by any means (once again the band shows they can explore similar venues without copying themselves). Plus a certain middle eastern flavor is added to the mix even in the following solos and guitar harmonies. I think once again there are too many repetitions here, so by the middle of the song the initial mega punch is lost a bit and things start to get a bit stagnant. By the 6.45 minute mark a new melody seems to point where the track is heading next (somewhat similar to The Nomad's mid section) as Bruce comes sings the guitar's melody on top (well you already know what I think about this but it is what it is). After some twist and turns and some more soloing, the song ends with a cool guitar harmony that reminds me of the band's debut title track bridge. Overall there's everything here necessary to make a great epic Maiden tune but I don't know... Although having its charm the song seems to drag itself at times and features too many twists and turns.
And to close the album we get Hell On Earth. And I must stress from the get go how absolutely gorgeous the opening calm sections are, truly immersive. But once again, the same effect would be achieved with a couple less bars. The track then goes full galloping mode and wanders through all the sections from what one could call the song's second act even before Bruce lays a single singing line on it. That being said let's get the "cons" out of the way so we can enjoy this anthem for the beast of a tune it is shall we? First there's the underlying mimic guitar thing again. And while it works on the pre-chorus it surely once again could be doing something else during the verses. You may say I'm nit picking but this track's overall humongous quality demands this much attention to detail IMO. My other complaint (and this one I must underline) is how the hell you compose such a marvelously epic chorus and only play the sang version once? Man, make this song 14 minutes long... I could care less! This chorus is bonkers and Bruce really nails it. Well while I'm strongly pointing out stuff I consider thet could be better achieved you must be thinking I'm not much into this tune. Wrong. What happens is that when you compose such an opus like this one each minor "flaw" is way more noticeable than in a "merely" great song. Because IMO Hell On Earth this is a truly epic and fantastic Maiden opus overall! The pre chorus, the aforementioned refrain... fantastic stuff! And the way the solos make the perfect bridge to the song's next act is something. The spine chilling still part (really enjoy the doubled voices here) has that crescendo and tension before the whole thing explodes once again and man how I love the passion and fire Bruce puts on this section (that raspy tone in "anger"... wow)! The guitar harmony and solos here are also really good and the song fades as it returns to the intro soft melody. This song my friends is just another great chapter added to Maiden's gigantic legacy.
So there you have it: more than 4 decades after their debut it's almost incredible how these guys can pull such a record. Not that it's on par with their best ones (nor is it expected to). But fact is it's rock solid and one of those albums that IMO doesn't feature a single stinker or blatant filler which is one hell of an achievement on a double album. Bruce's voice (now cured of cancer complications) is sounding better than the previous album. The production is nothing out of this world but it's ok, even slightly better than some previous efforts.On the downside some songs could use some trimming here and there, sometimes it gets a bit tiring and repetitive and in some other sections there's still an excessive use of lead guitar and vocals mimicking. Nevertheless as a whole this record is a triumph. And if this is Iron Maiden's swansong it surely is a glorious way to say goodbye!
I'll give it a 8/10 points.
Writing on the Wall - I didn't get a Bon Jovi vibe, I got a Dark Crystal Gelfling festival vibe
Nice deep reference. Hahah
I honestly love the album but I can understand why people find it strange. They did some weird things on this album, and one thing I can definitely agree with is get rid of those keys. When I first heard Stratego and heard the quick synth-y strings over the chorus I honestly found it kind of cheesy. Places where the keys do work on this album are in the intro section of Hell on Earth (got to be my favourite song by a long shot!). Very different for Maiden, and watching the videos leading up to the album release I'm not surprised as Bruce, Adrian, Steve, and Nicko have all said that it's got surprises. To me it definitely sounds like the first three post-reunion albums were mashed together for the overall sound, with a sprinkling of some of the solo style from The Frontier (especially Adrian and his work on Starblind and Isle of Avalon). I found the first listen of this better than the first listen of Book of Souls, and I'm looking forward to drumming this in over the next few weeks!
Necrotic Nick- This is a bit of an odd album. Tonally it's kind of all over the place but that does make it an interesting listen because the mood will shift around a lot. The songs I really enjoyed I really got into for sure like Hell on Earth, Stratego, Darkest Hour, Days of Future Past and the title track but some of of it wasn't up to snuff for me. I like it more than Book of Souls and The Final Frontier but but less than the other reunion albums for sure.
@@thrallsofmetal Thanks for the reply, Nick! I have to agree with you on the first 3 post-reunion albums. They set the bar really high with those so you know, any content released after that is going to already have high expectations (even 20 years on).
Give this album some time.. it will sink in at some point ..it gets lot better with repeated listens esp on a good pair of headphones
Necrotic Nick- I've given it about 3 full run throughs but while I still really enjoy the songs I initially enjoyed the songs I didn't haven't grown on me.
great review! totally agree with Necrotic Nik!
Iron Maiden is my favorite band, I have very different opinions than other people of their material. 1 one them being that these past 3 albums are their weakest. TWOTW is an alright song, nothing really too special, but when i heard the chorus i thought "that sounds like something i would make up in the backyard to sound catchy" but TWOTW isn't a bad song and it does have some cool moments to it. Stratego on the other hand made me have a good feeling with this record. Bruce harmonized with himself which he hasn't done in a long time. They brought the gallop back, and overall it was catchy and didn't overstay it's welcome. When listening to this album today and yesterday, I noticed that I kept losing interest. The Parchment I was getting bored in, but then 3:31 came in, and it kinda brought it back a bit. The Time Machine although not sounding like an iron maiden song. I felt it had a strong melody with a catchy chord progression at around 3:17. And i like the vocals overtop, and i feel like it sounds good coming back to the chorus. The album has highs and lows and for memes, I might refer to it as Sensnoozutsu.
The title track though has different moods happening. And it sounds like the band was maybe going for some different sounds. For the last 3 songs i was starting to wait for the album to conclude ngl. They have their moments, but Steve to me draws things out for too long and makes me lose interest and some things will drag on for longer than necessary. Also the artwork i prefer the fan version of the actual artwork. (the fan one being the one with a glowing red sun, and kind of an embery vibe to it with an japenese structure to the left)
I'd give it 3/5, with time this album will probably grow on me, but for now these are my thoughts. I also don't mean for any of this to be whiny, one dude i know sounds real whiny when their going over something they don't like, so i'm trying to make sure im not falling under that lol.
Favorite Song:Stratego
EDIT:Bruce's vocals on this album a ton better than he did on TBOS. He is going down with his voice instead of staying up high. At around 1:09 on Days of Future Past Bruce does his vocal thing that i'm not too big a fan of. Also a lot of this reminded me of stuff from The Final Frontier and Dance of Death. More DoD than TFF but still. The intro to The Time Machine sounds a lot like The Talisman imo. There's probably more to add, but thats about all lol.
EDIT2:ok yeah the time machine is kinda of memable with that verse lmao
EDIT3: Yeah i forgot a lot of information. Alright last bit: This album could have been trimmed to an hour easily. These songs don't need to be this long. Those last 3 escpcially. That's also another probably I have, it seems like the more and more steve got into the production, the more and more the songs got unnecessarily long. The band could have trimmed of 10 minutes and would have been able to put it on a single disc. I feel like they just wanted to have the whole Double Disc spectacle with it if that makes sense.
Necrotic Nick- My main issues with this was the overbearing length of the album, too many keyboards, uneven production and some of the songwriting. When they're one they're on but when they're off it can be a bit of a chore to listen to. I feel there's a lot of recycled material here too. I think they need to work together more in the studio and see if they can get some of that old magic back.
@@thrallsofmetal Agreed, cause the band will send steve riffs or different ideas, and steve will put the songs together that way. At least that's from what i've heard. But yeah, there is a lot of recycled material on this record.
I can't understand the Hate this Album gets from many Fans and Critics. Might be their strongest since Brave New World. And Bruce sounds great for a 63 Years old cancer survivor.
Necrotic Nick- This one seems to be pretty divisive amongst the fans. I think it's still good but it does have some glaring flaws in my opinion but I still enjoyed most of it. I think it's better than Book of Souls and The Final Frontier but not as good as the other reunion era albums. Bruce does sound pretty good on this and him dropping down a bit in his deliver was a good move. He sounds less strained this time.
@@thrallsofmetal Imo BNW is in the Top 5. DOD is more of a hit & miss. Songs like Rainmaker, No more Lies and DOD are fantastic, but a lot of mediocrity like Wildest Dreams, Gates of Tomorrow, New Frontier ... AMOLAD is consistently good, but misses some 'hits'. FF is maybe the worst ever, and BOS has a great first half and a strange second half.
Just bought the 2 CD ed. tonight at Target, playing it right now. So far, so good. I also picked up a diecast Batman Returns Armored Batmobile because....just because.
Hey guys great review, I have watched a lot of Senjutsu reviews and yours is certainly one of the best, honest but respectful. I watched one review where the guy just dissed everything about the album, the band and the vocals, it was the most disrespectful thing Ive heard said about Iron Maiden. The guy obviously had know idea about metal. I think the album is great but I do share the same feelings as yourselves but saying that, ITS FUCKING IRON MAIDEN so whats not to like. UP THE IRONS
Bruce did have throat cancer so thats probably why he sound different
I love this album. Fav song at the moment: Hell on Earth.
Cheers from Norway!
Necrotic Nick- I will say that Hell on Earth is easily my favorite of the last 3 pics. Cheers from Ohio!
These guys at least understand what Adrian Smith is to the band. I watched a review from some joker who “tolerates” Adrian Smith. Tolerates Adrian Smith. Not Janick. Adrian Smith. Huh?? Wuh?? Dude is not only the feeling of the musical section, but also a very good song writer.
Necrotic Nick- Adrian is still a solid writer and player I just wish Dave and Janick would deliver stuff with the same passion that Adrian does.
Theyve taken some different steps in some songs and kept on some the classic maiden..love it! The time between 1980- 1992 won't be back. We all must appreciate them before they're gone
Necrotic Nick- I will always appreciate them but it's hard not to long for the sound that made them the iconic band they are. While I like a good chunk of this and see it as an improvement over Book of Souls and Final Frontier it's still missing that energy of the classics.
@@thrallsofmetal no doubt about the energy but im fine with rhat. Not many bands can make 7 elite albums in the span of 8 years
I see "Writing on the wall" as totally Wishbone Ash, a band Steve Harris loves.
Necrotic Nick- I've heard of that band but I've never jammed them to be honest.
You guys should review some of the new wave hardcore stuff (Jesus Piece, Knocked Loose, Code Orange, Kublai Khan, etc). Jesus Pieces Only Self is easily my favorite album out of this new scene. It’s kinda cool to see this scene form and see people form new bands. Also the Omerta hyperviolence EP is hella cool, can’t wait for new Omertà stuff.
Where to begin. The album does have a little something for everyone and I think…think…it’s better than Book of Souls but I put it at the bottom of the post Brave New World records just above The Book of Souls. The opening track is a bit harder and less energetic than per the opening song formula. But to plodding and long, though I dig the beefier guitar tone there. I have to remember that these are seasoned musicians and that the 80s and early 90s are gone. However, I would think that if you’re going to deal with age then shorter songs with more out of the gate punch would be recommended. Overall, I am a bit disappointed. But I am a fan and will be glad to get a new record from them. The glory days are gone but not forgotten is my problem.
You ever wonder if anyone in the band has told Janick to stop jumping around like Peter Pan?
Necrotic Nick- Maybe he's just showing off that his knees are in better shape than everyone else.
@@thrallsofmetal you think he realized his guitar is not plugged in? Hahaha
STRATEGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IS FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Necrotic Nick- Once of my favorites on the album for sure.
@@thrallsofmetal Yeah.
Roy Z should have produced it
Amen. At least Bruce wouldn't sound like he's dying trying to sing those songs all the way through.
Necrotic Nick- Wouldn't be a bad choice.
Nick, are Yall familiar with the movie from 1986 called wanted: dead or alive starring the late Rutger Hauer and the one and only Gene Simmons from Kiss?
Lost in a lost world and The time machine are some of the best songs on the album.
First time I heard IM was on The Number of the Beast 1982. Quit listening after Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 1988. They are okay, just not into their music anymore. Seen them live 1983 and 1988. 🤘🎸🇬🇧
Necrotic Nick- I was big into Dance of Death and A Matter of Life and Death when they dropped but The Final Frontier and Book of Souls didn't do much for me. I like this one more than the last 2 though.
I will have to check it out, thank you guys for the review!!!!!! Just one question, what des the title of the album means!? Or is there a song in the album, ? 🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🔥🔥🔥, country western, with a Japanese title, or its not japanese!?……
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! Honestly, I have no idea what it means but I would assume with the theme it's and actually Japanese word and not made up.
Maiden fan since 82 here and would like to say after 4 listens I would say it’s the best album since Matter of life and death.It may continue to grow on me but to me 80% of this album is rehashed guitar melodies,vocal melodies and lyrical ideas they have been doing for the past 20 years.Still love my Maiden though! Up the Irons!
Necrotic Nick- I'd agree that it's the best since A Matter of Life and Death but the albums after that one aren't that strong in my opinion. I do like this but it does feel like very familiar territory down to distinct riffs on the album sounding like callbacks to their earlier material.
Also.....you guys obviously love metal. You must check out into eternity. The album buried in oblivion. As well as the band byzantine. The album ...and they shall take up serpents
Also also, you said 1hr 40 mins, thought this album is like 84mins? Just like 5 or 6 mins short of being single disk
Necrotic Nick- I'm definitely familiar with both Into Eternity and Byzantine. I own all of Byzantine's album. I've always dug their style. The album is actually 1 hour and 22 mins roughly so it is just a bit over the threshold for a single disc.
It is too long yes, but that's what has made some of these songs really fun to play on guitar. And I agree, they really need to find a way to better utilize their three guitars, and if you have three guitars, it's just my opinion but then you don't exactly need keyboards. Especially if you're a band like Iron Maiden, that sound has always felt out of place when they've done it imo.
You know, I realized something while listening to this album. I kept going back to a clip from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" where characters who haven't appeared in the movie yet look at the camera and say "Get on with it!" "Yes. Get on with it!" Even God himself says "Get on with it!" And I loved Book of Souls, which arguably has the exact same problems, but I always have such a great time with it. Book of Souls bring me in, but as far as i can tell Senjutsu does not. Maybe i need to give it a few more listens, but as of now, I just want to go do something else
Necrotic Nick- Yeah, I definitely got that feeling a lot on some of the longer tracks like Death of Celts and The Parchment. To be honest I got that feeling a lot on Book of Souls too which I'm not much of a fan of. I'm still jamming this one though to get a better feel for it.
I have not heard this new album yet, but are Iron Maiden actually using synths or is it just the different pickups on their guitars that were once known as synth guitars? Remember Maiden's Somewhere in Time and Judas Priest's Turbo albums from the 80's? those were synth guitars, not actual synthesizer keyboards. Just curious. Looking forward to picking this album up.
Necrotic Nick- There's actual synth/ keyboards listed in the credits and it's Steve Harris playing them for the most part. I still recommend this if you're a big Maiden fan though
I swear when the seagull sfx started in Darkest Hour I thought my playlist switched to Estranged by GNR Ahah! And then the kinda intro guitar riff reminds me of the outro to Another Brick in the Wall part III. But anyway overall I love this album. I only think they need to mix Bruce’s vocals higher I feel this way in a lot of even live performances in recent times. My main issue I think is just mixing but I’m easy to please. I think I like everything but blaze era but more I just don’t feel the voice coz I like when Bruce sings like the Clansmen etc (which I think death of the celts feels like pt2 of this)
Necrotic Nick- I think slightly different production (someone who emulates Birch's classic sound) and some shorter songs would benefit the band. Bruce has lost a bit of the range but I do like that he didn't try to push to hard for high notes as much on this. I still love Maiden but I don't like the newer stuff nearly as much as the classics, but those are classics for a reason.
Whatever. The Time machine is great! Easily my fav track in the album.
Great review, dudes. Maiden diehard for life. Certainly felt similarly to how y'all did. Solid album. I, too, long for a new producer and shorter, more concise songs. They should let Arthur Rizk (Eternal Champion, Sumerlands) produce their next one. Give those guitars some nuts. That and 4:30 tracks = hot shit. Respect to the band for doing what they want to do, though, honestly. Up the Irons.
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! Dude that's awesome pick for a producer. He gives bands a really tight, organic sound and the mixes sound rich and heavy. I still have my love for Maiden but it's more the classic era but I'm just happy they're still with us.
Hahaha, the song that's 3 weeks long.
And SpreadLord brings up a great point: Enoigh of this long-winded producer. By no means do I want another No Prayer For The Dying, but I wouldn't mind a shorter, more concise, rocking Maiden album.
Thanks for the review guys!
Up The Irons!
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! Yeah, there's a lot of fat to trim off this one but it did deliver some rockers. I would love to see Maiden take on another producer and get that old sound with shorter songs rolling again. That's Maiden at their strongest and it also makes the epic track stand out more.
brilliant review guys, i personally thought Lost in a Lost World was one of the strongest on the album along with Stratego and Hell on Earth, but i loved all of it... though there might be a slight recency bias haha... I phucking LOVE Maiden \m/
Necrotic Nick- As much as I love Maiden and loved some of these tracks it was still missing something while being overloaded with other stuff. Not a terrible release but not as good as most of the Bruce reunion material.
This is the most contemporary sounding album they’ve made in 20 years. Not just another album from old boys but something here and now. It’s a lot to take in and not very immediate. I suggest we will all grow to like it if given the chance and a few more listens.
Necrotic Nick- I've gone over it about 3 times now and the songs that I don't care for haven't grown on me much at all but the songs I already liked haven't lost their luster. It's a decent album but it definitely has it's issues.
@@thrallsofmetal Hello Nick. It’s the sound of Maiden- as its been for several albums now. Long ponderous plodding, sometimes the sound of a prog band rowing backwards through treacle. I don’t think anyone confronts Steve Harris, nobody tells him “no” and he’s stearing the band stubbornly in a direction which we have to get used to. On a positive note- Bruce sounds better than he has for quite a while. I agree the record has its issues but we are never getting another Powerslave and this is how the band will always sound from now on I think.
Been watching a lot of reviews on this album today, so many different views and opinions, more than any other Maiden album.
Necrotic Nick- I had a feeling it would be divisive just judging by the first single and the response to that. Hell, all 3 of us were pretty divided. lol
I agree. Maiden is sounding tired! The guitars have no bite and the songs are more folk than metal. Roy Z or Sneap perhaps?
Necrotic Nick- As much as I don't want to admit they sound tired, they kind of do. I think a different producer might help but I think someone that can give them a bit of throw back to that Birch sound is needed.
Great album, though agree it's half hour too long, and sometimes the production sucks
Necrotic Nick- Yeah, it could have benefitted from a fresh producer and some editing for sure.
Writing on the wall is the same song almost raise your hands to rock from Motley crue. Check it out. .it's true lmao
Necrotic Nick- I may have to look into that one. lol