Iron Maiden Song By Song Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Zoot Marimba, Nov 8, 2017.

  1. izombie73

    izombie73 Forum Resident

    Tell me about it! WTF happened?

    Summer that's what, kids are home, adjusting schedules, helping parents with surgeries, a funeral, some other dark sh!t I won't get into. I am playing catch up tonight cause I had a little time and wanted to see what my Maiden Bro's where up to. Seems like some of us may have been hit with the same crazy sh!t.
    Oh well, such is life! And thank gawd for Maiden! Up the Irons!!!
     
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  2. izombie73

    izombie73 Forum Resident

    Thanks Bro... That means a great deal to me. :hugs:
     
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  3. izombie73

    izombie73 Forum Resident

    I always loved the artwork on this one. I have the picture disc on vinyl and they actually sound really good on my system. When my kids where a little younger I would put them on and turn the lights off, then we'd jam out and dance around with glow sticks. Man, them was some good times :agree:
     
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  4. izombie73

    izombie73 Forum Resident

    I did it! It happened once before in this thread and I just did it again!!! I caught the F up!!! LOL

    Let me post some of those damn emoticons I need to get around to... Hehe

    :oops:o_O:):(:o:D;):p:cool::rolleyes::mad::eek::confused::realmad::shake::shh::laugh::agree::cry::love::winkgrin::sigh::angel::wave::righton::help::cheers::goodie::bigeek::hurlleft::hurlleft::nauga::frog::ed::edthumbs::blah::cussing::chill::kilroy::yikes::wiggle::evil::crazy::-plnktn-::rant::hugs::whistle::unhunh::tsk::laughup::idea::hide::biglaugh::thumbsdow:yawn::nyah::bone::ignore::-popcorn::wtf::pug::faint::uhhuh::buttkick::pineapple::bdance::drool::shrug::cop::disgust::fly::imwithstupid::magoo::pleased::sweating::waiting::wantsome::link::tiphat::mudscrying::targettiphat::doh::shtiphat:

    I should get an award for that! Not only is it all of them in one damn post but, there ALSO in order. Haha!


    UP THE IRONS!
     
  5. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored

    I’ve been away from the thread for several weeks now. I just maxed out on Maiden after listening to nothing but Maiden while joining these discussions. I had to take a break!

    Anyway, I can’t believe the thread hasn’t hit The Final Frontier yet. Wow. :)
     
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  6. Silksashbash

    Silksashbash Forum Resident

    Location:
    Finland
    Di'anno - Nomad (2000) also known as Paul Di'anno - The Living Dead (2006)

    Didn't play the whole thing, but it sounds like quite heavy and aggressive groove metal type stuff, with some echoes of older metal and thrash. The first song is rather different, it's something Dickinson might do, but with more keyboards.

     
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  7. SammyJoe

    SammyJoe Up The Irons!

    Location:
    Finland
    [​IMG]
    Happy 35th Anniversary to the "The Trooper"-single, which was originally released on june 20th, 1983. I think it's their signature song (but there's couple more songs that are equally known).
    One of their most iconic and important songs in the whole catalogue. It's very important for me personally as "The Trooper" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name" were the ones that made me lifelong Maiden-freak in 1985 and so I of course have The Trooper Eddie tattooed on my skin.
    The song is based on the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava 1854, which took place during the Crimean War, and inspired by Lord Tennyson's poem of the same name.
    It shows the perspective of a cavalryman during the Crimean War as he charges and dies in the battlefield. I like the story of the song and also the soldier's battle which is told, is so thrilling and well told it just moves me everytime I hear it.
    I like the whole atmosphere of the song, the war going on there, the galloping sound of the bass and the guitars delivering that full on assault, it just always works, be it the studio-version or any live-version.
    I think the song is very compact, epic and is simpy just pure perfection. There's great sense of drama and melodies, excellent lyrics and powerful galloping beat that moves this song to be the ultimately memorable anthem.
    I might post couple of these important dates, anniversaries or other important events but Im not gonna keep checking these daily.
    Once in a while if I remember some important one, I will post here it here if needed.
     
  8. Almost Simon

    Almost Simon Forum Resident

    Hello there, haven't posted for a while and realise I may still have one song to review off "A Matter...."

    Anyone know what the plans are from here with remaining albums??
     
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  9. Cheevyjames

    Cheevyjames Forum Resident

    Location:
    Graham, NC
    I'm going to throw out Tyranny of Souls later today (hopefully) or tomorrow. Besides that, anyone else can put forth more of Paul's or Blaze's 2000's material (thanks @Silksashbash!) until Musicman has time to bring us back to Maiden songs.
     
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  10. moofassa_ca

    moofassa_ca Senior Member

    Great song, a stone cold classic. Kinda of sick of it tho and I do tend to skip when it comes up on countless live albums.
     
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  11. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Paul Di’Anno, Nomad:

    1. Intro: We start with this sort of creepy lullaby intro that sets a nice mood for the record. Not too bad a way to start an album.
    2. Mad Man In The Attic: The drummer can play, the riff is fairly weak. The solo isn’t bad, but the song just isn’t there.
    3. War Machine: Good riff. Good, not great. I’ll take KISS’ War Machine Over this.
    4. Brothers Of the Tomb: The tomb is where this song should have stayed, totally disposable.
    5. P.o.v. 2000: Am admirable attempt at thrash/speed metal, the song is fairly so so.
    6. The Living Dead: We get a slower tune with a nice vocal from Paul. Not a great great song but certainly one of the better songs on here.
    7. Nomad: Actually a good epic tune, I dig this.
    8. S.a.t.a.n.: Ohhhh. Paul is doing death metal vocals. I guess it’s alright.
    9. Cold World: Starts off decent but loses steam pretty quickly.
    10. Do or Die: Boring.
    11. Dog Dead: Boring.
    And there it is, Paul’s forgettable thrash/speed metal record. It seemed like a cool idea but the songs are not there.
     
  12. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Blaze, The Silicon Messiah:


    And now Blaze’s solo debut.
    1. Ghost In the Machine: We start with a driving metal rhythm, band is tight on here, Blaze actually sounds fairly decent on here. The track has a decent flow and Blaze nicely adapts to the contemporary heavy metal of the time, as well as a well structured and delivered guitar solo, overall, a strong way to open the record.
    2. Evolution: Not a bad song at all, with some solid music and Blaze is on point here. Pretty good.
    3. Silicon Messiah: Great Little guitar melody, and the song is very Maiden-esque as a whole (wonder if this was one of those song ideas Blaze had before pre-split). Not bad at all.
    4. Born As A Stranger: Cool rapid guitar at the beginning along with some nice hi hat work. Great guitar harmonies, and nice speed metal rhythm when needed.
    5. The Hunger: Meh, it’s just sort of there.
    6. The Brave: Good driving rhythm, killer guitars, best song so far!
    7. Identity: Meh.
    8. Reach For the Horizon: Not bad. Not great, but not bad.
    9. The Launch: A nice short punchy tune, I don’t mind it.
    10. Stare At the Sun: Good epic tune to close the record, I dig it.
    Not a bad record overall, certainly better than Blaze’s IM records or Wolfsbane.
     
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  13. Cheevyjames

    Cheevyjames Forum Resident

    Location:
    Graham, NC
    Bruce Dickinson - Tyranny of Souls (2005)



    With a break in Maiden's schedule, Bruce and Roy Z again got together to write and record a new solo Bruce album. Once Bruce rejoined Maiden, I really didn't anticipate him doing any more solo albums. Thankfully that option still exists for him and even though this is the only one that's happened since 1999, he's talked about doing another one (which we'll discuss when we get to Book of Souls). After loving his previous two solo albums, Accident of Birth & The Chemical Wedding, I was incredibly psyched for this one. I wasn't disappointed. For the amount of heavy stuff on this album...and some of these songs are the heaviest things Bruce has ever done...there's also a surprising amount of lighter moments and the combination of these really makes this album special. The only (slight) issue I have with the album is how it was recorded. Roy recorded the basic tracks of the songs along with a drum machine and Dave Moreno's drums were added later. That's the opposite of how things usually go, with the drums recorded first and everything built on top (or all at the same time). Having the drums come on after everything else gives them a feeling of being removed from the rest of the music. As a musician I can hear this, but non-musicians may not notice or even care. I don't feel the "togetherness" that I feel with Bruce's other solo albums. Still, that's not to say that Moreno's drums sound bad or anything, because he's a fantastic drummer. The songs overall are great too, so it's just a slight "could be better" kind of thing. To the songs!

    Mars Within (Intro) - Kind of trippy, sounds like it's the beginning of a concept album. But no, it's just a song that's a lead-in for Abduction. He has this knack for making every song seem like it's part of some greater concept. Cool little piece, but I never listen to it on its own, only when playing the full album.

    Abduction - This was the single released from the album and it makes sense why it was a single, it's pretty catchy. Powerful slam in the face...totally rages. It's about alien abductions! The verses give me a feel of Freak from AOB. Once the chorus hits Bruce lets loose his awesome voice with some great harmony guitars underneath. Soaring choruses...Bruce to a "T" and it's always excellent. I love the little burst of thrash that comes right at the end of the first chorus heading back into the verse. Really unexpected little thing, but it rules. Roy's solo is kind of spacey with him using the wah as a filter (as opposed to wakka-wakka or Kirk Hammett-type stuff). I also dig the background here; good changes underneath. The following harmony part is excellent before it hits a slight breather until we hit the massive main riff again. It's great when the bass doubles it half way through. I can't get enough of this chorus though, it's so good! Great song, perfect (proper) opener.

    Soul Intruders - The double bass is unleashed! I dig the verses, but the music in the pre-chorus is even better. Then we hit the chorus and damn, this dude just knows how to write choruses. Super-singable. Blistering guitar solo from Roy. This song is pretty compact, but it's really enjoyable. It's a quick 3:51 and we're out.

    Kill Devil Hill - As I live in North Carolina, this song was immediately a big deal for me when the album came out. Visiting the actual place where the Wright Brothers first took flight and jamming this song while I was there...amazing. This is SUCH a great song, one of Bruce's best ever. I love how the intro seems like a fake-out, starting out trippy then going heavy. Bruce's lyrics here are fantastic, making the maiden flight (heh) seem like some summoning of the devil. But man, the freaking chorus on this one. Powerful. I can't help but sing along and do the whole "holding an apple" thing with my hand. The chorus is beautiful and I hope I get to hear it live one day. For the last minute or so the song switches gears and we get some piano accompanying Bruce's far away voice and we feel like we're just floating through the sky. Great way to end the song.

    Navigate the Seas of the Sun - Starts off with a martial snare drum and acoustic guitars. Again, this song feels like it's part of a greater concept - we skip ahead a few chapters after first getting off the ground and now we're fully in "space flight" mode. Great choice by the guys to have this primarily be acoustic. Great chorus as always. Most of the time Bruce is singing in a more calm lower register, but he does let loose a few times. Really poetic lyrics here and I love Bruce writing like that. Roy gets a couple of great solos here - the first one sounds a lot like Adrian and the second is a classical guitar solo on top of a really cool backing track. He's a great guitarist.

    River of No Return - I love the main riff on here. Another fake-out as it seems like this one will be really heavy, but it turns pretty mellow for the verses. Great vibe here. Soaring chorus like he's so good at doing. Of course, we do get really heavy for the solo section and it sounds like it Dream Theater-influenced. After the short solo there's a heavy riff that reminds me of something spooky like King Diamond. Another excellent short solo follows before we head back into the chorus. I like this song a lot, but it seems to not fully fit together. Thing is, that chorus is so good I forget about that.

    Power of the Sun - strange vocal intro sets up this mammoth riff. I wish this was a Maiden riff, it would be an instant classic. Actually, the whole song would be. More great lyrics on this one. I love the pace of this song, it's really moving. Fantastic chorus. Flying solo from Roy followed by a middle harmony section that really brings it. This is a fantastic song and if not for KDH this might be my favorite on the album.

    Devil on a Hog - I wouldn't call this "silly", but it's certainly less serious than the rest of the album. Sounds like a heavier version of a song that could be on Tattooed Millionaire. This is where Bruce excels, he has this song that's pretty slight and then he unleashes another brilliant chorus that makes me not care if the rest of the song is goofy or not. It's probably my least favorite on the album, but it's still a lot of fun.

    Believil - I like how it starts off with the programmed drum beat that's kind of...hip hop (!) in nature, but the guitar effects and Bruce's voice definitely put it in the "heavy/dark" camp. Once we get past the verses and to the chorus the proper drums come in and it's a pretty heavy song. I see these lyrics in the chorus as being pretty tongue in cheek, but he sells it well. My favorite part of the song comes in at 3:04. That's f'n fantastic with the super heavy riff and the background vocals. Mostly the song's not much, but there's some cool parts to it.

    A Tyranny of Souls - Trippy intro leads to a heavy chorus. Bruce and Roy Z are great at doing trippy stuff and this album is full of it. Excellent soaring chorus on this one. This album is just chalk-full of great choruses. The bridge on this song (we are the black space) is really cool and different. Great second solo from Roy.

    Eternal (Japanese bonus track) - some markets got this one as a bonus track and it's another trippy one. This seems to be another one about space travel/aliens. It's pretty mellow all the way through so that's different than what we usually get. I think it could've worked somewhere in the middle of the album. Gets a little more intense during Roy's solo, but not too much. Eternal's not the greatest song, but it's solid. Actually, it reminds me a lot of Queensryche's Silent Lucidity (which is almost a rip off of Floyd's Comfortably Numb).

    Great album overall, but it does kind of lose focus a bit in the last 3 proper songs. Epic choruses excepted, of course. I really, really hope we get another Bruce solo album.
     
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  14. Silksashbash

    Silksashbash Forum Resident

    Location:
    Finland
    I see the running order on "Nomad" and its later issue "The Living Dead" is slightly different. When I talked about the first song on the album, I was referring to the song The Living Dead.

    The later issue adds a cover of Megadeth's Symphony Of Destruction and a couple of live cuts of Maiden songs, different ones depending on the pressing.
     
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  15. el supernautico

    el supernautico A traveller of both, time and space

    Location:
    Germany
    I just quick-repeated the album for myself, and I keep my original point of view: Not bad, but not as good as CW or AOB.
    Still, there's some damn good stuff on it, with "Navigate The Seas Of The Sun" and "River Of No Return" being my favorites. These two songs alone are worth the purchase and definitive highlights in the whole Dickinson-solo catalog!:righton:
    "Soul Intruders", "Believal" and "Tyranny Of Souls" are also very good, "Believal" could well have been on CW with its dark, mysterious mood.
    While I agree "Devil On A Hog" is a lighthearted song and almost throwaway regarding its ingredients, I really love the chorus - so melodic and catchy, it gets me every time (though I must admit that I don't have a clue what the lyrics are about...)
    What makes this album a lesser effort to me than CW or AOB is it's lack of cohesiveness and atmosphere. To me, it just feels too much like a collection of songs and less like an album. Apart from that, it's rather good stuff.
     
  16. el supernautico

    el supernautico A traveller of both, time and space

    Location:
    Germany
    Come on, is it good or is it not bad? I don't know any Wolfsbane, I just want to know if it's good music or not - is it worth a recommendation?;)
     
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  17. el supernautico

    el supernautico A traveller of both, time and space

    Location:
    Germany
    Silly me, all I had to do was clicking the 'tube...:nyah:
     
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  18. MusicMatt

    MusicMatt Quality over Quantity

    Location:
    California, U.S.A.
    Wow, I haven't had any notifications for this thread in a week. I'm glad I did a search.
     
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  19. izombie73

    izombie73 Forum Resident

    Same thing for me, I posted in another thread or two and I haven't seen any notifications from the thread until a day or so back when I posted.

    That being said it has been a little slow going the last few days.
     
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  20. markelis

    markelis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Miami Beach FL
    This is like the long wait before the encore. Musicman is just building anticipation. Everyone clap louder and chant Maiden! Maiden! Maiden! Then he will bring ‘em back for the two final albums!
     
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  21. el supernautico

    el supernautico A traveller of both, time and space

    Location:
    Germany
    MAIDEN!
    MAIDEN!
    MAIDEN!

    I'm waiting, but there's still some solo-material left to do, isn't it?
    Some Bayley-material (which I know really nothing about), and of course Di'Anno's occasional splashers here and there...
    A quick visit on wikipedia showed some results, but I must admit I have zero interest in digging deeper - except for "Hollywood Monsters" with Di'Anno, Tim Bogert and...tatatam: Vinny Appice!
    But as that happened only in 2013, it's not solo-stuff from the noughties, is it?:D
     
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  22. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Since I have yet to review the remaining three Bruce Dickinson solo albums, here we go. First up.....
    The Chemical Wedding:

    1. King In Crimson: We kick off with some killer drums and sludgy Sabbath esque riffage (Roy Z, I’m assuming?). And some slide that is unmistakably Adrian, and Bruce is in fine voice here, convincing in his lower range while belting right when he needs to. Awesome playing from Adrian throughout, delivered the melodic goods throughout his solo, something that we have been missing from Maiden for quite some time. This is such an awesome song and fantastic way to open the album.
    2. Chemical Wedding: A driving metal tune that gives way to a trippy guitar in the verses. Bruce sounds fantastic on this song, delivering with power and conviction, and of course Adrian’s solo is fantastic. Great great song and deserving of being the title cut.
    3. The Tower: Sweet ass bassline opens the track along with some great groove drumming, and great licks from H and Roy for good measure. Bruce of course is great as always. This is a really good tune man, we’re in great standing so far.
    4. Killing Floor: Holy hell, this is badass, from the dirty metal riffs and groove to Bruce’s vocals on here, and the mellow part in the middle is so cool. Great great song.
    5. Book of Thel: A more moody track, with the slow intro mixed in with Adrian’s graceful leads building up suspensefully.The track slays man, I love it.
    6. Gates of Urizen: Cool tune. My least favorite so far, but I dig it.
    7. Jerusalem: Neat tune, has that cool exotic percussion that adds to the vibe of the track. Decent song.
    8. Trumpets of Jericho: Badass Song, I really like this one.
    9. Machine Men: Another good one, killer heavy tune, great guitar licks throughout, I’m on board with this.
    10. The Alchemist: It’s an okay song but my least favorite on the album.
    11. Return Of The King: Good Song, I dig it.
    12. Real World: A good more commercial sounding tune, solid lyrics, I like this song quite a bit.
    13. Confeos: A really cool track, from the organ throughout to the loan groove, it has that hammy horror feel that I really like, love the song.
    It’s front loaded for sure, but still an awesome album that just shuts all over what Maiden was doing at the time.
     
  23. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    If anybody wants to help covering any Blaze solo albums left, that would be great, cause I’m tied up in other threads
     
  24. el supernautico

    el supernautico A traveller of both, time and space

    Location:
    Germany
    As I came late to the thread, I said I won't judge any "passed" album and its B-sides, but with that break, I'll take the time to do.
    So, here we go:

    Iron Maiden:
    Prowler: 9/10
    Remember Tomorrow: 8,5/10
    Running Free: 7,5/10
    Phantom Of The Opera: 9/10
    Transylvania: 7/10
    Strange World: 7,5/10
    Charlotte The Harlot: 7,5/10
    Iron Maiden: 9/10

    Overall album thoughts:
    This is it. Right in your face, like a raw piece of meat. Swallow or choke!:D
    Every single note is carved deep in the depths of my brain, so it's damn hard to judge it...
    Well, I love Prowler and think it is, together with Phantom Of The Opera and the title track, the album's highlight.
    The low points are Transylvania and Charlotte The Harlot, albeit I'd never want to miss any of them. But there has to be left some space for what there is to come!
    I think the album has a great flow, and Paul Di'Anno definitely helps a lot to establish the lasting impression of a mindblowing debut - Up The Irons!:righton:

    Invasion: 6/10
    Burning Ambition: 6/10
    Sanctuary: 7,5/10
    I've Got The Fire: 10/10
    Women In Uniform: 8/10

    Those B-sides (or single-only-tracks) are a step down from the album - except, of course, that brutal assault in form of "I've Got The Fire":drool:
    Sanctuary, I must admit, never got me. I always thought it was a cheap song with stupid lyrics and just a possibility for Bruce to show off.
    I like "Woman In Uniform" and how the band made it their own, that's why I rate it a bit higher.
     
  25. SammyJoe

    SammyJoe Up The Irons!

    Location:
    Finland
    Been somewhat busy lately and I haven't much at all contributed to the thread, well that's about to change soon..Im at the moment starting to do the reviews and add the "Tyranny Of Souls" reviews here tomorrow, takes little time as you need to listen to the each song few times to write all the little tiny info and feelings I get from each.
    As it's not too easy task sometimes to review the songs and the albums, I admit that finding the right words to describe the feelings I get from the music that I so love, is very hard. Sometimes I get it easy and words fly out of my mind via the keyboard instantly, sometimes not so.
    Maybe Im just so much enthusiastic and like so passionately to enjoy the music that I find it hard to purely examine or analyze it coldly or something. Hope you undestand what Im trying to tell you here.
    Im still thinking if I should give each song more space or just do one compact review-text, like mentioning the brief highlights and stuff like that..dunno, have to look and see how things go.
    And then later of course gonna check and add reviews/comments of Di'Anno's "Nomad" (which I guess I haven't heard before) and also Blaze's debut-solo "The Silicon Messiah" (and I got this one and some others from him in my collection).
    After those I will be back to basics reviewing each song and album with you here.
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2018

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