Iron Maiden new album, "Senjutsu" - release date September 3, 2021*

A few good/great ones, for sure, just not AS great as Phantom, IMO.

 

Agree that Killers is the better album, but Phantom is one of the 3 or 4 best songs the band ever did. I wouldn't rate anything on Killers as highly.

 

Here we are entering the wonderful territory of personal tastes, cheers to that!

It is called Hallowed Be Thy Name, not By

 

Rating the songs till the end of the world
If eternity should fail
Albums in line till the ending of time
If eternity should fail

 

A couple of observations:

1. It would interesting to measure when Maiden emphasized repetition in their choruses - maybe it's always been there (Caught Somewhere in Time, Deja Vu, etc.). In any case, I suspect that repetition is important to the new songs (whose lyrics aren't well known) connecting with crowds at their live shows. "Blood Brothers" in particular seems to stand out there.
2. I find "Writing on the Wall" a little too straightforward and would have benefited with a third verse, or a change in pace. It's actually reminiscent of the title track to the Final Frontier with its simple structure and extended soloing. I think "Writing on the Wall" is better than their last couple singles, however, and maybe its simplicity will work well amidst more progressive tunes in the track order.
3. It might take twenty years, but I look forward to hearing all of these uniformly excellent reunion albums remixed. I think No Prayer for the Dying is the last album that was well-produced. Good production goes a long way to making bad songs listenable, and good songs great.

 

No Prayer... well produced?! Whilst the reunion albums' production quality is arguable, i dont think Ive ever heard anyone say No Prayer was well produced. It was the first time they used Steve Harris's shed as a studio - sounds pretty awful to my ears.

 

Agree. I’m usually up for paying a little extra for a limited coloured vinyl record, but I’m getting the standard black for this.

 

Fear was a major upgrade in production from No Prayer. Songs were better too.

 

It is.

 

"I'm running free, yeah, I'm running free...I'm running free, yeah, I'm running free"

It's what Steve does, that's how he writes.

 

To Tame A Land severely underrated in this space, though you really need to have read the book. Captures the mood brilliantly.

Alexander The Great was the start of the struggles IMO. "He met King Darius again, and crushed him again". Arghh.

Fear Of The Dark is their most overrated song.

 

Or watch the soon to be released film!

 

I feel like they were kinda hobbled by trying to tell some of the actual history with that one.

One of my very favourite Maiden songs.

 

Yep, No Prayer was a disaster production wise and song wise (Adrian leaving the group was a huge loss). The last great production effort is Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son because the band recorded it in a proper studio, worked with Martin Birch and too the time and effort to write and rehearse the songs before entering the studio along with listen to Birch's input.

 

I dunno, just seems forced. Harris seemed to be reaching to make the words fit the rhythm.

 

Didn't know about that. Premieres the same day Senjutsu is released.

 

How cool would it be to hear ‘To Tame A Land’ over the new Dune’s credits.

Frank Herbert apparently baulked at the thought of some “heavy metal band” using Dune as the title for one of their songs, hence the name-change.

 

Yes, Herbert didn't give his approval for the name. He also didn't allow them play it live.
It's a pity because it would be a classic, now it's a "lost classic".

 

Or, To Tame A Land is just not a very good song.

 

Not allowed play it live? I’d have my doubts about that.

 

I almost reported ya for that comment Curveboy!

 

Yeah and they definitely played it live back in 1983. For example:

 

That guitar riff is to die for!

 

I have got so many trivia questions right over the years thanks to Alexander the Great.

 

This is one of my favorite Maiden tracks. Piece of Mind if my favorite Dickinson album, probably. Tied with Powerslave.