Blaze era moments just suit me fine.
Really want to listen but want to wait til I can get the CD. Might do some initial reaction posts while listening when I do get it. I love doing that sort of shit.
I almost shot you PM to ask if you'd heard it yet! Can't wait for your reactions /o/
This album kind of worries me -- it feels like the band tapped into my personal messages with friends and figured out what I wanted from an Iron Maiden album and just gave it to me
I'm floored. Time Machine and Hell on Earth are the 11/10s for me, but there's a LOT for me to love here (I don't think there's any track that gets less than a 9/10 from me).
Really, really hoping they do the full-album tour setlist for this one like Bruce mentioned. Seems unlikely (and more unlikely that they'll hit South America with this tour), but I'd be happy just knowing they did it.
I couldn't believe all the catchy melodies they dug around. That and the way they'd tone things down for dynamics... ever since AMOLAD there's been some stuff in the albums that feels a bit too "off the cuff" for me, so this was a GREAT change in that regard -- everything feels really planned and worked on for great effect, with less of the "first take's good enough" vibe. Adrian mentioned they really had to work hard to get WOTW to sound right, and there's a lot like this throughout the album.
Have you guys read the lyrics? I think esp. on Hell on Earth Steve sort of reached a new level of... heartfelt bleakness? It's hard to describe, but if the lyrics posted online are legit, it's the most cryptic but oddly enticing they've ever been, lyrically.
One final thought: I've seen people complain about Janick's guitars accompanying the vocals, the quiet intros, the repetition... to each their own, but I wouldn't have this album any other way. They definitely recovered some ideas from the Blaze years and the album's all the better for it.
Definitely too attached for true objectivity (I usually kid that, with Maiden, I'm never really able to be objective, so I couldn't write professionally about them), but this is easily my favorite from them since Dance of Death (which is my favorite by them over all) and I'm glad to have it as an audio-form companion. It does carry a sense of finality to it, so while I'd love for them to have another go at the studio, if this is their last one, they couldn't have a better curtain call in my book.
By the way, it's been really exciting to post on this topic and follow everyone's reactions to this stuff. Whether I agree or disagree with any opinions bears no weight to me -- I don't know for how much longer we'll have this band in activity with us, so I see y'all as companions in this wild ride. Thanks!