The Iron Maiden Thread v. The Merge of Souls

[wolfking]

2 putting Parchment second last, Wowsers!! 

[Mladen]

Keep in mind that it's still a good song that I find VERY intriquing. I'm returning to it quite often. It's just that I cannot make heads or tails of that structure. 

What does bother me about it, though, is that the entire vocal line is doubled by the guitar. It's a bit much.

[porcacultor]

1. Hell on Earth
2. Death of the Celts
3. Time Machine
4. The Parchment
5. Senjutsu
6. Lost in a Lost World
7. Writing on the Wall
8. Darkest Hour
9. Stratego
10. Days of Future Past

This really is a superb album – even though DoFP got the bottom spot, I've still got a lot of love for it.

[MirrorMask]

I wouldn't know how to put them all in order, but Lost in a Lost Word and The Parchment grew a lot on me.

Lost in a Lost world felt at first like the classic Harris song, but I really got into it and all the final verses are beautiful.

The Parchment is fucking insane. Apples and oranges, but there are dozens of DT songs with a much safer structure than this one. A couple of verses, then for no apparent reason at all an endless string of solos after solos, then another section that grows and grows until finally launching into the faster and bombastic finale? wow!!!

Death of the Celts is as lovely and fun as pointless, and maybe it's the only one where I really feel the solo section goes on too long, and when it comes back it's just to quickly end the song, but what a ride it is.

And of course Hell on Earth is fantastic, pity for the last few minutes that meander a bit.

Time Machine is definitively my least favorite. Senjutsu is weird as opener, but there was no better song to start the album with, and while my initial thoughts were "it should have picked up the pace and went faster after the second chorus", I wouldn't know where to place a faster section, the song is good as it is.

Darkest Hour is very emotional, and the two "singles" are very cool, Stratego is so catchy, also in this case pity that the post-chorus (I hear you calling my name....) comes only once. And as I said, the solos on WotW are superb, especially the second one.

[nobloodyname]

As a couple of others have said, Senjutsu is just such a consistent album from start to finish. Because of that, I don't think I could really rank the songs against each other. That said, I would probably rank Days of Future Past and Darkest Hour below everything else. I quite like them both and Darkest Hour has stellar solos but I think every other track is a cut above those two.

Oh, and I think Hell on Earth should be five minutes longer.

[Zydar]

Which of the songs do you think they will play live? Are all of them up for grabs?

[wolfking]

Which of the songs do you think they will play live? Are all of them up for grabs?

I certainly wouldn't be opposed to them playing the whole thing live.

I just really hope The Parchment gets in the set.

[MirrorMask]

Bruce seemingly thinks that it would be cool to do a short and scaled down tour for the diehard fans where they play the whole thing.

If they use the 5-6 new songs approach as usual, I'd reckon they'd play:

- Senjutsu (title track and opener)
- Stratego and The Writing on the Wall (singles)
- Hell on Earth (epic and seemingly fan favorite)
- Darkest Hour (ballad moment)
- Either one out of Lost in a Lost World or Death of the Celts

[KevShmev]

Serious question: is there anywhere to buy or find digital versions of the original releases of their 80s albums? Looks like the 2015 remastered versions are all brickwalled to death (and supposedly the 1998 ones weren't good either), and I'd rather get the original, cleaner versions.

[nobloodyname]

Serious question: is there anywhere to buy or find digital versions of the original releases of their 80s albums? Looks like the 2015 remastered versions are all brickwalled to death (and supposedly the 1998 ones weren't good either), and I'd rather get the original, cleaner versions.

Can't answer this, I'm afraid... but I've just started buying the initial CD releases of the early albums for this very reason since I've only got the 1998 remasters (I remember them coming out a couple at a time. Was all rather exciting since additional material was contained on the discs). During the run-up to Sentjutsu's release, I listened to one album per day in chronological order on very good headphones. And my goodness, yes, those 1998 remasters really aren't too good.

[Zydar]

I bought the 1998 remasters as I got into the band around that time (1998-1999). I listened to the 2015 remasters a few years back, and I don't really mind them. They sound better than the 1998 ones, as the 2015 remasters seem to have more punch and weight to them.

[KevShmev]

I have heard some of the versions from the original albums on YT and they sound way better than the 2015 remasters that are also there.  The 2015 ones might have more weight and punch, but the originals sound like they are of their time, while the remasters sound a bit too modern (not just in the brickwalling, but in everything).  I am rarely a fan of this trend of trying to remove the time period out of older albums, so I will continue my search for the originals. 

[Stadler]

Those original albums sound so good; there is good separation, good dynamics... I love them.  I'm not that huge a fan of the recent trend of making every album - even the ones that aren't 'brickwalled' - a wall of sound.   There's something to letting the instruments breath.   It worked for The Beatles, the Stones and (especially) Led Zeppelin....

[krands85]

I still can't properly rank the songs yet, but every track is good or better.

My favourite part of the album is the second half of The Parchment though, so it's probably the frontrunner for my number 1.

[DoctorAction]

Days Of Future Past
Hell On Earth
The Time Machine
Writing On The Wall
Lost In A Lost World
Senjutsu
Stratego
The Parchment
Death Of The Celts
Darkest Hour

But it's a little early for me really. I like Darkest Hour, even though I sometimes skip it. There are no stinkers here. Great, great record. They done us proud. 

[Mladen]

Bruce seemingly thinks that it would be cool to do a short and scaled down tour for the diehard fans where they play the whole thing.

I would pay good money to see that. They should play the entire new album and close out the show with three tracks from the reunion era. The Wicker man, Rainmaker and Coming home would do. And maybe throw in Fear of the dark and Iron Maiden, because those are never absent. 

[Stadler]

Bruce seemingly thinks that it would be cool to do a short and scaled down tour for the diehard fans where they play the whole thing.

I would pay good money to see that. They should play the entire new album and close out the show with three tracks from the reunion era. The Wicker man, Rainmaker and Coming home would do. And maybe throw in Fear of the dark and Iron Maiden, because those are never absent. 

I'd go see the entire album.  I went and saw the Astonishing and The Great Adventure and enjoyed them, and I like this record more than both of those combined.

[bosk1]

Senjutsu (title track and opener)

I was just thinking this morning as I was listening on the drive to work that the title track is a bit slow (mid-tempo) for a Maiden show opener. 

[bosk1]

I liked this album from the first spin on,  now it's easily in my top three Maiden albums of all time. I honestly cannot tell you which is my favorite song on Senjutsu,  it can change from day to day. They released this album at the perfect time which gives us something great to listen to while we're waiting for the new DT album to drop.  If AVFTTOTW is as good as this album, I'll be pretty stoked! 

bosk said yesterday that he'd put Senjutsu as #2 of the year behind AVFTTOTW, so that says something about the new DT album if everyone's raving over this one.

Well, yeah, but I'm a blind DT fanboy, so there's that. 

But, yeah, I really do think they are both that good.

[425]

Yeah, no offense, but I take your DT opinion with a grain of salt. I'll be surprised if after Distance over Time they put out something I enjoy as much as Senjutsu, but I'm willing to be proven wrong. It would be a great year if a third album came out near the level of this and Innocence & Danger.

[bosk1]

Yeah, no offense, but I take your DT opinion with a grain of salt. I'll be surprised if after Distance over Time they put out something I enjoy as much as Senjutsu, but I'm willing to be proven wrong. It would be a great year if a third album came out near the level of this and Innocence & Danger.

No offense taken.  I completely understand.  Sometimes, you just find a band whose musical formula suits your tastes to a "tee," and so most of what they put out is an almost-automatic like.  Both DT and Neal Morse fit that.  Do they still put out things I don't care for?  Sure.  But for the most part, I know going in blind that I am going to really like most of what they put out since they have such a strong track record of being right up my alley.  I cant rank AVFTTOTW yet.  But it checks all the boxes of what I like and breaks some new ground.  And I like every single track thus far and don't find myself wanting to skip any (which, to me, has been a hallmark of the Mangini era for the most part).

Maiden is a bit more hit and miss for me.  But if I were to graph the reunion era according to my tastes, it has been a general upward trend since Bruce came back onboard.  And whether or not Senjutsu ends up being the high point of the reunion, it is right up there in the discussion.  And I think that for any band, if fans can say "the new album is legitimately in the discussion for top 3 [or at least top 3 of a particular era]," that should be considered an overwhelming success.

To compare the two albums, I dunno.  I think those who are more fans of Maiden will prefer Senjutsu, and those who are more fans of DT will prefer AVFTTOTW.  At the end of the day, they are both solid albums that showcase what each band does well and have some really well-written songs.

[425]

Thanks for that explanation. I'm not sure whether I'm more a fan of DT or of Maiden (both would be top five artists for me), but unfortunately I haven't really connected with the last couple of DT albums, which tempers my excitement for the new one. I am cautiously optimistic about the return to longer songs, though.

[WardySI]

Regards the last couple posts relating to Bosk's take on new Dream Theater I have to confess after such a wait for new Maiden new DT doesn't feel quite as exciting and not sure am quite ready for a new Dream Theater album yet?  That, and am still loving Distance Over Time which still feels fresh!?

Of course keen to be proven wrong and blown away

[wolfking]

I'll call it now but there's no way DT is matching Senjutsu.

[Dream Team]

I'll call it now but there's no way DT is matching Senjutsu.

Well it depends. Just on The Alien alone, they surpass the entirety of Senjutsu on energy. If the remaining 5 songs have a lot of creativity and good vocal melodies (claimed by MM but not apparent on the 2 singles) then I'm sure I'll like A View more. And obviously it will sound a lot better.

[KevShmev]

Me and Bruce must be the only two persons in the world that don't love SIT.

I mean, it's a good and nice album, it's not that I don't like it, it's just that I never connected with it the way I did with the other albums.

It is definitely my least favorite of the five Maiden albums with Bruce from the 80's, but I still like it.  I think I'd rank the five like this:

1 Powerslave
2 Piece of Mind
3 Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
4 The Number of the Beast
5 Somewhere in Time

Three days ago, I said the above, but I think I sold Somewhere in Time a little short.  That one may get a bump a few notches up the ladder.  Powerslave remains at 1, but I think Somewhere in Time and The Number of the Beast now might get my 2 and 3 slots.

Oh, and the 90s stuff so far is not going well for me for the most part.  The X Factor was a travesty.  Not looking forward to Virtual XI, but will have to power through it, and then it's on to Brave New World!

[jammindude]

Me and Bruce must be the only two persons in the world that don't love SIT.

I mean, it's a good and nice album, it's not that I don't like it, it's just that I never connected with it the way I did with the other albums.

It is definitely my least favorite of the five Maiden albums with Bruce from the 80's, but I still like it.  I think I'd rank the five like this:

1 Powerslave
2 Piece of Mind
3 Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
4 The Number of the Beast
5 Somewhere in Time

Three days ago, I said the above, but I think I sold Somewhere in Time a little short.  That one may get a bump a few notches up the ladder.  Powerslave remains at 1, but I think Somewhere in Time and The Number of the Beast now might get my 2 and 3 slots.

Oh, and the 90s stuff so far is not going well for me for the most part.  The X Factor was a travesty.  Not looking forward to Virtual XI, but will have to power through it, and then it's on to Brave New World!

TXF deserves respect for Sign of the Cross alone.

It seems almost sacrilege to say this, but I can honestly say that the greatest Iron Maiden song ever recorded was not done with Bruce. Although I’m glad that Bruce saw fit to give us a couple live versions.

EDIT - and I should clarify that while I really enjoy the live versions with Bruce, Blaze absolutely KILLS it on the original.

[Mladen]

I guess the usual complaints on The X Factor might be the production or the general mood of the album, but I wonder what you thought of the songs themselves, Kev.

[KevShmev]

Sign of the Cross was actually one of the two songs I thought had trickles of being a good song, The Edge of Darkness being the other, so I will have to check out live versions of those two with Bruce.  I do not like Blaze's voice at all.  He sounds like a generic singer from some bad bar metal band.

[jammindude]

There’s a certain passionate conviction in the way he sings the first heavy part “Standing alone in the wind and rain…” as well as the “why am I left to face this alone, asking the question TIME and again.”

There’s just a certain “fierceness” to his delivery that Bruce never quite captures IMO. Even though he does do it with better technique.

[jammindude]

Another controversial opinion of mine…

Blaze’s versions of Bruce’s songs all blew chunks with one exception. I like his live version of Afraid to Shoot Strangers (from the 2-disc version of Best of the Beast) better than Bruce’s version. Mostly for a lot of similar reasons. That particular song happens to fit in his range better, and he has a certain snarl to his voice that fit the song better.

[Kwyjibo]

He sounds like a generic singer from some bad bar metal band.

For me he sounds like a caricature of a metal singer. Like a comedian doing a parody.

[KevShmev]

There is literally no chance I will ever listen to Virtual XI again...ever.  Blaze's vocals are just too bland and generic.  Just gave it a whirl and that was difficult to get through.

That said, The Clansmen seemed pretty great, and I checked out the Rock in Rio version with Bruce.  Now that is good stuff.  I could tell when listening to the studio version that it just needed good singing to bring it all out, and boom, there it is.

I now look forward to never hearing Blaze Bayley sing again.

[425]

There’s a certain passionate conviction in the way he sings the first heavy part “Standing alone in the wind and rain…” as well as the “why am I left to face this alone, asking the question TIME and again.”

There’s just a certain “fierceness” to his delivery that Bruce never quite captures IMO. Even though he does do it with better technique.

Yes, yes, yes.

And yes on his version of Afraid to Shoot Strangers, which is wonderful.

I think there are other performances of his on older songs that show signs of being good, but he's really hampered by Steve's refusal to tune down. I think he would be great, for example, on The Clairvoyant, if it was a little lower. He does well on the verses, but he just can't reach up to the chorus.

He sounds like a generic singer from some bad bar metal band.

For me he sounds like a caricature of a metal singer. Like a comedian doing a parody.

I understand not liking his voice, but... I don't really get this? What other metal singer sounds like Blaze? Maybe there's just a whole segment of the metal world I'm missing, but I think he's literally the only metal singer I'm even aware of whose range is that low.

[Glasser]

There’s a certain passionate conviction in the way he sings the first heavy part “Standing alone in the wind and rain…” as well as the “why am I left to face this alone, asking the question TIME and again.”

There’s just a certain “fierceness” to his delivery that Bruce never quite captures IMO. Even though he does do it with better technique.

Yes, yes, yes.

And yes on his version of Afraid to Shoot Strangers, which is wonderful.

I think there are other performances of his on older songs that show signs of being good, but he's really hampered by Steve's refusal to tune down. I think he would be great, for example, on The Clairvoyant, if it was a little lower. He does well on the verses, but he just can't reach up to the chorus.

He sounds like a generic singer from some bad bar metal band.

For me he sounds like a caricature of a metal singer. Like a comedian doing a parody.

I understand not liking his voice, but... I don't really get this? What other metal singer sounds like Blaze? Maybe there's just a whole segment of the metal world I'm missing, but I think he's literally the only metal singer I'm even aware of whose range is that low.

He has a Danzig tone that I personally like but doesn’t fit Maiden at all.