Fuck it, this is an album that deserves a track by track review. I have found it really hard to pick the weak points of the album.
Satellite 15...The Final Frontier - So upon first hearing this song, all that came to mind was "What the shit were they smoking when they decided this was a good idea? Modern experimental sounding intro? I'm utterly confused right now. Well getting past that part, when The Final Frontier finally kicks in, I find myself liking the song a lot more. In fact, I really do like The Final Frontier. Sure, it's not Maiden's high point in song writing, but it's still a fun track. I enjoy it. 6/10 (would be 7 if the intro wasn't...the intro)
El Dorado - I don't think I'll ever quite understand the amount of negative feedback this song gets. Yes, it's not what a lot of people expected. But it's still...good. Hell, it's great. I actually hold this as one of my favourite moments of the album. The galloping bass lines, the really cool main riff, Bruce's vocal delivery during the verses, etc. It's all rather solid. And I fucking enjoy it. I think the only problem I could say I have with it is the opening and ending. That whole "freestyle guitar wankery" thing is slightly bothersome, but forgiveable. 8/10
Mother of Mercy - It's dark and war related. Something that Maiden always has done right, if you ask me. This song is fantastic. I really like Bruce's tone on this song. Though I can kind of understand some peoples issue with the chorus, but to me it's just a standard Maiden chorus. It works. And it's not No More Lies. None of these songs are. 7/10
Coming Home - I have had the god damn chorus of this song playing in my head for 3 days straight now. I love it. And aside from the catchy chorus, this is overall just a really, really good song. I have to say it's a personal favourite. It's hard for me to NOT want to listen to it. 9/10
The Alchemist - This song slightly reminds me of The Pilgrim from AMoLaD. Not because the songs sound anyway similar. But in the fact that I like them, but that's about it. The song is a solid track, but it just feels a mile or two under the rest. The case with The Pilgrim was it being one of the very few straight forward tracks on the album, and I always felt the chorus to be a bit awkward. With The Alchemist, it has that similar straight forward thing going for it, but I just feel that it is...good, but nothing special. Though it does get an extra point for the really cool solo. 7/10
Isle of Avalon - First thing I have to say about this song - it's one of the big high points. I can't stop listening to this one. From the soft opening to the thunderous riffs that come into play, it already has my attention. Also Bruce's vocals on this one are top notch. Some of my favourite on the album. The solo/instrumental section are also really fucking cool. That riff that comes into play around 5:30 always grabs my attention. I honestly can't think of a single issue I have with this song. 10/10
Starblind - I'm probably going to get a bit of shit for this but...Starblind is my least favourite track on the album. Don't get me wrong, it's good. But it's the track that has the hardest time holding my attention. The way Bruce delivers the verses feels really...awkward to me. I can't put my finger on it without sounding like a nutcase. But the first verse I'm still having an issue with. The song is...alright. But still the least interesting track to me. It's probably bound to grow on me in the future, but for now, not so much. 5/10
The Talisman - Once again it's album high point time. I really enjoy the slow intro for this song. It works well as a prologue to the musical journey we are about to be taken on. Once the song picks up...holy hell does it pick up. Everything about this song is utterly superb. The chorus being my favourite part. Bruce's vocal delivery is absolutely fantastic. Musically it might just be the most interesting track on the album. It easily has some of the most replay value out of the entire album. 10/10
The Man Who Would Be King - This might just be a song placement issue, but did Maiden really need 5 tracks in a row to have slow intros? I mean, I never have an issue with them. They worked oh so well on AMoLaD, but having them all back to back seems a little obnoxious, don't you think? It's similar to the problem I have with Avenged Sevenfold's Nightmare. The guys wrote a fantastic album, but placed for slower/ballady songs together in one clump near the end of the album. Not so much variety there. Outside of that, I very much enjoy TMWWBK. It's not fantastic, but it's still a solid track. A few parts are still growing on me, but overall it's damn enjoyable. 8/10
When The Wild Wind Blows - Here we are, the highest praised song on the TFF. Let me first mention that yes, this is the other high point of the album. In fact, all three high points basically tie together in terms of ranking and in how much replay value they have. And yes, I love this track. The slow intro is one of the most tasteful they have done due to the way it segues into the rest of the song. I also love how smooth Bruce's vocal melodies are. Some of his best, and easily the best on the album. Maiden always writes fantastic pieces of longer music. And as the bands third longest song, they proved that when given an 11 time-slot for a song, they fill it to the brim with some majorly awesome music. 10/10
When you do the math, the album comes out to a solid 80/100, so it gets an 8/10. Now that my friends, is a damn solid Maiden album.
Topic: THE Iron Maiden Thread (Read 436258 times)
