Music Banter - View Single Post - Trollheart's Comprehensive Guide to Iron Maiden

Trollheart · 11-12-2017, 05:52 PM

Track title: “If Eternity Should Fail”
Album: The Book of Souls
Year: 2015
Written by: Bruce Dickinson
Subject: Uh, not sure. End of the world?
Type: Epic progger
Length: 8:28
Familiar? Not really
Rating: 4/10
See, this is what I was talking about in the previous entry. Can anyone sing this song? Does anyone even remember it? I bet, the fact that it kicks off the latest Maiden album while running for nearly nine minutes (okay, eight and a half) probably turned a lot of headbangers off. It's not that I'm saying we metallers have short attention spans, it's just that ... that ... um ... where was I? Well anyway, it's a pretty atmospheric intro to the opener of their first album in five years, and there are ****ing FLUTES in it! Yeah, I know they're on Harris's keyboard, but still. It's not quite “Aces High” now is it? Talk about teasing. It's nearly two minutes into the track before the first proper guitar riffs kick in and the drums make their appearance, and that familiar Iron Maiden chug-a-long beat makes itself evident, and we can relax: this isn't a Dream Theater album after all! Phew!

The point I'm making is that this is nowhere near as immediate an impact as, well, just about any track that opens any of the classic albums. Hell, even Killers kicks bottom from the very first note. We shouldn't be waiting for Maiden to rock out, but we have to. Admittely, once it gets going it's a decent song, but even now, I can't find a hook in it that will make me remember it, much less sing it. Is this down to Dickinson's solo writing? I don't think so: most of this album is a co-authored affair, and there's only this and the epic-beyond-epic “Empire of the Clouds” that are solo compositions by Bruce. Still, that one is a little hard to stay with too, so maybe. I don't know. At least this gets a kick up the arse in the fifth minute with some good ol' solos, but doesn't that riff sound familiar? Anyone recognise it? I don't think it's a Maiden song.

Anyway, I won't say it's a bad song by any means, but it just doesn't feel like the killer punch the first track on the new Maiden album should be delivering. Too long, takes too long to get going, not limp but not going for your throat so much as asking you to get the **** out of the way. I need more aggression from my Maiden, thanks. Oh, and it fades out on the last minute with some sort of mad vocal thing. What the blue jumping ****, lads?

11-12-2017, 05:52 PM	#8 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Track title: “If Eternity Should Fail” Album: The Book of Souls Year: 2015 Written by: Bruce Dickinson Subject: Uh, not sure. End of the world? Type: Epic progger Length: 8:28 Familiar? Not really Rating: 4/10 See, this is what I was talking about in the previous entry. Can anyone sing this song? Does anyone even remember it? I bet, the fact that it kicks off the latest Maiden album while running for nearly nine minutes (okay, eight and a half) probably turned a lot of headbangers off. It's not that I'm saying we metallers have short attention spans, it's just that ... that ... um ... where was I? Well anyway, it's a pretty atmospheric intro to the opener of their first album in five years, and there are ***ing FLUTES in it! Yeah, I know they're on Harris's keyboard, but still. It's not quite “Aces High” now is it? Talk about teasing. It's nearly two minutes into the track before the first proper guitar riffs kick in and the drums make their appearance, and that familiar Iron Maiden chug-a-long beat makes itself evident, and we can relax: this isn't a Dream Theater album after all! Phew! The point I'm making is that this is nowhere near as immediate an impact as, well, just about any track that opens any of the classic albums. Hell, even Killers* kicks bottom from the very first note. We shouldn't be waiting for Maiden to rock out, but we have to. Admittely, once it gets going it's a decent song, but even now, I can't find a hook in it that will make me remember it, much less sing it. Is this down to Dickinson's solo writing? I don't think so: most of this album is a co-authored affair, and there's only this and the epic-beyond-epic “Empire of the Clouds” that are solo compositions by Bruce. Still, that one is a little hard to stay with too, so maybe. I don't know. At least this gets a kick up the arse in the fifth minute with some good ol' solos, but doesn't that riff sound familiar? Anyone recognise it? I don't think it's a Maiden song. Anyway, I won't say it's a bad song by any means, but it just doesn't feel like the killer punch the first track on the new Maiden album should be delivering. Too long, takes too long to get going, not limp but not going for your throat so much as asking you to get the ** out of the way. I need more aggression from my Maiden, thanks. Oh, and it fades out on the last minute with some sort of mad vocal thing. What the blue jumping *, lads? __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018*