I've just chucked it on again for the 3rd time today. I am finally starting to get my head around a lot of it and it is starting to soak in a bit. At first I didn't get much out of it, because it doesn't have as big a hooks as other Maiden releases, and didn't really know what to make of it. I remembered not getting into Dance Of Death straight away in a similar fashion, and I ended up being a great fan of that album, so figured all would be well, and now it is starting to take with me.
You can really see Maiden's evolution over BNW, DoD and now AMOLAD. BNW was pretty classic styled Maiden, with a slight progressive edge to the production and with songs like The Thin Line. DoD was much more in the vein BNW hinted at, but still had some moments of more classic Maiden, making it a bridging album between BNW and AMOLAD, which seems much more progressive than anything else they have done, and does away with much of the classic style sing a long choruses and short rocky tracks. This is one reason I find it strange to hear people say things like "AMOLAD is the same old stuff they have been doing for the last 13 albums", because I would put it up with The X Factor as being pretty different to other releases (and as I said, DoD was partly like this as well). I guess the more serious song writing has something to do with that.
I really like the production and the decision not to master the album. It isn't the best sound I have ever heard, but it has such a timeless classic vibe. If you played it to music fans who didn't know what it was or much about Maiden, and asked when they thought it was recorded, I would suspect you would get a range of answers. That is a cool thing.
Everything I have read about it being really consistent with no obvious standouts is very true. It seems far more consistent than BNW and DoD, but at the same time I don't think the high points are quite as high as you find on those albums. This might change when I hear more, but I don't think so. This also makes me wonder how strong some of the material will be live. There isn't much on here that I think would be better in a setlist than much of their back catalogue....not because it is weak material, it just doesn't seem to be the kind of stuff that would work as well live. Time will tell though.
When I first listened to Different World I wasn't sure what to make of the vocal melodies, but I quite like them now, and I really dig the song. I really like the main riff/lick.
Brighter Than A Thousand Suns is pretty full on and very heavy. This is the kind of heavy I like in Maiden. Good song.
The Pilgrim has an awesome intro lick as most people have pointed out, and is a pretty strong song too. I like this one, wouldn't be surprised if this or Different World was the next single.
The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg has grown on me since first hearing it, and now I really like it. I think it sits really well on the album too, and it was a cool choice for a single. Great song.
The Legacy is awesome. One of my favs for sure. Gotta love a classic Maiden epic!
Well this was a long post, so that will do for now. Overall though, I think Maiden have really come through on this one.
You can really see Maiden's evolution over BNW, DoD and now AMOLAD. BNW was pretty classic styled Maiden, with a slight progressive edge to the production and with songs like The Thin Line. DoD was much more in the vein BNW hinted at, but still had some moments of more classic Maiden, making it a bridging album between BNW and AMOLAD, which seems much more progressive than anything else they have done, and does away with much of the classic style sing a long choruses and short rocky tracks. This is one reason I find it strange to hear people say things like "AMOLAD is the same old stuff they have been doing for the last 13 albums", because I would put it up with The X Factor as being pretty different to other releases (and as I said, DoD was partly like this as well). I guess the more serious song writing has something to do with that.
I really like the production and the decision not to master the album. It isn't the best sound I have ever heard, but it has such a timeless classic vibe. If you played it to music fans who didn't know what it was or much about Maiden, and asked when they thought it was recorded, I would suspect you would get a range of answers. That is a cool thing.
Everything I have read about it being really consistent with no obvious standouts is very true. It seems far more consistent than BNW and DoD, but at the same time I don't think the high points are quite as high as you find on those albums. This might change when I hear more, but I don't think so. This also makes me wonder how strong some of the material will be live. There isn't much on here that I think would be better in a setlist than much of their back catalogue....not because it is weak material, it just doesn't seem to be the kind of stuff that would work as well live. Time will tell though.
When I first listened to Different World I wasn't sure what to make of the vocal melodies, but I quite like them now, and I really dig the song. I really like the main riff/lick.
Brighter Than A Thousand Suns is pretty full on and very heavy. This is the kind of heavy I like in Maiden. Good song.
The Pilgrim has an awesome intro lick as most people have pointed out, and is a pretty strong song too. I like this one, wouldn't be surprised if this or Different World was the next single.
The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg has grown on me since first hearing it, and now I really like it. I think it sits really well on the album too, and it was a cool choice for a single. Great song.
The Legacy is awesome. One of my favs for sure. Gotta love a classic Maiden epic!
Well this was a long post, so that will do for now. Overall though, I think Maiden have really come through on this one.
