Dance of Death

[BrightEyes]

So I was just listening to Dance of Death today, and I never realised what a good album it was.

I'd say its the best album of the 2000's!

Its a mix between Brave New World and A Matter of Life and Death.

What do you guys think? How do you rate it on the Maiden Album chart?

I say its the best album since Seventh Son, although A Matter of Life and Death comes a close second. I dunno, but those 2 albums sound so much more mature than say Killers or Number of the Beast. Its a nice change of pace. Compare it to say other bands 2003 albums.... St Anger anyone? :Smug:

 

[Spiff]

I rate it second last on the Maiden albums chart.

 

[dreamwatch]

What would you rate as last Spiffmeister?

I despise DoD. I have about 3 or 4 Maiden albums that I would rank in a collective last place. That would be one of them.

 

[Spiff]

Fear of the Dark is bottom of the list.

 

[BrightEyes]

Oh really?

I never used to like it when it came out, but being sick of their 80's albums gave this one another spin. Been listening to it heaps now.

Any particular reasons why you guys don't like the album?

 

[FerretallicA]

Its a mix between Brave New World and A Matter of Life and Death.

Exactly. They took most of the themes end melodies from Brave New World and re-worked them into songs of A Matter of Life And Death's mediocrity. Listenable but ultimately unsatisfying.

It still shits all over their first two albums though.

 

[Shadow298]

I actually like it as an album and rate it around the middle of their discography.

it's a mature well structured and paced production.

only issue that I have really is that Face In The Sand sounds way to much like Blood Brothers from Brave New World as well as another song on the album.
minor thing but bothers me a bit because it feels lazy.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I was a fan when it was released, and I am still a fan now. Since the reunion they have only gone from strength to strength, by putting out a solid album in BNW, topping it with DoD (perhaps not as consistent as BNW, but higher highs IMO), and creating a masterpiece in AMOLAD. Balls to em!

For the songs on DoD, Wildest Dreams is a nice simple little rocker, Rainmaker is lovely, No More Lies is fantastic (and possibly their only song featuring a repetative chorus that doesn't bother me), the title track is fantastic (I love it no matter what anyone else thinks), Paschendale is among their best epics, I love the build up of Face In The Sand, and Journeyman is a risky departure to their normal album closer but paid off brilliantly. That is half the album that rocks, and there is some decent stuff in the other songs as well.

 

[Southy]

My wife walked down the aisle to Journerman. I have always liked DoD, I think it is the mix/production that let it down a bit, but all in all the 3 newest Bruce releases are amongst my fav's at the moment, but that list iss always changing

 

[Goreripper]

Yeah I don't despise it, that's for sure. I don't quite understand all the hate it gets here.

 

[Spiff]

For me it's just that the songs that I don't like, I REALLY don't like. It could have been such a great album. Drop Face in the Sand and Age of Innocence and just go from Paschendale to Journeyman and it's already a much better album. Get rid of the dodgy Christian lyrics of New Frontier and the rather embarrassing Montsegur and things are looking even better.

But I love some of the stuff - Wildest Dreams is a fantastic song. Paschendale and Journeyman are both masterpieces. Mr Rainmaker is sublime.

 

[Stonewall]

Funny how with DoD that the tracks some hate, others love; whereas with older albums it seems people can generally mostly agree on what's a turkey.

 

[Bucko]

tis a solid release with the tracks listed abve such as Paschendale, Wildest Dreams,Rainmaker & No More Lies the stand outs for me ... but you knew that did'nt you , its just the cover ART that stinks

 

[FerretallicA]

the rather embarrassing Montsegur

...what's wrong with Montsegur?
Along with Paschendale and Wildest Dreams it's one of the only memorable tracks on the album for me.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Funny how with DoD that the tracks some hate, others love; whereas with older albums it seems people can generally mostly agree on what's a turkey.

Tis an interesting point.

Montsegur was probably the heaviest thing they had done until Brighter Than A Thousand Suns, so it has merrit for that at least.

 

[Priest of Evil]

I have enjoyed everything they've done with Bruce since his return. I havent listened to the album recently but of the top of my head I pretty much agree with this:

tis a solid release with the tracks listed abve such as Paschendale, Wildest Dreams,Rainmaker & No More Lies the stand outs for me ... but you knew that did'nt you , its just the cover ART that stinks

I'm not sure I can rank it but it comes up trumps in comparison to FoTD or NPFTD and the Blaze stuff.

To my ears DoD was made me feel like Maiden had channelled a bit of the early years vibe to a certain extent.

 

[Winmar]

I dunno if I've listened to the album this year. I'd better listen to it again, methinks.

 

[Spiff]

Listened to it on the way home from work. It grows on me with each listen, but I still rank it second-last.