Don Kaye's new Maiden review

[ElectricWiz]

Not that he's all that important, but they've posted Don Kaye's review of the new Maiden album on Blabbermouth and he trashed it. 5.5 out of 10. If you watched "The Early Years," Don Kaye is the guy who first spun the Soundhouse tapes at, well, the Soundhouse. Anyhoo, he's also featured on the 80's pseudo-docu show that is one of the extra's on the DVD. He came off like a tool then, and still does. It's a crappy review, but just thought some would find that interesting.

 

[SickBoy]

Wasn't that Neal Kay who first spun the Soundhouse tapes?

 

[tsorl]

...in other news:

IRON MAIDEN's new album, "A Matter of Life and Death", has entered the national album charts in the following countries:

Finland: #1
Italy: #1
Germany: #1
U.K.: #4
Ireland: #5
Poland: #6
Netherlands: #7
Australia: #12

These reviewers must feel so frustrated now. I know I would. It's pretty rough preaching to millions how the new Maiden sucks only to find out nobody cares about their opinion.

 

[Death Animal]

People are difrent you know.
So fuk review

 

[Wyvern]

Seven out of the ten very long, largely interminable tunes on IRON MAIDEN's 14th studio offering start out with either a gentle, low bass line or a softly strummed guitar. There's nothing wrong with either type of intro, but hearing it over and over again starts to make the listener feel like he's hearing the same song endlessly. It's even worse when that song proceeds to go nowhere for anywhere from five to nine-and-a-half minutes.

IRON MAIDEN has always been one of the most respected and influential bands in heavy metal history, but there's been a decided lack of fire and creativity in their studio work for at least the last decade, even despite the much vaunted 2000 reunion with singer Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith. That absence of energy and freshness has carried over to "A Matter of Life and Death" in a big way, giving it the feel of a record made by a band that's pretty much sticking to an old formula.

Aside from the already mentioned intros, the songs go through the usual MAIDEN paces, with the intro giving way to a mid-paced verse-chorus structure and perhaps a faster bridge somewhere in the middle before the song settles back down for a quiet finale. Unlike much of the band's best older work, however, the songs here never really build to epic choruses or triumphant, electrifying finales — they just sort of peter out. Dickinson rambles on about war or religion or honor or any of the group's regular lyrical concerns (although some of the lyrics on tracks like "For the Greater Good of God" are a bit more melancholy than usual) as the band churns behind him, the always thin-sounding guitars usually competing for space in the mix with Steve Harris's bass. MAIDEN's records have never had a great, heavy, crunchy guitar sound and it's even more astounding now how watery they are with three axemen in the group.

The band does get good marks for maintaining a high standard as players, and despite the always questionable mix, there is a live feel to the recording that is a credit to the musicians' long experience playing together. But while a song like "Brighter Than A Thousand Suns" crackles with a bit more energy and a less forced, smoother-sounding arrangement, most of the other tracks on the CD just seem to go on and on pointlessly, the band stretching the songs as far as they can not because it's necessary, but just because they can.

The last IRON MAIDEN album I enjoyed from start to finish was 1992's "Fear of the Dark", and at this point, at least in the U.S., the group has more or less been relegated to nostalgia status (I remember seeing them on the "Brave New World" tour and all but hearing pins drop as the band uncrated a burdensome six new songs on the audience). Certainly the group's legendary status is well-deserved, and it was nice to see Bruce back with the boys after the Blaze Bayley debacle of the late Nineties. But a band can still be an excellent live attraction without necessarily being able to capture the same magic in the studio, and this is simply a matter than IRON MAIDEN needs to face up to.

I don't see it bad, on the contrary very measured.

 

[ElectricWiz]

Wasn't that Neal Kay who first spun the Soundhouse tapes?

You know? I think you're right there.....

 

[Pabla]

Pfffftttttt, I never take reviews from BM seriously... have you all noticed that they usually give high marks to all the brutal music (death, black etc) and low marks to almost all traditional/power metal? :Smug:

I guess traditional metal is just not troo enough in their books.. (or however the hell you say it)

All hail the mighty Satan

Edit: I am not downing brutal music BTW... I am a fan of some of it... I am just saying there is a bias

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

I don't see it bad, on the contrary very measured.

That's because YOU AGREE with it! Seriously though, you and Sickboy's arguments do have merit because you guys, and this reviewer, find many of the same faults and describe them in the same way. I have to respect that, even if I don't agree. :Smug:

 

[kittybeast]

Never trust anyone's review on music or movies. But seriously how much credibility can this reviewer have if he rated Metallica's St. Anger 8/10?
:zombie:

 

[Wyvern]

you and Sickboy's arguments do have merit because you guys, and this reviewer, find many of the same faults and describe them in the same way.

Have you thought that maybe we ARE right? (love this silly discussion)

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

Have you thought that maybe we ARE right? (love this silly discussion)

Now THAT just can't be true. And do you know why? Because Maiden melodies from this album keep getting stuck in my head. And not just one or two. A whole bunch of them stick in my head, including waking up this morning with sounds of For The Greater Good of God playin as the soundtrack to my final dream.

 

[SoundMaster]

To be perfectly fair, Maiden's guitar sound HAS been really thin ever since Harris became a "produce" with "The X Factor". The guitars on POM or the debut totally blow away the terrrible guitar sound of the past decade, without question, IMO.

But this simply appears to be another victim of Harris' ego...

I'd LOVE it if someone could come in and remix DOD, both Blaze albums and ALL of the live albums since LAD.

 

[SoundMaster]

To be perfectly fair, Maiden's guitar sound HAS been really thin ever since Harris became a "produce" with "The X Factor". The guitars on POM or the debut totally blow away the terrrible guitar sound of the past decade, without question, IMO.

But this simply appears to be another victim of Harris' ego...

I'd LOVE it if someone could come in and remix DOD, both Blaze albums and ALL of the live albums since LAD.

I’d like to offer an addendum to my last post (above).

Yes, Maiden has had a very thin guitar sound for the better part of the last decade. And, digging further back in time, the guitar has never really totally dominated their sound (although it’s quite prominent on LAD, PSlave, POM) as it has for other classic metal bands such as Accept or Priest.

And I think Maiden possesses some charm because of that fact. No one sounds like Maiden and they sound like no one before them. And none of the many so-called ‘power metal’ bands have even come close (to me, they all owe much more to Priest). To my ears, this unique sound obviously keeps Maiden separate & distinct from the pack. So while it would be nice to hear these recent records remixed, the current sound also adds something to them, as well.

That’s why, to my ears, Maiden and Priest have always complemented each other so well:
Priest is defined by guitar (Ian Hill, where the hell are you?!?) whereas Maiden is not.

 

[Prowler121]

Wow, I think AMOLAD has a great guitar sound. It's their first album since SSoaSS that has made me want to pick up my guitar and play along.

 

[Astrum]

Never trust anyone's review on music or movies. But seriously how much credibility can this reviewer have if he rated Metallica's St. Anger 8/10?
:zombie:

his career should be over.

 

[Death Animal]

But seriously how much credibility can this reviewer have if he rated Metallica's St. Anger 8/10?
:zombie:

Zero none nada

 

[kittybeast]

Zero none nada

zip, zilch,nicht

 

[Wyvern]

Now THAT just can't be true. And do you know why? Because Maiden melodies from this album keep getting stuck in my head.

And if they DOES NOT get stuck in mine? By reverse logic it means...Me and Sickboy still right and you all are wrong!

I listened to Sabaton and Wolf album once before ordering them and already got some songs jumping in my skull. I listen to the Maiden album three times and not a single note is remembered.

*btw how long are we going to keep fighting, mom is calling me for supper *

NP: Lacuna Coil - 'Wave Of Anguish'

 

[Priest of Evil]

also concerning is the fact Don says he enjoyed Fear of the Dark from start to finish!

UsingFoTD in a comparison to AMOLAD I think highlights the fact that Maiden have a winning album here with AMOLAD. FoTD often sounding disjointed in the more metal songs eg Fugitive, they had the total yawnfest at the start of Afraid to shoot STrangers and were way to rocky in many others, all it was a perfect example of a band running out of ideas and creativity. I do enjoy many tracks from FoTD nowdays but in comparison AMOLAD is a far more consistent and stylish offering.

 

[SoundMaster]

also concerning is the fact Don says he enjoyed Fear of the Dark from start to finish!

UsingFoTD in a comparison to AMOLAD I think highlights the fact that Maiden have a winning album here with AMOLAD. FoTD often sounding disjointed in the more metal songs eg Fugitive, they had the total yawnfest at the start of Afraid to shoot STrangers and were way to rocky in many others, all it was a perfect example of a band running out of ideas and creativity. I do enjoy many tracks from FoTD nowdays but in comparison AMOLAD is a far more consistent and stylish offering.

Agreed 100%.
IMO, Fear is easily the weakest Maiden album not named "Virtual XI". Although time has been kind to it and I can now tolerate it, I can't express how disappointed I was with it upon it's release. Everything that made Maiden great up to that point seemed to be missing. There was nothing "epic" about it. Yes, 'Afraid', 'Childhood', and the title track are great tracks and offer a hint of the epic, but they fall somewhat short of the mark.
And much of the rest of the album simply stinks. "Weekend Warrior" is useless.
And, let's not forget that FOTD is probably Bruce's career-worst performance. His screeching ruins 'Be Quick', which musically is quite strong.
In interviews he conducted in the late 90s, he admitted that his voice was "shot" by the early 90s and his performance proves that (thankfully, as per Bruce himself, he learned a 'new method of singing' in the mid-late 90s).

If you take the BEST 5 songs from FOTD and 'No Prayer' and combine them, you still have the weakest Maiden album (aside from 'Virtual'):

Tailgunner
Holy Smoke
No Prayer
Afraid To Shoot
Public Enema
Childhood's End
Wasting Love
Judas
Mother Russia
Fear Of the Dark