So the review by skyrefuge and the comments made by a few others piqued my curiosity.
Cool. I was wondering if you'd be able to hold out.
While I certainly wasn't going to get angry at you for *not* wanting to listen to it, I was curious to hear what the opinion of a "disinterested" metal fan with your tastes might be. I actually consider myself similarly neutral, since I didn't really take a serious interest in AMOLAD until a few months ago, and am not crazy about BNW or DoD as entire albums. That means I was quite surprised at how strongly I've taken to this one, so I'm trying to figure out if that difference has more to do with the music, or with me.
I see checking out a new Maiden album as something similar to going to their shows: it's one of the last universal experiences that we can share in today's highly-fragmented metal world, a rare time when we all hop aboard the same boat. So it's kind of fun to be a part of it just for that. But that's also why seeing a bunch of negative comments isn't really a good indicator of the quality of a Maiden album, simply because the number of people commenting is so enormous, and a fair percentage of them have no chance of being impressed by a modern Maiden album, but check it out anyway.
Oddly, while some take issue with the drawn out musical passages, that extend the songs beyond what their content would seem to warrant, I found them to be the best part of the disc.
Yeah, I'm completely baffled by the "wah wah, it's boring!!" song editors. I really wonder what kind of other music they listen to, and what would happen if they were forced to listen to some Isis, or Agalloch, or Drudkh, or Primordial, or any other bands that deal strongly in atmosphere and dynamics. Can boredom reach such intensity that it causes heads to explode, or would the death come quietly by way of coma?
It's the vocal melodies that leave me cold.
Interesting, since it's the melodies (both vocal and guitar) that draw me in so strongly. But, predicting whether a melody that works for one person will work for another is one of the most random and difficult things in the world, so I will not scold your obvious, embarrassing, and nearly-criminal lack of good taste.
I do find it interesting that I've seen multiple people specifically say that they dislike the "Mother of Mercy" chorus, while that's one of the highlights of the album for me. And then I just saw someone complain specifically about the "Starblind" verse melody, which is another moment that I highlighted in my review for its awesomeness. So, whether those conflicting opinions are because I'm more "forward thinking" in my taste in melodies, or because I simply like stuff that sucks, it's clear that those melodies *must* be unique and affecting, which, in my book, is always better than boring and unnoticed.
Neil
