"The opening track and the first signle, Wildest Dreams (3:53 - Smith/Harris, which later was played to the Stockholm audience, is a straight rock tune, built by Bruce's excellent voice and a pretty catchy chorus. Exactly the same type of opening track like The Wicker Man was for Brave New World.
Rainmaker (3:48 - Murray, Harris, Dickinson) continues in exactly the same style and the impression is the same as in London (I guess this guy heard the first 4 tracks in London some time) - Maiden did simple rock tracks like this one better before, in the early days. The song melodies, the sound and the performance are admittedly flawless, but it doesn't happen anything. There are no sudden temp changes or memorable riff, and the typical guitar harmonies is conspicious by one's absence (they attract attention by not being present), despite of some lame attempts in Rainmaker. Compared to songs like Aces High, The Trooper and Be Quick or Be Dead, the band feels like a shadow of its former shape.
No More Lies (7:21, Harris) is fortunately better. It sounds as it was from Brave New World and begins with a cosy acoustic intro, supported by ominous bows (stringed instrument). Bruce Dickinson gradually sounds angrier and angrier until it really punches you in the chorus. "No More Lies", Bruce is roaring over and over again and I'm sitting sneering as if I was nine years old and just hade seen McGyver surprise the bad guys with a helicopter built by pieces of a kitchen fan. There it was!
When later a part wih three long guitar harmonies relieve each other and is follows by the equal amount of solos, I'm getting goose flesh for the first (but not last) time. Unfortunately the song suffers of a weakness which characterizes the bands two latest albums - the chorus is repeated too much. The song anyway is excellent, but the chorus gets too boring after a while. For a comparision - listen to The Angel and the Gambler and try not to interrupt yourself on the text line "don't you think I can save ya"...
Montsegur (5:50 - Gers, Harris, Dickinson) surprises immediately with one of the bands heaviest riff in their history, and it sooner sounds like something from one of Bruces later solo albums, rahter than a new Maiden song. The front man spit out words like "satan", "flesh" and "die on the stake" and I think he has not sounded this angry since Be Quich or Be Dead. Brilliant! The chorus perhaps won't become a radio hit, but is more epic and grandiose. About here, I start to become sure that this record is pretty good, after all.
Dance of Death (8:36 - Gers, Harris) opens with a total meaningless acoustic intro in the same vein as Brave New World (the record), but later the song makes a radical turn and starts to revolve around a hot-tempered guitar harmony which actually sounds a bit folk music. Like Jethro Tull on anabola, sort of. One more surprisingly heavy part followes until the folk music harmony comes back in a couple of different variations. In entirety, the dance of death is extremely entertaining and a very worthy title track. A plus in the margin for the great text line "I'll never go dancin' no more / til I dance with death". Totally correct. Real metalheads stays in the bar, drinking.
Track number six and seven, Gates of Tomorrow (5.04 - Gers, Harris, Dickinson) and New Frontier (5.04 - McBrain, Smith, Dickinson) both feel like filling songs. They are simple rock songs without anything that really feels special in the songs.
Fortunately they are followed by the total fantastic PASCHENDALE (8:27 - Smith, Harris), perhaps the best song on the record.
Here the weight of Montsegur is back, and Paschendale is, if possible, even more big and epic. Despite some unnecessary pauses, the track is in the same class as the best the band have ever done. In the end of the song there is a sing along part, like the one in Heaven Can Wait. And if this track is not played live ahead, the band commits a big official misconduct/malpractice.
8 minutes and 27 seconds have never passed by this fast
Face in the Sand (6:30 - Smith, Harris, Dickinson) is started by one more boring acoustic intro. It begins to become inflation of that now. After a moment of guitar play, a couple of bows (stringed instrument) enters the song and takes over, and the song conclude with a mediocre but once again very epic history.
Age of Innocence (6:10 - Murray, Harris) begins with another acoustic intro with bow (string) accompaniment, until a quite ordinary rocker with big "arena chorus" follows. It is not fantastic, but it works (- it is okay). However, I begin to become irritated over all these meaningless acoustic intros. In most cases, they mean nothing to the song and the record as a whole, loses tempo due to them.
In the last song, Journeyman (7:07 - Harris, Dickinson) the band takes the acoustic step to a totally new level. For the first time in the bands historhy they introduce a complete song without an electric note. And believe it or not - it is amazing! "I know what I want, I'll say what I want, and no one can take that away" Bruce preaches in a very defiant way, and the lyrics gets in focus in a way that you are not used to, when it comes to Maiden. Bruce show off totally with his voice on this tracck, which is as awesome as unexpected - and a perfect ending on the record.
Plus comments from Dave & Jan.
"This album has some songs which are straight, simple rock songs and a couple of songs which is more complicated and epic, and I guess it always has been that way on our records" - Dave Murray
"This time, everyone has contributed with their own ideas and that has made the record very miscellaneous" - Janick Gers
"This time, I think we have made succes with the three guitars. Perhaps we haven't reached the optimal level, but we have taken it to a new level." - Dave Murray
Rainmaker (3:48 - Murray, Harris, Dickinson) continues in exactly the same style and the impression is the same as in London (I guess this guy heard the first 4 tracks in London some time) - Maiden did simple rock tracks like this one better before, in the early days. The song melodies, the sound and the performance are admittedly flawless, but it doesn't happen anything. There are no sudden temp changes or memorable riff, and the typical guitar harmonies is conspicious by one's absence (they attract attention by not being present), despite of some lame attempts in Rainmaker. Compared to songs like Aces High, The Trooper and Be Quick or Be Dead, the band feels like a shadow of its former shape.
No More Lies (7:21, Harris) is fortunately better. It sounds as it was from Brave New World and begins with a cosy acoustic intro, supported by ominous bows (stringed instrument). Bruce Dickinson gradually sounds angrier and angrier until it really punches you in the chorus. "No More Lies", Bruce is roaring over and over again and I'm sitting sneering as if I was nine years old and just hade seen McGyver surprise the bad guys with a helicopter built by pieces of a kitchen fan. There it was!
When later a part wih three long guitar harmonies relieve each other and is follows by the equal amount of solos, I'm getting goose flesh for the first (but not last) time. Unfortunately the song suffers of a weakness which characterizes the bands two latest albums - the chorus is repeated too much. The song anyway is excellent, but the chorus gets too boring after a while. For a comparision - listen to The Angel and the Gambler and try not to interrupt yourself on the text line "don't you think I can save ya"...
Montsegur (5:50 - Gers, Harris, Dickinson) surprises immediately with one of the bands heaviest riff in their history, and it sooner sounds like something from one of Bruces later solo albums, rahter than a new Maiden song. The front man spit out words like "satan", "flesh" and "die on the stake" and I think he has not sounded this angry since Be Quich or Be Dead. Brilliant! The chorus perhaps won't become a radio hit, but is more epic and grandiose. About here, I start to become sure that this record is pretty good, after all.
Dance of Death (8:36 - Gers, Harris) opens with a total meaningless acoustic intro in the same vein as Brave New World (the record), but later the song makes a radical turn and starts to revolve around a hot-tempered guitar harmony which actually sounds a bit folk music. Like Jethro Tull on anabola, sort of. One more surprisingly heavy part followes until the folk music harmony comes back in a couple of different variations. In entirety, the dance of death is extremely entertaining and a very worthy title track. A plus in the margin for the great text line "I'll never go dancin' no more / til I dance with death". Totally correct. Real metalheads stays in the bar, drinking.
Track number six and seven, Gates of Tomorrow (5.04 - Gers, Harris, Dickinson) and New Frontier (5.04 - McBrain, Smith, Dickinson) both feel like filling songs. They are simple rock songs without anything that really feels special in the songs.
Fortunately they are followed by the total fantastic PASCHENDALE (8:27 - Smith, Harris), perhaps the best song on the record.
Here the weight of Montsegur is back, and Paschendale is, if possible, even more big and epic. Despite some unnecessary pauses, the track is in the same class as the best the band have ever done. In the end of the song there is a sing along part, like the one in Heaven Can Wait. And if this track is not played live ahead, the band commits a big official misconduct/malpractice.
8 minutes and 27 seconds have never passed by this fast
Face in the Sand (6:30 - Smith, Harris, Dickinson) is started by one more boring acoustic intro. It begins to become inflation of that now. After a moment of guitar play, a couple of bows (stringed instrument) enters the song and takes over, and the song conclude with a mediocre but once again very epic history.
Age of Innocence (6:10 - Murray, Harris) begins with another acoustic intro with bow (string) accompaniment, until a quite ordinary rocker with big "arena chorus" follows. It is not fantastic, but it works (- it is okay). However, I begin to become irritated over all these meaningless acoustic intros. In most cases, they mean nothing to the song and the record as a whole, loses tempo due to them.
In the last song, Journeyman (7:07 - Harris, Dickinson) the band takes the acoustic step to a totally new level. For the first time in the bands historhy they introduce a complete song without an electric note. And believe it or not - it is amazing! "I know what I want, I'll say what I want, and no one can take that away" Bruce preaches in a very defiant way, and the lyrics gets in focus in a way that you are not used to, when it comes to Maiden. Bruce show off totally with his voice on this tracck, which is as awesome as unexpected - and a perfect ending on the record.
Plus comments from Dave & Jan.
"This album has some songs which are straight, simple rock songs and a couple of songs which is more complicated and epic, and I guess it always has been that way on our records" - Dave Murray
"This time, everyone has contributed with their own ideas and that has made the record very miscellaneous" - Janick Gers
"This time, I think we have made succes with the three guitars. Perhaps we haven't reached the optimal level, but we have taken it to a new level." - Dave Murray
