Mark said:
If you're happy to have an album where they rehash past riffs, recycle the same ideas they've been using since 1992
Come on, Iced Earth are one of my favourite bands.
Mark said:
putting in soulless performances (IMO)
I disagree there too, I think to some degree, VXI and BNW are a bit soulless and empty sounding, and while DoD still has a little of that vibe to it, it is much more energetic. On tracks like 'Face In The Sand' though, I LOVE the really damp feel they have going, it makes the song very spine tingling, much like TXF material.
As for it all being a re-hash, there is a whole heap of original ideas on the album, it is just all wrapped up in the Maiden we know and love, which is one reason I really dig it. The title track is the best example, it is a pure Steve Harris epic, but not what you would expect. The themes are very imaginative, and the awesome riffing just conjours the images of ghostly figures waltzing around a haunted dance hall. To me, it is in the same class as songs like 'Rime', 'Hallowed', 'Alexander The Great', 'To Tame A Land', 'Sign Of The Cross', 'The Clansman', etc, in the way that the music just paints a picture of the song, and takes you away in a way that only Maiden can.
I dunno, I guess I am just touchy because I think it is really a great album and I don't like seeing people not giving it a fair go, but really, there is bound to be people who won't like it, and each to their own. I just hope that if you don't like it, it is for the right reasons.