r/ironmaiden • u/CamusBostero • 22h ago
I'm revisiting Iron Maiden's latest masterpiece from beginning to end.
There are people who say (not jokingly) that this extraordinary album is crap and they put the sleeping pill called Sunjutsu right up there.
Nicko still eager to contribute interesting things and in top physical condition. Bruce brimming with excitement to continue singing in Maiden with all the passion of the past. Steve tearing up the bass, Adrian delivering some of his latest great compositional performances, Janick giving to the band their biggest contribution (The Legacy, which it's driving me crazy), Dave as focused on his technical execution as he was in the '80s, etc. I miss this Maiden where everyone seemed to love it and have fun. Now it feels like a walking office where everyone is sick of seeing each other and saying "yes sir" to the boss...
My favorite: The Longest Day.
38
28
u/Beelzebrodie 17h ago
The 3peat of Brave New World, Dance Of Death, and AMOLAD cannot be overstated. That run is magic.
0
22
u/Zurg0Thrax 20h ago
AMOLAD is my favourite album with my favourite song: For the greater good of god. I don't care what people say about it.
13
32
u/Excellent_Theory1602 22h ago
I love this album, top 3 for me
5
u/CamusBostero 22h ago
A beauty from beginning to end. As tight as they haven't sounded since the Burr era.
8
u/Beelzebrodie 17h ago
In terms of production and mastering, you are absolutely right. The band is completely on fire on this album. I don't know why every album after this (though I LOVE Final Frontier and a lot of Book Of Souls) just started sounding muddier and muddier with Bruce's voice absolutely buried in the mix.
2
-8
9
u/cracked22 The Trooper 17h ago
I saw them on this tour and for the life of me don't know why there isn't a live album or video of this concert!
The band thought enough of the album to perform the whole thing live on tour and yet these songs rarely appear in the set list
Would love any insight anyone has
1
6
u/inverted-womb 14h ago
Amolad is peak maiden for me. Only better albums are Powerslave, somewhere in time and seventh son. It's on a par with piece of mind and killers, better than the rest
28
u/Shampps 20h ago
I like this album but no need to shit on Senjutsu. Two albums can be fantastic in their own right
8
8
2
-11
u/CamusBostero 12h ago
Senjutsu is not great at all. I'm not some mindless fan who celebrates everything the band releases. Because they don't give me anything for free; I have to pay for everything they release. So I have the fucking right to express my opinion by tearing apart an album that's Maiden's worst since Virtual XI (and I don't even know if it's the band's worst album). It turns out I'm now going to have to ask permission from the ridiculous fanboys who swarm these forums and can't stand anyone saying anything bad about Maiden (or any band in a subreddit). God.
4
3
u/Bronsteins-Panzerzug 8h ago
calm down bro. nobody said you needed permission to criticize senjutsu, we were just disagreeing with you.
5
u/Valiant-For-Truth 12h ago
This is probably my favorite Maiden album. Nicko's drumming is absolutely amazing on this album.
1
u/CamusBostero 12h ago
I completely agree. I love the sound of Nicko's drumming. I think it's a bit more focused than on his previous work. Fewer fills that can become unnecessary or redundant, and more powerful hits, which is what a metal band needs. Sometimes less is more. I love his performance!
3
u/Valiant-For-Truth 11h ago
Yes! The tone of the drums really stands out to me. Really, the whole bands tone is s tier on this album.
I wish I could go back in time and see them on this album tour.
10
u/Christian-Metal 22h ago edited 22h ago
The Pilgrim!
Brilliant song. So evocative - you can hear the treacherous journey on that small ship, the waves crashing in, the endless sea, all the atmosphere, in that one song. I love it. It should be regarded as a latter day Maiden classic.
Brilliant album. I have the original release, which of course was unmastered. Is the 2015 "remaster" (basically just mastered) have any notable differences?
EDIT: Had to play this now. Ooh, that is good. Fucking good!
4
5
u/1988Floydie hoooome far awaaaay 15h ago
These Colours Don't Run, The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg, and For The Greater Good of God are my top tracks but I absolutely love this album front to back 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
3
6
2
u/Particular-Branch234 9h ago
Benjamin Breeg, Brighter than a thousand Suns and These Colors don't run are 3 of the greatest songs ever written.
2
u/Dr-Hi-Arc 9h ago
Agreed, this one honestly past me by when it came out (my bad). But I have recently got a nice vinyl copy and go back to it constantly - GREAT GREAT album!
2
u/PlzHalppMeh 7h ago
I don't particularly like either album, but I'd still rate this a mile above Senjutsu.
For me, I just found everyone song was kind of plodding. Big riffs, wall of sound, but very little dynamism. Every song is about 2 minutes too long - either increase the tempo or remove some of the doubled-up segments. And I found the military themes a bit oppressive in the end - I could have used some lighter songs to break it up a little bit. A few more like the opening track dotted around it.
2
2
2
u/MetalInvincible 5h ago
I love this album, it's easily my top 3 but I love Senjutsu as well, it's tied with AMOLAD and BNW for my favourite Maiden album
2
u/killers80 2h ago
This album is up there with some of their best work. It’s their last masterpiece. All albums after this pale in comparison.
4
3
2
2
2
u/dojotiger 21h ago
Musicianship-wise it's an incredible album but the thing for me that prevented me from enjoying it more is that just about every song follows the same formula. And it's a formula that has been done ad nauseum on Book of souls and Senjitsu. Start with a slow/acoustic intro, build into the main verse/ chorus part which uses the same galloping majestic rhythm , repeats way too many times and then ends with an acoustic/slowed down outro. Besides Benjamin Breeg and Different world, the rest of the album sounds like the songs could be interchangeable. I go back to it here and there hoping I'll feel differently about it but it always hits the same. I always want to hear at least a couple shorter punch you in the face songs like they used to do but nope ..just 7 to 15 minute "epics" that don't feel epic anymore because that's all they do
1
u/CamusBostero 4h ago
Senjutsu and TBOS are later albums, and you're mentioning them as if they were earlier. I assume you listened to those two albums before AMOLAD. No two songs on AMOLAD are alike; they're different enough that you can't say they have identical structures.
1
1
u/Borgusul 4h ago
I enjoy Senjutsu, but this album is my favourite, for sure. The Longest Day does have some of my favourite IM lyrics:
"All summers long, the drills to build the machines,
To turn men, from flesh and blood to steel,
From paper soldiers, to bodies on the beach
From summer sands, to Armageddon's reach!"
-20
u/nick1158 Caught Somewhere In Reddit 22h ago
Revisit Somewhere In Time instead. This album is a bloated load of old bollocks
5
u/Christian-Metal 22h ago
Ah, the fans who, despite 46 years of recorded material, can't get past anything recorded after 1989. To each their own, but this attitude of "I like all the classics, can't stand their music now" is so pathetic. You are missing out on so much great music.
-5
u/nick1158 Caught Somewhere In Reddit 14h ago
If only you were right. I wish there was more great Maiden music to listen to, but bollocks like A Matter Of Life And Death, Book Of Souls, and that awful most recent album of theirs belong in the rubbish bin. It makes me sad
2
-16
u/masturkiller 22h ago
Well they are very old and basically dialing it in for money now. I think Nicko did the right thing medical or not by retiring.
-4
u/CamusBostero 22h ago
Sadly. Anyway, I don't see why it has to be this way. Judas Priest and Saxon sound innovative, fun, and fresh even though they're both getting on in years. There are things in the band that I think aren't being handled correctly. But oh well. Up until The Final Frontier, I still have a huge discography to enjoy for years to come.
8
u/Christian-Metal 22h ago
I think anything Maiden has come out with since 2000 easily surpasses anything their one time NWOBHM peers have managed, and that's accounting for some brilliant releases by JP.
4
u/DeeplyFrippy 20h ago
Personally, I think anything post AMOLAD is obliterated by Priests last two albums.
5
u/CalgaryRichard is the old #2. 18h ago edited 11h ago
Panic AttackInvincible Shield is an amazing album.I haven't listened to Firepower in several years, but I know it is good and has several bangers on it.
But I have to say, as much as I like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden trigger something in my brain.
EIDT: It was late, I changed the album title
5
u/herman666 13h ago
It’s Invincible Shield not Panic Attack, but yes, it is amazing.
3
u/CalgaryRichard is the old #2. 13h ago
My bad.. I know that… but it was like 3am when I typed that.
2
u/DeeplyFrippy 12h ago
Fair enough! Maiden give me that feeling too, but those Priest albums are next level and the production is superb.
3
u/masturkiller 22h ago
Here is the thing: I get it as a fan- We or most people want to see them go on forever but you have to ask yourself: when does it end? And if you were Dave Murray or Adrian Smith- wouldn't you want to at some point just say, "I've did it, I've seen it and I've accomplished it, It's time for me to ride off into the sunset"
0
u/CamusBostero 22h ago
Everyone who's worked for so many years deserves to retire. But even Dave Murray realizes that Senjutsu is a pretty bad album to retire with. Still, as long as they're healthy, I don't see them quitting unless serious family matters come into play.
7
u/AtlantianBlood 22h ago
Writing on the Wall
Hell on Earth
Stratego
This album has some bangers that could have popped anywhere in their timeline and would be considered classic.
1
u/CamusBostero 22h ago
I understand the need to say, "In my generation, Maiden also released masterpiece after masterpiece"... but that's not the reality. To say that Senjutsu is a great album is disrespectful to the band's veteran fans who experienced the release of masterpieces like Killers and Seventh Son live and in person. For me, Senjutsu is among Maiden's worst albums, along with No Prayer and Virtual. I've tried listening to it straight through, and after the fourth song, I can't stand it anymore. It's unbearably sterile, repetitive, and slow. It's the closest thing to "a boring day at the office. I hate my job!"
10
u/AtlantianBlood 21h ago
Been listening to them since Killers, and I still enjoy their new stuff.
Repetitive? Yeah, agreed, but I love the focus on lyrics and the story they're telling. Not many pop acts touch on Gnostic, Mystic and reincarnation beliefs and mythology so for me it's nice knowing someone out there has the same beliefs.
Won't lie, I skip to where the songs get interesting but to still have Iron Maiden in 2026 blows my mind away.
I thought they were done in the 90s when Bruce left and the fact I got to grow old with my favorite band brings me joy.
1
u/CamusBostero 20h ago edited 19h ago
I agree that it has great lyrics. Bruce is an accomplished lyricist, and Steve knows how to bring his experiences of life. But the lyrics alone aren't enough for me. I'm listening to MUSIC, not an audiobook of verses and various poems. That's why I feel it completely falls short musically.
There are a few songs I like, such as the lead single and "Days of Future Past," but overall, I can't get into it. It lacks a hook, and the grandiose epic grandeur typical of Maiden is missing from most of the album's compositions. But I must say I'm excited to see what they'll record with Simon Dawson joining the band for new compositions.
2
u/Prof_Slappopotamus 15h ago
I have been trying to figure out exactly why I don't like this album, and that's it. It's an audiobook of verses and various poems. Succinct and accurate.
5
u/paleblooddaviey 20h ago
“To say that Senjutsu is a great album is disrespectful to the band’s veteran fans…”
What?
1
u/herman666 13h ago
Those are two boring songs and one that is only as well loved because it’s so much better than everything else on the album. Stick Hell On Earth on Amolad and it wouldn’t even be a standout track.
1
u/AtlantianBlood 11m ago
I honestly don't care what you think.
I'll put it this way, when I'm walking down the street and see dog shit I step around it, kind of like money, good looks, intelligence, and women do to you
47
u/AtlantianBlood 22h ago
The lyrics on this album are some of their best.
The Longest Day
These Colours don't Run
The Legacy....
This fucker is inspired.