Oh I've got another complaint actually: some of the endings are a bit shit. It's good they've decided to not end songs with soft outros anymore, but it almost seems like they didn't know how else to end some of the songs, some of them just seem to end just like that, I think maybe Starblind and Isle of Avalon were a bit weird like that. And WTWWB again, the end section of that song just feels like a middle bit, then it just ends and goes back to the lovely and hilarious intro thing.

But nevermind, because it's amazing. I actually love the intro to The Talisman, it makes me think of a murky port of ghost pirates.

And what did you think of Satellite 15? I think it's pretty amazing, although possibly goes on for a little bit too long, and the drums sounds really weird. And it doesn't link into The Final Frontier at all! I wonder why they didn't just have them as two separate tracks. Maybe they just wanted to have ten tracks for some reason. It's a shame they didn't try and link them together with some lovely space noises or something.

EDIT: I just read about why the drums are all weird in Satellite 15... Adrian made a demo of an idea he had (with a drum machine), he showed it to Steve, and Steve said 'let's just use that'. Adrian asked if they should re-record it and apparently Steve didn't want to. Hahaha, I love how hilarious Steve Harris is!

Ahh yeah I remember hearing it and I was like... The drums better not be triggered all the way through the album or I'll actually cry. I find myself skipping the intro now to be honest. It's a little bit boring. But The Final Frontier is just amazing!!

I'll take another listen to the album today and see what's going on with the song endings and everything. I'm sure it's not a major problem though.

Given this a couple of listens so far. The Talisman is my favourite track at the moment... caught my attention the most on first listen through, great stuff!

Yeah, that song is just fucking mad!

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESTWAAAARD THEEEE TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE!!!!

jonny_boy34 wrote:WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESTWAAAARD THEEEE TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE!!!!

I concur with this statement.

The only words I can use to describe how I'm feeling after listening to Final Frontier are "let down". Again.

I'm not doing a track-by-track, because I'd be writing the same thing for every one. It's a good album, don't get me wrong. Just not Maiden - in my eyes/ears anyway. I do like some of the tracks, but it's nothing stellar or ground-breaking. A few of the tracks (Isle of Avalon in particular) sound like AMOLAD add-on tracks, which isn't really a good sign.

I know, I'm probably looking at the album in the wrong way, expecting too much, or not listening to it in the right way, or whatever. But what seems to drive it home to me just how dire Final Frontier actually is is listening to Somewhere in Time, and listening to Frontier - or listening to Maiden tracks at random. I constantly find myself on a massive high after something like Wasted Years and then horribly disappointed by El Dorado - it just doesn't fit.

Unfortunately it's another one of those dust-gatherers, which is a shame, because I really do want to like it

Craig wrote:The only words I can use to describe how I'm feeling after listening to Final Frontier are "let down". Again.

I'm not doing a track-by-track, because I'd be writing the same thing for every one. It's a good album, don't get me wrong. Just not Maiden - in my eyes/ears anyway. I do like some of the tracks, but it's nothing stellar or ground-breaking. A few of the tracks (Isle of Avalon in particular) sound like AMOLAD add-on tracks, which isn't really a good sign.

I know, I'm probably looking at the album in the wrong way, expecting too much, or not listening to it in the right way, or whatever. But what seems to drive it home to me just how dire Final Frontier actually is is listening to Somewhere in Time, and listening to Frontier - or listening to Maiden tracks at random. I constantly find myself on a massive high after something like Wasted Years and then horribly disappointed by El Dorado - it just doesn't fit.

Unfortunately it's another one of those dust-gatherers, which is a shame, because I really do want to like it

Summed up exactly how I feel. Come on, where are the good songs?

So that's two for each, so am I safe to assume it's just another mediocre album?

There's loads of good songs, just listen to them, you wankers.

Hahaha sorry, I just wanted to make myself chuckle, I didn't really mean that. Well, maybe I meant the second part. Ho ho ho!

But really though, if you have accepted that Maiden will never make another album like their first seven, and you just take it for what it is and don't compare it to anything (you are allowed to compare only to post-reunion albums, that is my rule), then you will enjoy it thoroughly, for there is a lot to enjoy on here. Fuck El Dorado, it's a shit song, just don't listen to it and listen to the rest of the songs, they are actually all good. Apart from maybe The Final Frontier, which is still fun, but not that great. But basically, get over El Dorado, and get over the fact that there are a few soft intros.

However, if this just isn't how you want Maiden to sound, then you won't like it.

Take Death Magnetic. If you listen to it expectin a reimagining of Ride The Lightning, you'll hate it. If you just listen to it for what it is and with a positive metal attitude (see what I did there, bloody hell I'm fucking hilarious), you'll actually quite enjoy it. And if anyone tries to tell me Death Magnetic is better than The Final Frontier, I'll buy a copy of Death Magnetic just to shove it up your massive arse. That's right Tom. You better not try and tell me that.

That's right, I'm really angry now.

And if I can't convince the people who don't like it to give it another chance, and you've all been very upset, just think, at least it's no where near as bad as Nostradamus or St Anger.

I guess the only way to sum it all up for me is "tired". I know you can't compare it to the first seven albums, but (unfortunately) that's the type of metal I like - energetic, exciting, soaring, uplifting. To put the album into context, I much prefer Enforcer's Diamonds or LORD's Set in Stone, or Saxon's Into the Labyrinth to Final Frontier - it's just not my kind of thing really.

I've been listening to the album a lot today (what else do I have to do on a 3-hour journey to Cambridge for an interview!) and there are indeed some good tracks - I'm not at all saying it's a horrible album that should never be listened to; that was AMOLAD. I listen to bits of tracks like The Alchemist and The Talisman and think "hell yes, there we go!" and then it goes back into some kind of dull-ish drudgery and chugging, and I end up thinking "oh for God's sake" - it's actually frustrating, because I really do want to like the album.

My favourite post-reunion album is Brave New World, because it actually had a size 12 up it's arse, and neither AMOLAD or FF come anywhere near close really

Ok, well at least you like some of it, hahaha! I actually found the last two tracks on the album to be real growers, The Man Who Would Be King has some lovely bits in it (I enjoy the chorus, and that wonderfully joyful harmony that comes in when the song gets fast again after all the solos in the middle), and When The Wild Wind Blows has actually become one of my favourites! I first thought it was hilarious and a bit non eventful, but after listening to it a few times, I found it made me feel wonderful and nice, it's really quite a joyous song.

I definitely agree that Brave New World was much more amazing though, more than any of the last three. I think TFF is much better as a whole than the last two, although I still reckon Paschendale and Rainmaker are two of the best songs out of the whole last three albums. But this album gave me what I wanted really, less of the E/C/G/D (there's enough of it in that last song anyway!), less acoustic outros (I don't mind the intros so much as it's nice to have a break from the loudness, and it most cases it sets up a nice atmosphere, I just get annoyed when they repeat it needlessly at the end, although in WTWWB there's actually a point to it, as it is quite a sad ending lyrically), more fast action (The Alchemist, The Talisman, TMWWBK, Isle of Avalon), some emotional power glory (the verses of Starblind, Coming Home), and some more original bits and bobs (middle bits of Starblind and Isle of Avalon, Mother of Mercy's humorous but quite different chorus, Satellite 15). And I bloody love the hilariously amazing celtic-type intro of the Talisman. It's amazing.

I will say this though: I think Enforcer's Diamonds is really bloody boring. It's all fast and everything, but it's all bloody E, D and C and I find it a lot more samey than the new Iron Maiden album. However, that other powerful glorious album you mention, Saxon's In The Labyrinth, is exactly how that kind of heavy metal should be done in today's modern age, so powerful and wonderful. Maiden obviously just aren't too interested in writing that kind of stuff any more. But it must be quite hard to try and move onto new ground when you've pigeonholed yourself into such a particular sound. Maybe that's where they're going wrong - although I can go on all day about how much I love the music, I can see how they're trying to be more adventurous but are also scared of not sounding like Iron Maiden anymore, so it's all a bit of a muddle and some people just don't like it. Or maybe Steve is just running out of ideas! Anyway, I still bloody love it. I probably wouldn't think the album is as brilliant as I think it is if the Talisman wasn't on it, but luckily for me, it is.

I haven't heard this yet but I'm pretty sure it will be underwhelming. I don't want heavy metal to make me feel "wonderful and nice", I just want great riffs and passion!

Well hmv.com have been wonderful again and delivered my copy of the album early, well done to them. I am very happy indeed!

Don't worry James, I think you'll like some of it, if you found The Final Frontier song okay, well the rest of the album I think is a lot better than both that and El Doshitto, so you may even enjoy it. Just don't go in thinking negative thoughts, if you've already convinced yourself it's going to be crap then nothing will change your mind.

Here's an interesting question for you: have Iron Maiden actually written a real proper riff since Powerslave? I think perhaps Somewhere In Time was when Maiden nearly completely focussed more on lovely melodies than heavy riffs for the rest of their days.

There are loads of great riffs on Seventh Son!

Maybe it's just a matter of interpretation, I see 7th Son as an album of glorious melody, as opposed to Killers, which is much more riff-orientated. Do you see what I mean though, or am I just being a retard?