tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post1416860058754398621..comments2024-03-27T22:17:20.127-04:00Comments on The Bedrock Blog: IRON MAIDEN: BOOK OF SOULS Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-87130953454031541622015-09-13T11:16:03.682-04:002015-09-13T11:16:03.682-04:00Based on your reply, our tastes seem to run pretty...Based on your reply, our tastes seem to run pretty opposite when it comes to Maiden, so this review may not be the best guide for you. I did my top five Iron Maiden Albums here a few months ago and my number one was Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, followed by Piece of Mind and A Matter of Life and Death (which I think is an incredible album). So I am guessing my tastes wouldn't be a good measure of what you might like. <br /><br />My favorite era is definitely the Seventh Son period. I loved the early maiden but I don't think they could have just kept pumping out albums like that without becoming the ACDC of British New Wave. My introduction to Iron Maiden came through Live After Death and I love stuff like Revelations, The Trooper, To Tame A Land, Aces High, Power Slave, and anything on Number of the Beast. That era saw some great music from them. However bands need to evolve. As a musician also as a musician Seventh Son of a Seventh Son blew me away (both in terms of composition and how tight the band was). To me that is the furthest thing from a workmanlike slog; it is one of the most inspired metal albums ever made. But tastes will differ on all things maiden. <br /><br />Regarding how this album sounds like both the early and more progressive era of Maiden, without getting derivative, for me it was because it was clearly a deliberate acknowledgment of their past, not an attempt to recreate it. The album itself has a very different sound from Somewhere in Time and from Piece of Mind (the only song that really has the tempo and sound of the latter is Speed of Light). What they do is occasionally reference particular melodic lines, vocal meters or build ups. But Book of Souls very much has its own sound. That said, I think it is more on the Matter of Life and Death end, so it may not be a good album for you. BEDROCK GAMEShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14733374103521848906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5341638943627118769.post-90426939604709482332015-09-13T09:56:10.669-04:002015-09-13T09:56:10.669-04:00Huh, interesting review. I, too, am a fan whose vi...Huh, interesting review. I, too, am a fan whose views and faves have evolved over time. However, the time I have for "patient" exploration of their albums have dwindled over the years...the last album I purchased was A Matter of Life and Death, which I didn't feel was nearly as strong as Brave New World and (especially) Dance of Death. <br /><br />Personally, I feel some of those late 80s albums (like 7th Son and Somewhere in Time) lack a lot of the energy of earlier albums...despite technical craft they seem almost workmanlike slogs. Beginning in 2000, the band seemed to get some of that energy back, making songs that were punchy and powerful (if generally lacking the "fun" and humor found in many of their earlier albums). <br /><br />I suppose the point of me writing all that is I can't imagine how an album can sound like stuff from the Piece of Mind/Powerslave era AND the Somewhere in Time/7th Son Era, unless it's a derivative rehash. And, yet, the songs and style you describe would appear to preclude that...though that's a lot of time to devote to a listen when you're averaging ten minutes a song!<br /><br />Anyway...sorry for blathering; it's just nice to see a review. Thanks.<br />: )JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.com