Shout Out: All Studio Albums - Iron Maiden, part 3

Continuing on from part 2, I'll be discussing the band's career throughout the 90's and early 00's here. Since the band had released what is generally considered to be their first "bad" album (even if I don't fully agree), they needed to get back on track with another great release.

Fear Of The Dark is a little bit darker than previous albums, featuring songs with more sombre lyrical themes and different musical styles. Album opener "Be Quick Or Be Dead" was likely picked to lead into the record because of the aggressive chorus and fast tempo typically found on Speed Metal tracks, as it's a great start to a relatively slow album. Sadly, the band haven't quite captured the same energy that the stellar material from the 80's had. In a way, this is quite good.
It's a respectable decision to continue to produce art your way rather than buckling under commercial pressure and just giving into what you think people want, which is what makes Iron Maiden different to Def Leppard. Instead of writing another Powerslave the band continue to develop their sound and even though they made a few mistakes along the way, namely in the form of a power ballad ("Wasting Love"), at least they're willing to try.
Most fans will know this album for the title track alone, as it's probably one of the band's best songs despite coming from a remarkably average album. Overall, there are several decent tracks but as I mentioned in the last post, decent tracks aren't enough when the band have created several years worth of amazing songs. This album is more likely to be someone's favourite if they're into Metal with a grander sound and mature lyrics, as there's plenty of that on Fear Of The Dark...even if some of the song titles sound plain silly.

1. Be Quick Or Be Dead

2. From Here To Eternity

3. Afraid To Shoot Strangers

4. Fear Is The Key

5. Childhood's End

6. Wasting Love

7. The Fugitive

8. Chains Of Misery

9. The Apparition

10. Judas Be My Guide

11. Weekend Warrior

12. Fear Of The Dark

ALBUM RATING - 6/10

Having lost Adrian Smith during pre-production for the last album, the band suffer another line-up change as Bruce Dickinson decides to walk in favour of a solo career. Replacing him was Wolfsbane vocalist Blaze Bayley, a sort of cross between Di'Anno and Dickinson without any distinct vocal traits of his own.

If you thought the last album was a little bit too moody, you probably won't think much of The X Factor. Everything right down to the grotesque album cover feels dark and depressing, although this is generally considered to be down to Steve Harris' ongoing divorce during the writing process. 11 minute album opener "Sign Of The Cross" starts off with a Gregorian chant and after nearly 90 seconds of this, a melancholy riff introduces us to Blaze's hushed vocals. If I'm honest, there are far better ways to open a Metal album with a new line-up than something that sounds too dark to be played at a funeral.

"Lord Of The Flies" probably would've been a better choice for album opener, as it actually makes me want to listen to the rest of the record and has a great performance from each band member...except Blaze, who sounds like a parallel version of Bruce who's making up how to sing each line as he goes along. This album returns to the progressive format with longer song lengths and frequent tempo changes but since most of the songs start with the same atmospheric guitar/bass intro, the amount of songs that you could call filler is higher than ever before.

Even the better songs on this album aren't significant when compared to other popular Metal tracks released before 1995. It's genuinely difficult to remember more than about three different songs on The X Factor after listening to them and regardless of whether you're into Metal or Iron Maiden specifically, you could easily miss this album and not lose out on anything. THIS is the first "bad" Iron Maiden album in my books, not No Prayer For The Dying.

1. Sign Of The Cross

2. Lord Of The Flies

3. Man On The Edge

4. Fortunes Of War

5. Look For The Truth

6. The Aftermath

7. Judgement Of Heaven

8. Blood On The World's Hands

9. The Edge Of Darkness

10. 2 A.M.

11. The Unbeliever

ALBUM RATING - 2/10

As much as I'd love to say that this was the last album with Blaze Bayley on vocals, there's one more fans had to sit through. Virtual XI was released three years later to tie into both an Iron Maiden video game and the 1998 World Cup, for some reason.

Having got over their personal problems, Iron Maiden return with a slightly more energetic offering. "Futureal" is a perfect album opener following The X Factor and probably the one song where Blaze doesn't sound poor behind the mic. The rest of the album isn't half bad either, as each song has a slightly more distinct sound from the last. The quality of each track is also more in touch with 80's material and even though the second half of the album starts to trot out the homogenised intros en masse, at least the first half is enjoyable.

It's not the band's best when it comes to songwriting, especially when you compare the opening riff of "Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger" and Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box", but for fans of the long Maiden tunes, this is probably somewhat of a guilty pleasure. If you can ignore the vocals and focus on the music, you might get something out of it.

Virtual XI deserves points just for giving fans hope, more than anything. If Iron Maiden released another X Factor or No Prayer For The Dying, they could've gone out with a whimper and become another Deep Purple, periodically touring capital cities after releasing a Greatest Hits/live album every five years or so. Fortunately, this album is indisputably better than the last one and proves the band are capable of slowly returning to glory after a down period, even if it's by taking baby steps.

1. Futureal

2. The Angel And The Gambler

3. Lightning Strikes Twice

4. The Clansmen

5. When Two Worlds Collide

6. The Educated Fool

7. Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger

8. Como Estais Amigos

ALBUM RATING - 3/10

In 1999, the band kicked out Blaze Bayley and Bruce Dickinson returned to the mic, bringing ex-member Adrian Smith along with him to become the third guitarist for the band. This is still the current line-up for Iron Maiden and it doesn't appear to need changing any time soon.

Brave New World marks the start of Iron Maiden's journey into the third decade of their career (ignoring demo tapes and gigs before their first album's release) and thankfully, it's a good start! Album opener "The Wicker Man" is just what fans needed to remember why they fell in love with the band in the first place, hearing all three guitars going at it with Bruce confidently belting out each line again. Whilst the main responsibility for songwriting tends to be with Steve Harris, Bruce is no slouch when it comes to writing himself. His return meant both his vocal AND creative talents could be put to good use again.
As is often the case on highly regarded albums, there are longer tracks for the Prog Metal enthusiast ("The Nomad" and "Dream Of Mirrors") and shorter tracks for casual Metal fans ("The Mercenary" and "The Fallen Angel") but all in all, the whole album is enjoyable regardless of which type of song you prefer. Anyone who compares it to earlier albums like Piece Of Mind or Somewhere In Time is completely wrong though; it's a completely different sound and use of musical structure to those albums. It may have similar traits of Iron Maiden albums in the past but as the title suggests, it's the band exploring a new millennium with different expectations of musical talent and Metal.
It's a bit of old and a bit of new, creating something relatively unique and more memorable than anything from the Blaze era, for sure. Above all else though, this album is a return to form. It's a great band that's back on track after some four albums that collectively missed the mark. If you listened to Brave New World after Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, it might not sound as great due to the lack of disappointing material you've had to endure in the middle. However, if you ignored No Prayer For The Dying and listened to this one after Fear Of The Dark, it would probably sound like a flawless transition.

1. The Wicker Man

2. Ghost Of The Navigator

3. Brave New World

4. Blood Brothers

5. The Mercenary

6. Dream Of Mirrors

7. The Fallen Angel

8. The Nomad

9. Out Of The Silent Planet

10. The Thin Line Between Love And Hate

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

Since I've already reviewed The Book Of Souls on this blog, the last part of this Shout Out will only contain three albums: Dance Of Death, A Matter Of Life And Death and The Final Frontier. Probably should've thought about that before writing these, as I could've done three parts with five albums each. Ah well.

Shout Out: All 16 Studio Albums - Iron Maiden, part 2

In part 1, I talked about Iron Maiden, Killers, The Number Of The Beast and Piece Of Mind as well as the line-up changes that occurred in between. Time to look at the next four albums!
If you asked me which year I personally believe is the best for Metal album releases, I'd give you three that are close to being equal; 1983, 1984 and 1990. If I had to narrow it down to one of those, I'd pick 1984 and Powerslave is the reason why.

I fucking love this album. It's not just my favourite Iron Maiden album but easily my number one favourite studio album too. I'm not sure if it's down to this being the first album that has exactly the same line-up as the previous one or the band entering the studio on a really fucking good day but everything about it from the epic cover to the order of songs is just perfect! "Aces High" has everything an exceptional album opener needs with a punchy rhythm and catchy riffs pouring out of every orifice. Even the name of the song feels appropriately placed at the top of the track list!
Unlike the last two albums, Powerslave contains more energy in each track and the only song that periodically takes a breather is "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner", although you can hardly fault it for that when it comes in at 13:34 long. Nicko McBrain has settled in as the new drummer and the band are, in my opinion, at the top of their game both musically and lyrically, thanks to Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson (with Adrian Smith occasionally stepping in).
The galloping rhythm the band have become known for has slowed down slightly, presumably to create different sounding music & avoid being labelled as another Motorhead or AC/DC, but I still defy anyone listening to "Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)" or "The Duellists" to do so without bopping their head or bouncing their knee to the beat. At the risk of sounding like a terrible writer, it's difficult to describe exactly what makes this album superior to others but I've never quite had the same joy or felt the same love towards another collection of music. If you're into long-winded progressive Metal, this album isn't going to be your favourite. However, if you like your Metal to pack a wallop and leave you wanting more, this is the one for you.

1. Aces High

2. 2 Minutes To Midnight

3. Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)

4. Flash Of The Blade

5. The Duellists

6. Back In The Village

7. Powerslave

8. Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

ALBUM RATING - 10/10

I suppose the only problem with a perfect album is the follow-up. How can you beat something that, by your own mental definition, can't be beaten? The simple answer is you can't and I think the band knew that, as Somewhere In Time isn't just another album of classic Heavy Metal. This is the album where the band begin to...experiment.

After a bit of a break following the World Slavery Tour the band had embarked on after Powerslave, Iron Maiden decided to try something new; guitar synthesisers. Whilst it adds a certain artificial & arguably dated quality to the music compared to the raw, aggressive tracks from their first five albums, the passion is still there. Album opener and semi-title track "Caught Somewhere In Time" may be over seven minutes long but once the tempo picks up around the 52 second mark, it doesn't falter or slow down until the outro. In fact, if it were a little bit shorter, it'd probably be one of the band's more popular tracks.

Despite several tracks having a fairly futuristic sound and lyrics dealing with time ("Stranger In A Strange Land" and "Deja Vu"), this isn't the band's way of saying they're going in a different direction in terms of songwriting. In fact, if you remove the guitar synthesisers, it's pretty much a standard Iron Maiden album with songs still following the formula of musical symmetry ("Heaven Can Wait") and a vocal-based chorus, despite having a killer guitar riff throughout the track ("Wasted Years"), before bringing it on home with an epic finale ("Alexander The Great").

Somewhere In Time is definitely up there with the stronger Iron Maiden albums although, much like Killers, it's unlikely that you'll find anyone who classifies this as their favourite record. It's one that fans will treasure, as it really does contain a lot of strong material, but it's not a great example of typical music from the Metal genre. It's kind of like the Thinking Man's Metal, something for you to listen to at home and privately rock out to as opposed to doing it in a crowd of several thousand gig attendees. Most importantly though, it shows that Iron Maiden are capable of "experimenting" a little and not completely fucking everything up like most Rock/Metal bands.

1. Caught Somewhere In Time

2. Wasted Years

3. Sea Of Madness

4. Heaven Can Wait

5. The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner

6. Stranger In A Strange Land

7. Deja Vu

8. Alexander The Great

ALBUM RATING - 8/10

I think the key to experimenting successfully and steering a band into new territories is doing it gradually, one small change at a time. If Iron Maiden veered from The Number Of The Beast to this next album in the space of one year, it's unlikely I'd be talking about them today.

Whereas the last album happened to feature several songs with similar themes, Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son is definitely a concept album that tackles subjects such as paranormal abilities and good vs. evil. "Moonchild" is a decent album opener that introduces the concept of the record to a punchy rhythm and some neat keyboard riffing although not the best the band have ever written. Along with the use of keyboard across the album instead of guitar synthesisers, the more frequent use of changing time signatures mid-song signifies the band's desire to move into a more progressive genre, especially in the case of the album's (nearly) 10 minute title track.

The album generally has a more mystical feel and, similar to Somewhere In Time, is the kind of music to enjoy through headphones instead of amps at a festival. The songs feel slightly less powerful than ones on previous albums and whilst they're all well written and contain the by-now obligatory gallops or moody intro riffs ("The Evil That Men Do" and "Only The Good Die Young"), there's something about the use of keyboard that dulls the impact some of these songs possibly would've had were they recorded during the Piece Of Mind or even Somewhere In Time sessions.

Fortunately though, compared to other bands who were releasing mediocre material in 1988 (looking at you, Judas Priest and Megadeth!), Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son is still strong and contains a good balance of lengthy masterpieces and shorter Metal tunes. I would recommend listening to Iron Maiden's earlier material before these, as it's interesting to hear the subtle changes in musical style going forward instead of backward.

1. Moonchild

2. Infinite Dreams

3. Can I Play With Madness

4. The Evil That Men Do

5. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

6. The Prophecy

7. The Clairvoyant

8. Only The Good Die Young

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

During pre-production for the next album, guitarist Adrian Smith felt that the band had musically regressed with this record and decided to call it quits. After leaving the band, he was replaced with White Spirit guitarist Janick Gers, who'd also worked with Bruce on his solo album released in the same year.

Whilst Iron Maiden have never sold out and gone fully commercial, No Prayer For The Dying is probably as close as they will get. The band chose to dial back the progressive elements they'd spent years developing and recorded this album with the intention of giving it a "street" sound, like their earlier work. I don't know if this decision was due to the poor sales Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son made in the US or possible nostalgia for recording in the early 80's but sadly, it never quite hit the mark.

Admittedly, "Tailgunner" is a great album opener that would've sounded a lot fresher if had come out before "The Clairvoyant" and yes, this is the only album to produce a number one single for the band ("Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter") but other than a handful of decent riffs, the album doesn't really bring anything worthwhile to the table. At a push, it maybe could've worked if it was recorded around 1981-82 but then we wouldn't have The Number Of The Beast, a far greater effort. It's not a bad album but with 10 years of fantastic music behind them, it's not unreasonable to expect more from the band that gave us Powerslave.

No Prayer For The Dying is an album that's perfect for fans who liked the musical sound of the last two albums but disliked the songs and their progressive elements. However, when a band inevitably abandons the need to "experiment" and returns to the sound of their earlier material, it only really works if a) the music they made when experimenting was terrible or b) they slightly adapt their new music so that it contains the best elements from original and experimental. This album falls into neither category.

1. Tailgunner

2. Holy Smoke

3. No Prayer For The Dying

4. Public Enema Number One

5. Fates Warning

6. The Assassin

7. Run Silent Run Deep

8. Hooks In You

9. Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter

10. Mother Russia

ALBUM RATING - 5/10

Next week, I'll post part 3 which will cover Fear Of The Dark, The X Factor, Virtual XI and Brave New World. Thanks for reading!

Shout Out: All 16 Studio Albums - Iron Maiden, part 1

What kind of Iron Maiden Month would this be if I didn't talk about EVERY STUDIO ALBUM THEY'VE RELEASED?
The answer is "a pretty poor one", in case you cared. However, since there are 16 albums as of September 4th 2015, I'm going to break these posts into four parts looking at four albums each. I'll probably talk a little bit more about the band's history as I'm going through them, although don't expect an in-depth biography.
I'm also going to split the four posts across two weeks, with two posts this week & the remaining two the next. However, I might do two different posts in the final week if I get round to it. It's also worth noting that I'll be discussing the 1998 remastered albums, as they're the versions that are currently available and some contain a few extra tracks. OK then, let's get shouting!
The first official studio album is the self titled 1980 debut featuring a very different line-up to the one we have today:

The first album is quite possibly the most aggressive one Iron Maiden have ever released, although this is mostly due to the difference in band members. We have Paul Di'Anno on vocals, Dennis Stratton and Dave Murray on guitar, Steve Harris on bass and Clive Burr on drums. Fans will know that only two of those band members are still part of Iron Maiden today but we'll get onto departures and arrivals as we talk about each album.
Iron Maiden starts off with the instantly catchy "Prowler", a fine album opener that displays each member of the band on top form. Most of the tracks from here are relatively short and punchy that focus slightly more on riffs and hooks than the overall band effort that later albums are centred around ("Running Free" and "Iron Maiden") although the influence from Classic Rock bands such as Thin Lizzy and Wishbone Ash are still prevalent throughout ("Remember Tomorrow" and "Strange World").
All in all, it's a damn good debut that any self-respecting Metal fan will enjoy whether they prefer their music short and sharp or long and melodic. NWOBHM elitists will argue that this is Iron Maiden's best album and whilst I agree with it being ONE of the best, there are still areas that could've been/were improved on future records. As usual, here's a tracklist with my personal favourites underlined:

1. Prowler

2. Sanctuary

3. Remember Tomorrow

4. Runnin' Free

5. Phantom Of The Opera

6. Transylvania

7. Strange World

8. Charlotte The Harlot

9. Iron Maiden
ALBUM RATING - 8/10

In the year between album releases, Dennis Stratton was replaced with Adrian Smith on guitar. Since Dennis was probably responsible for two of the weakest tracks on the first album, this was definitely for the best. Chances are the following album, Killers, wouldn't have had the same edge with his presence.

Compared to their debut, Killers starts off as a bit of a dud. "The Ides Of March" is a largely pointless intro to the far superior track "Wrathchild", likely included to showcase new guitarist Adrian Smith's talents. However, once the bassline for "Wrathchild" rolls in, all is forgiven. It's clear that the band are back for another strong entry, not changing a proven formula but capable of adapting to include more of what fans were after, seeing as how this album has more songs that are indisputably Metal as opposed to Hard Rock (excluding the Led Zepp inspired "Prodigal Son", of course).

Paul's vocals have branched out into other octaves ("Twilight Zone"), Steve's bass playing is still strong and smooth ("Innocent Exile") and the combined guitar work of Adrian and Dave is flawlessly executed ("Killers"). However, after revisiting this album, I realised Clive Burr's drumming is my personal highlight. He had a unique talent for playing his kit alongside the guitar riffs, turning the drums into more than just a percussive device and creating a stronger bond between each band member's musical contributions ("Genghis Khan" and "Murders In The Rue Morgue").

It's tricky to decide whether I prefer this album or the last one as an Iron Maiden fan. On the one hand, the songs on the debut are more memorable but on the other, the musical talent on this album is easily stronger. Either way, it's another great album although it lacks the same magic spark that some of the band's other records have. You might find people who call this their favourite album but you're more likely to find people who prefer either the previous or the next one.

1. The Ides Of March

2. Wrathchild

3. Murders In The Rue Morgue

4. Another Life

5. Genghis Khan

6. Innocent Exile

7. Killers

8. Prodigal Son

9. Purgatory

10. Twilight Zone

11. Drifter
ALBUM RATING - 7/10

Another year, another line-up change! This time, Paul Di'Anno was kicked out for drink and drug abuse. Fortunately, he was replaced with Samson vocalist & all-round top bloke, Bruce Dickinson. Bands go through line-up changes fairly frequently and most of the time, they survive. However, the true test of a band's lasting quality is whether they can survive a change in lead singer. Cut to 1982 and the release of the third album, The Number Of The Beast.

Not only one of Iron Maiden's most popular albums but also one of the most iconic albums in the entire Metal genre, and rightly so! It introduced me to the band and whilst it's not my all-time favourite Iron Maiden album, it's got plenty of great tracks to introduce you to what the band are all about. However, one of the few flaws is probably the introduction. "Invaders" is an easily forgettable song but works as an energetic album opener. It's straightforward Metal and, most importantly, it shows fans of Paul's vocals that the band have found a suitable replacement.
With Bruce on board, the band were able to explore new musical territories so in a way, this almost feels like the first proper Iron Maiden album. The sound quality is much stronger than the previous two entries (which occasionally sound as if they were banged together in someone's garage) and the lyrical themes are slightly more mature too ("Hallowed Be Thy Name" and "Run To The Hills"). In terms of the musical structure, many tracks start off fairly slow but speed up once they get past the intro or enter the final section of the song. This was experimented with during Paul's stretch with Iron Maiden but it seems the band are confident enough to use it frequently now.
The Number Of The Beast is slightly more about the band effort than previous albums but still contains epic riffs for air guitarists to shred to and catchy choruses for fans to belt out at concerts ("The Prisoner" and "The Number Of The Beast"), just what the band needed to secure longevity and solidify themselves as Metal legends.

1. Invaders

2. Children Of The Damned

3. The Prisoner

4. 22 Acacia Avenue

5. The Number Of The Beast

6. Run To The Hills

7. Gangland

8. Total Eclipse

9. Hallowed Be Thy Name

ALBUM RATING - 8/10

The last album I'll be talking about in this part also featured a new band member, as Clive Burr had to leave for personal & medical reasons. Whilst Clive was an amazing musician who sadly passed away two years ago, ex-Trust drummer Nicko McBrain stepped up to the mark and helped the band create another excellent album in 1983.

Piece Of Mind is notable for two reasons in my eyes. Firstly, as I've already mentioned, it introduces Nicko McBrain who manages to prove his worth in the first four seconds of album opener "Where Eagles Dare". Secondly, it's the first album to officially give Bruce Dickinson songwriting credit which probably explains the various lyrical topics covering war and mythology, albeit the latter twisted into a metaphor about teenage rebellion ("Die With Your Boots On" and "Flight Of Icarus").

Despite introducing a fairly standard galloping rhythm to the mainstream on the previous album with "Run To The Hills", this album is probably responsible for turning it into a signature sound for the band thanks to a decent filler track and one of the band's biggest fan favourites ("Sun And Steel" and "The Trooper" respectively). Whilst the first half of the album is considered more memorable than the second, that doesn't mean it's a record that's only half decent. It's full of great songs although the band appear to have put all of the filler at the end.

The fourth album in four consecutive years doesn't slow down or show signs of creative fatigue. Compared to the last three albums, I'd say Piece Of Mind takes less risks as it essentially hits the same beats as the previous record but there's nothing wrong with that. Iron Maiden deliver another hefty dose of Heavy Metal, pure and uncompromising. I think if this album had the same level of controversy and notoriety as The Number Of The Beast when that was first released, this would likely be everyone's favourite of the two.

1. Where Eagles Dare

2. Revelations

3. Flight Of Icarus

4. Die With Your Boots On

5. The Trooper

6. Still Life

7. Quest For Fire

8. Sun And Steel

9. To Tame A Land

ALBUM RATING - 8/10

That's the end of part 1. Come back soon for part 2, covering Powerslave, Somewhere In Time, Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son and No Prayer For The Dying!

The Book Of Souls - Iron Maiden

Before I start this review, I've decided that in celebration of one of my favourite bands triumphantly returning to the studio I'm going to declare September IRON MAIDEN MONTH on this blog. I'm sure I'm not the only one making a big deal out of Iron Maiden's new album but I figure it's time I talked about these magnificent bastards on here.
Along with a review of their latest album, I'll also be discussing their previous work & a few passion projects of mine that I occasionally revisit. In other words, if you dislike Iron Maiden then you might as well come back to this blog in October. If you don't really care about them, maybe give the next few posts a read as you may find your new favourite band as well!

As I stated in my brief discussion about "Speed Of Light", I was incredibly excited for this album but still a little concerned about the length of some of the tracks. When it comes to Iron Maiden, I much prefer the shorter, energetic tracks to the longer, progressive ones BUT I still like some 8+ minute songs. Whilst I wouldn't call this Iron Maiden's best album by any stretch, The Book Of Souls manages to perfectly balance the complex 11 minute epics with tidy five-minute rockers. It's an album that fans of earlier and later albums can enjoy, which is certainly more than can be said for The Final Frontier.
Kicking off the band's 16th record is "If Eternity Should Fail", a song which starts off like something from Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical but soon breaks into a hearty & familiar gallop. This is a good example of a longer track I can enjoy, although I wouldn't rank it among my favourites (before you ask, "Dream Of Mirrors" and "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son". The rest...meh). It's a slow burning album opener that contains most if not all of the Iron Maiden hallmarks, even if it sounds a little theatrical at times.
After this, we have a few songs that'll get heads banging on the first playthrough ("Speed Of Light" & "Death Or Glory") as well as slower, more solemn tunes for the music enthusiast to aurally dissect on repeat listens ("The Man Of Sorrows" and "The Book Of Souls"). As I said, it's a balance that works better than quite possibly any other Iron Maiden album since they first started experimenting with longer progressive tracks in 1983. However, those songs all look like radio edits compared to "Empire Of The Clouds", an 18 minute ballad about "the 1930 R101 airship crash" featuring Bruce Dickinson on piano, an impressive first.

My immediate thoughts regarding this piece were that it sounded like a musical score for either a film or modern video game with added vocals. It's less episodic than "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner" or even other prog masterpieces such as "2112" - Rush but it also demonstrates the band's expertise at writing and performing something as grand as an opera suite, composing not just guitar riffs but orchestral melodies too. The entirety of both discs is a testament to the band's collective talent but this song probably showcases it more than any other.
The rest of the album could be easily summed up by taking snippets from the band's previous records and retuning them until they sound like they were recorded yesterday. I'm not saying Iron Maiden have pulled an AC/DC and rehashed old music for a healthy buck, although "Shadows Of The Valley" might as well be titled "Wasted Years Part II" for that opening riff. What I am saying is that there are many tracks that capture and refine the sound fans may remember from older albums like Dance Of Death or Somewhere In Time. It's almost as if the band sat down & revisited their favourite tracks from each album or decade before writing this one. That may sound like a criticism but, in my eyes, it's far from it.
There's nothing wrong with a band borrowing ideas from their past selves as long as they do something clever with it. Yes, "Shadows Of The Valley" might sound a hell of a lot like another song at first but the remaining six minutes or so develop into something brand new & very enjoyable. You could argue that this is the same for every band who've lasted more than a decade and released several different albums but there's a clear influence from earlier material in these songs. Whether it's the use of a specific tone for an intro like "Moonchild" ("When The River Runs Deep") or a dark bassline underneath atmospheric guitar like "For The Greater Good Of God" ("The Great Unknown"), this album learns from history & adapts without making the mistake of repeating it note for note.

Over the course of eleven tracks and about 90 minutes, the essence of Iron Maiden has been captured and reshaped into another great package of music. Perhaps that's why they called it The Book Of Souls; it contains the soul of each notable sound the band went through...or maybe it just sounded like a better name than anything else they could come up with.
Either way, I'm giving it an 8/10. Well written, superbly executed and an improvement from the previous effort. Whilst the last few albums have made fans question whether the band are considering hanging up their guns, this one makes them sound stronger than...well, the 90's at least. Up the Irons!

Burning Bridges - Bon Jovi

I've decided to mix things up a little bit this week. Instead of reviewing this...yeah, let's still call it an "album", I'm going to let someone else take the reigns. The following review will be written by my loving girlfriend, Sarah Taylor. Aside from over a decade of personal experience in bands & listening to Rock music, she is a massive Bon Jovi fan & at my request, wanted to have a crack at reviewing his latest release.
Whilst I have my own thoughts on this collection of music (which I will tweet at a later date, if you're desperate to know my point of view), I felt that her perspective might be better as Burning Bridges is clearly meant for B.J fans instead of the casual listener. If you like her style of writing over mine, definitely let me know so I can beg her to write some more posts & get more regular visitors.
Anyway, take it away Sarah!

Hello Wembley! (Or James' blog...whatever). Upon James' request, I'm here to do a small review of the new album from Bon Jovi. Mainly because I've been a massive Bon Jovi fan since I was around 12 years old which, let me tell you, is a long time ago! I've seen Bon Jovi live three times so far and will continue to do so whenever he tours. Burning Bridges is supposedly a 'fan album', whatever that's supposed to mean! I will tell you now though, I'm not a writer, so this may seem a little amateurish (apologies!). So yeah, here's what I made of Burning Bridges.

First of all, I didn't know what to expect from Burning Bridges. I only heard that it was a selection of songs that Bon Jovi wrote that never got finished. So I suppose in a way I was expecting an eclectic mix of songs in different styles from previously released albums. For example, I was hoping for a song that sounded like it belonged on the Lost Highway album, or a song that had the feel of Slippery When Wet etc.

I will cut to the chase. I was bitterly disappointed.

Overall, the album is 80% depressing ballads, with two or three songs that are a bit more upbeat. Maybe it's illegal to release an album that's more than 80% dirge so Bon Jovi had to put some happier songs into the mix, who knows. The whole album felt thrown together, more of a private collection of dick stroking songs for Jon Bon Jovi to listen to whilst taking candlelit baths with a mirror to admire his very own face. The songs lacked passion and drive and were quite frankly dull. Usually on Bon Jovi albums you at expect at least one ballad, which I can cope with and sometimes enjoy, but this...this was just something else!

I feel, ultimately, like this album was a massive 'fuck you' to Richie Sambora. Why? Well, the lack of show stopping guitar solos with tons of feeling. The fact that Bon Jovi's vocals come first, and the musicians come second. Honestly, I cannot remember any riffs from the ballads on Burning Bridges. When I think about the album, all I can hear in my head is Bon Jovi's voice. That is not coco! (Talking of Sambora, I cannot wait until he releases a new album, because I know I will get quality music, amazing guitar solos, and passion... lots and lots of passion!).

There were three songs on Burning Bridges that I enjoyed:

1) "We Don't Run"- A punchy and typical Bon Jovi song. Nice drum beats, lots of 'whoah-ing' in the vocals, and a chorus that would sound amazing on a stadium tour. I can picture this song going down a storm at one of Bon Jovi's gigs. There's a small guitar solo which sounds like Phil X is trying to imitate Sambora's unique sound, but we all know Sambora would've done it better! Overall though, I do like this song. It's strong and will stand the test of time.

2) "Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning"- OK, first things first, this song sounds like it was supposed to be on the Lost Highway album. Not a problem for me, but it may be for other listeners. I have to say, Tico Torres is on fine form and remains one of my favourite drummers. His drumming is simple but effective without being too flashy (*cough* Lars Ulrich *cough*), and compliments the songs well. I have just one problem with this song. The lyrics on the chorus. What on Earth is 'Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning' supposed to mean?! Doesn't that happen to all of us, unless we meet our demise on a Saturday? What irritates me more is the fact that Bon Jovi already has a song that states 'I'm feeling like a Monday, but someday I'll be Saturday night'. Does Bon Jovi need some sort of mental intervention so he can figure out what day of the week he wants to be?!

3) "I'm Your Man"- So this song almost didn't make it onto my top songs from the album, but I did find the song to be listenable and didn't have many problems with it, so I thought I'd be fair and add it to the list (the very teeny-tiny list!). So the song itself isn't anything special but I did like the quirky and ever so slightly 'Oasis' sounding riff. It sounded uplifting and would make for good background music. The lyrics are typical of Bon Jovi, speaking of lovers, phonecalls and other obvious themes. They're not deep and meaningful but they aren't offensively shite either. I don't have much else to say about the song, it's just...acceptable!

As for the title track, well...give me strength. Is this the ultimate 'piss off' track for Sambora I wonder? The lyrics are bitter, set to an over joyous country style song with what I can only describe as oompa-band undertones! According to NME however, the song is about their split from Mercury Records. This is possibly true, I just can't help but think these lyrics, especially after Sambora's (rather unexplained) exit from the band, are a bit harsh. This however, is just my opinion!

So overall I would give the whole album a measly 4/10. I wish it could've been more, as I'm an avid Bon Jovi fan, but I refuse to sugar coat shit. The thirteenth album for these guys is an absolute flop. Thirteen is unlucky for some but definitely unlucky for Bon Jovi and a huge disappointment for their fans.
I just hope they have something amazing lined up in the near future, so we can all forget about this sorry incident!

High Country - The Sword

If you've been following my posts for the last couple of months, you'll know I've been desperately waiting for this album to come out. I talked about the title track in July but now it's time to look at the entire package.

Based on the small selection of songs I'd heard before buying the album, I was expecting something amazing. What I got was decent although, if I'm perfectly honest, a little flat at times. If the previous four albums by The Sword were solidified in the Heavy Metal genre, High Country definitely wobbles between that and Hard Rock. From the album cover abandoning the usual jagged font to the song's themes centred more around magic than mythology, The Sword haven taken their biggest genre-crossing step yet.
Album opener "Unicorn Farm" is a bizarre introduction combining a catchy rhythm with some of the synth elements previously employed in Apocryphon, flowing perfectly into "Empty Temples", the first of several Thin Lizzy impersonators on this album. It's a great track which gives you a glimpse into the sound of the rest of the album; the clashing drums and megaton power chords have been softened but every now and then, there's an explosive moment where you can hear remnants of Gods Of The Earth and Warp Riders bursting through.
The main factor behind the change in sound is possibly the percussion and Santiago Vela III's more restrained drumming this time around. There are still a couple of apocalyptic tracks where the pace is energetic and you can imagine riding into battle with these songs booming out in the distance ("Suffer No Fools" and "Buzzards"). Otherwise, the album is largely dominated by Blues-inspired Hard Rock not unlike a previously mentioned 70's Irish band ("The Bees Of Spring" and "Ghost Eye"), heavier Modern Rock tunes experimenting with backing vocals and a touch of brass ("Seriously Mysterious" and "Early Snow") & healthy combinations of the two, resulting in some of the strongest tracks on the album ("The Dreamthieves" and "High Country").

Sadly, the band is only as strong as their weakest link and whilst he's improved since 2008, J. D. Cronise's vocals are still flagging behind everyone else ever so slightly. It's almost like listening to a slightly more abrasive tribute to Josh Homme but fortunately, the music is good enough to stop The Sword from becoming another Guns 'N' Roses. Aside from a few songs which sound a bit monotonous in the fog of crunching chords ("Mist & Shadow"), the riffs are generally suitable and will easily stick with you after a couple of listens.
The best way to describe the genre (or subgenre) of this album would be Stoner Rock as I suspect most of the tracks were written to be listened to when absolutely baked. After all, the band have released a special "weed-themed" edition of High Country that comes with rolling paper and a stash box, not to mention the obvious euphoric connotation with the name of the album. It would make sense, considering the flatter songs would probably sound incredibly peaceful whilst stoned.
If you are into the occasional toke and happen to listen to this album whilst in high country yourself, you'd probably rate it 10/10. For all us sober critics, I reckon a 7/10 is more than fair. It's not the best album they've written if you're into heavier riffing & the kind of soundtrack Vikings would listen to if they were still about, but I would say it's quite an interesting yet admirable entry from their discography if you're into Rock music overall, assuming you can listen past the occasional musical dissonance and droning vocals.

Taster Session #2

About a week after I wrote the first Taster Session post, several bands released more singles from upcoming albums. Rather than edit the first one and re-post it, I waited until a few more songs made their way onto Youtube before writing a brand new Taster Session. Also, it may have had something to do with not knowing what to post this week until I can review "High Country" - The Sword in two weeks.
Anyway, here are some more tunes from upcoming albums!

"Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning" - Bon Jovi         (listen here)
From the album Burning Bridges (21/8/15)

From my understanding, this album is supposed to be a collection of unfinished ideas the band had between tours that have been fleshed out to act as a stepping stone between What About Now from 2013 and another studio album coming out next year. As for my opinion about Bon Jovi, I think Dean Winchester put it best in an episode of Supernatural; "Bon Jovi rocks...on occasion". Sadly, this track is not one of those occasions.
It's alright if you're into the medium-paced Rock songs that you can jump around to at gigs but it's no "Wanted Dead Or Alive" or "Let It Rock". Bon Jovi fans will probably like it as Mr Jovi certainly hasn't lost the use of his pipes but it's not to my taste. However, one of the other tracks from the upcoming album ("We Don't Run") has more of a punch to it & sounds like a better version of "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark" - Fall Out Boy. If you're after music with more aggression & a passionate sound, definitely check that one out.


"Cirice" - Ghost          (listen here)
From the album Meliora (21/8/15)

Is it Ghost or Ghost B.C.? Either way, this track grew on me after a few listens. I started off thinking it was alright & found myself internally humming it a few days later, which is usually a sign that I should buy a song if I'm enjoying the experience of having an earworm. I'm not familiar with the band's previous work but if it's as strong as this, I'm definitely going to check it out. My only real criticism is that the intro goes on a bit long but I'm probably only saying that because I fucking love the chorus and want to hear it immediately.
Everything comes together perfectly in this song, from the haunting piano during the intro to the gradual build-up of guitar riffs and solos. I'm probably going to out myself as a Metal pleb by comparing some of the verse riffing to slower Metallica tunes like "Harvester Of Sorrow" & "Sad But True" but hopefully I'll redeem myself by saying "Cirice" blows those tracks out of the water. Not just that but at no point does this song feel pretentious or uber-serious like some of the more operatic Prog-Metal tunes of the last decade.


"Arrow Of Time" - Queensryche          (listen here)
From the album Condition Human (2/10/15)

I know, I know, I'm missing two umlauts, let's just look past it.
I get the impression that Queensryche are overlooked when it comes to great 80's Metal, as compilation albums often choose "Silent Lucidity" instead of tracks like "Queen Of The Reich". Hopefully, this album will encourage people to dive into older material and maybe even a few of the deep cuts from Operation: Mindcrime if this track is anything to go by. "Arrow Of Time" sounds great if you're into mid-80's Iron Maiden with Todd La Torre taking up the mantle for a second time after Geoff Tate was given his P45 from the band.
Purists will no doubt find fault in Todd La Torre's vocals & bawl about how it's not Queensryche without Geoff Tate, effectively pissing all over the efforts of the rest of the band, but I think he sounds great. He's definitely been inspired by Tate's work with the band but it doesn't sound like he's trying to be Tate. If anything, it sounds like he's trying to be Bruce Dickinson but I won't hold that against him. I'm not as excited for this album as I am for High Country but I'll still check it out & go in with decent expectations.


"HardRockLover" - Prince          (listen here)
From the album HitNRun (??/??/??)

Dear God, this is fucking shit. We've got everything from vocoder to screaming in this turd of a song and further proves Prince's career has gone on far too long. Remember a few years ago when he proclaimed the Internet was "over", shortly before releasing his new album via newspapers? Now he's releasing this album via hip new streaming service Tidal having removed all his previous material from Spotify. I'll be honest, I'm genuinely struggling to grasp whether Prince is the world's greatest troll or just a fucking idiot.
This track feels like someone trying to make fun of Rock and Pop with something that sounds like bad video game music. It sounds like a good song that's been rigorously fucked by someone who believes they're an artist, assisted by a band that are probably more lucky than talented. If he's a troll & he's deliberately releasing crap material under the guise of "art" to ridicule the elitist music journalists (who will no doubt love this), he's doing a great job. If he's actually trying and this is the final result, he should've just stopped after "Let's Go Crazy".


"Speed Of Light" - Iron Maiden          (listen here)
From the album The Book Of Souls (4/9/15)

Once I learned that the 16th offering from my favourite band would be a double album containing an 18-minute orchestral epic, I was a little worried. I reckon I'm in the minority when I say I prefer Iron Maiden's shorter, less progressive songs but that's not to say I dislike the nine minute epics; I just tend to prefer tracks like "The Number Of The Beast" to "Paschendale". However, this track has since blown all my concerns away and now I'm hyped for September 4th to roll in (after August 21st, that is).
As hard as it may be, let's ignore the fantastic video for now as it's the only music video I've linked to in these Taster posts. The song is brilliant & sounds like it could've been written for any one of the earlier Maiden albums. At first, I thought Bruce's vocals sounded a little off (which I can hardly fault them for as this was recorded before his cancer diagnosis) but after a few more listens, it slowly started to improve. Either way, I love this track and it's made me super excited for the album. Job well done, lads!

Once again, a decent mix of tracks I loved and tracks I couldn't stand. If I had to order the ten tracks I've listened to across both Taster posts in my favourite order (1 being best, 10 being worst), it'd go:

1. "Speed Of Light" - Iron Maiden
2. "High Country" - The Sword
3. "Cirice" - Ghost
4. "Coming For You" - The Offspring
5. "Arrow Of Time" - Queensryche
6. "The Vengeful One" - Disturbed
7. "Thunder & Lightning" - Motorhead
8. "Complexity" - Eagles Of Death Metal
9. "Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning" - Bon Jovi
10. "HardRockLover" - Prince

Do you agree? Let me know your order in the comments OR if there are any upcoming albums with great singles out at the moment, although I can't guarantee there'll be a Taster Session #3 written any time soon.

Shout Out: One More From The Road - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Time for another shout out post & this time, I'm going to talk about one of my all-time favourite albums. However, what makes this special is that it's also a live album. Usually, I stay away from live albums unless somebody recommends a song or two. However, after hearing some of the tracks, I decided to check the rest of the 2001 deluxe edition out & instantly fell in love.
Unlike previous shout outs where I'm reviewing several albums in one batch, One More From The Road is a two disc collection of 24 songs recorded during several performances at Atlanta's Fox Theatre in 1976. Since eight of those are alternate versions of tracks already on the album, I'll only be talking about the first 16 songs.

So why is this one of my favourite albums instead of the individual LPs the songs came from or a bog-standard compilation that contains most of these tracks anyway? Firstly, the obvious context. If memory serves correctly, I received this album on my 17th birthday & hadn't heard the original versions of over half the songs on it. I've listened to most of them now but I know there's a part of me that prefers the live versions just because it was my first experience with the music. Despite this, my love for the album isn't just blind nostalgia and when I say "obvious context", I'm not just referring to my discovery.
As I mentioned earlier, this was recorded in 1976, the year before the tragic plane crash that killed several crew/band members & ended what's now considered to be the classic Skynyrd era. This album captures the band in their prime and there isn't a single dull note in any of the songs. Ronnie Van Zant's vocals are pitch perfect from start to finish. Steve Gaines, Allen Collins & Gary Rossington are all on excellent form during their respective performances of main riffs and solos. Even Billy Powell's piano solo in "Call Me The Breeze" is fantastic, as are the efforts from the rest of the band.
I would assume one of the biggest differences in quality between the original live album and 2001 deluxe edition lies in the audio mix between the music and the audience. In the latter, you can hear the well deserved cheering and applause at the start of a track and right at the end. They've also slightly muted the crowd so that they don't distract you from the band, just as live albums should be arranged. You could listen to these songs halfway through & if you hadn't heard the tracks before, you could easily assume they were studio recordings.

As for the tracks chosen, all the hits are here as well as several songs you can't find on pre-Street Survivors albums. Whether you're a Skynyrd fan or not, there'll be something for any fan of classic Southern Rock on here but there's also something that puts it above the studio albums. Most Lynyrd Skynyrd tracks have the same irritating flaw; they fade out at the end, often during a guitar solo. Fortunately, it's a lot easier for a band to just end the song naturally rather than fade out during a live performance so all of the songs that fade out in studio recordings have proper endings.
The biggest downside to this is that it probably means you won't be able to listen to "Sweet Home Alabama" or "Free Bird" again without wishing they recorded a studio version of the ending solos. That really is the only downside, though. The song choices are great, the recording quality is fantastic, the band's performance is exceptional and it's CDs like this that stop me from completely writing off live albums. In other words, it's a 9/10 from me.

1. Workin' For MCA

2. I Ain't The One

3. Saturday Night Special

4. Searchin'

5. Travelin' Man

6. Simple Man

7. Whiskey Rock-A-Roller

8. The Needle & The Spoon

9. Gimme Back My Bullets

10. Tuesday's Gone

11. Gimme Three Steps

12. Call Me The Breeze

13. T For Texas (Blue Yodel #1)

14. Sweet Home Alabama

15. Crossroads

16. Free Bird

Unlike other bands who have the occasional great live track in a collection of crap ("Young Man Blues" - The Who springs to mind), this whole album flows so perfectly that it's definitely something you need to buy as a collection instead of a few random singles.

If you have any other live albums you recommend, list them in the comments. I doubt I'll ever enjoy a live album as much as I enjoyed One More From The Road but even if it was half as good as this album, it'll still be better than pretty much all the other live collections I've listened to.