The Official IRON MAIDEN thread!!!!!!!

SpectreFate wrote:

Quote :

Stupid "life" and "work" got in the way last week

I still managed to fill my quota of new music with on-line purchases. But I'm still old-fashioned and like to browse the old brick & motar stores ever now & then for new releases. Those times are few & far between anymore.

Each listen is better then the last, still. The sign of an album that lasts with me.

Upon my second spin I'm not sure I like it as much as I did the first time. Coming Home is still the song I like the most but I just don't get the same feel I did from the first spin. Maybe it was the noise in the shop which was greatly reduced today or the initial excitement of a new Maiden album. Either way I will have to give it some more time. Another factor maybe the great melodic hard rock albums I recently got. Maybe all that melody makes it harder to appreciate a more progressive album.

Interesting little interview with former Maiden artist Derek Riggs:


Longtime Iron Maiden album cover artist Derek Riggs recently spoke with MetalSucks correspondent Justin Foley about the work that did for the legendary band. Riggs spoke about the inspiration behind his art, its evolution over time, and the tenuous relationship he had with the band's management that eventually resulted in his walking away. A portion from the interview is posted below.


MetalSucks: What I've read says that you ended things with Iron Maiden and walked away. This has included giving them Eddie without further claims on it. How do you look on that decision?


Riggs: Well, it probably wasn't the smartest business decision, but I didn't really care. I couldn't work with their management, and I still can't really. At that point, it just became too painful to keep doing it. I'd had enough. There was so much ox manur around "Fear Of The Dark." I just said, "Forget it, I've had enough." I mean, they gave me some money. But the rights to the character haven't been bought or sold — so that's still all floating out there. But the bottom line was that I'd had enough of doing it. Smurf it. And I wasn't going to be doing anything else with Eddie, so why not let them have it?


MetalSucks: You could have held it hostage, right? Weren't you leaving money on the table by not being an sfincter?


Riggs: Well, I've done a few paintings for them since then. But they asked me to sign another contract with them. Initially it looked all right, but then I thought the better of it. Look, you can have an art director who wants to see six different versions of something because he's ten years old. But I can already tell you — "That's not going to work." smurfing around with different options… when I tell you it won't work, it won't work. And I got into artwork to do good artwork, not to satisfy an art director by making boring crap. Really, I've done zombies. At this point, it's like, "How do you want your zombie? Would you like him with a burning city behind him or with lightning? Do you want him boiled or fried?" [laughs]

I'm digging it more now than before. A couple of songs still don't really work for me, but I'm loving the epics.

Okay, now it's official, I like The Final Frontier. Still, I could've done without El Dorado and parts of Coming Home and Mother of Mercy.

So, I guess I'm in the same boat as some of you. I'm loving this album, but I have a hard time listening to it in one sitting. It's just too long for me.

I usually listen to it up to Starblind and then listen to the last three tracks at another time. Seems to work for me.

Listened to it once at work today. First impression is that it isn't working for me. But the good news is that is what I thought of "DANCE OF DEATH" and now years later it's a top 5 Maiden album for me. I simply have to spend some time with the new one.

Joe wrote:

So, I guess I'm in the same boat as some of you. I'm loving this album, but I have a hard time listening to it in one sitting. It's just too long for me.

I usually listen to it up to Starblind and then listen to the last three tracks at another time. Seems to work for me.

I like it a lot. I have spun it a lot and it seems to have real staying power.

It is a good album

I'm at my fourth spin. So far, nothing really interesting IMO.

I guess i'm just trying to convince myself to like this album.

Maybe i should go back to Powerslave.

SpectreFate wrote:

Listened to it once at work today. First impression is that it isn't working for me. But the good news is that is what I thought of "DANCE OF DEATH" and now years later it's a top 5 Maiden album for me. I simply have to spend some time with the new one.

My friend doesn't like Dance of Death and I keep telling him to just go back and listen to it again because I thought it was a great record. I don't know why so many people didn't like that one.

The new album is pretty good. I keep listening to it every couple of days. I basically know the music by heart. The lyrics aren't catching on with me as fast as the others did but they will eventually.

Gilbert wrote:

I'm at my fourth spin. So far, nothing really interesting IMO.

I guess i'm just trying to convince myself to like this album.

Maybe i should go back to Powerslave.

Apparently THE FINAL FRONTIER has topped the album charts in the U.K.

No word yet on where it'll place on the U.S. Billboard album charts... I guess that info will come later this week.

I read an article where they believe TFF will debut at #4 on the US charts.

Number 1 in the UK, not that it actually counts for anything. Rather suprised considering the crap that usually tops the charts. On the other hand, Scorpions got to no. 96

The last MAIDEN album i really enjoyed was Brave New World.

None of the ones that followed interested me.

I love it ..I have spun it a fair bit. But then again it is MAIDEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm pretty sure i'll eventually get it... What are the stand out tracks?

Troublezone wrote:

I'm pretty sure i'll eventually get it... What are the stand out tracks?

Nothing stands OUT that is the problem, even for an album like Virtual IX, we had a Futureal. As for topping the charts, the album surely had a hype before it was released, now we have to wait and see how long it stays on the charts.

Troublezone wrote:

I'm pretty sure i'll eventually get it... What are the stand out tracks?

My two favourite tracks are 'Isle of Avalon' and 'When the Wild Wind Blows'.

MoonChild wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

I'm pretty sure i'll eventually get it... What are the stand out tracks?

Nothing stands OUT that is the problem, even for an album like Virtual IX, we had a Futureal. As for topping the charts, the album surely had a hype before it was released, now we have to wait and see how long it stays on the charts.

So it's competent but not great?

It all depends on what your tastes are. It's a lot different than anything they have done in the past. I think (excluding the first 2 tracks) the album is MUCH better than their last 3 studio albums and about as good as 'Powerslave' and 'Seventh Son'.

It depends on who you ask. Some people obviously don't like it and that's understandable.

MEGATRON wrote:

It all depends on what your tastes are. It's a lot different than anything they have done in the past. I think (excluding the first 2 tracks) the album is MUCH better than their last 3 studio albums and about as good as, 'Powerslave' and 'Seventh Son'.

It depends on who you ask. Some people obviously don't like it and that's understandable.

The last album that i enjoyed from them is Brave New World.

I like the first half of the album, it's great. As for the latter half, I hope it grows on me.