Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier

Listened to Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier all the way through last night while doing some painting in my house. I still think it's a mundane album and doesn't live up to Maiden standards. It doesn't suck, but it just doesn't scream "play me again!" like their classic catalog. Any thoughts?

Quote :

It doesn't suck, but it just doesn't scream "play me again!" like their classic catalog

I'd say that sums up my feelings pretty well. It comes off like a chore to sit through the whole album in one sitting. S.D. suggesting starting it somewheres in the middle and letting it play through. That made it slightly more palatable for me.

I still give it a spin occasionally. I preferred A MATTER OF LIFE & DEATH overall but there's some good stuff on FINAL FRONTIER.

More growling is needed.

I like it but I think they need to shorten up some of the songs although my favorite song on it, Isle of Avalon, clocks in at over 9 minutes.

I like this one a lot. I think it's their best since they came Bruce and Adrian came back to the band.

I say Final Frontier>A Matter of Life and Death>Brave New World>Dance of Death.

ultmetal wrote:

Listened to Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier all the way through last night while doing some painting in my house. I still think it's a mundane album and doesn't live up to Maiden standards. It doesn't suck, but it just doesn't scream "play me again!" like their classic catalog. Any thoughts?

This is how I feel too. I expect so much better from them.
Still, it could be alot worse.

Love it!!!! I do think AMOLAD is a better album, but TFF is awesome. It takes a few listens to really "get" the whole album. I especially love the proggy 2nd half of the album. The weakest tracks are probably Mother Of Mercy and The Alchemist (I do like them, but they just aren't as good as the rest of the tracks). The rest of the tracks are awesome and the tracks they played live sound even better in the live setting.

thejokeriv wrote:

Love it!!!! I do think AMOLAD is a better album, but TFF is awesome. It takes a few listens to really "get" the whole album. I especially love the proggy 2nd half of the album. The weakest tracks are probably Mother Of Mercy and The Alchemist (I do like them, but they just aren't as good as the rest of the tracks). The rest of the tracks are awesome and the tracks they played live sound even better in the live setting.

It took over an hour and 6 responses for the HoM's Number 1 Maiden Fan to step in and defend his beloved. You're slipping, dude.

It's a very good album.

Judging from what I've read online, I think some people just have trouble with long albums. I like them. There's enough material here for a great 10/10 LP-length disc. The rest is just gravy.

I love the last four tracks on the album. I think it's the best four song sequence in any Maiden album ever. There's a couple of tracks that are just so-and-so, but that's why you have the skip button if you can't bear it through all at once.

It's still nice to have all the tracks on the album instead of having to look for special editions for bonus tracks, downloadable content, single b-sides etc.

I think it's a very good record. Now I feel like listening to Starblind, Talisman, Man Who Would Be King and Wild Wind again.

The intro is way too long.... It's ok but not their best...

While it's certainly not Maiden's best, I think it's an overall improvement over "A Matter Of Life And Death" which I found to be a letdown for the most part.

It's an overlong borefest. You know, the same kind of thing that Maiden has been doing for almost a decade.

Witchfinder wrote:

It's an overlong borefest. You know, the same kind of thing that Maiden has been doing for almost a decade.

I don't think I'd go that far, but they could certainly use some shorter, punchier songs. They're getting a little too far up their own arses lately. It's a fine line between epic songs and overblown wankery.

I really like it. Best album they've done since Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, IMO.

I think it's a fine album, I don't find it to be boring or "wankery". It sounds like a mature Iron Maiden playing exactly the type of music they want to play...and I would much rather a band be themselves and continue to evolve their sound than try to do something "old school" out of the blue just to please older fans who think the 80s never ended.

I've enjoyed all the albums Maiden has done since Bruce came back, Final Frontier being one of the best.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

thejokeriv wrote:

Love it!!!! I do think AMOLAD is a better album, but TFF is awesome. It takes a few listens to really "get" the whole album. I especially love the proggy 2nd half of the album. The weakest tracks are probably Mother Of Mercy and The Alchemist (I do like them, but they just aren't as good as the rest of the tracks). The rest of the tracks are awesome and the tracks they played live sound even better in the live setting.

It took over an hour and 6 responses for the HoM's Number 1 Maiden Fan to step in and defend his beloved. You're slipping, dude.

LOL!!!! Well, I do actually have to work during the and cant post every second of the day!!! LOL!!!

S.D. wrote:

I think it's a fine album, I don't find it to be boring or "wankery". It sounds like a mature Iron Maiden playing exactly the type of music they want to play...and I would much rather a band be themselves and continue to evolve their sound than try to do something "old school" out of the blue just to please older fans who think the 80s never ended.

I've enjoyed all the albums Maiden has done since Bruce came back, Final Frontier being one of the best.

Agree - I feel the past four albums are all new classics! Isle of Avalon is the song that the vast majority of the hard core fans really wanted to hear live and I wish they would have played it.

ultmetal wrote:

but it just doesn't scream "play me again!" like their classic catalog. Any thoughts?

Going though my iTunes stats I've listened to The Final Frontier and the other post-Bruce reunion albums more in the past few years than any of their older albums.

thejokeriv wrote:

S.D. wrote:

I think it's a fine album, I don't find it to be boring or "wankery". It sounds like a mature Iron Maiden playing exactly the type of music they want to play...and I would much rather a band be themselves and continue to evolve their sound than try to do something "old school" out of the blue just to please older fans who think the 80s never ended.

I've enjoyed all the albums Maiden has done since Bruce came back, Final Frontier being one of the best.

Agree - I feel the past four albums are all new classics! Isle of Avalon is the song that the vast majority of the hard core fans really wanted to hear live and I wish they would have played it.

I really like the Final Frontier a lot. I think it is my favorite Bruce II album with Dance of Death and BNW not too far behind.

I really enjoy every post-reunion Maiden album, with Dance of Death being my favorite and The Final Frontier being in a close second.

I too think it's quite a boring album - some songs are decent, but overall quite a "meh" album for me - The intro to the title track is probably one of the worst intros I've ever heard in my life.

It's my 6th favourite Maiden album, but I always skip the first two songs.

It's not the greatest thing Iron Maiden have ever done, but it's a good album. Like Dance of Death and A Matter of Life and Death it took a couple of listens to sink in and click with me. I do think it takes a while to get into gear, but once you get to "The Alchemist" it's pretty solid. I think the second half is the best: "Isle of Avalon," "Starblind" and "The Talisman" are a great trilogy of songs, and the last two are very good as well. All in all a good album. I've never had a problem with the longer songs or found them boring or wanky, although this is an album I'm more inclined to listen to late at night while reading than when I want something hard hitting and rocking (for that I'll just throw on Powerslave or The Number of the Beast).

When The Final Frontier came out I was going through a kind of rough spot in my life. Several family crises, a very difficult move, a rough breakup and a bunch of other crap that left my nerves shot. The new Maiden album gave me something to take my mind off of all that and helped keep some of my sanity intact. So listening to it now a couple years later it does have a certain resonance with me. It's kind of funny but I can always remember where I was or what was going on when I first heard any given Maiden album.

The only thing I had a problem with was the intro. The rest of the album rocks for me. With the current lineup I'm rating the abums this way.....

A Matter of Life and Death
Brave New World
The Final Frontier
Dance of Death