Iron Maiden - The Book Of Souls

007 wrote:

Shadows Of The Valley's beginning reminds me of Wasted Years.

Said this to myself this morning, when listening to the whole album for a second time.

The limited edition book was waiting for me in the mailbox when I got back in the country Friday. I listened to the first 3 tracks about four or five times Saturday. Today I've played the next three tracks.

I still can't get into a deeper analysis, but I've got to say I love the sound and the overall feel. Very live and easy on the ear. Someone said something about the vinyl having more intense highs and lows, well I don't want that. Well, that's an exaggeration, since I did a little adjusting. I obviously have an equalizer on my stereo system, and I always like to play around with it a little. I like my albums a little flat so they can be adjusted. Because what works for headphones doesn't work for speakers. It's just the way it is.

Of the first disc so far I like the longer songs. Red & Black and the title track. But they are all excellent, and I just love playing them.

I don't know when I'll get to the rest of the album. Maybe I'll save it for Christmas. Or for 2016! I still didn't even listen to the Blind Guardian album in full. I still have a few tracks saved for later! With Iron Maiden especially you don't get new material very often and I don't feel like rushing in.

So the book with the deluxe edition is basically just the lyrics....found this video on youtube showing the book..

I was on the fence about the book so the store being sold out of it on Friday night made my decision for me.

Best Buy did process my order, it was just put in my junk folder. Hopefully goHastings will refund my order.

brokentulsa wrote:

So the book with the deluxe edition is basically just the lyrics....found this video on youtube showing the

I bought the iTunes version of the album and it came with a high res PDF of that basically.

This is a really good album. I'm thinking the vinyl is in my future. I find this cd to be very dense and after 2 cd's I'm on the verge of fatigue. I'm working so hard to distinguish the 3 guitars, bass, drums and keyboards. Headphones help out quite a bit. despite my gripe, I'm really enjoying this album. Song titles, lyrics and artwork remind me of Bruce's solo stuff (first impression).

I wish CDs had the same sound quality as vinyl records, because I like to listen to music in the car. Unfortunately, that is something you can't do with vinyl.

Took several listens through and I gotta say this album kicks ass. While it's not perfect, it could be my favorite post-reunion album. Every song is fairly remarkable, memorable, and on fire. For some reason I feel like I'm listening to Powerslave extras--can't really explain it. The title track, Tears of a Clown, and Empire are my three top tracks. I also love Red and the Black but wish they hadn't gone down that ugly and derivative i-VI-III-VII path again. Cut that out and the song is flawless.

Is it too long? For me, yeah, but that's just because I'm a short-album type of guy. Separating the shorter tunes from the older ones helped and didn't mar the sequencing. It's really not a big deal.

The production is ugly, however. I mean, the midrange is just overbearing and the guitars clash constantly. Way too muddy at higher levels. Bruce's voice gets buried in the mix. Any praise for the production of this album is just baffling to me. It doesn't even sound live. Worst of all, Steve's bass definition is nearly missing. I'm willing to admit that perhaps Spotify could be adding to this, but if the stream is at all similar to the CD, poo. Regardless, it's a fantastic album where the song quality isn't marred by the mix.

I was able to come across a vinyl rip that I'll be trying on for size later today.

I've never thought of the post-reunion Maiden as a prog band, but a metal band sticking to more ambitious arrangements. This whole album sounds like pure Maiden to me from start to finish. The writing here transcends and is far from mediocre or rushed. It actually sounds and feels INSPIRED. There's a word I don't use much when describing today's music, especially with veteran metal artists.

Confirmed: the vinyl mix is far superior in every way. I've got it cranked on the headphones right now and the result is much cleaner and stronger than the original. This is the ideal source, folks.

really like disc 1 but disc 2 may have to grow on me ....

Just listened to Disc 1 again and "Up the Irons!"

What does everyone think of the song, Empire of the Clouds? I like it but man, it's long.

I like Empire Of The Clouds. I also don't have attention span issues.

I like Empire Of The Clouds. Most times, extremely long songs tend to bore me. This is one of the exceptions.

OK, so the album is slowly starting to "gel" with me after a couple of passes... I really like "Speed of Light," "The Red and the Black" and "Tears of a Clown" thus far.

I have yet to make it thru "Empire of the Clouds" in one sitting. I've been listening to the album in my truck and I haven't had to run any errands that were long enough for me to hear the whole song in one go, it's been a little bit of it here, then another bit of it a few hours later, etc., etc.

Overall I wouldn't call it a mind-blowing album but it's a pleasant enough listen...though I have a feeling that when the newness wears off it'll go up on the shelf and it will only get pulled out every once in a while... like the other post-Brave New World albums.

The funny thing with me is I tend to listen to the post-reunion albums much more frequently than the 80s stuff these days. Probably cause that stuff still feels somewhat "new" to me and hasn't been played 5 million times like the earlier albums.

S.D. wrote:

The funny thing with me is I tend to listen to the post-reunion albums much more frequently than the 80s stuff these days.  Probably cause that stuff still feels somewhat "new" to me and hasn't been played 5 million times like the earlier albums.  

My "go-to" Maiden album has been Powerslave for the past 30 years.

Empire of the clouds is one of my favorite songs on the album... The whole album is great imo, the ony thing i don`t like is the production.

I'm liking the 3-LP configuration. The switching sides, switching discs puts some nice little intermissions in there and allows me a second or two to absorb what I just heard before moving onto the next.

After living with the album over the weekend I have no problem saying it's my favorite of the reunion albums. Even the couple songs that I initially didn't care for I've warmed up to. With BNW, Dance of Death and The Final Frontier I always end up skipping certain tracks that I just don't like.

Sure, I could nitpick things (the mix, some of the "deja vu" riffs here and there, some of the stock Maiden-isms, etc) but overall I think the pros outweigh the cons and I'm really enjoying the album.

I think it's the most "fun" Maiden album for quite awhile...

I'm loving the new album! Certainly the best post-reunion album since Brave New Word (with time maybe will ever surpass it). Definitely better than The Final Frontier. That wasn't a bad album, but I got bored with it. None of the songs really held my attention. With this one I found myself singing along with it on the first spin which hasn't happened with a Maiden album since Dance Of Death.

You audiophiles had me worried with all the talk about the production. However, apart from not quite being able to distinguish the bass and the drums in parts, I had no problem with the mix on the CD.

Empire of Clouds was fine by me. I actually think If Eternity Should Fail is my favorite tune.

I am listening to this for the first time at this very moment and I must say that I am loving this new Maiden offering. They have really outdone themselves and I find that so far I am getting a strong eighties vibe from this with the added flourishes and progressiveness of their later work. The best album since BNW IMHO.
Metal feels exciting and powerful again and this new Iron Maiden album is definitely stocking the fires of the genre. UP THE IRONS

Just about done spinning disc 2 tonight and I have come to the conclusion I like this album(s) much more than Final Frontier. It was a good album, but I tired of it pretty quick. With BofS, I am actually excited to play it each night after a long day of work.

I really like about half of The Final Frontier (El Dorado, Mother of Mercy, Isle Of Avalon, Starblind and When The Wild Wind Blows), the rest of it is okay but those are the tracks I usually listen to. Those 5 tracks add up to about 41 minutes so it's a solid 1980s length album.

I liked final frontier, but I think book of souls is a better album, over all.