Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time (Overrated?)

I posted this elsewhere...but thought I'd drum up some chat.

Somewhere In Time - overrated?

The songs are well written and catchy.
The fellas are on-point with their skill sets.

But...there's always been something nagging me these decades. The sound...You know how you instantly know a soap opera is on the TV by the sound? Or pre-2000s if you stumbled on the CCM channel?

That's what I get with Somewhere In Time: I think it's the #*! synths. They were chasing a trend and not only did they saturate the music with synths, the production just makes it all sound so antiseptic.
It's a well done album...too well done.

I played it to death when it was current (if memory serves it was the first Maiden album I bought as a new release), but I couldn't tell you the last time I listened to it.

"Wasted Years" and "Stranger in a Strange Land" are still strong tracks.

Love Somewhere In Time and still listen to it frequently. All the songs are really great with Wasted Years and Heaven Can Wait being my favorites, plus I caught them on tour for this album with Yngwie Malmsteen opening. Great show!

I love Somewhere in Time! The synths don’t bother me at all… because they are used as background sound and atmospheric textures. Not as a lead instrument like Dream Theater. I can’t stand lead keyboards (except for Ray Manzarek and The Doors) and Josh Silver of Type O Negative.

Fat Freddy wrote:

I played it to death when it was current (if memory serves it was the first Maiden album I bought as a new release), but I couldn't tell you the last time I listened to it.

"Wasted Years" and "Stranger in a Strange Land" are still strong tracks.

Those are the best songs! Adrian Smith wrote them.

I don't think it's overrated at all. There's some great Maiden tracks on there. I think most people dislike it because of the synths that was used. Despite that it still sounded like Maiden and not the commercial departure like Priest did with Turbo.

Gave it a listen this afternoon ... still holds up pretty well, except for "Alexander the Great" and "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner," though honestly I was never crazy about either of those songs anyway, even when it was new.

(IMHDO) It is just a departure. The snyth use wasn't wonky and for what it's worth, fit the album title and the artwork. Then they stepped away from it.