Metal Music Only

Νέα για το cd των Maiden.Preview από το Kerrang

IRON MAIDEN have exclusively revealed to Kerrang! that fans should prepare themselves for the bandʼs strongest album in years with their forthcoming 14th studio offering.
The album titled ʽA Matter Of Life And Deathʼ, which is due for release in September was recorded at Sarm West Studios in London with producer Kevin Shirley, who also worked on the last two Maiden albums, 2000ʼs ʽBrave New Worldʼ and 2003ʼs ʽDance Of Deathʼ. Checking in at a colossal 72 minutes, the album boasts 10 tracks, all but three of which are over six minutes in length. Full of experimentation and unexpected detours into intense and atmospheric territory, itʼs a complex and powerful set of songs that touch upon some dark subjects, most notably the horrors of war, the impact of religious fundamentalism and the threat of nuclear destruction.
The full track listing for ʽA Matter Of Life And Deathʼ is as follows: ʽDifferent Worldsʼ, ʽThese Colours Donʼt Runʼ, ʽBrighter Than A Thousand Sunsʼ, ʽThe Pilgrimʼ, ʽThe Longest Dayʼ, ʽOut Of The Shadowsʼ, ʽThe Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breegʼ, For The Greater Good Of Godʼ, ʽLord Of Lightʼ, and ʽThe Legacyʼ.
“ʼBrave New Worldʼ and ʽDance Of Deathʼ were both good records.” frontmann Bruce Dickinson tells Kerrang!. “But they werenʼt anywhere near as good as this one! This one is ʽDance Of Deathʼ without the effort. This whole album feels effortless. Itʼs like driving a big, gas-guzzling motor car. You just put your foot down and thereʼs limitless power under the bonnet.”
“Itʼs been unbelievable.” says bassist/founder member Steve Harris. “We booked the studio for three months and we finished the whole thing in two. I think the preparation was good. We didnʼt have the rows we usually have! We really focused on each song and it was a very positive experience.”
Among the highlights of the new album is the opening track ʽDifferent Worldsʼ, the shortest song on the album at a mere four minutes. Itʼs a classic, storming Maiden opener with an instantly memorable chorus and soaring guitar harmonies.
“It wasnʼt intentional when we sat down and wrote it, but as soon as it was finished we thought: “Thin Lizzy!” laughs Harris. “Itʼs a tribute to them, in a way. Obviously it sounds like Maiden, but it just conjured up that Thin Lizzy vibe.”
The second track on the album, ʽThese Colours Donʼt Runʼ, is a brooding, dramatic rumination on the plight of being a soldier in a war zone and sets the tone for the dark epics that follow it.
“That song was an effort to put a human face on people who go out and fight wars.” says Dickinson. “They call it ʽpeacekeepingʼ, but these people put themselves in harmʼs way, and whether or not you agree with the reasons why theyʼre doing it, theyʼre just doing their job.
“Some of the new songs are quite angry.” he adds. “Itʼs just the times weʼre living in. Weʼve got global fundamentalism, state-sponsored terrorism, dirty bombs, global warming and everything else. I think this is our response to all that.”
ʽBrighter Than A Thousand Sunsʼ is arguably the heaviest track on the new album, and one with heavy subject matter to match.
“Itʼs about the atomic bomb.” says Dickinson. “The scientist that saw the first bomb go off said it was brighter than a thousand suns. The idea that human beings could bring about their own total destruction totally changed the way people thought.”
ʽThe Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breegʼ, which will be the first single to be taken from the record, is an intricate seven-minute epic that starts with a creepy, ominous intro before erupting into a crushing, almost Led Zeppelin-esque riff and a powerful, emotive chorus. More obvious lyrically than most of the album, itʼs a curious, chattering choice for a single.
“Itʼs very different for us.” admits Harris. “Itʼs very riffy. The intro has an almost nursery rhyme eeriness. Sometimes you try to create a mood and sometimes itʼs just there. Everyoneʼs going to ask who Benjamin Breeg is, but youʼll just have to find out for yourself!”
Have you got any special plans for your European tour that hits the UK in December?
“At the moment weʼre thinking about playing the whole album live, back-to-back.” Dickinson reveals. “When youʼve got an album this good, itʼs really important that you do something bold. If we can go out and do a whole album of brand new material, I think that we can give ourselves a pat on the back. Everyone will have heard the album upfront, and the songs will really come to life. I think it could be extraordinary.”
So does ʽA Matter Of Life And Deathʼ mark a fresh lease of life for Maiden?
“Five years ago we were thinking about possibly retiring at this point, but now weʼre at this stage thereʼs no way! Why should we?” Harris grins. “I donʼt know why, but I always had it in my head that weʼd do fifteen studio albums, so weʼve got at least one more to go!”
Iron Maidenʼs single ʽThe Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breegʼ will be released in mid-August via EMI. The album ʽA Matter Of Life And Deathʼ follows in September.


Rafabasa preview

The album can be catagorized in many ways, but if any adjective describes it well that would be "risky". "A Matter Of Life And Death" is generally complex, slow as well as epic, with very long songs and a lot of instrumentals, generally of a progressive vein, that will be very intriging to musicphiles, but that can be rather exessive even boring to those looking for a good riff and raw power. Maiden's new release is a continuity as far as "Dance of Death" is concerned (even though it takes the new sound to a new level) with production similar to "Brave New World's", very kevinshirlyish, and with little, if any, remnants of production a la Martin Birch. In other words the catchier and faster parts of the album have an air of "Brave New World", though its instrumental and ambient section follow in the steps of (and take it even further) "Dance of Death", specially in its more theater-epic-experimental cuts like "Paschendale", principal refrence and closer to the new "A Matter of Life and Death.

To put it in perspective, it is not an album that will satisfy those that call for a return to the bands classic sound, a ["glance"?] to short and direct compositions. The only example of an easy-listening hit is "Different Worlds" (and maybe "The Pilgrim), which was slated to be the first single though finally "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" seems to be the chosen track (awaiting confirmation from EMI). As soon as we recieve concrete information from the label pertaining to the chosen single we will let you know.

"A Matter of Life and Death" will convince few people at a first listen, it could even be considered boring, but it has very good songs that allowing them to grow on you will end up pleasing old and new fans alike. It frequently uses the formula intro-passage, slow-verse, mid tempo-chorus, fast-passage, long instrumental y slow-chorus, fast-passage, slow-outro, but if listened to carefully it has many hidden treasures. In fact, putting aside the fact that I'm a die hard Maiden fan for a second, I'll venture to say that it is possible many will lose their patience before the last song.

IRON MAIDEN have been able to surprise me in a way I never thought they were capable of doing with the 72 minutes of "A Matter of Life and Death", not only because of their compositions (we even find a ballad with acustic guitars in the vein of "Journeyman", that is reminecent of the music of trobadors),but also for Bruce's voice, experimenting with his voice, surprising for its smooth and delicate tones. It is precisely in the songs where he contributed to the writing is where he plays with his vocal chords the most and where his musical details or noticed more than ever. Bruce's shadow is extended, and its prescence is very palpable in "A Matter of Life and Death".

Another detail is the great prescence of keyboards, used in the most atmospheric moments as well as acompanying certain choruses. It is also curious (and a shame in my opinion) to see that Dave Murry only participated in the writing of one of the best songs on the album, if not the best, "the Reincrnation of Benjamin Breeg". It is also interesting to note that the only song he wrote is susceptable to being chosen as the single, in my opinion, there should be more Murray in future releases (which surely there will be). If the band led by Steve Harris entered progressive waters with "Dance of Death", en "A Matter of Life and Death" they have charged head on into that territory. Without a doubt this album is as risky as its title anounces, a matter of life and death. It will be loved or hated, a see little room for middle ground or indifference, a must have for die-hard fans of the band , that have followed its evolution since the beginning and don't complain about "Dance of Death (or in general of their post-Birch sound). I already side with the "Love it" camp which I'll join once I'm amazed on future listens.

As far as the songs go, we can't coment on more than four in detail (that is why I've practically refrained from citing song titles in this pre-chronicle of the album). Here go the chosen few:
"Different Worlds": It really is a different world from the rest of the album, it is the key to the entrance to an album which it hardly represents. The motive for it being selected as album openner (and not one of the ones nominated to be singles) is clear, for it is the shortest track on "A Matter of Life and Death", just a little over four minutes, and it is the track that opens the album in fresher and more accessible way to the listener whether old or new. it is also simply the best choice for radio. Quick hit, of powerfull riffs and characteristic double guitars, "Different Worlds" has a sound and style that can be found in the catchier songs of "Brave New World". In fact, both structure and chorus are very reminecent of the song "Brave New World". It oddly presents a rather "happy" chorus, not common for Maiden, that contrasts with the more sober and greater portion of the album. Attention to Bruce Dickinson's voice, huge.
"The Longest Day": Epic, like most of th album, describes the landing at Normandy. It starts with the usual sound of galloping guitars,that along with a repetitive bass shrouded in an atmospheric air remembers the moments of tension prior to the attack. The landing seems succesful in a catchy chorus, which will surely be sung a lot live, where Bruce Dickinson is once more unsurpassable. Like in the rest of the album, the song makes room for a long intrumental section, with progressive touches and a melodic cut. A mid-tempo song and majestic.
"Out of the Shadows": Without a doubt Iron Maiden's song where Bruce Dickinson's influence is more notisable. He is the main writer on this track. It is decieving at firstk for it promises to be very heavy with clean riffs, but it ends up detouring into a balad, where we again discover a Dickinson of unedited registers, as a minimum in an album of the Beast. Bruce must feel very happy and proud that he was able to sneak in a track more in the vein of his solo work than what one would normally find on a Maiden album. Similar, very similar to "Tears of the Dragon". His experimental character is also noticeable, demonstrating great originality and again surprising in guitar play in which we have never heard the current trio (nor the duos before that), impressive as background on the final chorus of the song.
"the Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg": Chosen (almost certainly, awaiting official confirmation from EMI) as the first single of the album, which, like I've said before, is the only song in which Dave Murray has taken part in the writing. With one of the most atmospheric and slow beginnings in the history of the band, "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" is a counterpoint of the darkest, decadent even, of the band with the most impressive riffs of the album. It is this contrast that gives magic to a song of perfect choruses, sensitive and that gives goosebumps. A song that stands out for achieved ambience, an exceptional musical journey, captained by the pilot Bruce Dickinson and his vocal experimentations. Imagen a rollercoaster of incredible ups and downs, that in its mid sections passes through a dark tunnel slowing down almost to a halt only to speed up from 0 to 100 as soon as it reaches the light again. That would be the perfect metaphor to describe "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg". In its more than 7 minutes thre is also room for mid tempos, galloping riffs and for the tradmark dual guitars in the instrumental interludes. In a later interview I'll complete the rest of the songs. Even though the album deserves more than one listen to take it all in, my first impression is very positive, cheerful and I'm still surprised at the risk the band decided to take. Keep in mind that I'm the registered fan #14829 of Iron Maiden's Fan Club. After listening to the album the band made its way to the press room very calmly. The groups for the interviews were, since they couldn't be any other way, Bruce Dickinson by himself, Steve Harris by himself, Dave Murray and Adrian Smith together and to finsih up Janick Gers and Nicko McBrain. I had the privilege and pleasure to interview Steve, Dave and Adrian one on one. the content of said interviews will be published August 1st. Till then, Up The Irons!
Hector Prat

Και preview από το metal hammer gr

Different Worlds
The Smith/Harris song that opens the record, and according to the latest maiden tradition, is the first single as well. It is a fairly fast, typical opening track for Maiden, of the kind that creates the impression that Maiden can compose in a few hours but anybody else needs a lifetime to compose the intro alone. The sound is heavier and rougher in comparison to DOD, the refrain with the backing vocals sounds easy to remember but not extravagant, while Bruce sings in quite a high register, reminding us of his self of many years ago. Good start…

Brighter Than A Thousan Suns
It starts with bass followed by a very theatrical Bruce. The main riff sounds very monolythic while soon it is clear why they use three guitars. Very good orchestration (I think they reffer to the guitars and not any orchastral parts). The speed builds up while the guitars draw pictures (Greek matter of saying). After a labyrinth of music parts there is a sing along part (oh,oh,oh get my point) and endless solos. The song gets back to the basic riff.Very good. Maiden seem to embrase the Brit prog rock without being too epic and exotic about it. The track really stood out.

Out Of The Shadows
Dickinson and Harris have penned the sixth song of the album, a ballady composition of 5:35 minutes, with a steady rythm and without infinite time changes, wwhich certainly represents one of the album's most accesible / direct moments. Bruce's performance overshadows everything while the solos are moderate [my comment: meaning in length, not in quality]. It may be the 2nd single, although it's quite mellow and simple for Maiden's standards. If they perform it live on the next tour, it will surely be one of the highlights - sore throats are forecasted...

For The Greater Good Of God
Starting with an acoustic intro with some beautiful leads, the song progresses into an epic monster with dozens of time and speed changes, while Bruce seems to enjoy every word he sings.The bridges are very good-with great emotion,while the numerous solos sound fantastic... as if each of the guitarists seem to pay tribute to his guitar idols. The song is really majestic and seems to materalise the image that Steve has for maiden nowadays. As maiden as it gets.

General Description of the album:

Most of the other songs are based on the usual known to all motive of lenghty compositions, acoustic intros and intricate evolutions of the songs. That which stands out with the first listen is the unprecidented work from the 3 guitarists as well as Bruce's performances to the limit. In general, the album sounds a click heavier and dryer than the last one, with the songs having a more progressive approach, without lacking some direct moments, while the moments when the songs evolve to elevating epics are not few. Something else that needs to be pointed out are the lyrics, which often reffer to war and God.

Interview

On the album there are some direct songs but the biggest part of it seemed especially intricate and demanding. I am under the impression that you are trying to rediscover British prog rock from one album to the other…

[Dave : ] The truth is that there is a lot of stuff on the new album, many notes and many intricate passages. You know, itʼs natural for us. Maiden are one of the few bands that have the luxury to do exactly what they want to. In our last 2 albums we came very close to progressive and that came out naturally, we didnʼt intend it to be so. The same thing happened with this album. The majority of the songs came out long and intricate and naturally we kept them because they represent Maiden. Steve always was a big prog fan and if you look at every album, especially from NOB and onwards, song like that are there. I think some of our fans are going to be surprised when they listen to the new album, they will find new elements, but they will also find stuff that will sound like Maiden from the first note.

Once more you worked with Kevin Shirley, a fact that tightens your relationship even more. Would you say that Kevin is evolving into a new Martin Birch for you?

[Adrian : ] Yes, I would say so. With Martin we used to work great on every level, not just the technical one. He could conceive what Maiden is and he could get the best from each one of us to surface. Yes, I could say that the situation is comparable.

[Dave : ] I would agree, the spirit during the recordings was quite similar to that which was there when we were recording with Martin. The most important thing is that the music goes down unforced. Martin has retired many years ago, so we couldnʼt work with him again. Kevin is the best choice we could have made.

In Kevin Shirleyʼs diaries, he wrote that when he played you the final mixes even Adrian was happy. May I presume that youʼre the most “difficult” of the band members, Adrian?

[Adrian : ] (laughs) People say that Iʼm a perfectionist, that I want everything to be perfect. Sometimes I am very adamant on a passage and I want to work it out again and again until it sounds perfect to my ears – and sometimes that fixation ends up being silly. The last two albums were recorded quite fast and in some occasions I believed that some things were not perfect. You know, lengthy songs, 3 guitars, many solos, I was always under the impression that something slipped by me. So, when we finished working on the new album, I had a feeling that some things could have been done in a better way. Luckily, though, that changed when I heard the record, which I found flawless.

In the album thereʼs a song titled “The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg. Dave, youʼve cowritten this song with Steve. So who is this guy?

[Dave : ] Good question but I am afraid that I cannot give you an answer. Steve wrote the lyrics for this one and from what he told me, Benjamin is a person of his imagination, he is the mystery-man… We could run an internet contest to see who this guy could hypothetically be…

Did you use all the material that you compose for this album or were some of the songs rejected, which could be used in singles etc?

[Dave : ] Everything we wrote went on the record. We are not one of those bands which record 20-30 songs and then decide which will make it and which not. We work very hard on every song and we want everything to be perfect. For the new album we composed 72 minutes of music and nothing was left out…

[Adrian : ] …Except, of course, from the 4 covers we did which will end up in singles.

Well, which covers are these? You havenʼt done something like that in a long time, even though in the old days you frequently covered songs from other bands.

[Adrian : ] Yes, what you are saying is true, but donʼt ask me why, as I frankly donʼt know. The songs we covered are “Tush” by ZZ Top, “Space Truckinʼ” by Deep Purple, “Angel Of Death” by Thin Lizzy and “Hocus Pocus” by Focus.

Iʼm am very curious as to Bruceʼs performance on the last one…

[Dave : ] (laughs) This cover has no vocals, or better put, it doesnʼt have the vocals one would expect to hear. Nicko handles some, but certainly not as you would expect to hear. You must hear it to understand. In general, we really like playing covers. We have our heroes and we want to honor them. When the recordings are over we jam on our favorite songs to relax, and if they end up sounding good, then we keep them…

This album, like all of your albums, is full of solos. Since youʼre here, would you mind telling me how you decide who handles a solo and when?

[Adrian : ] It is not as difficult as it sounds. We all bring our suggestions, our solos and we try them all out. In the end we keep the best. There isnʼt any kind of competition between us, for godʼs sake… Solos are there to make the song sound more beautiful and we always have ideas as to how that will happen.

Steve Harris said that Maiden would cease to exist after they have released their 15th album. AMOLAD is their 14th; have you begun thinking about life after Maiden?

[Dave : ] Maidenʼs break up is a reality that we will all have to face one day. We cannot close our eyes on this. In the old days, Maiden took up 100% of our time and for years on end we were in a cycle of “album-tour-album-tour”. In recent years this has changed. We have time for other activities as well and Maiden is only a part of our lives. Of course, I give us at least five years to come and donʼt forget that there are the goodbye tours. The first, the second, the third and so on…

Και το album cover

Ακυρώθηκε η συναυλία των Manowar
Η δικαιολογία πάντως είναι απίστευτη. Μόνο αυτοί μπορούσαν να φτοιάξουν μια τέτοια.
Περιληπτικά λέει ότι επειδή ετοιμάζουν ένα δίσκο, χρειάζονται χρόνο στο στούντιο για να γίνει η διασκάρα επικών διαστάσεων επικης μέταλ, σε σημείο που μόνο οι οπάδοι Manowarάδες μπορούν να εκτιμήσουν. Για το καλό μας το κάναν.

Εμένα πάντως μάρεσε και το Ashes Against The Grain από τους Agalloch.
Μου θυμίζει λίγο in the woods αλλά δεν μπορώ να τα ακούσω με τίποτα στο αμάξι.

Πάντως και εμένα δεν με χάλασε. Στο ύφος των Manowar δεν μου έκανε καμιά εντύπωση. Τα παιδιά είναι από αλλού. Καλημέρα!!

Αρχική Δημοσίευση από burbuja:

καινούριοι δίσκοι και από:"My Dying Bride","Isis" και "Red Sparowes"..απλά απίστευτοι...

Click για ανάπτυξη...

Απο My Dying Bride τα 5 πρωτα κομματια(ειδικα τα 2 και 4 ) ειναι κορυφαια! Κανει μια κοιλιτσα στα επομενα, αλλα σε ανταμοιβει στο τελευταιο

Δεν περιμενα κατι αλλο απο my Dying Bride. Δεν υπαρχει δισκος τους που να με απογοητευει

Αρχική Δημοσίευση από burbuja:

καινούριοι δίσκοι και από:"My Dying Bride","Isis" και "Red Sparowes"..απλά απίστευτοι...

Click για ανάπτυξη...

Καλοί οι My Dying Bride αλλά οι Cradle of Filth ακόμα καλύτεροι. Για άλλη μια βγάλανε ένα αριστούργημα στην κυκλοφορία.

Αρχική Δημοσίευση από Aegipan:

Καλοί οι My Dying Bride αλλά οι Cradle of Filth ακόμα καλύτεροι. Για άλλη μια βγάλανε ένα αριστούργημα στην κυκλοφορία.

Click για ανάπτυξη...

Δεν ειναι COF αυτο....Τι refren ειναι αυτα??
Pop...Πολυ πιασαρικα κομματια. Απο το mydian και μετα εχασαν τον δρομο τους και αυτοι...Παραμενω λατρης των Dusk and her embrace και the cruelty and the beast ομως

Και μην μπερδευουμε τα τελειως διφορετικα ηδη..Doom Death οι MDB , εμπορικο black metal οι COF.
Αλλοι MDB δεν υπαρχουν ομως. Σαν COF θα βρεις πολλους. Γεμισαμε vampiria

Και μένα τα παλιά με τραβάνε αλλά και τα καινούργια είναι απίθανα. Δεν μπορούν να παίζουν συνέχεια τα ίδια, έπρεπε και να εξελιχθούν. Δεν είναι και οι πρώτοι που ακολουθούν πιο σοφτ και μελωδική κατεύθυνση με τον καιρό.

Κυκλοφόρησε τουλάχιστον ηλεκτρονικά το νέο single των MANOWAR που λέγεται Sons of Odin. Το έχω λιώσει μιλάμε.

Γεια σας ειμαι καινουργιο μελος και ακουω ροκ και μεταλ