Metal Reviews

Well, i don't know what to say.

I went in being a casual Iron Maiden fan, knew their basic hits and such but was astonished at how disappointing their concert was. With the exception of the last 5 songs, yes, 5 Songs! There was almost no energy in the crowd. Everybody was sitting down, and with the exception if the people right near the stage, everybody on the floor was almost motionless (except for when a band member initiated something (hand clap and so on). The first chunk of the concert was the whole album (A Matter of Life and Death). Although, i admit it was not bad, but it just lacked the punch i got from the last 5 songs.

Normal?

A guy i used to work with couldn't stop talking about it and Jason, a metalreviewer here, raved about when they came for the first time in a long time (a few years back - the same concert as my coworker) at how it was crazy and wild (including something about his bro getting Steve Harris' wristband)

Did i go in there expecting too much. I went to see Dragonforce and Stratovarius in the space of 4 days and both blew me away (i know you can't compare venues and bands ... but i think i based my expectations on Maiden's legendary status and reaction of the two previous shows i saw

The first thing i said to my bro as we were walking out "the price i paid for tonight's show is the equivalent of what i'll be paying for my next two shows which, barring any major blackout or sound mishaps, will be kick ass shows - Blind Guardian and In Flames"

ciao

That sucks dude. It is one of my life goals to see Maiden live. I just hope when I do it isn't a huge let down.

Maiden havent been to Australia since '88 would i give my ball sack to see them...Yes.....

The 2 of the best shows that i have seen recently have been Dragonforce and Angra both in small venues and both about 1 metre from the stage. Gamma ray in Dec cant wait

The only show ive seen was Metallica and that was from behind the 'golden circle' and the sound was bad-

I want to see good bands live, damit-

Well, Maiden used to be known for their amazing live energy. In fact, even just a few years ago, when they released the Rock in RIo DVD, they were still really energetic old men with an energetic crowd. I don't know what's happened, but that just sucks

No, acousticmarco, you went in expecting exactly what you should have gotten out of an Iron Maiden concert. I saw them several years ago for the first time when they toured with Motorhead and Dio and the entire show the crowd was going nuts. The problem is that they've decided to play A Matter of Life and Death in its entirety, an album which doesnt have the energy of older Maiden releases.

And now you've confirmed it for me ... the Maiden concert I'm going to tomorrow is going to be fucking MELLOW. The hell is that??!!

I am also disappointed that Maiden hasnt been "down under" since '88. I am yet to see Maiden live in concert, but it looks more and more doubtful that the more they get older, the less chance they will make the trip to Australia.

I am even considering flying overseas (probably Japan or something) to finally see them in concert.....if i do, i really hope it is worth it....

I saw them in '03 and the both the band and the crowd were energetic and enthusiastic - but playing an entire album like A Metter of Life and Death live is just a mistake. Albums like Holy Diver and Reign in Blood work for this sort of thing because they are compact and either completely or roughly 50% energetic. AMOLAD is not that sort of album at all. I hope they've trimmed 5 or 6 of the songs out the set by the time the tour reaches the UK, but knowing Maiden it will stay the exact same.

Don't judge Maiden as a whole based on this tour. Normally they are a great band to see live. You just happened to catch them when they were playing an entire album that's only been out 2 months, which to me is a bad mistake. Most people probably haven't heard the new album enough to be intimately familiar with the songs like they are the old classics. I expect that is behind the lack of energy during their Matter of Life and Death marathon. Normally Maiden is alot more like what you described on the last five songs.

I think it's a great album - AS AN ALBUM. But as a Maiden live set, these songs need to be spread out between some more energetic songs. In the same vein, I wouldn't have wanted to hear Seventh Son straight through either. It's also a great album, but some of the songs are just not geared toward a classic maiden live set. I'm sure they are proud of AMOLAD, and maybe it's a political thing that has them playing it in its entirety, but the fact is that the fans are going to be the ones getting screwed.

I think the last album is not fit to be played live. They should just play the old songs...

+1

My friend who saw the show said the same thing. I have yet to see Maiden, but from what I understand from him, the new songs, besides Different World, The Pilgrim and a few fast moments from other songs, just don't match the energy of an Iron Maiden live show. He said the 5 old songs were amazing, with great crowd energy; they just couldn't be bothered for the new album. My advice: Go see them when they come with a regular tour, as I will.

I wouldnt want to hear any Maiden album played live in its entirety. It just isnt the same.
I agree playing the whole new album is a mistake. Hasnt been out for very long and fans are still getting to know the album.

If it were upto me, i have a set list with about 4-5 songs from the new album spread out from the beginning to the end of the list, chuck in the "must play live" Maiden tracks (Fear Of The Dark, Number Of The Beast, The Trooper, etc), a couple each from DOD and BNW, then fill the rest with tracks from ALL previous albums, including X-Factor and Virtual XI.

What an awesome night that would be

Man, I really don't want to see them live now :? AMOLAD is the worst album since X Factor, and the fact that they play all the songs live is...Well, tragic in a way. They have so many great songs which have never been played on any tour, and all they do is play fillers from AMOLAD. Strange. Really strange. I wait for the next tour when they will present a historic show with songs from Powerslave, Somewhere & 7th.

I think it's a great album if you really allow yourself to listen to it. The songs are deeper and more thought provoking than they have ever been in the past. They tried something similar with X-Factor, but got it wrong. This time, I feel they got it right. This is not an instant gratification metal album. It has something more to say if you let it.

BUT...

It's not meant to be played entirely live. THAT'S a bad idea.

For me this album is too repetitive, Maiden has become it's own copycat. I'd rather listen to Thunderbolt (which brings all the atmosphere and energy of good old Maiden) instead of recent Maiden. However, don't get me wrong - Maiden is still one of the most important and inspiring bands in the history!

It's true Iron Maiden's not altered its style over the years as much as other bands do, but this album has alot of different elements if you really listen though. It's the first of the recent albums to truly use the three guitarists. There are several songs with dual harmonies over rhythm guitars and even a fourth guitar tracked in. And with the guitarists various styles, you can tell it's really three guitarists and not just another track like you would usually hear in music of this type. The way I see it, they've also gotten better with certain things they've been experimenting with since X-Factor. Bruce sounds better on this one than he did on DoD as well.

That's just how I see it though. It's all in what you yourself want from them.

I don't agree. Bruce's voice sounds totally exhausted and bored. Compare to brilliant Tyranny Of Souls!

And in case of axemen...Well, perhaps finally the three guitars are well arranged, but they still play the same harmonies, the same solos (Dave sounds awful...He plays the same solo since Virtual XI), the same riffs...

I guess it's all in what parts we choose to hear. Bruce hits almost an entire octave higher on this album than he's been straining to reach on the last two Maiden albums. He lets out some good mid-range growls on this album, which he's hardly done since Accident at Birth. Dave's solos have ALWAYS sounded like that. If you choose to feel it was okay 20 years ago but not okay now, that's your own personal choice. What it comes down to is what we each personally wanted to hear on the new album.