Thanks for all the comments. I'll keep coming back to this page to follow through on your suggestions. I'm thinking of moving on to Tool for my next reaction. Up the irons!
Good stuff Doug!!! NOTE***. If you’d gonna do a Tool reaction, You must, you must, do yourself a favor and react to Pnuema! It’s a drum cam video basically and shows the most incredible drumming of Daney Cary! It has close to 3 million views. It’s absolutely mind blowing And you will not be disappointed ! 🤘
Just a clarification about when the lead singer (Bruce) says: "This is what not to do when a bird shits on you.". That is pertaining to the myth, common among sailors, that if you kill an albatross you have cursed the ship and its crew. If you listen/read the lyrics he sings "the albatross begins with its vengeance".
One more thing: Would you be open to reacting to one of my favourite (but somewhat obscure) artists/composers, Mitch Murder? He's a star in the "New Retro Wave" scene (and a fellow Swede). Specifically, would you react to this tune (bearing in mind that it's thematically linked to the cover picture, so it's technically in 3 parts). ruclips.net/video/Hoydo6qAQ4Y/видео.html I'm not sure if his music is interesting from a composers viewpoint, but I find all of his music very evocative and it's based around the soundscapes that my generation (I was born in 82) grew up with. Anyway; I'm really happy I found your channel! Great videos!
@@AlexandreSchwarz My favourite metal song of all time, and I've been a metal fan since the late 70s and a stone cold Maiden fan since 1985. UP THE IRONS!
There was a joke on the internet a few years ago saying "What if Iron Maiden was actually organized by teachers to teach youth about literature?" Lol Glad you reacted to this!
Been a Maiden fan now for 40 years! First heard them at local disco back in 1981. Seen them loads of times and it never gets boring, best band in the world.
@@ChewieEst You can be a rock star without being a metalhead. Beethoven is more likely to be a metalhead and Mozart more likely to be into Yes and Rush (though Beethoven probably would be, too)
Iron Maiden set the tone for the whole heavier metal universe of bands. It gets more sophisticated the heavier it becomes, but all thanks to them. Without Iron Maiden, all those Death and Black Metal bands would not exist.
@Lizzie Dbury intricate is a tricky term. Are they more technical that Maiden? Absolutely, but their songs do not have fluid stories or even lyrics that are that meaningful or thought provoking. Maiden is not a band I would consider overly technical by any stretch, but their ability to write engaging lyrics and tell stories is second to none. That's what makes them great. I love tech death as much as the next guy, but intricate is not the word I would use.
It makes a complete difference when you talk through the song, compared to all the other ones that stop the video 50 times to give their opinions on what is happening. It certainly is different. Well done
And all the other reaction people who sit there with big cheesey grins pretending to love absolutely everything and as you say, pausing every 30 seconds to talk complete bollocks about it.
@@Dr_Roughlove I must have led a sheltered life! I don't know which is more disturbing, although it seems to escalate... 1) the Mrs shitting on me, 2) her being shot for shitting on me, or 3) her dead carcass being hung around my neck..... Apologies for bringing the tone of the conversation down.
It's a call back to Live After Death from 1985 when Bruce introduced the song by saying "This is what not to do if a bird shits on you" and all those years later he changed it to 'your' bird.
You’ll find that galloping rhythmic pattern is VERY common in Maiden songs, it’s one of the things that Steve Harris is very well known for in his bass playing.
Without a doubt one of best reaction channels I’ve seen yet. I know nothing about music theory, but I love how you can pick out the nuisances. Kind of like how I can’t paint to save my life, but enjoy many paintings. You also don’t stop the music(often), and I’m ok with you talking over it. Turning a 7 minutes song into a 25 minute reaction is crazy, you don’t do that. You’ve earned my subscription. Iron Maiden is a special kind of metal. They are not the normal metal. Glad you’re enjoying.
Yeah,traditional heavy metal is the only genre in contemporary music that is so closely tied to the classical music.Most of the great metal guitarists have been classically trained.Sadly though, a lot of people do not appreciate it at all.
Don't really agree with your statement of "traditional" because other genres of metal are closely tied to classical music as well, including death metal, black metal, Thrash Metal, and symphonic metal. Death Metal bands like Septic Flesh, Fleshgod Apocalypes, Morbid Angel are just a few bands I could name that have classical influences. There's also a lot of symponic black metal bands like Emperor, Dimmu Borgir etc. that is close to classical. Then you have symphonic metal bands like Therion, Nightwish, and Epica. Even Thrash bands like early Metallica, Megadeth, Death Angel have a lot of classical song structures. Death Angel's Ultra-Violence instrumental is pretty much a classical composition, as is Sepultura's Inquisition Symphony
A couple of bits of context - Steve Harris, the bassist, is the moving force behind the band, which is why so much or their stuff is very rhythmic and the bass is quite high in the mix. Bruce the vocalist's branding has always been that he's a human air raid siren, which is why his parts are generally higher than you might expect them to be from a compositional point of view. Historically, they had two guitarists, so most songs have quite dynamic switching between unison guitar playing and dueling parts. The addition of a third guitar is a recent innovation. Glad you enjoyed it, try Steven Wilson/Porcupine Tree next!
really recent innovation, just 20+ years, almost half the time they are together, lol, I do get your point though, maiden had almost 25 years with just 2 guitars, but now the third guitar is a very old history, we are just old, and remember those past years like it was yesterday.
That feeling you get when non metal heads finally realize what we knew about Iron Maiden since the late 70’s! Priceless. Great video. Honest and full of candor. Really enjoyed your explanations of what they were doing musically. Helps me to appreciate their talents even more.
A true Maiden fan will recommend Seventh son of a Seventh son to a classical musician. Also, i love Rime of the ancient mariner they, somehow, manage to keep you entertained for 13 minutes every time you listen to it, i never skip that song
I've watched a lot of these reaction videos and I have to give you full credit; despite the genre not maybe being up your alley you listen with an open mind and really can find the positives throughout! I definitely appreciate this as a Maiden fan. Also huge respect for your theoretical knowledge. Keep up the nice work my friend!
@@pablodecastromunoz3957 There is a classical orchestra featured on RUclips that specializes in playing classical music version's of Iron Maiden songs and those version's are fantastic!! I firmly believe if Beethoven was alive today he would be writing Maiden style heavy rock. And if Maiden were alive back in Beethoven's time, they would be writing Beethoven style classical music.
It's funny cause I listend to these tracks almost 30 years yet every time I click to see people first time experience Iron Maiden and it warms my heart. Go Doug.
I didn’t really get into Maiden until my late 20’s then a friend gave me half of best of the beast on cd and it’s pretty much my go to music now. I’m 47 now and turning my kids on to them.
Nice video by the way. I couldn't imagine as a 12 year old in the 80s that one day i would be sitting here watchin a composer watching Iron Maiden songs and breaking them down on the internet lol
finally, someone reacting to these videos who actually knows what the hell he's talking about! Crazy how you can distinguish the chords and notes just by hearing them
Harris is also why I got into bass over guitar in the mid 90's as a teen, first song I heard of theirs was To Tame a Land in a friends car at the lake cottages. :)
11:30 "It's awesome how they have all these people interested in storytime ;)" I mean, you're partially joking, but the big reason I got into Maiden in the first place (besides their kickass music) is that they're a very narratively driven band. I'd estimate about 85-90% of their songs are based on history, literature, or tell a story in some capacity. As someone who loves telling and reading stories, they're a lyrical treat. I loved your running commentary on the chord progressions, too. I'm by no means a musician but I love hearing the names put to the chord progressions and switch ups!
As a Maiden fan myself, I really like the fact that all of your videos have like a couple dozen or couple hundreds of views, but both Iron Maiden videos have like tens of thousands Really shows that people are crazy for Iron Maiden
Dude!!! Thank you Thank you for explaining all the madness that goes on in my head!! I am clinically depressed and a musician/ artist! I am 52 years old and ever since I remember, I wake up with a song in my head: any type of recorded music or not! And your classical analysis of songs I grew up with, give me comfort and joy and most importantly, relief that I am not actually just hearing craziness in my ears, but splendor in music. As complicated melodies and time signatures play in my ears, your guidance helps me remember my life though songs! Thank you!!! BRAVO! ENCORE!
1982 live version of Hallowed be The Name. Musical masterpiece but as good as Bruce's voice is here,he is much younger and better in that video. I've watched quite a few vocal coaches marvel at his voice in that video too.
If you’d like to listen to another epic but very different style of song by them Empire of the clouds is worth a listen. It’s about the crash of the airship R101
@Joe Metal Head like you said each to their own, but this is far from garbage ...that’s your opinion. In terms of epic, look at the definition, it ticks the epic box.
maiden music is in direct correlation with lyrics, just like hallowed be thy name is Kübler-Ross model, the same here and in every song. In empire of the clouds, SOS morse code is replicated with instruments. Dig deeper into maiden you ll be amazed. Alexander the great, Pashendale, Where the wild wind blows, Talisman and to tame a land are other great examples of this.
Yes. Where the Wild Wind Blows, Alexander the Great, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Paschendale are all great songs, and I would add The Longest Day. Paschendale has become my favorite song Maiden song.
I think you would really like Rush. Their most iconic, unique compositions are 2112 from the album of the same name and Cygnus X-1 book 2 and La Villa Strangiato off Hemispheres. Even their most radio-friendly songs like Tom Sawyer and Limelight off Moving Pictures has great, subtle things going on.
Hey Doug, Welcome to the Irons, and Bruce "air raid siren" Dickenson. As you noticed, he is up there and stays up there. There is 40 years of material for you to listen to. Their tours are always sold out and huge crowds... and hardly any advertising. I took my wife to her first gig and she was amazed at the diversity of people at the concert, generations of fans, old and new. A few people have mentioned "Empire of the clouds" it is a corker. But one of my fav is "Hallowed be thy name" there is a live version from 1984 which has an excellent recording. Its interesting what you say at the end regarding 'heavy metal' and i guess this new journey of yours just goes to show you cant judge all acts from a genre. For me Iron Maiden is unique and my favourite by far. I have ones I like and ones I dislike. Dig a bit deeper Doug, you wont be disappointed . Then you can say you have Doug a little deeper. :)
The reason I have a pony tail at the age of 58, even though I have a well-paid office job is Iron Maiden. They inspired me to start my first band, The Uninvited, when I was 19, and that carried on for 10 fantastic years, until our bass player, Graham, died of complications from a rare disease called Wegener's granulomatosis that is normally treatable. We struggled on for a couple of years more, but the band's spark had gone. But I really don't think I'd ever have walked up to a mike on stage with an electric guitar around my neck if it hadn't been for seeing Iron Maiden on stage in the Cambridge Corn Exchange in 1980. I remember being particularly impressed by Steve Harris and Clive Burr. And when I heard Bruce for the first time cracking out Hallowed Be Thy Name at Queensway Hall in Dunstable, I was totally gob-smacked. I had liked Paul DiAnno, but I felt he was more punk rock than metal, but Bruce was the real deal.
Watching them back again it still amazes me how clear Bruce's voice is, just song after song after song. Saw them live a few times back in the day...amazing. Didnt need all the pyrotechnics when you are wrapped in the Iron Maiden!
I love how you described the middle section with the augmented chords. It always seemed obvious to me that part was meant to evoke drifting aimlessly at sea.
This was a great review, and not just because you liked the song. I really appreciated that you took time to dissect the chord progression and the music theory of the song. Keep it up!
Big Maiden fan here! Your reactions have made me see some of my favourite songs in a completely different way. Big love! Would love to see more Maiden! If you're interested in some more musically technical metal I would definitely recommend Dream Theater or Opeth. So many time signature changes and things to talk about for people who know their music really well! Or one song to check out would be And Plague Flowers the Kaleidescope - Ne Obliviscaris (was so interesting that it was studied at the Sydney conservatorium)
The spoken word part is directly from the poem. Also the earlier part where he's singing "water, water everywhere". They are quoted stanzas from ST Coleridge's poem.
Have always been impressed by the fact that these guys wrote and recorded a song like this in their mid-20s (Steve Harris, 1984). Not only that, it was the only song on the album they didn't have written before going into the recording studio. Was fortunate enough to see this live Jan. 1985 from a great vantage point in the arena. Blown away would be an understatement.
“Bird” as in the albatross from the poem. Mariners/sailors considered the albatross to be a bird bringing good omens and fair sailing weather.... Love the vid! My favorite Maiden tune! Up the Irons!!!
"What not to do when a bird shits on you" is referring to the poem. When the mariner kills the albatross he brings down destruction on the entire crew, and becomes cursed to walk the Earth relating the story.
Love these videos you’re creating. I play guitar and write the music for my band, and find you’re analysis of theses songs really insightful and helpful in putting together my own rock / jazz compositions. Big thanks.
This is a really great lesson in music appreciation. It's great to see how you analyze the music in a very practical way, and effectively demonstrate how to actively listen to something totally unfamiliar. As a young student, I struggled to learn music theory and had many teachers lead me to believe that music is something esoteric. But, I wanted to learn to play guitar, so I took a music lesson from a teacher who simply asked me to listen and point out what I hear, which we then put into context. That was an amazing revelation and it made me realize that music is in fact a common language. This video reminded me of that experience. I love music, but without learning how to appreciate the craft and get a sense of what is going on musically, I never would have listened to anything else other than what sounded familiar to me. Decades later, as I've learned to appreciate music, I listen to everything from Death Metal to Puccini and have had season tickets to both my local symphony and opera companies. I'm also a huge Iron Maiden fan. Thanks for posting this video and I hope you keep doing more of these type of educational things with other examples of musical contexts.
Thank you for the lovely comment. The tools we use to describe music can range from 'very nerdy' to 'almost universal'...the trick is to use these tools humbly to help us interact with the music we enjoy on the level with others.
The lead singer Bruce Dickinson is also a qualified commercial airline pilot and flies the plane carrying the band, road crew and all of the equipment to all of the different cities / countries on the tours.
I think you'd be interested in Aces High by them. The instrumentals are designed purposefully to mimic a British Spitfire in a dogfight during the Battle of Britain.
First Iron Maiden reaction I have seen where I stopped focusing on maiden and started focusing on what was being said. Really interesting to hear and I learnt a lot too. Thanks
I'll add my voice to the Nightwish suggestions - Ghost Love Score is, as the name suggests, basically a score, Poet & the Pendulum is another longer one with multiple stages & The Greatest Show on Earth is an epic multi-sectioned masterpiece that should give you plenty to get your teeth into as a composer :) I'd also suggest checking out Avantasia (Tobias Sammet's project), The Scarecrow in particular is excellent but they've also got an entire Metal Opera album. Oh, and Blind Guardian are another interesting one.. one of their albums, Nightfall on Middle Earth, is indeed Tolkien inspired, the Silmarillion in particular.
@@JackReinieren It's one of the most reacted-to songs, if not, in fact, THE most, but I agree - it's an awesome performance and it would be very interesting to get Doug's opinions on it.
Nice to hear your perspective on this tune... they've always been on a different level of "metal" band. Great composing and great musicianship combined. Thank you for taking notice.
I think you perfectly get the repetitiveness, especially of the last part of the song and I personally think that's part of the idea behind this song, actually. I always thought that this rithm resembles the one of the original poem by Samuel Coleridge which is also pretty long and has no "peaks". When you get to the last words it's a sort of relief but, like every good story, you feel like you're missing someone you know. The same for the super-easy song finale which just ends, leaving you waiting for something more. It's not probably the most technical song of these guys but it's actually the Iron Maiden songs I love more.
oh my god from the top of my head "Infinite dreams I can't deny them Infinity is hard to comprehend" "Restless sleep[s], the mind in turmoil! One nightmare ends another fertile"
Five stars for Doug- the extra context given by your taking us through the song in real-time - 'spannering' out exactly what is going on is absolutely great. I would think the classes you give must be a 'must attend' as well. Super stuff .......
Based on heavy metal, time changes, key changes, and "a-lot-of-stranges-ideas-on-the-same-song", I think you should check "The Dance Of Eternity" by Dream Theater.
Note about the guitars: until 2000 they only had 2 guitarists. Then the guy, Adrian Smith who left the band around 1990 returned to the band but the guy who replaced him stayed in the band so alot of the older songs like this one there are more guitarists than when they originally performed it
First, I appreciate your perspective. It is so refreshing. I like how you point-out the notes and tempo. Usually, first reactions are from less educated people. Second, I like how you do not stop the video. Most of, if not all the time, reaction videos are teeming with them stopping a video. We are watching you react to something we have already experienced, I am just trying to remember when I first heard this piece. Thank you, and keep it up. Metal is a beautiful genre of music and it has always reminded me of the classical form.
Iron Maiden is great. As a composer you owe it to yourself to try anything by RUSH. YYZ, or La Villa Srangiato would be great starts Live at Rockn Rio are good source choices.
Want to listen to something epic that combines Metal with Classical you need to listen to Nightwish , Ghost Love Score live at Wacken 2013 , its the gateway drug to the genius of Tuomas Holopainen and the Valkyrie Vocal Queen , Floor Jansen .
Glad you looked into it and was able to break down what you thought about it. Thanks for the vid. I know very little about music from a technical standpoint so it's fascinating to learn what's behind the music, the song and the melodies that makes me like them.
I know this might not be seen in the other 1.7 thousand comments, but your explanation of the song writer's use of the timing and chord and key changes really helps understand the "theory" used in making the song work along with the poem. I'm a "metal head from waaaay back" (also a bass player)and huge Iron Maiden fan and I always knew their music was written with purpose, but now that I decided to take lessons in music theory I'm just starting to "get" how it all comes together. This and the other video that prompted me here help. Thanks very much for this!!
Love your enthusiasm and input. You've got another subscriber. Thanks for quantifying our love for this band and their music and how they definitely stand apart.
This was done a few months ago, I hope you've found the metal community surprisingly support when new people come to appreciate the music we love. When it got to the augmented chords and you got excited I couldn't help, but smile.
When you mentioned that sometimes they dubble the guitars, maybe in this version it appears more because the band was originally a 2 guitar band and changed to 3 guitars after 2001.
Since my early teens Ive always loved the ambient part in the middle. It successfully evokes this feeling of gothic horror at sea. Its one of those things non Iron Maiden fans seldom hear.
I love when composers such as yourself start dipping their toes into metal. I hope that you'll find it to be far more complex and interesting compositionally than you have in the past! There are going to be many suggestions for other Iron Maiden songs (my personal choice for you to examine would be "When The Wild Wind Blows") - as well as other bands for you to check out. Tool is, to me, a composer's dream band (or, perhaps nightmarish), because they are so sonically interesting and compositionally challenging, odd meters and time signatures, and world-class musicianship from each member. A popular one among reactors is the Danny Carey drum cam of their song Pneuma. Jinjer would be another band that would surprise you, I suspect. In any case, it's great to see musicians complimenting musicians.
You're welcome. Though I'm a layman, I enjoyed how you musically broke it down, showing how the structures both play-out and how they return. You should consider Jinjer's Pisces, if you want interesting instrumentation.
What is absolutely amazing is that Steve Harris (the bassist) writes most of their music. And when asked what scales he likes to use in his music he says "I dont know what scales are". Steve has very little music theory knowledge...but all this comes naturally to him. And Doug you are correct... Steve Harris writes the music where the Bass stands out and drives the rhythm section as much as the drums do. Rime of the Ancient Mariner is played more like a mini opera. The music and tempo is to set the stage of what is happening to the Mariner. Example the slow part is where the ship is stuck in the "dull drums" on the equator. This is an area where in the age of the sailing ship...the wind could just die and ships would sit for days or weeks. Sometimes causing starvation or death by dehydration (as happens in the poem and song). So it sets a mood of hopelessness, idleness, and waiting for something to happen. As a bass player and former violin player...I find Metal and ESPECIALLY Iron Maiden has a LOT in common with Classical music. If you REALLY want to hear classical influence in metal you should listen to Ozzy Osborne's early solo music with the Guitarist Randy Rhodes...He was a classically trained guitarist that adapted classical music to Metal. Good example would be the song Mr. Crowley.
Thanks for all the comments. I'll keep coming back to this page to follow through on your suggestions. I'm thinking of moving on to Tool for my next reaction. Up the irons!
Good stuff Doug!!! NOTE***. If you’d gonna do a Tool reaction, You must, you must, do yourself a favor and react to Pnuema! It’s a drum cam video basically and shows the most incredible drumming of Daney Cary! It has close to 3 million views. It’s absolutely mind blowing And you will not be disappointed ! 🤘
Just a clarification about when the lead singer (Bruce) says: "This is what not to do when a bird shits on you.". That is pertaining to the myth, common among sailors, that if you kill an albatross you have cursed the ship and its crew. If you listen/read the lyrics he sings "the albatross begins with its vengeance".
One more thing: Would you be open to reacting to one of my favourite (but somewhat obscure) artists/composers, Mitch Murder? He's a star in the "New Retro Wave" scene (and a fellow Swede). Specifically, would you react to this tune (bearing in mind that it's thematically linked to the cover picture, so it's technically in 3 parts). ruclips.net/video/Hoydo6qAQ4Y/видео.html
I'm not sure if his music is interesting from a composers viewpoint, but I find all of his music very evocative and it's based around the soundscapes that my generation (I was born in 82) grew up with.
Anyway; I'm really happy I found your channel! Great videos!
You should react to Iron Maiden - The Trooper (live) or Iron Maiden - Dance of Death (live)
Great videos Doug, please react to Iron Maiden, The Clansman from Rock in Rio, outstanding performance and showmanship.
I am surprised nobody has mentioned "Alexander The Great" form the Somewhere In Time album, 1986 ? A history lesson set to music !
your quite right, there is so much to choose from, hard to pick ten, let alone one... I love aces high
Or Hallowed be thy name...
Yes absolutely!
Yes, love that and they have never did that live.
I heard recently that there are too many vocals to remember..lol
Come on Bruce!
@@AlexandreSchwarz My favourite metal song of all time, and I've been a metal fan since the late 70s and a stone cold Maiden fan since 1985.
UP THE IRONS!
There was a joke on the internet a few years ago saying "What if Iron Maiden was actually organized by teachers to teach youth about literature?" Lol Glad you reacted to this!
I got my English teacher interested in Iron Maiden by letting her listen to this song and reading the lyrics. This was back in '85. She got hooked.
@@Dragonstar-Metal that's awesome!
@@Dragonstar-Metal Me too! Grade 12. 1989. Mr Williams. 🇨🇦
Lol the other side of the joke is how long this song is
hahahahahaa
"Quite a few Iron Maiden fans out there"
Lol,yep,theres quite a few of us!
Seen them 14 times
@@michaelmontgomery5872 More Maiden fans than classical music fans actually.
Yeah one or two lol
@@michaelmontgomery5872 what.. maiden fans?
Been a Maiden fan now for 40 years! First heard them at local disco back in 1981. Seen them loads of times and it never gets boring, best band in the world.
finally a reactor who knows what the hell they are talking about
Record label; You can’t do a 14 minute song.
Iron Maiden; Hold my Guinness!
I figure if Mozart were alive today, he would be a metalhead.
Maybe. I think Beethoven would more likely be.
@@chrispalo5122 From what I have read the classical composers were the rock stars of their time!
@@ChewieEst You can be a rock star without being a metalhead. Beethoven is more likely to be a metalhead and Mozart more likely to be into Yes and Rush (though Beethoven probably would be, too)
No doubt
@@chrispalo5122 I think Mozart would be big in to EDM / Techno :)
"The other thing that I notice is that there isn't a lot of pyrotechnics..."
...Bruce slowly hiding his flamethrower
I am waiting for the Rammstein Du Hast live in Paris reaction. Then there’ll pyrotechnics.
Hahaha. Nice. 👏👏
Iron maiden is the most sophisticated metal band ever. Geniuses.
Iron Maiden set the tone for the whole heavier metal universe of bands. It gets more sophisticated the heavier it becomes, but all thanks to them. Without Iron Maiden, all those Death and Black Metal bands would not exist.
@@silafuyang8675 I think Black Sabbath set the tone. Iron maiden took it to a whole other level though.
@@victorylane2377 I agree.
@@victorylane2377 Yep, Black Sabbath layed the foundations. Iron Maiden built the Heavy Metal upon them.
@Lizzie Dbury intricate is a tricky term. Are they more technical that Maiden? Absolutely, but their songs do not have fluid stories or even lyrics that are that meaningful or thought provoking. Maiden is not a band I would consider overly technical by any stretch, but their ability to write engaging lyrics and tell stories is second to none. That's what makes them great. I love tech death as much as the next guy, but intricate is not the word I would use.
It makes a complete difference when you talk through the song, compared to all the other ones that stop the video 50 times to give their opinions on what is happening. It certainly is different. Well done
And all the other reaction people who sit there with big cheesey grins pretending to love absolutely everything and as you say, pausing every 30 seconds to talk complete bollocks about it.
I love it when he makes the metal face when there are good bits!!
Do "Hallowed be thy Name".
He has. I don’t know if you’ve found it already.
Also, just so many of his reactions when he is surprised to find out what he's hearing is actually GOOD! Hahahaha
my best
The 'bird' referred to during Bruces introduction is the albatross of the poem.
Thanks Captain obvious...
@@MTG776 Try telling the 'reactor' then, after the odd comment he made, or weren't you listening?
It’s a double entendres. Albatross and also a cheeky little joke as if it was your Mrs.
@@Dr_Roughlove I must have led a sheltered life! I don't know which is more disturbing, although it seems to escalate... 1) the Mrs shitting on me, 2) her being shot for shitting on me, or 3) her dead carcass being hung around my neck..... Apologies for bringing the tone of the conversation down.
It's a call back to Live After Death from 1985 when Bruce introduced the song by saying "This is what not to do if a bird shits on you" and all those years later he changed it to 'your' bird.
You’ll find that galloping rhythmic pattern is VERY common in Maiden songs, it’s one of the things that Steve Harris is very well known for in his bass playing.
Steve even once said, "...yeah, the 'Galloping Maiden'..."
I have a joke that goes "Q: How can you tell when Iron Maiden at your front door? A: Knock ... knock-knock-knock ... knock-knock-knock ..."
*"A sophisticated compositional tool"
You bet your ass.
Welcome to Iron Maiden.
UP THE IRONS!
Without a doubt one of best reaction channels I’ve seen yet. I know nothing about music theory, but I love how you can pick out the nuisances. Kind of like how I can’t paint to save my life, but enjoy many paintings. You also don’t stop the music(often), and I’m ok with you talking over it. Turning a 7 minutes song into a 25 minute reaction is crazy, you don’t do that. You’ve earned my subscription.
Iron Maiden is a special kind of metal. They are not the normal metal. Glad you’re enjoying.
"He's got pipes"
Yes. Yes, he does. 😂😂
🤣🤘
I said those exact words out loud when watching it. 🤣🤘🤘🤘🤘
We all waiting for Hallowed by the live 1982. Chech this out, really. 😎
Greatings from Poland
Can't react to Iron Maiden without doing that one.
Obviously
Running looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW...
Indeed. My favourite :p
Hallowed be thy name 😉
Yeah,traditional heavy metal is the only genre in contemporary music that is so closely tied to the classical music.Most of the great metal guitarists have been classically trained.Sadly though, a lot of people do not appreciate it at all.
Yeah, Holst's imprint is all over traditional heavy metal. Wagner as well.
Can you say Randy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Heavy metal is classical music with electricity
Don't really agree with your statement of "traditional" because other genres of metal are closely tied to classical music as well, including death metal, black metal, Thrash Metal, and symphonic metal. Death Metal bands like Septic Flesh, Fleshgod Apocalypes, Morbid Angel are just a few bands I could name that have classical influences. There's also a lot of symponic black metal bands like Emperor, Dimmu Borgir etc. that is close to classical. Then you have symphonic metal bands like Therion, Nightwish, and Epica. Even Thrash bands like early Metallica, Megadeth, Death Angel have a lot of classical song structures. Death Angel's Ultra-Violence instrumental is pretty much a classical composition, as is Sepultura's Inquisition Symphony
Prog rock.
Totally impressed that you can hear the chords but what blew me away was you predicting the 6/8 change as a route back to common time!
Its not very hard to predict a Maiden song, even if you listent it for the first time :D
A couple of bits of context - Steve Harris, the bassist, is the moving force behind the band, which is why so much or their stuff is very rhythmic and the bass is quite high in the mix. Bruce the vocalist's branding has always been that he's a human air raid siren, which is why his parts are generally higher than you might expect them to be from a compositional point of view. Historically, they had two guitarists, so most songs have quite dynamic switching between unison guitar playing and dueling parts. The addition of a third guitar is a recent innovation. Glad you enjoyed it, try Steven Wilson/Porcupine Tree next!
really recent innovation, just 20+ years, almost half the time they are together, lol, I do get your point though, maiden had almost 25 years with just 2 guitars, but now the third guitar is a very old history, we are just old, and remember those past years like it was yesterday.
That feeling you get when non metal heads finally realize what we knew about Iron Maiden since the late 70’s! Priceless. Great video. Honest and full of candor. Really enjoyed your explanations of what they were doing musically. Helps me to appreciate their talents even more.
A true Maiden fan will recommend Seventh son of a Seventh son to a classical musician. Also, i love Rime of the ancient mariner they, somehow, manage to keep you entertained for 13 minutes every time you listen to it, i never skip that song
I loved his "Story time" comment. Haha
dude... i literally just commented that... BEFORE i read this comment!! yeah buddy;)
Yeeeeees
Paschendale>>>>
also children of the damned. for the greater good of god
This is Iron Maiden's most epic epic ever, a testament to their status as the greatest Heavy Metal band of all time \m/
This is the ONLY song reaction channel worth one's time.
I've watched a lot of these reaction videos and I have to give you full credit; despite the genre not maybe being up your alley you listen with an open mind and really can find the positives throughout! I definitely appreciate this as a Maiden fan. Also huge respect for your theoretical knowledge. Keep up the nice work my friend!
Empire of the cloud's and seventh son of a seventh son, please
Yes, please. I will subscribe if you do these two. 👍
Yes this songs a true masterpiece up The irons
The Clairvoyant, definitely
7th Son is not only the best album Maiden ever made, but it's one of the best album's made by anybody. It's rock perfection.
@@pablodecastromunoz3957 There is a classical orchestra featured on RUclips that specializes in playing classical music version's of Iron Maiden songs and those version's are fantastic!! I firmly believe if Beethoven was alive today he would be writing Maiden style heavy rock. And if Maiden were alive back in Beethoven's time, they would be writing Beethoven style classical music.
It's funny cause I listend to these tracks almost 30 years yet every time I click to see people first time experience Iron Maiden and it warms my heart. Go Doug.
Yep, been there and wore out the cassette.
I do the same with song/movie reactions. You only get 1 first listen, but get to relive that first time watching or listening to soneone else
I didn’t really get into Maiden until my late 20’s then a friend gave me half of best of the beast on cd and it’s pretty much my go to music now. I’m 47 now and turning my kids on to them.
Nice video by the way. I couldn't imagine as a 12 year old in the 80s that one day i would be sitting here watchin a composer watching Iron Maiden songs and breaking them down on the internet lol
finally, someone reacting to these videos who actually knows what the hell he's talking about! Crazy how you can distinguish the chords and notes just by hearing them
Fact of Life: Steve Harris plays lead bass. His bass is up front and dominant, much like Geddy Lee of Rush. Bass as a lead instrument.
he`s also the primary songwriter!
love his playing. Might play like him one day haha
He’s one of the reasons I preferred bass over guitar. Passionate about it. Geddy, Bruce, JPJ, Burton, Geezer...my idols.
@@Peterickenbacker1 Would John Myung be on that list too? 😁
Harris is also why I got into bass over guitar in the mid 90's as a teen, first song I heard of theirs was To Tame a Land in a friends car at the lake cottages. :)
11:30 "It's awesome how they have all these people interested in storytime ;)"
I mean, you're partially joking, but the big reason I got into Maiden in the first place (besides their kickass music) is that they're a very narratively driven band. I'd estimate about 85-90% of their songs are based on history, literature, or tell a story in some capacity. As someone who loves telling and reading stories, they're a lyrical treat.
I loved your running commentary on the chord progressions, too. I'm by no means a musician but I love hearing the names put to the chord progressions and switch ups!
We are witnessing the birth of a new fan.
Welcome to the Maiden Kingdom.
Greetings from Mexico 🇲🇽
As a Maiden fan myself, I really like the fact that all of your videos have like a couple dozen or couple hundreds of views, but both Iron Maiden videos have like tens of thousands
Really shows that people are crazy for Iron Maiden
dude... seventh son of a seventh son... absolute masterpiece..must be done!
he did it!
Children of the Damned is a masterpiece also.
Dude!!! Thank you Thank you for explaining all the madness that goes on in my head!! I am clinically depressed and a musician/ artist! I am 52 years old and ever since I remember, I wake up with a song in my head: any type of recorded music or not! And your classical analysis of songs I grew up with, give me comfort and joy and most importantly, relief that I am not actually just hearing craziness in my ears, but splendor in music. As complicated melodies and time signatures play in my ears, your guidance helps me remember my life though songs! Thank you!!! BRAVO! ENCORE!
1982 live version of Hallowed be The Name. Musical masterpiece but as good as Bruce's voice is here,he is much younger and better in that video. I've watched quite a few vocal coaches marvel at his voice in that video too.
I agree and I can't stand that they added the third guitarist.
If you’d like to listen to another epic but very different style of song by them Empire of the clouds is worth a listen. It’s about the crash of the airship R101
I´m a Swedish fan in my 50 s & I´d NEVER heard of thr R101 until I l listened to EMPIRE...Soo cool !!
@Joe Metal Head like you said each to their own, but this is far from garbage ...that’s your opinion. In terms of epic, look at the definition, it ticks the epic box.
maiden music is in direct correlation with lyrics, just like hallowed be thy name is Kübler-Ross model, the same here and in every song.
In empire of the clouds, SOS morse code is replicated with instruments. Dig deeper into maiden you ll be amazed.
Alexander the great, Pashendale, Where the wild wind blows, Talisman and to tame a land are other great examples of this.
Yes. Where the Wild Wind Blows, Alexander the Great, Hallowed Be Thy Name, Paschendale are all great songs, and I would add The Longest Day. Paschendale has become my favorite song Maiden song.
This is so satisfying to watch. Like getting to experience it for the first time but not really and kinda hoping Maiden will make Doug proud :)
Great show Doug, love the play by play breakdown and commentary. Iron Maiden Rocks!
I think you would really like Rush. Their most iconic, unique compositions are 2112 from the album of the same name and Cygnus X-1 book 2 and La Villa Strangiato off Hemispheres. Even their most radio-friendly songs like Tom Sawyer and Limelight off Moving Pictures has great, subtle things going on.
I'd really love to hear a reaction to La Villa Strangiato
Please react to Xanadu live from Exit Stage Left!! The closest to romantic classical Rush ever done!!
Hey Doug, Welcome to the Irons, and Bruce "air raid siren" Dickenson. As you noticed, he is up there and stays up there. There is 40 years of material for you to listen to. Their tours are always sold out and huge crowds... and hardly any advertising. I took my wife to her first gig and she was amazed at the diversity of people at the concert, generations of fans, old and new.
A few people have mentioned "Empire of the clouds" it is a corker. But one of my fav is "Hallowed be thy name" there is a live version from 1984 which has an excellent recording.
Its interesting what you say at the end regarding 'heavy metal' and i guess this new journey of yours just goes to show you cant judge all acts from a genre. For me Iron Maiden is unique and my favourite by far. I have ones I like and ones I dislike.
Dig a bit deeper Doug, you wont be disappointed . Then you can say you have Doug a little deeper. :)
The reason I have a pony tail at the age of 58, even though I have a well-paid office job is Iron Maiden. They inspired me to start my first band, The Uninvited, when I was 19, and that carried on for 10 fantastic years, until our bass player, Graham, died of complications from a rare disease called Wegener's granulomatosis that is normally treatable.
We struggled on for a couple of years more, but the band's spark had gone. But I really don't think I'd ever have walked up to a mike on stage with an electric guitar around my neck if it hadn't been for seeing Iron Maiden on stage in the Cambridge Corn Exchange in 1980. I remember being particularly impressed by Steve Harris and Clive Burr.
And when I heard Bruce for the first time cracking out Hallowed Be Thy Name at Queensway Hall in Dunstable, I was totally gob-smacked. I had liked Paul DiAnno, but I felt he was more punk rock than metal, but Bruce was the real deal.
Watching them back again it still amazes me how clear Bruce's voice is, just song after song after song. Saw them live a few times back in the day...amazing. Didnt need all the pyrotechnics when you are wrapped in the Iron Maiden!
Sir, this was priceless stuff! Please give us more analysis and great reactions like this. Cheers from Finland, up the irons!
It always gives me happiness seeing that someone who had never listen to Iron Maiden finds their music awesome!!!
🤟🤟🤟
I love how you described the middle section with the augmented chords. It always seemed obvious to me that part was meant to evoke drifting aimlessly at sea.
This was a great review, and not just because you liked the song. I really appreciated that you took time to dissect the chord progression and the music theory of the song. Keep it up!
Big Maiden fan here! Your reactions have made me see some of my favourite songs in a completely different way. Big love! Would love to see more Maiden! If you're interested in some more musically technical metal I would definitely recommend Dream Theater or Opeth. So many time signature changes and things to talk about for people who know their music really well!
Or one song to check out would be And Plague Flowers the Kaleidescope - Ne Obliviscaris (was so interesting that it was studied at the Sydney conservatorium)
The spoken word part is directly from the poem. Also the earlier part where he's singing "water, water everywhere". They are quoted stanzas from ST Coleridge's poem.
I've been a fan of Iron Maiden since 84. This hands down is my favorite song by the band. Thanks for your point of view! It's very interesting.
I saw them in 1984. I really looked forward to this song and it was great.
Have always been impressed by the fact that these guys wrote and recorded a song like this in their mid-20s (Steve Harris, 1984). Not only that, it was the only song on the album they didn't have written before going into the recording studio. Was fortunate enough to see this live Jan. 1985 from a great vantage point in the arena. Blown away would be an understatement.
to be fair samuel taylor coleridge wrote the draft :)
One cannot help but be impressed and amazed by the musicality (?) of this band's material, and how very well they perform in a live setting.
“Bird” as in the albatross from the poem. Mariners/sailors considered the albatross to be a bird bringing good omens and fair sailing weather.... Love the vid! My favorite Maiden tune! Up the Irons!!!
"What not to do when a bird shits on you" is referring to the poem. When the mariner kills the albatross he brings down destruction on the entire crew, and becomes cursed to walk the Earth relating the story.
При чем он убил ее просто так, она даже не насрала на него...(
When the albatross was killed by the marinere everyone on that ship were cursed the first curse was other curse of thirst water water everywheret
Love these videos you’re creating. I play guitar and write the music for my band, and find you’re analysis of theses songs really insightful and helpful in putting together my own rock / jazz compositions. Big thanks.
This is a really great lesson in music appreciation. It's great to see how you analyze the music in a very practical way, and effectively demonstrate how to actively listen to something totally unfamiliar. As a young student, I struggled to learn music theory and had many teachers lead me to believe that music is something esoteric. But, I wanted to learn to play guitar, so I took a music lesson from a teacher who simply asked me to listen and point out what I hear, which we then put into context. That was an amazing revelation and it made me realize that music is in fact a common language. This video reminded me of that experience. I love music, but without learning how to appreciate the craft and get a sense of what is going on musically, I never would have listened to anything else other than what sounded familiar to me. Decades later, as I've learned to appreciate music, I listen to everything from Death Metal to Puccini and have had season tickets to both my local symphony and opera companies. I'm also a huge Iron Maiden fan. Thanks for posting this video and I hope you keep doing more of these type of educational things with other examples of musical contexts.
Thank you for the lovely comment. The tools we use to describe music can range from 'very nerdy' to 'almost universal'...the trick is to use these tools humbly to help us interact with the music we enjoy on the level with others.
Dude your really good at this. Being a musician myself I like the theory explanation. Nice job. UP THE IRONS
The lead singer Bruce Dickinson is also a qualified commercial airline pilot and flies the plane carrying the band, road crew and all of the equipment to all of the different cities / countries on the tours.
He also fenced for Great Britain and is a children’s book author. A truly modern day polymath.
Nicko Mcbrain literally accompanying every note of the three guitars and bass, Mcbrain is so fantastic
Thank you for a great reaction, and glad you enjoyed it.
I think you'd be interested in Aces High by them. The instrumentals are designed purposefully to mimic a British Spitfire in a dogfight during the Battle of Britain.
Iron Maiden - Revelations would be another good one
Agreed!
Great choice. That or Flight of Icarus from the Live After Death tour would be good.
Revelations, Seventh Son, Talisman, Alexander the Great... not enough space to list their best songs...
The Greatest band in the Universe...Iron Fucking Maiden for life!I love also Classical music, so it is a great video.
Iron Maiden’s gonna get you, no matter how far! Up The Irons! Love your reaction / analysis on this. 👍
Listening to the studio version to really appreciate the vocals.
First Iron Maiden reaction I have seen where I stopped focusing on maiden and started focusing on what was being said. Really interesting to hear and I learnt a lot too. Thanks
I'll add my voice to the Nightwish suggestions - Ghost Love Score is, as the name suggests, basically a score, Poet & the Pendulum is another longer one with multiple stages & The Greatest Show on Earth is an epic multi-sectioned masterpiece that should give you plenty to get your teeth into as a composer :)
I'd also suggest checking out Avantasia (Tobias Sammet's project), The Scarecrow in particular is excellent but they've also got an entire Metal Opera album.
Oh, and Blind Guardian are another interesting one.. one of their albums, Nightfall on Middle Earth, is indeed Tolkien inspired, the Silmarillion in particular.
Great suggestions 👍 especially think Ghost Love Score by Nightwish at Wacken Open Air 2013 is a great song and it is a fun song to analyze
@@JackReinieren It's one of the most reacted-to songs, if not, in fact, THE most, but I agree - it's an awesome performance and it would be very interesting to get Doug's opinions on it.
It is essential to react to some Nightwish!
It will happen at some point. It's just inevitable.
It will happen at some point. It's just inevitable.
That "gallop" at the start (The triplets), is really common in Iron maiden, and its often refered to as Steve Harris' bass gallop.
Masters and their craft. Changed my life forever. GOD BLESS IRON MAIDEN
Nice to hear your perspective on this tune... they've always been on a different level of "metal" band. Great composing and great musicianship combined. Thank you for taking notice.
I think you perfectly get the repetitiveness, especially of the last part of the song and I personally think that's part of the idea behind this song, actually. I always thought that this rithm resembles the one of the original poem by Samuel Coleridge which is also pretty long and has no "peaks". When you get to the last words it's a sort of relief but, like every good story, you feel like you're missing someone you know. The same for the super-easy song finale which just ends, leaving you waiting for something more.
It's not probably the most technical song of these guys but it's actually the Iron Maiden songs I love more.
Good spot on the guitar parts. Originally only two guitarists when recorded. Now there are three of them it must be tricky to avoid some duplication
You could try listening to “Infinite Dreams” & “Sign of the Cross”.
yeah EPIC songs too..
oh my god
from the top of my head
"Infinite dreams I can't deny them
Infinity is hard to comprehend"
"Restless sleep[s], the mind in turmoil!
One nightmare ends another fertile"
My two favourites also
Steve harris is self taught and doesnt know what scales are lol. Hes a machine .. my idol growing up
Yup! His style is totally his. Hand straight not curved lightly tapping the strings. Go Arry!!
Five stars for Doug- the extra context given by your taking us through the song in real-time - 'spannering' out exactly what is going on is absolutely great. I would think the classes you give must be a 'must attend' as well. Super stuff .......
Black Sabbath's Heaven and Hell, very interesting piece of music...
The lyrics are awesome.
LOL I was soo looking for any Dio requests. This is definitely a must.
Based on heavy metal, time changes, key changes, and "a-lot-of-stranges-ideas-on-the-same-song", I think you should check "The Dance Of Eternity" by Dream Theater.
That is the best line ever -- "their just fucking playing!" haha great reaction thank you so much
Note about the guitars: until 2000 they only had 2 guitarists. Then the guy, Adrian Smith who left the band around 1990 returned to the band but the guy who replaced him stayed in the band so alot of the older songs like this one there are more guitarists than when they originally performed it
First, I appreciate your perspective. It is so refreshing. I like how you point-out the notes and tempo. Usually, first reactions are from less educated people.
Second, I like how you do not stop the video. Most of, if not all the time, reaction videos are teeming with them stopping a video. We are watching you react to something we have already experienced, I am just trying to remember when I first heard this piece.
Thank you, and keep it up. Metal is a beautiful genre of music and it has always reminded me of the classical form.
Iron Maiden is great. As a composer you owe it to yourself to try anything by RUSH. YYZ, or La Villa Srangiato would be great starts Live at Rockn Rio are good source choices.
I love that these guys taught us history and poetry. Long haired metal monsters can cite all the lyrics. 🤘
Want to listen to something epic that combines Metal with Classical you need to listen to Nightwish , Ghost Love Score live at Wacken 2013 , its the gateway drug to the genius of Tuomas Holopainen and the Valkyrie Vocal Queen , Floor Jansen .
As soon as I saw the video, I was wondering if this would be a recommendation.
Glad you looked into it and was able to break down what you thought about it. Thanks for the vid. I know very little about music from a technical standpoint so it's fascinating to learn what's behind the music, the song and the melodies that makes me like them.
I know this might not be seen in the other 1.7 thousand comments, but your explanation of the song writer's use of the timing and chord and key changes really helps understand the "theory" used in making the song work along with the poem. I'm a "metal head from waaaay back" (also a bass player)and huge Iron Maiden fan and I always knew their music was written with purpose, but now that I decided to take lessons in music theory I'm just starting to "get" how it all comes together. This and the other video that prompted me here help.
Thanks very much for this!!
The birth of a Maiden Fan
If your favorite part of maiden is the storytelling, I might suggest Where the Wild Wind Blows, The Talisman, & Where Eagles Dare
Stranger in a Strange Land is another gem worth looking at.
Love your enthusiasm and input. You've got another subscriber. Thanks for quantifying our love for this band and their music and how they definitely stand apart.
This was done a few months ago, I hope you've found the metal community surprisingly support when new people come to appreciate the music we love. When it got to the augmented chords and you got excited I couldn't help, but smile.
Victim of Changes, from Judas Priest. One the greatest metal songs of all times.
When you mentioned that sometimes they dubble the guitars, maybe in this version it appears more because the band was originally a 2 guitar band and changed to 3 guitars after 2001.
Bruce Dickinson is a great syoryteller. Next Allowed be thy name, a true masterpiece
I’d like to agree but this is all Steve
Hallowed...
Doug this is such an excellent and educational idea for a channel concept. Kudos!
Since my early teens Ive always loved the ambient part in the middle. It successfully evokes this feeling of gothic horror at sea.
Its one of those things non Iron Maiden fans seldom hear.
I love when composers such as yourself start dipping their toes into metal. I hope that you'll find it to be far more complex and interesting compositionally than you have in the past! There are going to be many suggestions for other Iron Maiden songs (my personal choice for you to examine would be "When The Wild Wind Blows") - as well as other bands for you to check out. Tool is, to me, a composer's dream band (or, perhaps nightmarish), because they are so sonically interesting and compositionally challenging, odd meters and time signatures, and world-class musicianship from each member. A popular one among reactors is the Danny Carey drum cam of their song Pneuma. Jinjer would be another band that would surprise you, I suspect. In any case, it's great to see musicians complimenting musicians.
"This is what not to do, if a bird shits on you." Bird meaning - the albatross. (witness all the bad stuff that happened, when they did it wrong!)
Yeah, but he was right; Bruce said it as a double entendre
You're welcome. Though I'm a layman, I enjoyed how you musically broke it down, showing how the structures both play-out and how they return. You should consider Jinjer's Pisces, if you want interesting instrumentation.
What is absolutely amazing is that Steve Harris (the bassist) writes most of their music. And when asked what scales he likes to use in his music he says "I dont know what scales are". Steve has very little music theory knowledge...but all this comes naturally to him. And Doug you are correct... Steve Harris writes the music where the Bass stands out and drives the rhythm section as much as the drums do.
Rime of the Ancient Mariner is played more like a mini opera. The music and tempo is to set the stage of what is happening to the Mariner. Example the slow part is where the ship is stuck in the "dull drums" on the equator. This is an area where in the age of the sailing ship...the wind could just die and ships would sit for days or weeks. Sometimes causing starvation or death by dehydration (as happens in the poem and song). So it sets a mood of hopelessness, idleness, and waiting for something to happen.
As a bass player and former violin player...I find Metal and ESPECIALLY Iron Maiden has a LOT in common with Classical music. If you REALLY want to hear classical influence in metal you should listen to Ozzy Osborne's early solo music with the Guitarist Randy Rhodes...He was a classically trained guitarist that adapted classical music to Metal. Good example would be the song Mr. Crowley.
Very interesting hearing your technical breakdown of the chords and how they affect the mood/tone. Great job.
This man has to react to Queensryche: Operation Mindcrime
And MEGADETH, symphony of destruction
@@jettrainbow I think he meant the album.....
@@davideleardi3894 It deserves the full album treatment.
It wasn't as great as you remember from your childhood, other then the vocals.
Oh hell yes!