Can barely hear bruce, need to read the lyrics as he sings to enjoy it. Writing on the wall is by far the best song, atleast i can hear the lyrics and there is a riff to enjoy. I reckon the iron maiden is going rusty, and it's the production to blame, turn up the volume of the vocals and it would be spot on. I'd be curious to hear some of these songs on a live album, but there needs to be more riffs and there needs to be vocals to listen to, not just read them as the song plays.
@@theant9821 I actually rate this album 9.5/10 and think it's the best since Powerslave.Love every track not a weak note on the whole thing but if i had to pick my top 3 they would be Hell On Earth The Parchment and The Time Machine but the rest aren't far off either
Boring, bloated and very tired, with abysmal production and mixing. Shirley must go, Harris should not be involved with production. Guitar melodies behind almost all of the singing lines and lame keyboards make it sound very cheap. None of the long songs can justify their length. None of the songs really build up to anything, you wait for it to happen but no, the song ends with it's intro and that's it.
The first two minutes are nice, but too long, it doesn't progress or build, just repeats, to the point it sounds like the track is stuck. Aside from that, it's their best song in many years. Also, Bruce's raspy snarl on the 'love and anger' line is a thing to behold
At first, I must admit, I was a little bored and disappointed. But it grew on me massively and now, like you, I want to listen to it again and again. You have to see the full picture, the whole album is a rollercoaster. We are blessed they are still with us with the longest lasting formation of their whole career (22 years).
@@gabrielbarblay8120 listen the whole album alone, best if you travel, in car... But important thing is to listen alone, so you can appreciate every piece of instrument, and then listen again (it would be good if you listen with lyrics and headphones), after that you can listen how ever you like, because you will get goosepumps... That's how I do, with Maiden :-)
@@vagabondwastrel2361 lmaooooo, i dont think is that bad, is just nothing exceptional, specially for an albun that came out the same year as the new helloween record
The amazing thing about Iron Maiden is at least with me is that the more i hear it the more i liiike it. I hear a song and i think its Good or Ok, but after several times i sing along and i get goosebumps. You need to hear them 4 or 5 times before you get to appreciate how good every part of the song is.
That is the beauty of maiden. There is so much going on that you miss things at first. Later on, you catch more of the effort and skill it takes to write songs like these, musically and lyrically. You begin to understand the story behind each one. Then you are hooked. Or as I refer to as, being a maiden fan. Up the irons my friends!
So weird because I thought th same thing about Maiden. It grows on you. the first time I listened to iron maiden I was like " why do people like this?, all the songs sound the same!" Then I gave it another shot and I was like, how this is really complex and well written. The third and fourth times I listened I was like " wow, these guys are awesome, why doesn't everyone listen to these this band?!" And now Maiden is my my top #1 favorite. Every album. My faves are brave new world and x factor. The first time I heard x factor, I thought it sucked, but now it's my favorite album, top tier. Maiden used to be #3 below iced earth and blind guardian and guardian is still #2, but iced earth. . .if you don't know already, just Google the guy's name, or don't, if you don't want to be disillusioned. I love night wish too.
@@rocketpunch5577 Seeing them live is the greatest. I have taken family and friends that have never listened to Maiden and they all say the same thing, "The best concert I have ever seen. Now I wished I learned the songs before I went."
All the other good classic metal bands have either fallen into mediocrity, broken up, or died from drug ODs. Maiden is like no other in this regard, and I would say that in some ways, they have refined their craft even more over time and aged like a fine wine.
@@crazychomper1609 I love old Maiden, but post reunion Maiden is on another level. I don't care what the haters say, Senjutsu is top tier. They released arguably one of their best albums 40 years into their careers. How lucky are we that we get to hear it?
@@nebularain3338 it's actually a singer and songwriter's comment on how the music industry has made debasement and stupidity fashionable. People in general behave as heards, just like cattle, following trends and fads. So the real fault is with the cowboys steering the way. Iron Maiden has been one of the rare acts that has held up the finger to all fads and trends and stayed true to their vision of story telling, and in the case of this album, pays homage to the great prog acts of the 60's and 70's that were their main influences and favored long songs with many tempo and harmonic changes. To hear this when all the mainstream offers is repetitive lines of simplistic lyrics, quantized drum beats and everything else, and nothing of the imagination is sooo refreshing to anyone who had a good music history education and hasn't been lobotomized by social media and algorithms. Specially since even for Iron Maiden this pushes boundaries. So if you feel the comment is offensive to modern listeners maybe it's a good thing one or two kids reading this reflect on how the stuff they are feeding on affects them at every level of their being, and the quality of what they in turn produce in their own lives.
@@ricardoguarilha8192 - what an ignorant fool you are. why are you listening, reading and commenting here anyways, if you dislike MAIDEN since 'dance of death' which came out 18 years ago? just beat it !!
I totally agree with the last part! I first listened to the album 2 days ago and even though I picked my favourites songs straight away, I'm changing my mind with every listen since then. One thing is for sure, Maiden did an awesome job once again! 9/10 for me, I'm putting it next to Brave New World, which I consider their best album of the 00's + era.
@@dustinmiller1485 I agree with you. I am in the minority, dont mind! Lol. Everything by Maiden needs enough spins and acclimation, 4 spins in, and I think it's a real good release. Up The Irons.
This album reminds me of matter of life and death. The whole album is wonderfully made to fit together to take one track in isolation doesn't do it justice. Maiden have dropped a masterpiece here. I wasn't as kean on book of souls. But this is outstanding
If they wanted, they couldn't. Directionless, rehashed, continuously mid-paced, poorly-produced boredom seems to be the only thing the band has left in the tank.
Well said. My opinion is that it's a genuinely amazing piece of work - I was impressed straight off the bat, and I *know* it's going to grow on me. Right now, Days Of Future Past and Stratego have gripped me more than any other track, but I know the longer ones are going to creep up on me, on subsequent listens. Fantastic to have a band like the Irons out there, in 2021.
The bass lines on this album are much more complex than they were on the last two albums. Every time I listen to Death Of The Celts I hear new things I had not heard before.
All of their songs in the Senjutsu Album are freaking beautiful. Each have their own meaning and none can’t comprehend you need to reconsider how you think and operate friend
I absolutely agree. And I have the right not to buy it. If brainwashed Maiden fans don't hold the band to any standards at all then they will be happy with whatever the band farts out. Everyone is happy.
Sure, they earned right enough to do that. But new listeners, don't expect it to be an in/post corona revelation album similar to Helloween's Helloween, which is imho.
Somewhere in time in my humble opinion still sits at the top of the Maiden pile for vocals, musicality, production and as the ultimate full album listen
As a casual listener of Iron Maiden I tried to get through this Album, but couldn't. Sometime later on I put Killers and Peace of Mind to listen to in full for the first time. Holy crap is their older material miles better.
I was skeptical after hearing that inital single off the album. But, I'm happy I put those misgivings aside, and gave it a chance. Haven't been this happy with a Maiden release since Brave New World. Days of Future Past is the standout track for me. The Parchment definitely evoked a Powerslave vibe, and Stratego was a masterpiece.
It is actually amazing that IM could make an album so well put together, as monolith so you don't even feel like separating any song from the album, but instead you enjoy the full album. I feel absolutly the same as you do about Senjutsu, it is one of the best representatives of what we call "album rock", the tradition brought to us by Led Zeppelin back in early 70s. It is great that someone is still capable of creating albums like this, and it is really pleasing that it's Iron Maiden who actually did it recently!
I understand what folks mean when they say, "It isn't [insert band name]." However Iron Maiden created & performed the music. It's Iron Maiden. I'm only writing this because we've heard this nonsense since the mumblings after Somewhere in Time came out to the outright tantrums when 7th Son was released. Imagine creating music for decades, and each time a new piece of equipment inspires you, is disallowed. If things had played out a little differently and violin makers had their way, the 6 string guitar wouldn't have evolved. Everything changes ;)
They didn't bother to be original or work with a suitable producer for Maiden. Mostly REPETITIVE album considering what they did the two decades. Mostly pretentious and poorly produced sound. Maybe half the songs could be saved if they play them live.
I just started listening to iron maiden because of this album (I never have been one much for music but I think it is important that I try different genres to grow my experience)
I don’t know how many times I’ve listened to this album now, but I’m starting to get clear favorites that I’m revisiting more often. Currently I’d say, writing on the wall, hell on earth, days of future past, senjutsu, death of the celts and stratego (no particular order) are my tracks.
@@screenwriter8866 Yep, I liked other tracks, just they weren’t my top tracks. I’m now at only having death of the celts as a track I’m not that keen on - fell out of love with it. So 9/10 tracks I’m loving at the moment. My Senjutsu playlist is on shuffle repeat and Celts is the one I’m occasionally skipping.
@@screenwriter8866 yeah, weird one, I was listening to parchment and that clicked with me, next time celts came on I wasn’t so into it. I appreciate everything about the song, kind of imagining the battle in Highlander in medieval Scotland. I can’t agree more on how amazing it is to still have Maiden giving us new quality songs. It would be nice if COVID was under control so they could start touring again.
Great show! After two listenings I prefer Death of the Celts. For me there is no problem that there are "several" Iron Maidens. I love the era with Di Anno, early and later periods with Bruce. Even the one with Blaze was quite ok compared with other groups. I love this new proggy and mature Iron Maiden. As with my favourite group Rush I think that the songs themselves, individually were better and more direct back in the days but as album composers as a whole they have become so much better. The clear exception was 7th son of a 7th son which was very solid throughout every song. Cheers and up the Irons!
"I would be more surprised if they would drop another Piece of Mind at us". Well, being of that age bracket and "that guy", yes, I would love another Piece of Mind please.
The Parchment is basically like the lost second part of To Tame a Land... but better. I can't believe I'm even saying this, but it is a mind blowing track and Dave's solo rips.
@@VampireJack10 hm… why the hell should it? They’re both incredibly good albums, but NoB was the right one at the right time to give Maiden their final break-through. It‘ll always be the most important one, no matter how good PoM was (and I do think it‘s a masterpiece, too).
I undestand those people who are in love with those killer single note dual guitar riffs from the 80's era and finding this record boring, too long and predictable. But you cannot expect that a band will produce the same music for almost 40 years. Maybe the band name and the band logo stays the same for 40 years but the people behind it are changing and evolving. And if the band crossed a point where they have nothing to prove for anyone (and we all can agree that Maiden crossed that point) they will start to experimenting with new stuff. And you can trust that there is a true musicianship behind every song in this album. This album literally stunned me at first listen. It creates a so powerful atmosphere like an out-of-body experience. This atmosphere stays with you through the entire album, and then there are the bits of true Iron Maiden majesty like the verse riff and vocal line from Senjutsu, the chorus of Darkest hour and Startego and this list can go on and on
I agree with your comment. I'd just like to add that it's also kinda hard to not feel a little bit down with the "I've heard that before" feeling. First, because there are a lot of those in Senjutsu. Secondly, because we do know, as you said, they have nothing else to prove and also they have the talent and energy to still create good music. Maybe, they find themselves in a comfort zone. I can only imagine what it would be like if they were pushed in a different direction, production wise. I guess (it's only a guess) Steve Harris taking part as a producer leads the band to this comfort zone everytime they have to make a creative musical decision. Cheers!
I'm glad people are loving this album. As a fan since 1984 it's just ok for me. They really need a producer to tell them that long repetitive songs aren't "progressive", they're just long and repetitive. It's a decent record but those 12 minute Harris songs are ridiculous.
It's interesting that you say a band can't produce the same music for 40 years yet, as a fan of Maiden since 1983, all I've heard for the last 30 years is Fear of the Dark, over and again. The slow intro thing.....it's been done, Steve. I hate that I haven't liked anything since No Prayer but it's all just so formulaic since Fear. ....except The Wickerman. That is a great tune.
Hardcore maiden fan since 2000, when I discovered them during my teens. I read the comments and the fact that almost every song is mentioned as a favourite, shows the diversity of the album. I consider it as a summary of their whole career, with strong elements from Powerslave, X Factor and BnW. I think it's their best album since Brave new world, with Parchment and Hell on Earth being my favourites. It's still very early though, the album is still growing in us. Iron Maiden have nothing to prove and they are always honest and direct when it comes to new music material and live performances. Legends, period.
My favorite track on the album is, the Whole Freaking album. "UP THE IRONS"!!!!!!!!! Listened to it in its entirety last night and was Completely Blown Away.
Thank you.. finally someone is saying it too.. So good. It did for me, the same Pink floyd Comfortably numb and Dream Theaters Hallowed Years solo's do to me.. Goosebumps...
What I love about this album is that it doesn't stick to the typical song structure of verse/ chorus x10 / bridge. Instead, the songs feel more like epic poems recited to the rhythm of music. But what haunts me is the thought that Hell on Earth might have been the last new Maiden song ever released.
Enjoyed your Senjutsu review. Found myself on a tour of prior album styles or even a riff here and there that I could swear was from brave new world and even as "obscure" as A New Frontier. Still, a brilliant journey down a metal infused story like album, with power riffs and some new sounds sprinkled around the classic maiden post Brave New World sound. I am just grateful that after 16 albums and decades of success we are spoiled with another Maiden album. Up The Iron's!! Ps. Bruce sounding as melodic, operatic and moving as ever. What a singer!!
Became a Maiden Fan in 1980 in my teens. Although this album is technically brilliant as I would expect from them, it's not in the class of Power Slave, Somewhere in Time or Piece of Mind. Sorry.. But will always love them. Up the Irons!
Similar to all Maiden albums, you know straight away it's them: rehashing well-worn riffs, still with well-worn galloping beat tracks, and vocal sameness. It's listenable and interesting, but doesn't pull up any trees, IMO. Keep up the good work MP \m/
I’ve been Maiden fan since early 80’s and I can say this album is amazing. More you hear it more you like it. My favorite by far is He’ll on Heaven, but the whole album is wonderful.
Senjutsu's a really solid and a well written record. The Writing On The Wall is amazing and the music video to that song is really epic and cool but it is a bit over hyped. There are moments where the album does kind of lag and straggle a bit, nowhere near perfect and it's no masterpiece by any stretch but I do consider it to be one of the best albums of 2021.
I love the album. Darkest Hour and The Parchment are two favs. Writing on the Wall is a nice bit of different sound for Maiden. Lost in a lost world has a great first 2mins, but then becomes a little generic afterwards. Maiden have had long songs since Piece of Mind ( To Tame a Land - a song I love and get reminded of from a few Senjutsu tracks )
It's so amazing how we all like different things because Lost In A Lost World is my favorite track lol and I only like the first 5 studio albums and now Senjutsu
@@johndiamond4088 I also loved Lost in a Lost World. Not quite my favorite (My favorites were Parchment and Hell on Earth) but yah that's an amazing track.
Great record. Darkest hour got me in the soul. Writing on the wall based on Daniel(5) Days of future passed is classic Maiden. This record gets a solid "A" The Parchment is my favorite.
Dude, thank you so much for that verdict. I have seen comments (mostly in Iron Maiden's facebook) of people claiming they have heard all of Iron Maiden and this does not sound like them when in reality they have been doing things like this for 20 years. Anyway, pretty good album, my favorite since A matter of Life and Death. The Parchment, Time Machine and Hell on Earth are definitely on my personal top Iron Maiden songs ever
I love the album, fans can cry that they wanted more Run to the Hills or Trooper styles songs, when they can always just here those songs, Maidens approach with this album just hits the mood perfectly with all the bullshit we've been dealing with the past 2 years. Live in moment not in the past.
Exactly! Why would I want a rehash of The Trooper, when I can have the amazingness of The Parchment, Death Of The Celts, etc, etc…AND then also listen to The Trooper. Maiden continues to evolve more successfully than any other band than I can think of.
Thoroughly thrilled by this entire album! Iron Maiden always seems to pick the most awesome and appropriate songs to begin and end each album. Is this accidental? Or course not! These guys are masters of rock and it shows in this album start to end. Hell On Earth, Stratego, Senjutsu and The Writing On The Wall are my faves but every song has its virtues.
This album aside, reading the comments it amazes me how overlooked ‘A Matter of Life & Death’ is. To me that album is the best since Seventh Son. Loving Senjutsu btw. Senjutsu, Lost in a Lost World and Hell on Earth are my favourite atm but this will change tomorrow lol
Indeed! A Matter of Life & Death is by far my favorite Maiden's album. Sadly unappreciated by most of audiences. How I wish I could see them playing its songs again.
Just listened to the new album. They still got it! Bruce let's his voice really use his range and it is incredible. Especially after all the years and his battle with throat cancer. I'm not taking anything away from the rest of the band. All play as top notch. Can hear each ones unique style that meshes perfectly 👌. As usual, Harris is incredible! I wasn't sure after listening to the galloping rhythm that carries through the whole album. But, it just works on this one! Love it! A++ UP THE IRONS!
Please don’t hate on me but, I had played this album 💿 so many times (replay) and I am not getting into it. I understand the hard work, long hours these masters dedicated to this work, and I had listen to them since the killers album but, I can’t find a song that stands out. The slow tempo doesn’t attract me.
I agree the album is a cure for insomnia particularly the 2nd half maiden are just repeating themselves sadly and maiden have the sort of fanbase who love anything they put out so it isn’t gonna change.
I am loving this album more everytime I listen to it. I thought the singles were great but I feel the same, I want to hear it as an entire album. I definitely hear some Piece Of Mind and Powerslave vibes in some of these songs. Very good record!
One of the most sincere, kind and respectful reviews I've seen about Senjutsu. That are many "fans" out there not giving the deservedv respect for this band... Many raging about Senjutsu not being Powerslave 2... And one even suggesting iron maiden should stop putting up albums... Anyway. It's very sad. Great review, very intelligent especially when you avoid comparisons with their 80s material! Keep up the good work!
They didn't bother to be original or work with a suitable producer for Maiden. REPETITIVE album for the last two decades. Just pretentious and poorly produced sound. Little is saved on this one.
@@VNeto94 don't listen to it then. We loved it. I'm sad for you. One less album for you to enjoy. One more for me. Taste is taste. The album sounds exactly how Steve and the band want it to sound. No producer is ever going to change that. This band is 46 y.o. if a producer tries to change anything, they fire him immediately. It is what it is and it works for me. I loved it.
@@filipezanini413 it feels like they don't try anymore and throw whatever recycled idea on any song to try to be "progressive" and "epic". They should stick to live concerts where they mostly play their old stuff (that's what fans pay to see anyway 😉)
@@filipezanini413 with time, fans will forget about this album and the hype will end. It will become just another one in their 2000's discography. I'd like to see how would they do if they played at least 6 out of 10 songs in their live gigs.
I certainly agree with your assessment that there is not a single a track I want to go back and listen to, but I've listened to the entire album several times now, and it just keeps getting better...as a whole. The entire album is seamless and your comment about the journey, with it's ebbs and flows, is a prefect description of that journey.
It's a work of art! I've liked iron maiden since the early 1990s, love how they've changed their music direction over the years, yes they still produce some fast songs between 4/5 mins always nice to hear again. But the long epics are something no other band can match in my opinion. Look forward to the Senjutsu tour 🤘🔥
I’m in 100% agreement with you. For me there are is also no particular “one song”. I really enjoy this album as a whole. It flows really well like a great movie from beginning to end.
They don't land all their punches on it, but 3 or 4 killer tracks for me, which is pretty much on par with their newer stuff. Kudos to them for not making a safe album tho. Media and fans pretty positive on it, more casual listeners ripping on it a bit.
I've been listening to it non stop since the release, I'm leaning at this point in saying that this is their best work since Bruce and Adrian came back. Multi-layered, intricate, great instrument work, and Bruce's vocals strong as ever...overall just badass. Up the Irons!
They didn't bother to be original or work with a suitable producer for Maiden. REPETITIVE album for the last two decades. Just pretentious and poorly produced sound. Little is saved on this one.
Since this era of Maiden, from Brave New World (actually the longest line up of their history, over 20 years now), their albums have been amazing, I thought they topped it with The Book of Souls, but Senjutsu seriously gives it a run for its money. I wasn't expecting it to be this sort of sound, it seems more bass/mid heavy than anything pre The Book of Souls, I guess they're really enjoying playing around with different tunings. Certainly different to The Writing on the Wall, while it's a really cool song, I didn't want the album to have that sort of theme, what I heard is something totally different to what I was expecting, certainly different to what they've done before. Maiden are in their prime right now, odd given what amazing albums they've done back in the 1980s. Up the Irons.
Definitely not in their prime The 80's material is out of this world with originality,like something from another planet Though they have managed to patiently work on a formula well into old age which is a feat in itself
Let me tell you my age bracket by saying this... I'm not waiting for them dropping another Piece Of Mind on us. No no no!! I've never ever waited for that. I'm still waiting for them dropping another Iron Maiden on us!!, And I've waited and waited and waiiiiiited. But it's never ever gonna come. If those boys could remember how it alllllll began, and recreate it juuuust one more time, I'd die a happy man!! It's been an interesting journey for me (and many like me), to be able to say yes, i was there at the start. We've watched them grow and learn and evolve over the decades into this huge spectacle of brilliance. But when I paid £5 for a ticket to see them in the Mayfair in my local town, it really was something special. (Check out the BBC session on you tube for a feel of what you missed if your a young fan). The edgy raw gritty punk edged vibe grew into a stadium filling wealth of cleaned up professional excellence, and for me, that's just a bit of a pity sometimes. Ahhhhh the good old days Everyone sounded so much better when they were struggling!! But ignore me, what do I know, I'm just an old fart. Edit bit: One question I've always pondered over the decades is this. Just how much of Iron Maidens success can be attributed to Derek Riggs? Think about it. Take it all away, every last bit of it, then try as you might to conceive what you would be looking at today. I firmly believe Maiden owe Riggs everything when talking about the "size" of their success!!!
This album is great. Just the fact that after 40yrs they still make quality music like this is an achievement in itself. How many bands that have been around as long as them still produce quality albums? You'll be hard pressed to find one in the hard rock/metal world. 9/10
I grew up on early Maiden. And one of the consistent things about them is that their sound has always evolved - even before Bruce and Adrian left (SSoaSS, for instance). So, unlike some of my age group, I look forward to each new evolution of their sound, and love that their sound simultaneously evolves and yet still sounds like Maiden, all at the same time. So far, I have no favorite, and have had the album on repeat for a ridiculous amount of hours. "Hell on Earth" is one of my current top songs, but, I am sure that will change again soon.
Of course this is all subjective, but I don't get the comparisons between The Parchment and Powerslave. Sure, they use similar kind of oriental-sounding scales, but The Parchment is way more similar to The Nomad, in my opinion. Not in a copy, paste kind of way. But the tempo is similar, the groove, the keys, and yes, the scale.
I've listened to the album a half dozen times now. The chorus on the title track is ridiculously awesome. Iron Maiden has a way of involving the audience with the these crazy anthemic choruses. I can only imagine what will sound like live.
I have not listened to IM for years. A friend mentioned that they had a new album out. I said “why not?” After playing it…I feel like I’m 15 again. I’m on my 3rd listen! One of the post mentioned something about this being an actual album. It really does seem like there’s a cohesive theme running through it which I welcome! Really enjoying this one!
Fan since early 80s and I'm very impressed but not surprised one bit how great this album is. Can't wait till you guys come back to New England Mansfield Massachusetts. Many concerts under this old man's belt and will never miss Maiden.
The Writings on the Wall sounds to like a perfect unintentional response to Afghanistan as seen in the line 'Now we are victorious, we've become our slaves A land of hope and glory, building graveyards for the brave.' Of course, we know it is meant to be about Belshazzar's feast.
I think you nailed it down: this album needs to be listened to as a whole piece, it is a journey. The magic is that you can definitely recognize the Maiden style, but with different influences and approach, which can be strange at first but then start to work on you. I prefer the stuff from Dickinson and Smith on this album and solos and drums stands out clearly. Not to mention Bruce which makes some tracks so emotional, I got goose bumps many times. What I regret? The length of some tracks, the muddy solos from Jannick and sometimes the voice could be mixed more in the front. Definitely a great album, no doubt about it.
I had a 6 hour road trip when I bought the album. I had to split it up because after a while, the 8 minute or longer songs just all blur together. The album is in desperate need of pruning. One song has 4 distinct intro parts; which are then repeated at the end. It's over 10 minutes long. They could remove three of those and have a great 8 minute song.
I am still on the fence on whether to buy this album because I’ve been burned by Book of Souls. That album did nothing for me and it didn’t help that it was a double album, which ultimately I became bored by the end of it. This being a double album I fear it would be more of the same.
I've been an Iron Maiden fan for 20 or so years. I was on a 6 hour road trip when I listened to this album. I had to take breaks because after a while it was boring. The songs average over 8 minutes long, with several over 10. It wasn't bad playing; but it felt to me like it needed a lot of copy editing.
I think the singles were released more to build hype than anything else. And that this album is filled with some of what I have as my favorite singles aaand it's best is the two closing tracks, followed by The Time Machine, and then I can't decide anymore about the rest
I've been a fan of Iron Maiden since their first album. Senjutsu is excellent and is in my top 10 Maiden albums of all time, but the last three songs could be a little shorter. Up the Irons!!!
For me, Death of the Celts is spot on, The Parchment hasn't clicked yet and Hell on Earth could be three times as long and I would still think it ended too soon, it's the standout track of a quality album.
I totally agree about what you said about The Writing On The Wall and infact the entire album. I am so looking forward to returning to Disk Two tomorrow. I love this album. Need to fully absorb it, but I am enjoying the variety of sounds and styles within the Maiden sound. "Hell On Earth" will be awesome live!
Controversial opinion here: I actually find the title track 'Senjutsu' to be the weakest of the album. It's still good! But if I had to pick my least favorite, that's the one.
I listened the album on the release day but I was struggling a lot. I was suffering depression and I couldn't appreciate all the album, almost all music seemed empty to me. Now that I'm better, the album grew on me, but I have to admit that from the release day of Senjutsu I've bee in love with The Parchment. Still loving this track to this day, it helps me a lot. :) And now I'm loving Senjutsu, Stratego, The Writing On The Wall, Death Of The Celts and Hell On Earth.
It’s an awesome record. So happy when I saw them in October they played 3 songs off it. It was even nicer to see those songs go over really well with the audience.
I like the album. I’m an old school fan, but I am also open minded. I wasn’t sure what to expect, & there has been a mixed reaction,but I was pleasantly surprised when I heard it. Sometimes newer albums take a few listens for me to really get into, but I was digging this right off the bat!
Having been a Maiden fan since the early 80's I can honestly say... it's an album. I hesitate to say anything to the effect of "it was written by formula", but there's really not a lot that could be called "new" or "surprising", yet it isn't as (blatantly) rehashed as some long lived bands end up doing (coughcoughACDCcough). The biggest departure from a "standard/ typical" Maiden tune is Writing on the Wall which musically strikes me as more fitting to a Smith solo project than a Maiden album; obviously Bruce's input threw more it into Maiden territory.
No my frenz, I cannot agree. I am a life-long Maiden fan and I liked "Brave New World," but this post Y2K Maiden just leaves me feeling like "meh." Again with Senjutsu, Maiden fills an entire album with slow, laborious, drawn-out "epics" and show tunes so that Bruce can dress up in endless costumes during the live show. I only have one question: Where's the Fire?! I get so bored listening to these songs plod along with no exciting moments. The only thing that keeps me listening is because I like the way things sound, sonically. Maiden has always had good guitar tones, and the drums are very natural sounding. However, sometimes I think Steve's bass is too "toppy." Rod Smallwood needs to have a chat with the lads and tell them to speed up the tempos, put some o' dat East London punk attitude back in there, and shorten the songs to 4 minutes or so...and only allow one "epic" per album. IMO, Senjutsu proves to me, again, that Steve Harris is saving all his good songs for British Lion because their last two albums have been vastly more fun to listen to than Maiden.
Phenomenal and Epic this new Iron Maiden album is. From top to bottom, this album is a true masterpiece. I've been listening this group since 1979 and today in 2021 they are still putting other bands to shame.
Nice review! I totally agree that the singles get another taste, a much better one, when listened with the tracks among them in the album. Particularly, I find Senjutsu alone a boring and weack track, but you got just the point: it sets the ambience of the album perfectly, puts us into the Senjutsu atmosphere and welcome us to that rollercoaster of emotions. As a young listener of Iron Maiden - I’m 24 - Senjutsu is the work that caused me the greatest impression among all the discography, and might be my favorite as I digest it along the years. Hell on Earth was the first song I heard from it and I will never forget the amazement that blew me away magically in that ocasion. No other IM track ever had that effect on me. Overall, what I see in Senjutsu is a vigorous and mature Iron Maiden that outdoes itself without losing its identity. A really delightfull journey of 110 minutes.
after 20 years away from IM, I fell in LOVE with tBoS - a 10/10 for me with every track perfect. My most played album (last.fm) for the last 2 years... so I was nervous.. and now after a week I agree, it's an album album (no single track stands out), but I think there was too much Harris - esp on disk 2. Lost in a lost, death of celts and parchment are all not up to par.... maybe the last two needed a good edit.. and are actually boring.. Lost has a odd first 1/3.. est Bruce's singing... over all.. 7 or 8/10 - so no Powerslave/ Peirce of mind or Book of Souls for me (their 10/10 albums for this listener)..
I'm curious, do you still feel the same way about the album? I thought the last 3 songs were boring in the beginning, but now I'm really enjoying them. Granted, I do think some editing would help at least 2 of them.
@@danw4490 Just to test a theory I insisted that my friend play the album whilst we had a beer in his kitchen, his first response was 'do we have to' cos he thought it was boring and ploddy the first time round. My theory is that long term fans of bands suffer from something I refer to as New Album Syndrome, they expect to feel that rush that you first felt when you were 12 and heard Run To The Hills on the chart countdown and it blew your mind that you had thought you enjoyed pop music but Heavy Metal has just set your world on fire. New albums cannot do this, just like drugs don't work after the first few goes. I wanted to be entertained on my first listen and I was disappointed, yet again. So we sat there, cracked open a beer and talked and ignored Iron Maiden for about 20 minutes. Then I said 'wow listen to that riff, it rocks' followed by 'Wow, Guitar solo!' We listened unintently to the rest of the album and I declared it a masterpiece of dadmetal, the ultimate background music for old men. New youth music genres are not for me. I can't get excited and go mental at gigs anymore in case my knees come off or my back goes. So there we have it. The album is not boring, old fogies are boring.
I've been listening to Senjutsu for hours now and I couldn't take it anymore. I had to run and play Number of the Beast, Powerslave, and Killers in a row to detox.
My metal roots come from the 70's and the 'Hair Metal' camp of the 80's, I cut my teeth on KISS (My mother listened to ELVIS PRESLEY constantly) And she wondered why I turned to KISS, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, IRON MAIDEN and other Metal Greats! After hearing "Elvis" 8-14 hours a day growing up, I could feel brain cells dying! Fast forward to today. With KISS no longer recording new material, and craving something fresh I turned back to IRON MAIDEN when 'The Final Frontier' came out. My father had passed away just prior to the album coming out and the first two songs reminded me of what he might of said to me from the other side. The Album blew my mind. Book of souls was even better. And SENJUTSU is icing on the cake! More please, and keep up the great work! I will be listening and buying everything IRON MAIDEN makes!
*What did you think of Senjutsu?*
Can barely hear bruce, need to read the lyrics as he sings to enjoy it.
Writing on the wall is by far the best song, atleast i can hear the lyrics and there is a riff to enjoy.
I reckon the iron maiden is going rusty, and it's the production to blame, turn up the volume of the vocals and it would be spot on.
I'd be curious to hear some of these songs on a live album, but there needs to be more riffs and there needs to be vocals to listen to, not just read them as the song plays.
@@theant9821 I actually rate this album 9.5/10 and think it's the best since Powerslave.Love every track not a weak note on the whole thing but if i had to pick my top 3 they would be Hell On Earth The Parchment and The Time Machine but the rest aren't far off either
yes, very nice, very nice indeed.
Absolutely loved it! Definitely shows they still have a lot left in the tank!
Boring, bloated and very tired, with abysmal production and mixing. Shirley must go, Harris should not be involved with production. Guitar melodies behind almost all of the singing lines and lame keyboards make it sound very cheap. None of the long songs can justify their length. None of the songs really build up to anything, you wait for it to happen but no, the song ends with it's intro and that's it.
"Hell On Earth" is soooo good
Yeh but could trim 2 mins off the beginning and 90secs off the end, alot of bloated songs
2nd best on the album.
@@xierotron Disagred. Imo Senjutsu, Darkest Hour and The Parchment are a bit too long but 11 minutes of Hell on Earth pass like its nothing.
While I really like Senjutsu, Stratego and Writing on the Wall, Hell on Earth has become my favorite and a perfect final track
The first two minutes are nice, but too long, it doesn't progress or build, just repeats, to the point it sounds like the track is stuck. Aside from that, it's their best song in many years.
Also, Bruce's raspy snarl on the 'love and anger' line is a thing to behold
Bruce could be mixed a bit louder, but for me, the album is a blast.
The voice is only low on YT.
100% agree. Some strange goings-on on this album. Synths are horrendous.
@@belshazzarsf3ast once you look at the lyrics, its better
@@singingsmcg I quite like the synths
@@tomasburian5082 Well yes but YT compresses the audio way too much.
At first, I must admit, I was a little bored and disappointed. But it grew on me massively and now, like you, I want to listen to it again and again. You have to see the full picture, the whole album is a rollercoaster. We are blessed they are still with us with the longest lasting formation of their whole career (22 years).
ive only listened through once and i can feel the same thing, it just felt slow and monotonous, but all songs were good, so i guess itll grow on me
@@gabrielbarblay8120 Just listen to it on a faster speed and the album improves by at least 500% to rate a good 2/10
@@gabrielbarblay8120 listen the whole album alone, best if you travel, in car... But important thing is to listen alone, so you can appreciate every piece of instrument, and then listen again (it would be good if you listen with lyrics and headphones), after that you can listen how ever you like, because you will get goosepumps... That's how I do, with Maiden :-)
@@miroslavbajic8820 i mean, thats exactly how i listened to it lol, still pretty cool
@@vagabondwastrel2361 lmaooooo, i dont think is that bad, is just nothing exceptional, specially for an albun that came out the same year as the new helloween record
The amazing thing about Iron Maiden is at least with me is that the more i hear it the more i liiike it. I hear a song and i think its Good or Ok, but after several times i sing along and i get goosebumps. You need to hear them 4 or 5 times before you get to appreciate how good every part of the song is.
That is the beauty of maiden. There is so much going on that you miss things at first. Later on, you catch more of the effort and skill it takes to write songs like these, musically and lyrically. You begin to understand the story behind each one. Then you are hooked. Or as I refer to as, being a maiden fan. Up the irons my friends!
Same with me
Not just me then! On The Parchment I get goosebumps at the “meet..me…therrrrrrre” part, every single time. This album IS a masterpiece
So weird because I thought th same thing about Maiden. It grows on you.
the first time I listened to iron maiden I was like " why do people like this?, all the songs sound the same!"
Then I gave it another shot and I was like, how this is really complex and well written.
The third and fourth times I listened I was like " wow, these guys are awesome, why doesn't everyone listen to these this band?!"
And now Maiden is my my top #1 favorite. Every album. My faves are brave new world and x factor. The first time I heard x factor, I thought it sucked, but now it's my favorite album, top tier.
Maiden used to be #3 below iced earth and blind guardian and guardian is still #2, but iced earth. . .if you don't know already, just Google the guy's name, or don't, if you don't want to be disillusioned.
I love night wish too.
@@rocketpunch5577 Seeing them live is the greatest. I have taken family and friends that have never listened to Maiden and they all say the same thing, "The best concert I have ever seen. Now I wished I learned the songs before I went."
It's amazing that 40 years into their career they're still fully capable of releasing music that explores new themes and is interesting
All the other good classic metal bands have either fallen into mediocrity, broken up, or died from drug ODs. Maiden is like no other in this regard, and I would say that in some ways, they have refined their craft even more over time and aged like a fine wine.
@@crazychomper1609 Judas Priest would like a word with ya
@@crazychomper1609 I love old Maiden, but post reunion Maiden is on another level. I don't care what the haters say, Senjutsu is top tier. They released arguably one of their best albums 40 years into their careers. How lucky are we that we get to hear it?
@@MrPeterStevens Is everything okay with you mister?
Totaly a full album experience. And that's so refreshing in this age of Playlists, streaming and decrepit attention spans.
Oh jeez, another boomer comment which has to shit on modern listeners.
@@nebularain3338 it's actually a singer and songwriter's comment on how the music industry has made debasement and stupidity fashionable. People in general behave as heards, just like cattle, following trends and fads. So the real fault is with the cowboys steering the way.
Iron Maiden has been one of the rare acts that has held up the finger to all fads and trends and stayed true to their vision of story telling, and in the case of this album, pays homage to the great prog acts of the 60's and 70's that were their main influences and favored long songs with many tempo and harmonic changes.
To hear this when all the mainstream offers is repetitive lines of simplistic lyrics, quantized drum beats and everything else, and nothing of the imagination is sooo refreshing to anyone who had a good music history education and hasn't been lobotomized by social media and algorithms. Specially since even for Iron Maiden this pushes boundaries.
So if you feel the comment is offensive to modern listeners maybe it's a good thing one or two kids reading this reflect on how the stuff they are feeding on affects them at every level of their being, and the quality of what they in turn produce in their own lives.
@@jonmaz8080 stands up and applauds in his living room after reading this comment. Well done, sir.
Refreshing ? What on our good lord's world are you talking about? Maiden is fully engaged in self plagiarism since Dance of Death.
@@ricardoguarilha8192 -
what an ignorant fool you are.
why are you listening, reading and commenting here anyways, if you dislike MAIDEN since 'dance of death' which came out 18 years ago?
just beat it !!
Death of the Celts is a gem, followed by Hell on Earth, Days of future Past and Senjutsu. Deffo my favs of this album... Up the Irons!
Funny, first time I heard "Death of the Celts" I was utterly bored and turned it off....opinions.
Love death of the Celts and time machine.
I totally agree with the last part! I first listened to the album 2 days ago and even though I picked my favourites songs straight away, I'm changing my mind with every listen since then. One thing is for sure, Maiden did an awesome job once again! 9/10 for me, I'm putting it next to Brave New World, which I consider their best album of the 00's + era.
Totally agree one of the best of the 2000s .
Its close to BNW in quality and scope..which is wonderful
Dude brave new world is on another level compared to senjetsu. I can’t even fathom how anyone could say otherwise. This is a pretty boring record
AMOLAD I feel is the best of the 00's.
@@dustinmiller1485 I agree with you. I am in the minority, dont mind! Lol. Everything by Maiden needs enough spins and acclimation, 4 spins in, and I think it's a real good release. Up The Irons.
This album reminds me of matter of life and death. The whole album is wonderfully made to fit together to take one track in isolation doesn't do it justice. Maiden have dropped a masterpiece here. I wasn't as kean on book of souls. But this is outstanding
spot on
Totally digging this album and like that they don't remain stagnant. Imagine if they did Number of the Beast Pt. 17.
That would be glorious lol
If they wanted, they couldn't. Directionless, rehashed, continuously mid-paced, poorly-produced boredom seems to be the only thing the band has left in the tank.
Technically pt. 15
@@jrigdon1games Yes, true.
That was an alignement of planets, Bruce's words.
Well said. My opinion is that it's a genuinely amazing piece of work - I was impressed straight off the bat, and I *know* it's going to grow on me. Right now, Days Of Future Past and Stratego have gripped me more than any other track, but I know the longer ones are going to creep up on me, on subsequent listens. Fantastic to have a band like the Irons out there, in 2021.
Those two songs are fantastic. Parchment and Hell on Earth are also incredible.
The bass lines on this album are much more complex than they were on the last two albums. Every time I listen to Death Of The Celts I hear new things I had not heard before.
Agreed. I listened to it earlier today and was still finding new things to love.
All of their songs in the Senjutsu Album are freaking beautiful. Each have their own meaning and none can’t comprehend you need to reconsider how you think and operate friend
I would say they have earned the right to do anything they want 😂
I absolutely agree. And I have the right not to buy it. If brainwashed Maiden fans don't hold the band to any standards at all then they will be happy with whatever the band farts out. Everyone is happy.
No
Amen to that
@@Hatemoth yes
Sure, they earned right enough to do that. But new listeners, don't expect it to be an in/post corona revelation album similar to Helloween's Helloween, which is imho.
Hell on Earth is a show stopper and my favourite for sure, pure Steve Harris brilliant!
Dude, I haven't stopped playing it since it came out, I think the parchment is my all-time favorite song right now... It's unreal EPIC
dude yeessss
We will be friends forever. :-)
Somewhere in time in my humble opinion still sits at the top of the Maiden pile for vocals, musicality, production and as the ultimate full album listen
For me that is SSOASS, but somewhere in time is fantastic
Got to agree with you on that one. Somewhere in time is a literal masterpiece.
As a casual listener of Iron Maiden I tried to get through this Album, but couldn't.
Sometime later on I put Killers and Peace of Mind to listen to in full for the first time. Holy crap is their older material miles better.
I was skeptical after hearing that inital single off the album. But, I'm happy I put those misgivings aside, and gave it a chance. Haven't been this happy with a Maiden release since Brave New World. Days of Future Past is the standout track for me. The Parchment definitely evoked a Powerslave vibe, and Stratego was a masterpiece.
It is actually amazing that IM could make an album so well put together, as monolith so you don't even feel like separating any song from the album, but instead you enjoy the full album. I feel absolutly the same as you do about Senjutsu, it is one of the best representatives of what we call "album rock", the tradition brought to us by Led Zeppelin back in early 70s. It is great that someone is still capable of creating albums like this, and it is really pleasing that it's Iron Maiden who actually did it recently!
The Parchment and Hell on Earth and Days of Future Past are literally some of their best songs ever.
I put Stratego and Writing On the Wall in that list.
I agree
Actually darkest hour was good too, the obscurity feeling of the song makes it intriguing.
@@RaulGonzalez-rs1be Yeah, that is one of my favorites on the album!
The parchment is by far the worst song on the album to me lol
The Parchment is my favorite track on the album
I think I agree.
It’s certainly the best of the longer songs (IMHO).
my favorite too. i also like hell on earth and the writing on the wall a lot.
It is a glorious song!
Its flipping amazing
the pick noise at 6:47 gets on my nerves. but great album.
I understand what folks mean when they say, "It isn't [insert band name]." However Iron Maiden created & performed the music. It's Iron Maiden. I'm only writing this because we've heard this nonsense since the mumblings after Somewhere in Time came out to the outright tantrums when 7th Son was released. Imagine creating music for decades, and each time a new piece of equipment inspires you, is disallowed. If things had played out a little differently and violin makers had their way, the 6 string guitar wouldn't have evolved. Everything changes ;)
This is a perfect maiden album. Can't stop listening to it.
Up the irons
They didn't bother to be original or work with a suitable producer for Maiden. Mostly REPETITIVE album considering what they did the two decades. Mostly pretentious and poorly produced sound. Maybe half the songs could be saved if they play them live.
@@VNeto94 Nobody cares.
@@ZiddersRooFurry you cared to answer.
I just started listening to iron maiden because of this album (I never have been one much for music but I think it is important that I try different genres to grow my experience)
@@VNeto94 brucey just needs to retire and become an elderly man who eats porridge 🥣
As a life long fan of Maiden I love this album. Listen as a whole entity to get the whole story
I don’t know how many times I’ve listened to this album now, but I’m starting to get clear favorites that I’m revisiting more often. Currently I’d say, writing on the wall, hell on earth, days of future past, senjutsu, death of the celts and stratego (no particular order) are my tracks.
Same i have maybe play the songs reapet on this album around 60 hours now😍 and lost in a lost world is my favorite 😅 I cries every 2 first minutes
What about Darkest Hour? I thought that was an incredible ballad.
@@screenwriter8866 Yep, I liked other tracks, just they weren’t my top tracks. I’m now at only having death of the celts as a track I’m not that keen on - fell out of love with it.
So 9/10 tracks I’m loving at the moment. My Senjutsu playlist is on shuffle repeat and Celts is the one I’m occasionally skipping.
Oh really? I fucking LOVE Death of the Celts. But totally respect your opinion bro. I just love that Maiden are still in top form after all this time.
@@screenwriter8866 yeah, weird one, I was listening to parchment and that clicked with me, next time celts came on I wasn’t so into it. I appreciate everything about the song, kind of imagining the battle in Highlander in medieval Scotland.
I can’t agree more on how amazing it is to still have Maiden giving us new quality songs. It would be nice if COVID was under control so they could start touring again.
Great show! After two listenings I prefer Death of the Celts. For me there is no problem that there are "several" Iron Maidens. I love the era with Di Anno, early and later periods with Bruce. Even the one with Blaze was quite ok compared with other groups. I love this new proggy and mature Iron Maiden. As with my favourite group Rush I think that the songs themselves, individually were better and more direct back in the days but as album composers as a whole they have become so much better. The clear exception was 7th son of a 7th son which was very solid throughout every song. Cheers and up the Irons!
"I would be more surprised if they would drop another Piece of Mind at us". Well, being of that age bracket and "that guy", yes, I would love another Piece of Mind please.
The Parchment is basically like the lost second part of To Tame a Land... but better. I can't believe I'm even saying this, but it is a mind blowing track and Dave's solo rips.
"Piece Of Mind" is undoubtedly their masterpiece.
Yup.
It's my favourite Maiden too.
Pisses all over Beast imho.
@@VampireJack10 hm… why the hell should it? They’re both incredibly good albums, but NoB was the right one at the right time to give Maiden their final break-through. It‘ll always be the most important one, no matter how good PoM was (and I do think it‘s a masterpiece, too).
@@bf1lv I think Senjutsu, Seventh Son, Somewhere in Time, AMOLAD, Brave New World, and Iron Maiden are better.
I actually keep coming back to the parchment and hell on earth, definitely my favorite songs on the album
Yeah, I'm the same at the moment.
The Parchment reminds me so much of The Nomad.
The parchment is fucking brilliant
Heavy
A bit like to tame a land
But with about 15 guitar solos in it
I’ve been playing HoE and The Parchment on rotation haha
I undestand those people who are in love with those killer single note dual guitar riffs from the 80's era and finding this record boring, too long and predictable. But you cannot expect that a band will produce the same music for almost 40 years. Maybe the band name and the band logo stays the same for 40 years but the people behind it are changing and evolving. And if the band crossed a point where they have nothing to prove for anyone (and we all can agree that Maiden crossed that point) they will start to experimenting with new stuff. And you can trust that there is a true musicianship behind every song in this album.
This album literally stunned me at first listen. It creates a so powerful atmosphere like an out-of-body experience. This atmosphere stays with you through the entire album, and then there are the bits of true Iron Maiden majesty like the verse riff and vocal line from Senjutsu, the chorus of Darkest hour and Startego and this list can go on and on
I agree with your comment. I'd just like to add that it's also kinda hard to not feel a little bit down with the "I've heard that before" feeling. First, because there are a lot of those in Senjutsu. Secondly, because we do know, as you said, they have nothing else to prove and also they have the talent and energy to still create good music. Maybe, they find themselves in a comfort zone. I can only imagine what it would be like if they were pushed in a different direction, production wise. I guess (it's only a guess) Steve Harris taking part as a producer leads the band to this comfort zone everytime they have to make a creative musical decision. Cheers!
I'm glad people are loving this album. As a fan since 1984 it's just ok for me. They really need a producer to tell them that long repetitive songs aren't "progressive", they're just long and repetitive. It's a decent record but those 12 minute Harris songs are ridiculous.
It's interesting that you say a band can't produce the same music for 40 years yet, as a fan of Maiden since 1983, all I've heard for the last 30 years is Fear of the Dark, over and again. The slow intro thing.....it's been done, Steve. I hate that I haven't liked anything since No Prayer but it's all just so formulaic since Fear. ....except The Wickerman. That is a great tune.
Hardcore maiden fan since 2000, when I discovered them during my teens. I read the comments and the fact that almost every song is mentioned as a favourite, shows the diversity of the album. I consider it as a summary of their whole career, with strong elements from Powerslave, X Factor and BnW. I think it's their best album since Brave new world, with Parchment and Hell on Earth being my favourites. It's still very early though, the album is still growing in us. Iron Maiden have nothing to prove and they are always honest and direct when it comes to new music material and live performances. Legends, period.
My son and I are both hard-core Maiden fans, and our feeling is this may be their swan song. Hope it's not true.
My favorite track on the album is, the Whole Freaking album. "UP THE IRONS"!!!!!!!!! Listened to it in its entirety last night and was Completely Blown Away.
Darkest hour. The solos in that is crazy.
fav song on album
I agree the solo made that song cool in my opinion
Song gave me Virus vibes, absolutely love the track, this album hits the mood perfectly
Yeah darkest hour strongest song since 1988
Thank you.. finally someone is saying it too.. So good. It did for me, the same Pink floyd Comfortably numb and Dream Theaters Hallowed Years solo's do to me.. Goosebumps...
What I love about this album is that it doesn't stick to the typical song structure of verse/ chorus x10 / bridge. Instead, the songs feel more like epic poems recited to the rhythm of music.
But what haunts me is the thought that Hell on Earth might have been the last new Maiden song ever released.
It sticks to the same old repetitive pretending to be progressive 2000s Maiden.
Then don't read the lyrics too closely....terribly written poetry. Steve's lyrics are utterly meh....
But Hell on Earth is good.
Enjoyed your Senjutsu review. Found myself on a tour of prior album styles or even a riff here and there that I could swear was from brave new world and even as "obscure" as A New Frontier.
Still, a brilliant journey down a metal infused story like album, with power riffs and some new sounds sprinkled around the classic maiden post Brave New World sound.
I am just grateful that after 16 albums and decades of success we are spoiled with another Maiden album.
Up The Iron's!!
Ps. Bruce sounding as melodic, operatic and moving as ever.
What a singer!!
Became a Maiden Fan in 1980 in my teens. Although this album is technically brilliant as I would expect from them, it's not in the class of Power Slave, Somewhere in Time or Piece of Mind. Sorry.. But will always love them. Up the Irons!
well said brother. no albums could ever top those works of art
Yes, I agree.
Well, it is a matter of taste I guess. I do not like Somewhere in Time at all, but Senjutsu is great.
It will grow on you.
I don’t think comparing a band today with what they did 30+ years ago makes any sense
I think this is their finest post reunion album. It’s dark, heavy and full of melody. They hit another peak in my mind…
No that honor goes to Brave new world.
Loved loved this album, has 4-5 songs that are absolutely beyond Incredible, but Brave New world has like 7 of those
@@MrChippiechappie exactly
@@Dethklok2266 I'd raise that to 9...apart from The Mercenary (just OK for me) all other BNW songs are great
Brave New World.
Similar to all Maiden albums, you know straight away it's them: rehashing well-worn riffs, still with well-worn galloping beat tracks, and vocal sameness. It's listenable and interesting, but doesn't pull up any trees, IMO. Keep up the good work MP \m/
I’ve been Maiden fan since early 80’s and I can say this album is amazing. More you hear it more you like it.
My favorite by far is He’ll on Heaven, but the whole album is wonderful.
Senjutsu's a really solid and a well written record. The Writing On The Wall is amazing and the music video to that song is really epic and cool but it is a bit over hyped. There are moments where the album does kind of lag and straggle a bit, nowhere near perfect and it's no masterpiece by any stretch but I do consider it to be one of the best albums of 2021.
I love the album. Darkest Hour and The Parchment are two favs. Writing on the Wall is a nice bit of different sound for Maiden. Lost in a lost world has a great first 2mins, but then becomes a little generic afterwards. Maiden have had long songs since Piece of Mind ( To Tame a Land - a song I love and get reminded of from a few Senjutsu tracks )
It's so amazing how we all like different things because Lost In A Lost World is my favorite track lol and I only like the first 5 studio albums and now Senjutsu
@@johndiamond4088 I also loved Lost in a Lost World. Not quite my favorite (My favorites were Parchment and Hell on Earth) but yah that's an amazing track.
Darkest Hour and The Parchment are also my favorites. I like the entire album which I can't say about TBOS.
Hallowed be thy name is also 7 min...
I love the album, and I can't wait to hear it so many more times and hear new things everytime!
Great record. Darkest hour got me in the soul. Writing on the wall based on Daniel(5) Days of future passed is classic Maiden. This record gets a solid "A" The Parchment is my favorite.
Darkest Hour was the first to 'grab me' also!!
Dude, thank you so much for that verdict. I have seen comments (mostly in Iron Maiden's facebook) of people claiming they have heard all of Iron Maiden and this does not sound like them when in reality they have been doing things like this for 20 years. Anyway, pretty good album, my favorite since A matter of Life and Death. The Parchment, Time Machine and Hell on Earth are definitely on my personal top Iron Maiden songs ever
I love the album, fans can cry that they wanted more Run to the Hills or Trooper styles songs, when they can always just here those songs, Maidens approach with this album just hits the mood perfectly with all the bullshit we've been dealing with the past 2 years. Live in moment not in the past.
Exactly! Why would I want a rehash of The Trooper, when I can have the amazingness of The Parchment, Death Of The Celts, etc, etc…AND then also listen to The Trooper.
Maiden continues to evolve more successfully than any other band than I can think of.
Thoroughly thrilled by this entire album! Iron Maiden always seems to pick the most awesome and appropriate songs to begin and end each album. Is this accidental? Or course not! These guys are masters of rock and it shows in this album start to end. Hell On Earth, Stratego, Senjutsu and The Writing On The Wall are my faves but every song has its virtues.
This album aside, reading the comments it amazes me how overlooked ‘A Matter of Life & Death’ is.
To me that album is the best since Seventh Son.
Loving Senjutsu btw.
Senjutsu, Lost in a Lost World and Hell on Earth are my favourite atm but this will change tomorrow lol
Indeed! A Matter of Life & Death is by far my favorite Maiden's album. Sadly unappreciated by most of audiences. How I wish I could see them playing its songs again.
@@TeacherJuanMQ Yeah, I have AMOLAD and also The X Factor in my top IM albums and Senjutsu is getting there too.
Nothing can beat their first 10 years… this album, it’s good but only Bruce voice has changed a bit…
Just listened to the new album.
They still got it!
Bruce let's his voice really use his range and it is incredible. Especially after all the years and his battle with throat cancer.
I'm not taking anything away from the rest of the band.
All play as top notch.
Can hear each ones unique style that meshes perfectly 👌.
As usual, Harris is incredible!
I wasn't sure after listening to the galloping rhythm that carries through the whole album. But, it just works on this one!
Love it!
A++
UP THE IRONS!
Please don’t hate on me but, I had played this album 💿 so many times (replay) and I am not getting into it. I understand the hard work, long hours these masters dedicated to this work, and I had listen to them since the killers album but, I can’t find a song that stands out. The slow tempo doesn’t attract me.
I don't hate on you. In fact, much respect for giving an honest opinion.
I agree the album is a cure for insomnia particularly the 2nd half maiden are just repeating themselves sadly and maiden have the sort of fanbase who love anything they put out so it isn’t gonna change.
I am loving this album more everytime I listen to it. I thought the singles were great but I feel the same, I want to hear it as an entire album. I definitely hear some Piece Of Mind and Powerslave vibes in some of these songs. Very good record!
One of the most sincere, kind and respectful reviews I've seen about Senjutsu. That are many "fans" out there not giving the deservedv respect for this band... Many raging about Senjutsu not being Powerslave 2... And one even suggesting iron maiden should stop putting up albums... Anyway. It's very sad. Great review, very intelligent especially when you avoid comparisons with their 80s material! Keep up the good work!
I’m glad it’s not Powerslave 2 because otherwise only half of the songs on Senjutsu would be actually good.
They didn't bother to be original or work with a suitable producer for Maiden. REPETITIVE album for the last two decades. Just pretentious and poorly produced sound. Little is saved on this one.
@@VNeto94 don't listen to it then. We loved it. I'm sad for you. One less album for you to enjoy. One more for me. Taste is taste. The album sounds exactly how Steve and the band want it to sound. No producer is ever going to change that. This band is 46 y.o. if a producer tries to change anything, they fire him immediately. It is what it is and it works for me. I loved it.
@@filipezanini413 it feels like they don't try anymore and throw whatever recycled idea on any song to try to be "progressive" and "epic". They should stick to live concerts where they mostly play their old stuff (that's what fans pay to see anyway 😉)
@@filipezanini413 with time, fans will forget about this album and the hype will end. It will become just another one in their 2000's discography. I'd like to see how would they do if they played at least 6 out of 10 songs in their live gigs.
I certainly agree with your assessment that there is not a single a track I want to go back and listen to, but I've listened to the entire album several times now, and it just keeps getting better...as a whole. The entire album is seamless and your comment about the journey, with it's ebbs and flows, is a prefect description of that journey.
It's a work of art! I've liked iron maiden since the early 1990s, love how they've changed their music direction over the years, yes they still produce some fast songs between 4/5 mins always nice to hear again. But the long epics are something no other band can match in my opinion. Look forward to the Senjutsu tour 🤘🔥
I’m in 100% agreement with you. For me there are is also no particular “one song”. I really enjoy this album as a whole. It flows really well like a great movie from beginning to end.
They don't land all their punches on it, but 3 or 4 killer tracks for me, which is pretty much on par with their newer stuff. Kudos to them for not making a safe album tho.
Media and fans pretty positive on it, more casual listeners ripping on it a bit.
You're a casual, don't lie.
Maybe, I only like about half of the newer stuff
It's nice to hear bands when they change and evolve. Hopefully it will be well received.
Whatever else people say about the songs, production, "reminds me of...", or whatever.
EVERY GUITAR SOLO SLAYS.
I've been listening to it non stop since the release, I'm leaning at this point in saying that this is their best work since Bruce and Adrian came back. Multi-layered, intricate, great instrument work, and Bruce's vocals strong as ever...overall just badass. Up the Irons!
They didn't bother to be original or work with a suitable producer for Maiden. REPETITIVE album for the last two decades. Just pretentious and poorly produced sound. Little is saved on this one.
Since this era of Maiden, from Brave New World (actually the longest line up of their history, over 20 years now), their albums have been amazing, I thought they topped it with The Book of Souls, but Senjutsu seriously gives it a run for its money.
I wasn't expecting it to be this sort of sound, it seems more bass/mid heavy than anything pre The Book of Souls, I guess they're really enjoying playing around with different tunings. Certainly different to The Writing on the Wall, while it's a really cool song, I didn't want the album to have that sort of theme, what I heard is something totally different to what I was expecting, certainly different to what they've done before.
Maiden are in their prime right now, odd given what amazing albums they've done back in the 1980s.
Up the Irons.
Prime approaching 70 . ? Prime was seventh son and yet to beat that album . 33 years and counting.
@@James-hh1lq second prime
Definitely not in their prime
The 80's material is out of this world with originality,like something from another planet
Though they have managed to patiently work on a formula well into old age which is a feat in itself
Agreed 👍.
Last 3 songs are the best on the album, like 10 out of 10 seriously
But specially, The Parchment. That song changed my life
Let me tell you my age bracket by saying this...
I'm not waiting for them dropping another Piece Of Mind on us.
No no no!! I've never ever waited for that.
I'm still waiting for them dropping another Iron Maiden on us!!,
And I've waited and waited and waiiiiiited.
But it's never ever gonna come.
If those boys could remember how it alllllll began, and recreate it juuuust one more time, I'd die a happy man!!
It's been an interesting journey for me (and many like me), to be able to say yes, i was there at the start.
We've watched them grow and learn and evolve over the decades into this huge spectacle of brilliance.
But when I paid £5 for a ticket to see them in the Mayfair in my local town, it really was something special.
(Check out the BBC session on you tube for a feel of what you missed if your a young fan).
The edgy raw gritty punk edged vibe grew into a stadium filling wealth of cleaned up professional excellence, and for me, that's just a bit of a pity sometimes.
Ahhhhh the good old days
Everyone sounded so much better when they were struggling!!
But ignore me, what do I know, I'm just an old fart.
Edit bit:
One question I've always pondered over the decades is this.
Just how much of Iron Maidens success can be attributed to Derek Riggs?
Think about it.
Take it all away, every last bit of it, then try as you might to conceive what you would be looking at today.
I firmly believe Maiden owe Riggs everything when talking about the "size" of their success!!!
Hell on Earth is a masterpiece! Amazing album!
This album is great. Just the fact that after 40yrs they still make quality music like this is an achievement in itself. How many bands that have been around as long as them still produce quality albums? You'll be hard pressed to find one in the hard rock/metal world. 9/10
I grew up on early Maiden. And one of the consistent things about them is that their sound has always evolved - even before Bruce and Adrian left (SSoaSS, for instance). So, unlike some of my age group, I look forward to each new evolution of their sound, and love that their sound simultaneously evolves and yet still sounds like Maiden, all at the same time.
So far, I have no favorite, and have had the album on repeat for a ridiculous amount of hours. "Hell on Earth" is one of my current top songs, but, I am sure that will change again soon.
Great review, totally agree, after 40 years Ive followed them just they keep progressing and its an album thats grows and grows on you
Having listened to it front to back many times now, it's my fav album since Brave New World.
Of course this is all subjective, but I don't get the comparisons between The Parchment and Powerslave. Sure, they use similar kind of oriental-sounding scales, but The Parchment is way more similar to The Nomad, in my opinion. Not in a copy, paste kind of way. But the tempo is similar, the groove, the keys, and yes, the scale.
I'm amazed by the sound of Nickos drums.
Absolutely, his best performance in a while.
Indeed! He really shines on this. It's the perfect showcase for his drumming.
I've listened to the album a half dozen times now. The chorus on the title track is ridiculously awesome. Iron Maiden has a way of involving the audience with the these crazy anthemic choruses. I can only imagine what will sound like live.
Love the new album. Amazing sound.
I have not listened to IM for years. A friend mentioned that they had a new album out. I said “why not?” After playing it…I feel like I’m 15 again. I’m on my 3rd listen! One of the post mentioned something about this being an actual album. It really does seem like there’s a cohesive theme running through it which I welcome! Really enjoying this one!
Fan since early 80s and I'm very impressed but not surprised one bit how great this album is. Can't wait till you guys come back to New England Mansfield Massachusetts. Many concerts under this old man's belt and will never miss Maiden.
The Writings on the Wall sounds to like a perfect unintentional response to Afghanistan as seen in the line 'Now we are victorious, we've become our slaves
A land of hope and glory, building graveyards for the brave.' Of course, we know it is meant to be about Belshazzar's feast.
Well, Belshazzar's Feast is only the reference. The message of the song is more centralized, so that's a good connection!
I think you nailed it down: this album needs to be listened to as a whole piece, it is a journey. The magic is that you can definitely recognize the Maiden style, but with different influences and approach, which can be strange at first but then start to work on you.
I prefer the stuff from Dickinson and Smith on this album and solos and drums stands out clearly. Not to mention Bruce which makes some tracks so emotional, I got goose bumps many times.
What I regret? The length of some tracks, the muddy solos from Jannick and sometimes the voice could be mixed more in the front.
Definitely a great album, no doubt about it.
I had a 6 hour road trip when I bought the album. I had to split it up because after a while, the 8 minute or longer songs just all blur together. The album is in desperate need of pruning. One song has 4 distinct intro parts; which are then repeated at the end. It's over 10 minutes long. They could remove three of those and have a great 8 minute song.
Days of Future past is the best song on the album hands down
I can't argue with this. It reminds me of Bruce's solo career.
Along with the criminally underrated AMOLAD, this is my favorite album from the whole post-reunion era. Brilliant.
Definitely "time of machine" is the one that hits my mind the most over and over again ...
The parchment is really really good.
I am still on the fence on whether to buy this album because I’ve been burned by Book of Souls. That album did nothing for me and it didn’t help that it was a double album, which ultimately I became bored by the end of it. This being a double album I fear it would be more of the same.
I've been an Iron Maiden fan for 20 or so years. I was on a 6 hour road trip when I listened to this album. I had to take breaks because after a while it was boring. The songs average over 8 minutes long, with several over 10. It wasn't bad playing; but it felt to me like it needed a lot of copy editing.
I think the singles were released more to build hype than anything else. And that this album is filled with some of what I have as my favorite singles aaand it's best is the two closing tracks, followed by The Time Machine, and then I can't decide anymore about the rest
I've been a fan of Iron Maiden since their first album. Senjutsu is excellent and is in my top 10 Maiden albums of all time, but the last three songs could be a little shorter. Up the Irons!!!
The last 3 songs are the highlight of the album for me haha
For me, Death of the Celts is spot on, The Parchment hasn't clicked yet and Hell on Earth could be three times as long and I would still think it ended too soon, it's the standout track of a quality album.
I totally agree about what you said about The Writing On The Wall and infact the entire album. I am so looking forward to returning to Disk Two tomorrow.
I love this album. Need to fully absorb it, but I am enjoying the variety of sounds and styles within the Maiden sound.
"Hell On Earth" will be awesome live!
Controversial opinion here: I actually find the title track 'Senjutsu' to be the weakest of the album. It's still good! But if I had to pick my least favorite, that's the one.
They mixed the vocals way too low in this song! Other than that I like it.
Agree! Not their best album opener
@@jonathancilley9450 I noticed there's something odd with the mixing.
Senjutsu may be formulaic, but it’s extremely catchy. I enjoyed every other song very much, except for Lost in a Lost World, which was poop.
I listened the album on the release day but I was struggling a lot. I was suffering depression and I couldn't appreciate all the album, almost all music seemed empty to me. Now that I'm better, the album grew on me, but I have to admit that from the release day of Senjutsu I've bee in love with The Parchment. Still loving this track to this day, it helps me a lot. :) And now I'm loving Senjutsu, Stratego, The Writing On The Wall, Death Of The Celts and Hell On Earth.
I think it’s their 8th masterpiece. Easily best album since 7th son. Matter of Life and Death comes close though.
@Helga Ratbone what are the other 7 masterpieces?
Not even close.
Right!!
Powerslave anyday
@@elijahbarker7007 ehm...I guess the first 7 albums!?
It’s an awesome record. So happy when I saw them in October they played 3 songs off it. It was even nicer to see those songs go over really well with the audience.
Masterpiece album! Best band ever!
Excellent review.
And I concur on the album's quality.
Thank you Metal Pilgrim.
Rock on!
"senjutsu" the track that works better for me, easily the best track and some fresh dark iron maiden!
I like the album. I’m an old school fan, but I am also open minded. I wasn’t sure what to expect, & there has been a mixed reaction,but I was pleasantly surprised when I heard it. Sometimes newer albums take a few listens for me to really get into, but I was digging this right off the bat!
Having been a Maiden fan since the early 80's I can honestly say... it's an album. I hesitate to say anything to the effect of "it was written by formula", but there's really not a lot that could be called "new" or "surprising", yet it isn't as (blatantly) rehashed as some long lived bands end up doing (coughcoughACDCcough). The biggest departure from a "standard/ typical" Maiden tune is Writing on the Wall which musically strikes me as more fitting to a Smith solo project than a Maiden album; obviously Bruce's input threw more it into Maiden territory.
IRON MAIDEN was my first concert on there somewhere in time tour.
Love the videos for the new album The animations is top notch.
No my frenz, I cannot agree. I am a life-long Maiden fan and I liked "Brave New World," but this post Y2K Maiden just leaves me feeling like "meh." Again with Senjutsu, Maiden fills an entire album with slow, laborious, drawn-out "epics" and show tunes so that Bruce can dress up in endless costumes during the live show. I only have one question: Where's the Fire?! I get so bored listening to these songs plod along with no exciting moments. The only thing that keeps me listening is because I like the way things sound, sonically. Maiden has always had good guitar tones, and the drums are very natural sounding. However, sometimes I think Steve's bass is too "toppy." Rod Smallwood needs to have a chat with the lads and tell them to speed up the tempos, put some o' dat East London punk attitude back in there, and shorten the songs to 4 minutes or so...and only allow one "epic" per album. IMO, Senjutsu proves to me, again, that Steve Harris is saving all his good songs for British Lion because their last two albums have been vastly more fun to listen to than Maiden.
Phenomenal and Epic this new Iron Maiden album is. From top to bottom, this album is a true masterpiece. I've been listening this group since 1979 and today in 2021 they are still putting other bands to shame.
Came for the words about Maiden, will stay for the obvious good taste on display with that Schecter. 🤘
Nice review!
I totally agree that the singles get another taste, a much better one, when listened with the tracks among them in the album. Particularly, I find Senjutsu alone a boring and weack track, but you got just the point: it sets the ambience of the album perfectly, puts us into the Senjutsu atmosphere and welcome us to that rollercoaster of emotions.
As a young listener of Iron Maiden - I’m 24 - Senjutsu is the work that caused me the greatest impression among all the discography, and might be my favorite as I digest it along the years. Hell on Earth was the first song I heard from it and I will never forget the amazement that blew me away magically in that ocasion. No other IM track ever had that effect on me.
Overall, what I see in Senjutsu is a vigorous and mature Iron Maiden that outdoes itself without losing its identity. A really delightfull journey of 110 minutes.
after 20 years away from IM, I fell in LOVE with tBoS - a 10/10 for me with every track perfect. My most played album (last.fm) for the last 2 years... so I was nervous.. and now after a week I agree, it's an album album (no single track stands out), but I think there was too much Harris - esp on disk 2. Lost in a lost, death of celts and parchment are all not up to par.... maybe the last two needed a good edit.. and are actually boring.. Lost has a odd first 1/3.. est Bruce's singing... over all.. 7 or 8/10 - so no Powerslave/ Peirce of mind or Book of Souls for me (their 10/10 albums for this listener)..
Thumbs up for using the word boring in your review.
I'm curious, do you still feel the same way about the album? I thought the last 3 songs were boring in the beginning, but now I'm really enjoying them. Granted, I do think some editing would help at least 2 of them.
@@danw4490 Just to test a theory I insisted that my friend play the album whilst we had a beer in his kitchen, his first response was 'do we have to' cos he thought it was boring and ploddy the first time round. My theory is that long term fans of bands suffer from something I refer to as New Album Syndrome, they expect to feel that rush that you first felt when you were 12 and heard Run To The Hills on the chart countdown and it blew your mind that you had thought you enjoyed pop music but Heavy Metal has just set your world on fire. New albums cannot do this, just like drugs don't work after the first few goes. I wanted to be entertained on my first listen and I was disappointed, yet again. So we sat there, cracked open a beer and talked and ignored Iron Maiden for about 20 minutes. Then I said 'wow listen to that riff, it rocks' followed by 'Wow, Guitar solo!' We listened unintently to the rest of the album and I declared it a masterpiece of dadmetal, the ultimate background music for old men. New youth music genres are not for me. I can't get excited and go mental at gigs anymore in case my knees come off or my back goes. So there we have it. The album is not boring, old fogies are boring.
I Love your videos and the fullness of their content, great job!
Thank you so much!
I've been listening to Senjutsu for hours now and I couldn't take it anymore. I had to run and play Number of the Beast, Powerslave, and Killers in a row to detox.
My metal roots come from the 70's and the 'Hair Metal' camp of the 80's, I cut my teeth on KISS (My mother listened to ELVIS PRESLEY constantly)
And she wondered why I turned to KISS, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, IRON MAIDEN and other Metal Greats!
After hearing "Elvis" 8-14 hours a day growing up, I could feel brain cells dying!
Fast forward to today. With KISS no longer recording new material, and craving something fresh I turned back to IRON MAIDEN when 'The Final Frontier' came out.
My father had passed away just prior to the album coming out and the first two songs reminded me of what he might of said to me from the other side. The Album blew my mind.
Book of souls was even better.
And SENJUTSU is icing on the cake! More please, and keep up the great work! I will be listening and buying everything IRON MAIDEN makes!