Metal - Τα Άπαντα

[silencer51]

Προχτές έζησα την πιο απίστευτη εμπειρία, TOOL live στο Μιλάνο, ότι και να πω θα ειναι λίγο. Απλά κορυφαίοι, το καλύτερο video art που έχω δει, volume στο 11, σχεδόν 2 ώρες και η μπάντα σε τρελά κέφια.

 

Αρχίζω να μαζεύω λεφτά για να τους ξαναδώ το χειμώνα...

[makosss]

Egw apo manowar ta mona tragoudia pou anexomai einai ta BattleHymns k Heart of Steel (swsta ta egrapsa?!?) :p

 

e..oxi re file! alla ok,gousta ine auta!;) dokimase na akousis ligo Into Glory Ride :) gia tous Doomsword paidia ti gnomi exete?

[ifrit]

Πολλή, πάρα πολλή!!! Ρώτα και τον ifrit... Όλο τρέχω! Το Frances δεν ξερω αν όντως έχει αρ****α... Λες; :lol:

 

Τίποτα για καινούριο Mars Volta έχουμε;; Άντε, αργούμε... Μου έλειψαν οι τρελοί afros...:O

Ναι, πάει τους καφέδες στην κατάληψη η μικρή μας :p

(Πλακίτσα, προφανώς :D )

[Lefterian]

e..oxi re file! alla ok,gousta ine auta!;) dokimase na akousis ligo Into Glory Ride :) gia tous Doomsword paidia ti gnomi exete?

nai mallon gousta einai, giati polu tous thewroun "kings of metal", opws k oi idoi tous euatous tous :p

 

Doomsword ena tragoudi porwna, to Blood Eagle.

Alla entaxei twra otan mathaineis oti einai Italoi, k paizoun k epic...einai san na pineis kauti mpira! (den antexa! :p :lol:)

 

 

Ifrit h dexter, einai auto to kairo, auto pou len oi Crumbsuckers (athlia entelws mpanta) se ena "tragoudi" tous: "Live To Work" (eipame den ANTEXA!)

 

 

Xerei kaneis pote kukloforei to Box-set tou ekleiponta Quorthon?

(tou kuriou----->http://lifeinlegacy.com/2004/0612/Quorthon.jpg)

(San rapper einai se autin tin photo :p)

[songless_bird]

To Frances the mute einai ALBUM me ar****a! :lol:

Τι ιν τουτοι ορε?? Το κατεβασα απο περιεργια και με επιασαν τα γελια!:lol:

 

Σαν κακη αντιγραφη των πρωτοπορων Mr.Bungle :p Οχι οτι αυτοι ειναι καλυτεροι, αλλα ηταν ιδιαιτεροι τοτε...

[Lefterian]

Einai auto pou leme Avantgarde!

Egw pantws otan to akousa enniwsa opws otan akouga Zeppelin gia prwti fora!

[To "album me *******" edeixne tin poiotita tis mpantas k tipote allo...]

[songless_bird]

Einai auto pou leme Avantgarde!

Egw pantws otan to akousa enniwsa opws otan akouga Zeppelin gia prwti fora!

[To "album me *******" edeixne tin poiotita tis mpantas k tipote allo...]

Ωραιο το L'Via L'Viaquez! Αλλα επιμενω οτι μου θυμησαν μεσα σε αυτο το χαος Mr.Bangle. Και μονο τωρα που ανεφερες για led , η φωνη του μου φερνει κατι σε plant. Αλλα μην μπερδευουμε τις βουρτες :p Δεν νομιζω να ασχοληθω μαζι τους. Ουτε απο περιεργια. Ιδιαιτεροι παντως...

 

edit και το Cassandra Geminni- Multiple Spouse Wounds. Καλο ειναι :P

[Lefterian]

Sigoura den mporoun na paroun tipota apo ZEPS, alla k to widow an akouseis, ekpempoun kati to monadiko!

[tous Mr.Bangle den tous xerw...gia tin akriveia prwti fora mathainw oti yparxoun :p]

[songless_bird]

Sigoura den mporoun na paroun tipota apo ZEPS, alla k to widow an akouseis, ekpempoun kati to monadiko!

[tous Mr.Bangle den tous xerw...gia tin akriveia prwti fora mathainw oti yparxoun :p]

Mr Bungle O,τι να 'ναι μπαντα :lol:

 

Τραγουδιστης ειναι ο Mike Patton. Γνωστος ως και Fantomas και πρωην τραγουδιστης των faith no more ;)

 

edit αν ρισκαρεις να παρεις δισκο τους (τους εχω και τους τρεις :lol:) παρε το California

[Lefterian]

Kala otan les "oti na'nai" den ennoeis "xazi", "anousia" ktl. ?!

Siga min ksodeuomai!Tha katevasw kati tis...!

[songless_bird]

Kala otan les "oti na'nai" den ennoeis "xazi", "anousia" ktl. ?!

Siga min ksodeuomai!Tha katevasw kati tis...!

Μαλλον ετσι το εννοω:p Δεν μπορω να τους χαρακτηρισω. Εχουν και κομματια που καθεσαι να τα ακουσεις...Αλλα ειναι ο,τι να ναι...Thrash, funk.jazz, Punk ,black ,electro, ethnic,reggae, ολα μαζι :D

 

edit Για να μην ψαχνεις αδικα. Εχει και στη σελιδα τους live ολοκληρα κομματια.πολυ γελιο :lol:

 

Οχι δεν ειναι οι slipknot Φωτο ειναι οι Mr.bungle το 1990!!! :D

[Lefterian]

Tha dixei h akroasi...! :)

 

 

[Opoios kserei kati gia to boxset tou Quorthon, please let me know...]

 

 

Edit: Oi Mr.Bungle einai to kainourgio opio mou! :lol: :lol:

Einai para polu anapofasistoi! :lol: Den xeroun ti na paixoun k ta paizoun ola!!! :lol: FOVEROI!!

[Lefterian]

Mhpws gnwrizei kaneis, kapoion radiofwniko h tileoptiko stathmo sti thessaloniki pou na exei programmata me metal ekpompes?

Exw varethei na psaxnw monos...

[jog]

Νέα για το cd των Maiden.Preview από το Kerrang

 

IRON MAIDEN have exclusively revealed to Kerrang! that fans should prepare themselves for the band’s strongest album in years with their forthcoming 14th studio offering.

The album titled ‘A Matter Of Life And Death’, which is due for release in September was recorded at Sarm West Studios in London with producer Kevin Shirley, who also worked on the last two Maiden albums, 2000’s ‘Brave New World’ and 2003’s ‘Dance Of Death’. Checking in at a colossal 72 minutes, the album boasts 10 tracks, all but three of which are over six minutes in length. Full of experimentation and unexpected detours into intense and atmospheric territory, it’s a complex and powerful set of songs that touch upon some dark subjects, most notably the horrors of war, the impact of religious fundamentalism and the threat of nuclear destruction.

The full track listing for ‘A Matter Of Life And Death’ is as follows: ‘Different Worlds’, ‘These Colours Don’t Run’, ‘Brighter Than A Thousand Suns’, ‘The Pilgrim’, ‘The Longest Day’, ‘Out Of The Shadows’, ‘The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg’, For The Greater Good Of God’, ‘Lord Of Light’, and ‘The Legacy’.

“’Brave New World’ and ‘Dance Of Death’ were both good records.” frontmann Bruce Dickinson tells Kerrang!. “But they weren’t anywhere near as good as this one! This one is ‘Dance Of Death’ without the effort. This whole album feels effortless. It’s like driving a big, gas-guzzling motor car. You just put your foot down and there’s limitless power under the bonnet.”

“It’s been unbelievable.” says bassist/founder member Steve Harris. “We booked the studio for three months and we finished the whole thing in two. I think the preparation was good. We didn’t have the rows we usually have! We really focused on each song and it was a very positive experience.”

Among the highlights of the new album is the opening track ‘Different Worlds’, the shortest song on the album at a mere four minutes. It’s a classic, storming Maiden opener with an instantly memorable chorus and soaring guitar harmonies.

“It wasn’t intentional when we sat down and wrote it, but as soon as it was finished we thought: “Thin Lizzy!” laughs Harris. “It’s a tribute to them, in a way. Obviously it sounds like Maiden, but it just conjured up that Thin Lizzy vibe.”

The second track on the album, ‘These Colours Don’t Run’, is a brooding, dramatic rumination on the plight of being a soldier in a war zone and sets the tone for the dark epics that follow it.

“That song was an effort to put a human face on people who go out and fight wars.” says Dickinson. “They call it ‘peacekeeping’, but these people put themselves in harm’s way, and whether or not you agree with the reasons why they’re doing it, they’re just doing their job.

“Some of the new songs are quite angry.” he adds. “It’s just the times we’re living in. We’ve got global fundamentalism, state-sponsored terrorism, dirty bombs, global warming and everything else. I think this is our response to all that.”

‘Brighter Than A Thousand Suns’ is arguably the heaviest track on the new album, and one with heavy subject matter to match.

“It’s about the atomic bomb.” says Dickinson. “The scientist that saw the first bomb go off said it was brighter than a thousand suns. The idea that human beings could bring about their own total destruction totally changed the way people thought.”

‘The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg’, which will be the first single to be taken from the record, is an intricate seven-minute epic that starts with a creepy, ominous intro before erupting into a crushing, almost Led Zeppelin-esque riff and a powerful, emotive chorus. More obvious lyrically than most of the album, it’s a curious, chattering choice for a single.

“It’s very different for us.” admits Harris. “It’s very riffy. The intro has an almost nursery rhyme eeriness. Sometimes you try to create a mood and sometimes it’s just there. Everyone’s going to ask who Benjamin Breeg is, but you’ll just have to find out for yourself!”

Have you got any special plans for your European tour that hits the UK in December?

“At the moment we’re thinking about playing the whole album live, back-to-back.” Dickinson reveals. “When you’ve got an album this good, it’s really important that you do something bold. If we can go out and do a whole album of brand new material, I think that we can give ourselves a pat on the back. Everyone will have heard the album upfront, and the songs will really come to life. I think it could be extraordinary.”

So does ‘A Matter Of Life And Death’ mark a fresh lease of life for Maiden?

“Five years ago we were thinking about possibly retiring at this point, but now we’re at this stage there’s no way! Why should we?” Harris grins. “I don’t know why, but I always had it in my head that we’d do fifteen studio albums, so we’ve got at least one more to go!”

Iron Maiden’s single ‘The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg’ will be released in mid-August via EMI. The album ‘A Matter Of Life And Death’ follows in September.

 

 

Rafabasa preview

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

As far as the songs go, we can't coment on more than four in detail (that is why I've practically refrained from citing song titles in this pre-chronicle of the album). Here go the chosen few:

"Different Worlds": It really is a different world from the rest of the album, it is the key to the entrance to an album which it hardly represents. The motive for it being selected as album openner (and not one of the ones nominated to be singles) is clear, for it is the shortest track on "A Matter of Life and Death", just a little over four minutes, and it is the track that opens the album in fresher and more accessible way to the listener whether old or new. it is also simply the best choice for radio. Quick hit, of powerfull riffs and characteristic double guitars, "Different Worlds" has a sound and style that can be found in the catchier songs of "Brave New World". In fact, both structure and chorus are very reminecent of the song "Brave New World". It oddly presents a rather "happy" chorus, not common for Maiden, that contrasts with the more sober and greater portion of the album. Attention to Bruce Dickinson's voice, huge.

"The Longest Day": Epic, like most of th album, describes the landing at Normandy. It starts with the usual sound of galloping guitars,that along with a repetitive bass shrouded in an atmospheric air remembers the moments of tension prior to the attack. The landing seems succesful in a catchy chorus, which will surely be sung a lot live, where Bruce Dickinson is once more unsurpassable. Like in the rest of the album, the song makes room for a long intrumental section, with progressive touches and a melodic cut. A mid-tempo song and majestic.

"Out of the Shadows": Without a doubt Iron Maiden's song where Bruce Dickinson's influence is more notisable. He is the main writer on this track. It is decieving at firstk for it promises to be very heavy with clean riffs, but it ends up detouring into a balad, where we again discover a Dickinson of unedited registers, as a minimum in an album of the Beast. Bruce must feel very happy and proud that he was able to sneak in a track more in the vein of his solo work than what one would normally find on a Maiden album. Similar, very similar to "Tears of the Dragon". His experimental character is also noticeable, demonstrating great originality and again surprising in guitar play in which we have never heard the current trio (nor the duos before that), impressive as background on the final chorus of the song.

"the Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg": Chosen (almost certainly, awaiting official confirmation from EMI) as the first single of the album, which, like I've said before, is the only song in which Dave Murray has taken part in the writing. With one of the most atmospheric and slow beginnings in the history of the band, "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" is a counterpoint of the darkest, decadent even, of the band with the most impressive riffs of the album. It is this contrast that gives magic to a song of perfect choruses, sensitive and that gives goosebumps. A song that stands out for achieved ambience, an exceptional musical journey, captained by the pilot Bruce Dickinson and his vocal experimentations. Imagen a rollercoaster of incredible ups and downs, that in its mid sections passes through a dark tunnel slowing down almost to a halt only to speed up from 0 to 100 as soon as it reaches the light again. That would be the perfect metaphor to describe "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg". In its more than 7 minutes thre is also room for mid tempos, galloping riffs and for the tradmark dual guitars in the instrumental interludes. In a later interview I'll complete the rest of the songs. Even though the album deserves more than one listen to take it all in, my first impression is very positive, cheerful and I'm still surprised at the risk the band decided to take. Keep in mind that I'm the registered fan #14829 of Iron Maiden's Fan Club. After listening to the album the band made its way to the press room very calmly. The groups for the interviews were, since they couldn't be any other way, Bruce Dickinson by himself, Steve Harris by himself, Dave Murray and Adrian Smith together and to finsih up Janick Gers and Nicko McBrain. I had the privilege and pleasure to interview Steve, Dave and Adrian one on one. the content of said interviews will be published August 1st. Till then, Up The Irons!

Hector Prat

 

Και preview από το metal hammer gr

 

Different Worlds

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

 

Brighter Than A Thousan Suns

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

 

Out Of The Shadows

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

 

For The Greater Good Of God

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

 

General Description of the album:

 

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

 

Interview

 

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

 

[Dave : ] The truth is that there is a lot of stuff on the new album, many notes and many intricate passages. You know, it’s natural for us. Maiden are one of the few bands that have the luxury to do exactly what they want to. In our last 2 albums we came very close to progressive and that came out naturally, we didn’t intend it to be so. The same thing happened with this album. The majority of the songs came out long and intricate and naturally we kept them because they represent Maiden. Steve always was a big prog fan and if you look at every album, especially from NOB and onwards, song like that are there. I think some of our fans are going to be surprised when they listen to the new album, they will find new elements, but they will also find stuff that will sound like Maiden from the first note.

 

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

 

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

 

[Dave : ] I would agree, the spirit during the recordings was quite similar to that which was there when we were recording with Martin. The most important thing is that the music goes down unforced. Martin has retired many years ago, so we couldn’t work with him again. Kevin is the best choice we could have made.

 

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

 

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

 

In the album there’s a song titled “The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg. Dave, you’ve cowritten this song with Steve. So who is this guy?

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Well, which covers are these? You haven’t done something like that in a long time, even though in the old days you frequently covered songs from other bands.

 

[Adrian : ] Yes, what you are saying is true, but don’t ask me why, as I frankly don’t know. The songs we covered are “Tush” by ZZ Top, “Space Truckin’” by Deep Purple, “Angel Of Death” by Thin Lizzy and “Hocus Pocus” by Focus.

 

I’m am very curious as to Bruce’s performance on the last one…

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

και το album cover

 

http://www.ironmaiden.com/media/images/IID00002173.JPG

[Lefterian]

Gia na doume.....Egw pantws me mpantes opws Iron Maiden k Metallica eimai prokatelimenos k den perimenw polla...Ena Cd me 2-3 kommatia kala k kata ta alla emporikotato!

As elpisoume na diapseustw!

[jog]

Gia na doume.....Egw pantws me mpantes opws Iron Maiden k Metallica eimai prokatelimenos k den perimenw polla...Ena Cd me 2-3 kommatia kala k kata ta alla emporikotato!

As elpisoume na diapseustw!

 

Περίμενε ένα πολύ καλό cd.:) :D (progressive στοιχεία,πολύ καλό ήχο,τέλεια κιθαριστικά,εξαιρετικό μπάσο,και τρομερά φωνητικά από τον Bruce.Για τα drums δεν έχω στοιχεία.

 

Little Trooper's interview with Maiden, which she won a while back along with a chance to listen to the first four songs on the new album, has just been posted over at the Online Club. Here it is :

 

 

"After being collected by Laz & Sue at Cockfosters underground station in North London, we got onto the M25 to start the final part of our journey to the recording studio. As we tore down the motorway with the dulcet tones of Ken Bruce on Radio 2 in the background (Laz's CD player wasn't working) I was pretty sure I had never been so terrified in my life! Nothing to do with Ken Bruce obviously, but because I was on my way to interview Janick and Nicko!

 

We arrived at Hook End Sarm Studios just before lunchtime - a huge board featuring the crossed-guns Eddie told us we were in the right place! Once inside, we were lead into the studio to special 'listening points' where I was priveleged enough to hear the first 4 tracks of 'A Matter of Life and Death' (Different World, These Colours Don't Run, Brighter Than A Thousand Suns and The Pilgrim). By this point my brain was only functioning on a very basic level in anticipation of the upcoming interview (which was by now only about an hour away), so most of the details of the songs have escaped me. However, I do remember being completely blown away by how heavy the album was! It was nothing like what I had expected. Reading Kevin Shirley's Studio Diaries, I had expected something very progressive and maybe a little bit too soft for my taste, but the tracks I heard were seething raw power from every pore. This isn't to say that the songs were not progressive, because they were - maybe more than anything Maiden have done previously. It's just that the progressiveness was combined with a full frontal metal assault!

 

Whilst I sat outside enjoying the sun with Laz, Sue and my partner Alex, I was told the time for the interview was nigh. As I walked through the hall I noticed a board with all the Maiden member's names at the top, and their schedules underneath. Wait a minute - the other guys were here too? Surely not! But I had more important things to think about at that particular moment!

 

As I entered the room where the interview was to take place to say I was nervous would have been the understatement of the century! But the guys immediately put me at my ease, Janick shaking my hand and Nicko kissing me on the cheek. After a very nervous start, the interview began to progress very well - it became more of a sort of informal chat about the new album. Jan and Nicko were so friendly and down to earth it was impossible to carry on being frightened. Anyway, Nicko was loud enough to make up for any quietness on my part! So to all those who say you should never meet your heroes, I say you're wrong! You just need to have the right heroes!

 

After the interview we all posed for photos and then I went back outside to enjoy the free arcade games (yes, there were many perks to the day!). However, I hadn't long been out when suddenly Bruce appeared! He came over to say hello and have a quick picture taken with me, which was a complete surprise. But a good surprise, needless to say.

 

The biggest shock of the day had to be meeting Steve though! For those of you who know me this will come as no surprise, but to those of you who dont, I am a HUGE Steve fan! Meeting him was an absolute honour, and I am very pleased to say I did not babble incoherently or laugh hysterically, but managed to remain composed!

 

Towards the end of the day I was also lucky enough to meet Dave and Adrian and get my photo taken with each of them (by this point I'd had so many pictures taken I had begun to feel like a rock star myself!) After a last listen to the 4 tracks from the album, we set off for home, thus concluding the most exciting and unforgettable day of my life!

 

 

JANICK AND NICKO - INTERVIEWED BY ELLIE HOWLETT

 

EH: The title of the new album ‘A Matter of Life and Death’. I wanted to know who decided on the name and where the idea came from?

 

NM: I think it was Steve. We had two or three ideas which we were kicking a round, one of which was ‘A Matter of Life and Death’, and then Bruce came up with a title which we all thought was brilliant at the time. Then we decided to sleep on it for a few days but in the end we all decided that ‘A matter of Life and Death’ was the better title and so, it was a working title originally, which ended up being the best one. But it was either Bruce or Steve who came up with it. The content of the record is dealing with a lot of the issues of war - ‘The Longest Day’ is a well known account of war and ‘Brighter Than a Thousand Suns’ is about the H Bomb. Then there are other songs which deal with kind of the lighter side, but we all know that war generally means death, and death is the ultimate sin. But at the end of the day we’ve got other things to think about – life experiences etc. But in final answer to your question I think it was between Steve and Bruce…..

 

JG: It might have been Rod!

 

NM: It could have been. I dunno, it was just one of those situations where nobody really knows, it was just floated around waiting for approval. It could have been Drew (engineer at Sarm West Studio).

 

JG: It could have been Eddie!!LOL

 

NM: The titles are important….

 

JG: In the past we’ve tended to pick a song title as the name of the album, because sometimes a title will just leap out at you as the obvious choice, but it didn’t this time for some reason.

 

NM: Yeah, I think this is one of the first albums that we’ve not used a song title as the name of the album.

 

EH: Yes, I think that’s been mentioned on the chat forum.

 

NM: Yeah, so maybe it’s quite a historical fact from that point of view. But we did discuss about using a song title and went through all the names – ‘What about The Pilgrim? No, That doesn’t really work, sounds like Pilgrims Progress, can’t have that. What about The Legacy….mmm The Legacy, that’s not a bad idea, but we thought somebody else did an album called The Legacy….’

 

JG: I think calling it The Legacy would have hinted at this being the last album, and we definitely didn’t want that!

 

NB: Yeah, so that got dropped like a big pile of you know what!!! Then going on through the other titles we thought well we couldn’t call it ‘For the Greater Good of God’…. That would really be pushing the envelope. We can’t really call it ‘Lord of Light’, that’s a bit too much. There wasn’t really anything that would lend itself to a visual situation.

 

EH: OK, so you’ve got an album which reflects the good and bad side of life, is it something of a ‘concept’ album then?

 

NM: No it’s not! The only way I think that it’s got any kind of concept is the running order of the songs on the record is conceptual. But it’s not a message. It’s just a really great piece of music. From the beginning every song kind of lifts you up and when you get to the middle song which is a bit of a ballad, and kind of gives you a bit of respite, and you think phew, thank God for that for a minute, and then the onslaught of the final four or five songs really lift you up again. So to me that’s the only concept of the album.

 

EH: Are there any instrumental or acoustic songs on this album?

 

NM: Absolutely not. Although there are some acoustic passages.

 

EH: The ‘B’ sides are all covers. Am I right in saying that?

 

JG: Who told you about that?

 

EH: Oh, I just heard it somewhere.

 

NM: No that’s just rumour control.

 

JG: No. If we told you we would have to kill you!!

 

NM: No, seriously, I don’t really like to call them ‘B’ sides. I prefer to call it just an extra track. But the secondary track to a single release will always be a cover. Unless we do another ‘Sheriff of Huddersfield’ or ‘Black Bart Blues’ or ‘Roll Over Vic Vella’. Obviously ‘Twilight Zone’ is one exception, but I don’t think we would do that again.

 

JG: We are not a covers band, so when we cover someone else’s song, we don’t go away and learn it exactly. What we do is we listen to the track once and then go away and try to recreate what we felt from the track, so we’re not trying to out-do the band we are covering, but trying to do it in a Maiden way.

 

NM: And we always try to do the song justice. Obviously we don’t want to do someone else’s song and not do a good job of it. ‘Cos obviously we don’t want the person who wrote it to be thinking ‘Oh my God, what have they done to my song?’ We just go into the studio and have a good time.

 

JG: Yeah. It’s all for fun.

 

NM: We will sit in the studio and come up with some ideas of which songs to cover. Once we’ve decided, we will get hold of the tracks and then have a proper listen. Then everyone will go away and learn their own parts and then record it. 80% of the time it’s done in one take and we don’t spend a lot of time mixing it, other than maybe whack an extra guitar solo on and a bit of this or that here and there.

 

JG: Actually the covers we’ve done this time, there were no overdubs.

 

NM: That’s right. There wasn’t was there? Whereas the album was mixed as we went along and then just needed a bit of fine tuning, these cover songs were mixed as we played them, and Kevin Shirley said ‘Right, that’s it, that’s the mix for this song.’ All done and dusted.

 

EH: Do you have a personally favourite song from the album?

 

NM: My personal favourite right now is ‘Lord of Light’, but I can’t get ‘For the Greater Good of God’ out of my head. All the way round the golf course this morning, I just couldn’t stop singing it! (immediately launching into pub singer mode!)

 

EH: Perhaps you should have sung the song on the album…..

 

NM: I did!! LOL

 

JG: Yeah but the thing is. If we brought Nicko down the front to sing, all the women would go like wow. He would then straight away become the focal point of the band….the band would fall to bits….Bruce would have to be put to the back and that wouldn’t really work so….we let Bruce do all the live singing but Nicko really does it all in the studio!

 

NM: Yeah, Tom Jones would have to start worrying!!

 

EH: So Janick, which is your favourite off the album?

 

JG: It changes day by day. It really does.

 

NM: Also Janick wrote a couple of songs which are really excellent and my favourite one of those is ‘The Legacy’. The acoustic intro is just, how can I say, ehm, it’s a concerto! It’s a work of art. The last chord, I mean THE last chord is just ‘**** my old boots, is it finished now! Can I have a rest!?) (Janick falls about laughing) Just listening to Jan’s guitar work is so super intense, I think.

 

JG: It’s an intense album.

 

EH: Yeah, from the four tracks I’ve heard I would agree. I think it is more progressive and far more heavier than previous albums.

 

NM: You’ve only heard the first four songs? Blimey you’ve got to hear the last six tracks!

 

EH: I wish I could!!

 

JG: Only the first four?!!!

 

NM: Blimey, the first four are just a teaser!! From those first four I think ‘Brighter Than a Thousand Suns’ is absolutely brilliant.

 

JG: It just gets better and better the more you hear it. It’s a very very intense experience to listen to it, I think. But the whole album gets better and better every time you listen to it. I don’t think many bands do that any more. People tend to want ‘instantaneous’ and then after a week they forget about it and then want the next instantaneous thing. But this album is deeper than that. There’s a lot of depth to it. It totally works as an album. It all finishes with some acoustic stuff, and as Nicko said, the last chord just makes you go pheeeww! And you feel you’ve listened to a piece of music which has lasted over 70 minutes long. It’s almost classically inspired.

 

NM: Yeah, that intro to ‘The Legacy’ definitely. I mean it sounds like there’s loads of guitars but it’s just the way Jan put the whole thing together, and then the whole band come in with a huge wall of electric guitar and you think whooaa, it just blows you away. It’s as though the overture has kicked in and it sounds frighteningly good!

 

EH: Nicko, how come you didn’t write any songs on this album?

 

JG: He did!! Ha Ha

 

NM: My writing contribution was more musical, like the drum parts to these songs etc. I really had a lot of input on this album. Usually the guys would come to and say ‘…..this is the sort of thing I would like you to do etc.’ But that didn’t really happen so much on this album. Although Steve had a couple of specific things he wanted from me. But a lot of the way I constructed the drum patterns and beats was my contribution to the writing aspect I suppose. In terms of bringing a song to the band, I flew over quite late into the writing period. And what had happened was, the guys already had ten songs ready to go. They had been getting together in various combinations to put the songs together. If we had needed eleven songs then I would have put my song into the mix as it was already mainly complete and it may or may not have been used. But the point is, we had these ten phenomenal songs! Jan had a couple more ideas, Adrian had a couple more songs ready and Steve had another three already written. So what is amazing is that we had too much material! Whereas normally we get to about eight songs and it’s ‘……er, anyone got any more ideas?’ So it wasn’t because of any other reason than we had enough songs already. But to be honest with the standard of the songs already there, I wouldn’t have even considered putting into the pot!

 

EH: So the Eddie with the crossed guns logo. Is that going to be the album or a single cover?

 

JG: No. But it will be used as part of the general concept of the album. But if we told you we would have to kill you again!! The artwork is pretty close but still not finalised. There are changes being made all the time, even with the stage production.

 

EH: Do you have much input into the artwork etc?

 

JG: Yes if you want to. Normally what happens is Rod will present us with all the ideas. We then discuss what’s good and what’s not so good. Then Rod will collate all the ideas we have all thrashed out and then he will sit down with Steve to thrash out the final look etc. Steve is the main man for that as he is very specific about what he wants, like colours and detail. With the stage set though, we all have our little likes and dislikes. For instance Nicko might say that the drum riser needs to be a bit bigger, or Bruce might have something wrong with the walkways etc. But they are things easy to change and we can even do it once we are on tour if a certain part of the production doesn’t work quite right within the look of the stage set.

 

EH: Are all the backdrops and scenery all finished yet?

 

JG: No. They are almost finished being designed but not painted yet. Things change all the time. In fact only yesterday we were still talking to our production manager about the stage flooring design. It’s very much an ongoing process. Alan and Chrissie Chesters who run Hangman, who have done our stage production for so many years now, do a fantastic job. They really know where they are going with Maiden stage sets, and always get things done at the witching hour after many last minute changes. We can always rely on them. Even down to the pre-production rehearsals when we saw the Eddie it just didn’t look or work right. It looked great as a model but it just didn’t work when it was full size. So they had to make another one which was used after a couple of gigs into the tour.

 

NM: We are pretty much set on where we are going with it. It’s really quite adventurous and I think people will be quite stunned when they see it.

 

JG: Actually I quite like it when it sometimes goes wrong. If everything is too slick it becomes too cabaret and polished for me. We shouldn’t be too polished. I think we should always walk that precipice, because when things go wrong that’s what makes it exciting.

 

EH: Yeah, the fans love that sort of thing.

 

JG: It gives them something extra to remember.

 

EH: So, Trivium are supporting you this time. How was it decided to use them as support act?

 

JG: I think it depends on who is touring at the time. Who’s got an album out etc. Then you look at what is available and who we think will fit the bill the best. I don’t really mind anyone supporting us, as long as it’s the right time for that band. Trivium tick all the boxes, so it’s good for us and good for them.

 

EH: Do you think they will pull in the younger fans? They definitely have a young fanbase.

 

JG: I hope it does. It should be great.

 

NM: We can’t just take a band out just because we might like them. You have to look at what they can bring to the tour. So the younger kids that might come to see Trivium may not have originally come to see us, but hopefully we can win them over as well. They are a good band, so if we are going on tour we may as well have a good band in support.

 

EH: Can you say what the first single is going to be?

 

JG: Not really ‘cos we haven’t fully decided yet.

 

EH: Big question. Will this be the last studio album?

 

NM: Absolutely not!

 

JG: If that was the case we would probably have called it ‘The Legacy’.

 

NM: There you go. I hadn’t thought of that but you’re probably right. We are not young kids anymore but this record has proved to me that we have still got immense music left in us. So it definitely won’t be the last. We will have the usual time off after the tour and then take things from there.

 

EH: One last question. Who is Benjamin Breeg?

 

(Loads of laughter from Jan and Nicko)

 

NM: We are not the two people to ask. You need to talk to Steve………………"

[makosss]

Περίμενε ένα πολύ καλό cd.:) :D

 

Ποσο καλο?Οσο το Brave new world?:)Εμενα προσοπικα δεν μου αρεσε κανενα κομματι εκτος απο το ομονυμο..

[jog]

Ποσο καλο?Οσο το Brave new world?:)

 

Τα ίδια τα μέλη λένε ότι ξεπερνάει χαλαρά τα 2 τελευταία cd.

 

Το album αναμένεται 4 Σεπτεμβρίου με πρώτο cd το << The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg>> - το οποίο από τις περιγραφές αναμένεται συγκλονιστικό.

 

Αν έχεις χρόνο διάβασε το προηγούμενο πολύ μεγάλο ποστ(με το cover).Έχει πολλές πληροφορίες.

 

Το νέο cd δεν θα είναι σαν όλα τα άλλα των maiden (θα είναι πιο σκοτεινό,με πολύ καλύτερο μπάσο,θεματολογία για τον Θεο και τον Πόλεμο και με πολλα progressive στοιχεία)

 

Δες στην προηγούμενη σελίδα την πλήρη λίστα με τα τραγούδια

[jog]

Το brave new world είχε το εξαιρετικό Ghost of Navigator,το The Nomad και το θεικό στην live εκτέλεση Blood Brothers.

[makosss]

Τα ίδια τα μέλη λένε ότι ξεπερνάει χαλαρά τα 2 τελευταία cd.

 

Το album αναμένεται 4 Σεπτεμβρίου με πρώτο cd το << The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg>> - το οποίο από τις περιγραφές αναμένεται συγκλονιστικό.

 

Αν έχεις χρόνο διάβασε το προηγούμενο πολύ μεγάλο ποστ(με το cover).Έχει πολλές πληροφορίες.

 

Το νέο cd δεν θα είναι σαν όλα τα άλλα των maiden (θα είναι πιο σκοτεινό,με πολύ καλύτερο μπάσο,θεματολογία για τον Θεο και τον Πόλεμο και με πολλα progressive στοιχεία)

 

Δες στην προηγούμενη σελίδα την πλήρη λίστα με τα τραγούδια

 

Τωρα που το λες ακουγετε πολυ καλο!;) θα διαβασω το post.Παντος αν οι Maiden βγαλουν τωρα καλο δισκο με βλεπω παλι με γκετες κ μπλουζες ManOwaR ! :lol:

[Lefterian]

Jog ennoeitai oti i elpida pethainei teleutaia...elpizw se kati kalo! :p

[songless_bird]

Υπαρχουν ακομη maiden μετα απο το X Factor??:confused: :p

Απο περιεργεια και μονο θα το ακουσω. Μετα απο το X factor κανενας αλλος maiden δισκος δεν κοσμει την δισκοθηκη μου. Γιατι μονο τα προηγουμενα ηταν διαμαντια.

[Lefterian]

Dance of Death???DISKARA!

BRAVE NEW WORLD???(:p)...ok auto einai polu metrio... :lol:

Dance of death omws mamaei re su!

 

Ena einai to sigouro, me to kainourgio album(POIO?!?) tha gelasoume polu!

 

Songless bird fantazesai X Factor me Bruce???

[songless_bird]

Dance of Death???DISKARA!

BRAVE NEW WORLD???(:p)...ok auto einai polu metrio... :lol:

Dance of death omws mamaei re su!

 

Ena einai to sigouro, me to kainourgio album(POIO?!?) tha gelasoume polu!

 

Songless bird fantazesai X Factor me Bruce???

Δεν ξερω αν το λες ειρωνικα..Αλλα αυτος ο δισκος ειχε γραφτει για τον Bruce :(

 

Και το Dance of Death ειναι αξιο για την εποχη σας, οχι τη δικη μου :p

[Lefterian]

Oxi den to lew katholou eirwnika!Isa isa!!

An itan o Bruce tha itan korufi!

 

Swpa re pappouli...:p

 

Pantws an epelega dekaetia gia na zisw METAL, tha epelega 90s...