And the winner is MAIDEN!

Ok..am a bit late on this one..but the Grammy's best metal performance award went to Iron Maiden for El Dorado. This year featured a monster list from Megadeth to Slayer to Lamb of God to Maiden (and also Korn). Anyone could have won (except Korn ofcourse). I do feel a bit sad for Megadeth though since they have been nominated soo many times but have not won yet! It has always been difficult for Dave Mustaine. I am currently reading his autobiography and damn the guy has to fight for every little thing! Anyways..I hope Maiden tours India this time. It was soo much fun the last time.

The Final Frontier - Iron Maiden

I had pre-ordered the CD on Flipkart long before it got released. This was one album I was desperately waiting for. It finally arrived a few weeks ago and I've been continuously listening to it ever since. After 35 years of metal, they are still going strong. The cover art is brilliant as usual with a nice, mean alien Eddy this time . As the cover suggests, the theme is sci-fi with plenty of songs about venturing into the unknown and flying into space. 

Satellite 15 .. The Final Frontier

The first track is very different from what you expect. It starts with a fast heavy bass line which literally makes your woofers shiver like anything. Nicko McBrain comes in with his drums sounding like a fast approaching train! The guitars come in with shrieks...like a revving engine coming closer and closer..creating a nervous atmosphere. It goes on for quiet sometime before Bruce comes screaming in with "I try to call the Earth's command, desperation in my voice. I'm drifting way off course now, with very little choice..." As soon as the verse ends, everyone comes in again and I swear it'll give you goosebumps. There's this li'l solo and suddenly everything goes silent. The track then explodes with The Final Frontier. Phew! what an intro!! Its soo not expected from Maiden. Usually its just some solid fast riff which opens the album but this time around it was different...good different. The Final Frontier is a nice catchy song...it welcomes the listener and warms him up for the onslaught that is to follow.

El Dorado

This was up for a free download a month back on the maiden website. If the first track was different..the second track is classic Maiden. The galloping bass is soo freakin' awesome...sounds like 50 f*ckin horses coming straight at you! If anyone really wants to know what heavy metal is all about, this song is a perfect example. The opening riff is a nice stop-start guitar with the trademark heavy metal gallop at the background. The verses are low, almost like a sneer, the chorus is high and the solo is a twin guitar attack. This is where maiden is really good at...plain ol' old school metal. Awesome track.

Mother of Mercy

Mother of Mercy is an epic song which anyone can hum along. It sounds great during drives and drinks :). The theme is of war..a theme not new for Iron Maiden (or for that matter any metal band). The song is about soldiers not knowing why they fighting and who they are fighting with. "Why are we here? In this place..here to kill. Please god forgive us for what we've done.".. thats how the verse goes. And when Bruce ends with "I'm a soldier of war"..the chorus punches its way in, destroying everything in its path! Bruce sings with passion in this awesome song.

Coming Home

This is when you sit back and soak up the album. This a slow track..in fact its the ballad of the album. Its a nice slow track with a strong chorus bit which kinda mixes really well with the verses. Just when you think the song is slow..the powerful chorus reminds you that you are still listening to Maiden. It has a very catchy riff which sticks to the back of your mind. The solo is really soulful and melodic.

The Alchemist

This song picks up the pace after the ballad. It takes us back to the quintessential maiden tune... fast..loud..and an immensely catchy chorus. Dave Murray and Adrian Smith start the proceedings with their blissful harmonies. I'd like to compare it with The Trooper (due to the harmonies) but I rather should not. Its everything that characterizes an Iron Maiden song. Short and sweet.

Isle of Avalon

The intro is nice and slow with a crescendo brewing...indicating the track is about to explode! Bruce's voice is so passionate on this track..esp when he sings "Mother Earth you know your time is near".. you cant help but feel the sadness in his voice. The crescendo finally culminates into an explosive chorus when Bruce screams "I can hear you!!..Can you hear me?? I can feel you...Can you feel me??" After that, I swear you cant help but move your head back and forth with those metal horns right up there. Its an epic track. The chorus is excellent on this one. "I hear her crying..the tears of an angel. The voices I hear inside of my head. Blessed the fruits are the corn of the earth..Mother Earth holy blood of the dead." Its soo bad a*s!!

Starblind

The song really takes off with this nice li'l riff at the opening seconds of the song. Its a nice mid-tempo song which has an awesome solo. In fact the song structure is really progressive...with nice smooth tempo changes. Starblind is a powerful song (almost like a power ballad) with Bruce singing at the top of his voice during most parts of the song. It's brutal..esp towards the end, everything slows down and then there's this small crescendo before they all erupt to create this awesome metal experience.

The Talisman

My favorite track of the album. The intro is kinda similar to "The Legacy" from their last album - A Matter of Life and Death. It has an acoustic intro..nice and quiet..yet indicating that something's gonna happen soon. And soon enough..the song breaks into this classic fast, powerful sound that Maiden is soo familiar with. The chorus is soo incredibly catchy with a nice li'l solo which everyone can whistle along. At a li'l over 9 minutes long..this takes you at levels which one can only expect from an Iron Maiden song. Its pure magic.

The Man who would be king

The intro is so graceful with Bruce narrating the story in his most soulful voice. The song weaves in an atmosphere similar to the seventh son album...esp till the chorus. Midway, it suddenly takes a U-Turn. Its crazy..its something inexplicable. I swear..its surreal. Everyone comes along with everything they got. The guitars..the bass..the drums...they all sound incredible. The track comes back to its original pace after this li'l interlude. It ends with a nice slow outro with Bruce singing "Far..far away..the man who would be king" indicating an end to his tale.

When the Wind Blows

This is a 11 minute song..the longest in the album. Its epic..its a magnum opus. This track reminds me of The Nomad or the The Blood Brothers. Its really melodic and it would be awesome listening to it live. The crowd would definitely hum along like they do during Fear of the dark. It has this nice li'l solo which comes in the middle at 5:00..which is soo cool!! Everyone comes together during this last song. During the end at about 9 minutes or so..there's this flash of brilliance again. Its a perfect finale to a monster album.

The Final Frontier is an epic album. I like it better than their last album - A Matter of Life and Death. Although there is no song which beats the classics like The Number of the Beast, The trooper or Hallowed be they name, but collectively, I feel, this album is right up there amongst their greatest. Up the Irons \,,/.. may heavy metal live forever!

The Angel and the Gambler

I dint like this song much when I heard it for the first time. In fact it was one of those songs which you have but rarely listen. Anyways while I was crunching kilometers on the treadmill , this song came up on the Ipod and somehow I found it to be awesome! Somehow it blended really nicely with my running. Come to think of it, even the lyrics are kinda cool. The song's about taking chances and how one takes risks in the hope of an angel to mend everything if things go wrong. However it is a bit stretchy. I mean it really dint have to be this long..and damn..the chorus is repeated so many times!! But its catchy as hell! One of those underdog kinda songs..you write them off at first but they bounce back!

Maiden Heaven - Its here!

Ohh man!!..am listening to Maiden Heaven right now and its sooo damn awesome!!..I am into the second track "Remember Tomorrow" by Metallica and phew!..what a kick ass track! I cant say much right now cuz I am just onto the second song. I will update something after I finish hearing them all.

Update:
Hmm..after listening to the entire album..I got mixed reactions. In this compilation I really feel that some bands which were featured just can't cover iron maiden. At the end of it, its an OK album..you might even like it if you dont take iron maiden seriously. Anyways, so now I proceed to dissect the album.

1. Prowler: Black Tide
Prowler is the first song of the album. Black Tide did a fairly good job covering it. Most of the track sounds like the original. But they did change the solo and made the guitars and drums more heavier. Its a nice track to start off.

2. Remember Tomorrow: Metallica
This track really takes the album to the next level. Its this track which raises the expectations of the listener. My best track of the album. The vocals are strong..drums are tight..the guitars are heavy and the solo is nice too!

3. Flash of the blade: Avenged Sevenfold
I like this track..but the chorus really turns me off..the vocals are "sissy". I dont know...it doesn't sound like metal at all during the chorus. Apart from that..the track is cool..but I would give Iron Maiden the credit for it..Avenged Sevenfold dint have the power to cover this song. But thats me..thats my opinion.

4. 2 minutes to midnight: Glamour of the kill
Again, the vocals dint cut for me. It just goes to prove how good a singer Bruce Dickinson is. The vocals are not powerful at all. The track doesnt sound like heavy metal at all!

5. The Trooper: Coheed and Cambria
The trooper is like one of the best songs of Iron Maiden. It takes gut to cover a classic like The Trooper and Coheed and Cambria totally lost it vocally. It lacks the power! The guitars and drums although dont sound bad. However, this track again dissapoints.

6. Wasted Years: Devildriver
This is when things get metalcore/hardcore. The one thing which really goes wrong with the songs in this compilation are the vocals. The drums and the guitars are cool in every track but the vocals gets messed up..in this track too. Going metalcore for a maiden song kills it. However the overall track does sound nice..if you can ignore the vocals for a bit. The vocals kinda ruins the overall melody of the track. By this time you find new respect for Bruce Dickinson and truly realize what an amazing singer he is!

7. Run to the Hills: Sign
They totally changed the song...for the worse. It sounds like a f*ckin nu metal/alternate sh*t like Linkin Park or something. The worst song on this album for me. They really killed a classic.

8. To tame a land: Dream Theater
They did a fairly good job covering it. However, I expected more from Dream Theater. The track more or less sounds the same. I wished they had done it the "Dream Theater" way. But saying that...the track does sound amazing...the second best song for me!

9. Madina Lake: Caught somewhere in time
For god sake ...stop turning Iron Maiden songs to shit! This track sux totally. The vocals suck..and the riffs sound like nothing like Heavy metal. The original is like 7 minutes long and this one is a 4 minute long track. It dint even have a solo. Imagine a maiden song minus a solo!!! Its exactly how not to cover a maiden song.

10. Gallows: Wrathchild
Hardcore/Metalcore enthusiasts just might enjoy this song. I dint enjoy it much. The vocals turn me off. I strongly feel going metalcore kills the melody of an iron maiden song! Although that said, Cradle of Filth cover (even if they aren't metalcore) totally pulled off Hallowed be thy name. I hate such vocals but somehow..that cover rocks!

11. Fightstar: Fear of the dark
Hmm..fear of the dark starts in a really kickass manner. But the singer cant pull it off. He cant get the high notes at all. He sings at a different scale altogether. The chorus again doesn't sound like metal..however.. the guitars rock in this track. They are the saviour of this track. Its nice and heavy.

12. Machine Head: Hallowed be thy name
Hallowed be thy name is my favourite Iron Maiden track. I love it when bands cover it. I loved the Cradle of Filth cover..even if the vocals are very different from the original. I thought they pulled it off totally. Even Iced Earth did a good job in the "Tribute to the gods" album. Machine Head also does a good job. They chose it safe and played the song as it is on the original.

13. Iron Maiden: Trivium
The song rocks..and the cover rocks too. Although the growls do sound weird in the song..but overall it maintains the power of the original..I esp liked the drums on this track and the overall pace of the song. My third favourite in the album.

14. Running Free: Year Long Disaster
The vocals sound like Marilyn Manson. But it sounds good. Got nuthing more to say for this other than that.

15. Brave New World: Ghostlines
They turned the track upside down. They made it acoustic and changed the melody on the vocals. The guitar plays the original melody in the background. Its a slow track..nice to listen and all.. but I have to say..does not sound like a heavy metal cover. I wished they did it heavy and faster than the original.

All in all its an "ok" album. You wont be dissapointed with it but once you start comparing it with the original songs, you would find they dont come even close to the sheer power of Iron Maiden. Its after you listen to all the songs..you realize the greatness that is Iron Maiden \m/.

Maiden Heaven

Kerrang! is producing a new Iron Maiden Tribute album titled "Maiden Heaven". The title includes all the biggest names in metal each covering a track by Iron Maiden. The big names include Metallica, Machine Head, Dream Theater, Avenged Sevenfold, Trivium and many others!! Its gonna be out only with the magazine :( . That kinda sucks..where the hell am I gonna get a copy. Anyways its gonna be awesome! Metallica's covering "Remember Tomorrow". I wanted see them cover Hallowed be thy name or Fear of the Dark. DT is covering "To Tame a Land" and Trivium is covering "Iron Maiden". Anyways I hope the album lives up to its name. Read more about it here.