Composer Reacts to Iron Maiden - Infinite Dreams (REACTION & ANALYSIS)

Bryan reacts to and talks about his thoughts on Infinite Dreams (2015 Remaster)
ORIGINAL VIDEO // • Infinite Dreams (2015 ...
ALL LINKS // linktr.ee/criticalreactions

[@BardicJim]

The WHOLE album is an absolute banger that should be listened to start to finish.

[@HateMich]

Rime of the Ancient Mariner

[@onearthonelegion]

Empire of the Clouds

[@brucedickinson12]

@@onearthonelegion nonono their worst song

[@vincentmartinez6845]

@@onearthonelegion Best song on the TBOS album

[@benedictdonald4338]

@@onearthonelegionyes, “Clouds” is a modern masterpiece.

[@youtubepeace]

truly believe bruce dickinson has earned the title as greatest metal vocalist (def all-round frontman) and steve harris' basswork is unmatchable, you DEF should listen to more maiden

[@mrmanakin9684]

I would have to disagree to be honest.

[@jerod256]

Dunno if I'd go so far as the bass work is untouchable, but it sets a pretty high bar.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

IM is my favorite band, but favorite metal vocalist probably goes to Dio, but they have very different styles. Halford and Tate are in the running too. I do give Dickinson the nod when it comes to being an entertaining frontman though. Nobody can match his energy on stage.

[@ironworker4921]

@@jonathanhenderson9422 I'd argue technically, and I mean about his skills, that yes he is the most proficient in the metal industry.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

@@ironworker4921 Even on technicality I give Dio and probably Tate the edge. Both have more versatility. Dickinson might have more range than Dio, but Dio has more nuances and modes of expression (watch any of the many voice coaches react to him on YT). Tate probably has the largest range. Dickinson's technique can be shaky live, though he's quite remarkable given how much he runs around and puts on a show.

[@budthewiser1344]

Finally a Maiden reaction giving Steve Harris some recognition!

[@CriticalReactions]

As a fellow bassist I'm always looking to recognize those who tend to be overshadowed by their six+ stringed bandmates.

[@SendThemRunning]

​@@CriticalReactions harris definitely isnt the hidden-in-the-back bassist stereotype haha

[@Chris_Clark1MaidenFan]

Amen Brother Steve Harris is the 🐐🐐🐐🐐. Iron Maiden is the 🐐🐐🐐🐐 Heavy Metal band of all time. A song off that same album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Somewhere in Time album Alexander the Great, off the new Senjutsu album Writing on the Wall, Time Machine and this song puts chills on me Death of the Celts. You won’t be disappointed in any of those. Once you start down the rabbit hole you’ll never come back. You’ll be a Maiden Fan for Life. 🤘🤘UpTheIrons🤘🤘

[@chaosapiant]

To me, the song "Starblind" is the "v 2.0" of this song and along with Infinite Dreams is my most favoritist Maiden songs of all times. Great listen!

[@Hikash]

Starblind is wonderful. I absolutely love that song.

[@revylokesh1783]

I know what you mean. It's the Hendrix-esque clean guitar embellishments underneath the verse that's similar.

[@chaosapiant]

@@revylokesh1783 That's part of it. There's also a sort of desperation to Bruce's voice and a kind of "swing" feel to the music. I can't articulate it super well as I have zero musical training. But in both songs, it sounds like Bruce is singing his last song ever.

[@scope81]

I never really thought about it like that before, but I get why you say that now

[@benedictdonald4338]

@@chaosapiantyou articulated this song perfectly. The swing and desperation are spot on

[@PrincessKagayaki]

I honestly felt the repetition of that section was purposeful since the lyrics are talking about reincarnation and what happens after death. It leave you with the sense of no resolution: dying and returning again. I really enjoy the mystical feel with the song much like the entire album since the concept of the album is about life and death/good v evil. I feel like people need to hear this song in context of the album to fully appreciate it. All of Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son really. Many bands such as Iron Maiden or Pink Floyd I find listening to full albums alwaus makes me appreciate songs that I may not even really like much outside the album. I find much of Iron Maiden is better live than on the studio. Like songs they made are meant to be played live and the energy of the show is much different to just listening. I find myself replaying them live then the records if I’m honest.

[@davek6949]

That's exactly what that section was going for.

[@CriticalReactions]

That's an interesting look at the writing. I didn't realize this was from a concept album when I listened to it.

[@carbofos9979]

@@CriticalReactions There's also another aspect of repeating simple riffs. Maiden are a live band first and foremost, and I beleive that they - probably not even conciously, but rather instinctively - provide the space for the crowd sinaglong/headbanging. Just from my experience, some songs (of their last 20 years) that I felt were a bit overloaded on the albums turned out to be great, involving live numbers.

[@sjeikomar]

One of the best metal albums of all times. The keyboards make it epic. All the songs are gems.

[@Frankdispensapena]

This is their most underrated album.

[@REDSIN1000]

The band that changed my life. My 1st metal album "Iron Maiden Piece of Mind" almost 30 years ago. RESPECT. After that i discover "Candlemass" and i was DOOMED for life .... :)

[@user-xz9pv6tp2u]

One of the favorite songs not only from maiden but in general in all metal

[@davek6949]

The bass has ALWAYS been up in the mix in Maiden's music. Steve Harris's style is unique and that's one of the things that drew me to their music to begin with.

[@fingersmcoy]

flat wounds on a giant p bass. bangin on that thing. love it

[@piscesfreak1]

I love that you say that the guitars tell a story. That is what got me into them in a big way when I was a kid. I know you get this all of the time but I think that Run to Hills, Infinite Dreams and a song called From Here to Eternity are the most "standard" songs in their discography, which is extensive, to put it mildly. :-) Thanks for the vid, Bryan, I love your informed reactions.

[@bradsteed6833]

My second favorite Maiden album next to SIT. So Good.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

My favorite band, and this song happens to be from my favorite album of theirs. Not one of my favorite IM songs, but it is one of their more unique ones in terms of structure. The most interesting musical idea here is that most of the song is in Em, but then it switches to Gm for the instrumental section up to the ending, but then it ends on an Em chord. Despite ending on the "home key" of sorts, it doesn't sound like a resolution. Given that the song is about being disturbed by dreams and the possibility of reincarnation I think that musical idea fits well at the theme: the idea of "returning" but because the context is different the familiar has now become alien and uncomfortable. This was their first (and only) concept album where they first fully embraced prog, and the second where they started using keyboards. Whole album has such a unique atmosphere and production, with a guitar tone I've never been able to replicate. There's so many things that make IM special, but for me it always comes down to their facility with melody and their theatricality. On their best songs almost every instrument and every vocal line is super-catchy, which is why at their shows it's common for audiences to hum the guitar riffs/licks. The theatricality just naturally lends drama and emotion to everything they do, and I've always loved that they don't mind being campy while still taking the music seriously (and writing about such a diverse range of subjects). It's a fine line between camp and cheese, and they walk it beautifully. It's also worth pointing out that IM did indeed invent, innovate, or popularize so many of the common elements in metal we take for granted today. As for the repetition, that's a commonality in IM. I think it's one thing that makes them so catchy/memorable, but everyone has a different tolerance for repetition. It typically doesn't bother me in IM because I think the melodies they're repeating are usually really good.

[@TheD4VR0S]

Wow I havnt heard this song since the mid 90's and yet I was able to sing along

[@CuriousInterest]

Rime of the ancient mariner x100

[@TailgunnerATC]

Please do Starblind! No one has done it yet

[@shaxplosion]

YES!

[@zanyzebra9975]

Last week ☝️ They are building a house next to mine and I was listening to Run to the Hills and the cadence and metrical sounds of the construction tools perfectly matched up to the song🤔👌 I am positive this is frequently occurs very often to many of us MetalHeads👍 So metal 🤘 Great Choice as always ☝️

[@CriticalReactions]

Not saying you have to always do it, but it caught me off guard to not see an Ulcerate plug with your comment 😁

[@RogueJynx]

Loving all the Steve Harris credit finally. Please more Maiden. To Tame a Land or maybe Deja Vu for more obscure maiden jams

[@wilhelmfink7633]

Deja Vu is a delight.

[@XSkallagrimsonX]

I would suggest Phantom of the Opera live from Ullevi 2005!

[@helgaratbone1691]

Best duel guitar attack ever.

[@steezydan8543]

Best dual guitar attack is the song "Black And White" by the thrash band Toxik

[@Kenneth-uv8rk]

Best song ever

[@Nursesaids]

This era is kinda underrated imo.

[@bobsacamano2948]

Very underrated!!!

[@wilhelmfink7633]

Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner...

[@palladinodessa8988]

Maiden has been my fav since hearing them for the first time in 82, their live shows are like meeting your old (10k+) friends again and feeling the music for the first time. Watch their live performance of Fear of the Dark kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqq1ZoaMg5JnbNE such a great song and a show that matches. They have 3 guitarists now...

[@sthjr112358]

Nice, a track from one of my favorite maiden albums. Also the band that got me into metal. Up the Irons \m/

[@helgaratbone1691]

More Maiden!!!

[@suffocationgreece1911]

22 acacia avenue.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@HateMich]

i always loved that song

[@alexm9903]

All the songs of Iron Maiden ! Even those from No prayer for the dying are wonderful.

[@wilhelmfink7633]

No Prayer for the Dying is a great album, better than Fear of the Dark for me.

[@TrollingInTheDeep]

Live versión from "Maiden England"🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@Koziolrh]

One of my favorites of theirs. Entire record comes highly recommended. There's an atmosphere to it that they never replicated.

[@raen19]

We, as a community, should feel embarrassed for not recommending Maiden to you earlier. There's an absolute hoard of treasures in their catalog - so many great songs that it's hard to know where to start. I am truly glad that you enjoyed this. I know you have a huge list to get through, but if you ever come back to Maiden I'd be thrilled to watch it. Best part about Maiden is that you can listen to just about any song from the 80's and be blown away by the level of musicianship from every member of the band.

[@raen19]

I gave your comments some serious thought, as I spent the last 24 hours thrashing Maiden. Particularly around the missed opportunity with the harmonies. And I think a great song to check out for redemption on that front would be Deja Vu. No reaction necessary (though I wouldn't say no to one), but if you ever feel like revisiting Maiden, give that song a try.

[@jonkehoe7542]

So much of Maiden’s catalogue is so important to the metal genre, but for me personally the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album that this track comes from is their magnum opus, just peak Maiden, no weak tracks, and it’s a concept album to boot. My favourite!

[@revylokesh1783]

Yeah, 7th son is peak Maiden. "SiT" broke a barrier but by "7th son" they had confidently strode through and established themselves at the top.

[@GarDenofThieves]

UNBELIEVABLE concept album. Also Iron Maiden was my first band love :) Good choice :)

[@Lizard-of-Oz]

I recommend Alexander the Great by Iron Maiden if you're looking for something more progressive since you were listening to Yes o Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Long songs but worthy. Infinite Dreams it's part of a concept album which is The Seventh Son album.

[@Hohnathan]

Terrific choice and great analysis

[@lucypoopies]

1:39 "I like that bass line going on behind the guitar work" & 4:14 "Bass line is still tearin' it up back there"... Yeah, you'll make statements similar to those in practically EVERY Iron Maiden track ever produced.

[@byronmontealegre4297]

Iron Maiden also has more complex songs on her catalog, try to look for the newest albums

[@WhatDayIsItTrumpDay]

The 2015 Remasters are the best the Iron Maiden catalog has ever sounded. Why? Because it's Remastering done right. They went back to the original Master tapes, restored them (as some were quite old and deteriorating), cleaned them up, and then did a modern remastering job on them that saves and maintains the full dynamic range of the music. In other words, these Remasters do not suffer from the Loudness War that tended to raise up the low volume stuff, and squash the louder dynamic stuff which destroyed the dramatics of going from calm lower volume level stuff to the louder hit you in the face stuff. In other words, these Remasters takes you back to the original release dynamics, but with the benefits of a modern digital remaster. Steve Harris, the bassist and founding member, oversaw ALL of the work done on these remasters. And actually did most of the work himself. These 2015 remasters were first available on Vinyl, and then released on CD starting in 2018. And they're still releasing the Live albums on CD to this day. I picked up all the new studio album CDs last year and I can tell you that these are the definitive versions. The last major remasters for this catalog was the 1998 remasters and they suffer greatly from the Loudness War tinkering.

[@stefanpersson3865]

GREAT ALBUM SEVENTH SON OF THE SEVENTH SON ONE OF MY FAVORIT IRON MAIDEN ALBUM DEF! UP THE IRONS 🤘🏽 🤘🏽 🤘🏽

[@guitar_noodle]

Great choice! Hands down my favorite Maiden song and Album.

[@Jeminai77]

"The Prophet" may have fit theme better from memory

[@user-jc2vn8pq7l]

MANOWAR - The Demon’s Whip

[@nonserviam751]

-- the "repetitiveness" of this kind of music is supposed to induce a trancelike state.

[@aesotope1592]

I know what you mean about that one bar riff though

[@tasomusictv7345]

When the wild wind blows live en vivio

[@nonserviam751]

I should recommend Slayer - Crypts of Eternity.

[@zoltandemeter919]

Please, react to the 22 Acacia Avenue! One of their most groovy songs! And it also rules on the 1982 Hammersmith concert! It's a crackerjack!

[@unicyclepeon]

I missed the poll, but if you want something with some switch-ups, have you ever checked out the band "The Flower Kings" and their 25 minute long track "Stardust We Are"?

[@progperljungman8218]

This poll was about short rhapsodies (7 min max) 😊

[@unicyclepeon]

@@progperljungman8218 Oops. I was totally going the wrong direction on that one. Thanks for the info!

[@xcforce9067]

@@progperljungman8218 Flower Kings have no songs under 7 min that's worth listening. 😁

[@progperljungman8218]

@@xcforce9067 Not too shure about that but get your point 😁

[@antonysoprano1443]

I write this in Italian, my english is too bad, please traslate. Tu sei un compositore di musica, giusto? Quindi immagino tu abbia studiato la teoria musicale. E, immagino, anche la storia della musica. Quindi non mi spiego come tu, ascoltando una canzone o un motivo musicale senza conoscerlo, non riesca a collocarlo nella giusta epoca e nei giusti "confini musicali". La tua è una lacuna incredibile visto il mestiere che fai. Ma non è colpa tua, è un trend che negli ultimi dieci anni sta contagiando le nuove generazioni quello del rifiuto del passato, soprattutto quello recente. Io non faccio il tuo mestiere ma amo la musica come amo le persone che mi sono più care. E, quando ero un teenager, passavo molto tempo ed investivo tante energie nel cercare la musica che ascoltavano i miei genitori, i miei nonni. etc etc. Perchè caro @Critical Reaction, noi siamo il risultato di ciò che erano loro. Ed è stupido ignorarlo, come fate voi adesso...

[@CriticalReactions]

It has to do with the topics of my education. Learning how to make music, specifically classical and jazz, doesn't mean I have the vast knowledge of music history, which is an entirely different school of knowledge. There are days that I wish I could devotes hours and hours, days, and weeks to the pursuit of music history and know about everything that has existed. But I've never had that time, I've had to prioritize my goals. Not to mention it's futile anyways. There will always be gaps in one's knowledge given the vast amount of music out there. I do find it rude that you've attributed my knowledge gap to a generational thing. Do you know the entirety of jazz history and can place a song within a specific era and subgenre of jazz? What about doing the same for classical? Hip-hop? Can you tell the difference between a Baroque and a Renaissance song? Not knowing everything about the past is normal, it's an impossible feat. But something that isn't impossible is being kind and understanding about where people's knowledge ends and helping them learn about it. My generation, and the ones after mine, are doing a lot of historical exploring in all types of media. Older dances, films, and songs are going viral on TikTok. Just this last month my kid has listened to T.a.T.u.'s All The Things She Said, Aerosmith's Dream On, and Gorillaz's Clint Eastwood -- all because they went viral. It's easy to sit behind a screen and tell everyone else they're living life wrong. Maybe find ways to help spread awareness of older music that you think is flying under people's radar? Ha a che fare con i temi della mia educazione. Imparare a fare musica, in particolare classica e jazz, non significa avere la vasta conoscenza della storia della musica, che è una scuola di conoscenza completamente diversa. Ci sono giorni in cui vorrei poter dedicare ore e ore, giorni e settimane alla ricerca della storia della musica e conoscere tutto ciò che è esistito. Ma non ho mai avuto quel tempo, ho dovuto dare la priorità ai miei obiettivi. Per non parlare del fatto che è comunque inutile. Ci saranno sempre lacune nella propria conoscenza data la grande quantità di musica là fuori. Trovo maleducato che tu abbia attribuito la mia lacuna di conoscenza a una questione generazionale. Conosci l'intera storia del jazz e puoi collocare una canzone all'interno di un'epoca e di un sottogenere specifici del jazz? Che ne dici di fare lo stesso per la musica classica? Hip hop? Puoi dire la differenza tra una canzone barocca e una rinascimentale? Non sapere tutto del passato è normale, è un'impresa impossibile. Ma qualcosa che non è impossibile è essere gentili e comprensivi su dove finisce la conoscenza delle persone e aiutarle a conoscerla. La mia generazione, e quelle dopo la mia, stanno facendo molte esplorazioni storiche in tutti i tipi di media. I balli, i film e le canzoni più vecchi stanno diventando virali su TikTok. Proprio nell'ultimo mese mio figlio ha ascoltato All The Things She Said dei T.a.T.u., Dream On degli Aerosmith e Clint Eastwood dei Gorillaz -- tutto perché sono diventati virali. È facile sedersi dietro uno schermo e dire a tutti che stanno vivendo la vita in modo sbagliato. Forse trovare modi per aiutare a diffondere la consapevolezza della musica più vecchia che pensi stia volando sotto il radar delle persone?

[@alexschmidt3034]

Infant Annihilator - Behold the Kingdom of the Wretched Undying.

[@brucedickinson12]

Revelations

[@osamaqtaitat]

Up the Irons! Brw., you somehow look like the man in “become the knight” channel.

[@StringHead92]

Gorgeous song from a gorgeous album. Seventh Son is, imo, Maiden's best overall work, even if they have quite a few excellent records, and overall have been a consistent band aside from a few missteps. Great analysis as always, Bryan!

[@Hohnathan]

You love all the same parts as Me haha

[@wilhelmtheconquerer6214]

Best of metal: Bassist: Steve Harris (Iron Maiden), Cliff Burton (Metallica) Lead vocalist: Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Ronnie James Dio (Dio) Rhythm guitarist: James Hetfield (Metallica), Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) Lead guitarist: Adrian Smith/Dave Murray (Iron Maiden), Dave Mustaine/Marty Friedman (Megadeth), Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne), Glenn Tipton/K.K Downing (Judas Priest) Drummer: Nico McBrain (Iron Maiden), Dave Lombardo (Slayer), Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) Scott Travis (Judas Priest) If someone says anything else they're most likely mistaking musicianship with technical proficiency or songwriting. Musicianship is more about being humble enough to understand how to best serve the song and work with your band mates than knowing the most techniques or being able to play fast

[@marcelalidiaromero4526]

Quite agree. I would also add Clive Burr

[@radicalstanza3614]

Nah, there's hundreds of other candidates in most of those categories. Those are mostly worthy inclusions, though.

[@werc85music]

Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is my favourite album of alltime 🤘🏻

[@bobsacamano2948]

Iron maiden The Prophecy is also a good song

[@sandiz83]

if you going to lisen to maiden again you should lisen to blod brothers

[@teemupulkka2682]

Try isle of avalion

[@blackheartdarksoul666]

666 views... 6 hours ago... wtf? Up the irons!!!

[@davek6949]

This song in no way sounds like anything hair metal-related, except maybe the high tenor vocals by Dickinson. Other than that? No.

[@paulmoran7026]

Maiden ….hair metal?

[@TrevRockOne]

It's just classic heavy metal. There is nothing hair metal about this at all.

[@olavjorvik94]

you didn't the best part of the song? that's cool..

[@twestist]

Did you call Maiden Hair Metal? Lost all respect for you on that one.

[@enriqueplanas]

Same exact thought