② Stratego
The first thing stood out to me was Nick’s drumming. It’s hard to believe that he recorded this powerful drumming in his late 60’s. The song overall didn’t do much to me at first, but I realized that I was totally wrong as I listened to it a live version.
9/10
③ The Writing on the Wall
Another unique song written by Adrian. Many people say the intro remind them of cowboy movies, but it actually reminded me of Samurai movies. The riff is not a typical Maiden style, but it’s also nothing but Maiden. The chorus is easy to sing along.
I knew from the first time that it was going to be an awesome live song. It also features a long beautiful solo by Adrian.
10/10
④ Lost in the Lost World
First, I thought this song was written by Adrian because of the drum patterns. Very bass-driven song. I think it is one of the most bass-driven song written in their modern era. Steve once said he didn’t pay much attention on his bass part as he used to but rather focus on writing good songs and ensemble. But, this song is really led by his bass. The song didn’t do much to me at first, but it grew on me a lot as I listened to more.
9/10
⑤ Days of Future Past
This is more Adrian’s classic style, very straightforward rock/metal. It’s such a cool song, but I think this one is my least favorite in Senjutsu.
8/10
⑥ The Time Machine
My first impression was “Dance of Death Part2.” It’s a compliment, by the way. Janick always comes up with cool theme Melodie’s whenever he writes longer tunes. The theme melody of the song reminded me of Dance of Death. Nicko’s bouncy drumming adds a lot of dynamics in the middle section of the song. It’s hard to believe, but it seems like his drumming has rejuvenated in some of the songs in this album.
9/10
⑦ Darkest Hour
A moody ballad with very beautiful chorus. Since the reunion, they always put at least 1 slower song or ballad. But, this song really stands out among this other great songs. Maiden ballads often have some dynamics in the middle, but this song has them every part of the song, but it fits very well and doesn’t destroy the whole song. It also features long solos played by Adrian. 3 different solos!! You can tell he was really improvising on this, and he did great job on it.
8/10
⑧ Death of the Celts
It instantly reminded me of The Clansman for several obvious reasons. For some reasons, the main riff of its instrumental part, where the guitars and the bass played in unison, reminded me of the album, Powerslave. It’s another bass-driven epic written by Steve. Both Lost in the Lost World and this song are very bass-driven but in different ways. This song has the early Maiden feel to it.
8/10
⑨ The Parchment
The melody in the song has Arabic feel to it and matches really well with the title. It is another unusual song. It’s more than 12 minutes yet basically in the same mid tempo for almost 10 minutes and doesn’t have much dynamics in terms of rhythm. I think this song would be so painful to play live for Nicko. Nevertheless, the song shows many different aspects as it slowly evolves and guides us to the journey step by step. At the end of the song, the band fully explodes.
9/10
⑩ Hell on Earth
This song grabbed me instantly. The song has so many hooks in its vocal lines and lead guitars. It reminded me of one of my all-time favorite tunes, The Thin Line Between Love & Hate. It has similar unique transitions at the end. It is one of few Maiden songs that finishes with fade out. It’s very unusual for them, but it has to end this way. It is such a perfect closer of the album. I really wish that they would play this song live right before the song, Iron Maiden.
10/10
