BEAST IN THE MAZE

      This week on Beast in the Maze , we're taking a look at a not-quite-concept album from Iron Maiden, their fourteenth studio offering A Matter of Life and Death .     Featuring songs with themes of war and religion, life and birth, and light and shadow, this album sits in the middle (chronologically) of the modern lineup's releases, but is unique even among those for being a bit darker and heavier.      By the time A Matter of Life and Death  debuted, the band had begun exploring more progressive sounds as a default, and the albums as well as the songs within were gradually lengthening, on average, with the average song length here in the seven to eight minute range. The album is one which many people who only listen to the 1980s Maiden may overlook, but it's one which many listeners consider an underlooked modern classic - in fact, when Maiden toured most recently on the Legacy of the Beast tour, which was intended to be a restrospectiv...

  This time on Beast in the Maze , we've finally gotten into some live Phish material. This is a set from the mid 90's, with their most recent official album at the time being A Live One .  Consisting of a lot of songs from A Picture Of Nectar  and even a couple of Gamehendge songs, this set has some faster ones, some slower ones, some by-the-numbers versions and some unique takes. While we'll be doing two episodes on this concert, we decided to stick with the first set only on this episode, do a Maiden episode in between, and then come back and close it out with set two. Join us as we go track by track, as well as discussing the broader question of what makes a good concert, etiquette when other fans are being loud or distracting, the role of many of the Mike Gordon songs in the larger scope of the Phish catalogue including how they're used at shows, and of course, the spiritual/scientific nature of chocolate. As always, of course, we also reveal our pick for the next ...

       In the new episode of Beast in the Maze , we are taking on Brave New World , a milestone album in the history of Iron Maiden, featuring the return of vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith.      An album which, despite containing plenty of heavy metal, leans in a progressive and drawn-out direction, Brave New World  was something of a make-or-break album for the band, who succeeded marvelously. The band's new three-guitar lineup allowed for experimentation, and in places thickened the song to an almost orchestral level. Bruce, too, appeared not to have lost a step in terms of range or power, and although there are still plenty of Maiden fans out there for whom the first few albums are the best, Brave New World  is undeniably good, and is a strong statement from a band that had been making albums for twenty years.     Join us as we get into it track by track, discuss the songs, the art, the personnel, whether the ...

  This time on Beast in the Maze , we're taking on Phish's fifth studio album, Hoist . The album is significant for the band not only because it would become their best-selling studio album, but also because it was an album which featured a host of guest musicians, which imparted a unique sound to the record - among those guest-starring are Alison Krauss, Rose Stone, Bela Fleck, and Tower of Power.  The commercial success of the album also lead to Phish's only song with a music video, "Down With Disease," which was directed by band member and bassist Mike Gordon. While some phish fans thought the band was going in too much of a mainstream/alternative direction with the song and perhaps others on the album, time would prove these hopes somewhat unfounded, as Phish would continue to evolve their sound throughout their career. Join us as we go track by track and get into all of the details, including Fishman's nicknames, the relative importance of official live r...

       This week on Beast in the Maze , we're taking on one of the more difficult, personal, and oft-dismissed albums in Iron Maiden's history. After the departure of longtime member and guitarist Adrian Smith in 1990, followed by powerhouse vocalist Bruce Dickinson in 1993, many were left wondering if the band could soldier on. This, combined with turmoil in his personal life, meant that the shit was really hitting the fan for bassist and band leader Steve Harris.     Featuring new (and lower-register) singer Blaze Bayley, the album ends up as a dark, moody, sort of brooding record, dominated with themes of introspection, shaken faith, and war. Few of the songs featured on the album would remain in rotation after Bruce's eventual return to the band, one notable exception being the eleven-minute epic "Sign of the Cross," which the band purposefully placed as Side 1 Track 1 on The X Factor.     While it's of course true that Iron Maiden without Bru...

     Here at Beast in the Maze , we are mostly about two very different bands: Iron Maiden and Phish. However, those aren't the only bands we listen to (believe it or not)! Sometimes we make reference to other artists, either when trying to explain something, or because one of "our" bands reminds me of something someone else has also done.      In case you'd like a brief break from all this Maiden and Phish, here are some artists/songs we discussed in our last episode, The Story of The Ghost : 1. Talking Heads - ( Crosseyed and Painless ) - This band has come up a few times in our discussion, which actually makes quite a bit of sense as they are a clear influence on Phish, who has performed Talking Heads songs many times, including playing the entirety of their Remain in Light  album live. 2. Ben Folds 5 - Our guest Jonathon from New Ears  brought this band up in reference to a Page interlude. They're an NC alternative rock band which heavily...

      This week on Beast in the Maze , we're taking a look at Phish's seventh studio album, The Story of the Ghost.  Recorded as a series of extended jams in the same studio where Billy Breathes  was put down, it's got a sound all its own, a sort of a haunting yet mellow funky song the band would refer to as "cow funk."      We're joined to discuss the album by our good friend and podcasting colleague Jonathon Humphrey from the New Ears  and Bite of Passage  podcasts, the latter of which makes its debut this Saturday. To hear our takes, you can check us out on this site or on your favorite podcast provider. If you'd like some live picks or a link to the playlist of the album, check out our previous post .     You can check out Jonathon's music/album discussion podcast New Ears via this link if you'd like to hear about some bands other than Phish or Iron Maiden for once, or if you'd like to pick apart the "Twilight" series with...