This album seems to be a fan favorite, in part because it combines what's worthwhile about the band's second act with all of the classic elements of the first half of the band's act. A lot of power metal heads simply do not 'get' Sonata Arctica from 'Unia' onward (admittedly, it was a pretty drastic break in style, although 'Unia' is a very good record), and if you fall into that camp, you might look at this album as where things started to go wrong; where the warning signs were starting to show themselves. But if you can appreciate the full scope of the band's career, 'Reckoning Night' is surely among their finest moments.

At the end of the day, there are enough excellent tunes on Sonata Arctica's Silence that justify purchasing this very good to excellent melodic power metal release. The band offers blistering fast power metal tracks, atmospheric epics with lyrical depth and heartfelt ballads that manage to move you over and over again. However, this release doesn't reach the genuine perfection of the excellent predecessor Ecliptica. While the latter should be purchased by anyone who listens to music of any kind, Silence is a release that is strongly recommended to power metal, heavy metal and melodic rock fans but not considered an essential purchase for anyone else.

With his second solo album, Dickinson starts to gain his stride. After the mostly atrocious Tattooed Millionaire, it is good to see him adopt more from the genre that made him famous and put out a quality album. I would still hesitate to call this a metal album, but it shouldn’t offend the ears of any but the most hardcore metal enthusiast.

First, let me say that Roy Z knows how to play the guitar. Part of the reason I enjoy Dickinson’s solo albums so much is the mesmerizing leads this guy busts out. The production here is stellar too, even if Roy Z wasn’t heading it as he would later.

None of the tracks here are exceptionally weak, but a few of them truly fail to stand out. I am just going to go through my favorites.

Cyclops – This is an exciting confirmation that Dickinson has abandoned that horrible rock of the last album. He opens the album with an epic 8 minute piece, not your normal opener. This thing stomps all over most of the meandering epics of Iron Maiden. This track highlights the guitars; they really talk to you—screaming out the lines along with Dickinson.

Laughing in the Hiding Bush – Tell me that chorus isn’t infinitely more catchy than the repetitive choruses Iron Maiden has put out recently? Absolutely stellar guitar riffs here.

Change of Heart – Usually look down upon by the metal community, either because of a fondness for the typical faster tempo of metal or because of the stigma attached to them by hair metal bands, Dickinson usually has an excess of ballads on his album. Thankfully, this one nearly surpasses the better-known Tears of the Dragon

Shoot All the Clowns – A silly song. Very hard rock tune with tinges of Guns ‘N’ Roses and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Excellent except for the overuse of the chorus, but at least it is a good one.

Tears of the Dragon – Despite considerable exposure, this song still remains excellent, a highlight of the entire Bruce Dickinson catalogue.

You can definitely see Dickinson picking up steam here for the absolute classics still to come.

Overall, "Balls To Picasso" is uneven, but entertaining and more professional than the debut record. Dickinson's vocal performance is also liberated and very successful. Without a few filler songs, the album could be Dickinson's strongest, now it is slightly overshadowed by later masterpieces. It's still worth a try! ... See More

What cheeky scamps Iron Maiden are, pretending to be all industrial metal on the opener of their 15th album (before reverting to something more familiar, naturally). They must have known it would give their fans palpitations – and it's not the last of the surprises either. Of course, Maiden are at their most effective when they stick to their galloping bass and duelling guitars formula (as in The Alchemist), but it's the wild deviations (the lush prog of the sublime Starblind; the genuinely affecting "ballad" Coming Home) that are truly compelling.

However, with four songs alone clocking in at 40 minutes, The Final Frontier becomes less an exercise in experimentation than old-fashioned endurance, and the hushed-intro-bombastic-chorus dynamic begins to grate a little. A shame, because with a bit of judicious editing and a couple more excursions to the edges of their comfort zone, this could have been something special. ... See More

Not much new stuff on this MCD.
The edit-version of fullmoon is the same as original just a bit shorter.
The two cover songs just rocks. A heavy version of scorpion’s “still loving you”, which is many times better than the slow original.
And a version of Helloween’s “I want out”. Also a bit heavier, and more modern sound.
San Sebastian is a great fast song. But Tony’s voice is like a 14 year old boy’s voice in this song…
Shy tear dripping ballad without drums. Great song.
The livesongs blows. The sound quality is really bad. And the songs are played way too fast.
Just something to fill the time between Ecliptica and Silence.