DLC for 5/22
Been a slow news week this week, and I am thankful for that, as I have a LOT of stuff outside of Rock Band taking up all (and then some) of my time. Hopefully my packed schedule frees up next week for the following epic DLC we have coming…
- Iron Maiden – The Flight of Icarus *
- Iron Maiden – Infinite Dreams
- Iron Maiden – Phantom of the Opera
- Iron Maiden – The Prisoner
- Iron Maiden – Rime of the Ancient Mariner *
- Iron Maiden – Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
* Denotes Pro-Guitar/Bass chart availability for $.99.
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This pack will be fun as hell to play instrumentally. I’m looking forward to being a “A Free Man” come Tuesday!
Infinite Dreams and Seventh Son! YES!!!
Both a break from the 3-4-pack trend and a well-known, high-selling artist that many people will be happy with. Good stuff. Too bad it’s not my type of music.
Iron Maiden baby!!!
Hopefuly the pack sizes start to increase with this DLC!
Croq Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 10:52 am
I wouldn’t count on it. HMX has said that 3 songs a week is pretty much the norm, or at least something to that effect. They said there would be exceptions (like this).
OsagaTheGreat Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 11:18 am
Yeah. That’s what I feared. Oh well, still better than Guitar Hero!
I bought some songs from the last big Iron Maiden pack and while they were pretty fun, all Maiden sounds pretty much the same to me and I don’t see myself playing these.
Numskull Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 6:56 pm
Infinite Dreams is the most different-sounding song of all the Maiden DLC. It’s one of their really “proggy” songs. I’d recommend it to someone who likes a lot of the prog rock in RB, but not the metal.
Numskull Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 7:19 pm
On second thought, Phantom of the Opera will probably be the most distinct-sounding one, but Infinite Dreams is better.
Not a fan really but nice to see a 6-pack release over the usual 3 we’ve been getting lately.
Isn’t a RB: Blitz group getting announced today too?
RockBandAide Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 9:23 am
Not 100% sure on if a new batch of songs will be released, but it sounds like there will be more details about the game in today’s Harmonix podcast. I’m guessing they will announce the release date, more gameplay mechanics (like powerups and such), and hopefully more songs.
FoxForever Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 11:04 am
Please announce any info if you listen to the podcast RBA!!! Or just do a quick rundown.
boomsniper77 Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 11:53 am
Podcast is already up:
http://www.rockband.com/blog/episode069
Michael Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 12:26 pm
I just heard it and they’re promising another unnamed Iron Maiden song for Blitz. I’m hoping for Wrathchild…
Plutarch Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 12:28 pm
Wrathchild is a real possibility now that we have a Di’Anno song. Another possibility is The Evil That Men Do, since the Seventh Son album has gotten a LOT of representation in the game.
GREAT. I’ll buy this one!
OMG Rime of the Ancient Mariner!!!!!! grabbing the whole pack!!!!
The timing of this makes me so happy. Next weekend I’m hosting a RB party which will be our last big RB get-together until the fall, because my wife is pregnant and will spend the entire summer recovering from a scheduled c-section in July. This pack will ensure our last RB gig is a memorable one. Thanks so much to Harmonix for letting us go out in style.
RockBandAide Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 9:36 am
Congrats on the future baby!!!
Rockox Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 2:54 pm
Thanks, it’s been a long time comin’. We’ve got Dokken and Queensryche onesies all ready to go.
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG
Going to copy and paste by song-by-song breakdown from the DLC Discussion thread.
Even if you typically don’t like metal, it’s worth it to listen to these songs at least once and imagine what it will like to play along with them.
“Phantom of the Opera” – HMXHenry has confirmed that is exactly the original track with Paul Di’Anno on vocals. This is a very early Maiden classic – the unison bonuses are going to be SICK.
“The Prisoner” – This one’s off Number of the Beast and it’s really fun. There’s this spoken intro that’s kind of corny but awesome. Again, all of the instruments are going to be phenomenal.
“The Flight of Icarus” – Figured this was coming if we got Maiden again. This has probably some of Bruce’s craziest singing. It’s a bit slower than some of the other classics, but it has two wicked solos.
“Rime of the Ancient Mariner” – This is the big one – 13 and a half minutes and a surprisingly good adaptation of that poem! And pro guitar?! That is NUTS.
“Infinite Dreams” – This is a surprise. A live version was released as a single at some point, so it’s not really a “deep cut,” but it’s still not particularly well known. This is a more chill song, but it has neat lyrics and some awesome drum fills.
“Seventh Son of a Seventh Son” – Holy crap, this is another massive epic – about 10 minutes. The second half is totally comprised of solos and awesome riffing! The vocals will require some deep breaths, there’s like a 20 second note at some point.
Rockox Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 9:50 am
Great breakdown Plutarch. There’s one or two songs I might’ve swapped for personal faves but this is still an awesome-looking pack. The Paul Di’Anno track I’m especially impressed with.
RickC32 Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 11:32 am
The live version of “Infinite Dreams” that was a single was taken from the Maiden England concert video back in the late 80′s. And this summer’s tour is called … Maiden England!
Beckett Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 12:17 pm
Nice, a Paul Di’Anno song finally. Loce me some Bruce Dickinson but it’s about time for Paul to get his share of credit.
woahguy Reply:
May 21st, 2012 at 5:11 pm
Your making me reconsider not buying some of these songs that i wasnt going to buy. Not much of an iron maiden fan. I do have hallowed be thy name and 1 other one from that huge old pack. Only ones i kinda liked. I just havent heard much of their stuff. They are coming around to toronto in july tho i was planning on going and getting some cheaper seats just to have a listen.
Definitely a great pack! I’m glad the first bigger pack in a while is one I like a lot.
Iron maiden yes!!!
One of my favorite bands, I did not see this coming and now I’m full of hype
Ugh! We get a six, but it’s this band.
samjjones Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 9:40 am
If you prefer other genres (like I do), then let’s hope that it sells incredibly well, and bigger packs trickle down into other genres down the line. Haven’t seen a big pack from a “new to RB” artist in forever.
Numskull Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 6:58 pm
Coldplay got a six-pack in October. Not exactly what I’d call forever. Six-packs used to be medium, but by current standards, they’re the new big ones.
Pretty cool pack. Not a huge IM fan, but I’ll probably cherry-pick this like I did with their 12-pack a few years ago.
This does make me curious: I wonder what happened to the pro-guitar upgrade we were “supposed” to get for The Trooper?
samjjones Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 10:09 am
Most likely…
1) Licensing is hard
2) See #1
Croq Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 10:54 am
Well said.
Pood LeFache Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 10:59 am
I don’t think Harmonix has to license the legacy pro guitar upgrades, mainly because of the Metallica Protar upgrade we got (which was awesome).
More likely it was:
1) The leak was not entirely correct.
2) Protar authoring is time consuming, and due to sales likely costs more in labor than they recoup.
#2 is why I’m impressed Harmonix has continued to release Pro Upgrades, even when they sometimes choose the easiest song in the pack to chart (ex. Paramore). And they more than make up for those disappointments with things like this and Reigning Blood.
The metal stuff tends to sell well, so fingers crossed we get more in the future.
samjjones Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 11:47 am
The Pro mode stuff is supposed to cater to Pro players of “all” difficulty levels. I actually applaud the fact that HMX sometimes chooses “easier” songs for Pro mode.
Beginners gotta start somewhere!
HOLY SHIT!!!!!!! IRON MAIDEN!!!!!!!!!
YES!!!!!!!!
This is a must have for me. They have released a lot of good stuff this year but for my preferences this is tops by far.
Considering all the hype this was getting, let’s just say this announcement was very, very underwhelming to me. More Maiden is never a bad thing, but the way they Lex was going on made me think this was somebody that didn’t already have 12 songs and 2 covers in the game.
samjjones Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 10:11 am
We already have an entire Guns ‘N Roses album in the game.
I’d expect a similar level of rabid enthusiasm by the mods if Appetite ever got scheduled for release, too.
Shmoo Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 1:28 pm
An understatement to be sure.
If Appetite gets scheduled for release it will help sell copies of the game itself. I’d suspect HMX would implode or something.
ChadF Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 6:15 pm
Chinese Democracy was essentially Guns ‘N Roses In Name Only. It doesn’t compare to a 12-pack containing many of the band’s greatest hits.
This is like pumping up hype for select cuttings from The Spaghetti Incident, when the band’s Appetite for Destruction has been in the library already for two years.
(Not that I wouldn’t buy the actual Appetite for Destruction album day one, mind you.)
shutupandtakemymoney.jpg
BUYING THE WHOLE FUCKING LOT!
GREAT!!!
Insta-buy!
Sweet, every song I wanted that wasn’t in the last pack, and then some. Getting really excited- have tickets to see them this summer. Haven’t been a huge Maiden fan before just casual, but it’ll be a good show.
Hadn’t bought any new official DLC since December, now I get Rage and Maiden all in one month. Bitchin.
Wish there was some way they could change how the old pack was sorted though. I’d be nice to see the various studio albums in my library.
Shmoo Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 1:30 pm
Well, except for the fact that the old pack songs are not from the original studio albums, but live versions from the Flight 666 tour.
RickC32 Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 2:02 pm
4 of the songs were from Flight 666, 8 were from the original albums.
This may not be my cup of tea, but I will admit this is a big pack. I knew something was I the works. The weeks of 3 pack songs where due to this something. Trust in HMX. Their ways may not be clear, but they do love their user base.
Okay, I take back my Protar criticism from the Paramore week. <3
Fantastic week. Getting the pack with the upgrades.
Rime of the Ancient Mariner!!!! Love that song so much… Top that off with Prisoner and this is an awesome pack.
OMFG, I just had an awesomegasm! My favorite band since I was 11 years old (a whopping 25 years ago – where did the time go?). I have a Playlist on my phone called “Epic Iron Maiden” that I listen to all the time. It includes Phantom, Seventh Son, and Mariner (among others, including some from the first Maiden DLC pack)! The other three songs are great, too, of course.
I wonder if all these songs will be part of the setlist on the upcoming summer tour? Although I can’t see them fitting in the 13-minute Mariner and 10-minute Seventh Son in one show, and Mariner was played two tours ago. Hopefully we get Seventh Son this summer.
Good God, 45+ minutes of Maiden! Thank you, Harmonix. Thank you, Steve Harris. Thank you, Rod Smallwood.
Bazoozoo Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 11:55 am
OMG – YES!
I’m getting it ALL… ALL of this… I still play the last pack a lot…
The Prisoner? – > YES! This song was in my head this morning
Flight of Icarus -> YES! That solo is so sweet!
Looking forward to this one…
Certainly better than that Paramore pack.
EPIC, EPIC, EPIC!!!! Finally, after a long time, I’ll put my plastic gear and vocal chords into action again!!!! Up the Irons!!!!
Impressive 6-pack. Finally takes something off the top 20-or-so, I guess. But totally not for me.
Amazing songs!!! Any information about when we can get the pack in Europe (PS3)?
RockBandAide Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 1:14 pm
Next week, just like everyone else.
PS3 Europe’s DLC outage was over at the beginning of the month: http://www.rockbandaide.com/16079/dlc-outage-ending-for-sony-europe/
Edu Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 3:10 pm
Thanks for the information!
I was a little afraid because I didn’t see the euro price in the official announcement…
: )
HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY!
Oh my god… I can’t even describe how I feel right now. THIS IS FUCKING AMAZING. Not only is Maiden my all time favourite band, but these songs that they have picked are some of the best they coulda picked. I never expected to see a Di’Anno song but then we get Phantom of the Opera? I could cry right now. Rime of the Ancient Mariner is another epic choice, I’ve always wanted to see it. And The Prisoner?! That’s honestly my favourite Bruce-era song I NEVER thought we’d see it in the game. And all the 7th son loving this game has gotten is wonderful
I’ve been having one of the best weeks of my life and didn’t think it could get any better. Then I saw this. I love you Harmonix.
P.S. the only thin I request is I’d like be previous pack to be split up into their proper albums, make it happen!!
HELL YEAH!!! UP THE IRONS MOTHAF***AS!!!
Not my thing, but it’s good that there are DLC with big name groups.
Not my favorite band, but I’m sure some people will be happy. Never heard any of these before. My Iron Maiden knowledge sucks.
Still waiting for Led Zepplin 6 pack. I can dream. Or a 12 pack.
Desperado Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 3:26 pm
Keep dreaming, doubt it. Jimmy page will never let it happen even when he’s gone.
RickC32 Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 3:29 pm
If you like “Achilles Last Stand”, you will probably like Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.
Awesome!!! but i miss more tracks from “Somewhere In Time” like The Loneliness of The Long distance Runner or Heaven Can Wait. But Maiden is still awesome
Oh Hell Yeah!!! Up The Irons!!! \m/
Awesome… Except no legacy Pro upgrades makes me incredibly sad, though
I guess I should stop holing out hope for for anymore of them.
I am super excited to see Phantom of the Opera because that gives me hope of some older Iron Maiden. I really wish the whole first album would be released as DLC…
How does Phantom of the Opera not have the pro upgrade?!
I LOVE Maiden, and the way i found them (except obviously their hits): Rock Band.
Without hearing The Clairvoyant on Rock Band I wouldn’t have become a fan, i jumped on the fanwagon and have been a fan since.
Was hoping the next maiden pack was going to have When the Wild Wind Blows (love that song, best new song by them).. but i guess this orgasmic pack will do for now, pack 3?
desperado Reply:
May 18th, 2012 at 11:02 pm
Oh glad to see more songs represented from the Seven Son’s album, that’s probably my favorite album by them as well.
FYI, they mention in the podcast that Phantom is devil-tiered on everything. That will be the first Maiden track that is devil heads across the board.
desperado Reply:
May 20th, 2012 at 2:55 am
And Rime will have a bass solo, we haven’t had a bass solo charted in awhile.(Right?)
If this *is* a preview of some of the setlist of the upcoming tour, this is pretty sweet:
The Prisoner – last played live 21 years ago.
Flight Of Icarus – last played live 26 years ago.
Infinite Dreams – last played live 24 years ago.
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son – last played live 24 years ago.
With the very notable exception of Mariner, The Somewhere Back In Time tour from 2008/2009 was mostly comprised of greatest hits that get played on a regular basis. Hopefully this tour will dig a little deeper into the catalog!
now that i watched the full playthrough of the songs i’m kinda disappointed. the drum parts are pretty boring. i love listening to iron maiden, but i guess it’s not as good on rock band. to me at least. not buying any of them.