IRON MAIDEN
Reviewed by Prodigal
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Oh well, here goes.........track by track:
1. Different World
"Aiieeeee" screams Nicko, and off we go on our 14th Journey with Maiden! An excellent album - and most likely show - opener....Lively, fast paced with a sublime chorus (of which this album is not short of!) . Bruce starts as he means to go on - in cracking form.....soaring high and low in true air-raid fashion.
2. These Colours Don't Run
Killer track number 2: No prizes for guessing where we have heard these words before! With all the war going on in far off lands with British troops being killed for no reason - very topical also.........eg: "Far away from the land of our birth We fly a flag in some foreign country" A chorus to die for - with Bruce giving it plenty of aggro - arguably one of the best they have ever done.
3.Brighter Than a Thousand Suns
Wow - this is Heavy with a BIG H! Big, down-tuned guitars start off this fantastic track - it has to be done live! This all about the Manhattan Project.........a weapon so powerful it could wipe out mankind. Highlights for me on this track is yet another stunning performance from Bruce and a wonderful example of the Maiden "gallop at the 4 minute mark......I just can't keep still when that kicks in! Fantastic solos shred your ears - and annoy the neighbours - in the best way possible.... This track is nearly 9 minutes long, but it feels like 3 minutes! - it absolutely rips along.......Amazing
4. The Pilgrim
Yet another great track....... This has an Eastern sound to it with a Proggy feel to it - pretty similar to The Nomad from Brave New World. Lively and energetic with Bruce showing off his great vocal range here yet again.......! However, this track is the calm before the storm, as we shall now see:
5. The Longest Day
This is the best tract on the album in my opinion. Everything about it, from the wonderful lyrics, spat out in almost machine gun style by Bruce, the pounding drums from Nicko and stunning solo's from the 3 Amigo's makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. The atmosphere this track builds up, so much that you can almost feel the fear of the troops approaching the Normandy beaches. This is Paschendale part 2, no doubt. Wonderful........
6. Out Of The Shadows
Big thumping drums kick off this track, which is about a baby being born and seeing the light for the first time..... lovely, cool lyrics & soaring vocals. The killer riff at around 3:30 is brilliant....... "a man who casts no shadow has no soul",,,,,,,,Sublime.
7. The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg
This was the first single off the album, which at first seemed an odd choice, but after listening to the rest of the album, this track is more of an indication of what this album is all about rather than the other obvious single: Different World. So I guess the choice is correct..... A very slow intro, but when that crushing riff kicks in, it is all systems go! Highlight for me is the wonderfully fluent solo from Dave at the 5 minute 30 mark......................Who is Mr Breeg? - over to you Mr Harris!
8. For The Greater Good Of God
The big Harris epic for which no Maiden album is without kicks off with a cool intro...... The lyrics here are - in my opinion - some of the best he has ever done with certainly the best chorus. With Bruce giving a powerful and emotional performance & the rest of the band giving a stellar performance - this is yet another stunning track on an amazing album. Some people might complain about the repetitive “for the greater good of god" line. But in my opinion, it absolutely works here because of that chorus. It is certainly NOT another "Angel & the Gambler"!!!
9. Lord Of Light
Another slow intro, slowly builds up into the traditional Maiden gallop which hardly lets up. What we have here is a nice song for all the family about giving your soul to Satan ! Highlight; pounding drums from Nicko, and some scorching solo's which really scream! Evil stuff from the satanic devil worshipers that Maiden are....................NOT!
10. The Legacy
What a great track to finish on! It starts with a gentle, but creepy fairy tale acoustic section..... Which tails off into a thundering riff ( which is repeated several times throughout). This track is over 9 minutes long, which gives plenty of scope for the H, Janick & Dave to do some cool things with their six strings. It never drags for one second, despite it's length. Great lyrics about the horrors of war and wanting peace as a legacy for future generations......
Summary
This is Maiden's 14th album and in my opinion, only Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son is the equal of it. The reason? There is no filler track at all. ALL these tracks could be played live......... It is as heavy as hell, with an abundance of stunning solo's and riffs that should satisfy most metal heads which, combined with some of the best lyrics they have ever written, makes this album unbeatable in my opinion. Bruce shows why he is the number one voice in metal - he was immense throughout. Nicko, was pounding those drums like a 20 year old.....! But all 6 members give stunning performances......Not forgetting a great production job by the "Caveman" he concentrated on bringing out the live power of Maiden on the album - and it certainly shows here how well he succeeded.
The bottom line: They are still number 1, no question, no competition. Long live the Kings of Metal ( and no, I don't mean Manowar!)
Highlights:
Very hard to say, but if pushed I would say The Longest Day, The Legacy & Brighter than a Thousand suns
Prodigals Star Rating: 10/10
Goto the Message board to vent!