Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden
Killers
The Number Of The Beast
Piece Of Mind
Powerslave
Live After Death
Somewhere In Time
Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
No Prayer For The Dying
Fear Of The Dark
Brave New World
Dance Of Death
A Matter Of Life And Death


Iron Maiden (Capitol ’80) Rating: A
I grew up on a steady diet of classic rock and heavy metal, and it’s likely that no band meant more to my teenage years than Iron Maiden. As such, I’m probably a little biased with the following reviews, much in the same way that most punk-friendly critics tend to overrate bands like the Ramones, Sex Pistols, or The Clash, three band’s that early Maiden easily match with regards to raw energy and excitement. But Maiden delivered the goods with twice the chops of those bands (both musically and vocally), and this blazing debut album immediately introduced a major new force into the world of heavy metal. Iron Maiden established the band as the most important (and best) “New Wave Of British Heavy Metal” exponent, and it showcased all of the band’s strengths: tightly executed dual guitar melodies (with a harmonic element that nodded to both Judas Priest and Thin Lizzy) that never skimp on speed or power, distinctive singing with a heavy dosage of theatricality (this time supplied by Paul Di'Anno), and Steve Harris’ strong songwriting and faster than light bass playing. “Prowler” immediately gets the band off and running with a catchy, rocking number that’s criminally overlooked, topped off by one of the band’s best guitar solos. The moody “Remember Tomorrow” then switches gears; led by arguably Di'Anno’s best vocal, this was a power ballad prototype in that it’s actually powerful. Of course, the second half of the song rocks with that classic Maiden guitar wail, and stop and start dynamics that owe as much to prog as to punk. Lest we think we’re dealing with ELP here, things simplify on “Running Free,” which has a good groove and a catchy if overly repetitive chorus (always a Maiden weakness) going for it. My favorite part is the chugga chugga chugga rhythm before the guitar thrusts kick in at the 2:13 mark, and though this is a minor Maiden track, it still provides major enjoyment. A major track in every way is “Phantom Of The Opera, an exemplary showcase for the band’s tight musicianship and horror-based lyrics (one reason why critics have always underrated them). The Thin Lizzy-like guitar melody at 3:26 is a high point, as is the hard-edged guitar at 4:35, as Maiden proves to be a rare band who can deliver multi-sectioned 7-minute epics that never seem overly long or indulgent. Next is “Transylvania,” a tightly played, fast paced instrumental that’s an impressive if inessential showcase for the band’s groove and riff-based attributes, on which drummer Clive Burr is a real standout. “Strange World” then gives the listener another chance to catch their breath by returning the band to the moody atmospherics they do so well, and which would influence later bands like Metallica. Sure, the song sounds slightly amateurish, but more great guitar melodies and a surprising sweetness salvage it. Besides, the band’s energy is back in full force on “Sanctuary,” a straightforward, fun rocker on which the catchiness quotient is real high. “Charlotte The Harlotte” rocks as well, and from 1:50 to 2:50 Di'Anno actually sings (dare I say it) tenderly; more than anything, it is his from-the-gut vocal performance that makes this song another standout despite its misogynist lyrics. Then again, Maiden was never about lyrics, a point that most mainstream critics failed to realize. Anyway, last but certainly not least, the title track simply smokes, propelled by Harris’ freakishly fast bass leads and more blood stained lyrics. The song has a great surge that really gets me going, providing a fist-pumping finale to a heavy metal classic.

Killers (Capitol ’81) Rating: A-
Whoa! Sorry about that long review there, I got carried away a bit. You see, Maiden does that to me, and I do believe that their debut album is one of the best ever, though no “respectable” rock critic would ever admit as much. Alas, after such an amazing album, Maiden’s quickly delivered sophomore set was bound to be slightly disappointing, and it is, but only by their lofty standards. If anything Killers actually ups the raw energy and intensity of the debut, providing plenty of the raging guitars and tight tempo shifts that was the cornerstone of early Maiden. The album is actually heavier than Iron Maiden - then again, a newcomer might be surprised that, though the band most definitely rocks, relative to today’s metal bands Maiden aren’t that heavy and could more aptly be called “hard rock” than “heavy metal” – but the songs are less memorable. Only “Wrathchild,” on which the guitars fairly scream and whose lyrics are highly respectable, qualifies as a no-doubt-about-it-classic. There are plenty of other high points, though, such the title track, a dramatic slasher tale with that great Maiden gallop, “The Ides of March,” which introduces the album with that high pitched wailing guitar thing they do so well, matched to Clive Burr’s militant drum thump, “Murders In The Rue Morgue,” which is a tad generic but still very good, and “Purgatory,” an atypical mellower acoustic/electric based epic. "Innocent Exile" and Twilight Zone" are also fast and furious, but in looking at the rest of the track listing I’ll be damned if I can immediately remember the difference between tracks such as “Another Life,” “Genghis Khan,” "Prodigal Son," and “Drifter.” Perhaps that’s because I’m not as familiar with the album as I am with their debut, but then again, there’s a reason for that. Some of the songs on their debut were stronger than others, but each was distinguishable from the next, whereas these more jam-based songs tend to blur together, offering much less variety on the whole. That said, the album is still really good, as Di'Anno, in his last studio stint with the band, once again registers an impressive showing, earnestly screeching out song after song, while Adrian Smith replaces Dennis Stratton as the band’s second guitarist with no apparent loss of chemistry.

The Number Of The Beast (Capitol ’82) Rating: A+
Exit Paul Di'Anno - the reasons why he was sacked, whose "fault" it was, vary depending on who you ask - enter former Samson vocalist Bruce Dickinson. Not many groups that have the daunting task of replacing an excellent vocalist succeed (AC/DC comes to mind), but Bruce Dickinson was more than ready for the task at hand. Giving them a wider ranging and more distinct voice to work with, Bruce was aided by Maiden writing some of their best songs, resulting in an album that even the critics can’t deny. With Bruce on board the band began a new phase, forsaking their earlier punk infused direction for a more epic-minded delivery, though this shift was hardly in evidence on “Invaders,” a simple album opener that sounds kinda silly. It’s still fun, though, but for me the album begins in earnest on the moody “Children Of The Damned,” one of those underrated album tracks that makes these guys so great. Simply put, this “power ballad” showed future hair metal bands how it should be done, but, like “Remember Tomorrow,” the second half of the song rocks, and not in any half-assed way, as the song surges to an exciting conclusion. Dickinson in particular is a standout on this track, which ably demonstrates the band’s keen sense of drama, as well as the gothic overtones that have always been prominent in the band’s music. Moving on, “The Prisoner” begins with a cheesy but fun intro before settling into an almost funky groove. Simply put, this song again shows Maiden at their best, beginning with Bruce, whose star-making (at least in metal circles) performance throughout this album cannot be understated. With a catchy chorus that’s just on the right side of cheesy, an obligatory (great) guitar solo, and blistering backbeats from the underrated Clive Burr, chalk this one up as another major winner - and Maiden was only warming up. “22 Acacia Avenue” rocks relentlessly on its chugging rhythm, and its nasty but memorable lyrics reintroduce us to everybody’s favorite whore (Charlotte the harlot). Again, though, it is the music, not the misogynist lyrics, that win the day. Better still is the monumental title track, a classic by any measure. Beginning with a campy spoken word intro, the song builds slowly but inexorably, and though the track got the band (incorrectly) branded as Satanists, I prefer again to concentrate on the music, which is almost overwhelmingly powerful and catchy; the scream at the 1:17 mark is surely among the greatest in rock history. There’s little if any letup on “Run To The Hills,” which (to quote the All Music Guide) “dealt with the plight of the American Indian.” The galloping music matches the war-based lyrics to a tee, Bruce lends several window-shattering screams, and the epic chorus is among the band’s catchiest ever. What’s not to like? Hell, even my dad likes this song; no, scratch that, my dad loves this song. Granted, “Gangland” is a pedestrian bump in the road, but even this one (which I used to automatically fast forward) isn’t as bad as I remembered it; the guitars still cook, at the very least. Finally, we come to my all-time favorite Iron Maiden song (need I say more?), “Hallowed Be Thy Name.” Suffice it to say, my lame scribbling can never do justice to this brilliantly dire epic, but I will say that it features Maiden’s most unstoppable groove, has cool death-obsessed lyrics, and that Clive Burr, in his last gasp with the band, really goes out with a bang. Long story short (though I suppose it’s too late for that) this album sees one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time at their very best. It started to gain the band some serious notoriety (both good and bad), and all these years later it’s still regarded as their signature album.

Piece Of Mind (Capitol ’83) Rating: A
With new drummer Nicko McBrain in tow, Piece Of Mind was another superlative album that showcased Iron Maiden at their absolute peak, cementing their reputation as the premier heavy metal band on the planet. Dickinson once again shines on an album that takes no prisoners, and their violent, dark songs about religion, mythology, and war are all heavy and powerful epics. When I think of this album, a series of searing highlights and images come immediately to mind, including the explosive drum introduction to “Where Eagles Dare,” the thick riffs of “Revelations,” the chugging groove and haunting chorus of “Flight Of Icarus,” the wailing guitar intro to the dramatic “Die With Your Boots On,” the unstoppable momentum of “The Trooper,” and the soaring chorus of “Sun And Steel.” The almighty first side - probably the band’s best along with the last album’s second side - in particularly offers up a brilliantly consistent barrage, beginning with “Where Eagles Dare,” yet another overlooked yet awesome album track (for example, it's the only song from side one not on Live After Death) on which their dual guitars are perfectly in sync. Things slow down on "Revelations," an atmospheric change of pace that of course has its faster sections as well, and I already mentioned the best aspects of "Flight Of Icarus" and "Die With Your Boots On," both of which are prime Maiden as well. Even better is "The Trooper," a hard charging war epic on which the exciting music is again a perfect match for the descriptive lyrics; taken together, I almost feel like I'm on that battlefield, and the tension is palpable. Alas, the album's second half is considerably less impressive than its first, both musically and lyrically (i.e. songs about nightmares, cavemen, and Dune). That said, only the pedestrian “Quest For Fire” would qualify as an obvious filler track, making Piece Of Mind another absolute must have for any serious heavy metal fan.

Powerslave (Capitol ’84) Rating: A-
Although this was another stellar Iron Maiden album, in retrospect the seeds of the band’s future demise began here. Although most of the songs are still fast and furious, and the songwriting and performances typically top notch, the album was slicker and less powerful than their two previous outings with Dickinson. Also, to their detriment the band started to become enraptured with concept albums and mood pieces, while song times began to be expanded to lengths that their songwriting couldn’t sustain. Fortunately, though flawed, Powerslave is another start to finish enjoyable album with several great songs. For example, "Aces High" begins the album with another excellent lyrics-to-music match; it sounds like an air raid, though perhaps the chorus is a little cheesier than necessary. Still, it's a damn good start, and "2 Minutes To Midnight" ups the ante with one of the band's catchiest compositions, along with graphic lyrics ("the body bags and little rags of children torn in two" - yuck!) that showcase the band's story-based songwriting style. "Losfer Words" is the band's first instrumental in some time, and it's a good one, highlighted by their high-pitched, wonderfully melodic guitar tones, while "Flash Of The Blade" is my personal favorite here, with a supremely catchy riff (and chorus) and desperately wailing guitars. Of course, the critics would have a field day with the sword and sorcery lyrics from Dickinson (an avid fencer), who was becoming increasingly involved with the songwriting. "The Duellists," written by Harris, is also about a sword fight (but without the dragons), so obviously the band members were influencing each other and were into the same things. This is a good thing, because it makes the album a cohesive listen. Anyway, "The Duellists" is another fine, long neglected album track with an atmospheric chug, a catchy if cheesy chorus, and the obligatory guitar solos, which set an appropriately mournful mood for the song's fateful finale. I don't have much to say about "Back In The Village" beyond that I don't care for it much (file it alongside "Gangland" and "Quest For Fire"), especially its woefully weak chorus, but the moody title track is another high point, led by its mythological lyrics about a doomed God who's "a slave to the power of death." Sound silly? Well, maybe, but the band's sturdy riffs, steady rhythmic chug, ability to shift musical gears, and strong songwriting knack makes it another extremely successful epic length track. Then again, calling this song an epic hardly seems fair given what follows, all 13:45 of "Rhyme Of The Ancient Mariner." Granted, this somewhat overrated song is way too long and pretentious, particularly the lyrics, which include parts of a poem from Samuel Taylor Coleridge. A spoken word section and too much down time are its other faults, yet the song's impressive ambition and creativity ultimately wins me over. Alas, it was a harbinger of the band’s unwelcome change in direction from being the ‘80s pre-eminent power metal band into a more progressive minded metal outfit.

Live After Death (Capitol ’85, '02) Rating: A
This stunning live set is simply one of the greatest live albums of all time, one that marked the end of a remarkable era. The introduction of Winston Churchill’s inspiring World War II speech segueing into “Aces High” is a brilliant masterstroke, and this album runs through many of the high points of Iron Maiden’s first five studio albums. One can feel the enormous energy and excitement that went into these performances, which were captured during their monstrous “Live Evil” tour of 1985, when they reigned supreme over the heavy metal world. Iron Maiden were trailblazers in that they were the first band to sell millions of records with virtually no radio play, and this was accomplished largely due to word of mouth sales generated by being the tour to see. I saw this tour at Radio City Music Hall in New York City (my second concert ever), and their show had it all for the discerning metalhead: great songs, theatrical stage sets with a double dosage of Eddie (the band’s famous mascot, mummified for the Powerslave tour, who made two show stopping appearances), and memorable solo spotlights that didn’t linger too long. Some of these songs are definite improvements on the originals, such as “Aces High,” “2 Minutes To Midnight,” and “Revelations,” and Dickinson even does surprisingly well on the Paul Di'Anno songs (“Running Free,” “Iron Maiden,” “Wrathchild”), making this an absolutely essential complement to their studio classics. Note: The initial cd version of Live After Death excluded side 4 of the original LP, which included "Wrathchild," "Children of the Damned," "22 Acacia Avenue," "Die With Your Boots On," and "Phantom of the Opera." The CD also cut down "Running Free" from 8:43 to 3:16 to fit the album onto a single CD. The 2002 remastered re-release has the unedited original version of the album and includes a second cd with the missing tracks; this is the version of the album to look out for.

Somewhere In Time (Capitol ‘86) Rating: B+
This is the album that began in earnest phase III of the Maiden experience, and I remember well my disappointment upon first hearing it. However, time and distance now allow me to review the album with a less jaundiced eye and in a more favorable light (much like with Metallica’s loathed-at-first Load). It certainly starts off well enough, as “Caught Somewhere In Time” sports the patented Maiden gallop, a singable chorus, and a suitably epic guitar solo. The strong first single “Wasted Years” follows with a memorable guitar riff and Dickinson’s emotional vocals (cool Eddie-athon video, too), while “Sea Of Madness” boasts imaginative lyrics and an evocative sing along chorus. “Heaven Can Wait” is another estimable effort, with a surprisingly poppy chorus and some gothic touches going for it, but like “Caught Somewhere In Time” the song is ultimately too long for its own good. Alas, the album starts to seriously slide on side two. In particular, “The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner” is one race that the band should’ve dropped out of, while “Alexander The Great” is an unnecessary history lesson that drags on for over eight long minutes. Much better are “Stranger In A Strange Land,” a successfully moody number despite its dated keyboards, and “Déjà Vu,” a comparatively straightforward and catchy rocker. All in all, despite some intriguing if long-winded atmospherics, the album features too many slicked up instrumental passages that wander aimlessly for too long, making me miss the raw, no bullshit delivery that once made these guys so great. Don’t get me wrong, the synthesizers that play such a prominent role on this album are used intelligently, and this is still a good album, but Maiden has done much better before and (surprisingly) since.

Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son (Capitol ‘88) Rating: B+
A continuation of the slicker style of its predecessor, once again many of these eight long songs overstay their welcome, and the album as a whole lacks the raw energy and inspiration of past glories. This is their most Gothic album, a convoluted concept piece whose main weaknesses are the silly lyrics and the cruise control repetitiveness of some of the choruses. Fortunately, on this album the synthesizers are again used effectively, and for all the album’s pretentious faults I still find most of it highly enjoyable. After all, it’s obvious that the band are ambitiously striving for greatness, and though they don’t quite succeed and occasionally outright fail ("The Prophecy" is pretty boring, for example), the album does contain several strong songs. The best one is the catchy semi-hit “Can I Play With Madness,” but “The Evil That Men Do,” “The Clairvoyant,” and "Only The Good Die Young" are other fairly straightforward standouts. Most of “Infinite Dreams” and the 10-minute title track are awfully impressive as well, but these overly long and decidedly pretentious songs also demonstrate the band’s shift in favor of moody textures over rocking out. They do rock out, just not nearly as often or with as much conviction as I'd like, resulting in an album that’s well worth the time of any hardcore Maiden fan but which isn't quite up to the standard of the band's very best stuff. Note: Queensryche's Operation: Mindcrime was a far more successful concept album released that same year. In fact, so dismayed was Bruce by its superiority to Seventh Son that his eventual departure from the band was all but assured.

No Prayer For The Dying (Epic ‘90) Rating: B+
Janick Gers replaces Adrian Smith on secondary guitar duties, and my guess is that his presence gave the band a needed jolt of energy, as this attempted return to phase II form rocks harder than any Maiden album since Powerslave. Although the songwriting is lacking at times (most noticeably on “Fates Warning” and “The Assassin”), the playing is tighter and the performances more energetic, while the songs are more to the point than on their last two meandering efforts (aside from "Mother Russia," which is more in line with the material on their last two albums). Highlights include the hard hitting first single “Holy Smoke,” “Tailgunner” (reminiscent of “Aces High”), the title track (reminiscent of “Children Of The Damned” and "Infinite Dreams"), and “Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter,” a #1 U.K. hit that I actually like despite its obvious silliness. As you may have surmised, even the best songs here merely echo past triumphs, but songs such as "Running Silent Running Deep" and "Hooks In You" also impress due to their catchy grooves, and it was good to see Maiden return to rocking out.

Fear Of The Dark (Columbia ’92) Rating: B
It's hard for me to consider this anything other than just another Iron Maiden album, and one of the weaker ones at that. You've probably noticed that the last few reviews on this page are much shorter than the first several, and if you check the album ratings it's pretty obvious why - these are merely solid, workmanlike albums from a bunch of seasoned pros, and as such I'm delivering merely workmanlike reviews of the albums since it's hard for me to feel too enthusiastic about them, even though I acknowledge that all are at least good. Of course, Maiden are too great a band to ever release a total dog, at least when Bruce is behind the mike, but this album has few if any classic tracks, though "Be Quick And Be Dead," the fast-paced first track that overcomes its pedestrian chorus with a good solo and Maiden's trademark gallop, and the closing title track, which is long and proggy but keeps the intensity and forward momentum going, are certainly fan favorites. In between those songs the rest of the album is rather ho-hum as, less face it, Maiden was a non-entity in the nineties. Nicko shines on "Childhood's End" and "The Fugitive," and "Judas Be My Guide" is melodic and singable and has the band's trademark dual guitars and galloping grooves, but songs such as "Waiting Love" and "Chains Of Misery" are mediocre Maiden by numbers that never really ignite. Also, this is the first cd-era Maiden album in that it obviously runs longer than it should, and that goes for several of the songs themselves, as too many of them take too long to get going, probably the major latter day Maiden weakness. It's still a decent album overall, but given the many better Maiden alternatives out there I rarely listen to it, and it's saying something that this album is probably most noted for a) it being Bruce's last album with the band until many years later, and b) the fact that Melvyn Grant did the cover art rather than usual cover art creator Derek Riggs.

Brave New World (Columbia ’00) Rating: A-
After tearing up most of the ‘80s (OK, the first half of the ‘80s), the ‘90s saw some hard times for Iron Maiden, one of heavy metal’s all-time greatest bands. Singer Bruce Dickinson, whose melodramatic wail helped define the band, grew disenchanted and left to pursue a solo career full-time after Fear Of The Dark. After two disappointing albums with Blaze Bayley at the mike (the less said about phase IV the better), Bruce is back in the fold for Brave New World. He brought a friend along, too, in the form of former guitarist Adrian Smith, and with a newly volatile three-pronged guitar attack (Dave Murray and Janick Gers remain) Iron Maiden is back with a surprising vengeance. Right from the start “The Wicker Man” breaks out some killer riffs that had long lain dormant in the band’s repertoire, while “The Ghost Of The Navigator” is another prime showcase for the band, both for its evocative atmospherics and for unleashing an unstoppable groove machine. Unfortunately, the song is marred somewhat by a repetitive, clunky chorus, a deficiency that also (predictably) appears elsewhere. Fortunately, any songwriting weaknesses are more than compensated for by the band’s brilliantly powerful ensemble playing. The band is firing on all cylinders throughout, bolstered by an almost perfect production that allows Nicko McBrain’s forceful drums to pound, Steve Harris’ bass to blaze, and particularly those three guitars to flourish on rocking songs such as “The Mercenary” and “The Fallen Angel.” Bruce is also in fine form, particularly on moodier metal epics like “Brave New World,” “Dream Of Mirrors,” “The Thin Line Between Love And Hate,” “Blood Brothers,” and “The Nomad,” the latter two of which are actually enhanced by Harris’ string orchestrations. These ten long, leisurely building songs average almost seven minutes in length, which allows the band to stretch out, and though perhaps a case could be made that a little too much leeway was granted with the arrangements, the band sounds as tight as ever. The song credits reveal this to be a true band effort, too, and the only thing the album is missing are a couple of songs that could be stamped as instantly identifiable classics. After all, what long ago distinguished these guys from bands like Korn was that, in addition to having an undeniable sound, they also had great, varied individual songs. Oh well, I guess we’ll just have to settle for a bunch of really good songs that are spectacularly played, as by and large this was a welcome return to form from a legendary band. Note: To add an exclamation point to the band's triumphant comeback, 2002 saw the release of Eddie's Archives, an elaborately packaged 6-cd box set that contained three double cd sets, including two live albums (BBC Archives and Beast Over Hammersmith), and Best Of The B'Sides, which contains most (but not all) of the band's many terrific b-sides, such as their cover of Jethro Tull's "Cross-Eyed Mary" and Montrose's "Into The Fire." It'll be a bit much for all but the most diehard of fans, especially given the song duplication on the live sets, not to mention the hefty price tag, but for said diehard fans it really is a must-have. That said, I hope that the band eventually sees fit to release these three double cd sets separately (especially B'Sides), thereby also catering to the non-fanatics.

Dance Of Death (Columbia ’03) Rating: B+
Fresh off a triumphant tour with Motorhead and Dio, Maiden returns with their second album since Smith and Dickinson rejoined the band. Their first such effort, Brave New World, was the band’s best album in ages, and Dance Of Death continues in the same vein, with slightly less satisfactory results. The band adds more keyboards and orchestration this time out, as most of these loosely structured songs feature moodier sections before rocking out (yet rock out they eventually do, almost without exception). Aside from the fine first two songs, “Wildest Dreams” and “Rainmaker,” epic song lengths are again the norm, as is powerful playing by the whole band, accentuated by a crisp production. Bruce Dickinson, one of heavy metal’s most legendary lead throats, sounds a bit weathered but is as reliable as ever, singing songs that (unsurprisingly given the album’s title) are mostly about death. Indeed, death is everywhere on this album, which begs the question: are Maiden collectively feeling their own mortality, or is death just another cool subject for them to write about? More likely it’s the latter scenario, as death usually appears in the form of some kind of phantom or apparition rather than anything concrete or truly scary. Of course, the band also delivers a couple of their by now customary history lessons (“Montsegur” and “Paschendale,” highlights both) amid several other mythological or fantasy-based flights of fancy. As such, the album requires a certain suspension from reality for a full appreciation. Then again, with Maiden it’s the music that matters most, and the music here is rarely less than impressive. Several of these hard-hitting songs chug along on classic Maiden grooves, as once again the rhythm section of Nicko McBrain (who pens his first song after 20 years with the band, “New Frontier,” and a good one it is) and Steve Harris (always the primary creative force in the band) come up aces. The three-guitar attack continues to be a good idea as well, while moody epics like “No More Lies” (with a dramatic vocal from Dickinson) and the spooked-out title track show off the band’s progressive mindset as well as their ability to shift musical gears. The band didn’t forget to write catchy choruses, either, though few of these songs will likely grab hold of you upon first listen. Indeed, at an overly long 68-minutes this album takes awhile to absorb, and though I feel that it would’ve been better had they edited it a bit, I can see why they didn’t. After all, I’d count only “Face In The Sand,” whose melody is too similar to the title track, as a misfire, and the other songs at the end of the album are among the most interesting ones, as “The Age Of Innocence” (a very modern, almost poppy song) and “Journeyman” (an acoustic/orchestral epic that gets by on arguably Bruce’s best performance on the album) are among Maiden’s most atypical tracks ever. Alas, after 20+ years any band would be hard pressed to keep fresh ideas coming for almost 70-minutes, and this album does feature a bit of recycling. The most obvious examples are “Montsegur,” which chugs along a la “Losfer Words” (as previously hinted, the song is still really good, though), the aforementioned “Face In The Sand,” and “Gates Of Tomorrow,” another solid song that’s aided by riffs borrowed from AC/DC. In addition, there are times when it seems like the band forces their music into pre-conceived lyrical concepts, resulting in clunky or awkward moments, and the album is devoid of obvious classics. Still, the plusses here far outweigh the minuses, as by and large the band continues their resurgence that started with Brave New World. True, they’ve made many better albums, but they’ve made several lesser ones as well. If that statement seems like I’m damning the band with faint praise, keep in mind that Maiden were once one of the greatest metal bands ever. But even though the band will likely never recapture the greatness of Iron Maiden, The Number Of The Beast, or Piece Of Mind, based on this album (and their awesome live shows, one of which I was lucky enough to attend) I’d say that they’re still one of the best metal bands around. Truth is, Dance Of Death is packed with more energy, conviction, and power than 90% of their much younger peers, and if they keep plugging away they might yet recapture that extra 10%.

A Matter Of Life And Death (Columbia ’06) Rating: B+
This is another solidly enjoyable Iron Maiden album, no more and no less. Really, the band offers few surprises these days, but they compensate for that by being extremely dependable, which is far more than you can say about most metal bands 25+ years into a career (Metallica, anyone?). Anyway, this album takes me back to the progressive Somewhere In Time/Seventh Son era of the band, which isn’t exactly my favorite era but I can’t complain too much since A Matter Of Life And Death is such a solid effort despite some misgivings. For one thing, the album runs on for 72 minutes and the song average length is a bloated 7:12; sometimes it’s three minutes into a song before the guitars start making any impact, which is anathema in heavy metal. Also, almost every song starts mellow and slow before gradually building a head of steam, which becomes a bit predictable, and as per usual there are a few repetitive choruses too many. Aside from the comparatively concise “Different World,” the obvious single with its classic gallop and catchy chorus, it’s also rather hard to pick out album highlights. But that’s because the album is so consistently solid, even if it’s only occasionally inspired, with tracks such as “Longest Day” and “For The Greater God Of God” coming to mind on that front. On the whole, I applaud the album's agreeably raw sound, the band’s increased use of guitar harmonies from recent works, and their strong lyrics about war, death, and history; the usual, basically (great album cover too while we're at it). Individually, Nicko McBain registers a predictably powerful drum performance, the three-pronged lead guitar attack still works, Bruce isn’t what he was but he’s still damn good, and Harris’ bass is still the key component of the band’s sound and he remains the primary creative force within the band, co-writing each of the album’s 10 songs. No, A Matter Of Life And Death isn’t a classic Maiden album, and the band’s recent arrogance in concert, where they’re sticking almost exclusively with new material (Bruce: “if you want to hear old songs play Live After Death”), is both surprising and off putting, but there’s no denying that for all their long-winded indulgencies, Iron Maiden on record remain a rewarding proposition.

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