Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death

[Liu]

Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death
Sanctuary

There really is nothing like the release of a new album by Iron Maiden. Its a spectacle shared long and wide by the band's legion of devoted followers, hanging on every newsbit, interview and preview song sample to supplement that craving that only a new batch of Iron Maiden songs could ever hope to satisfy. I myself have been resisting the urge, restraining myself from downloading the entire album like many others have. I want that first listen to be from the actual disc that I hold in my hands. My paitence paid off, as I was able to obtain a copy of the album a few days before its official U.S. release date. My initial reaction was a combination of excitement, amazement and with a little bit of confusion and worry, but in the long run this simply makes for one of the most captivating releases in the band's 30 year history.

The album starts with its shortest track, Different World. Its has a very similiar feel to Rainmaker from Dance Of Death, a short rocker to get things started. The chorus is one of the most infectious to be found on the album, without question. Jumping ahead a bit you will find the other two short tracks on the album (both still over 5 minutes in length anyway), The Pilgrim and Out Of The Shadows. The latter has a vibe eerily similiar to what you may find on a Bruce Dickinson solo album (think Taking The Queen and you're getting somewhere) while the former sounds like its from the Dance Of Death studio sessions. Before I go any further I really should comment on the production. When news came that the band opted to not master the album, many feared the worst. However, this is thankfully not the case. I don't think the band has had a production this vibrant and organic since Powerslave.

Now we go to the bulk of the album, the long songs. These 7 songs range from 6 to a little over 9 minutes, so you know that the band has plenty to deliver. Most of these songs follow a similiar template: soft intro that builds up during the verse and explodes into a triumphant chorus which leads to a mid-song jam followed by another chorus and song ends. Somewhere in the middle of listening to Brighter Than A Thousand Suns for the first time, it dawned on me that there's gonna be a large section of the fanbase that's gonna be really turned off by the album. At first it kind of felt like a big pill to swallow. Make no mistake, if you are going in expecting an album filled with single-styled songs then you will be sorely disappointed. A Matter Of Life And Death is the band's most complex offering since The X Factor, one listen through the album will not suffice in discovering all the little things that Maiden has thrown into the mix. The band has been hinting for years that they will go into a proggish direction (in the vein of the 70's bands that influenced them such as Yes, Nektar, Wishbone Ash, et al, not the modern version of prog like Dream Theater and their contemporaries) and with A Matter Of Life And Death they finally have accomplished their goal. Brighter Than A Thousand Suns is the album's first taste into this, a long delectable palette of a complex Maiden arrangement that perplexes on the first few listens. Repeated listens should clear any doubts regarding the direction however.

If there is any one song that will go down as a Maiden classic, then The Longest Day is it more than any other. You got the classic Steve Harris bass gallop accompanied by Bruce Dickinson's soaring vocals and that glorious chorus that'll be a smash when played live. The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg will be the song that most people will recognize from the album as it was the first single. Yes, despite the fact that its over 7 minutes in length the band chose this over the lead off track Different World. But when you give the album a good listen, then it becomes obvious why they went with it. The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg is far more representative of the album as a whole than Different World. In fact, Different World sounds a bit out of place when all things are considered. Listening to Benjamin Breeg first was certainly a bit of a wake up call, its an ambitious work that eschews the common Maiden song structure for something with more groove and riff based. Now we go onto These Colours Don't Run, which I kinda skipped initially on purpose. By no means a bad song by any stretch, its merely eclipsed by what follows in the album.

And now we go to what has been my favorite song since the first listen, For The Greater Good Of God. This is the only song on the album solely composed by Steve Harris and for some reason his pure writing style, when not mixed with the other band member's ideas, always results in the album highlight to me (No More Lies did it for me on Dance Of Death). This is easily the most ear catching composition to be found here, it seeps into the soul and takes you over in the process. I've said this in my reviews before but its the goddamned truth this time: my words simply cannot and will not convey the magnitude of this song. The epic songs from the last few albums have an orchestrated feel behind them and none have swept me away like For The Greater Good Of God has. There are only a few bands that can make me feel like I've gone through a grand journey in the course of a single song and Iron Maiden is simply unmatched in this regard. This right here is the song of the year, mark my words.

Certainly not to be forgotten are the last two songs, Lord Of Light and The Legacy. Already by the time you get to these two you've already spent a good 50 minutes with the band, but don't pull away just yet. Lord Of Light is another favorite of mine, having Adrian Smith's stamp all over it. I haven't really mentioned it, but Adrian Smith really stepped up his game for this album, co-writing half of the songs. One of the neatest bits of Lord Of Light (at least for me) is the re-emergance of a Futureal riff in the midsection break of the song. I like the fact that they don't act like the Blaze years never happened, unlike other bands who ignore their darker years. Last but not least is The Legacy. Hopefully you still have some energy left for this one, because the band isn't letting you off light.

So in the end, here we have another extraordinary effort by metal's reigning monarchs. No other release this year will demand your attention like A Matter Of Life And Death, the band has plenty of surprises hidden up their sleeves that will result in a satisfying listen once you uncover all its secrets. Now where this album will eventually rank in the long run I simply cannot say. Dance Of Death is really high on my list as far as the recent material is concerned and this may top that.

Put simply, Eddie and the boys still got it.


01. Different World
02. These Colours Don't Run
03. Brighter Than A Thousand Suns
04. The Pilgrim
05. The Longest Day
06. Out Of The Shadows
07. The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg
08. For The Greater Good Of God
09. Lord Of Light
10. The Legacy

Score: 9/10

[skankdrummer]

Great review. MAIDEN RULES

[Adremelech]

Good news that the band didn't master this one. I wasn't a huge fan of the sound that they made. Great review. I will be buying this one!

[Liu]

fuck...delete this...