Iron Maiden

Dance of Death

A time-tested review

Review Score:

(10/10)
I wanted to review this album within the first week of purchasing it, but I waited. Why? I wanted to give a proper, educated review. So, having said that, let me tell you about Dance of Death.

This is an amazing album. When I first listened to it, I was a little unsure. It had to grow on me. I couldn't understand why so many people seemed to like Montsegur. Of course, after hearing the album a few times, that changed. In fact, my whole feeling towards the album changed. I like it more and more each time I listen to it. Every time I hear it, I discover something new and exciting that I didn't notice before.

Wildest Dreams - Why was this the single? It's a great song, but definitely the weakest on the album. It's so light that it takes away from the majesty of the other songs.

Rainmaker - Instant and powerful classic. I love this song, and especially the video. I just wish the lyrics could have been a little... deeper. It starts off really song, but then goes towards the border of being repetitive.

No More Lies - Another instant classic. Sometimes I think this is the best song on the album. Only Bruce could do a song like this so well. When he begins to sing "No More Lies", it just brings more power to the entire album as a whole.

Montsegur - Amazing. It grows on you so fast. It's the heaviest song on the album. It took me a little while to get into it, but once I did, I found myself really liking it.

Dance of Death - The only thing wrong with this almost perfect song is that it gets a little too fast before it ends. That's a minor complaint though. This is one of the best Maiden songs of all time.

Paschendale - Again, this is one of the best Maiden songs of all time. It's an awesome story and I love the lyrics. Bruce sounds amazing on it.

Journeyman - Hearing it makes me want an entire album like this! I liked this song right from the first time I heard it. It's slow and it demonstrates why Bruce Dickinson is the greatest and most powerful Rock/Metal singer there has ever been. This song is reason enough to buy the album.

Face in the Sand - Another classic. It's a reminder of why Maiden are as great as they are.

New Frontier - This song continues to grow on me. I can tell that Nicko had a strong influence on this song, based on the values that it contains.

Gates of Tomorrow - This song has parts where Bruce is singing with himself. It does not get better than that. This is another strong, core song on the album. If there weren't so many other amazing songs on this album, Gates of Tomorrow would be a major hit.

Age of Innocence - This is a really good song, but it does get a little repetitive as well. Don't get me wrong though, it's still better than pretty much everything else that came out this year!

The rest of the album is really amazing. It's a mature, yet raw album. Listening to it, I feel the same sense of excitement that I felt on Number of the Beast.

I'm sorry, but I think this is the best Maiden album to date. It's got classic written all over it. The lyrics may not be their best, but the music certainly is. Yes, the bass and drums might be a little less noticeable, but the album itself more than makes up for it.

As for people even comparing this to St. Anger... that's like comparing Iron Maiden to Celine Dion. They don't even belong on the same sentence together. I couldn't stand St. Anger. 2 good songs do not make a good album.

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