Iron Maiden

Dance of Death

'Kin Marvelous

Review Score:

(10/10)
Where to begin? How about: This album absolutely ***kin rocks! After over 25 years together, most bands would be running out of steam, yet Maiden has turned out one of their best albums to date, if not their BEST album of all time. Like on their last album, Brave New World, they continue to blend their classic style with a more mature, modern sound. Brave New World, however, was merely a warm up for Dance of Death, which blows it out of the ***kin water.

I've heard a couple complaints by people online who don't like Dance of Death because it's very different from Piece of Mind or Powerslave. Well duh, of course it's not! I'd be pretty bored with Maiden by now if all their albums sounded exactly the same. The great thing about Maiden is that they've managed to continuously re-invent themselves without losing their classic sound. So if you're one of those typically American fans who don't like anything by Maiden beyond 1990 (and I can say that because I'm American myself), do us all a favor and don't listen to Dance of Death, so the rest of us don't have to listen to or read your whining. However, to those of you who are true Maiden fans, or who just like good ***kin music, pick up this album as soon as you can.

The thing that makes Dance of Death really fantastic, however, is that it's a much more personal album than just about anything they've done in the past. Many of Maiden's previous songs focused on Science Fiction and Dark Fantasy subjects, although some songs had such varied topics as fighter pilots (Aces High), subconscious fears (Still Life, Fear of the Dark), stories about a wide variety of intense characters (Hallowed Be Thy Name, The Trooper, Nomad) and many others. The songs on DoD, however, are all much more immediate and emotional, focusing on everything from self empowerment, to human cloning, to the war in Iraq, to injustice in the criminal justice system. Songs like Blood Brothers, The Thin Line Between Love and Hate, or even Revelations would not be out of place on DoD, whether in terms of sound or subject matter. Even the songs about medieval europe, dancing with demons, and WWI have a more personal feel to them than they might've in the past. In fact, Dance of Death might be one of the most emotionally resonating albums since Bruce Springsteen's The Rising. As drummer Nicko McBrain himself might've said, " 'Kin marvelous."

1) Wildest Dreams- This song right here is classic Maiden. I've heard that it is, in some ways, evocative of the old Paul Di'anno days from the albums Killers and Iron Maiden. Having never heard either album in great detail, I can't confirm this, but I will say it's one awesome song. Personally I think it harkens back to Die With Your Boots On, both thematically and musically, but its also a distinctive song in its own right. It's a song about self empowerment and living life the way you want, which are very much Maiden themes. As an album opener, Dreams isn't quite as good as The Wickerman (Brave New World) or Aces High (Powerslave), but it's damn close. Rating- 4.5/5

2) Rainmaker- Holy ****. Who'd have thought so much emotion could be packed into under 4 minutes. Proof that a song doesn't need to be an epic to be emotionally powerful. A great song with a great melody, awesome guitars (courtesy Dave and Adrian, I think), and incredible lyrics. And of course, "The Air Raid Siren" Bruce Dickinson himself is in top form as always. My personal favorite track. Rating- 6/5

3) No More Lies- The first epic of the album and an introduction to the orchestral sound that is promenant in several tracks on this album. A great slow, moody intro that leads into a real Kick Ass song. Once again Bruce prooves he hasn't lost his touch. His voice here is both wistful and powerful, sometimes by turns, sometimes at once. Definite religious themes to this song, evoking images of reincarnation and The Last Supper. Its theme and tone are similar to Hallowed be Thy Name, and it rocks just as hard. Rating- 5/5

4) Montsegur- This one took me a few listenings to get into, but it gets better every time I hear it. Very heavy track, but one expects that sort of thing from Maiden. Great if you prefer that sort of thing. A bit less melodic than the previous tracks, and the melody that is there didn't appeal to me much at first. Once I gave it a few listens though, I really started to get into it. Rating- 4.5/5

5) Dance of Death- Another epic song. Once again it starts out slow, but this time Bruce's vocals are low and even menacing at times. Then of course, the song takes off into traditional Maiden style. For the most part, this is an awesome, awesome song, but unfortunately there are a few flaws in this particular diamond. The lyrics are a tad odd at times (should the word "pranced" really be in an Iron Maiden song?) but the most distracting thing for me came around the three minute mark, which sounds almost identical to a part from Spinal Tap's Stonehenge. It makes it very hard to take the song seriously, no matter how freakin' cool it is otherwise. But as long as all the scenery is the right size when Maiden goes on tour, it shouldn't be a real big problem, right? Rating- 4/5

6) Gates of Tomorrow- It just goes to show you how great this album is, that a song like this could get lost in the shuffle. Starts off with a pure Maiden guitar opening, with Steve Harris' magnificent bass underneith. Bruce does harmony with himself on this track, a trick Maiden hasn't tried for a while. Again, he sounds fantastic, especially on the chorus. Another classic sounding Maiden track. Rating- 4.5/5

7) New Frontier- The first song writing credit by Nicko McBrain in his 20-some years with the band. Why Nicko never wrote a song before is a mystery to me, considering how much this one rocks, but here's hoping he continues to contribute from now on! Great lyrics, great guitar work, a chorus that's catchy as hell, and a melody that really grows on you after a few listens, New Frontier has all of the above. Hats off to you, Mr. McBrain, you've created a monster. Rating- 5/5

8) Paschendale- One of the absolute best epics that Maiden has ever done, and that's coming from a huge fan of Hallowed Be Thy Name, Dream of Mirrors, and No More Lies. The song recalls a fateful battle of World War I in one of the most personal and unflinching tracks Maiden has ever performed. In my mind, this is probably the best song guitarist Adrian Smith has ever written with the band. Both the quiet moments and the heavy are in perfect compliment to each other. An absolute masterpiece of Maiden metal. Rating- 6/5

9) Face in the Sand- A power ballad, with emphasis on the "power" rather than the "ballad". The song deals with the current war in Iraq and is possibly the most emotional song that Maiden has ever done. I don't know about everyone else, but I remember how I felt during September 11th and again when the war in Iraq started, and the lyrics to Face in the Sand describe those feelings perfectly. It might not be as catchy as Rainmaker or as kick ass as Paschendale, but it's at least as emotional and it's a damn awesome track. Rating- 5/5

10) Age of Innocence- If I absolutely have to pick a weakest track for this album, this one is it. Like the track before it, it delves into Maiden's power ballad territory, but much less successfully. Later on, the track tries to get much heavier, but unfortunately just comes off as a very bad Blind Guardian riff. The melody doesn't appeal to me much either, except for the chorus, which is very uplifting and redeems the rest of the song. It's not as bad as Quest for Fire on Piece of Mind, but it doesn't do a lot for me compared with the rest of the album. Of course that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. Rating- 3.5/5

11) Journeyman- What's this? Maiden actually doing a slower, softer song? Impossible! And yet here it is, probably the first truly slow song Maiden has ever done, without breaking out into it's trademarked fast-paced guitar rifts. Highly remeniscent of Tears of the Dragon off Bruce Dickinson's solo album Balls to Picasso, although Tears is unquestioningly the better song. Never-the-less, Journeyman is an excellent track, one in which Maiden sheds its trade-marked heaviness, but none of its trademarked power. There's not much actual guitar here; instead, the song focuses on Steve Harris's bass, Nicko McBrain's drums, and Bruce Dickinson's voice. And of course, those fabulous violins we've come to love over the course of the album. Rating- 4/5

Overall Album Rating- 5/5

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