Iron Maiden

Dance of Death

One of Maiden's Best Recordings -- Really!

Review Score:

(10/10)
I felt Iron Maiden's big "reunion" recording "Brave New World" was merely okay, so I didn't have very high expectations for future material. How wrong I was, as "Dance of Death" is one of Maiden's strongest albums as a whole.

Iron Maiden have many great songs spanning their long career; some of my favorites are "Prowler," "Remember Tomorrow," "Phantom of the Opera," "Genghis Khan," "Children of the Damned," Hallowed be thy Name," "Flight of Icarus," "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," etc. Despite this commendable fact, most of their recordings were plagued by "filler" or less than memorable tunes (e.g. "Gangland," "Quest for Fire," "Flash of the Blade," etc.). Not to mention at least one of their recordings was unbelievably bad -- "Virtual XI" (with "Fear of the Dark" close on its heels). There were really only three recordings that were excellent AS A WHOLE -- the self-titled debut, "Killers" and "The X-Factor." (I know some would disagree about "X-Factor," mainly Dickinson fans who can't envision Maiden without Bruce singing, but it is a very strong recording -- a Maiden masterpiece, in fact. Be open-minded and give it a second chance).

Well, I'm pleased to say that with "Dance of Death" Maiden have finally put out another recording that is strong from start to finish. Some highlights include:

WILDEST DREAMS. A fine, light, quick opener; sort of a modern-day "Running Free."

RAINMAKER is similar to the opener in spirit but is even catchier. This is the big 'hit' of the recording, sorta like "Wrathchild" or "The Flight of Icarus." The subject matter is mature, positive, spiritual and very welcomed by this reviewer. Another Amazon reviewer ridiculously complained that it was like Maiden doing "Christian rock;" I guess he'd rather have them record juvenile tunes about how much life stinks and how we should all be losers and commit suicide (Waaa, waaa).

NO MORE LIES is another highlight with a nice build-up. It's also the third longest song on the CD.

DANCE OF DEATH is a Maiden masterpiece along the lines of "Phantom of the Opera" and "Hallowed be thy Name." (Okay, maybe not THAT good, but close, real close).

NEW FRONTIER is just as catchy as the first two tunes; interestingly, it's McBrain's first song written for Maiden -- great job, mate!

PASCHENDALE is a patented Harris epic of magnificent proportions. The song features some seriously heavy, original & fast riffing and is ingeniously structured. The CD is worth buying for this masterpiece alone.

FACE IN THE SAND is musically memorable and great; unfortunately Bruce overdoes it and strains to stay in key (e.g. "Quest for Fire"), almost ruining the song (I said 'almost'). This is definitely a case where Dianno or Blaze would have done a better job.

The other songs are good as well, including the refreshing acoustic piece "Journeyman."

CONCLUSION: "Dance of Death" is proof that Maiden aren't floggin' a dead horse -- they still got it in 'em to create great music and great albums. Don't miss out on "Dance of Death."

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