Iron Maiden Reviews: Part 3 (The 21st Century)
Finally it’s time to end this endeavour to review every single Maiden album (see Part 1 over here and Part 2 here if you missed them). Reviewing every album was harder than I thought it would be given the amount of music I had to go through, but it was a ton of fun nonetheless.
After the practical perfection of the 1980s and the disappointment of the 1990s, how would the 21st century pan out for the legendary metallers? This current period can be pretty divisive with some loving the direction the band have taken while others just don’t enjoy them the way they once did. What did I think of this period? Well I guess you’ll need to keep reading to find out...
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12) Brave New World (2000)
Speaking of the man himself, Bruce was now back in his rightful place as the frontman of Maiden. Not only that, but master guitarist Adrian Smith also made his way back into the fold, resulting in Maiden having three guitarists in their lineup for the first time. This might have seemed like a risky idea at the time, but now we all know that it worked beautifully and the band have never sounded more powerful live.
Now, onto the album.
In terms of quality, Brave New World is quite easily Maiden’s best album since 1988’s Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Depending on what day you ask me, I might even tell you it’s their greatest ever...
The album seemed to come at a unique point in time where the band were trying to remind us of their classic sound while beginning to show off their proggier side that had not yet come into full effect. They’d quite easily gotten back into their groove of writing multiple hit tracks while still retaining the longer tracks that you shouldn't dare miss out on. With the last couple of releases, the less than stellar production had been a bit of an issue and caused some problems. But thankfully they were back on track here and the production had never sounded better. Everything here sounds as slick as slick as it needs to be and Bruce’s voice sounded better than ever.
Tracks like the classic, full throttle opener ‘The Wicker Man’ and the emotional, fan connecting ‘Blood Brothers’ are still used in live sets to this day. There’s so many highlights that it’s hard to talk about just a few. Practically every track is a highlight unto itself. The title track is one of my favourites. It has such a beautiful opening with those melodic guitars that instantly hook you in and make you feel like you need to hear the rest. Delving further into the song, the rest certainly doesn’t disappoint either as you're met with a face melting solo that just feels like the cherry on top of a great cake. The longer, epic tracks deliver too. ‘Dream of Mirrors’ and ‘The Nomad’ take up a lot of the run-time but they use the time well to craft near masterpieces, which are second only to some of their bigger epics. ‘The Nomad’ is an especially great track, as it features some of the most excellent instrumental sections you could expect from the band at this point.
My favourite song here by far though is the closing track ‘The Thin Line Between Love and Hate’. This is easily one of my all time favourite Maiden songs and is one that I feel has been totally underrated in their back catalogue. The song is epic in every sense of the word and might just feature the best vocal delivery we’ve ever heard out of Bruce. And that is saying a hell of a lot at this point. The guitar riffs are so gorgeous they could bring a tear to your eye, and the solos could tear your flesh off the bone. If you haven’t heard it before, I’d highly recommend it.
As a whole then, this album proved that Maiden were truly back and were at their peak once again. A stunning return to form.
Tracks to check out: 'The Wicker Man', 'Ghost of the Navigator', 'Brave New World', 'The Nomad', 'The Thin Line Between Love and Hate'
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13) Dance of Death (2003)
Up next, we have Dance of Death. First off, what in the hell happened with that atrocious album cover?
From what I’ve read, it was apparently designed by David Patchett who was tasked with making computer generated album artwork. Due to the release date of the album, the cover was still unfinished, so the band had to go with this terrible cover. Apparently David wanted his name removed from the artist credit and I don’t blame him at all. Anyway... onto the actual album.
It must have been a bit of a job having to follow a huge comeback album like Brave New World' so instead of going down the same route, the band decided to experiment a bit. Very much so in some cases... This was an album of firsts, including the band's first and only all-acoustic track ‘Journeyman’, and the first writing credit of drummer Nicko McBrain: ‘New Frontier’. I feel like this might be Maiden’s most underrated album, as it really doesn’t get the credit it deserves. It’s certainly not perfect and has a couple of issues here and there, but it’s still an album worth checking out for sure.
The longer tracks are the ones you want to keep an eye on here as it’s around this time that Maiden established that were more comfortable writing longer tracks. I’m all for it. The title track in particular is a major highlight, as it sounds like nothing else the band have ever put out while still managing to fit them perfectly. It plays out like a waltz from hell, with Bruce telling the eerie tale of a person who leaves a party and is led to a dance of death. Here, he is seemingly possessed before he then escapes his fate. This is an awesome track and I’m glad the band went more experimental on this one. Even with its unique sound and tone, it still plays like a Maiden classic with epic instrumental moments intact.
Another major highlight is ‘Paschendale’, which is of course about the bloody battle of the same name that took place during the First World War. Quite honestly, this might be the best track the band have released since ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’ in 1982. It’s seriously that good. It’s just such a powerful track that really embodies the word ‘epic’ (overused as it may be). Featuring some of the best instrumentation the band has ever put forward, it also has one of the most heartbreaking choruses you’ll ever hear which really respects those who lost their lives during the battle. An essential listen in my mind.
The only thing that really lets the album down are some of the shorter tracks which end up being rather forgettable in the long run. Given that the album is over an hour long, I think a bit of editing is in order to give the record a better sense of pace and put it closer in quality to ‘Brave New World’. Tracks like ‘Rainmaker’ and ‘Montsegur’ are worth checking out, while ‘Face in the Sand’ and ‘Age of Innocence’ could have been cut out. They aren’t bad tracks, but just not up to the standard of the rest.
Overall, I’d say this is a pretty great album as is one which should be held in higher regard than it currently is. It has a couple of tracks that can be described as some of the band's best work, as well as quite a few others worth checking out. It’s not perfect, but there’s more than enough to enjoy here. It was also quite clear here that the band were now a lot better at creating long tracks than shorter ones. The next few albums would go on to prove this further...
Tracks to check out: 'Rainmaker', 'Montsegur', 'Dance of Death', 'Paschendale', 'Journeyman'
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14) A Matter of Life and Death (2006)
With A Matter of Life and Death, we're now really hitting the proggier side of Maiden. While the band haven’t really dabbled in a concept album since Seventh Son, this one does mainly focus on war, religion, and how those two things really shouldn’t be mixed at all. Makes sense given the time that this album came out would have been during the height of the war on terror...
A Matter of Life and Death is also considered the band's most critically acclaimed album and it’s not hard to see why. Even the band were so proud of it that they played the 71 minute album in full when they were touring it, and I’m pretty sure this was the only time they ever did this. Personally, I’d love to hear this album played in full in a live setting, even if it didn’t go down too well with fans at the time. There was an infamous moment where Bruce tore up a fan's sign that read ‘play classics’, so it's probably a good idea they don’t try that again.
I mentioned previously that Maiden were becoming more comfortable with writing longer tracks. That certainly shows here, as pretty much most of the album contains these longer songs. It’s one of those rare albums where every track is a highlight, and I wouldn’t even be comfortable calling any of them the ‘worst’ on the album. Even when it seemed that the shorter songs could be throwaway tracks here, they have their place and keep the insanely great pace going throughout. From the fun opener ‘Different World’ with its epic Bruce vocals during the chorus, to the melancholic ‘Out of the Shadows’, the tracks are worth listening to again and again. The real meat comes from the longer tracks, however. My goodness they’re all so great.
My favourite amongst these songs has always been ‘For the Greater Good of God’, which the band thankfully played during their Legacy of the Beast tour (to the delight of my fanboy self). It’s just such a beautiful track that hooks you right away with its melodic beginning. Bruce’s opening question of “Are you a man of peace, or man of holy war?” lets you know that you’re about to hear a bollocking on religious warfare of the highest order and it’s simply tremendous. The chorus is pretty damn heartbreaking as well:
“Please tell me now what life is
Please tell me now what love is
Well tell me now what war is
Again tell me what life is”
Simply breathtaking and I urge you to give it a listen if you haven’t already. Even if you have, just give it another go...
Really I could talk for ages about the longer tracks here, but I do think you just need to hear them for yourselves. From the massive ‘Brighter Than a Thousand Suns’ to the epic conclusion of ‘The Legacy’, it’s all great. Definitely make sure to check out ‘The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg’ as well, as it has one of the best guitar riffs the band had put out in years. Another massive track that will stick with you long after the album ends.
I can’t say too much more, as I have nothing but praise for everything here. While people may bemoan the album's length, I think it works here. Even on multiple re-listens, I never find myself bored or thinking it’s starting to drag. We don’t really do ratings here, but this would be an automatic 5/5 no doubt. A modern classic.
Tracks to check out: 'Brighter Than a Thousand Suns', 'The Longest Day', 'The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg', 'For the Greater Good of God', 'The Legacy'
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15) The Final Frontier (2010)
Maiden's second-most recent album is a bit of a weird one for me. I am pretty critical of this album even though it was the record that properly got me into Maiden and I’m not sure I’d be the fan I am today if it wasn’t for this album. I still remember seeing a five star review of the album in the paper and deciding I needed to get it. After finally buying a copy and just being blown away by the whole thing, I went out and bought pretty much every other Maiden album there was. I have a lot to thank this album for, but in the ten years (wow, I’m old) since its release, I do have quite a bit to say on it.
Firstly, I think the album's paced pretty strangely. There are 10 tracks in total with the first five being shorter tracks and the last five being a bit longer and more epic. Starting with the 9-minute long 'Satellite 15', we have what is really just two tracks in one, as the first half is an atmospheric opening and the second half contains the first single of the album. It might also be one of the worst opening tracks the band has released as well. It’s not terrible, but it just goes on for too long without much happening. This is then followed by ‘El Dorado’, which is better and definitely catchier than the previous track, but it's still slightly forgettable and a bit too long for what it really does. Alongside the previously mentioned tracks, ‘Mother of Mercy’ (which does have potential initially) reaches a chorus that really isn’t too great and kind of kills the song dead for me. Even Bruce doesn’t sound like he’s into it and it definitely feels like there's a lack of focus compared to the previous few albums. Thankfully, not all of the shorter tracks are disappointing, as ‘Coming Home’ is a great ballad that laments the band's long time on the road away from their families. It has such a grand chorus that really carries the song through. ‘The Alchemist’ is a damn fun track too, and is quite underrated.
Even though the longer tracks are generally better, they weren’t all great.‘Isle of Avalon’ is enjoyable for sure, but there was no real reason for it to be longer than 9 minutes. It’s just way too long and ends up feeling like a skippable track, as it should have been about 6 minutes max, and would have been a highlight track otherwise. ‘Starblind’ is similar in this regard. Thankfully the song is a bit shorter, but it's still just a tad too long. It has another rather sub-par chorus, which is only slightly saved by the great instrumental sections. After some dud tracks, the rest of the album is redeemed by the last 3 tracks: 'The Talisman', 'The Man Who Would Be King' and 'When The Wild Wind Blows'. They are all tremendous and the kind of epics you would expect from Maiden at this point. The latter song in particular represents some of the best of epic Maiden and really ends the album on a high. From ‘The Talisman’s mighty gallop to the final track’s Romeo and Juliet-esque tale, it’s quite a wonderful selection.
Overall, this is a weird album for me. It’s definitely a decent album, as it has a few moments of joy for fans and newcomers alike. In saying that though, it is still the worst album Maiden released in the 21st century, as it can feel like a bit of a slog and could have been trimmed to really meet expectations. A lot of people expected this to be Maiden’s swan song, due to the album being the band's 15th release, but thankfully (for me at least), the band had other ideas in mind.
Tracks to check out: 'Coming Home', 'The Alchemist', 'The Talisman', 'The Man Who Would Be King', 'When the Wild Wind Blows'
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16) The Book of Souls (2015)
At time of writing, The Book of Souls is Maiden’s final album. Fingers crossed though, we may be gifted with a 17th album if rumours are anything to go by... Maiden took a lot of risks on this release. It was their first time releasing a double album, and as such, the 92 minute album is the band's longest album to date. After The Final Frontier was a bit of a slog, an hour and a half seemed like this may be a difficult listen.
On this occasion though, Maiden knew exactly what they were doing, however. To me, Book of Souls is a culmination of everything the band has released so far, and plays almost like a ‘Best of Iron Maiden’ compilation but with brand new tracks. It’s one of those rare occasions where the epic songs are at their best, yet the shorter ones are still able to keep up.
It all starts off pretty amazingly with ‘If Eternity Should Fail’, which is easily the best opening track of any Maiden album since ‘The Wicker Man’. In fact, it may just be even better than that... It begins with what sounds like Bruce singing into the abyss about the soul of a man, before those classic Maiden riffs kick in. By the end, we even get a monologue from Necropolis where he lets us know that; for him, eternity is nothing but a short while. 'Speed of Light’ makes for one hell of a first single. It’s one of the catchier tracks the band have ever released, and that opening Bruce scream could make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Check out the music video too, which is directly inspired by video games. Always a plus for me. 'Death or Glory' is another great song, which feels like it was specifically designed for a live crowd. Given that I heard this one live during the album tour, I can confirm that I have also ‘climbed like a monkey’. Totally worth it...
Outside of these more driving songs, the other shorter tracks are also home to some of the more emotional moments that the band have ever produced.‘Tears of a Clown’ has a sombre tone and lyrics which detail a man living to entertain the masses, but on the inside he is depressed, lonely, and on the verge of suicide. Given that the band has confirmed that the track is actually a tribute to the late, great Robin Williams, the emotional impact of the song has really increased over the last few years. Immediately following this is ‘The Man of Sorrows’, which continues this sombre tone. The band appears to be singing about the fact that all of their friends in their age group are starting to slowly pass away as time goes on.
Even though these songs are all really great; once again, the best moments in this album are the longer tracks. 'The Red and the Black’ is probably my favourite track from this album and might just be my favourite track from the entire 2010s in all of metal. It’s still to this day the best track I’ve ever heard live, as I was mesmerised for its entire 13 minute length. While the Bruce vocals are terrific as always, it’s really the instrumentation that carries the track. There are so many different sections with so many guitar solos and riffs-aplenty yet they all fit together so well. I could listen to this song over and over again without becoming bored.
The title track is also fantastic, as it starts slow before building over 10 minutes and eventually making you feel like your head is gonna explode from how great it is. The album also ends on a massive high with the longest track the band has ever recorded: the gargantuan 18 minute long ‘Empire of the Clouds’. This is such a gorgeous track and one of those rare super long tracks that I can listen to over and over again, while still find something new to enjoy. It’s never boring and features elements you don’t normally hear from Maiden, such as keyboards played by Bruce Dickinson and a ton of orchestral backup. This may be their new magnum opus.
Depending on what day you ask me, I may just end up calling The Book of Souls Maiden’s best ever album, and it’s a statement I would not regret. This is modern Maiden at their best and a true culmination of their 40 year career. I would be happy if this ended up being their last album as this is a perfect way to go out. I don’t think they’ll ever top this again, but I would like to hope that I’m wrong if there's another album to come.
And that’s my review of every single studio release by Iron Maiden. It was a harder task than I thought it would be but I’m totally glad I did. They’re still my favourite band and always will be. Up the Irons.
Thanks for reading.
Tracks to download: 'If Eternity Should Fail', 'Speed of Light', 'The Red and the Black', 'The Book of Souls', 'Empire of the Clouds'
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Thanks to Ross for writing this review on Iron Maiden's 21st century albums, and thanks to you for checking it out! Feel free to leave a comment below to tell us what your favourite Iron Maiden songs or albums are from this period, or support RWEI by giving us a like/follow over on the socials.
Cheers!
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