Disco de Iron Maiden: “Dance of Death”

I've seen Maiden in concert a half dozen times. I own everything they've released in about three or four different formats/versions. Remastered and non-remastered. Vinyl and CD.

Not to mention DVD.

So I bought Dance of Death with great expectations -- especially I had just seen Maiden blow away a sold-out audience in Detroit a month prior to its release.

Sadly, Dance of Death is only marginally better than Brave New World. And maybe not even better. Maybe just about as good.

What disappointed me about Dance of Death was its dearth of originality. Many of the songs reminded me of songs from Brave New World. (I dare any fan to deny that.) Or, worse, Virtual XI and X Factor. There's still a lot of repetition of verses going on, bad habits from the Blaze Bayley days, I'm afraid.

What saves this album, in my opinion (surely not its cheesy cover art -- where's Derek Riggs when you need him?), is the fact that it is, after all, Iron Maiden. And the classic line-up (plus one!) of Iron Maiden at that.

Nobody writes music like Iron Maiden. Nobody sounds like Bruce Dickinson. Nobody plays bass like Steve Harris. Nobody showboats like Janick Gers. Nobody has the speed and melody of Dave Murray or Adrian Smith. Even when they seem to parody themselves, Iron Maiden is still light years beyond most bands today.

And maybe that's why I've been harder on Dance of Death than I probably should have been. This is Iron Maiden, for Pete's sake! I've heard what they're capable of. They blow the roof off concert venues when they tour. And their back catalog of music still electrifies me some 15-20 years on.

That said, I must confess that "Wildest Dreams" was a blast to see performed live. And "Paschendale" is a fascinating epic of a song. "No More Lies" suffers from Brave New Worldism, sounding too much like an outtake from the previous album. But "Monstesegur" rocks and "Gates of Tomorrow" features a cool intro riff.

Every track has something of value in it. It's just that, taken as a whole, Dance of Death doesn't surprise and delight like it could have.

Still...

This is Iron Maiden. So you have to buy it, anyway. It's required. Eddie says so.

Okay, from what I've seen over 160+ people have commented on Iron Maiden's new album Dance of Death analysing the new release from the band's songwriting to the lyrics to the guys' performance on their instruments to Bruce's vocals to the mix to the artwork to the production to this to that... etc. All that's necessary to say has already been said. So I'll keep it simple: This is IRON MAIDEN, one of the most important Heavy Metal bands on the planet. One of the handful of bands that has never forgotten where they're coming from, never abandoned their roots and musical vision in hopes of reaching to bigger audiences. They're still what they were back in 1988. Most complaints seem to be about the band's repetitious songwriting. About Harris' overuse of his galloping bass lines. Is there any truth to this? Maybe. I'm not a blinded fan, but at least I know what to expect from my Maiden when they put out a new record. At least it doesn't turn out to be a terrible pop-disco-rap thing that totally bombs and then every band member defends it giving out cliche statements such as "Well we're a band that always progresses. We wanted to try something different on our last album and somehow it didn't work out. We're gonna go back to our roots on the next release, don't worry, keep supporting us blah blah blah" kind of thing. Come to think about it, when was the last time you bought a Maiden album and were so very disappointed with it because Harris & co. had gone disco or had tried to incorporate rap vocals to the music going for a 'modern approach'? But people are still whining out there. This is Maiden. They're doing what they do the best and let me tell you something they're still one of a kind. If you don't like this type of music, well fine. But there's no need to complain. It won't do any good. Maiden has always sounded this way. I myself am a big prog metal fan, but I know what to expect from these guys. I don't go like "They keep repeating themselves over and over again, they're so boring". Iron Maiden is Iron Maiden. They've been this way the last 25 years, so don't expect them to come out playing something absolutely different all of sudden. Metallica changed after 1991. How many of us still like them? Megadeth changed in 1997 only to 'return to their roots' on their next release. Do you want the same thing to happen to Maiden? I certainly don't.

Furthermore, Brave New World was a great step in the right direction. The band acually did push the envelope and try to cover some new ground. While some fans were pleased by it, those Powerslave-era fans kept complaining. So here we have a new record that picks up where BNW left off. Apart from the first two songs, the record contains quite a fe 7+ minute songs. "Wildest Dreams", while not as good as BNW's "Wickerman", opens the album with total energy and this is continued on the second track "Rainmaker". Both below the 4-minute mark still manage to set the mood. With songs like "No More Lies", "Dance of Death" and "Paschendale" we get our old Maiden with their traditional riffs, rich melodies, long but, in my opinion, fitting guitar solos from Gers, Smith and Murray as well as galloping bass lines from Mr Harris. Nicko has always done a great job in Maiden. His drumming is good. I know he's done better before but give these guys a break. They're aging. Still they're pulling it off. They're no longer in their 30's.

The sound on Dance of Death is crystal clear, just the way a Maiden album should sound. Kevin Shirley's done an awesome job as a producer. Bruce is as good as always. I know there are nitpickers out there waiting for the guy to accidentally not be able to hit the highest of notes, but no, not on Dance of Death. Cause he pulls it off. He's just one of a kind, a real frontman and the perfect singer for Iron Maiden. I am personally proud to have supported this band ever since I started listening to music at the age of 12, and I will continue to do so forever. Maiden makes me proud to be a fan of Heavy Metal. Period.

With every new album, everybody wants to say it's the "Best Since 7th Son", and with this release that's actually true! Not only that, I'd rate it the best since "Somewhere in Time". This is pure, unadulterated Maiden: the writing is superb, the lyrics are cool, the guitar-work is phenomenal, the rhythm section as always is superb, and Bruce is simply on fire. Brief comment per tunes:

1) Wildest Dreams... much like Wicker Man of the last CD but a better tune in my opinion: great chorus, good kick in the pants to get things started.

2) Rainmaker... similar to Wildest Dreams with another great chorus, and some very cool guitar parts (Murray gets some writing credits).

3) No More Lies... welcome back to old school Maiden: long tune with extended intro. Monster tune complete with all kinds of changes, Bruce shouting, thunderous drums, etc...

4) Montsegur... think "Die With Your Boots On" with even more of an edge. Phenomenal tune lyrically. This song has TONS of attitude but throws in some insane melody as well. Best friggin' Maiden tune since... who knows, maybe Piece of Mind! Bruce just OWNS the tune: it's a mad, angry tune and he just screams fury throughout! Great, GREAT tune!!!

5) Dance of Death... a long Gers/Harris tune: very good tune with lots of changes. The lyrics are only OK, though - somebody mentioned "Spinal Tap"... and it actually fits somewhat. Good tune that really grows on you, but at first listen you might have a chuckle or two. Go WAY back... think along the lines of "Phantom of the Opera" or very early Maiden - very dark and twisted... 2nd guitar solo is, I think, Jannick, and he really rips it up. Yes, this definitely grows on ya. Very classic Iron Maiden... the gallop, the harmonized guitars... lyric lines with Bruce singing along with the guitar lines... it's ALL there.

6) Gates of Tomorrow... another excellent tune - great driving guitar line to open things up... in fact, the guitarists get to show off a lot on this one. Also features the old Nicko "signature" drum rhythm during the chorus. Nice mix of the old and new.

7) New Frontier... writing credits for Nicko, and he can keep writing: GREAT tune... 5 minutes of non-stop insanity with a killer chorus.

8) Paschendale... Smith/Harris war Epic... interesting intro guitar riff sounds like hammer-ons: definite Adrian writing... then the thumps kick in - Harris! The tune is another mad, angry, bloody death on the battlefield thing... totally Maiden!

9) Face in the Sand... Smith/Harris/Dickinson - just imagine the torture that went into this one! Along the lines of "Gates of Tomorrow" and "New Frontier", just a good solid kick in the pants and statement about the world we live in. Awesome Maiden tune.

10) Age of Innocence... another with Dave's influence, which you can hear all over the place... intro, guitar solo, a firey bridge... excellent chorus to boot!

11) Journeyman... Smith/Harris/Dickinson... this is an acoustic tune, believe it or not... first few notes have you thinking "Dust in the Wind", but quickly becomes its own thing. Lots of excellent orchestration here... beautiful tune overall - very musical, good chance for Bruce to shine. You can hear all of Smith, Harris, and Bruce's contributions. Perfect ending to the CD: kinda puts ya down to sleep.

Final comment: even though I'm a guitar player, I've never listened to Maiden for the guitar... it has always been about the songwriting and maybe the drums, and maybe Bruce when he became the front man. But I think the three guitarists are pushing each other pretty hard, because the guitar work is perhaps the best I've EVER heard from the guys. Absolutely phenomenal.

Madien's BACK! Can't wait for the concerts!

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."

Let's remember just how old this band is, where metal stared and where it is presently. I suppose music has to evolve as time passes and this album represents a stage in the evolution of Iron Maiden.

While the sound is different from the classic 80's metal, the song construction demonstrates a maturity in the lyrical ideology that is highlighted by the varying rhythms in most of the tracks. The more prominent soft intros are akin to classical pieces amd are complemented by the powerful guitar melodies that follow.

Quite interestingly, I have found this album to retain its sound value when played soft. Its not thrashy metal...it's melodic, slow then fast, then the rhytym changes. It's like a step up from Brave new World. I've often played it as background music for inspiration and relaxtion.

Another thing is the direction of the lyrics. They are a little more abstract and pseudo-political...well except for Passchendaele which is downright historical.

While all the songs are great, some do stand out:

Rainmaker: for its instantaneous catchy melody.

No More Lies: a great classical intro and geared up melody with abstract lyrics

Dance of Death : haunting and epic storytelling

Passchendael: for lovers of history, this is even better than reading a book about the battle of YPres in WW1. It gives a chilling and passionate depiction of trench warfare in no-man's land

Face in the Sand: abstract/political with beautiful bass and ahunting theme melody

Age of Innocence: great singing, lyrics

Journeyman: masonic overtones and a nice ballad

So, don't expect to hear the trooper or aces high. But I guarantee you you will get to love this album if you give it a chance. Like any Maiden fan the guys have grown 20 odd years and it shows in a good way.