A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

About a year ago I bought many Iron Maiden albums because they were for sale and because the band is on our site which made it possible to review them all. I only owed one album at that point, one I already possessed as a vinyl and that was Somewhere in Time, their album I to date still consider their magnum opus. Right after this in the quality line-up we find Brave new World and Matter of Life and Death, that is measured to my personal taste.

And the funny thing is that both last mentioned are from this century which means that Maiden is not dead by a long way for me. It could even be they get better by aging. But I don't want to go that far just yet. I will give brief opinions about each song now.

Different World is a fine opener but not really one of the better of the album. 3,25*.

These Colours don't Run is a much better effort and is indeed one of the better. 4*.

Brighter than a thousand Suns goes on in the same strong way and is even better than previous. One of the highlights. 4,25*.

The Pilgrim is like the opener one of the lesser and I believe it's no coincidence that it's also one of the shorter tracks (like 1st). 3,5*.

The Longest Day is bringing things on the right track again and is another cracker. 4,25*.

Out of the Shadows is a slower paced track, almost a ballad. Very good, though not excellent. 3,75*.

The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg is in between two previous songs. Almost excellent this time. 4*

For the greater Good of God is more epical than former. This time I like the instrumental bits better than the vocal ones. Dickinson does a great job on this album and also on this song. The problem is the chorus though. The solos are once again top notch. 4*.

Lord of Light has a light intro but after the first two minutes the band breaks loose once again to do another great performance. 4*.

The Legacy is almost an example of "save the best for last". Well, I'm not sure if it's the very best track of the album but at least one of the best. 4,25*.

With Iron Maiden the task is actually to describe the measure of progressiveness because it's a prog related band and their presence on PA is often questioned. Iron Maiden is a hard rock monument that deserves every praise by at least all hard rock and metal fans but that's not really the point now. Not every band makes it through the ballot here and therefore I believe the measure of progressiveness is essential. For IM standard this album is progressive enough to deserve its place on this site. It could even be their most progressive album to date. The songs are long, inventive, pretty complex and at least far more than plain hard rock let alone pop. And that's immediately the reason I love this album so much. Overall it could even be a better album than Somewhere in Time but - and then we come to the only slight weakness - contrary to SiT this albums lacks a real highlight. It's a very stable and equable album. One that deserves 4 stars without any reserve.