DANCE OF DEATH

Hmmm........ New type of artwork and a new artist. Not a good sign !!! But the songs are long and in the five to nine minutes bracket. Maybe there is hope here ??

The opening song is a typical Iron Maiden opening song. That does not give away anything. ........ And then the album opens up into a world of good classic Iron Maiden songs. Just a bit more prog rock and epic than before. And that is a good sign ! Rainmaker is good. No More Lies and Motsegur is acceptable. The title track on the other hand is superb. A wonderful epic song with more than one reference to Thin Lizzy. Excellent ! Gates Of Tomorrow and New Frontier is good songs too. Then we reach the big, big song on this album. The now fabled and legendary Paschendale. This track is about the charge of the bloody battle at Paschendale during The Great War (World War I). The battle at Paschendale, or Passendale in the local language in Belgium (Flemish/French ?), horrified the general public in Great Britain and it has got an iconic status (as hell on earth) alongside the battle of Somme. The song includes some of the best lyrics Iron Maiden has ever done. Iron Maiden has adapted it for their own world and very successfully too. Bruce Dickinson sings his heart out. The band too is brilliant here. The song structure is like taken out of a YES or KING CRIMSON song. There are some keyboards here which enhances the song. The result is a classic Iron Maiden song and a very fine tribute to the ones who died at Paschendale and in The Great War. Brilliant !! Face In The Sand is a very good song with some double bass drums by Nicko. Bruce Dickinson as his best again and there are some keyboards here too. Age Of Innocence is a modern song and not a classic Iron Maiden tune. But it is not a bad song at all. Just different. The final track Journeyman is a seven minutes long piece with keyboards, acoustic guitars and superb vocals from Bruce Dickinson. It is superb song.

The verdict ? One of Iron Maiden's best albums. The music is superb and the lyrics too really make you take notice. This is an album most prog rock fans will really love and it more than justify Iron Maiden's inclusion in Prog Archives. The small piece of my heart dedicated to this band is burning with pride and I give my heart 40 more years and the album 4 stars.

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