Iron Maiden – The Book of Souls

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7th September 2015 Kenn Jensen Album Reviews 1

Iron Maiden is the most influential heavy metal band ever, and when the news break that a new album is in the making the entire metal community awaits with great expectations and with hopes for another masterpiece.

Not everything Iron Maiden has released has fully convinced their fans, most try hard to forget the Blaze era, and their last couple of albums haven’t been up to the standard we expect from them. So what do the mighty Iron Maiden do in 2015? They deliver a double-album with songs that can best be described as their best since “Brave New World”.

Not quite as progressive as their previous album “The Final Frontier”, this is more classic Iron Maiden. On studio album number sixteen they have no less than three epic Iron Maiden songs, setting the bar high with all three. The triple guitar attack, Steve Harris’ bass lines together with Nicko McBrain’s drumming lays the foundation for Bruce Dickinson’s stellar voice.

While Bruce might not be up to his best – yet – having overcome tongue cancer, he still gives it his fullest and delivers a strong performance on the album. And all the song writers in the band have chipped in this time, and it shows. This feel a lot more like a band coming together to show the world that they haven’t forgotten how to deliver the goods – and they do on “The Book of Souls”.

Iron Maiden is back with a very strong metal album, it might not crack the Top 5 of all-time Iron Maiden albums, but it surely belongs closer to the top than near the bottom.

Up the Irons!

Tracklist:

Disc 1
01. If Eternity Should Fail (8:28)
02. Speed of Light (5:02)
03. The Great Unknown (6:38)
04. The Red and the Black (13:34)
05. When the River Runs Deep (5:53)
06. The Book of Souls (10:28)

Disc 2
01. Death or Glory (5:13)
02. Shadows of the Valley (7:32)
03. Tears of a Clown (4:59)
04. The Man of Sorrows (6:28)
05. Empire of the Clouds (18:01)

Playing time: 92:11

Release date: September 4, 2015

Label: Warner Music Group Company

Website: www.ironmaiden.com

About Kenn Jensen 288 Articles

When I kicked this site off back in 2003, I had no idea that it would turn into what it has become. I am very proud of what we've done and achieved over the years. Musically I have a soft spot for 80s inspired hard rock, but my favourite music and bands are all to be found in the progressive universe these days.