The great Iron Maiden has returned once more with their fourth album since Bruce Dickinson rejoined. Their first album with him rejuvenated the band. Unfortunately, they have not been able to replicate the success of Brave New World since then. Nevertheless, their music is still good and I still look forward to a new Iron Maiden album.The real difference between the new Iron Maiden material (or at least the material after Fear of the Dark), is that Maiden no longer writes very many short, tight, punchy songs. They have become very progressive and, some would say, long-winded. It was not always this way. Their earliest material is marked by their heavy punk influences which resulted in short songs that sounded good on the radio. As their songs have lengthened, they have also gotten slower. I suppose age will do that. Metallica has been churning out 80 minute albums for years. Iron Maiden still sounds good though, they're just not what they once were.
The album starts off with a bit of a throw-away track, at least for the first half. The album does take a little while to get going. Once it does, it is clear that Iron Maiden is attempting a sound that is a combination of their last three albums. That is to say that the songs are long, but there is less endless instrumental meandering. The songs are songs, with identifiable sections.
The galloping riffs Maiden built their career on do show up from time to time. There's not as much speed, but they are still there. The guitar attack, now blossomed to three guitarists, is still present and they do a fantastic job at trading off solos. Bruce Dickinson still sounds good, but his operatic vocals have long ago disappeared. It's just another example of age creeping into this band.
This is a good album. It's not a great one though. Iron Maiden has certainly aged, although they can still play very well. The songs are more memorable this time around and the album is, overall, their best since Brave New World. Make of that what you will.
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