Post by Erik Rupp on Aug 15, 2009 11:15:54 GMT -5
IRON MAIDEN - A Matter of Life and Death (2006)
A Matter of Life and Death finds Iron Maiden firing on all cyliders once again. Picking up where Dance of Death left off, Steve Harris, Bruce Dickinson, Adrian Smith, Dave Murray, Janick Gers, and Nicko McBrain took their songwriting to the next level.
A Matter of Life and Death features fully developed, sophisticated songs that have both power and melody. Songs like "Brighter Than a Thousand Suns," and "The Longest Day," match up against almost any song in Maiden's catalog, while others like "The Pilgrim" (with it's middle eastern flavored riffs), "These Colours Don't Run," and "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" all give the album a cohesive feel.
Much discussion has gone on regarding the album's magnum opus, "For The Greater Good of God," and I won't repeat all of it here (I couldn't if I wanted to), but I will say this - it is a stunning track that the band should definitely be proud of. It is pure Iron Maiden, with all the requisite changes and melodies (not to mention power and energy) of a great Maiden song, and Steve Harris has done one hell of a job writing this one all by himself.
Special mention should be made regarding Nicko's drumming on the album. This may be his best all around performance since his debut in Maiden with Piece of Mind! He finds a groove on almost every song - including "Brigher Than a Thousand Suns," which features a 7/4 verse! His playing has both groove and flair, and he gives the album a little more life than it's two predecessors from a rhythmic standpoint.
The production on AMOLAD is also a bit stronger than the last two albums - actually, I think it's their best produced album sonically since Powerslave. Kevin Shirley has done a fantastic job on that count. The one count against Shirley is that he doesn't seem to know how to stand up to Steve when he adds the mellow intros to some of the songs.
While the intros on AMOLAD are better than the ones on the Maiden albums from the last 11 years, there are still a couple that we could do without - and more importantly that the songs could do without "Lord of Light," and "Benjamin Breeg." Still, they do sound better than on recent albums, so that is a step in the right direction.
The songs on the album are generally quite long, and some fans do find them harder to get through as a result. Many others find the songs much richer and more rewarding due to their lengh and complexity, but it should be noted that fans of the more straightforward and shorter Maiden songs may have some issues with the progressive leanings of this album.
Overall, while it's not a perfect album by any means, it is still an album of great depth and sophistication, and it is an album that grows on you with repeated listens. Well worth the time and effort to familiarize yourself with all of it's changes and complexity, A Matter of Life and Death is an album that the members of Iron Maiden should be proud of.
(Originally written on September 5, 2006. Edited/Updated on August 15, 2009.)
4.5/5
A Matter of Life and Death finds Iron Maiden firing on all cyliders once again. Picking up where Dance of Death left off, Steve Harris, Bruce Dickinson, Adrian Smith, Dave Murray, Janick Gers, and Nicko McBrain took their songwriting to the next level.
A Matter of Life and Death features fully developed, sophisticated songs that have both power and melody. Songs like "Brighter Than a Thousand Suns," and "The Longest Day," match up against almost any song in Maiden's catalog, while others like "The Pilgrim" (with it's middle eastern flavored riffs), "These Colours Don't Run," and "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" all give the album a cohesive feel.
Much discussion has gone on regarding the album's magnum opus, "For The Greater Good of God," and I won't repeat all of it here (I couldn't if I wanted to), but I will say this - it is a stunning track that the band should definitely be proud of. It is pure Iron Maiden, with all the requisite changes and melodies (not to mention power and energy) of a great Maiden song, and Steve Harris has done one hell of a job writing this one all by himself.
Special mention should be made regarding Nicko's drumming on the album. This may be his best all around performance since his debut in Maiden with Piece of Mind! He finds a groove on almost every song - including "Brigher Than a Thousand Suns," which features a 7/4 verse! His playing has both groove and flair, and he gives the album a little more life than it's two predecessors from a rhythmic standpoint.
The production on AMOLAD is also a bit stronger than the last two albums - actually, I think it's their best produced album sonically since Powerslave. Kevin Shirley has done a fantastic job on that count. The one count against Shirley is that he doesn't seem to know how to stand up to Steve when he adds the mellow intros to some of the songs.
While the intros on AMOLAD are better than the ones on the Maiden albums from the last 11 years, there are still a couple that we could do without - and more importantly that the songs could do without "Lord of Light," and "Benjamin Breeg." Still, they do sound better than on recent albums, so that is a step in the right direction.
The songs on the album are generally quite long, and some fans do find them harder to get through as a result. Many others find the songs much richer and more rewarding due to their lengh and complexity, but it should be noted that fans of the more straightforward and shorter Maiden songs may have some issues with the progressive leanings of this album.
Overall, while it's not a perfect album by any means, it is still an album of great depth and sophistication, and it is an album that grows on you with repeated listens. Well worth the time and effort to familiarize yourself with all of it's changes and complexity, A Matter of Life and Death is an album that the members of Iron Maiden should be proud of.
(Originally written on September 5, 2006. Edited/Updated on August 15, 2009.)
4.5/5