disc review: iron maiden | a matter of life and death |

I do not know why I missed this. It released in September 2006 and I heard it yesterday. What has happened to me? I should be ashamed of myself. I missed an Iron Maiden album…fuck…!!!

Anyways, I guess I will get enough time to screw myself. So, lets start with the album review.

I always get nervous before hearing a new album from a band I like. So many questions arise: Will it be good? Will it be something original? Will it get old? Well, after hearing Iron Maiden's new album, I can finally exhale. After many listens, it's safe to say this is surely one of Maiden's best releases. "A Matter Of Life And Death" is one of the most exhilarating albums of Maiden's legacy.

A Matter of Life and Death is easily Iron Maiden's best album since 1988's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. It's no storming of the ramparts, though—it’s more of a post-battle body count.

The album begins with "Different World" and "These Colors Don't Run," two strong, memorable anthems. Then the album settles into a darker, more contemplative groove. The specter of war hangs heavy here. "The Longest Day" vividly describes D-Day; "Lord of Light" bemoans "the slaughter of the brotherhood of man"; "Brighter than a Thousand Suns" calls nuclear armament "a race to suicide." Even a rocker like "The Pilgrim" has moody flatted seconds. Atmospheric clean tones abound, like on the heavy, mid-paced "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg." At over seven minutes long, the song is an odd choice for a single, but it's an epic in the grand Iron Maiden tradition. The songwriting throughout is assured, with confident transitions between often disparate riffs. Dickinson's operatic voice is in fine form, and Steve Harris' bass lines are as fluid as ever.

I was completely blown away with "A Matter Of Life And Death." Out of the three Iron Maiden albums released since Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith came back into the band, "A Matter Of Life And Death" is defiantly the best one. If you enjoy metal in general, I highly recommend you get this.

Girlfriend

I always sit in the valley
I spend time there
I try to talk with the nature
It's the only friend I have here

I look up at the clear blue sky
With small clouds here and there
And the valley is lush green
I never knew blue and green makes such a great combination – until I saw it here

I always sit under the same tree
I do not know what tree it is
Or perhaps it's actually good that I do not know her identity
She brings me more peace than my own blood relatives

She's the only girl friend I have
I talk to her all day long
Sometimes she listens to me, sometimes not
But the story goes on…

I think she's very pretty
She's firm, wide and tall
Her branches are like her long hairs
Exactly like what I want in my girl

She looks even better when the wind blows
Her branches move and fall over me
I feel that as a symbol of acceptance
That she wants me to see

Then the rain starts
She becomes soaking wet
Water drops through her branches upon me
I remember, "this is how we first met'

Slowly, everything stops
The sun sets, rain stops, darkness falls, birds go home
I understand it's time up for me now
I have to head for home

I feel sad, as I have to leave
Life back there is full of sorrow
My girl bends down and asks me, 'when will you be back again?'
I say, 'don't worry baby, I'll back again tomorrow'

Lonely

I sit and watch the sun set

Nobody beside me

I look around, searching for someone

Because I am lonely

I remember the days when I was young

I used to watch sunsets

There used to be a lot of friends then

Now, nobody's with me

I remember when I grew up

I continued watching sunsets

I had my girl with me then

She's not here now; only thing left is her memory

The sun sets, darkness falls

I feel my life's going the same way

There's darkness all over

Because I am lonely