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.