Brave new world --- Iron Maiden --- 2000 (EMI)
Maiden were the first metal band I ever got into, and they remain my favourite by a long way, even today. This is one of their very best releases, certainly in recent times, with 9 killer tracks, and one somewhat limp one, the only cut which lets the overall excellence of the album down, in my opinion.
For me, Maiden began to flag when Bruce D1ckinson left, and the albums following on from his departure were some of the weakest in their catalogue --- “The X Factor” and “Virtual XI” remain albums I can never get into --- but all is well now, the Man is back!
Kicking off with classic Maiden riffs, you know you’re back on familiar ground when “The wicker man” blasts out at you, and how good it is to hear that raw, powerful, air-raid-siren voice again! The songs on BNW are longer than classic Maiden, betraying a leaning towards what might perhaps be more properly described as prog-metal, the themes a little deeper than some of the older songs, the songs a bit more elaborately structured, more epic. But let us not forget that Maiden already ventured into this area on 1984’s “Powerslave” when they recorded the 14-minute masterpiece “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, so it’s not exactly a new direction for them.
The songs are still heavy --- ballads usually have no place on an Iron Maiden album! --- and ripe with imagery and metaphor: the thinking man or woman’s heavy metal? Songs like “Dream of mirrors”, with its many different parts, as well as “Blood brothers” (a metal waltz?), and the menacing, steel-edged “The Nomad” stake this album’s claim, and it’s just a pity “The Mercenary” lets it down so badly: Maiden have done this song before, called both “The fugitive” and “The assassin” (yes, they’re not quite the same song, but I find them disturbingly familiar), and I really don’t think it needs a third outing. Beside songs like the abovenamed, and the excellent “Out of the silent planet”, it just sounds mundane and uninteresting.
But that one track aside, this is one killer album, and if you’re a Maiden fan, you will definitely not be disappointed: if you’re not, there’s a brave new world for you to discover, just waiting behind the album sleeve!
This track is “Blood brothers”, recorded live and sung by a Bruce with short hair!!!!
TRACKLISTING
The wicker man
Ghost of the navigator
Brave new world
Blood brothers
The Mercenary
Dream of mirrors
The fallen angel
The Nomad
Out of the silent planet
The thin line between love and hate
Suggested further listening: "The number of the Beast", "Piece of mind", "Powerslave", "Fear of the dark", "Seventh son of a seventh son" and "No prayer for the dying"