Source: Maiden Norway<\/p>\n
According to our friends at Bravewords, the first single out from the new Iron Maiden album is The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg, probably the most talked about song on the album so far – largely due to Kevin “Caveman” Shirley’s hints in his studio diaries. Read on for the details!<\/p>\n
Iron Maiden will release their 14th studio album in September via EMI and Kerrang!\/BW&BK scribe Dom Lawson was among the first to hear the new material.<\/p>\n
Titled A Matter Of Life And Death, the album was recorded at Sarm West Studios in London with producer Kevin Shirley, who also worked on the last two Maiden albums, 2000\u2019s Brave New World and 2003\u2019s Dance Of Death.<\/p>\n
Clocking in at a colossal 72 minutes, the album boasts ten tracks, all but three of which are over 6 minutes in length. The album will be preceded by a single, \u2018The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg\u2019, which will be released in mid August.<\/p>\n
Dom reports that this is easily the strongest album Iron Maiden have produced since their \u201880s heyday. It is also by far the heaviest thing the band have ever recorded. Full of experimentation and unexpected detours into intense and atmospheric territory, it\u2019s a complex and powerful set of songs that touch upon some dark subjects, most notably the horrors of war, the impact of religious fundamentalism and the threat of nuclear destruction.<\/p>\n
The full tracklisting for A Matter Of Life And Death is as follows: \u2018Different World\u2019, \u2018These Colours Don\u2019t Run\u2019, \u2018Brighter Than A Thousand Suns\u2019, \u2018The Pilgrim\u2019, \u2018The Longest Day\u2019, \u2018Out Of The Shadows\u2019, \u2018The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg\u2019, \u2018For The Greater Good Of God\u2019, \u2018Lord Of Light\u2019, \u2018The Legacy\u2019.<\/p>\n
Dom spoke to frontman Bruce Dickinson and bassist\/founder member Steve Harris about the new songs and how Iron Maiden have special plans for their forthcoming European tour that kicks off on November 9th in Denmark and hits the UK in December.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment we\u2019re thinking about playing the whole album live, back-to-back,\u201d Dickinson reveals. \u201cWhen you\u2019ve got an album this good, it\u2019s really important that you do something bold. If we can go out and do a whole album of brand new material, I think that we can give ourselves a pat on the back. Everyone will have heard the album upfront, and the songs will really come to life. I think it could be extraordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBrave New World and Dance Of Death were both good records,\u201d he continues. \u201cBut they weren\u2019t anywhere near as good as this one! This one is Dance Of Death without the effort. This whole album feels effortless. It\u2019s like driving a big gas-guzzling motor car. You just put your foot down and there\u2019s limitless power under the bonnet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, it\u2019s been unbelievable,\u201d agrees Steve Harris. \u201cWe booked the studio for three months, and we finished the whole thing in two! I think the preparation was good. We didn\u2019t have the rows we usually have! (laughs) We really focused on each song and it was a very positive experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among the highlights of the new album are the opening track, \u2018Different World\u2019. The shortest song on the album at a mere four minutes, it\u2019s a classic, storming Maiden opener with an instantly memorable chorus and soaring guitar harmonies.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t intentional when we sat down and wrote it, but as soon as it was finished we thought \u2018Thin Lizzy!\u2019\u201d laughs Steve Harris. \u201cIt\u2019s a tribute to them, in a way. Obviously it sounds like Maiden, but it just conjured up that Thin Lizzy vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n
The second track on the album, \u2018These Colours Don\u2019t Run\u2019, is a brooding, dramatic rumination on the plight of being a soldier in a war zone and sets the tone for the dark epics that follow it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat song was an effort to put a human face on people who go out and fight wars,\u201d says Dickinson. \u201cThey call it \u2018peacekeeping\u2019, but these people put themselves in harm\u2019s way, and whether or not you agree with the reasons why they\u2019re doing it, they\u2019re just doing their job. Some of the new songs are quite angry. It\u2019s just the times we\u2019re living in. We\u2019ve got global fundamentalism, state-sponsored terrorism, dirty bombs, global warming and everything else. I think this is our response to all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Brighter Than A Thousand Suns\u2019 is arguably the heaviest track on the new album, and one with heavy subject matter to match.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about the atomic bomb,\u201d says Dickinson. \u201cThe scientist that saw the first bomb go off said it was brighter than a thousand suns. The idea that human beings could bring about their own total destruction totally changed the way people thought.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, the first single from the new album, \u2018The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg\u2019, is an intricate seven-minute epic that starts with a creepy, ominous intro before erupting into a crushing, almost Led Zeppelin-esque riff and a powerful, emotive chorus. More obtuse lyrically than most of the album, it\u2019s a curious, challenging choice for a single.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s very different for us,\u201d admits Harris. \u201cIt\u2019s very riffy. The intro has an almost nursery rhyme eeriness. Sometimes you try to create a mood and sometimes it\u2019s just . Everyone\u2019s going to ask who Benjamin Breeg is, but you\u2019ll just have to find out for yourself!\u201d<\/p>\n
Understandably, Steve Harris is extremely proud of the new record, particularly since it seems likely to be hailed as one of Maiden\u2019s best. The band are currently as popular as they\u2019ve ever been, so does he think Maiden can keep going indefinitely?<\/p>\n
\u201cFive years ago we were thinking about possibly retiring at this point, but now we\u2019re at this stage there\u2019s no way! Why should we?\u201d he grins. \u201cI don\u2019t know why, but I always had it in my head that we\u2019d do fifteen studio albums, so we\u2019ve got at least one more to go!\u201d<\/p>\n
Cheers, Bravewords, for the heads up!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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