{"id":378,"date":"2013-10-11T15:05:50","date_gmt":"2013-10-11T15:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wildsongwriter.com\/a-bruce-dickinson-album\/"},"modified":"2013-10-11T15:05:50","modified_gmt":"2013-10-11T15:05:50","slug":"a-bruce-dickinson-album","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildsongwriter.com\/index.php\/2013\/10\/11\/a-bruce-dickinson-album\/","title":{"rendered":"A “Bruce Dickinson” album???"},"content":{"rendered":"

Question by Rewolve<\/i>: A “Bruce Dickinson” album???<\/strong>
\nI just got a mixed MP3 from a friend of mine.
\nAnd there’s an album entitled “Star Profile” in it, which I don’t know its song titles, but I believe that the singer Is “Bruce Dickinson” from Iron Maiden!
\nCould anyone please help??
\nThe thing is the songs are really kick a-s-s!!
\nThe only thing I know is that the 1st track is 6:13 minutes, & the chorus say: Helloween my name, or something like that!!
\nThe album’s titled “Star profile”…<\/p>\n

Best answer:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer by Spydey<\/i>
IRON MAIDEN Singer BRUCE DICKINSON: New Solo Album Details Revealed – Mar. 10, 2005 <\/p>\n

According to a posting on the IRON MAIDEN fan site MaidenFans.com, IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson has set “Tyranny of Souls” as the title of his long-awaited new solo album, due in Europe on May 23. A release date for the rest of the world has yet to be announced.<\/p>\n

Here’s what the latest issue of the U.K. magazine Classic Rock had to say about the new CD:<\/p>\n

Bruce Dickinson’s sixth studio album has now been mixed. “A Tyranny of Souls” is the singer’s first solo work since “The Chemical Wedding” in 1998 and his subsequent return to IRON MAIDEN. Overseen by TRIBE OF GYPSIES guitarist Roy Z, who came to Dickinson having finshed JUDAS PRIEST’s “Angel of Retribution”, it sees Bruce picking up where he left off seven years ago.<\/p>\n

“With this album, MAIDEN were completely off my radar scope,” Bruce told Classic Rock at an exclusive preview of the album. “I was worried that I couldn’t follow ‘…Wedding’, which was a real statement of identity for me. It needed to be very heavy, which it is, but also to throw a few different elements into the mix.” <\/p>\n

Typically for Dickinson, the album was born in unusual circumstances. Having been supplied with a set of Roy Z riffs, the singer wrote the lyrics in various hotel rooms while touring with MAIDEN. The music and vocals were recorded at Roy’s house \u2014 in a room containing just one bed. Bruce explains: “I’d ripped some muscles falling off stage and was in absolute agony. I had to lie down every few minutes.” <\/p>\n

Roy Z plays all the guitars, and an associate \u2014 secretively called Maestro Mysterioso \u2014 contributed the keyboard parts by email. <\/p>\n

While “The Chemical Wedding” was largely inspired by the occult science of alchemy, a loose theme of aviation and sci-fi binds together “Kill Devil Hill”, “Abduction” and a number of others. <\/p>\n

With summer commitments to IRON MAIDEN, it’s unknown when Dickinson will find the time to play any solo dates. He says: “A few years ago, I did some summer festival gigs. That might be another window of opportunity.”<\/p>\n

A scan of the Classic Rock article can be found at this location.
\n Iron Maiden<\/p>\n

Iron Maiden
\nKillers
\nThe Number Of The Beast
\nPiece Of Mind
\nPowerslave
\nLive After Death
\nSomewhere In Time
\nSeventh Son Of A Seventh Son
\nNo Prayer For The Dying
\nBrave New World
\nDance Of Death<\/p>\n

Iron Maiden (Capitol \u201980) Rating: A
\nI grew up on a steady diet of classic rock and heavy metal, and it\u2019s likely that no band meant more to my teenage years than Iron Maiden. As such, I\u2019m probably a little biased with the following reviews, much in the same way that most punk-friendly critics tend to overrate bands like the Ramones, Sex Pistols, or The Clash, three band\u2019s that early Maiden easily match with regards to raw energy and excitement. But Maiden delivered the goods with twice the chops of those bands (both musically and vocally), and this blazing debut album immediately introduced a major new force into the world of heavy metal. Iron Maiden established the band as the most important (and best) \u201cNew Wave Of British Heavy Metal\u201d exponent, and it showcased all of the band\u2019s strengths: tightly executed dual guitar melodies (with a harmonic element that nodded to both Judas Priest and Thin Lizzy) that never skimp on speed or power, distinctive singing with a heavy dosage of theatricality (this time supplied by Paul Di’Anno), and Steve Harris\u2019 strong songwriting and faster than light bass playing. \u201cProwler\u201d immediately gets the band off and running with a catchy, rocking number that\u2019s criminally overlooked, topped off by one of the band\u2019s best guitar solos. The moody \u201cRemember Tomorrow\u201d then switches gears; led by arguably Di’Anno\u2019s best vocal, this was a power ballad prototype in that it\u2019s actually powerful. Of course, the second half of the song rocks with that classic Maiden guitar wail, and stop and start dynamics that owe as much to prog as to punk. Lest we think we\u2019re dealing with ELP here, things simplify on \u201cRunning Free,\u201d which has a good groove and a catchy if overly repetitive chorus (always a Maiden weakness) going for it. My favorite part is the chugga chugga chugga rhythm before the guitar thrusts kick in at the 2:13 mark, and though this is a minor Maiden track, it still provides major enjoyment. A major track in every way is \u201cPhantom Of The Opera, an exemplary showcase for the band\u2019s tight musicianship and horror-based lyrics (one reason why critics have always underrated them). The Thin Lizzy-like guitar melody at 3:26 is a high point, as is the hard-edged guitar at 4:35, as Maiden proves to be a rare band who can deliver multi-sectioned 7-minute epics that never seem overly long or indulgent. Next is \u201cTransylvania,\u201d a tightly played, fast paced instrumental that\u2019s an impressive if inessential showcase for the band\u2019s groove and riff-based attributes, on which drummer Clive Burr is a real standout. \u201cStrange World\u201d then gives the listener another chance to catch their breath by returning the band to the moody atmospherics they do so well, and which would influence later bands like Metallica. Sure, the song sounds slightly amateurish, but more great guitar melodies and a surprising sweetness salvage it. Besides, the band\u2019s energy is back in full force on \u201cSanctuary,\u201d a straightforward, fun rocker on which the catchiness quotient is real high. \u201cCharlotte The Harlotte\u201d rocks as well, and from 1:50 to 2:50 Di’Anno actually sings (dare I say it) tenderly; more than anything, it is his from-the-gut vocal performance that makes this song another standout despite its misogynist lyrics. Then again, Maiden was never about lyrics, a point that most mainstream critics failed to realize. Anyway, last but certainly not least, the title track simply smokes, propelled by Harris\u2019 freakishly fast bass leads and more blood stained lyrics. The song has a great surge that really gets me going, providing a fist-pumping finale to a heavy metal classic. <\/p>\n

Killers (Capitol \u201981) Rating: B+
\nWhoa! Sorry about that long review there. Got carried away a bit. You see, Maiden does that to me, and I do believe that that debut album is one of the best ever, though no \u201crespectable\u201d rock critic would ever admit as much. Alas, after such an amazing debut album, Iron Maiden\u2019s quickly delivered sophomore set was bound to be slightly disappointing, and it is, but only by their lofty standards. If anything Killers actually ups the raw energy and intensity of the debut, providing plenty of the raging guitars and tight tempo shifts that were the cornerstone of early Maiden. The album is actually heavier than Iron Maiden – then again, a newcomer might be surprised that, though the band most definitely rocks, relative to today\u2019s metal bands Maiden aren\u2019t that heavy, and could more aptly be called \u201chard rock\u201d than \u201cheavy metal\u201d \u2013 but the songs are less memorable. Only \u201cWrathchild,\u201d on which the guitars fairly scream and whose lyrics are highly respectable, qualifies as a no-doubt-about-it-classic. There are other high points, though, such the title track, a dramatic slasher tale with that great Maiden gallop, \u201cThe Ides of March,\u201d which introduces the album with that high pitched wailing guitar thing they do so well, matched to Clive Burr\u2019s militant drum thump, \u201cMurders In The Rue Morgue,\u201d which is a tad generic but still very good, and \u201cProdigal Son,\u201d a mellower acoustic\/electric based song that sounds more like a \u201890s \u201calternative rock\u201d epic than a typical Maiden tune. Looking at the rest of the track listing, however, I\u2019ll be damned if I can immediately remember the difference between \u201cAnother Life,\u201d \u201cGenghis Kan,\u201d \u201cInnocent Exile,\u201d and so on. Perhaps that\u2019s because I\u2019m not as familiar with the album as I am with their debut, but then again, there\u2019s a reason for that. Some of the songs on their debut were stronger than others, but each was distinguishable from the next, whereas these more jam-based songs blur together, offering much less variety in the vocal department and with the songs themselves. That said, the album is still very good, as Paul Di’Anno, in his last studio stint with the band, once again registers an impressive showing, earnestly screeching out song after song, while Adrian Smith replaces Dennis Stratton as the band\u2019s second guitarist with no apparent loss of chemistry. <\/p>\n

The Number Of The Beast (Capitol \u201982) Rating: A+
\nExit Paul Di’Anno, enter former Samson vocalist Bruce Dickinson. Not many groups that have the daunting task of replacing an excellent vocalist actually succeed (AC\/DC comes to mind \u2013 let me know if you can think of any others), but Bruce Dickinson was more than ready for the task at hand. Giving them a wider ranging and more distinct voice to work with, Bruce was aided by Maiden writing some of their best songs, resulting in an album that even the critics can\u2019t deny. With Bruce on board the band began a new phase, forsaking their earlier punk infused direction for a more epic-minded delivery, though this shift was hardly in evidence on \u201cInvaders,\u201d a simple album opener that sounds kinda silly. It\u2019s still fun, though, but for me the album begins in earnest on the moody \u201cChildren Of The Damned,\u201d one of those underrated album tracks that makes these guys so great. Simply put, this \u201cpower ballad\u201d showed future hair metal bands how it should be done, but, like \u201cRemember Tomorrow,\u201d the second half of the song rocks, and not in any half-assed way, as the song surges to an exciting conclusion. Dickinson in particular is a standout on this track, which ably demonstrates the band\u2019s keen sense of drama, as well as the gothic overtones that have always been prominent in the band\u2019s music. Moving on, \u201cThe Prisoner\u201d begins with a cheesy but fun intro before settling into an almost funky groove. Simply put, this song again shows Maiden at their best, beginning with Bruce, whose star-making (at least in metal circles) performance throughout this album cannot be understated. With a catchy chorus that\u2019s just on the right side of cheesy, an obligatory (great) guitar solo, and blistering backbeats from the underrated Clive Burr, chalk this one up as another major winner – and Maiden was only warming up. \u201c22 Acacia Avenue\u201d rocks relentlessly on its chugging rhythm, and its nasty but memorable lyrics reintroduce us to everybody\u2019s favorite whore (Charlotte the harlot). Again, though, it is the music, not the misogynist lyrics, that win the day. Better still is the monumental title track, a classic by any measure. Beginning with a campy spoken word intro, the song builds slowly but inexorably, and though the track got the band (incorrectly) branded as Satanists, I prefer again to concentrate on the music, which is almost overwhelmingly powerful and catchy; the scream at the 1:17 mark is surely among the greatest in rock history. There\u2019s little if any letup on \u201cRun To The Hills,\u201d which (to quote the All Music Guide) \u201cdealt with the plight of the American Indian.\u201d The galloping music matches the war-based lyrics to a tee, Bruce lends several window-shattering screams, and the epic chorus is among the band\u2019s catchiest ever. What\u2019s not to like? Hell, even my dad likes this song; no, scratch that, my dad loves this song. Granted, \u201cGangland\u201d is a pedestrian bump in the road, but even this one (which I used to automatically fast forward) isn\u2019t as bad as I remembered it; the guitars still cook, at the very least. Finally, we come to my all-time favorite Iron Maiden song (need I say more?), \u201cHallowed Be Thy Name.\u201d Suffice it to say, my lame scribblings can never do justice to this brilliantly dire epic, but I will say that it features Maiden\u2019s most unstoppable groove, has cool death-obsessed lyrics, and that Clive Burr, in his last gasp with the band, really goes out with a bang. Long story short (though I suppose it\u2019s too late for that) this album sees one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time at their very best. It started to gain the band some serious notoriety (both good and bad), and all these years later it\u2019s still regarded as their signature album. <\/p>\n

Piece Of Mind (Capitol \u201983) Rating: A
\nWith new drummer Niko McBrain in tow, Piece Of Mind was another superlative album that showcased Iron Maiden at their absolute peak, cementing their reputation as the premier heavy metal band on the planet. Dickinson once again shines on an album that takes no prisoners, and their violent, dark songs about religion, mythology, and war are all heavy and powerful epics. When I think of this album, a series of searing highlights and images come immediately to mind, including the explosive drum introduction to \u201cWhere Eagles Dare,\u201d the thick riffs of \u201cRevelations,\u201d the chugging groove and haunting chorus of \u201cFlight Of Icarus,\u201d the wailing guitar intro to the dramatic \u201cDie With Your Boots On,\u201d the unstoppable momentum of \u201cThe Trooper,\u201d and the soaring chorus of \u201cSun And Steel.\u201d The almighty first side – probably the band\u2019s best along with the last album\u2019s second side – in particularly offers up a brilliantly consistent barrage, beginning with \u201cWhere Eagles Dare,\u201d yet another overlooked yet awesome album track (for example, it’s the only song from side one not on Live After Death) on which their dual guitars are perfectly in sync. Things slow down on “Revelations,” an atmospheric change of pace that of course has its faster sections as well, and I already mentioned the best aspects of “Flight Of Icarus” and “Die With Your Boots On,” both of which are prime Maiden as well. Even better is “The Trooper,” a hard charging war epic on which the exciting music is again a perfect match for the descriptive lyrics; taken together, I almost feel like I’m on that battlefield, and the tension is palpable. Alas, the album’s second half is considerably less impressive than its first, both musically and lyrically (i.e. songs about nightmares, cavemen, and Dune). That said, only the pedestrian \u201cQuest For Fire\u201d would qualify as an obvious filler track, making Piece Of Mind another absolute must for any serious heavy metal fan. <\/p>\n

Powerslave (Capitol \u201984) Rating: A-
\nAlthough this was another stellar Iron Maiden album, in retrospect the seeds of the band\u2019s future demise began here. Although most of the songs are still fast and furious, and the songwriting and performances typically top notch, the album was considerably slicker and less powerful than their two previous outings with Dickinson. Also, to their detriment the band started to become enraptured with concept albums and mood pieces, while song times began to be expanded to lengths that their songwriting couldn\u2019t sustain. Fortunately, though flawed, Powerslave is another start to finish enjoyable album with several great songs. For example, “Aces High” begins the album with another excellent lyrics-to-music match; it sounds like an air raid, though perhaps the chorus is a little cheesier than necessary. Still, it’s a damn good start, and “2 Minutes To Midnight” ups the ante with one of the band’s catchiest compositions, along with graphic lyrics (“the body bags and little rags of children torn in two” – yuck!) that showcase the band’s story-based songwriting style. “Losfer Words” is the band’s first instrumental in some time, and it’s a good one, highlighted by their high-pitched, wonderfully melodic guitar tones, while “Flash Of The Blade” is my personal favorite here, with a supremely catchy riff (and chorus) and desperately wailing guitars. Of course, the critics would have a field day with the sword and sorcery lyrics from Dickinson (an avid fencer), who was becoming increasingly involved with the songwriting. “The Duellists,” written by Harris, is also about a sword fight (but without the dragons), so obviously the band members were influencing each other and were into the same things. This is a good thing, because it makes the album a cohesive listen. Anyway, “The Duellists” is another fine, long neglected album track with an atmospheric chug, a catchy if cheesy chorus, and the obligatory guitar solos, which set an appropriately mournful mood for the song’s fateful finale. I don’t have much to say about “Back In The Village” beyond that I don’t care for it much (file it alongside “Gangland” and “Quest For Fire”), especially its woefully weak chorus, but the moody title track is another high point, led by its mythological lyrics about a doomed God who’s “a slave to the power of death.” Sound silly? Well, maybe, but the band’s sturdy riffs, steady rhythmic chug, ability to shift musical gears, and strong songwriting knack makes it another extremely successful epic length track. Then again, calling this song an epic hardly seems fair given what follows, all 13:45 of “Rhyme Of The Ancient Mariner.” Granted, this somewhat overrated song is way too long and pretentious, particularly the lyrics, which include parts of a poem from Samuel Taylor Coleridge. A spoken word section and too much down time are its other faults, yet the song’s impressive ambition and creativity ultimately wins me over. Alas, it was a harbinger of the band\u2019s unwelcome change in direction from being the \u201880s pre-eminent power metal band into a more progressive minded metal outfit. <\/p>\n

Live After Death (Capitol \u201985) Rating: A
\nThis stunning live set is simply one of the greatest live albums of all time, one that marked the end of a remarkable era. The introduction of Winston Churchill\u2019s inspiring World War II speech segueing into \u201cAces High\u201d is a brilliant masterstroke, and this album runs through many of the high points of Iron Maiden\u2019s first five studio albums. One can feel the enormous energy and excitement that went into these performances, which were captured during their monstrous \u201cLive Evil\u201d tour of 1985, when they reigned supreme over the heavy metal world. Iron Maiden were trailblazers in that they were the first band to sell millions of records with virtually no radio play, and this was accomplished largely due to word of mouth sales generated by being the tour to see. I saw this tour at Radio City Music Hall in New York City (my second concert ever), and their show had it all for the discerning metalhead: great songs, theatrical stage sets with a double dosage of Eddie (the band\u2019s famous mascot, mummified for the Powerslave tour, who made two show stopping appearances), and memorable solo spotlights that didn\u2019t linger too long. Some of these songs are definite improvements on the originals, such as \u201cAces High,\u201d \u201c2 Minutes To Midnight,\u201d and \u201cRevelations,\u201d and Dickinson even does surprisingly well on the Paul Di’Anno songs (\u201cRunning Free,\u201d \u201cIron Maiden,\u201d \u201cWrathchild\u201d), making this an absolutely essential complement to their studio classics. <\/p>\n

Somewhere In Time (Capitol \u201886) Rating: B
\nThis is the album that began in earnest phase III of the Maiden experience, and I well remember my disappointment upon first hearing it. However, time and distance now allow me to review the album with a less jaundiced eye (much like Metallica\u2019s equally loathed-at-first Load) and in a more favorable light. It certainly starts off well enough, as \u201cCaught Somewhere In Time\u201d sports the patented Maiden gallop, a singable chorus, and a suitably epic guitar solo. The strong first single \u201cWasted Years\u201d follows with a memorable guitar riff and Dickinson\u2019s emotional vocals (cool Eddie-athon video, too), while \u201cSea Of Madness\u201d boasts imaginative lyrics and an evocative sing along chorus. \u201cHeaven Can Wait\u201d is another estimable effort, with a surprisingly poppy chorus and some gothic touches going for it, but like \u201cCaught Somewhere In Time\u201d the song is ultimately too long for its own good. Alas, the album starts to seriously slide on side two. In particular, \u201cThe Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner\u201d is one race that the band should\u2019ve dropped out of, while \u201cAlexander The Great\u201d is an unnecessary history lesson that drags on for over eight long minutes. Much better are \u201cStranger In A Strange Land,\u201d a successfully moody number despite its dated keyboards, and \u201cD\u00e9j\u00e0 Vu,\u201d a comparatively straightforward and catchy rocker. All in all, despite some intriguing if long-winded atmospherics, the album features too many slicked up instrumental passages that wander aimlessly for too long, making me miss the raw, no bullshit delivery that once made these guys so great. Don\u2019t get me wrong, the synthesizers that play such a prominent role on this album are used intelligently, and this is still a good album, but Maiden has done much better before and (surprisingly) since. <\/p>\n

Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son (Capitol \u201888) Rating: B+
\nA continuation of the slicker style of its predecessor, once again many of these eight long songs overstay their welcome, and the album as a whole lacks the raw energy and inspiration of past glories. This is their most Gothic album, a convoluted concept piece whose main weaknesses are the silly lyrics and the cruise control repetitiveness of some of the choruses. Fortunately, on this album the synthesizers are again used effectively, and for all the album\u2019s pretentious faults I still find most of it highly enjoyable. After all, it\u2019s obvious that the band are ambitiously striving for greatness, and though they don\u2019t quite succeed and occasionally outright fail (“The Prophecy” is pretty boring, for example), the album does contain several strong songs. The best one is the catchy semi-hit \u201cCan I Play With Madness,\u201d but \u201cThe Evil That Men Do,\u201d \u201cThe Clairvoyant,\u201d and “Only The Good Die Young” are other fairly straightforward standouts. Most of \u201cInfinite Dreams\u201d and the 10-minute title track are awfully impressive as well, but these overly long and decidedly pretentious songs also demonstrate the band\u2019s shift in favor of moody textures over rocking out. They do rock out, just not nearly as often or with as much conviction as I’d like, resulting in an album that\u2019s well worth the time of any hardcore Maiden fan but which isn’t quite up to the standard of the band’s very best stuff. Note: Queensryche’s Operation: Mindcrime was a far more successful concept album released that same year. In fact, so dismayed was Bruce by its superiority to Seventh Son that his eventual departure from the band was all but assured.<\/p>\n

No Prayer For The Dying (Epic \u201890) Rating: B+
\nJanick Gers replaces Adrian Smith on secondary guitar duties, and my guess is that his presence gave the band a needed jolt of energy, as this attempted return to phase II form rocks harder than any Maiden album since Powerslave. Although the songwriting is lacking at times (most noticeably on \u201cFates Warning\u201d and \u201cThe Assassin\u201d), the playing is tighter and the performances more energetic, while the songs are more to the point than on their last two meandering efforts (aside from “Mother Russia,” which is more in line with the material on their last two albums). Highlights include the hard hitting first single \u201cHoly Smoke,\u201d \u201cTailgunner\u201d (reminiscent of \u201cAces High\u201d), the title track (reminiscent of \u201cChildren Of The Damned\u201d and “Infinite Dreams”), and \u201cBring Your Daughter To The Slaughter,\u201d a #1 U.K. hit that I actually like despite its obvious silliness. As you may have surmised, even the best songs here merely echo past triumphs, but songs such as “Running Silent Running Deep” and “Hooks In You” also impress due to their catchy grooves, and it was good to see Maiden return to rocking out. <\/p>\n

Brave New World (Columbia \u201900) Rating: A-
\nAfter tearing up most of the \u201880s (OK, the first half of the \u201880s), the \u201890s saw some hard times for Iron Maiden, one of heavy metal\u2019s all-time greatest bands. Singer Bruce Dickinson, whose melodramatic wail helped define the band, saw it coming, bailing out for a solo career after 1992\u2019s uninspired Fear Of The Dark. After two more insignificant albums with Blaze Bayley at the mike (the less said about phase IV the better), Bruce is back in the fold for Brave New World. He brought a friend along, too, in the form of former guitarist Adrian Smith, and with a newly volatile three-pronged guitar attack (Dave Murray and Janick Gers remain) Iron Maiden is back with a surprising vengeance. Right from the start \u201cThe Wicker Man\u201d breaks out some killer riffs that had long lain dormant in the band\u2019s repertoire, while \u201cThe Ghost Of The Navigator\u201d is another prime showcase for the band, both for its evocative atmospherics and for unleashing an unstoppable groove machine. Unfortunately, the song is marred somewhat by a repetitive, clunky chorus, a deficiency that also (predictably) appears elsewhere. Fortunately, any songwriting weaknesses are more than compensated for by the band\u2019s brilliantly powerful ensemble playing. The band is firing on all cylinders throughout, bolstered by an almost perfect production that allows Nicko McBrain\u2019s forceful drums to pound, Steve Harris\u2019 bass to blaze, and particularly those three guitars to flourish on rocking songs such as \u201cThe Mercenary\u201d and \u201cThe Fallen Angel.\u201d Bruce is also in fine form, particularly on moodier metal epics like \u201cBrave New World,\u201d \u201cDream Of Mirrors,\u201d \u201cThe Thin Line Between Love And Hate,\u201d \u201cBlood Brothers,\u201d and \u201cThe Nomad,\u201d the latter two of which are actually enhanced by Harris\u2019 string orchestrations. These ten long, leisurely building songs average almost seven minutes in length, which allows the band to stretch out, and though perhaps a case could be made that a little too much leeway was granted with the arrangements, the band sounds as tight as ever. The song credits reveal this to be a true band effort, too, and the only thing the album is missing are a couple of songs that could be stamped as instantly identifiable classics. After all, what long ago distinguished these guys from bands like Korn was that, in addition to having an undeniable sound, they also had great, varied individual songs. Oh well, I guess we\u2019ll just have to settle for a bunch of really good songs that are spectacularly played, as by and large this was a welcome return to form from a legendary band. <\/p>\n

Dance Of Death (Columbia \u201903) Rating: B+
\nFresh off a triumphant tour with Motorhead and Dio, the Y2K version of Iron Maiden returns with their second album since Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith rejoined the band. Their first such effort, Brave New World, was the band\u2019s best album in ages, and their new album, Dance Of Death, continues in the same vein, with only slightly less satisfactory results. The band adds more keyboards and orchestration this time out, as most of these loosely structured songs feature moodier sections before rocking out. Yet rock out they eventually do, almost without exception. In addition, aside from the fine first two songs, \u201cWildest Dreams\u201d and \u201cRainmaker,\u201d epic song lengths are again the norm, as is powerful playing by the whole band, accentuated by a crisp production. Bruce Dickinson, one of heavy metal\u2019s most legendary lead throats, sounds a bit weathered but is as reliable as ever, singing songs that (unsurprisingly given the album\u2019s title) are mostly about death. Indeed, death is everywhere on this album, which begs the question: are Maiden collectively feeling their own mortality, or is death just another cool subject for them to write about? More likely it\u2019s the latter scenario, as death usually appears in the form of some kind of phantom or apparition rather than anything concrete or truly scary. Of course, the band also delivers a couple of their by now customary history lessons (\u201cMontsegur\u201d and \u201cPaschendale,\u201d highlights both) amid several other mythological or fantasy-based flights of fancy. As such, the album requires a certain suspension from reality for a full appreciation. Then again, with Maiden it\u2019s the music that matters most, and the music here is rarely less than impressive. Several of these hard-hitting songs chug along on classic Maiden grooves, as once again the rhythm section of Nicko McBrain (who pens his first song after 20 years with the band, \u201cNew Frontier,\u201d and a good one it is) and Steve Harris (always the primary creative force in the band) come up aces. The three-guitar attack continues to be a good idea as well, while moody epics like \u201cNo More Lies\u201d (with a dramatic vocal from Dickinson) and the spooked-out title track show off the band\u2019s progressive mindset as well as their ability to shift musical gears. The band didn\u2019t forget to write catchy choruses, either, though few of these songs will likely grab hold of you upon first listen. Indeed, at an overly long 68-minutes this album takes awhile to absorb, and though I feel that it would\u2019ve been better had they edited it a bit, I can see why they didn\u2019t. After all, I\u2019d count only \u201cFace In The Sand,\u201d whose melody is too similar to the title track, as a misfire, and the other songs at the end of the album are among the most interesting ones, as \u201cThe Age Of Innocence\u201d (a very modern, almost poppy song) and \u201cJourneyman\u201d (an acoustic\/orchestral epic that gets by on arguably Bruce\u2019s best performance on the album) are among Maiden\u2019s most atypical tracks ever. Alas, after 20+ years any band would be hard pressed to keep fresh ideas coming for almost 70-minutes, and this album does feature a bit of recycling. The most obvious examples are \u201cMontsegur,\u201d which chugs along a la \u201cLosfer Words\u201d (as previously hinted, the song is still really good, though), the aforementioned \u201cFace In The Sand,\u201d and \u201cGates Of Tomorrow,\u201d another solid song that\u2019s aided by riffs borrowed from AC\/DC. In addition, there are times when it seems like the band forces their music into pre-conceived lyrical concepts, resulting in clunky or awkward moments, and the album is devoid of any obvious classics. Still, the plusses here far outweigh the minuses, as by and large the band continues their resurgence that started with Brave New World. True, they\u2019ve made many better albums, but they\u2019ve made several lesser albums as well. If that statement seems like I\u2019m damning the band with faint praise, keep in mind that Maiden were once one of the greatest metal bands ever. But even though the band will likely never recapture the greatness of albums such as Iron Maiden, The Number Of The Beast, and Piece Of Mind, based on this album (and their awesome live shows, one of which I was lucky enough to attend) I\u2019d say that they\u2019re still one of the best metal bands around. Truth is, Dance Of Death is packed with more energy, conviction, and power than 90% of their much younger peers, and if they keep plugging away they might yet recapture that extra 10%.<\/p>\n

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question by Rewolve: A “Bruce Dickinson” album??? I just got a mixed MP3 from a friend of mine. And there’s an album entitled “Star Profile” […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildsongwriter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildsongwriter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildsongwriter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildsongwriter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildsongwriter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildsongwriter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildsongwriter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildsongwriter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildsongwriter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}