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You can buy Iron Maiden golf
clubs, Iron Maiden bed sheets, and I'm sure if you
searched hard enough you could find Maiden pyjamas
too. With 13 studio albums and countless live and special
edition releases to their name, Iron Maiden epitomsze
the dictionary definition of "legends".
If you were ever into the band
as a youngster, you will remember the shock and
horror that Iron Maiden brought to many British homes
in the '80s, through their artwork, song titles (the
most amusing being the number one single, Bring Your
Daughter To The Slaughter) and a strange
zombie-like mascot named Eddie.
The truth be known however, S Clubwere probably more "in league with the Devil"
than the London sextet could ever hope to be. For a
band with such shocking "METAL" (said in deep
throaty voice) artwork and imagery, I don't think a
single one of them could give your granny a fright,
even if their entrance to Hell depended on it.
Image aside, fans of the band
will no doubt be wholly satisfied with Dance Of Death, the first studio release since 1999's Brave New World. Stand out songs include the
seriously heavy Montsegur, the very Hallowed Be
Thy Name-ish, Face in the Sand and the title track, which is classic Maiden material and
illustrates why they have influenced so
many bands, from In Flames to Sum 41
(apparently!). The soaring hook riff has the signature
sing-along-ability that fans thrive upon at
gigs. With well over a minute of decadently indulgent
solos, and layered, orchestrated strings beneath, this
is most definitely one for the Maiden hall of
fame.
The doubled guitar lick of
Rainmaker leads into a driving number, and the song benefits from being half the
length of the majority of the other 10 songs on the
album. New Frontier, meanwhile, is the quintessential song for
Maiden's on-stage theatrics. Picture Bruce Dickinson
running and jumping, with flailing limbs as he spins
around, while Gers, Harris, Smith and Murray line up, facing
the crowd, heads nodding along in
unison.
In the cold light of day
however, the majority of the album is over the top,
the songs are ridiculously long, the lyrics are
laughable and Bruce's high-pitched wails are as
irritating as ever. But then again, isn't that what
Maiden have always been about? As with any band, their
existence is a game of supply and demand. And with
opening track, Wildest Dreams currently sitting at number six in the UK charts, apparently the need for such
classic metal has never been greater!
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