It seems fairly typical that certain elements of the music press have to search for the negative. When Bruce Dickinson left Iron Maiden the naysayers were already circling like vultures ready to announce the death of the band, but what is largely forgotten in all the hyperbole surrounding ‘The X factor’ and ‘Virtual XII’ is that Maiden never lost their appeal in any countries other than the fashion-rather-than-talent dominated USA and UK and that amongst the songs on those albums are some bona fide classics such as ‘sign of the cross’ and ‘the Clansman’. Nonetheless, while it became fashionable for a time to have a crack at Maiden whenever possible, the renewed confidence that the band displayed when Bruce and Adrian returned led to two great albums (‘Brave New world’ and ‘Dance of death’) and one astounding, roaring masterpiece of an album (‘a matter of life and death’) and it was, once again, fashionable to love Maiden.
Of course, the music press love nothing more than to raise a band up only to drop them from a great height and mixed reviews have already appeared for Iron Maiden’s latest album, largely from hacks who’ve given the record one cursory spin and decided that it’s time to give Maiden a less-than-glowing review simply because they can but such reviews should be resisted at all costs because ‘The final frontier’ can sit proudly alongside anything Maiden have produced whilst still offering up a some new ideas for a band who’ve doggedly held the flame of metal aloft for just over thirty years.
‘The final Frontier’ is certainly not the instant album that its predecessor was. With the band themselves stating that this is a much more ‘organic’ album (short hand for they worked on ideas in the studio) songs ebb and flow on this disc rather than follow a strict battle plan formulated for maximum damage. As a result songs such as ‘El Doroado’ emerge out of a crashing thunderous melee of drums and guitar before charging into a furious gallop with Bruce’s ever-green vocals proudly raised in the mix and Nicko’s drums sounding better than ever. But that’s getting ahead of ourselves; opening track ‘Satellite 15…The final frontier’ begins in a manner unlike anything Maiden have ever attempted with tempo changes and progressive elements making it a challenging listen. While the first time I heard it I was less than impressed, that was ultimately because this album makes you work harder than recent albums and after a couple of spins I was hooked, understanding that Maiden have opted here for an album that pleases themselves first and foremost and one that is filled with progressive touches augmenting the bands furiously traditional heavy metal blood and thunder. The aforementioned ‘El dorado’ is just classic Maiden, a fast, melodic assault on the senses with Bruce sounding on especially fine form and the band stepping up to the challenge to create increasingly interesting variations on a theme they created back on ‘Iron maiden’. ‘Mother of mercy’ is classic Iron maiden and a great potential single, with the layers of guitars giving up more and more with every listen while Bruce offers up one of those amazing sing-along vocals that will see every voice in the crowd raised in unison on the next tour. It is here, on ‘mother of mercy’ that it becomes clear where the genius of ‘Final frontier’ lies – true, it’s a difficult album, but it’s also an uplifiting listen packed with memorable melodies and all the passion that you’ve come to expect from this phenomenal band.
‘Coming home’ is a strange track with a stair-stepping guitar progression giving way to a power-ballad of epic proportions. It’s a genuine lighters-in-the-air moment and Dickinson’s impassioned vocal is a highlight, while repeated listens again reveal elements that you don’t notice the first time round. As if conscious that they’ve slowed down for long enough, ‘the alchemist’ doubles the tempo and kicks off with a furious classic-maiden riff, all galloping drums, poly-syllabic lyric delivery and Nicko’s thunderous drums. It’s probably the most traditional song here and thus the least satisfying, which is not to say it’s bad, just that while it may, at first glance, appear to be the instant fix you crave, it lacks the creative nous of the other tracks on offer here. ‘Isle of Aurlon’ however is a nine minute exercise in dynamics that echoes the amazing ‘Rhyme of the ancient mariner’ with a beautiful progressive sound that is part trad-metal, part post-rock and once again you can only marvel at a band unafraid to attempt something so fresh and vital on their fifteenth album, but then it is the unbridled passion that Steve Harris and co exhibit for their art that has kept them so beloved with their fans throughout the years.
‘Starblind’ is equally lengthy, but more restrained, opening on a gentle note before giving way to a mid-paced, oddly timed chug that is as initially disconcerting as it is ultimately rewarding, while the fluid solo that sits at the heart of the song is pure class. ‘The talisman’ has a beautiful opening which lasts almost three minutes before it shifts gear to become one of the heaviest tracks on the disc. The final two songs are lengthy, progressive workouts that stride through multiple textures and tempos and while ‘the man who would be king’ houses an astonishing instrumental section the groove of ‘when the wild wind blows’ makes for the perfect album closer.
Concerns? Well, maybe a few. While for the most part ‘Final Frontier’ sees the band flexing their creative muscle there are a number of songs which rely on the gentle opening/heavy second half dynamic which can sound a little formulaic. Also there are no instant tracks here, and while the band’s unwillingness to compromise must ultimately be applauded, it would be nice to have at least one more song whcih grabs you by the proverbial from the off. That said, what maiden have done is to create an album that rewards the patient listener with a level of detail that surpasses their previous works. While this doesn’t quite eclipse ‘a matter of life and death’ this is still a fantastic album and it’s satisfying to see that Iron Maiden have continued the creative roll that they’ve been on since Bruce returned. While it’s unlikely that ‘Final frontier’ will win the band many new fans, it will certainly satisfy those who love the band and it makes for an invigorating listen for those who claim the band’s creative peak is behind them.
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