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heavymetaltelevision · 8 years ago

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Why Your Answer to “What is Your Favorite Iron Maiden Album?” is Wrong

by James Duford

Disclaimer: I am a huge Iron Maiden fan and love the majority of their albums. I'm simply giving the reasons I believe "A Matter Of Life And Death" is their best album and why, if you haven't already, you should give it a listen. This series of articles is purely editorial and I'm sure many people disagree with me, but everything contained herein is the opinion of the author. Be sure to check out the next installment, where I will be looking at Megadeth's catalog.

Since their inception in 1975, Iron Maiden have been on the forefront of heavy metal. With 16 studio albums, 11 live albums, 4 EPs and 43 singles, they have enough music to get lost and never hear all of it. Especially when you take into account the amount of classic albums Maiden has produced. Albums like "Number Of The Beast," "Piece Of Mind," "Powerslave," "Killers," and "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son" all spawned a huge following and are beloved by die-hard fans and the casual-listening public alike.

Their music has influenced countless young fans and musicians. Their unique blend of punk with metal sensibility in their early days with vocalist Paul Dianno gave way to the straight, theatrical heavy metal they created under Bruce Dickinson, gradually evolving further with hints of progressive influence on albums like Somewhere In Time and the aforementioned "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son." They made a style all their own, drawing on history, literature, and complex story-telling to create some of the best lyrics in the rock genre, on top of the band's signature musical sound.

There's no denying the greatness of Iron Maiden's classic catalog. From their self-titled first record in 1980 to their progressive masterpiece "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son" in 1988, Maiden could do no wrong and would guide the future of the heavy metal genre, influencing countless other bands and musicians in the process. Many die-hard Maiden fans stopped paying attention to their new releases following the departure of Dickinson following 1992's "Fear Of The Dark." With no Dickinson and having replaced founding guitarist Adrian Smith with Janick Gers, Maiden produced two albums with another vocalist, Blaze Bayley, in 1995 ("The X Factor") and 1998 ("Virtual XI"). The albums are good, but failed to live up to expectations from older fans and have a heavy influence from bassist Steve Harris, who had taken over as their producer on "Fear Of The Dark." After a few years on the decline with Bruce's replacement, Blaze Bayley, Maiden reunited with Dickinson and Smith in 1999. Dickinson made it clear in rejoining the band that his primary concern was, "whether we would... be making a real state of the art record and not just a comeback album."

Any concern Bruce had would be laid to rest with the release of "Brave New World" in 2000. Raising the bar on their writing style and upping the production on their albums with the addition on producer Kevin Shirley, who has produced all of the groups albums since 2000. Their progressive side was back and now in the forefront, with longer song compositions, more variety in their songwriting including many more time and meter changes and more complex lyrics from the group.

Following up "Brave New World," Maiden would go on to make "Dance Of Death." Continuing the trends from the last album and even more rooted in prog rock, the choruses are huge, the riffs are quick and clever, and the music overall is evolving.

For their next album, Iron Maiden would take the trends from "Brave New World" and "Dance Of Death" and turn up the intensity. In my opinion, 2006's "A Matter Of Life And Death" is Iron Maiden's magnum opus. The production from Kevin Shirley is perfect, capturing the essence of a live Iron Maiden performance with minimal post-production. The band also recorded the album simultaneously, with members playing the songs together in the same room, a move that is rare in today's DAW-driven recording industry.

Many Maiden fans haven't heard anything from this album. Even the diehard Maiden fans I've talked to know little to nothing about this record and have maybe heard a couple of the singles from it. It is often overlooked or, if the fans have heard it, looked down upon.

Although the release was Maiden's first Billboard 200 Top 10 release, much of this stems from dissatisfaction with the "A Matter Of Life And Death" tour that followed the albums release. Many fans were unhappy that the band neglected many fan favorites from their 80s hey-day in favor of playing the new album in it's entirety, followed by five songs from their usual set list.

Thematically, it is one of Iron Maiden's most intriguing offerings. The lyrics are dark and complex, focusing on concepts of war and religion. Several of the songs using Bruce's famous story-telling style, where his lyrics create a narrative for the listener. It is important to note that, although there are common themes shared among the songs, Maiden does not consider this record to be a concept album.

So without further ado, let's dive into the album.

The first thing you will hear when you throw on "A Matter Of Life And Death" is long-time drummer, Nicko McBrain shout at the beginning of the opening track "Different World." The riff then kicks in with the whole band for the brief intro before launching into the verse. The lyrics to "Different World" discuss the how different people will hold different viewpoints and how it is acceptable to change your views. This will tie in on later tracks on the album, so be sure to hold onto that thought. "Different World" overall is a high-energy opener for the album and is also the second single from "A Matter Of Life And Death." The chorus is a quintessential Iron Maiden chorus, with Bruce leading the call over a big, open arrangement.

Next, we have "These Colours Don't Run," which is one of my top 5 favorite Iron Maiden tracks. The lyrics handle the topic of young men being shipped off to war, with the pre-chorus stating, "For the passion, for the glory. For the memories, for the money. You're a soldier, for your country. What's the difference? All the same!" The chorus is another quintessential Maiden chorus, "Far away from the land of our birth, we fly our flag in some foreign earth. We sailed away like our fathers before. These colors don't run, from cold bloody war." The music is varied and brilliant. With a soft intro building the mood before a build up that explodes into the main guitar line that transitions into the verse. The bridge is where the music really begins to shine, as guitarists Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers trade guitar solos separated by an up-beat, 6/8 time section featuring accompaniment from strings, but driven by fast work on bass and drums by Steve Harris and Nicko McBrain respectively. It is a perfect progressive Maiden epic, of which this album contains so many.

"A Matter Of Life And Death" continues with the 8 minute, 46 second monster "Brighter Than A Thousand Suns," which discusses the creation and legacy of atomic weaponry. Namely, how unsettling the use of them in war is and how we are stepping on god's toes by creating such a technology. There's also a great callback to the famous Robert Oppenheimer quote ("Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.") from the first successful test of a nuclear weapon contained in the faster bridge of the song, "Whatever would Robert have said to his god, about how we made war with the sun." The music on "Brighter Than A Thousand Suns" is very complex with many changes throughout the song. It's a very heavy track in many parts, mainly the verses; in direct contrast, the chorus is very mellow, with Bruce speaking "Out of the darkness, brighter than a thousand suns" over a clean guitar section. The guitar work on this song is standout. The riffs are tight and lively, while the solos are creative and fantastic.

"The Pilgrim" is the next chapter on the album. A mid-tempo jam, the guitar lead on this song is catchy and really brings the song together. The lyrics deal with the journey to the afterlife and present some interesting visuals throughout. The drums on this track are exceptional, with Nicko affecting the feel of the main guitar lead by breaking the second half down on the china cymbal.

Next, we have my all-time favorite Iron Maiden track. Another Maiden epic, "The Longest Day" tells the story of the Allied Forces' D-Day landings in Normandy from the perspective on the men storming the beach. Opening with Steve Harris riding out a pattern on his bass, the music builds the tension and portrays the feeling of unease the boys felt on the ships approaching the beach before the doors dropped into the hellish landscape of the landing beach. The lyrics are cutting, condemning the leaders who send the young men off to experience the horrors described. The front half of the song also features another soaring chorus from Bruce, before the second half kicks off with an energetic bridge that is all sorts of progressive with many part changes, each with a unique sound and identity, before winding down on the chorus.

"Out Of The Shadows" would be this album's "ballad." There is great guitar layering from Smith, Murray and Gers on this track, with acoustic as well as electric guitars creating depth to almost every section of the track. Lyrically, the song discusses the life, from the moment of birth ("So there is no better time, who will be born today? A gypsy child at daybreak, a king for a day,") through the life cycle ("Nothing new, your life's adrift, what purpose to it all?") until death ("Eyes are closed and death is calling, reaching out it's hand..." and rebirth ("Oh there is beauty and surely there is pain, but we must endure it to live again.")

The lead single from "A Matter Of Life And Death," "The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg," tells the story of the title character, a fictive soldier, and his journey through the afterlife. The story arc is reminiscent of the main character in the Spawn comic series. Benjamin was killed and is now suffering in hell, waiting for the day he will be forgiven and redeemed to go to heaven. He watches as more and more join the ranks of the damned and feels the weight of their sins as well as his own.

The longest track on the album (only by a second, but nonetheless), "For The Greater Good Of God" is an epic indictment of religion and the hypocrisy exhibited by the church. Looking at all aspects of the teachings of the church and comparing it to the way the Church itself behaves, it is essentially trying to convey the message that God would not approve of what you are doing. The song itself goes through many changes over it's runtime. The main riffs of the verse and chorus are fast and the song powers through many progressions of parts.

Getting toward the end, we have the penultimate song in "Lord Of Light," which tells the story of Lucifer and is unexpectedly sympathetic to his eternal suffering. The intro includes a big clean guitar line before transitioning to a fun, fast paced gallop-driven guitar riff. This is another of my favorites from "A Matter Of Life And Death," Bruce's vocals are strong and haunting, the guitars are driving and reminiscent of early Maiden's signature 16th note "gallop," while the drums and bass are powerful.

"The Legacy" closes the album and is yet another Maiden epic. Telling the story of men going to war and feeling betrayed by the clergy who bless them and lie, promising safety and glory. They encounter a mustard gas attack ("Some strange yellow gas, has played with their minds...") causing the narrator to lose his faith in the clergy. When he returns, the priest who blessed the men is now on his death bed and the narrator is reflection that while he was attempting to comfort the soldiers, his words were hollow and that they had misplaced their trust. As the priest dies, the soldier recognizes the fear in the priest's eyes, realizing he will be judged for his part in the system that causes so many young men to die at war with one another. The music is strong as ever on this record, and they go out on a crescendo with this fantastic song.

Regardless of your past experiences with this record, if you are a fan of Iron Maiden, sit down and give this record another listen. The album has so much depth, you will always find something to enjoy within it. "A Matter Of Life And Death" was released to mixed reviews in 2006, with many considering it the best Iron Maiden album since the 80s and others giving it 3/5 stars. For me, it is hands down the best Maiden album since Seventh Son of a Seventh Son in 1988. It is my #1 all-time favorite Iron Maiden record, even over classics like Powerslave, Number Of The Beast and Somewhere In Time. Their style and songwriting evolved to a much more mature place and the progressive influence makes for such a creative and powerful album. Coupled with the production from Kevin Shirley trying to replicate their live sound with minimal post-production done, the album is a stone-cold masterpiece.

Notable songs: These Colours Don't Run, The Longest Day, Lord Of Light

Be sure to keep an eye out for the next article in this series, where James tackles Megadeth's best little-known album.

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