Customer Reviews

Dance of Death

5 star:		(268)
4 star:		(115)
3 star:		(73)
2 star:		(37)
1 star:		(28)

 

 

I've been holding off on reviewing this for a while, because I wanted to soak it in, get a feel for it, make sure I didn't miss anything. And I'm glad I did. The first couple of times I listened to this, it didn't really grab me. There were a couple of songs that stood out, but for the most part, I found it to be a bit boring. Some songs just didn't seem to have that special something that the Maiden classics of yore had. But I listened to it more. And then I realized...

This album is just fantastic. No, really. Expanding upon the more elaborate arrangements of "Brave New World", adding in a bit of the harder feel of the oldschool stuff, and throwing a few surprises our way, "Dance of Death" proves to be a very strong release. It's one of their most diverse and musically ambitious albums to date. Why didn't it register with me before? Well, I really have no idea. I suppose the album is one you've just got to become acquainted with. You're not going to just pop it in, and form an opinion right away. It's gotta sink in a bit, and sink in it did.

The great songs abound. "Rainmaker" and "Wildest Dreams" are fast-paced and melodic, with the kind of vigor that the band hasn't exhibited in years. "Montsegur" has a killer riff, and a performance from Bruce that proves he's still got it. "New Frontier" has a sort of "Somewhere in Time" feel, with a great chorus. There are also a wealth of great epics here, such as "No More Lies", "Pashendale", "Face in the Sand", and the title track. Some of these songs were the ones that took a few listens to get into, but when they finally hit me, they hit hard. My favorite from the album is probably "Age of Innocence". Featuring a brutal staccato riff on the verses, and an overwhelmingly catchy melodic chorus, this is one of their best songs to date. The politically oriented lyrics are also a bit of a departure from their usual lyrical arsenal. The album ends on a great note with the acoustic "Journeyman".

This album as a whole is difficult to describe, because there's just so much cool stuff going on. The guitar work is excellent (as usual), and there's even the occasional string section here and there to enhance the killer melodies. This is the first time the band has used actual strings (until now, they were done on a keyboard), and they really work well. I would actually like to see them go into an even more symphonic direction on subsequent releases. Might not get the best reaction from the purists, but I think it'd be great.

If there's one thing I can complain about here, it's that the production is a bit weak. While it does give the album a rawer, more oldschool feel (as opposed to the more slick and lush arrangements of BNW), it also leaves some of the music a bit pushed back in the mix. Nicko really doesn't stand out like he should. On BNW, he was brought much further up into the mix, and it was easier to focus on what he was doing, but you've really gotta strain a bit more to make out the intricacies of his drumming. Steve's bass doesn't stand out quite as much either (although, admittedly, his basslines have been better). I'm hoping that maybe they'll remix this album some day, but I kinda doubt it.

Anyway, despite taking some time to appreciate, this is a great new release from the kings of metal. Not many bands that have been around for 20 years or more are still making music this good, so it's a real relief to still have Maiden in the business. I caught them on their last tour, and it was possibly the best show I've ever seen. The youthful exuberance that these guys display in their mid to late 40's is just amazing. I have the feeling these guys still have a few good years ahead of them.

I highly recommend this to all of the fans. It may take a few spins, but it's worth the effort.

I've seen Maiden in concert a half dozen times. I own everything they've released in about three or four different formats/versions. Remastered and non-remastered. Vinyl and CD.

Not to mention DVD.

So I bought Dance of Death with great expectations -- especially I had just seen Maiden blow away a sold-out audience in Detroit a month prior to its release.

Sadly, Dance of Death is only marginally better than Brave New World. And maybe not even better. Maybe just about as good.

What disappointed me about Dance of Death was its dearth of originality. Many of the songs reminded me of songs from Brave New World. (I dare any fan to deny that.) Or, worse, Virtual XI and X Factor. There's still a lot of repetition of verses going on, bad habits from the Blaze Bayley days, I'm afraid.

What saves this album, in my opinion (surely not its cheesy cover art -- where's Derek Riggs when you need him?), is the fact that it is, after all, Iron Maiden. And the classic line-up (plus one!) of Iron Maiden at that.

Nobody writes music like Iron Maiden. Nobody sounds like Bruce Dickinson. Nobody plays bass like Steve Harris. Nobody showboats like Janick Gers. Nobody has the speed and melody of Dave Murray or Adrian Smith. Even when they seem to parody themselves, Iron Maiden is still light years beyond most bands today.

And maybe that's why I've been harder on Dance of Death than I probably should have been. This is Iron Maiden, for Pete's sake! I've heard what they're capable of. They blow the roof off concert venues when they tour. And their back catalog of music still electrifies me some 15-20 years on.

That said, I must confess that "Wildest Dreams" was a blast to see performed live. And "Paschendale" is a fascinating epic of a song. "No More Lies" suffers from Brave New Worldism, sounding too much like an outtake from the previous album. But "Monstesegur" rocks and "Gates of Tomorrow" features a cool intro riff.

Every track has something of value in it. It's just that, taken as a whole, Dance of Death doesn't surprise and delight like it could have.

Still...

This is Iron Maiden. So you have to buy it, anyway. It's required. Eddie says so.

Toss out all the grandstanding here -- in favor of AND against Dance of Death. These facts are undeniable about the album:

1. Bruce is awesome, but he's 20+ years older than Piece of Mind. Give the guy a break and respect him for the badass that he still is, and stop whining about the badass he WAS because he's not hitting the same notes...

2. There are more 3 part harmonies here than on BNW. And the solos are a return to form of sorts, sounding more like "classic" Maiden than BNW.

3. There are more longer, drawn out songs here than BNW. Harris would do well to lose the intro/outro disease and whittle down things a bit. When in doubt Steve, simplify. Simplify.

4. Nicko's song is no letdown at all! Let's see what else he's got up his sleeve.

5. Maiden still have fire and passion, although Harris might be a tad too inflexible with his formulas. I don't know the man and I wasn't there during the songwriting to see if he really runs the show with an "Iron" fist as they say, but holy s**t, Chemical Wedding about blew my d**k off compared to BNW and DOD. I'd like to see Maiden take a stab at "changing musical directions" and experimenting with more visceral songwriting that's free of overproduced embellishments. I get the feeling Adrian and Bruce wish they could "cut loose" more. However, the varied credits on this album suggest the winds of change might be blowing as far as the songwriting goes, so lets all reserve judgement until the next album is released in a few years.

6. The question everyone is asking: Can the new revitalized Maiden recapture it's glory, or should we be waiting for Bruce and Adrian to do another kickass solo album? The answer: Hey folks, lighten up and enjoy it all. It could be worse -- they might have retired after the Blaze years. Give it up for these guys and all they've done for us and quit knocking them down.

Buy the record. It's great stuff. Or get in your camaro and put on Powerslave. Just enjoy the music and stop being so hypercritical. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Okay, from what I've seen over 160+ people have commented on Iron Maiden's new album Dance of Death analysing the new release from the band's songwriting to the lyrics to the guys' performance on their instruments to Bruce's vocals to the mix to the artwork to the production to this to that... etc. All that's necessary to say has already been said. So I'll keep it simple: This is IRON MAIDEN, one of the most important Heavy Metal bands on the planet. One of the handful of bands that has never forgotten where they're coming from, never abandoned their roots and musical vision in hopes of reaching to bigger audiences. They're still what they were back in 1988. Most complaints seem to be about the band's repetitious songwriting. About Harris' overuse of his galloping bass lines. Is there any truth to this? Maybe. I'm not a blinded fan, but at least I know what to expect from my Maiden when they put out a new record. At least it doesn't turn out to be a terrible pop-disco-rap thing that totally bombs and then every band member defends it giving out cliche statements such as "Well we're a band that always progresses. We wanted to try something different on our last album and somehow it didn't work out. We're gonna go back to our roots on the next release, don't worry, keep supporting us blah blah blah" kind of thing. Come to think about it, when was the last time you bought a Maiden album and were so very disappointed with it because Harris & co. had gone disco or had tried to incorporate rap vocals to the music going for a 'modern approach'? But people are still whining out there. This is Maiden. They're doing what they do the best and let me tell you something they're still one of a kind. If you don't like this type of music, well fine. But there's no need to complain. It won't do any good. Maiden has always sounded this way. I myself am a big prog metal fan, but I know what to expect from these guys. I don't go like "They keep repeating themselves over and over again, they're so boring". Iron Maiden is Iron Maiden. They've been this way the last 25 years, so don't expect them to come out playing something absolutely different all of sudden. Metallica changed after 1991. How many of us still like them? Megadeth changed in 1997 only to 'return to their roots' on their next release. Do you want the same thing to happen to Maiden? I certainly don't.

Furthermore, Brave New World was a great step in the right direction. The band acually did push the envelope and try to cover some new ground. While some fans were pleased by it, those Powerslave-era fans kept complaining. So here we have a new record that picks up where BNW left off. Apart from the first two songs, the record contains quite a fe 7+ minute songs. "Wildest Dreams", while not as good as BNW's "Wickerman", opens the album with total energy and this is continued on the second track "Rainmaker". Both below the 4-minute mark still manage to set the mood. With songs like "No More Lies", "Dance of Death" and "Paschendale" we get our old Maiden with their traditional riffs, rich melodies, long but, in my opinion, fitting guitar solos from Gers, Smith and Murray as well as galloping bass lines from Mr Harris. Nicko has always done a great job in Maiden. His drumming is good. I know he's done better before but give these guys a break. They're aging. Still they're pulling it off. They're no longer in their 30's.

The sound on Dance of Death is crystal clear, just the way a Maiden album should sound. Kevin Shirley's done an awesome job as a producer. Bruce is as good as always. I know there are nitpickers out there waiting for the guy to accidentally not be able to hit the highest of notes, but no, not on Dance of Death. Cause he pulls it off. He's just one of a kind, a real frontman and the perfect singer for Iron Maiden. I am personally proud to have supported this band ever since I started listening to music at the age of 12, and I will continue to do so forever. Maiden makes me proud to be a fan of Heavy Metal. Period.

Three years ago Iron Maiden released comeback album with Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith. It was massive success all over the world and showed that Maiden can still make good music. Now it's finally time for new studio album called Dance Of Death. Dance Of Death has been a massive success all over the world. Iron Maiden is back on top again!

Dance of Death is about war and death. It contains great songs about first world war and so on...

1. Wildest Dreams (Smith/Harris) is first single from new Iron Maiden album called Dance Of Death. It's short dynamic rocker from Mr. Smith. Wildest Dreams has became band's live favourite and climbing up on charts. Maybe you have heard song from radio, seen it on tv or heard on the recent 'Give Me Ed... Til I'm Dead' tour?

2. Rainmaker (Murray/Harris/Dickinson) is next single from Dance Of Death. It's again catchy rocker and the chorus is instantly memorable. Instant hit! 'You tell me we can start the rain...'

3. No More Lies (Harris) is first long epic song from the album. It's mix between The Clansman (from Virtual XI album) and Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger (from Virtual XI album). The '3 Amigos' make exellent solo work.

4. Montsegur (Gers/Harris/Dickinson) is very heavy song and it reminds a lot of Powerslave and Piece Of Mind. Starting riff is mix between Fallen Angel (from Brave New World album) and Losfer Words (from Poverslave album).

5. Dance Of Death (Gers/Harris) is second long epic song feturing very powerful lyrics and great Russian vibe with symphonic elements.

6. Gates Of Tomorrow (Gers/Harris/Dickinson) is short rocker. Starting riff is like AC/DC meets Skunkworks (Bruce Dickinson solo album). Song itself features very catchy double guitar melodies.

7. New Frontier (McBrain/Smith/Dickinson) took only about 20 years until we could hear song from Nicko McBrain. Song reminds a lot of Maiden's early days like The Number Of The Beast or Piece Of Mind albums. New Frontier includes blistering solo from Adrian Smith.

8. Paschendale (Smith/Harris) is third and last long epic song on the album. Inspiration of song comes from historic battle, this one from the First World War. Paschendale is huge epic song which meets Pink Floyd, Emerson & Lake & Palmer and so on... One of the most memorable epics what Iron Maiden have ever done! Including incredible solo works from '3 Amigos' and amazing Bruce Dickinson vocal performance. 'Blood is falling like the rain...'

9. Face In The Sand (Smith/Harris/Dickinson) is very enigmatic and atmospheric song. It's a very slow grower, but soon you find singing with the melody.

10. Age Of Innocence (Murray/Harris) starts with Murray's slow melodic solo and then grows into quite fast song.

11. Journeyman (Smith/Harris/Dickinson) is beautiful acoustic end featuring acoustic guitars, drums and strings.

Dance Of Death is album like... It's like... You don't hear these kind of albums so often anymore. It's made for those people who like great tales, long heavy epics and great melodies. Dance Of Death is album, that you could listen hours and hours again finding new elements. So find quiet place, take your headphones, close your eyes and enjoy. It will be memorable experience and you want do it again and again...

The people giving this album such low ratings are probably old-timer Maiden fans who have been listening to the band since the Killers/NOTB era. These are the kinds of people who keep complaining that the band will never reach their glory days. Due to these fans' closed-mindedness, they miss the point completely. Yes, the production sucks, and yes the band isn't that original anymore. Now riddle me this: what band *is* original nowadays? Pretty much all modern albums have sucky production in one way or another, thanks to abuse of technology. 'Dance of Death' is a thumpin' good Maiden album, a marked improvement over the rock-solid but not mind-blowing 'Brave New World'. I, against popular opinion, happen to think "Wildest Dreams" is a great song, maybe not one of the best in the Maiden canon, but a driving, upbeat tune that gets me amped. The only track I think could use improvement is "No More Lies", but that song, to me, sounds like a holdover from the 'Virtual Xi' era. People also have to note that Maiden's lyrics have never been spot-on, and this album is no exception. What they need to realize is that Maiden's breadth of lyrical **themes** has few equals. On this particular disc, they tackle topics such as divorce ("Wildest Dreams"), the Last Supper ("No More Lies"), the Albigensian Crusade ("Montsegur"), bio-engineering ("New Frontier"--bravo, Nicko!), a famous WW I battle ("Paschendale"), and 9/11 ("Face in the Sand"). Oh, and did I mention that Bruce Dickinson is still in top form, even after an illustrious 20+ year career in hard rock and heavy metal? Compare him with Rob Halford, who, while still a great singer and performer, does the banshee-scream a little more than I would like. I also thoroughly enjoyed the performance given by the three axe-men. Janick, on this album as well as BNW, proves he deserves a home in Maiden.

Let me just reiterate my disgust for the people who gave this album only 1 or 2 stars. These fans have their heads stuck in the 80s and need a good dose of reality. Yes, Maiden will never top 'Powerslave' (IMNSHO, their finest output), and yes Maiden have been overshadowed by some of the very bands they influenced (Opeth or Dream Theater, anyone?), but Iron Maiden is one of the proud few bands, metal or otherwise, who are artistically relevant today and can school any mainstream band in their path, and that's no joke.

With every new album, everybody wants to say it's the "Best Since 7th Son", and with this release that's actually true! Not only that, I'd rate it the best since "Somewhere in Time". This is pure, unadulterated Maiden: the writing is superb, the lyrics are cool, the guitar-work is phenomenal, the rhythm section as always is superb, and Bruce is simply on fire. Brief comment per tunes:

1) Wildest Dreams... much like Wicker Man of the last CD but a better tune in my opinion: great chorus, good kick in the pants to get things started.

2) Rainmaker... similar to Wildest Dreams with another great chorus, and some very cool guitar parts (Murray gets some writing credits).

3) No More Lies... welcome back to old school Maiden: long tune with extended intro. Monster tune complete with all kinds of changes, Bruce shouting, thunderous drums, etc...

4) Montsegur... think "Die With Your Boots On" with even more of an edge. Phenomenal tune lyrically. This song has TONS of attitude but throws in some insane melody as well. Best friggin' Maiden tune since... who knows, maybe Piece of Mind! Bruce just OWNS the tune: it's a mad, angry tune and he just screams fury throughout! Great, GREAT tune!!!

5) Dance of Death... a long Gers/Harris tune: very good tune with lots of changes. The lyrics are only OK, though - somebody mentioned "Spinal Tap"... and it actually fits somewhat. Good tune that really grows on you, but at first listen you might have a chuckle or two. Go WAY back... think along the lines of "Phantom of the Opera" or very early Maiden - very dark and twisted... 2nd guitar solo is, I think, Jannick, and he really rips it up. Yes, this definitely grows on ya. Very classic Iron Maiden... the gallop, the harmonized guitars... lyric lines with Bruce singing along with the guitar lines... it's ALL there.

6) Gates of Tomorrow... another excellent tune - great driving guitar line to open things up... in fact, the guitarists get to show off a lot on this one. Also features the old Nicko "signature" drum rhythm during the chorus. Nice mix of the old and new.

7) New Frontier... writing credits for Nicko, and he can keep writing: GREAT tune... 5 minutes of non-stop insanity with a killer chorus.

8) Paschendale... Smith/Harris war Epic... interesting intro guitar riff sounds like hammer-ons: definite Adrian writing... then the thumps kick in - Harris! The tune is another mad, angry, bloody death on the battlefield thing... totally Maiden!

9) Face in the Sand... Smith/Harris/Dickinson - just imagine the torture that went into this one! Along the lines of "Gates of Tomorrow" and "New Frontier", just a good solid kick in the pants and statement about the world we live in. Awesome Maiden tune.

10) Age of Innocence... another with Dave's influence, which you can hear all over the place... intro, guitar solo, a firey bridge... excellent chorus to boot!

11) Journeyman... Smith/Harris/Dickinson... this is an acoustic tune, believe it or not... first few notes have you thinking "Dust in the Wind", but quickly becomes its own thing. Lots of excellent orchestration here... beautiful tune overall - very musical, good chance for Bruce to shine. You can hear all of Smith, Harris, and Bruce's contributions. Perfect ending to the CD: kinda puts ya down to sleep.

Final comment: even though I'm a guitar player, I've never listened to Maiden for the guitar... it has always been about the songwriting and maybe the drums, and maybe Bruce when he became the front man. But I think the three guitarists are pushing each other pretty hard, because the guitar work is perhaps the best I've EVER heard from the guys. Absolutely phenomenal.

Madien's BACK! Can't wait for the concerts!

I felt Iron Maiden's big "reunion" recording "Brave New World" was merely okay, so I didn't have very high expectations for future material. How wrong I was, as "Dance of Death" is one of Maiden's strongest albums as a whole.

Iron Maiden have many great songs spanning their long career; some of my favorites are "Prowler," "Remember Tomorrow," "Phantom of the Opera," "Genghis Khan," "Children of the Damned," Hallowed be thy Name," "Flight of Icarus," "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," etc. Despite this commendable fact, most of their recordings were plagued by "filler" or less than memorable tunes (e.g. "Gangland," "Quest for Fire," "Flash of the Blade," etc.). Not to mention at least one of their recordings was unbelievably bad -- "Virtual XI" (with "Fear of the Dark" close on its heels). There were really only three recordings that were excellent AS A WHOLE -- the self-titled debut, "Killers" and "The X-Factor." (I know some would disagree about "X-Factor," mainly Dickinson fans who can't envision Maiden without Bruce singing, but it is a very strong recording -- a Maiden masterpiece, in fact. Be open-minded and give it a second chance).

Well, I'm pleased to say that with "Dance of Death" Maiden have finally put out another recording that is strong from start to finish. Some highlights include:

WILDEST DREAMS. A fine, light, quick opener; sort of a modern-day "Running Free."

RAINMAKER is similar to the opener in spirit but is even catchier. This is the big 'hit' of the recording, sorta like "Wrathchild" or "The Flight of Icarus." The subject matter is mature, positive, spiritual and very welcomed by this reviewer. Another Amazon reviewer ridiculously complained that it was like Maiden doing "Christian rock;" I guess he'd rather have them record juvenile tunes about how much life stinks and how we should all be losers and commit suicide (Waaa, waaa).

NO MORE LIES is another highlight with a nice build-up. It's also the third longest song on the CD.

DANCE OF DEATH is a Maiden masterpiece along the lines of "Phantom of the Opera" and "Hallowed be thy Name." (Okay, maybe not THAT good, but close, real close).

NEW FRONTIER is just as catchy as the first two tunes; interestingly, it's McBrain's first song written for Maiden -- great job, mate!

PASCHENDALE is a patented Harris epic of magnificent proportions. The song features some seriously heavy, original & fast riffing and is ingeniously structured. The CD is worth buying for this masterpiece alone.

FACE IN THE SAND is musically memorable and great; unfortunately Bruce overdoes it and strains to stay in key (e.g. "Quest for Fire"), almost ruining the song (I said 'almost'). This is definitely a case where Dianno or Blaze would have done a better job.

The other songs are good as well, including the refreshing acoustic piece "Journeyman."

CONCLUSION: "Dance of Death" is proof that Maiden aren't floggin' a dead horse -- they still got it in 'em to create great music and great albums. Don't miss out on "Dance of Death."

I have been loving Iron Maiden and I consider their first 5 studio albums within the most influencing Metal world's ever, plus their absolutely awesome Live After Death as maybe the best live rock experience.
Later, with the left of their lead guitar Smith and frontman Bruce, I was able to listen only one or two songs per album, really not understanding how a such awesome band could ever fall in ths way.
I began to smile again 3 years ago with "Brave New World" and their good live "Rock in Rio" (containing the best version of "Hallowed be thy name" ever !) and today...

Dance of Death appared in my favourite music store !

What can I say ? They're back, more powerful than ever, obviously learning on what they have done in these years !
They have abandoned almost completely the slower intros which have weakened "BNW", and the resulting energy in certain tracks it's awesome.

First track, the single, it's quite below Maiden standards, but the real album starts with the second one "Rainmaker" : among the best Maiden songs ever recorded, believe me, you will be singing this one for days !
"No more lies" and "Montsegur" are really powerful tracks, like no one was on "BNW".
The title track "Dance of death" it's the classic Harris' great epic (I can't stop listening to it), the following two "Gates of tomorrow" and "New frontier" have good guitars and chorus.
"Paschendale" it's another great epic and a very good song in the same vein as "The trooper".
Then there are "Face in the sand" and "Age of innocence", showing you their intention to allow you breathing only rarely !
The last track "Journeyman" it's quite melodic and contains a splendid chrous.

I am really amazed, all the tracks but the first one (I can't explain why they made it the single) have their power, their great moments and you will never desire to skip one of them.

Buy it, you will not regret !

UP THE IRONS !!!

Let's remember just how old this band is, where metal stared and where it is presently. I suppose music has to evolve as time passes and this album represents a stage in the evolution of Iron Maiden.

While the sound is different from the classic 80's metal, the song construction demonstrates a maturity in the lyrical ideology that is highlighted by the varying rhythms in most of the tracks. The more prominent soft intros are akin to classical pieces amd are complemented by the powerful guitar melodies that follow.

Quite interestingly, I have found this album to retain its sound value when played soft. Its not thrashy metal...it's melodic, slow then fast, then the rhytym changes. It's like a step up from Brave new World. I've often played it as background music for inspiration and relaxtion.

Another thing is the direction of the lyrics. They are a little more abstract and pseudo-political...well except for Passchendaele which is downright historical.

While all the songs are great, some do stand out:

Rainmaker: for its instantaneous catchy melody.

No More Lies: a great classical intro and geared up melody with abstract lyrics

Dance of Death : haunting and epic storytelling

Passchendael: for lovers of history, this is even better than reading a book about the battle of YPres in WW1. It gives a chilling and passionate depiction of trench warfare in no-man's land

Face in the Sand: abstract/political with beautiful bass and ahunting theme melody

Age of Innocence: great singing, lyrics

Journeyman: masonic overtones and a nice ballad


So, don't expect to hear the trooper or aces high. But I guarantee you you will get to love this album if you give it a chance. Like any Maiden fan the guys have grown 20 odd years and it shows in a good way.