A Matter Of Life And Death by Iron Maiden
January 30, 2007 by Jo Minor
After reading the raving reviews of Metal forefathers Iron Maiden’s 14th studio album in just about every place, I finally got my hands on my copy of A Matter Of Life And Death.
The album is the band’s 3rd post-millennium offering - after the brilliant Brave New World and above-average Dance Of Death - and after having passed many vicious album reviews with flying colours, I soon assumed that this was not going to be just another Maiden album, but a notable one - very much worthy of the band’s outstanding legacy.
Alright, back to the review - A Matter Of Life And Death stands out more than the other 2 post-millennium albums in more ways than one: the cover, illustrated by Punisher comic artist Tim Bradstreet, is a sight to behold - and leaves fans in utter delight after the disastrous 3D cover of Dance Of Death. The music, on the other hand, deals with issues very much alive in our current time - war, destruction, religion and hate - the topics of choice for many of Maiden’s previous songs.
Lyrically, A Matter Of Life And Death takes a neutral stance on these issues, and instead of picking sides feeds the listener with a deeper, almost psychological perspective of the topics at hand. The songs, therefore, act in unison with each other - a total reverse of how the Brave New World album worked. A Matter Of Life And Death can be equaled to a huge painting that would some time before anyone can fully grasp the true beauty it holds within the boundaries of it’s wide canvas.
Having said that, A Matter Of Life And Death doesn’t possess any songs that stand out more than the rest - all the tracks present in the album are equally enjoyable, and of course, that means this offering won’t fare well with the older generation of Maiden fans who aren’t accustomed to the progressive elements present in the band’s newer albums. On the other hand, Metal fans who demand a progressive listen that matures over time would fondly accept A Matter Of Life And Death into their hearts and minds.
A Matter Of Life And Death is a very strong effort from a timeless band, but the success of their previous masterpieces will always cast a shadow on their newer studio offerings - which has evidently driven the band to give us more quality material.
A remarkable listen!
Up The Irons!
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