'The Final Frontier' by Iron Maiden

The Final Frontier

Iron Maiden

16th August 2010 | EMI

**

English metal heavyweights strike for the fifthteenth time...

Iron Maiden are an incredibly successful and iconic English heavy metal band formed in East London. They are perhaps most renowned as pioneers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and achieved prosperity in the early 1980's, progressing to release several platinum albums and to date have sold over 100 million records worldwide with little radio/television support. 'The Final Frontier' is their fifthteenth album in thirty years and the vital question looming is: have they run out of steam yet?

It is certainly an album of epic proportions. It clocks 76 minutes and 34 seconds, despite having only ten tracks, making it the band's longest album to date and with an average song length of 7:59, it is Iron Maiden's longest album by song length yet. Also, 'The Final Frontier' is the first release by Iron Maiden since 2006's 'A Matter Of Life And Death', marking the longest gap between two consecutive studio albums. But then again, this is no surprise for Iron Maiden as they have entered marathon territory before, most significantly with 'The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner' which was a musical rendition of the 1798 poem by Coleridge (direct quotes were duplicated from it) and that lasted 13 minutes and 34 seconds.

The album opens with 'Satellite 15...The Final Frontier', and as the title suggests with its two unrelated parts, it sounds like Iron Maiden decided to connect two separate songs together, a decision which I believe is quite effective. The first segment is space rock style (as the title also suggests) build up music which is characterised by Nicko McBrain's ominous, machine gun style drumming merged with waves of disorientating, distorted powerchords and ghostly vocals. Then at around halfway through, it shifts into a vigorous power rocker, puntuated by a duo of killer, typical Iron Maiden guitar solos. 'El Dorado' begins in a way they would probably finish a concert encore before moving into a bass intro which has undeniable parallels with the intro to Heart's 'Barracuda'. When the entire band kicks into the song, the listener will realise it is a rather catchy tune, highlighted by a memorable chorus (where Bruce Dickinson's voice rises above a baritone into his trademark tenor) and a high octane Dave Murray guitar solo, brought alive with smooth legato stretches and aggresive vibrato bends. 'Mother Of Mercy' has an unperturbed opening where the frontman sings passionately about the atrocities of war. The intro deceives the listener, as after the first verse the song marches forth along a dark and sinister path as the rest of the band make their contributions. The song features an attention holding rhythm and two more rapid guitar solos. I never thought I would write 'Iron Maiden' and 'ballad' in the same sentence, but in 'Coming Home', Iron Maiden enter the realms of balladry. Arpeggiated guitar glides us into a power chord peppered verse and chorus, and later on comes a languid guitar solo. The core lyrical theme in the song is descending from the sky and returning home. And it is not until the fifth song on the album, 'The Alchemist', before we hear some vintage Iron Maiden, proven by a dual-harmony guitar riff within the opening seconds, with a guitar sound reminiscent of Avenged Sevenfold. The shortest song on the album features more rhythm guitars and a classic unrestrained drum fill incorporating most of the kit as well as another turbulent guitar solo. 'Isle Of Avalon' indicates the start of the slightly longer, more trippier songs on the album. A 32nd-note hit-hat pattern operates underneath an unnerving bassline and strange guitar riff. After an unsettling interlude, the band embarks on free-form prog rock passages. A lead guitar break is vaguely similiar in both tone and attack to Megadeth's 'Hanger 18'. A grandiloquent final chorus is interjected by bursts of guitar and ended by an absolute battering of the floor toms.  'Starblind' is a rollercoaster of a song with fluctuating time signatures and melodies without giving listeners a moment to think. The guitars progressively build in intensity up to a shattering instrumental explosion towards the end. 'The Talisman' is another song which begins in a subdued manner with hushed vocals and acoustic guitar before it is steamrolled by the band's pulverizing force. I feel the bassline is particularly prominent in this song. 'The Man Who Would Be King' is reminiscent of Metallica's 'One' with its acoustic and electric guitar opening before an explosive riff assault. There are more high-pitched guitar solos before there is a dramatic instrumental crescendo in the closing section of the song. The final track of 'The Final Frontier', 'When The Wild Wind Blows' is an eleven minute epic written solely by Steve Harris (bassist/keyboard player). Lyrically, it focuses on some type of forthcoming apocalypse: 'There will be a catastrophe the like we've never seen/there will be something that will light the sky/that the world as we know it, it will never be the same/did you know, did you know?'. Towards the end, the band wind down and a swirling wind howls in the distance, signalling the conclusion to a colossal album.

Iron Maiden have already toured North America's famous arenas and amphitheatres and part of  Europe this year, playing a string of headlining festival dates and individual concerts and have been showcasing their new material, which slots perfectly into a setlist of old material. This brings me onto the point that many of the songs on 'The Final Frontier' sound similiar to eachother and to previous releases. Iron Maiden, although they have made a concept album here, have not changed their style or sound profoundly enough to blend into the 21st century, in my opinion. Perhaps this dated sound of their instruments is down to the fact they have reverted to recording in Compass Point Studios which they used in the 1980's and the ghosts of their glorious past have returned to haunt their new material. I believe another problem is the sheer length of it all. I acknowledge it is Iron Maiden, a band constantly trying to augment their grandeur with each album, but there is a limit how far you can go and the six piece have simply exceeded it by producing excessive aural waste in places. From my perspective this is an unwise move in the current musical climate, but many will disagree and be delighted by Iron Maiden delving into marathon realms. Despite this, I admire the level of effort from a band which has long since outlived their expiration date. The group display no signs of serious ageing as they still sound as slick and energetic as they were three decades ago and have definitely portrayed most of their musical intelligence in this record. This album will not disappoint Iron Maiden fans across the globe as it a densely-layered, lyrically interesting record bursting with many classic metal hooks. And despite some of the issues I have with this fifthteenth LP, if Iron Maiden ceased to exist now, there would be a massive, irreplaceable void in the middle of the metal scene, as we cannot forget, they are musical legends. The crucial question remaining: have Iron Maiden reached the final frontier?

Track Listing

1. Satellite 15...The Final Frontier
2. El Dorado
3. Mother Of Mercy
4. Coming Home
5. The Alchemist
6. Isle Of Avalon
7. Starblind
8. The Talisman
9. The Man Who Would Be King
10. When The Wild Wind Blows