Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier (Album)
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The Final Frontier is finally here- Iron Maiden’s 15th – yes, 15th – studio album has been released, to huge commercial and critical success around the globe. But what is it actually like? What is the number of this beast? Happily, it’s fantastic. Being the huge Maiden fan I am, I’ll try not to let too much enjoyment bias the review here…
For those of you who haven’t heard of Iron Maiden, you probably haven’t heard of music either, so this review might not do you much good. However, Iron Maiden is without a doubt one of the most famous and successful bands in history. Formed in 1980, they have been playing strong for a solid 30 years now. In that time, they have released some thirty-plus albums, sold somewhere in the arena of 100 million records worldwide, and have become one of the most influential metal bands of all time, shaping the genre like few bands have before them. Likewise, they are one of the few bands, who have been around fot three decades and have still remained relevant, inspirational, and popular as ever. And judging by The Final Frontier, there are no signs of slowing down.
The Final Frontier is - I’m extremely happy to say - a great album both musically and by Iron Maiden’s own standards. In comparison to the back catalogue, it is perhaps most similar musically to 2000’s Brave New World and 2003’s Dance of Death. This is quite a relief personally, as their previous latest album – 2006’s A Matter Of Life And Death – was more than a little bit of a disappointment to me, and sent me scurrying back to their older, greater records. While some people loved it, in my opinion Life and Death was insufficient, not because of musical direction, lack of vision or concept or any other such thing; instead, it just lacked punch. The energy, vibe, the heavy melodic creativity typical to Maiden that slaps a person in the face - it just seemed to be missing. I was left pondering if Maiden was perhaps doomed to dwindle out of the future, to fade away rather than to burn out. However, my fears have been shattered. The indefinable punch is back with The Final Frontier, and has indeed knocked my doubt for six, leaving me sure that Maiden have plenty of steel left within them.
Iron Maiden has really pushed the boundaries with The Final Frontier. The name is perhaps simultaneously an allusion to the concept of outer-space that the band focus on in the album (both through artwork and through songs like ‘Starblind’ and ‘Satellite 15’) and to the fact that Maiden are moving in new directions musically. Progressive rock and metal have large influences on the songs, with average track length at just under 7 minutes and big style changes coming through in the middle of some songs. Opening track ‘Satellite 15’ in particular is something I have never heard from Maiden before – a 2-part song, the first part completely haunting and atmosphere-focussed, before launching into the second half in true Maiden style.
There is a typical variety of paces and ideas within The Final Frontier, with more lyrical references to all parts of popular and obscure culture, particularly references to space and the arcane. ‘The Alchemist’ is a fast, energetic blaze of melody; ‘Mother of Mercy’ is perhaps the most typically-Maiden, with a steady chugging rhythm start to finish and war-themes in the lyrics; ‘Coming Home’ has the softer melodies and slower parts; 'The Isleof Avalon' is a complex progression of greatness; and my favourite track from the album, ‘The Man Who Would Be King’ has creation and innovation, hooks, melodies, guitar solos and key-changes from start to finish.
Fantastic stuff for Maiden’s determinate 15th beast. If you’re a Maiden fan, do whatever it takes to get it – cheat, lie, or steal from the blind. If you’re not a Maiden fan…well, the same really applies. Up the Irons!
