Moon & Back Music

The latest offering from the vintage metal heads Iron Maiden stonks into stores with a steel capped boot and fist raised high.

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Not since the heady days of the 1980s have Iron Maiden enjoyed so much success. With their fly on the wall rockumentary Flight 666 last year, the ensuing world tour and record sales of the soundtrack have all lead to a monumental rise back to the top for the world’s favourite heavy metal outfit. Now, thirty five years after their debut, Maiden return to form with their fifteenth and longest album to date The Final Frontier.

Many aspersions and criticisms have been aimed at bands and music like Iron Maiden since their debut in 1975. The often maligned and parodied image of the long, straggly haired metal maniacs with their tight, washed out denim and patchwork leather jackets have constantly plagued Iron Maiden all of their careers. Indeed, gone are the tight spandex leggings and studded gauntlets that adorned the sextuplet band during their initial success but the hair remains and the passion for their music is never more present than her eon The Final Frontier.

Kicking the album off with a true to form effort “Satellite 15” the latest album offers something for old and new fans alike. Capitalising on their current commercial success, mainly achieved through the phenomenal success of their afore mentioned rockumentary and the seemingly endless conquering of new markets such as India, the far east and South America, The Final Frontier can be seen being flouted on televisions, newspapers, music press and cinema screens the world over. Much like their hard rock counterparts AC/DC it seems that the commercial and digital age of music have been embraced and applauded by these veteran musicians.

“El Dorado”, “Mother of Mercy” and “Starblind” continue this brand new, shiny, immaculately produced addition to an already reputable back catalogue of hits and platinum albums. “Mother of Mercy” in particular seems to a much different sounding Maiden track, most akin to something found on 1995’s The X Factor, the first album to feature current front man Bruce Dickinson’s rather inadequate replacement Blaze Bayley. In general however, and spoken by the band members themselves, seems to be that The Final Frontier is a overall different sounding Iron Maiden album. Although still primarily a heavy metal album of course, the triple headed guitar work from Dave Murray, Janick Gers and Adrian Smith moans out across the ten tracked album like the wolfing howls of Cereberus itself. Percussion in the form of founding member Steve Harris on bass and the ever irrepressible Nico McBrain, possibly the coolest drummer name in music? All formulate a formidable lineup behind Dickinson that has many metal and different genre bands a little jealous.

Although not littered with classics for a Maiden repertoire, do not expect to find any “Run to Hills,” “The Clansmen,” “The Trooper” or “Number of the Beast” here on this effort, The Final Frontier seems to represent a watershed for the band. Hinted and rumored that it may be one of the last Maiden albums, certainly for the near future anyway, The Final Frontier is an overall enjoyable metal romp from the grandfathers of head banging.

Jonathan Whitelaw

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The album is on general release from EMI. Check out the band’s official website for tour dates etc: http://www.ironmaiden.com