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IRON MAIDEN The Final Frontier Track-By-Track
Somewhere between the dark and menacing war stories ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ A Matter ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ Life And Death and the prog-tinged melodic bombast ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ Brave New World, albeit with a vast amount ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ fresh ideas thrown in for good measure, The Final Frontier is every bit as strong as the last three Maiden albums. The difference between this one and its predecessors is that these songs repeatedly take the Brit metal legends into uncharted territory. This is a demanding album, but one that most Maiden fans are going to absolutely adore…
SATELLITE 15…THE FINAL FRONTIER
Everyone has heard the album’s title track by now, and it’s a straightforward and infectious slab ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ muscular hard rock that seems destined to open Maiden shows for the foreseeable future…but it’s the first part ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ this bi-polar album opener that is going to blow fans’ minds. A disorientating maelstrom ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ swirling distortion, thudding double kicks and bizarre spectral vocals, Satellite 15 is undoubtedly the weirdest thing the band have ever recorded. It’s heavy, it’s left-field and it’s utterly unexpected.
EL DORADO
Opinion seems to be divided about whether El Dorado is simply a solid, straightforward Maiden tune or something genuinely special. In fact, it’s a bit ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ both; a bold and boisterous seven-minute epic with an infectious chorus and a few deftly-executed twists and turns, all custom-built to go down an absolute storm live.
MOTHER ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ MERCY
A dark and menacing song that could easily have been on A Matter ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ Life And Death, this is one ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ those archetypal horrors-************SPAM/BANNEAR************-war anthems that Maiden do so well. It starts with a faintly proggy intro – a whiff ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ Steve Harris’ beloved Jethro Tull, perhaps – before morphing into a brooding, slow-motion gallop, not a million miles from Stranger In A Strange Land (from Somewhere In Time), but with a much more sinister overall vibe. “Sick ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ all the killing and the reek ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ death…” sings Bruce at one point.
COMING HOME
A bombastic, lighters-in-the-air ballad with a difference, Coming Home marries a giant, sing-along chorus to some subtly progressive riffs and a typically adventurous arrangement. Undeniably sentimental, this is plainly Bruce Dickinson’s song, as he sings about returning home and seeing the lights on the runway as his plane descends to Earth. Not many bands could pull this off without setting off the cheese alarm. Maiden do it brilliantly. A live classic in the making.
THE ALCHEMIST
Arguably the most old fashioned song on the album, this punchy four-minute burst ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ speed, energy and irresistible Lizzy-esque lead guitar harmonies would have fit neatly onto Fear ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ The Dark and nimbly ticks all the necessary boxes to please the die-hards. Interestingly, this has the same title as a song from Bruce Dickinson’s classic solo album Chemical Wedding. The two songs are utterly dissimilar, however.
ISLE ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ AVALON
Possibly the finest thing on The Final Frontier and certainly one ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ the strongest songs Maiden have produced in years, Isle ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ Avalon takes the band into unfamiliar melodic territory, with a few unconventional time signatures and proggy detours adding to the intense freshness that pervades throughout its nine minute duration, and a simply enormous chorus that will surely translate extremely well live. There’s a vague hint ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ Paschendale (from 2003’s Dance ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ Death) and a nod or two to Maiden’s Somewhere In Time album here.
STARBLIND
Another song that is full ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ surprises, despite Maiden’s unmistakable sound, this is another epic that brims with great riffs, melodies and subtle textural touches. Almost psychedelic in places, Starblind has a genuinely otherworldly feel, particularly during its intricate midsection which boasts a phenomenal bluesy lead break over some sumptuous, mellow guitar work from the Three Amigos.
THE TALISMAN
Another song that would have fit on A Matter ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ Life And Death, The Talisman is dark and complex, but it also flows beautifully, spreading out from its folky intro into a powerful main verse riff and a seriously explosive chorus with Bruce bellowing at the top ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ his not inconsiderable lungs. Despite being nine minutes long, this one whizzes by in what seems like half that time.
THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING
An eerie, unsettling intro leads into some crushing, doomy chords before this sprawling epic switches direction and heads into a superbly catchy and muscular verse riff and another big chorus. Like many songs on The Final Frontier, The Man Who Would Be King seldom does exactly what you would expect, and yet it all makes perfect sense by the time its rambling, harmony-packed intro fades gently away…
WHEN THE WILD WIND BLOWS
Based on author Raymond Briggs’ grim post-nuclear fallout graphic novel (When The Wind Blows), the final track on Maiden’s 15th album is every bit as bleak and unnerving as its subject matter would seem to demand, and yet this is as musically fascinating and lyrically brave as anything the band have recorded. Densely-layered and uncompromising, this one will take a few listens to sink in, but there is an insane amount ************SPAM/BANNEAR************ atmosphere and countless inspired melodic touches on display here. A stunning finale.
Words: Dom Lawson
