Thank God for Slayer. <\/p>\n
After an anemic showing in the \u201890s, it seemed like the general consensus was that metal was a young person\u2019s game. After all, most metal relies on two things that, in most cases, decline with age: speed and aggression. But then Slayer roared back in the early part of last decade with God Hates Us All<\/i>. And since 2001, the band hasn\u2019t faltered. <\/p>\n
It seems Slayer\u2019s critical success may have lit a fire in Iron Maiden\u2019s creative engines. Like Slayer, Iron Maiden had less than stellar decade in the \u201890s. But the Irons reemerged with 2006\u2019s A Matter Of Life And Death<\/i>. Though some fans weren\u2019t as receptive as many critics, it was a strong enough album to stoke some heated critical debate (unlike the near-universally panned Fear Of The Dark<\/i>, The X-Factor<\/i>, and Virtual XI<\/i>). <\/p>\n
The goodwill gained with A Matter Of Life And Death<\/i> is not wasted on The Final Frontier<\/i>. The album is the musical equivalent of a person going all in on a high stakes poker game. It\u2019s a concept album in the thinnest of terms, dealing with outer space, isolation, and returning home. But the biggest gamble on the album is the length \u2013 a whopping 75 minutes \u2013 making it the longest album (not including live) in the band\u2019s career. <\/p>\n
As a metal lover, when I hear the term \u201c75-minute album,\u201d the first band that pops into my head is Tool. All of their post-Undertow<\/i> output has involved complex time shifts, dense themes, and a general understanding that the album will require multiple listens to even partially absorb. And to be honest, Iron Maiden isn\u2019t exactly a \u201c75 minute\u201d album kind of band. Some of their best albums, namely Powerslave<\/i> and The Number Of The Beast<\/i>, log in between the 40 and 50 minute mark. And as good as those albums are, the prospect of hearing another 30 minutes of Maiden after the last song on each of those albums, isn\u2019t exactly a welcome thought. <\/p>\n
So let\u2019s start with the good. If you are a fan of Iron Maiden\u2019s longer songs, such as \u201cRime Of The Ancient Mariner\u201d or \u201cThe Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner,\u201d The Final Frontier<\/i> is the Iron Maiden album you\u2019ve been waiting for. Ten songs, 75 minutes \u2013 you do the math. <\/p>\n
For a good number of tracks, the pacing works. On \u201cThe Isle Of Avalon,\u201d the beginning builds to a charged middle and ends on a spectacular note. Steve Harris\u2019 bass playing remains first rate on tracks like this and on \u201cThe Alchemist,\u201d the most straightforward \u201crocking\u201d song on the album. <\/p>\n
Unfortunately, age does creep into the album. Bruce Dickinson\u2019s vocals sound almost painfully strained on \u201cMother Of Mercy.\u201d The leadoff track that features the chorus \u201cThe Final Frontier\u201d sounds just like what you\u2019d expect an Iron Maiden song to sound like if you were to ask them to write a song called \u201cThe Final Frontier.\u201d And not to obsess about the length, but the album has an unfinished quality that works to its disadvantage. Tons of rock and even some metal benefit from having such an unpolished sound, but when you\u2019re writing an epic album, a bit more emphasis on perfectionism would have been welcome. <\/p>\n
Final Frontier<\/i> has racked up some impressive critical reviews. As a metal album, it\u2019s one of the better releases of the year. And it does reward with repeated listens. But the Irons\u2019 previous successes mar the impact of this album. The Final Frontier<\/i> is a fine album, but if fans are asked to spend almost 90 minutes listen to Iron Maiden, chances are most will opt to visit their past triumphs.\u00a0 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":30460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[5725],"rating":[5612],"class_list":["post-42125","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-iron-maiden","rating-rating-b-minus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42125"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42125\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=42125"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=42125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}