After a 5 year interim, Iron Maiden has finally released
their 16th studio album, The Book of Souls.
I.
First
Impression
The Book of Souls, was released on September 4th,
2015. This album’s music will surely stimulate your senses and rock your soul
like their last album The Final Frontier in 2010. The Book of Souls
is everything I hoped for and more from Iron Maiden. Nowadays, bands are only releasing
EP’s and singles. But in true Iron Maiden fashion, they came out with a double
album. A whole 92 minutes of an amazing performance from the opening track “If
Eternity Should Fail” to the epic “Empire of the Clouds”. Every song has a
memorable chorus, and hook that make you want to listen to them again and
again.
II. The Music
“If Eternity Should
Fail” deals with one of man’s greatest fears - death! While everyone will
die, it’s whether there is a place for the soul to go. What if there is no
eternity or heaven to go to? Where will we go? Death also brings out another
fear. If we are mortal men, will our legacy just be remembered on earth or will
it follow us into heaven? This song brings these ideas into a metaphysical
world of spirits.
“Speed of Light” has
more of an old school sound to it. While listening to the song and reading the
lyrics, you get a feeling that you’re going through a journey through space.
Watching the lights of stars go by, having no concept of speed and going ever
faster into the void. As the song starts, you can hear Bruce Dickinson unleash his
inner Ian Gillian with that booming scream.
“The Great Unknown”
examines the demise of the world. It deals with whether people will retain
their humanity or lose it and evolve into packs of wild wolves and tear each
other apart.
“The Red
and the Black” is about gambling in its purest form, a game for the soul.
The red verses black theme can be taken literally. In this game of chance you
are gambling against the house. The odds
are stacked against you. The other literal theme is in war. When two sides
oppose each other, the red and black can be taken as the color of the uniforms
of each army. While in this conflict you need someone to save or bail you out
of your situation. No matter how hard you try, you’re doomed. People don’t want
the truth. They want the illusion of victory even if it costs them everything
in the end.
“When the River Runs
Deep” delves into the search for meaning in life. While some people are
content with waiting for fate, most would rather seize the day deciding it for
themselves.
“The Book of Souls”
is the title track of the album. It captures the grand nature of the burial of a
Mayan king. Mayan’s would sacrificed animals or sometimes a human in honor of
their king, and surround his burial site with riches. Not only will the king be
judged by the demons of the afterlife, but he will also traverse the garden of
the gods. This Mayan king is on a journey for the truth, which lies in the book
of souls.
“Death or Glory” is a song about war, but does not take place on any
normal battlefield. It takes place in the sky. Arial combat has been used as an
instrument of waging war for at least a century now. One of the most notable
figures was the Red Baron. His dog fights in the skies of World War 1 made him a
legend. Death or glory represents the mantra of these heroic pilots.
“Shadow of the Valley”
takes its origins from Psalm 23, “Though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil”. The song becomes its own adding the view
of the biblical apocalypse and the fall of man.
“Tears of a Clown”
is an epitaph to the late comedian Robin Williams. Even though the comic has a
smile on his face, his eyes show the deep sadness of the man inside.
“The Man of Sorrows”
deals with is the passage of time. As people get older they gain knowledge and
wisdom, but good friends and family leave your side and pass away. We tend not
to think about these people, because we do not dwell on the thought of death. The
surviving man is still passing on knowledge and enriching the lives of those around
him. Thus, we don’t feel afraid of that certainty called death.
“Empire of the Clouds”
is a true epic in every sense of the word. It is the first Iron Maiden song to
feature piano, which is played by Bruce Dickinson. It tells of the maiden
voyage of the zeppelin R101 British airship, “the largest vessel built by man, a giant of the
skies”. This song takes you on the fateful journey and demise of being on the
large zeppelin.
III.
My Verdict
While each song is about familiar subjects like war, life
beyond death, or glorious historical events. Each one brings something new to
the table. I give this album a score of 5
out of 5 Eddie hearts. The Book of Souls in my opinion is a spectacular album
and worthy to be in every music aficionado’s library. If I had to make a top
five songs off the album it would be:
1) The Red and the Black
2) If Eternity Should Fail
3) Tears of a Clown
4) Speed of Light
5) Death or Glory
While I believe this album, The Book of Souls, is
amazing. I do see two shortcomings.
2) Lack of a narrative of Necropolis throughout the album.
At the end of “If Eternity Should Fail”, there is a passage/message about this
character. There are opportunities throughout the album on multiple songs where
they could have had more passages from this character. Similar to Bruce
Dickinson’s solo album, The Chemical Wedding, where guest musician,
Arthur Brown, does a few passages of William Blake after a few of the songs.
IV.
Extras/Behind
the Scenes
After finishing the recording of the album, vocalist Bruce
Dickinson went to get a lump on his neck checked out by doctors. He was diagnosed
with throat cancer. The cancerous tumor was on the back of his tongue. He has
since conquered the disease and is in recovery. Doctors believe Bruce is cancer
free and will have a full recovery.
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