http://www.metal-reference.com/webzine/index.php?category=3&id=169
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]IRON MAIDEN
Dance of Death
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Artist Name: IRON MAIDEN
Album Name: Dance of Death
Music Style: 80s Heavy Metal/Hard rock
Record Company: EMI
Date of Release: September 2003
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[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Before the bands live appearance on this years Roskilde Festival, I was invited into their tour-bus to give their new album Dance of Death a quick listen. In view of the fact that the opus is first out sometime in September, Sanctuary Records Group had manufactured a contract, which I had to sign, before they allowed me to enter the bus - a contract that prohibited me from revealing any information about the album before now. A rather paranoid consequence of the unrestrained music downloads we see on the Internet.
As of the very first accord there was no doubt about what music was streaming through my ears. No additional modish elements to please the greater masses, emphatically untainted mid-eighties Iron Maiden melodies blasting in the headphones. This first track on the record is entitled Wildest Dreams, and to me it sounded exactly as expected; an energetic mixture between what we heard on the last album Brave New World and the overall sound (but more up tempo) of Rime of the Ancient Mariner from the 1984 released Powerslave. So I was initially very excited, and expected the remaining songs to be in the vein of that very album, but in due course I unhappily became a bit disappointed of its to some extent dreary evolution. The sound actually stayed closely connected to "Rime of...", and I believe that to be one of the elements that are contributing to the tad of boredom that strikes me, when having reached the final minutes of the record. However I still have to emphasise that this is by all means an all right release. I particularly like the vigorous classic dubbed Pascendale, which is perfectly placed in the beginning of the latter part of the album, thus functioning as a revitalising alarm clock. Also tracks such as the galloping Rainmaker, the dramatic Montsegur as well as the accoustic, epic and grand Journeyman are in actual fact magnificent compositions; furthermore the remnant tracks are essentially also passable. But, one must accept as true that it is hard creating innovative songs, when having to restrain one self to the very characteristic universe of Iron Maidens melodies and general sound. I believe another reason for my light weariness, to be the result of the overall track lengths, which spans from approximately 3 to 10 minutes - with the largest amount tipping towards the last mentioned duration!
Given that I only had this one listen to the opus, I cannot vouch for the permanence of the above-mentioned connotations, and so this review will remain a temporary attachment to our webzine. Therefore I will add a new, longer and fully useful review, when we at metal reference receive the album for illimitable use.[/font][/font][/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]IRON MAIDEN
Dance of Death
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Album Name: Dance of Death
Music Style: 80s Heavy Metal/Hard rock
Record Company: EMI
Date of Release: September 2003
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Before the bands live appearance on this years Roskilde Festival, I was invited into their tour-bus to give their new album Dance of Death a quick listen. In view of the fact that the opus is first out sometime in September, Sanctuary Records Group had manufactured a contract, which I had to sign, before they allowed me to enter the bus - a contract that prohibited me from revealing any information about the album before now. A rather paranoid consequence of the unrestrained music downloads we see on the Internet.
As of the very first accord there was no doubt about what music was streaming through my ears. No additional modish elements to please the greater masses, emphatically untainted mid-eighties Iron Maiden melodies blasting in the headphones. This first track on the record is entitled Wildest Dreams, and to me it sounded exactly as expected; an energetic mixture between what we heard on the last album Brave New World and the overall sound (but more up tempo) of Rime of the Ancient Mariner from the 1984 released Powerslave. So I was initially very excited, and expected the remaining songs to be in the vein of that very album, but in due course I unhappily became a bit disappointed of its to some extent dreary evolution. The sound actually stayed closely connected to "Rime of...", and I believe that to be one of the elements that are contributing to the tad of boredom that strikes me, when having reached the final minutes of the record. However I still have to emphasise that this is by all means an all right release. I particularly like the vigorous classic dubbed Pascendale, which is perfectly placed in the beginning of the latter part of the album, thus functioning as a revitalising alarm clock. Also tracks such as the galloping Rainmaker, the dramatic Montsegur as well as the accoustic, epic and grand Journeyman are in actual fact magnificent compositions; furthermore the remnant tracks are essentially also passable. But, one must accept as true that it is hard creating innovative songs, when having to restrain one self to the very characteristic universe of Iron Maidens melodies and general sound. I believe another reason for my light weariness, to be the result of the overall track lengths, which spans from approximately 3 to 10 minutes - with the largest amount tipping towards the last mentioned duration!
Given that I only had this one listen to the opus, I cannot vouch for the permanence of the above-mentioned connotations, and so this review will remain a temporary attachment to our webzine. Therefore I will add a new, longer and fully useful review, when we at metal reference receive the album for illimitable use.[/font][/font][/font]
