Review Summary: A nice little "thank you" to the fans from the almighty Irons
In 2004, Iron Maiden released a special box set with the
No More Lies EP, as a thank you to the fans who attended the 2003 Dance of Death tour. The box set came with the CD, a wristband and plenty of other good extras. The CD contains three tracks, with four songs, all being familiar tunes from the
Dance of Death album, and I'm sure most of you are familiar with that album and its songs. And while this EP may not be necessary and it might not be an essential collector's item, it is ultimately worth it for the material featured here.
Most of you are already familiar with "No More Lies". It's a great tune that clocks in at 7 minutes long, and while the chorus may repeat a bit too much to ad nauseum, it does get you rockin' in your seat. It has a very edgy Celtic vibe to it, with great riffs, and a similar feel to "The Clansman" from
Virtual XI, and three gorgeous solos to boot. Next up is the orchestral version of "Paschendale". Honestly, I can't say I'm a fan of this "orchestral version". All it does is add more synth to the song and it makes it seem cheesy. It's like a beautiful woman who wears needless amounts of makeup- it just completely mars the beauty of the song and the synth in the previous version was good enough. Last is the electric version of "Journeyman". This is a demo of how the song was originally going to be before they changed it to a last minute acoustic version on the album, and it's interesting. It's a lot more stripped down and the electric guitars are nice, however, it's easy to see why it's not the album version; it lacks the atmosphere that the album version has. That, and Bruce sounds a little weak on it. Nonetheless it's interesting and worth listening to if you've heard the album version.
But it ain't over yet, folks! After a few seconds have passed, Nicko McBrain comes back in for a hilarious treat called "Age of Innocence... How Old?", a nice hidden track. This is 7 minutes of Nicko "singing" "Age of Innocence", and it's just so bloody hilarious. He's been known for being the clown of the band, and it's abundantly clear he can't sing to save his life, but it's just too funny for words. Ultimately the best part is his mimicking of the guitar solo, which will pretty much kill you from laughing so hard! And halfway though the song he just completely gives up and makes jokes for the rest of the song. Move over, Brucey! You may just be replaced by your band's own drummer in the future!
So overall, four fine tracks all worth your time. There's no need to shell out money for a copy on eBay, but if you're a sucker for owning a physical copy like I am, I'd say go right for it!
