Review Summary: Surprisingly solid from heavy metal veterans
After 40 years of proud work, 15 studio albums and numerous live (and dead) ones, what's left for Maiden, but another release. And it comes after five long years of waiting. And wondering. Wondering if our favorite heavy metal band can still produce anything remotely as fine as 80' albums. I'm not saying that older is always better, 'cause that's simply not the case. It's just that, well, quite simply, since Brave New World the pure quality of their releases has been in constant downfall. And I had a feeling that they were aware of that on some level. And thus time between the two albums (plus, Bruce's tumor of the tongue didn't help, obviously). Was it worth waiting for?
To say that this one's their best since BNW doesn't say much, does it? And to me, that's not even the big deal here. Most importantly, The Book of Souls displays the fact that those guys, 40 years after, can still produce some original, distinctive, powerful, energetic, hard 'n' heavy sound pieces. Is it good enough? Both yes and no, depends greatly on the particular song, but their musicianship is there, as well as the ideas. Clean, meaningful solos of old are back, and while album in general is solid at best, feeling I had after hearing it out was positive. Although, to be honest, you have to give it more than one listening. Now, we already knew Maiden developed this urge to make the songs longer, and while it's not necessarily a bad urge, 'cause, among other things, it shows those guys matured, too many times those tracks have overstayed their welcome. With too few exceptions (The Clansman, For the Greater Love of God, The Nomad, Where the Wild Wind Blows) it presented the fact that it's not enough just to add a few repetitions of a chorus that's already weak, or of a solo that's not memorable. You have to make it flows through all of 8+ minutes (I guess in the old days epic was 7+, but nowadays almost half of their songs are 7+, so the bar has to go higher). And here we have, for the first time, three 10+ minute songs. In fact, since it's double edition, The Book of Souls is the longest of all Iron Maiden albums, and that really says something, since all of their last releases have been over 60 minutes long.
Is it all justified? For the most part, it's not, but when it is, it's epic and legendary. Actually, right now I'm doing some basic math, and I come to conclusion that, if The Book of Souls is around 50 minutes long (which is more than suffice) it will go down as their top 5 album, with roughly the same duration as the average of other four.
Sound-wise, they haven't sounded better in years, which actually comes to no surprise, as they recorded it in the same studio as Brave New World. Sound is clear as ever, and so is the Bruce's voice. It's a shame then that every now and then, there's a feeling that the songs contain too many lyrics and he just won't stop singing so we can enjoy the music, but I guess that's just one of the down-sides of out-sized tracks.
This time, Harris is not the lone songwriter, and it shows, as the songs are versatile. It all begins with Dickinson's piece, "If eternity should fail", and right away I'm reminded while I dislike long openers. It hasn't worked so far, and here it it just dull and not a great way to start an album. There's some Bruce's narration at first, and when they eventually begin to play, it obviously wasn't worth the wait. "Speed of Light" is the first single here, and while it doesn't actually represent the general feeling of release, it is fast and semi-raw, the way their faster tracks should sound these days. "The Great Unknown" is yet another disappointment, but here we have the perfect title, 'cause sincerely, the point of this song remains unknown to me. I've listened to entire album 10-15 times, and still I can't mutter it's melody. It's forgettable in that sense.
Especially since the next song is oh so near-perfect. "The Red and the Black" is highlight here, song that very much reminded me of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner". Acoustic intro is clean and simple, and the heavy part that follows blends in perfectly. Singing parts are lightly too fast, but are melodic as ever, and "ooooooowwwwwwoooooooohhhhhhh" parts are bound to be live favorite. However, the pinnacle is a solo, and what a solo it is. To say that it is as good as that in "Ancient Mariner" is blasphemy, but it certainly comes close. It's one of most beautiful heavy metal songs I've heard in years. Unfortunately, what follows is easily one the low-points here, as "When the River Runs Deep"'s riffs are generic, the chorus is mediocre and forgettable, and while the solo part isn't bad, it is simply not enough. And then there's the title track. "The Book of Souls" has an outstanding acoustic intro, followed by Mother-Russia-ish riff, except here the singing parts are longer and boring, thus being the prime example of the songs that overstayed its welcome. Janick Gers is probably my least favorite songwriter in the band, and the repetition and dullness here just scream his name. It's a shame, the track did have some great potential.
"Death or Glory" is as aggressive as its title, and while it's definitely passable, it's also uneventful, bland and unexciting. Still, compared to "Shadows of the Valley" it's very solid, as that one, again with Janick as co-writer, is one of the dullest tracks ever recorded by Iron Maiden, 7+ minutes of nothingness, pure and simple. It begins with a riff that's almost 100% Wasted Years, and then is followed by... well, nothing that's new, original or meaningful. The last section of this album is probably its very best, as it contains no weak songs or filler. "Tears of the Clown", based on life and death of actor Robin Williams, actually presents a coda from one legendary performer(s) to the other. Its concrete yet powerful, and although the lyrics are kinda weak, they are the splendor of emotions, and, when you know what are they about, memories. I always found Dave Murray not to be as literate songwriter as Harris, but on the other hand, his songs always seem honest, peaceful and clean. And that's the case with "The Man of Sorrows". It's a track that most positively won't find its way into Maiden's all-time best lists and compilations, but nevertheless has that certain something. It could have been a minute, minute and a half shorter, but maybe it's better this way, 'cause it's length is a nice prelude to...
...the longest song Maiden ever recorded. "Empire of the Clouds" is a symphony of almost everything band has ever created, their magnum opus in 18 minutes. And it starts, of all things, with Dickinson's solo on the piano! No wonder, since it's his pride and joy, a story about fatal destiny of the airship R101 in 1930. Although it's not Maiden's best (hell, it's probably not even top 10), it's remarkable nevertheless, an experience you won't easily forget.
Finally, I have to mention the cover, probably most simplistic one ever for a Maiden edition, but as I said, longer (or more complex) isn't always better, and here it perfectly captures the theme behind almost all of songs, and that's the matter of the soul, since Mayans were suckers for that subject.
High Point: "The Red and Black" is simply mesmerizing, astonishingly captivating, and probably the pinnacle of their songwriting abilities nowadays.
Interesting Point: "Empire of the Clouds", although few minutes too long, is welcomed addition to the bevy of epics.
Low Point: "Shadows of the Valley" takes the cake, 'cause even if there are worse songs here, this one is longer than them.
