Review Summary: Hard to listen to in one go, but worth it if you dig in with some truly great tracks.
Iron Maiden is a band that doesn't need an introduction. One of the most successful metal bands of all time, they were known for many standards of the genre (including one of the best live albums of all time) in the 80's. After the admittedly lackluster 90's coupled with the departure of one of their guitarists (Adrian Smith) and their iconic singer (Bruce Dickinson), they made a stunning comeback with 2000's 'Brave New World', and have stayed relevant with their two subsequent albums, 'Dance of Death' and 'A Matter of Life and Death'. A question on every fan's mind: after a four year absence from the studio, could they do it again? Everyone who's honest about it has to admit their themes had begun to grow somewhat stale, with seemingly obligatory lyrics about dreams, death, religion, and war.
With that in mind, let's start the review. 'The Final Frontier' is quite a long album, clocking in at 76 minutes. The intro promises something strange; it's very long, but seems like two songs stuck together. Were it a bit shorter (the beginning is cool, but starts to grate at about 3 minutes) it would be much easier to listen to.
The next song has caught a lot of flak from the metal community, but I think El Dorado is a great song. It's got that trademark gallop and a nice riff, and the lyrics are a fresh change from the band. It is a bit too extended with the a jam in the beginning and the end, but it succeeds as a highly enjoyable song without bearing the 'epic' label.
Speaking of epics, Maiden supplies us with a few of them. And the best of these really make the album better; The Talisman and When the Wild Wind Blows rank among Maiden's best in my opinion, the former being another song about war (without being as cliche as their endless list of war songs) and the latter an amazing song that builds up from a ballad-esque riff in major to a blistering roller-coaster of passion; this feeling is only made stronger by the rumor that this is Maiden's last album, making it the last thing we would hear on a Maiden album.
The other real standout is The Alchemist, the only track not to exceed five minutes. It's reminiscent of Maiden's glory in the 80's: it's fast, catchy, and everything we'd come to know and love from albums like 'Powerslave'. It also manages to be a welcome change of pace in an album of complex arrangements.
The rest of the tracks are strong, with some managing to be memorable and some above-average (but ultimately forgettable), but none of the tracks are weak. There's no obvious filler, but the album is quite difficult to listen to all at once. It's best enjoyed in chunks, or a couple songs at a time. While the sheer length of the album is a bit off-putting and although not every idea succeeds, Maiden churned out an excellent album that easily outclasses most of their younger counterparts.
