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In 2006, A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH became the fourteenth album released by Iron Maiden.
The entire tracklist includes:
1.Different World
2.These Colours Don't Run
3.Brighter Than A Thousand Suns
4.The Pilgrim
5.The Longest Day
6.Out of the Shadows
7.The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg
8.For the Greater Good of God
9.Lord of light
10.The Legacy
Who would have thought that they still had it in them? Iron Maiden's 14th studio album is probably the most consistent since The X Factor and one of their best contributions to Heavy Metal since the heydays of the 1980s. This is not to say that Virtual XI, Brave New World, and Dance Of Death weren't good, as they all contain a few gems, but some songs were significantly weaker than others and gave the impression to be mere fillers on the albums. Now, with A Matter Of Life And Death, things are quite different!
The songs weave a common thread about death, destruction, and the way Mankind seems to be doomed if no one does anything. There are, however, a few elements of hope that weren't observed in the previous albums, and even a ballad dealing with the beauty of birth, despite the shadow of death that falls onto the newborn as soon as he draws his first breath.
The cover has, once again, raised a debate in the Maiden community. Made by a certain Tim Bradstreet, who is more used to draw comics with a certain dose of violence and grimness, it shows Eddie in the unusual company of corpse soldiers in the middle of a battlefield. Whereas it depicts quite well the theme of many of the songs on the album, this artwork seems clumsy and far remote from the illustrations made by the precedent artists. One could sarcastically mention that, this time, it was a good idea that Rod Smallwood didn't let his 5-year-old nephew add CGI characters to the artwork, unlike for the cover of Dance Of Death. It should be noted, though, that Melvyn Grant's illustration for the Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg single is far superior to Bradstreet's piece and that it might have been a good idea to use it for the album instead. Well, who am I anyway to tell Maiden's management what to do?
Back to the music itself, let's just say that this album has been labelled "Progressive Metal" by some 'enlightened' music critics who supposedly know better than the rest of us. Although this superficial analysis could sometimes apply in a few song, the progressive elements in the music have been wisely used and are far less susceptible to induce the boredom of a "real" progressive album – no, I never said that Dream Theater were boring... or did I?
A Matter Of Life And Death is in any case a great album. It will surely attract many more new fans to the music of Iron Maiden, as well satisfy the "old guard" who will be glad to see their favourite band in top form, both musically and lyrically. Get hold of the album and you'll see what I mean.
