It’s been four years since Iron Maiden’s last new release. Since then, they have toured the world many times and have ventured to places many people didn’t even know existed but, now they are back and have gone where no man has ever gone before in the release of the Final Frontier.
At first listen, you are baffled by a combination of different styles and strange subject titles for songs but, patience and time is needed when listening to this epic album. Satellite 15... The Final Frontier starts the album off with space age sound effects and a tale of a space voyage gone wrong. The song is very catchy and will have you singing “The Final Frontier ... The Final Frontier” for a long time to come. This catchy opener is just the start of the album. We are then launched into El Dorado which has already become a hit at live performances. This song is a powerful punchy song to get you excited for what’s to come. The subject of the song is to do with the economic state of the world over the past few years, and the key lyric to this is, “I’m a clever banker’s face, with just a letter out of place”. Mother of Mercy is a classic Maiden song about the battles fought on the battlefield by soldiers at war. This is a great song with many different flavours, the most distinct of these being from the Dance of Death album, but you can also hear parts from the 1990’s era. Coming Home is a typical ballad style song which has definite echoes of A Matter of Life and Death. This song is slow but tells of the travels that they have been through and that they are pleased to return home; hence the title. The Alchemist is a true gripper of a song and sounds distinctly like The X Factor’s Man on the Edge. The song talks about medieval Alchemists Edward Kelly and John Dee as they try to summon up demons and other things. This is a classic Janick Gers upbeat song which Maiden fans will either love or loathe.
The Isle of Avalon marks a turn in tack for the album as the songs get longer and more technical. The Isle of Avalon is both epic in proportion and in the song itself. The song is set to the theme of a mysterious place called Avalon, (in today’s terms Glastonbury) where the dead beckon people into Annwyn (The Otherworld). The song is very eerie but is reflective of songs like the Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg from the A Matter of Life and Death album. Starblind is another song which has a familiar feel too, coming from A Matter of Life and Death. The song has a great feel to it but is possibly not up to the standards of the other songs. The Talisman is a great song with a mission feel to it. This song makes you feel like you’re there on the high seas and features some great vocals from Bruce. This song promises to be a hit with Maiden fans as it ticks all the boxes with it being both lengthy and goes from clean to overdrive excellently. The Man Who Would Be King is a song about a man’s journey and how he has regrets in his life but, in this song it is not the lyrical journey we are interested in as the song changes so rapidly you could get lost with the amount of styles in the song as it has nearly every Maiden style from every period in it. This is a strange song but, it will take you on both a lyrical and harmonic journey. When the Wild Wind Blows is an eerie song based on the cartoon film by Raymond Briggs about the end of the world by nuclear attack. The song, like the past three, follows the trademark Maiden clean to overdrive and lulls you into a falls sense of security before all the action kicks off. This song is a true classic and will stick with you for a long time.
In general, the album is great, it just needs time for you to get used to the styles but the song quality is Maiden’s standard brilliance. The mix by producer Kevin Shirley can leave you wondering sometimes, “Shouldn’t the guitar be up a bit?” or “I can’t hear Bruce very well” but, apart from a few minor quibbles all is good and you will fall in love with it after one or two more listens.
9/10
