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RELEASED: May 30 2000
PRODUCER:Steve Harris & Kevin Shirley
LABEL:Portrait/Columbia
BAND:Steve Harris
Bruce Dickinson
Adrian Smith
Janick Gers
Nicko McBrain
Dave Murray |
+
Bruce is back! Adrian is back! Vastly improved songwriting compared to 90’s work
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A couple forgettable numbers, ew more long songs than some might like |
TRACKS:
1.The Wicker Man 2.Ghost Of The Navigator 3.Brave New World 4.Blood Brothers 5.The Mercenary 6.Dream Of Mirrors 7.The Fallen Angel 8.The Nomad 9.Out Of The Silent Planet 10.The Thin Line Between Love & Hate |
OVERVIEW
Being an Iron Maiden fan in the 90’s had to be something like watching Rocky get mauled by Clubber Lang in Rocky III; the once-mighty Maiden loses lightning-quick shredder Adrian Smith in 1990, Bruce Dickinson leaves in 1993, and the band puts out a pair of abysmal albums who’s greatest attribute is that they make great coasters. Every band has good albums and bad albums, but anyone who says that anything after “No Prayer for the Dying” is quality Maiden will likely be arrested soon for drug possession. Just like Rocky in the movie, the band continues to take it on the chin and spiral further into becoming a shadow of their former glory, until…
Well, there’s no Apollo Creed that whipped Maiden back into shape, but 2000’s “Brave New World” is definitely a triumphant return to greatness for the mighty Maiden, a reminder to all the upstarts exactly how Harris and company became the legendary band they were in the 80’s. Dickinson is back, and his operatic pipes are still just as captivating and powerful as ever. Smith also re-enters the fold, which gives Maiden a triple-guitar assault for the first time in their storied career and absolutely kills live! This disc is a more modern, mature Iron Maiden, but definitely captures the energy and signature style that made albums like “Piece of Mind” and “Number of the Beast” so great. The result is a modern classic metal knockout that can’t help but leave a grin on the face of even the most jaded Maiden fan.
SONGS
Just in case you had doubts about a “comeback” album, the opening chords of “The Wicker Man” blasting out of your speakers leave no doubt that Maiden is back and playing to win. This one’s a great album opener with the anthemic choruses that made songs like “2 Minutes to Midnight” and “Run to the Hills” so great, and things only get better with “Ghost of the Navigator”, which is in my opinion one of the best songs on the record – another maritime epic in the tradition of “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” that shows Harris’s compositional skills at their finest. The title track is merely decent; nothing to write home about, but certainly not bad. “Blood Brothers” is a ¾ Celtic-tinged number about Harris’s departed father, and features some great dynamic work as you feel the song swell and build throughout its 7:14 running time. “The Mercenary” kicks things back into high gear in the tradition of “Die With Your Boots On” – don’t miss the dueling guitar solos on this one. Between Gers, Smith, and Murray, these guys throw together some jaw-dropping axework that will have any fan of shred salivating. “Dream of Mirrors” is another 9+ minute epic, curiously placed in the middle of the album, but still a great song about Harris’s recurring nightmares with one of the most memorable choruses and hooks on the record. “The Fallen Angel” is another mid-tempo rocker with yet another shout-along chorus (I did say this was a comeback record, right?), and paves the way for “The Nomad”, a 9-minute Middle-Eastern tinged number with perfect pacing and some of the most effective atmosphere creation on the CD. “Out of the Silent Planet” and “The Thin Line Between Love and Hate” are both sub-par compared to the rest of the CD, but still nothing to sneeze at.
CONCLUSION
Like I said before, Maiden is back and playing for keeps this time. It may not be a “Number of the Beast” or “Powerslave”, but “Brave New World” is thoroughly enjoyable and a definite return to the form that made them one NWOBHM icons and one of metal’s most legendary bands.
Review
by Matt Rewinski
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