Continuing my way through the Maiden catalog with the thirteenth studio album and second of the reunion era of the band. “Dance of Death” followed the reunion album “Brave New World” and is very similar in sound and song style but for me not quite as good but I still liked it a lot at the time and still do. Overall a little darker lyrically than BNW but with what was happening in the world with 911 and the Iraq War that’s not unexpected. The album cover was atrocious and I still can’t believe Steve allowed it to be the final cover and even the artist asked to not be associated with it. It seemed like they were going for an “Eyes Wide Shut” theme or maybe a tie in with the lyrics of the title track but it was a bad idea and poorly executed. The album opens with the upbeat but still very melodic “Wildest Dreams”. A good song but not a great one for me. It was the lead single and was probably the best choice but it’s just not quite on the level of “The Wicker Man” but it tries so hard. The first time I heard it was just before the album release when they played it on the “Give Me Ed…till I’m Dead” tour that also featured Dio and Motörhead. “Rainmaker” follows and is still very melodic but it’s better song and just has a cool melody that makes it more memorable. This was the second single and was co-written by Dave Murray who rarely gets a song released as a single. “No More Lies” at almost eight minutes isn’t the longest Maiden song ever but it does seem longer than it is and might be due to the chorus seeming to go a little too long. It reminds me a little of “Nomad” from the previous album in that it might go on just a tad too long but it is a good song and was one that seemed to get a lot of love from the fanbase at the time. “Montsegur” is a fast and heavy song with good solos. Lyrically about a Catholic Church event in the 1200’s in France during the crusades. A song that I didn’t like as much at first that has really grown on me over the years. “Dance of Death” is an epic eight minute song telling the story inspired by the Seventh Seal movie and starts soft and slow but picks up to a fast pace with several great solos. Melodic and shorter and more to the point “Gates of Tomorrow” is a solid album track. Opening with a cool guitar part with bass lines underneath it all its kind of an unusual Maiden song and could have been a single. Maybe not the most memorable song from the album but it’s kind of underrated. “New Frontier” is best known for being Nicko Mcbrain’s first songwriting co-write with not only part of the music but also the lyrics. Another solid album track and is more melodic and a little shorter compared to several of the eight minute tracks and again could have been a single. Lyrically about the possibilities of cloning. Pachendale” is a classic in every way. Eight plus minutes long and amazing from the first note to the last. One of the first epic type songs co-written by Adrian Smith who’s usually known for shorter more melodic songs. Lyrically about the first world war battle of Pachendale and full of amazing playing and solos. If there’s one all time great Maiden song on this album then this is it.
I just love the intensity of “Face in the Sand”. It just hits you right in the face with Bruce’s venomous vocal and goes through two rounds of verses before getting to the chorus half way through the song. Lyrically about the Iraq War and 911 and how our society watches real world events play out on tv. One of my favorites on the album. “Age of Innocence” opens with a slower guitar melody and slowly builds to the verse and overall is very melodic and kind of a catchy chorus. Kind of a lost track buried at the back of the album but it’s very good and with that melodic chorus had single potential. Lyrically it’s about the changes in society from one’s childhood to adulthood and the thought of missing how much better life is in an ever changing world. The album closes with “The Journeyman” which is an odd closing song for the band with it being acoustic based with a lot of keyboards or synth with Bruce describing the struggles of being a musician who creates and travels and how hard the life can be. I absolutely hated this song on first listen of the cd in 2003 but now I love the song and the lyrics can be applied to anyone and struggles we all go through in of life. Overall the album was always an A- or B+ version of Brave New World. Very similar in some ways but just not quite as great but there are still many great songs and not any that I dislike and after playing it through five or six times the last few days I kind of like even more than I thought I did with it having a good mix of more melodic four to five minute tracks and more epic seven to eight minute tracks.
Iron Maiden – Dance of Death (2003)
