Review : IRON MAIDEN – “The Final Frontier”

Iron Maiden – The Final Frontier
Release Date: 17Aug2010 (US)
Label: Universal
Rating: 5/5

Any diehard Iron Maiden fan reading this now understands the painful anticipation of this album. The first hinted release date was possibly 2008, but that whole Somewhere Back in Time world tour kind of got in the way. Then we all thought “okay, 2009 for sure” …look at how that turned out. Finally, after the longest break between Iron Maiden albums in their career, The Final Frontier has hit the streets. I have not been this pumped for an album in a long time.

I tried to hate this album. I really really did. Every fanboyish compulsion told me “this is the greatest thing ever.” In my search for holes in Maiden‘s songwriting, production, and just overall execution, I ended up with nothing. I will admit that the last few albums had their issues (some more than others) but The Final Frontier is virtually flawless. That’s right, I said it:  flawless.

The most fascinating thing Iron Maiden have done is hit a second crest in their career. The Final Frontier is to today’s band what Powerslave and Somewhere in Time were to the group in the ’80s. In a nutshell, I would describe it as 1/4 Brave New World, 1/4 Dance of Death, 1/4 A Matter of Life and Death, and 1/4 brand-spanking-new. “Satellite 15″ is the first sign of change, with a spacey, Dream Theater-meets-Pink Floyd intro. Its combination of bass-synth ambience, screaming guitar, and pounding drums certainly starts with the sense of going into space. It leads perfectly into the title track, which has, despite some issues I had upon initial listening, already reached the point of giving me goosebumps.

The rest of the record falters not once throughout the entirety of its 76 minutes––these songs are top notch. “El Dorado” showcases the band’s signature use of gallops, “Coming Home” is the best ballad they’ve written this millennium, and “The Alchemist” is a Dickinson-ized version of “Man on the Edge”. The first half’s tracks also offer something for fans with a shorter attention span, while the second half sees the band expanding into the progressive, 7-plus minute tracks that have become a staple of Maiden albums as of late. Of these five songs, the best would certainly be “The Talisman” and “When the Wild Wind Blows”. The former starts off with a gorgeous acoustic 12-string arrangement reminiscent of the last album’s closer, “The Legacy”. The latter comes in as the band’s third longest song to date and succeeds as the album’s climax.

Iron Maiden are peaking just as high––if not higher––than they did in their heyday. Each album for the last ten years has been a cut above the last, a feat rarely achieved by a band of their age. The Final Frontier certainly doesn’t stop this trend and should remain a classic for years to come.

FCC OK
Try 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10

01. Satellite 15… The Final Frontier
02. El Dorado
03. Mother of Mercy
04. Coming Home
05. The Alchemist
06. Isle of Avalon
07. Starblind
08. The Talisman
09. The Man Who Would Be King
10. When the Wild Wind Blows