Iron Maiden's Reviews
Dance of Death (Average Rating: 8.32 out of 10)
Some Great, Some Bad, Inconsistent (Rated this album with 6 out of 10)
Reviewed by
brir
from Brooklyn, NY United States
Well, I waited a long time to write a review of this because I wanted to let the record sink in. Ultimately, my initial gut reaction still stands. There is some great stuff on here, and some really bad stuff. As for the good: "Rainmaker" is beautiful, shows that you can write a fast heavy song that is intensely emotional. "No More Lies" is epic, probably my favorite on the album, and one of the better songs that Maiden has recorded in the last 10-15 years. "Montsegur" is fantastic, a great Maiden history lesson-soon to be classic, intelligent lyrics, and quite heavy. Of course, it's overshadowed by "Paschendale" which is flawless, an incredbily well constructed song, everything works on this track. "Face in the Sand" is fantastic, Nicko's drumming in the first 2-3 mins. is insane, probably the best lyrics on the album. And "Journeyman" i'm not crazy about, but I appreciate them experimenting, and I hope they do more of it in the future. As for the bad: I'm sorry, but I think "Wildest Dreams" is AWFUL, they never should have made it the first single. The lyrics are as silly as "Running Free" (great song, don't get me wrong, but the lyrics are kind of dumb) and it's not a good sign when the lyrics you write on your 13th album are as silly as the ones you write on your first! Plus, the song is just really boring, really generic, really disappointing. "Dance of Death" well, it IS a great song in some ways, but it's SO Spinal Tap, the lyrics are laughable, and the music just sounds too much like "Lord of the Dance." Very, very cheesy, guilty pleasure at best. And the other songs "Gates of Tomorrow" "New Frontier" and "Age of Innocence" are just totally average, nothing special. And I think the lyrics to "Age of Innocence" are really simplistic and reactionary, but that could just be my own political bias. Bottom line, Iron Maiden is one of the most talented metal bands of all time, and after "Brave New World" I was expecting an absolutely brilliant album. This is NOT it. But, there's plenty of great stuff on here, and I'll buy the next IM whenever it comes out!
Buy this album on Amazon at $14.99
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