THE WEEK IN METAL

Last time it was Slayer's new album, this time it's the new Iron Maiden album, A Matter of Life & Death. It's almost too much for me, weak human that I am.

I'm not going to pretend hearing a new Iron Maiden album is easy, with excessive amounts of rose tinted nostalgia comes ridiculously high expectations ( see the Star Wars prequel trilogy for more on this) and I wasn't mad on The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg, which isn't to say I didn't like it, if you get me. So, having only listened through once, I think it's going to be a grower, which certainly isn't a first time experience with an Iron Maiden album, in fact Dance of Death was one of the few albums that got me early on, and we're still talking second or third listen here.

UPDATE - Just finished my second listen and, well, I think I love it, I've even identified my stage 1 favourite tracks, being These Colours Don't Run, get the tempo change on the chorus plus an woh-oh-woh bit, and The Longest Day, which weirdly enough has a cool tempo change chorus too, spooky, a really cool quietish beginning bit and ace guitar solos.

All in all it's, cue music journo cliche, totally Maiden - which if you want a fuller description of such sentiments kind've feels like the bits in Lord of the Rings when things go right for the heroes, but without the over emotional facial expressions.