Okay, so I admit that I was quite the Iron Maiden fan back in the day before losing track of them completely in years to follow. I have seen them live a couple of times though at various festivals and while they still put on a great and engaging live show, it seemed as if they were mostly living off of their old hits, rather than their most recent output. New albums merely seemed like an excuse to tour some more. So what about their latest effort?
“The Final Frontier” starts off very weak with an soundtrack-like intro that leads up to the title track that really isn’t going anywhere either until the last couple of minutes where they take off. And once “El Dorado” bursts out the speakers, it’s like I’m thrown back in time to when I was still rocking my long hair. Galloping drums, a bass line that keeps the guitars in check only to give them slack every now and then for one of those typical Maiden solos. And then there’s of course Bruce Dickinson with his trademark vocals shooting off lyrics that read like a book.
“Mother Of Mercy” and “The Alchemist” is more vintage Maiden and I’m eating it up as fast as a fat kid devours his birthday cake. Unfortunately indigestion sets in with the 9-minute long “Isle Of Avalon” and “Starblind”, both of which could’ve done with a couple of minutes less. It just feels like stretching the fabric. Luckily it’s back to the birthday party after that with the trio that is “The Talisman”, “The Man Who Would Be King” and the epic closer “When The Wild Wind Blows”.
Personally I could’ve done without the proggy parts which would’ve made the songs more compact.
But all in all “The Final Frontier” is another solid addition to the Maiden catalog and it shows that even after all those years, these guys are still relevant in 2010.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
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