Heavy metal is largely an underground scene today, but its biggest names still remain in the public conscience — including the revered Iron Maiden. So it’s really no surprise that, 40 years later, Iron Maiden is still playing sold-out shows in massive venues, commands a remarkably loyal fanbase and release new material for fans to eat up and enjoy at live shows. What is a bit shocking is the quality of these newer albums. Iron Maiden’s sixteenth album, “The Book of Souls,” feels as invigorated as any of their past material, blending the New Wave of British Heavy Metal’s speed and melodic guitar harmonies with their recent appreciation for progressive metal.
But did it have to be a double album?
This is the largest problem with The Book of Souls — it just can’t justify its second disc. Disc one is by and large fantastic, offering a well-paced variety of shorter and lengthier songs. Kicking things off with “If Eternity Should Fail,” Bruce Dickinson’s operatic vocals against a backdrop of ghostly synths instantly demand the listener’s attention, heightening the song even after the familiar Maiden “galloping” riff kicks in. “The Red and the Black” particularly stands out with a six-minute instrumental section featuring triumphant riffs and solos that evoke classic epics like “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Meanwhile, shorter tracks like “Speed of Light” are placed perfectly to break up the pace, giving short and sweet bursts of energy perfectly tuned to be singles.
The band hides away their longest song, “Empire of the Clouds,” at the back of the second disc, but first there’s four other tracks to slog through. None of these are bad, per se — in fact, swap any of them with “Speed of Light” to be the second track and they’d be much more enjoyable, but metal fatigue sets in by the time one gets to them. This problem is inherent in metal — albums give a burst of exhilaration at the onset, but loses its immediacy as it ploughs on. All that’s left to save the backend of any Maiden album is engaging songwriting, which the second disc doesn’t offer until this track.
Like the album, “Empire of the Clouds” doesn’t necessarily justify its full running time (a whopping 18 minutes), but it’s still wildly entertaining to listen to. Driven by Dickinson’s somber piano and lyrics about the R101 airship crash of 1930, the song slowly builds off of the piano into a full blown riff-fest that, while perhaps self-indulgent, is uncannily conducive to headbanging. The fact the metal interlude in an otherwise keys-driven ballad fits perfectly is a testament to their songwriting ability, as the song grows organically without any abrupt shifts to jolt the listener.
If Dickinson and company had decided to cut the second disc and just stick “Empire of the Clouds” at the end of the first disc, “The Book of Souls” could be far more engaging while still providing plenty of new material for fans. As it stands, the album staggers under twenty minutes of filler, making it a chore to get through at once. If someone were to just pick and choose their favorite tracks or listen to the two discs in separate sittings, it’s much more digestible. It’s been three decades since their prime, but Iron Maiden’s galloping riffs, catchy guitar harmonies and soaring choruses are still a guaranteed recipe for fun.
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