*Buy this CD with another eligible title and pay no more than £9 for both (terms and conditions apply). Just look for any album with this message, put it in your basket with a second eligible title and the discount will be applied at checkout. Offer ends June 30, 2013. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
|
Product Description
Review
As metal moments go, they don’t get much bigger than the arrival of a new Iron Maiden album. Expectations are always huge even if they’re not always met. But then there are almost as many visions of a perfect Iron Maiden album as there are Maiden fans, and the band have never, ever sought to please anyone other than themselves. It’s the secret of their success, and their 15th studio album offers a wild ride for those willing to get on board.
Maiden don’t really do playing it safe. The voices of critics who seem to want to consign the band to an endless 1980s time loop are always disproportionately loud and ignore the fact that Maiden have never played the nostalgia game. Beginning with frontman Bruce Dickinson’s return to the band in 1999, Maiden have embarked on the most successful phase of their career whilst fully indulging their progressive tendencies and eschewing compact, catchy numbers like Run to the Hills and The Trooper; the sort of material the 80s trolls obsess over. Maiden have never been bigger and it’s all been on their own terms. In that light, this album is exactly the sort of full-on prog-a-thon they were always going to write. Why would they even dream of doing anything else?
The Final Frontier is the longest album of a long career but there’s barely a minute wasted. There are more ideas here than many bands manage in their entire career, but in inimitable Maiden style, it’s woven together beautifully. Released in advance of the album, the single El Dorado is misleading. It’s a solid if unspectacular effort, a comfortable mid-album track rather than a spanking showpiece. But even the band’s best albums contain small amounts of filler and this forgettable effort is forgivable. It’s certainly not typical of the album as a whole. Satellite 15... The Final Frontier opens proceedings with no small amount of melodrama, setting the scene for a series of truly gargantuan epics.
The mid-paced stomp Mother of Mercy, lighter-waving ballad Coming Home and up-tempo headbanger The Alchemist are all classic Maiden and make for an exciting prelude. The meat of the matter, however, is found in the sheer immensity of the second half. Loaded with changes in tempo and tone, restlessly twisting and turning, from Isle of Avalon to When the Wild Wind Blows, this is Iron Maiden truly living their purpose. No compromises, just complexities and challenges and more moments of brilliance than perhaps even they thought they still had left in them. A remarkable achievement.
--Greg MoffittFind more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Product Description
DISC 11. SATELLITE 15.....THE FINAL FRONTIER2. EL DORADO3. MOTHER OF MERCY4. COMING HOME5. THE ALCHEMIST6. ISLE OF AVALON7. STARBLIND8. THE TALISMAN9. THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING10. WHEN THE WILD WIND BLOWS
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Xtro Jon
Format:Audio CD
I'm a Powerslave man myself so yeah "yawn, yawn this album is not like my favorite etc etc". We all need to admit that Maiden have grown and developed as a band since whichever album or era we like best and that when the quality of the new stuff is this good we can sit back knowing Maiden are still on top of their game.
Iron Maiden are a stadium band these days and this latest album reflects that fact, and no that doesn't mean its self indulgent or bloated. What I'm getting at here is that '..Fontier' sounds like what it is, a top quality album from an experienced big venue band.
The stripped down sound of the eighties albums is there for you to listen to any time you wish, by listening to THOSE albums, but here in 2010 Iron Maiden are still giving us the sounds we all expect yet are not afraid to try a few new twists. Never at any point does 'The Final Frontier' feel lazy or re-heated, you always get the feeling your getting your money's worth and this is not a band just sitting back and letting their name sell an album they sleepwalked through.
So when thinking of buying this album ask yourself:- "Do I like good music that has been written and performed by a band that packs stadiums throughout the world or do I just like the odd early Iron Maiden album which granted was amazing but I can't expect them to only keep remaking my particular favorite in a career spanning decades."
Just buy this disc you'll enjoy it. With 'The Final Frontier' Iron Maiden have stayed true to their old fans but will continue to gain new one's and lets be fair that's why they are one of the biggest bands on earth.
Iron Maiden are a stadium band these days and this latest album reflects that fact, and no that doesn't mean its self indulgent or bloated. What I'm getting at here is that '..Fontier' sounds like what it is, a top quality album from an experienced big venue band.
The stripped down sound of the eighties albums is there for you to listen to any time you wish, by listening to THOSE albums, but here in 2010 Iron Maiden are still giving us the sounds we all expect yet are not afraid to try a few new twists. Never at any point does 'The Final Frontier' feel lazy or re-heated, you always get the feeling your getting your money's worth and this is not a band just sitting back and letting their name sell an album they sleepwalked through.
So when thinking of buying this album ask yourself:- "Do I like good music that has been written and performed by a band that packs stadiums throughout the world or do I just like the odd early Iron Maiden album which granted was amazing but I can't expect them to only keep remaking my particular favorite in a career spanning decades."
Just buy this disc you'll enjoy it. With 'The Final Frontier' Iron Maiden have stayed true to their old fans but will continue to gain new one's and lets be fair that's why they are one of the biggest bands on earth.
108 of 118 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
An old technique with a new approach. An interesting, invigorating Iron Maiden
10 Aug 2010
Format:Audio CD
I've made a track-by-track review, but if you don't want to read everything, just skip to the Conclusion right after the 10th track.
1. "Satellite 15... The Final Frontier" (Smith, Harris)
Contrary to what you might have been led to believe by the official video, this song is actually 8:40 minutes long, half of it being a very, very, very unusual intro for Iron Maiden -- 4:40 minutes of an eerie piece of futuristic, space-like, void-feeling material, slow-paced but at the same time emanating disturbing melodies before those known hard-rock chords can soar. From then on it's the same thing you hear on the band's official video.
2. "El Dorado" (Smith, Harris, Dickinson)
Not much to say. It was the first song released, downloadable for free, so you know what to expect. I'm just very glad that it's probably the worst song on the album.
3. "Mother of Mercy" (Smith, Harris)
Rather slow-paced, not a rapid, furious & heavy-rhythm'ed as I had thought it would be before listening to it. It's a tune I actually wouldn't picture Iron Maiden coming up with. It's very Maiden in its simplicity, but at the same time the melody itself is not usual in terms of what we've witnessed in the past 15 years. Which is, I must say, something that pervades the entire album, this tendency to venture into the unexplored. It's an interesting song, but not much more than that. I'm glad it's just 5-minutes long, otherwise it would become quite boring.
4. "Coming Home" (Smith, Harris, Dickinson)
Wow, a balad. But this sounds very much like a Bruce Dickinson ballad, rather than an Iron Maiden one. Think "Tyranny of Souls" (the album), though (not "Accident of Birth"). Very catchy chorus, and a very nice melody throughout. I'm thinking the band will be playing this one live. Interesting progression at 3 minutes into the song, with a clean-sounding solo by Dave, with nothing but a reverb on it. Then Adrian comes in with some distortion on his solo, very beautiful melody lines as usual, and then it falls back to Bruce singing the chorus.
5. "The Alchemist" (Gers, Harris, Dickinson)
Truly, this has nothing to do with Bruce's homonymous song. Not quite unlike what's Maiden's done since 2000, however. This one's more forward than the previous tracks (Satellite 15 excepted), with a nice chorus too, mainly because of the guitar trio coming up with those harmonic combinations that completely fill out the background. There's also some modulation thrown in, which you don't see a lot in Maiden. I personally enjoy the guitar melody on the bridge and chorus for this song. Solo exclusively by Janick, followed by the 3 guitars. Falls back to the chorus and the song ends (very similar to the "Coming Home" approach).
6. "Isle of Avalon" (Smith, Harris)
If it weren't for the bass right in the beginning, you wouldn't guess this is a Maiden tune, even though it is somehow in synch with what the band's been doing since Kevin Shirley took up the production seat with the boys. Mysterious-like melody, but fast-paced intro, which holds on for a good 2 and a half minutes before it finally picks up at around 2:50, with an interesting vigor. It falls again to a certain mystery-ridden melody right after, before a short Dave Murray solo kicks in at around 3:40, followed by some solid rhythm-base session, and then by Adrian playing a little with what seem to be synthetizers (you may hear some Somewhere in Time-like material at this point, even though the song itself is far from that). You gotta think in terms of epic-like material, in the same line as Alexander the Great, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son and Sign of the Cross. It's 9 minutes long, and it's one of those songs where you'll pay closer attention to the lyrics while some interesting tune plays in the background (and not the other way around). The chorus is very nice, however, and brings the melody forward.
7. "Starblind" (Smith, Harris, Dickinson)
This one's got a slow start, Bruce calmly pronouncing his words over a guitar melody. I thought it would be another slow song, but then some distortion guitars kick in, gladly. The main part of the song (not the bridge or chorus) is a very solid crescendo, whih sounds very amazing to me, and they build just the right amount of expectation. Bridge's very good too, and you know you got something good on your hands. It's hard to correctly describe this song. It's not fast, but it's not exactly slow-paced either. It's a very interesting tune, really, with a few unexpected twist and turns, and sometimes some of its distortion guitar levels sound as though they had nothing but a Fender-like sound to it, as if they had only had said Fender amp to provide heaviness (this goes mainly for Adrian or Janick). Adrian seems to have used synthetizers for his soloes, however -- with some mean reverb on them. Bruce does very well here, singing a solid tune with variations, going from low to high-pitched notes in the same sentence. There's some modulation present here, too. All in all it's a good song, and you may feel hooked even though it's almost 8-minutes long.
8. "The Talisman" (Gers, Harris)
Beautiful beginning. The production and general feel very closely resemble what you hear in "The Legacy" (A Matter if Life and Death's last track). This actually perdures for 2:20 minutes until some power rhythm guitars kick in with more solid, heavy riffs making the bed where Bruce seems to comfortably lie in. Very forward tune, which I thought somewhat lacking at times, because it's a long album, and some of the tunes (like "Mother of Mercy" and "Coming Home" being put together, one after the other) sort of gives you the feeling that things are somewhat slow for a while. Also, much like "Dance of Death" and "A Matter of Life and Death", this album is filled with little, slow acoustic intros that tend to make you feel like there isn't much punch or drive to it. "The Talisman" can show a lot of raw power, however, which is always a good thing when it comes to Maiden. Nice vocal melodies at around 5 minutes into the song, with great soloes right after. They remind me some of the material on "Fear is the Key", probably because of the vibrato unit/tremolo bar being used. Good song.
9. "The Man Who Would Be King" (Dave Murray, Harris)
Again slow intro. But nice follow-up, with solid bass chords underlying the guitar melody -- which, to be honest, remind me a lot of "Out of the Silent Planet". The drums come in, in a crescendo, and then we got some heavy, forward-sounding riffs and Bruce's vocal lines (which now remind me somewhat of "The Thin Line Between Love and Hate"). All in all this is a tune of its own, truly. As you reach 4 minutes, you will be listening to some really (really!) different material. I'm betting you could never guess this to be Iron Maiden. Very unlike what's been done in 30 years of history. You'll understand what I mean when you listen to this. At around 6 minutes, when Bruce sings again, his vocal lines remind me of Dance of Death's "Wildest Dreams". This song's 8-and-a-half minutes long, and it does feel long (unlike other, longer Iron Maiden tunes, I must say).
10. "When the Wild Wind Blows"
Last -- and longest -- song on the album. As usual, a slow-paced intro, but gladly, off the top of my head, it doesn't remind me of any other Maiden song. It's as if it wants to, but it doesn't. Beautiful tune, really, and great change of pace at around 3:40. Adrian comes in with a solo at 4:46, followed by Dave, and both melodies are tremendously beautiful. This is possibly the song with most potential on the whole album, and I'm very pleased to say that even though it's 11:01 minutes long, ranking as the 3rd longest Iron Maiden song -- the first since The X Factor album, released 15 years ago --, it is seriously addictive, and begs for another listen immediately. Due to its length, perhaps Maiden will refrain from playing it live. But if they could work out a way to play "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", I think they could definitely pull it off for this one. It's worth it.
CONCLUSION:
So what's the verdict? Well, this is not the best Iron Maiden album ever released. But it is far from the worst. It is solid, much more coherent and consistent than anything they've done since "Brave New World". It has some of the most intriguing tunes I've ever listened in an Iron Maiden album. Very different material, and you get the feeling right from the start that the band is really trying to outdo themselves and come up with stuff that clearly stand in uncharted waters. Thankfully, they don't stray too far -- probably a product of Harris's traditional approach --, and they manage to unite tradition with exploration. The result is satisfactory, even though there is room for improvement. For example, since 1995 Harris seems intent on coming up with tunes that start with that same slow intro melody technique, which is a dangerous thing to do if it pervades an entire album. Which is the case with "The Final Frontier". Worse if it's been used so constantly in the last 5 albums (excluding present material, which would total 6 albums). I mean, if you take up Powerslave, Piece of Mind or anything before that (even Somewhere in Time) any one can see that you don't need to overuse it. My guess is that Harris started this approach very meekly with "Moonchild", perfected it throughout "No Prayer for the Dying" (the album), halted a little in "Fear of the Dark", but let it take full control from "The X Factor" onwards.
Generally, however, the album is a good listen and worth buying. If not for the honest attempt into reinveinting Iron Maiden and coming up with some new material, then at least for the sheer amount of music it proportionates (after all, this is one of the longest plays in the Maiden catalogue). Read more ›
1. "Satellite 15... The Final Frontier" (Smith, Harris)
Contrary to what you might have been led to believe by the official video, this song is actually 8:40 minutes long, half of it being a very, very, very unusual intro for Iron Maiden -- 4:40 minutes of an eerie piece of futuristic, space-like, void-feeling material, slow-paced but at the same time emanating disturbing melodies before those known hard-rock chords can soar. From then on it's the same thing you hear on the band's official video.
2. "El Dorado" (Smith, Harris, Dickinson)
Not much to say. It was the first song released, downloadable for free, so you know what to expect. I'm just very glad that it's probably the worst song on the album.
3. "Mother of Mercy" (Smith, Harris)
Rather slow-paced, not a rapid, furious & heavy-rhythm'ed as I had thought it would be before listening to it. It's a tune I actually wouldn't picture Iron Maiden coming up with. It's very Maiden in its simplicity, but at the same time the melody itself is not usual in terms of what we've witnessed in the past 15 years. Which is, I must say, something that pervades the entire album, this tendency to venture into the unexplored. It's an interesting song, but not much more than that. I'm glad it's just 5-minutes long, otherwise it would become quite boring.
4. "Coming Home" (Smith, Harris, Dickinson)
Wow, a balad. But this sounds very much like a Bruce Dickinson ballad, rather than an Iron Maiden one. Think "Tyranny of Souls" (the album), though (not "Accident of Birth"). Very catchy chorus, and a very nice melody throughout. I'm thinking the band will be playing this one live. Interesting progression at 3 minutes into the song, with a clean-sounding solo by Dave, with nothing but a reverb on it. Then Adrian comes in with some distortion on his solo, very beautiful melody lines as usual, and then it falls back to Bruce singing the chorus.
5. "The Alchemist" (Gers, Harris, Dickinson)
Truly, this has nothing to do with Bruce's homonymous song. Not quite unlike what's Maiden's done since 2000, however. This one's more forward than the previous tracks (Satellite 15 excepted), with a nice chorus too, mainly because of the guitar trio coming up with those harmonic combinations that completely fill out the background. There's also some modulation thrown in, which you don't see a lot in Maiden. I personally enjoy the guitar melody on the bridge and chorus for this song. Solo exclusively by Janick, followed by the 3 guitars. Falls back to the chorus and the song ends (very similar to the "Coming Home" approach).
6. "Isle of Avalon" (Smith, Harris)
If it weren't for the bass right in the beginning, you wouldn't guess this is a Maiden tune, even though it is somehow in synch with what the band's been doing since Kevin Shirley took up the production seat with the boys. Mysterious-like melody, but fast-paced intro, which holds on for a good 2 and a half minutes before it finally picks up at around 2:50, with an interesting vigor. It falls again to a certain mystery-ridden melody right after, before a short Dave Murray solo kicks in at around 3:40, followed by some solid rhythm-base session, and then by Adrian playing a little with what seem to be synthetizers (you may hear some Somewhere in Time-like material at this point, even though the song itself is far from that). You gotta think in terms of epic-like material, in the same line as Alexander the Great, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son and Sign of the Cross. It's 9 minutes long, and it's one of those songs where you'll pay closer attention to the lyrics while some interesting tune plays in the background (and not the other way around). The chorus is very nice, however, and brings the melody forward.
7. "Starblind" (Smith, Harris, Dickinson)
This one's got a slow start, Bruce calmly pronouncing his words over a guitar melody. I thought it would be another slow song, but then some distortion guitars kick in, gladly. The main part of the song (not the bridge or chorus) is a very solid crescendo, whih sounds very amazing to me, and they build just the right amount of expectation. Bridge's very good too, and you know you got something good on your hands. It's hard to correctly describe this song. It's not fast, but it's not exactly slow-paced either. It's a very interesting tune, really, with a few unexpected twist and turns, and sometimes some of its distortion guitar levels sound as though they had nothing but a Fender-like sound to it, as if they had only had said Fender amp to provide heaviness (this goes mainly for Adrian or Janick). Adrian seems to have used synthetizers for his soloes, however -- with some mean reverb on them. Bruce does very well here, singing a solid tune with variations, going from low to high-pitched notes in the same sentence. There's some modulation present here, too. All in all it's a good song, and you may feel hooked even though it's almost 8-minutes long.
8. "The Talisman" (Gers, Harris)
Beautiful beginning. The production and general feel very closely resemble what you hear in "The Legacy" (A Matter if Life and Death's last track). This actually perdures for 2:20 minutes until some power rhythm guitars kick in with more solid, heavy riffs making the bed where Bruce seems to comfortably lie in. Very forward tune, which I thought somewhat lacking at times, because it's a long album, and some of the tunes (like "Mother of Mercy" and "Coming Home" being put together, one after the other) sort of gives you the feeling that things are somewhat slow for a while. Also, much like "Dance of Death" and "A Matter of Life and Death", this album is filled with little, slow acoustic intros that tend to make you feel like there isn't much punch or drive to it. "The Talisman" can show a lot of raw power, however, which is always a good thing when it comes to Maiden. Nice vocal melodies at around 5 minutes into the song, with great soloes right after. They remind me some of the material on "Fear is the Key", probably because of the vibrato unit/tremolo bar being used. Good song.
9. "The Man Who Would Be King" (Dave Murray, Harris)
Again slow intro. But nice follow-up, with solid bass chords underlying the guitar melody -- which, to be honest, remind me a lot of "Out of the Silent Planet". The drums come in, in a crescendo, and then we got some heavy, forward-sounding riffs and Bruce's vocal lines (which now remind me somewhat of "The Thin Line Between Love and Hate"). All in all this is a tune of its own, truly. As you reach 4 minutes, you will be listening to some really (really!) different material. I'm betting you could never guess this to be Iron Maiden. Very unlike what's been done in 30 years of history. You'll understand what I mean when you listen to this. At around 6 minutes, when Bruce sings again, his vocal lines remind me of Dance of Death's "Wildest Dreams". This song's 8-and-a-half minutes long, and it does feel long (unlike other, longer Iron Maiden tunes, I must say).
10. "When the Wild Wind Blows"
Last -- and longest -- song on the album. As usual, a slow-paced intro, but gladly, off the top of my head, it doesn't remind me of any other Maiden song. It's as if it wants to, but it doesn't. Beautiful tune, really, and great change of pace at around 3:40. Adrian comes in with a solo at 4:46, followed by Dave, and both melodies are tremendously beautiful. This is possibly the song with most potential on the whole album, and I'm very pleased to say that even though it's 11:01 minutes long, ranking as the 3rd longest Iron Maiden song -- the first since The X Factor album, released 15 years ago --, it is seriously addictive, and begs for another listen immediately. Due to its length, perhaps Maiden will refrain from playing it live. But if they could work out a way to play "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", I think they could definitely pull it off for this one. It's worth it.
CONCLUSION:
So what's the verdict? Well, this is not the best Iron Maiden album ever released. But it is far from the worst. It is solid, much more coherent and consistent than anything they've done since "Brave New World". It has some of the most intriguing tunes I've ever listened in an Iron Maiden album. Very different material, and you get the feeling right from the start that the band is really trying to outdo themselves and come up with stuff that clearly stand in uncharted waters. Thankfully, they don't stray too far -- probably a product of Harris's traditional approach --, and they manage to unite tradition with exploration. The result is satisfactory, even though there is room for improvement. For example, since 1995 Harris seems intent on coming up with tunes that start with that same slow intro melody technique, which is a dangerous thing to do if it pervades an entire album. Which is the case with "The Final Frontier". Worse if it's been used so constantly in the last 5 albums (excluding present material, which would total 6 albums). I mean, if you take up Powerslave, Piece of Mind or anything before that (even Somewhere in Time) any one can see that you don't need to overuse it. My guess is that Harris started this approach very meekly with "Moonchild", perfected it throughout "No Prayer for the Dying" (the album), halted a little in "Fear of the Dark", but let it take full control from "The X Factor" onwards.
Generally, however, the album is a good listen and worth buying. If not for the honest attempt into reinveinting Iron Maiden and coming up with some new material, then at least for the sheer amount of music it proportionates (after all, this is one of the longest plays in the Maiden catalogue). Read more ›
48 of 53 people found the following review helpful
By Chris Wilson
Format:Audio CD
Got mine early in the post - still can't believe that! Great stuff Amazon! Well, it's been nearly a three weeks since the album was launched, and I feel an update is in order on my thoughts on the album. While not quite as instant as "Brave New World" or as deep as "A Matter Of Life of Death", I can say it's better then the excellent, but slightly patchy "Dance of Death", the songs have reallt grown on me, many where in the first place I didn't think much of them, now I think they're awesome! Everyone is on top form, with some truly inspired guitar work from Adrian, Dave and Janick (many of the guitar licks I can't get out of my head!), plain awesome vocals from Bruce, the great chugging bass from Steve, and Nicko being well Nicko, which equals the best drummer in the business today. Special note must go to the front cover which is probably going to become one of the all time greats (got my Final Frontier T-shirt ready for the tour!!)
The first 5 tracks are definetly the "singles" songs, many destined to become concert classics, especially the title track with it's strange, kick ass opening before launching into an awesome piece of classic Maiden, "El Dorado" which grows on every listen (BTW it sounds way better then the free MP3 given away on the website) and "The Alchemist", which is a classic piece of triple axe attack . While at first I claimed "Mother of Mercy" and "Coming Home" were the least memorable tracks originally, I've found these are the ones that have grown on me the most - especially "Coming Home" which I think has the best, most memorable chrous on the album. All in all, the first half never lets up offering superb editions to the Maiden catalogue.
On recent listens I've found that the middle lags a little - "Isle of Avalon" in particular, mainly due to lack of a good chorus or a guitar hook, and feels like a couple of chorus could have been cut - not to say that's it's bad or anything, it's a very well played and powerfully sung piece and has a really cool opening riff, but for me personally on an album as great as this, this is the only one that drags it down, in way that "Brave New World" and "A Matter Of Life and Death" never had. I think part of the problem is that they try to fit too many lyrics into the song, which ironically for a song that is 9 minutes, doesn't really have a chance to breath. "Starblind" is an improvement, offering a very cool opening riff, with a great Dickinson chorus, and it links in with the whole space theme of the album. Still they're the weakest of the album - a shame considering the rest of the album has such momentum - but who knows a month's time I could have completely changed my mind about them and think they are just as great as the rest of the album!
However, the record earns back all it's accolades with the final 3 tracks, which all pass the 8 minute mark. These are some of the most complex songs Maiden have ever produced and are simply stunning, especially the final track "When The Wild Wind Blows". Coupled with the epic "The Talisman" and "The Man Who Would Be King" (Probably got my fav guitar sections on the whole album), the closing songs more then make up for the album's lagging middle, and in it's self earns the album five stars. The songs deal with classic Maiden themes of war, death, redemption and adventure, with stunning fantasy/sci-fi imagery to boot. To say the final tracks are dazzling is an understatement, and ones that could very well go down in Metal history. As for "When The Wild Wind Blows" I honestly think it's up there with the classic closers of past Maiden albums, such as "Hallowed Be Thy Name" or "To Tame A Land", and leaves you with an extended chill down your spine, similar to "A Matter Of Life and Death"'s closer "The Legacy". And that riff...man this one is going to become a classic - can't wait to hear it live!! The final three tracks completely save the album from maybe a 4 star review, and boot it right into 5.
In an age where metalcore is taking over and older bands are struggling to find their place, it's truly refreshing that a band like Maiden are still around to show how far the genre can be pushed, while putting their own unique stamp on it. Many older bands could just keep touring with the old songs and be very successful, yet Maiden are one of the few older bands still pushing the limits in their new albums, and not digging up the bones of the past. Despite a lagging middle, "The Final Frontier" is proof of this - long live Maiden!
1. Satellite 15... The Final Frontier - 10/10
2. El Dorado - 10/10
3. Mother of Mercy - 9/10
4. Coming Home - 10/10
5. The Alchemist - 9/10
6. Isle of Avalon - 7/10
7. Starblind - 8/10
8. The Talisman - 10/10
9. The Man Who Would Be King - 10/10
10. When The Wild Wind Blows - 10/10
The first 5 tracks are definetly the "singles" songs, many destined to become concert classics, especially the title track with it's strange, kick ass opening before launching into an awesome piece of classic Maiden, "El Dorado" which grows on every listen (BTW it sounds way better then the free MP3 given away on the website) and "The Alchemist", which is a classic piece of triple axe attack . While at first I claimed "Mother of Mercy" and "Coming Home" were the least memorable tracks originally, I've found these are the ones that have grown on me the most - especially "Coming Home" which I think has the best, most memorable chrous on the album. All in all, the first half never lets up offering superb editions to the Maiden catalogue.
On recent listens I've found that the middle lags a little - "Isle of Avalon" in particular, mainly due to lack of a good chorus or a guitar hook, and feels like a couple of chorus could have been cut - not to say that's it's bad or anything, it's a very well played and powerfully sung piece and has a really cool opening riff, but for me personally on an album as great as this, this is the only one that drags it down, in way that "Brave New World" and "A Matter Of Life and Death" never had. I think part of the problem is that they try to fit too many lyrics into the song, which ironically for a song that is 9 minutes, doesn't really have a chance to breath. "Starblind" is an improvement, offering a very cool opening riff, with a great Dickinson chorus, and it links in with the whole space theme of the album. Still they're the weakest of the album - a shame considering the rest of the album has such momentum - but who knows a month's time I could have completely changed my mind about them and think they are just as great as the rest of the album!
However, the record earns back all it's accolades with the final 3 tracks, which all pass the 8 minute mark. These are some of the most complex songs Maiden have ever produced and are simply stunning, especially the final track "When The Wild Wind Blows". Coupled with the epic "The Talisman" and "The Man Who Would Be King" (Probably got my fav guitar sections on the whole album), the closing songs more then make up for the album's lagging middle, and in it's self earns the album five stars. The songs deal with classic Maiden themes of war, death, redemption and adventure, with stunning fantasy/sci-fi imagery to boot. To say the final tracks are dazzling is an understatement, and ones that could very well go down in Metal history. As for "When The Wild Wind Blows" I honestly think it's up there with the classic closers of past Maiden albums, such as "Hallowed Be Thy Name" or "To Tame A Land", and leaves you with an extended chill down your spine, similar to "A Matter Of Life and Death"'s closer "The Legacy". And that riff...man this one is going to become a classic - can't wait to hear it live!! The final three tracks completely save the album from maybe a 4 star review, and boot it right into 5.
In an age where metalcore is taking over and older bands are struggling to find their place, it's truly refreshing that a band like Maiden are still around to show how far the genre can be pushed, while putting their own unique stamp on it. Many older bands could just keep touring with the old songs and be very successful, yet Maiden are one of the few older bands still pushing the limits in their new albums, and not digging up the bones of the past. Despite a lagging middle, "The Final Frontier" is proof of this - long live Maiden!
1. Satellite 15... The Final Frontier - 10/10
2. El Dorado - 10/10
3. Mother of Mercy - 9/10
4. Coming Home - 10/10
5. The Alchemist - 9/10
6. Isle of Avalon - 7/10
7. Starblind - 8/10
8. The Talisman - 10/10
9. The Man Who Would Be King - 10/10
10. When The Wild Wind Blows - 10/10
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 332 reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
the worst maiden album
It's all down to taste - some people like it some people don't.
i don't. reasons being are it has no classic tunes to go back to in order to warrant the listen to it... Read more
i don't. reasons being are it has no classic tunes to go back to in order to warrant the listen to it... Read more
Published 15 days ago by Z33D
5.0 out of 5 stars
My grandson loved it.
I'm not a hard rock/heavy metal fan but my 11 year old grandson is, especially Iron Maiden. He's rather impressed that Bruce Dickinson is a pilot as well as a rock star.
Published 4 months ago by alan mudge
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ten year high
The best Iron Maiden album since 7th son. Varied tracks, with some great stand out ones and a very long play time.
Published 4 months ago by Mark Lambert
4.0 out of 5 stars
Iron Maiden
A good offering from the maiden boys,just seems to be missing something from the previous couple of albums,some great riffs,but I'm afraid 4/5 is the best I can give.
Published 4 months ago by G AHARPHAM
1.0 out of 5 stars
How can u give this more than 1 star ?
I'm a fanatic maiden fan since dickinson entered the group with the # of the beast. I have all albums released after the number of the beast. Read more
Published 5 months ago by V. K. Manglaveras
4.0 out of 5 stars
Growing on me
If I had reviewed this CD a week ago when I first got it, I would have given it 2 stars.
After a week of listening to the music every morning on my iPod, I've now got... Read more
After a week of listening to the music every morning on my iPod, I've now got... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Richard Brook
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant, Epic album once again!
I must say Iron Maiden are on a roll in terms of albums since Brave New World, every one being amazing! Read more
Published 12 months ago by Daniel Bosworth
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pink Floyd on steroids...
This album should be listened several times more than any of their previous one, because it contains much more
progressive sound, very similar to the "Pink Floyd", of course... Read more
progressive sound, very similar to the "Pink Floyd", of course... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Renato Medurecan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent album
It's rather interesting to read all these reviews, how opinions differ. In my humble opinion, frankly, this is a really great album. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Cripplefield
3.0 out of 5 stars
Overly complex
Don't get me wrong this is technically speaking a good album but after listening to the cd about 40 times I still can't hum a tune or rememeber anything about the songs. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Ade in the zone
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
