Iron Maiden:
Home > Music > I > Iron Maiden > Discography
Albums | Compilations | Singles | Videos | Other
 Iron MaidenMatter of Life and Death Release Date: 2006 09 05 Label: Sanctuary Rating:  |
2003's Dance of Death marked the triumphant return of old-school Iron Maiden. Gone were the murky, over-produced set pieces that clogged 2000's Brave New World and in their place fell blistering slabs of Piece of Mind-era metal. That trend continues with their 14th full-length album, Matter of Life and Death, a more elaborate and meandering experience than Dance of Death, but a rewarding one for fans willing to indulge the group's occasional excess. At over 70 minutes, Matter of Life and Death is closer to 1988's woefully underrated Seventh Son of a Seventh Son than it is to Piece of Mind, but with far less keyboard tickling. Recorded live in the studio, epics like "Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg," "Brighter Than a Thousand Suns," and the brutal "Longest Day" -- the whole record is a loosely-knit song cycle with war at its core -- exhume prog rock complexity and discipline yet manage to bristle with the kind of small-club intensity usually reserved for acts half their age. At just over four minutes, opener "Different World" -- a near twin of Dance of Death's "Wildest Dreams" -- is the only cut that screams single, but it's also the most misplaced. On a record that positions beloved avatar Eddy on top of a tank with a machine gun leading a weary troop of skeletal soldiers to their doom, any act of brevity, no matter how expertly crafted, sticks out like a saxophone solo. [Matter of Life and Death is also available with a bonus DVD that includes videos, live performances, and rehearsal footage.] James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
Tracks:
| Title | Composer | Time | |
| 1 | Different World | Smith, Harris | 4:18 |
| 2 | These Colours Don't Run | Harris, Dickinson, Smith | 6:52 |
| 3 | Brighter Than a Thousand Suns | Harris, Smith, Dickinson | 8:46 |
| 4 | Pilgrim | Gers, Harris | 5:07 |
| 5 | Longest Day | Harris, Smith, Dickinson | 7:47 |
| 6 | Out of the Shadows | Harris, Smith, Dickinson | 5:36 |
| 7 | Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg | Harris, Murray | 7:22 |
| 8 | For the Greater Good of God | Harris | 9:24 |
| 9 | Lord of Light | Smith, Dickinson, Harris | 7:24 |
| 10 | Legacy | Gers, Harris | 9:22 |
Other Releases:
| Matter of Life and Death [Bonus DVD] Release Date: 2006 Label: EMI Europe Generic |
Browse More Music:
![Add to My Music](javascript:addFavorite("0","R 852810","3","Iron+Maiden%3A+Matter+of+Life+and+Death","http%3A%2F%2Fimages.starpulse.com%2FAMGPhotos%2Fpop%2Fcov75%2Fdrh400%2Fh407%2Fh40729uz4zk.jpg","Music%2FIron_Maiden%2FDiscography%2Falbum%2FP4560%2FR852810","My Music");){kind=link}