42)
Iron Maiden,
Dance of Death (2003)
One of my many 'rules' to life is to spend time with music I love, and not waste time with music I don't like. So, after the steaming turd that was
No Prayer for the Dying, I lost interest in Maiden (plus, I was in University from 92-96, and my aforementioned lack of discovering/keeping up with new music). I was supposed to see the Somewhere Back in Time tour (didn't get a chance to ... don't get me started), so I decided I would re-visit some of their catalogue that I skipped - yes, I know they weren’t playing any of it, but I wanted to check it out. Started with Blaze's stuff, and I thought 'oh, nothing changed'. Luckily I got to
Brave New World and DOD. Just like the sense that ADTOE has brought DT back on track, so too did I get the same sense with Maiden, having Bruce back at the helm. Catchy guitar licks, repetitive choruses, slow build to a galloping and glorious finish... all the things that I love about Maiden from the 80s. I could've just as easily put BNW here, but
Paschendale on its own makes this the better album. The main riff on the title track is also a standout. 11 solid tracks and I never skip any of them. What’s also neat about this one is that it features Maiden's first ever acoustic track in the Journeyman, a track all about being a musician and appreciating what you have. For my money, Maiden and Dickenson just fit like a glove. During their absence, they sucked without each other, and in the first decade of 2000, they reclaimed their old magic.
Fav Songs -
Paschendale, Dance of Death, New Frontier