I do very much like The Final Frontier.
So, Coming Home for number 1, is it?
Coming home, far away?
Home, far away?
Home, far away
From the war?
A chance to live again?
Home, far away
But the war
No chance to live again.
1. Paschendale
from Dance of Death
Many of Iron Maiden’s best songs are those highlighting the nature of war, in particular its horrors. In 2003, Adrian Smith and Steve Harris revisited this well-covered ground, but achieved a new level of excellence that they never previously achieved and have not matched since.
Paschendale, the song, presents the drama and horror of Paschendale, the battle, in the most musical and poetic terms imaginable. By giving us the perspective of a single soldier in a single charge of this battle, the lyrics nonetheless show us the full context that brought this horror to be, both historically (“German war propaganda machine / Such before had never been seen”) and philosophically:
Cruelty has a human heart
Every man does play his part
Terror of the men we kill
The human heart is hungry still
Part of the genius of this song is the way each section leads into each other section, even when they are very disparate thoughts. We go from this philosophic idea in the mind of our unnamed soldier immediately to the existential circumstances that face him. With no break, this thought leads directly to:
I stand my ground for the very last time
Gun is ready as I stand in line
Nervous wait for the whistle to blow
Rush of blood and over we go
The music here is, of course, also breathtaking. There are so many superb riffs and melodies here, each and every one of them complementing the others beautifully and also linking up superbly with the lyrics. The starts and stops that punctuate the song at certain points mark transitions between ideas, but also match the stop-and-start nature of trench warfare. The most intense section musically, is, of course, the section where our soldier is finally ordered to charge the enemy. The music is majestic, between the massive guitar riffs and the strings, but also run through with a sense of profound horror and tragedy. The instrumental section is superb, with excellent solos from both Dave Murray and Adrian Smith. But the best part of the song, and my favorite part of the entire Iron Maiden discography, is most definitely:
Blood is falling like the rain
Its crimson cloak unveils again
The sound of guns can’t hide their shame
And so we die in Paschendale
… right into my choice for Janick’s very best solo, a truly superb and emotional piece. This section of music and lyrics never fails to get tears from me. The song remains at a nearly unimaginable level of intensity until the very end, which is a sad lament and reminder of the senselessness of this war.
Paschendale pushes the limits of what rock music can do, and is, in my book, very clearly the top choice out of an excellent and storied discography. Many years and many, many listens later, this song still feels so capacious that I can get completely lost in it—which is truly remarkable. Truly a special piece, and highly deserving of my #1 spot.
Completed List:
60. The Number of the Beast
59. The Prisoner
58. The Unbeliever
57. Phantom of the Opera
56. Fortunes of War
55. Run Silent Run Deep
54. The Alchemist
53. The Trooper
52. The Great Unknown
51. 2 Minutes to Midnight
50. The Man of Sorrows
49. Flight of Icarus
48. Fear of the Dark
47. The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg
46. Remember Tomorrow
45. Satellite 15... The Final Frontier
44. Sea of Madness
43. Montségur
42. Dream of Mirrors
41. The Nomad
40. These Colours Don't Run
39. Futureal
38. Mother of Mercy
37. Out of the Silent Planet
36. Only the Good Die Young
35. Aces High
34. The Wicker Man
33. The Clansman
32. Moonchild
31. The Book of Souls
30. Powerslave
29. Ghost of the Navigator
28. Face in the Sand
27. The Clairvoyant
26. Empire of the Clouds
25. Infinite Dreams
24. The Man Who Would Be King
23. To Tame a Land
22. If Eternity Should Fail
21. Stranger in a Strange Land
20. Lord of Light
19. Caught Somewhere in Time
18. Where Eagles Dare
17. The Longest Day
16. Brighter Than a Thousand Suns
15. Rime of the Ancient Mariner
14. When the Wild Wind Blows
13. Dance of Death
12. Afraid to Shoot Strangers
11. Alexander the Great
10. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
9. Revelations
8. The Legacy
7. Hallowed Be Thy Name
6. For the Greater Good of God
5. Sign of the Cross
4. Starblind
3. Isle of Avalon
2. The Talisman
1. Paschendale
Albums:
16. Fear of the Dark
15. Killers
14. Iron Maiden
13. No Prayer for the Dying
12. Virtual XI
11. Powerslave
10. The Number of the Beast
9. The Book of Souls
8. Brave New World
7. The X Factor
6. Dance of Death
5. Somewhere in Time
4. Piece of Mind
3. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
2. A Matter of Life and Death
1. The Final Frontier