Iron Maiden has always been on my bucket list to see live. Much like Ozzy and Priest, they are titans within the world of rock and metal, and their live shows are legendary. Just look at 2001’s Rock in Rio – Iron Maiden played to about 250,000 people, with something like 1,250,000 tickets being sold for the whole festival…
Its hard to imagine what that looked like, so here you go. Yes, those are all people. Which just goes to show – Iron Maiden are just titans!
And now, it is with great excitement that I have procured myself a ticket to see this legendary band in 2020! They’re coming to Auckland, and their opening act is Killswitch Engage! Even better! Can you feel my excitement yet? Well? Can you? Because I can! Look at all my exclamation points for goodness sake.
After deciding to go see these absolute monsters of rock, I did what any self respecting fan would do. I found my favorite album of theirs and put it on repeat for like a week or more. My favorite one just happens to be A Matter of Life and Death. I even have a physical CD of it. Now, to be fair, it was not my favourite at time of purchase. Oh no, no, no. That’s a story in its own right.
It must have been 2006. Or rather, it was 2006, as this album had just come out. The CD still has the “Brand New Iron Maiden album! Featuring the hit songs …” sticker on the front. So it was brand new. Which means it was 2006. Look at that, I am Sherlocking my own memory over here. So 2006 – I had started my first job which meant I was earning money. And I had my own car. Which meant I could make the 45 minute trip to The Pav – a giant 6 (I am sure it was 6) story mall where, in the South African heat, contained the elusive air-con and something even more precious – the only Look & Listen store in Natal.
Look & Listen was like a dream come true – CDs, DVDs, movies, posters, games, special editions of just about everything, and the biggest rock/metal dedicated sections I had ever seen.
It was big enough that Pop and Rock never had to share a shelf.
It was big enough that Rock and Metal were separated by genre.
It was big enough that the whole back of the store was just everything alternative, rock and metal.
A sight to behold for a youngin’ that had to trawl through Ronan Keating CD’s to find the S’s of Slipknot in the local CD shop.
I saw there, on the self, the Iron Maiden album. Along with the special edition that came with a DVD and flag, and even one that came with an Eddie figurine. Now at this time, I knew I liked Maiden. I knew one of two of their songs, and what I had heard was good, but not what I considered great. But still, something drew me to this album… Not wanting to break the bank, I elected to just go with the very normal CD. It still came with a bonus DVD on the making of the album and interviews, so it was a normal special edition I suppose.
On the drive home, I popped the CD into my car stereo and was blown away immediately. It was the classic Iron Maiden, with a topic that has always interested me, and sort of updated with the times, but still holding onto that “Iron Maiden sound”. In a world where nu-metal was on the decline and I was getting into more death metal, Iron Maiden was a breath of fresh air – clean vocals, amazing well-thought-out music and a great theme running through the entire album.
I mean, just listen to the opening track of this album. Excuse the video – it’s not their best, but hey…
The album deals with war, and the story painted with the words and the music don’t romanticize it any way. I have always been interested in World War II – the lasting effects of a very passionate and exciting history teacher – so to have a sort-of-concept album done by Maiden just checks all my boxes. Musically, it’s amazing, and listening to some of these songs has made me want to try my hand at writing a war story.
Track 5 – The Longest Day – is one of my favorite tracks on this whole album. The lyrical themes, the music, the slow build up in the beginning all paint a picture of what it must have been like for those who experienced the horrors of war. Just read the first four verses of this song, and then find somewhere to play it, as it is just incredible.
In the gloom, the gathering storm abates
Iron Maiden – The Longest Day
In the ships, gimlet eyes await
The call to arms to hammer at the gates
To blow them wide – throw evil to its fate
All summers long, the drills to build the machine
To turn men from flesh and blood to steel
From paper soldiers to bodies on the beach
From summer sands to Armageddon’s reach
Overlord, your master not your god
The enemy coast, dawning grey with scud
These wretched souls, puking, shaking fear
To take a bullet for those who sent them here
The world’s alight, the cliffs erupt in flame
No escape, remorseless shrapnel rains
Drowning men, no chance for a warrior’s fate
A choking death – enter hell’s gate
The last track on this album – The Legacy – is probably my favourite track on this album. And to be fair, that’s not saying much as I have ‘hearted’ this entire album, and every track, and will often restart a song once it has ended. The last full listen I did to this album must have been ages ago! Just look at all those hearts!
So yes, The Legacy – 9 minutes of probably the most amazing songwriting I have ever heard. Even now, it makes my hair stand up. This is a song that I think every single politician should listen to before they vote to go to war, or get into any sort of conflict with another nation. I mean, yes – sometimes war in inevitable, and needs to be done, but just take the time to remember what you’re asking of your fellow man. Also, to put it into context, this was during the ongoing war in Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq. It makes these words hit a little harder…
We seemed destined to live in fear
Iron Maiden – The Legacy
And some that would say Armageddon is near
But where there’s a life, while there’s hope
That man won’t self-destruct
Why can’t we treat our fellow men
With more respect and a shake of their hands?
But anger and loathing is rife
The death on all sides is becoming a way of life
We live in an uncertain world
Fear, understanding and ignorance is leading to death
Only the corpses are left
For vultures that prey on their bones
But some are just not wanting peace
Their whole life is death and misery
The only thing that they know
“Fight fire with fire, life is cheap”
But if they do stop to think
That man is teetering right on the brink
But do you think that they care?
They benefit from death and pain and despair
Iron Maiden’s A Matter of Life and Death is an outstanding album and one I would love to cover more in-depth, but as it stands, this Sort-Of Music Review is already 2 months late… So for now, I leave you to sit down and give it a listen on your own. Take it apart, listen to the lyrics.
As for me, May 2020 is when I get to see them live, and it will be an experience I’ll never forget.
