Not even cancer can stop the legendary Iron Maiden. Frontman Bruce Dickinson sang most of the band’s sixteenth album “The Book of Souls” while battling throat cancer, and still sounds fantastic on the band’s first double album.
It begins with “If Eternity Should Fail,” which teases what’s to come for the album; a slow instrumentation with Dickinson’s trademark vocals. “Speed of Light” was the first single released and for obvious reasons: this is no doubt a future fan favorite anthem (similar to their most popular song “The Trooper”). The titular track has an acoustic intro that still sounds heavy and mean, and the easy to learn chorus will give fans a great thrill live. “The Book of Souls” is the final song on the first disk, and clocks in at just under 10 and a half minutes. Having a slower tempo than the other songs, it’s a great way to close off the first half of the album.
The second disc starts with “Death or Glory,” which does away with slow intros and gets right into it. “Shadows of the Valley” is the weakest track on this album. Although it has a good riff, it ultimately fails to stand apart from the other songs. “Tears of a Clown” is Maiden’s emotional tribute to the late Robin Williams. “The Man of Sorrows” is a dark, yet appropriately powerful ballad.
The grand finale is the 18 minute long “Empire of the Clouds,” which has a beginning that sounds anything but Maiden. With the slow, somber piano and symphony for a seven minute buildup you know the song will turn out to be something fantastic.The tempo and song key change throughout the song, making it feel like there are multiple mini songs in this epic.
As awesome as “The Book of Souls” is, this album is not perfect. The length of it is ridiculous. This is coming from someone who still believes albums should be listened to in their entirety, even if the album is 92 minutes long. The shortest song is “Clown” at 4:59. Three songs are over 10 minutes long, and “Empire” is a staggering 18 minutes. The longer songs make some of the album feel like filler, especially because of the guitar solos. It would be advisable to treat each disc as its own album.
This album contains all the elements that makes Iron Maiden so timeless: guitar gallops, harmony solos, strong bass and Dickinson’s opera-like vocals. Because of these classic traits some listeners might be put off — anyone hoping for Iron Maiden to reinvent heavy metal will be disappointed. But this proves that Maiden can stick to their formula and still sound rockin’. Even if fans might not enjoy “The Book of Souls” as much as other albums, they can choose to ignore those songs when they see the band live to tour for the album next year.