•
Rating:
I'll start by saying that I've been listening to it for a while and among all the Iron Maiden albums, this one is definitely among the least immediate and somehow among the most difficult to get into.
It starts with the decent speed of Different World, which boasts immediate catchiness and an unusual chorus where it seems Bruce is accompanied by voices other than his own. This lower register of our great Bruce is something new that he should explore more often instead of always keeping to a semi-operatic level that can eventually become tiresome. Special mention goes to McBrain, who, in this and other tracks, demonstrates his skill in time changes and is particularly creative with fillers. Rating 7.5
Next is These Colours Don't Run, which exudes epicness, and you can't help but sing along to the bridge, pre-chorus, and chorus. The solos are also excellently done, and the three guitars are used appropriately. Rating 8
Brighter Than a Thousand Suns is not only a beautiful song but also has particularly profound lyrics (brighter than a thousand suns is the atomic bomb) and flows enjoyably with massive riffs, compelling time changes, and applaud-worthy vocal melodies, returning to the initial arpeggio with the bass always dominant and Bruce weaving a crescendo chorus where your heartbeat swells in your chest, and your head can't help but move back and forth, head banging, mid-tempo, but head banging. After one of the thousand divine solos (seems like Smith) there's a section of rocky guitars and Bruce soaring high again to the frenzied finale. A triumph of a song. And there's not a second to be cut in its 8 minutes and 46 if that's what you're wondering. Rating 9
We continue with The Pilgrim with riffs and vocal melodies that are certainly captivating and exotic breaks in full Maiden tradition. If you don't feel the urge to sing changing the water into wine, get checked out by someone. Moreover, the overdub of Bruce's high and low voice is, as always, masterful. The song has a nice sustained rhythm and lasts "only" 5 minutes.
Rating 8.5
Enter The Longest Day: it starts as usual with an arpeggio and bass in the foreground, a threatening and engaging vocal narrating sad and devastating war events, the torturous effort to turn men from flesh and blood to steel, to convert men's blood and flesh into steel, until it opens in sliding we go... chills, meanwhile, there’s the usual gallop that doesn't let up for a moment until the chorus arrives which, as good as it is, is repeated just a bit too much and here 2 or 4 rounds could have been spared. Nice heavy breaks where McBrain is impressive and the guitars relentless until the fantasy harmonization. Rating 9 only because here, yes, some of the excess could have been avoided.
And now it's the turn of Out of the Shadows, the only ballad on the album where Bruce's vibrato and the guitar (Smith's?) take center stage, beautifully melodic but not thrilling, with a chorus repeated way too many times. Here Maiden presents us with the AOR (adult oriented rock) stylings akin to their other ballads from the 90s, especially Wasting Love. Rating 7
The Reincarnation of Benjamin Bregg receives mixed reviews: some think it's a masterpiece, some a flop, I'm somewhere in between. Certainly Bruce singing and at the end almost whispering (by his standards) Let me tell you 'bout my life, let me tell you 'bout my dreams is spine-tingling and hypnotic. The song then unfolds in a surely interesting mid-tempo even lyrically with catchy vocal melodies and a memorable chorus supported by bass riffs (always nicely audible and enjoyable) and robust and punctual guitars, doing things properly, as they know how. Worth mentioning is that this is the only piece that sees Murray as a co-writer with Harris.
At this point, the album is indeed good but would need to shift another gear to wake up a listener who risks getting a bit bored. Rating 7.5
For the Greater Good of God lasts 9 minutes and 25, starting slowly, and here we are in truly well-trodden territory, naturally with mastery, but I can’t put aside the accusation of repetitiveness and this is perhaps the album's weak point. Bruce's colossal vocal performance (and rightly so) nonetheless brilliantly carries this piece with a singable pre-chorus and chorus. Lacking a true clincher but maintaining high levels anyway. 7+
We are at the last two pieces, Lord of Light although presenting us once again with the structure of a slow start with arpeggio-rise to a chorus-descendant finale with slow and epic closing (I believe that's 6 songs out of 10 following roughly this formula) fascinates and enchants with whispered singing (at the start) and really hypnotic guitars, especially towards the end with really noteworthy solos, we are always on the good but not too great. Rating 7
And we finally come to the last piece The Legacy, another long piece: 9 minutes and 23.
It starts with 3 very interesting minutes where guitar melodies that can be described as renaissance counterpoint Bruce's voice; is there a need to add an adjective to Bruce's voice? If you like, you can. But nothing less than sensational. It then continues with a very interesting piece, rich for exploration, all sparkling guitars and time changes, one of those pieces that needs more listens to truly understand its worth and a close to the album that lifts the fortunes that were momentarily flattening out with the last pieces. Rating 8.5
Ultimately, this effort of ours from 2006, although not an album for everyone and not for every moment, is nonetheless a great work of art and definitely deserves a final rating of 8/10.
Maybe not the album to listen to in every situation, the lyrics are hefty blows of despair, tragedy, and war. Surely the fact that Paschendale on the previous Dance of Death is one of the best tracks in the entire Iron Maiden discography has put them into the warrior trip. No longer do they exalt epic deeds as in the 80s but offer us more mature reflections on how sad and senseless war is. I hope you enjoyed this track-by-track review.
This is the first time in my life I've written such a long review, comments are welcome. Do you like A Matter of Life and Death?
UP THE IRONS!!!!
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
04 The Pilgrim (05:07)
The keys to death and hell
The ailing kingdom doomed to fail
The bonds of sin and heart will break
The pilgrims course will take
Quelling the devils might
And ready for eternal fight
Aching limbs and fainting soul
Holy battles take their toll
Liberty and hope divine
Changing the water into wine
So to you we bid farewell
Kingdom of heaven to hell
Spirit holy life eternal
Raise me up take me home
Pilgrim sunrise pagan sunset
Onward journey begun
To courage find and gracious will
Deliver good from ill
Clean the water clean our guilt
With us do what you will
Then will my judge appear
Bear no false angel that I hear
For only then I will confess
To my eternal hell
Now give us our holy sign
Changing the water into wine
So to you we bid farewell
Kingdom of heaven to hell
Spirit holy life eternal
Raise me up take me home
Pilgrim sunrise pagan sunset
Onward journey begun
SOLO
Now give us our holy sign
Changing the water into wine
So to you we bid farewell
Kingdom of heaven to hell
Spirit holy life eternal
Raise me up take me home
Pilgrim sunrise pagan sunset
Onward journey begun
Spirit holy life eternal
Raise me up take me home
Pilgrim sunrise pagan sunset
Onward journey begun
06 Out of the Shadows (05:36)
Hold a halo round the world
Golden is the day
Princes of the Universe
your burden is the way
So there is no better time
who will be born today
A gypsy child at day break
A king for the day
Out of the shadows and into the sun
Dreams of the past as the old ways are done
Oh there is beauty and surely there is pain
But we must endure it, to live again
Dusty dreams in fading daylight
Flicker on the walls
Nothing new your life's adrift
What purpose to it all?
Eyes are closed and death is calling
Reaching out its hand
Call upon the starlight to surround you
Out of the shadows and into the sun
Dreams of the past as the old ways are done
Oh there is beuty and surely there is pain
But we must endure it, to live again
Out of the shadows and into the sun
Dreams of the past as the old ways are done
Oh there is beauty and surely there is pain
But we must endure it, to live again
Out of the shadows and into the sun
Dreams of the past as the old ways are done
Oh there is beauty and surely there is pain
But we must endure it, to live again
Out of the shadows and into the sun
Dreams of the past as the old ways are done
Oh there is beauty and surely there is pain
But we must endure it, to live again
A man who casts no shadow has no soul
07 The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg (07:22)
Let me tell you 'bout my life,
Let me tell you 'bout my dreams,
Let me tell you 'bout the things that happen, all is real to me.
Let me tell you of my hope, of my need to reach the sky,
Let me take you on an awkward journey, let me tell you why.
Let me tell you why
Why should these curses be laid upon me?
I won't be forgiven 'til I can break free
What did I do to deserve all this guilt?
Pay for my sins, for the sale of my soul
Demons are trapped all inside of my head
My hopes of god reach for heaven from hell
My sins are many
My guilt is too heavy
The pressure of knowing of hiding what I know.
I'm able to see things
Things I don't wanna see
The lies of a thousand souls weigh heavy down on me
I know they're crying for help reaching out
The burden of them will take me down as well
The sin of a thousand souls knocked out in vain
Reincarnate still in me live again
Someone to save me
Something to save me from myself
To bring salvation
To exorcise this hell
Someone to save me
Something to save me from myself
To bring Salvation
To exorcise this hell
Someone to save me
Something to save me from my hell
Our destination away from this nightmare
Someone to save me
Something to save me from myself
To bring salvation
To exorcise this hell
10 The Legacy (09:22)
Tell you a thing
That you ought to know
Two minutes of your time
Then on you go
Tell tale of the men
All dressed in black
That most of them
Not coming back
Sent off to the war
To play little games
And on their return
Can't name no names
Some strange yellow gas
Has played with their minds
Has reddened their eyes
Removed all the lies
And strange as it sounds
Death knows no bounds
How many get well
Only time will tell
Only time will tell
SOLO
You lie in your death bed now
But what did you bring to the table
Brought us only holy sin
Utter trust is a deadly thing
To the prayer of holy peace
We didn't know what was lying underneath
So how could we be such fools
And to think that we thought you the answer
I can't begin to understand in all the lies
But on your death bed I can see it in your eyes
Just as clear as all the sweat upon your brow
It really makes sense I can see it clearly now
Tangled up in a web of lies
Could have been a way to prophesise
Unaware of the consequence
Not aware of the secrets that you kept
Nothing that we could believe
To reveal the façade of faceless men
Not a thing that we could foresee
Now a sign that would tell us the outcome
You had us all strung out with
promises of peace
But all along you cover plan was to deceive
Can it put to rights now only time will tell
Your prophecies will send us all to hell as well
Left to all our golden sons
All to pick up on the peace
You could have given all of them
A little chance... at least
Take the world to a better place
Given them all just a little hope
Just think what a legacy
You now... will leave
SOLO
We seem destined to live in fear
And some that would say Armageddon is near
But where there's a life - well there's hope
That man won't self destruct
Why can't we treat our fellow man
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
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By rourke
It’s a flawless album in terms of production, technique, and Bruce’s vocal performance.
The tracks are very long and not very immediate, but it’s certainly not a hard metal album, which suits the band’s age.
By MoonWolf
‘A Matter of Life and Death’ is an album that has many things to say and requires an audience willing to sit down and listen to it calmly and coherently.
The album itself is excellent, full of well-conceived and executed ideas, a masterpiece? I certainly won’t be the one to decide it; the arduous sentence is left to posterity.
By lonelydreamer
Each song has its own particular light, and there isn’t a single track placed just to extend the album’s duration.
Ladies and gentlemen, the beast is back, and despite the age, it is also quite angry and in shape!!
By AndJusticeForAll
"The choruses in 'These Colours Don't Run' are embarrassing, the song rhythms are incredibly predictable."
"If you can't produce an average-level album, why do you struggle to carry on?"
By dariogreat
"An album to buy and listen to calmly to appreciate it... it sounds terribly good."
"Listen, listen, listen and open your mind. Up the irons."
