Iron Maiden
Brave New World

THE REVIEW

With the return of Bruce Dickinson, after the Bayley period, a new chapter opens in the history of Iron Maiden, which until now (2007) has seen the creation of three stunning albums: 'Brave New World,' 'Dance Of Death,' 'A Matter Of Life And Death.'

Let's talk about 'Brave New World':

in general, we can define it as a rather calm album compared to the previous ones, where a progressive vein begins to define itself (Out Of The Silent Planet, Dream Of Mirrors, The Thin Line Between Love & Hate, Ghost Of Navigator) which will find its completion in the next two albums.

The Wickerman: it's always the same three chords repeated in a different way (and a guitarist tells you this), a song that risks becoming tiresome if not for Adrian Smith's unique solo, Dave Murray's phrasing under the chorus, and the final chorus. Rating 8-

The Ghost Of Navigator: a song that tries to recall the early Genesis in its phrasing, though the heavy riffs of the verse and part C are jarring, and it's too long. Rating: 6.5

Brave New World: from a title track, one would expect a bit more; it's still a very good work, based on frequent changes of rhythm and key, the chorus slightly reminiscent of 'Fear Of The Dark'. Rating 7+

Blood Brothers: it's undoubtedly one of the album's most substantial works; built on an odd time signature (it's in 3/4, quite unusual for a rock piece) and with truly touching lyrics (''Will we ever know what the answer to life really is, can you really tell me what life is?''), Dave is stunning as usual in solo 1, and despite being less virtuosic than the first, Janick's also deserves a lot, which I would define as a real gem. Rating 8.5

The Mercenary: the initial riff is the only nice part; the rest they could have avoided doing; it's the classic filler song. Rating 5

Dream Of Mirrors: it's the most progressive piece of the album, with an intro that can be boring but leads into a chorus you can't help but listen to 10 times; beautiful tempo change and Niko's pedal work (who, I remind you, doesn't use a double pedal), however, it is ruined by the chorus inserted into the fast part. Rating: 7/8

The Fallen Angel: the badass piece of the album; a rather heavy track that speaks for itself. Beautiful solo by Dave Murray (the second one, to be clear). Rating 8.5

The Nomad: another song made to fill. Rating: 5

Out Of The Silent Planet: beautiful semi-ballad where the chorus creates a beautiful exotic effect. Also here as in Dream of Mirrors, Niko shows his ability to use the single pedal, creating a beautiful gallop. Rating: 8

The Thin Line Between Love And Hate: decent, but not worth listening to too much. Rating: 6/7

In conclusion, in my opinion, it's a work that every Iron fan should have, and even someone who hates them could listen to; I also remember that during the tour of this album the beautiful 'Rock In Rio' was recorded, a milestone in Live history.