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I write this review because I really can't take hearing only negative opinions about the latest album of the Iron Maiden... I begin by saying that those who write a review about Iron should stop comparing every single release with what they did in the '80s... I know it's hard because these bands, like Metallica, made the history of Heavy Metal... but those years are over and we are in 2010!! So, the album should be reviewed as if one didn’t know the artist, and based on the emotions felt, one should express their opinion without comparison limits...
So, after this little introduction, I'm about to write the actual review...
Pressed play on the CD-ROM for the first time (yes, the albums from the big bands of my childhood I still listen to on CD-ROM) and I find myself with ten tracks with an average duration of 7 minutes per song... on first listening, I would definitely have written a negative review because this album is an album to understand, it's not a direct album with 3-minute songs that immediately make an impact... saying that the style is that of "A Matter Of Life And Death" is a big bullshit...(can I say bullshit?)... certainly, the Iron continue on that path but with a completely different result, with a less tired sound although some songs from that album were very appreciable, perhaps just a little tiring at a distance... here, instead, even the ten minutes of the longest song (the concluding WHEN THE WILD WIND BLOWS) never tire but rather...
The first track Satellite 15....The Final Frontier is a truly thrilling track.... the intro (Satellite 15) at first listen may seem a bit too long and even out of place... but then it becomes clear that it is the natural introduction to this album and especially to the song that gives the album its title.... a song in pure MAIDEN-STYLE... fast, very heavy, and with a really engaging solo.... let's leave the single video aside though, which really has nothing to do with it....
Then it moves on to EL DORADO which honestly didn't impress me that much... a good start for sure... but it is a song I consider the worst of the album...
Then it moves on to the duo of songs Mother Of Mercy and Coming Home... two magnificent songs... the first very heavy and driven, the second in heavy ballad style (obviously not the classic ballads of the '80s).... here you can already notice how Bruce in this album sings really well, and the whole group did a really good job... it almost looks like seeing Steve hammering the bass with his concert face and Nicko beating the skins :D...
The Alchemist is the other negligible song of the album... it recalls those filler songs of great albums... the same speech made for EL DORADO applies...
Isle Of Avalon is a beautiful song but gives the sensation of an unfinished work... they could have done better in my opinion... a nice base not exploited properly...
Starblind and The Talisman are, in my opinion, the most beautiful of the album... in the first, Bruce enchants with his voice followed by a truly majestic sound carpet... this song could fit very well in "SOMEWHERE IN TIME"... in THE TALISMAN the whole group gives their best with an epic 9-minute ride... this would have been perfect in "PIECE OF MIND"....
The last two songs The Man Who Would Be King and When The Wild Wind Blows are also extraordinary songs (especially the second)... long songs, yes, but they don't tire at all...
In conclusion, 5 masterpieces, 4 beautiful songs, and 2 "not so good".... so I don't think at all this is a bad album, quite the opposite.... I believe it is, on the whole, the best after "SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON"... sure, "BRAVE NEW WORLD" and "DANCE OF DEATH" are beautiful albums, but this one gives the impression of lasting longer over time... Iron have ventured into territories unknown to them and even in these they seem to excel...
So, just to wrap things up, I'm reiterating the fact that I wrote this review to refute everyone who says this album is crap... I don't care what you think of the review itself.... I just wanted at least one voice to rise in favor of this album which, in my humble opinion, has nothing to envy to the great albums of the past... it's JUST THEIR WAY OF MAKING MUSIC THAT HAS CHANGED... UP THE IRONSSSSS
Tracklist and Videos
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Other reviews
By the green manalishi
"The Final Frontier is indeed what is known in Lombardy as a 'quadrello,' that is a brick, extremely heavy."
"It’s definitely time for Iron Maiden to stop making studio albums!"
By velu
"'The Final Frontier' is a highly self-referential album, almost at the level of plagiarizing themselves, and apart from a few pieces and interesting ideas, I find it boring."
"Several tracks are 'artificially' lengthened with unnecessary arpeggios and repeated sections, which weigh down the album unnecessarily."
By Adrian
If you manage to play something that can still be listened to after thirty years, I’d say we can already talk about a halfway success.
This inevitable decline shouldn’t be taken as a total excuse for certain undoubtedly rehashed compositional choices.
By jordino
This 'The Final Frontier' is truly a great album.
One of the best ballads of Iron Maiden ever, and we do not exaggerate in saying this.
By metafisico
There’s metaphysics, a desire to reflect, but also the unique ability to unleash energy through moods and images, sometimes soft and then ready to explode.
One of the most beautiful pieces in Iron Maiden history, also because it’s unusual compared to their typical brand.
