Where does one start with a band of the stature such as this, lets see at the beginning will be as good a place as any. Senjutsu is the band’s 17th studio album and right off the bat here, There best by far since the turn of the new millennium. For a while there they ploughed a very fallow field of albums that for the stature of this band felt to me at least miss judged and badly produced. To say this in print feels like blasphemy. Honestly, have I gone back to either A Matter of Life, Death, Dance Of Death and Final Frontier no I have not this is not to say that they all stink there are some solid gold moments in all their albums. This is one fact like death and taxes there will always be moments of genius. It was not till Book Of Souls that I felt they were onto something special again. I won’t say that album was solid all the way through but compared to the other 3 I have dipped into it more often. So what do we get with Senjutsu, well that’s the million-dollar question and the answer is an album so MAJESTIC so bombastic and utterly wonderful. Not many bands in the history of whatever musical genre you like could redeem themselves with such aplomb. Since Seven Son of a Seventh Son they have embraced their progressive roots and produced longer more intricate pieces. We have always as Maiden fans looked forward to the Steve Harris epics. Any man woman or child who says that Rhyme Of The Ancient Mariner is not the greatest heavy metal song of them all will have to answer to me.
Well, that’s how I felt till on the day of release I sat quietly to myself and had what can only be described as a semi-religious moment. The Album starts with thunderous drumming that is the product of many years of a musician such as Nikko being the top of his class. The title track really ushers us into a world of war, the consequences, ignominy and stupidity of battle. No glory of skirmishes in fields in foreign lands, just medals hanging from the chests of crestfallen men with sadness in their eyes. Just as we get our breath onwards like freight a train with no breaks comes Stratego and The Writing on The Wall, the leading singles off the album enough has already been written about these so let’s move on.
Lost in a Lost World, Days Of Future Past and Time Machine finish off disc one and all three of these are Harris epics. Each one all derived from classic literature, I’m not going to tell you what ones. Part of the fun of a new Maiden album is to learn and explore. And I don’t want to take that away from you. Let’s just say that each one of them has moments of such divine beauty and power that you won’t be disappointed. Last of the numbers are as what seems the norm with Maiden the best, Darkest hour a superlative account of Britain’s finest hour of the what would be the most decisive moments of the Second World War. We are swept into the oncoming tide on the beaches of Dunkirk sounds of the waves crashing upon French beaches and from there on you are held tight. After this comes a moment that made me cry I had never thought that a song could rival ROTAM and in The Death Of The Celts something has. It is quite simply the most wondrous piece of modern metal this humble soul has ever heard. Listen to the bass parts in this and from 5 minutes onwards you will be in awe of a musical genius at his very best. Really there are not enough words in my vocabulary to describe the way this music makes me feel that would do it justice. And we still have The Parchment and Hell On Earth to finish this sumptuous 5-star meal. Both are worthy of closing such an album. Maiden Gallops, duelling guitars and catchy hooks are enough to keep all happy.
This gets 5 out of 5 Well worth the wait
Iron Maiden: Facebook
Release Year: 2021
Label: EMI
Category: Album
Country: UK
Reviewed by Tony Evans
Reviewed by Tony Evans
