FabricationsHQ - Putting the Words to the Music
  • Muirsical Thoughts, Muirsical News Last update: January 17th
  • Latest Articles (links)
  • Writing the Wrongs... 2020 in Review
  • Jason Bieler and The Baron Von Bielski Orchestra - Songs For The Apocalypse
  • Featured Album Reviews
    • McCartney III
    • Gary Barlow - Music Played By Humans
    • Storm Warning - Different Horizons
    • Reb Beach - A View From The Inside
    • Lykantropi - Tales To Be Told
    • King King - Maverick
    • Jakko M Jakszyk - Secrets & Lies
    • Blue Öyster Cult - The Symbol Remains
    • Fish - Weltschmerz
    • Dyble Longdon - Between A Breath And A Breath
    • Jim Kirkpatrick - Ballad of a Prodigal Son
    • Abel Ganz - The Life of the Honey Bee & Other Moments of Clarity
    • Toby and the Whole Truth - Ignorance is Bliss (25th Anniversary Edition)
    • Everyday Heroes - A Tale of Sin & Sorrow
    • Skintrade - The Show Must Go On
    • Robert Jon & The Wreck - Last Light on the Highway
    • Pat Metheny - From This Place
    • Anchor Lane - Casino
    • 2019 Featured Album Reviews >
      • Fat-Suit - Waifs & Strays
      • Wayward Sons - The Truth Ain't What it Used to Be
      • Flying Colors - Third Degree
      • Steve Hackett - Genesis Revisited Band & Orchestra: Live
      • Burnt Out Wreck - This is Hell
      • Runrig - The Last Dance
      • Scarlet Rebels - Show Your Colours
      • The Blind Lemon Gators - Gatorville
      • Bruce Springsteen - Western Stars
      • Sweet Oblivion Feat. Geoff Tate
      • Rebecca Downes - More Sinner Than Saint
      • Stray - Mudanzas
      • Snarky Puppy - Immigrance
      • Aaron Buchanan And The Cult Classics - The Man With Stars On His Knees
    • 2018 Featured Album Reviews >
      • Simon Thacker's Svara-Kanti - Trikala
      • Jason Becker - Triumphant Hearts
      • Duncan Chisholm - Sandwood
      • Jawbone - Jawbone
      • Steve Perry - Traces
      • Sari Schorr - Never Say Never
      • Joe Bonamassa - Redemption
      • Ben Poole - Anytime You Need Me
      • Hawkwind - Road To Utopia
      • Rainbreakers - Face To Face
      • Frequency Drift - Letters to Maro
      • JCM - Heroes
      • Dana Fuchs - Love Lives On
      • Joe Bonamassa - British Blues Explosion Live
      • W.E.T. - Earthrage
      • The King Lot - A World Without Evil
  • Monthly Album Reviews...
    • 2021 Reviews
    • 2020 Reviews
    • 2019 Reviews
    • 2018 Reviews
  • Selected 2020 Gig Reviews...
    • Jared James Nichols - Garage G2, Glasgow
    • Oscar Cordoba Band - Blue Arrow, Glasgow
    • Rebecca Downes Band - The Ice Box, Glasgow
    • Ben Poole Trio - Room 2, Glasgow
    • Sensational Alex Harvey Experience - DreadnoughtRock, Bathgate
    • The Aristocrats - Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh
    • Fat Suit - Drygate, Glasgow
    • Francis Dunnery's It Bites - St Lukes, Glasgow
  • Selected 2019 Gig Reviews...
    • WinterStorm Rock Weekender IV - Troon
    • Hawkwind - 02 Academy, Glasgow
    • Opeth - SWG3 Galvanizers, Glasgow
    • Félix Rabin - Nice 'N' Sleazy Glasgow
    • Anchor Lane - G2, Glasgow
    • Stray - Backstage at the Green, Kinross
    • Danny Bryant - Backstage at the Green, Kinross
    • Talon - Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow
    • Lifesigns - Smiles of Musical Travel
    • A Whole Lotta Rock 3 - featuring Rattlesnake Tattoo, Prestwick
    • Chantel McGregor - Hard Rock Cafe Glasgow
    • Pete Way Band - Customs House Hotel, Greenock
    • Raintown and Katee Kross - Village Theatre, East Kilbride
    • Danny Vaughn - DreadnoughtRock, Bathgate
    • NR Rocks 2019 - DreadnoughtRock, Bathgate
    • Arran Rock 'N' Blues Fest 2019
    • Cheap Trick - 02 Academy, Glasgow
    • The Blind Lemon Gators - Tolboth, Stirling
    • Midnight Oil - 02 Brixton Academy, London
    • Ana Popovic - Oran Mor, Glasgow
    • Joe Bonamassa - SEC Armadillo, Glasgow
    • Eden's Curse - The Garage G2, Glasgow
    • Félix Rabin - Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow
    • Her Way to Hell - DreadnoughtRock, Bathgate
    • The Quireboys and FM - The Garage, Glasgow
    • Erja Lyytinen - Backstage at the Green, Kinross
    • Wille & The Bandits - Hug & Pint, Glasgow
    • Sari Schorr - Oran Mor, Glasgow
    • Frankie Miller's Full House - Oran Mor, Glasgow
    • A Whole Lotta Rock 2 featuring Brian Downey's Alive and Dangerous, Prestwick
    • John Verity Band - Borders Blues Club, Innerleithen
    • King King (with Sari Schorr) - 02 Academy, Glasgow
    • Burnt Out Wreck (with Scarlet Rebels) - Hard Rock Cafe, Glasgow
    • Buckcherry / Hoobastank / Adelita's Way - SWG3 Glasgow
  • Muirsical Conversations...
    • John Verity (September 2020)
    • Steve Hackett (July 2020)
    • Gary Moat (March 2020)
    • Steve Hackett (October 2019)
    • Rebecca Downes (May 2019)
    • Ben Poole & Wayne Proctor (January 2019)
    • Dan Reed (November 2018)
    • Del Bromham (October 2018)
    • Brian Downey (September 2018)
    • Raintown - Paul Bain & Claire McArthur Bain (May 2018)
    • Hamilton Loomis (December 2017)
    • Alan Nimmo (October 2017)
    • Erja Lyytinen (September 2017)
    • Suzi Quatro (September 2017)
    • Biff Byford (August 2017)
    • Dan Patlansky (June 2017)
    • Graham Bonnet (May 2017)
    • Simon Thacker (April 2017)
    • Sari Schorr (March 2017)
    • Stevie Nimmo (February 2017)
    • Dan Reed (February 2017)
    • Adam Norsworthy (January 2017)
    • Colin James (December 2016)
    • John Lees (October 2016)
    • Sari Schorr (August 2016)
    • Mike Vernon (August 2016)
    • Wayne Proctor (July 2016)
    • Laurence Jones (April 2016)
    • Chantel McGregor (March 2016)
    • John Young (January 2016)
    • Michael Schenker (November 2015)
    • Martin Barre (October 2015)
    • Chris Norman (September 2015)
    • Joanne Shaw Taylor (August 2015)
    • Fee Waybill (July 2015)
    • Ian Anderson (June 2015)
    • John Lodge (June 2015)
    • John Lawton (May 2015)
    • Steve Hackett (May 2015)
    • Manny Charlton (April 2015)
    • Ben Poole (April 2015)
    • Alan Nimmo (February 2015)
    • Popa Chubby (December 2014)
    • Paul Young (July 2014)
    • Bernie Shaw (June 2014)
    • Lee Kerslake (December 2013)
    • Pat Travers (September 2013)
    • Steve Hunter (August 2013)
    • Joy Dunlop (March 2013)
    • Gwyn Ashton (Dec. 2012)
    • Greg Lake (October 2012)
    • Ned Evett (August 2012)
    • Steven Lindsay (July 2012)
    • Dave Cureton (June 2012)
    • Jon Anderson (May 2012)
    • Jeremey Frederick Hunsicker (March 2012)
    • Amy Schugar (Feb. 2012)
    • Robert Fleischman (November 2011)
    • Ivan Drever (Sep. 2011)
    • Michael Sadler (June 2011)
    • James Evans (April 2011)
    • Alyn Cosker (Nov. 2010)
    • Scott Higham (Nov. 2010)
    • Kevin Chalfant (Oct. 2010)
    • Francis Dunnery (Sep. 2010)
    • Duncan Chisholm (Aug 2010)
    • Barbara Rubin (July 2010)
    • Alan Reed (June 2010)
  • Muirsical Q&A with...
    • Félix Rabin (February 2020)
    • Chantel McGregor (August 2019)
    • Greig Taylor (July 2019)
    • Adam Norsworthy (June 2019)
    • Erja Lyytinen (March 2019)
  • Muirsical Articles...
    • 2019AB?
    • The Fool Guitar - The Fool Story
    • Alex Harvey - Framed in Words. And pictures
    • Journey - That Time Forgot
    • KISS - Elder Statesmen, Elder Statement?
    • Phil Lynott - Remembering Pt. 3
    • Freddie Mercury - The Days of His Life
    • Gary Moore - Last Exit
    • Mott - Without any of the Hoople-la
    • Muirsical Six of the Best
    • Music Town: A Decade of the Darvel Music Festival
    • Pat Travers - The Forgotten Power Trio
    • Playing Tribute
    • Gerry Rafferty - Humblebum to Multi-Million Seller
    • Cliff Richard - The Rock and Roll Juvenile
    • Slade - Thanks For the Memories
    • The Sweet - A Cut Above the Rest
    • Talon - On Eagles Wings
    • Wild Horses - Thoroughbreds or also-rans?
  • A Personal Journey: Definitive Edition (eBook)
  • Steve Perry (vocalist): One in a Million (eBook)
  • A Writer's Muirsings...
    • A Writer's Muirsings: Introduction
    • Superbowl XLVII MVP: Beyoncé (February 2013)
    • Michael Jackson: The Alternative Verdict (Nov 2011)
    • True Colours (November 2010)
    • It's a New Language, Old Bean (October 2010)
    • Finger Pointing (July 2010)
    • Suffer the Little Children (April 2010)
    • Hey 'Banker', can you spare a dime? (February 2010)
    • Earlier Muirsings... >
      • Muirsical Christmas #1's (December 09)
      • 3-D, or not 3-D, Avatar? (December 09)
      • Pains, Planes and Automobiles (November 09)
  • A Man of Letters...
    • A Man of Letters (Introduction)
    • Letter to Danbury Mint #1
    • Letter to Danbury Mint #2
    • Letter to The Catholic League
    • Letter to SKY #1
    • Letter to SKY #2
    • Letter to SKY #3
    • Letter to Leeds City Council Parking Services
  • Author Bio & Site Info
  • Contact FabricationsHQ
A heavy and weighty volume 
Iron Maiden – Book of Souls
Picture
I can still remember the excitement in 1982 when we placed Number of The Beast on the turntable and were blown away by the combination of twin guitar riffage, galloping basslines and vocals screaming into the stratosphere.

It was cool then and by crikey it’s still cool now, as thirty-plus years on Iron Maiden come up trumps with album number sixteen The Book of Souls.

But then, unlike so many of their metal contemporaries who are falling by the wayside creatively and retreating behind the lines to greatest hits legacy tours, Iron Maiden seem determined to bring something different to the table with each new release.

That said this reviewer was a bit "meh" when the band announced The Book of Souls would be their first double album as the tried and trusted Maiden song formula can become a little predictable.
However spreading the material across two discs works well, makes sense (given the balance between the shorter songs and the longer epics) and for "double album" read the equivalent of a good C90’s worth of material (that’s a C90 cassette tape for you young ‘uns…)

The Book of Souls was also the first Iron Maiden album to be written in the studio while recording at the same time, a change from band leader and bassist Steve Harris arriving with the lion’s share of material pre-arranged.

It’s a policy that has paid dividends
 – the wider spread of writing credits and contributions has made for one of the band's most satisfying albums.

Iron Maiden’s recent albums have been moving more towards the longer-form song, the band influenced by the growing popularity of progressive metal pioneered by the likes of Dream Theater (themselves influenced as teenagers by Maiden’s early albums). 

However, while DT and their ilk get carried away with the need to show off their technical chops amid endless solos, Iron Maiden are savvy enough to keep a "song-first" focus and avoid such self-indulgence, keeping their material accessible 
– which is probably why their popularity still overshadows that of their successors.

Highlights this time round include the opener 'If Eternity Should Fail.'
Iron Maiden are getting pretty creative with their lead-in arrangements these days and 'Eternity,' written by front man Bruce Dickinson, is built around echoing vocals and synth backdrops, gradually raising the tension before the full band crash in.
And this time they manage to sustain the drama all the way through to the end of the song, avoiding the potential anti-climax of the main song not living up to the promise of the intro.

Pre-album and music video release 'Speed Of Light' is much more in the traditional Iron Maiden headbanger style and moves the proceedings up a gear, Bruce Dickinson’s chorus roaring above the charge of the guitars.
One of two Dickinson-Adrian Smith penned songs (the other being rollicking Side Two opener 'Death or Glory'), 'Speed of Light' is a fine example of material written by Dickinson and Smith being stronger than that brought to the table by Steve Harris.

Not that Steve Harris is any slouch in the writing department – the Harris penned The Red and the Black continues to be the stand-out track, even after repeated plays of the album.
The song has the traditional chant-chorus that will go down well live, but it’s also a genuinely uplifting tune and has one of the strongest melodies of the album.

Closing number 'Empire of the Clouds,' the other Dickinson penned song, is the track which has stimulated the most pre-release chatter and is a departure from the traditional Iron Maiden sound (at least for the main themes), which revolves around Bruce Dickinson singing along to a simple piano and strings arrangement.
"Iron Maiden? Piano? Strings?" 
Yes and it works beautifully, providing a poignant backdrop to the story of the ill-fated British Empire airship R101 (and as a qualified pilot himself Dickinson is clearly singing from the heart).

Even when the rest of the band enter the fray on 'Empire' they add to the growing drama of the track; the playing is admirably restrained to underpin – not undermine – the body of the song.
'Empire of the Clouds' is something fresh from Iron Maiden and it shows they’re still keen to push themselves into new areas.

In closing, it might be Steve Harris’s band but it just doesn’t work without Bruce Dickinson’s contribution, and this album is a real triumph for the singer.
Not only does he bring the best songs to the party, but he’s been fighting throat cancer at the same time (happily now in recovery); his voice may be a little thicker with age but it’s still there and in match-fit form.

The band have hinted that there’ll be another album after this one, but with The Book of Souls, Iron Maiden have produced an album that could fittingly close their impressive career.
Paradoxically, it also raises the bar impossibly high to try and top with their next release.
Not bad for a bunch of heavy-metallers about to hit 
– or in the case of 63 years young Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain already beyond – the big Six-Oh.

John Stout
for FabricationsHQ


Website and text contents © FabricationsHQ and Ross Muir
All Rights Reserved