Some say the prime of a person's life is in his/her 40's. Some say that a stalwart, veteran, tried-and-true soldier is the best one on the battlefield. Some say that which does not kill you only make you stronger. Well, if the newest offering from heavy metal legends Iron Maiden is any indication, all of these proverbs bear credence in spades.

Brave New World is the album that a vast majority of the metal community has been longing for since March of last year - it's also the album that very few people expected to live up to the hype. Well, those non-believers shall be silenced in much the same manner as a vaccuum cleaner when its plug is removed from the electrical socket. Take it from me...I was one of those non-believers.

Honestly, though, I was actually highly pessimistic about Brave New World at first. Particularly after seeing the songwriting credits for the album - only one of the songs contained any collaboration between Bruce and "H", which is what I was initially looking forward to hearing, considering how well their joint efforts on Bruce's last two solo albums were. Then, I heard the first single "The Wicker Man" and thought 'hmmm...this is pretty damned good' - the song sounded like classic Powerslave-style Maiden. However, I still was full of doubt, since this was the only song which Bruce and Adrian co-wrote. Not too long after, I was able to download mp3's of "Ghost of the Navigator" and "Brave New World", and quickly the horizons started to brighten - both songs were excellently written, and it seemed like the band was firing on all cylinders for the first time since 1988. Then, I managed to find the album 3 days ahead of the scheduled release date on a sojourn to my favorite music store, so ecstatically, I picked it up, paid for it and took it home... 70 minutes later, I needed to change my underwear.

I can say without hyperbole that this is quite the masterpiece. The songwriting is truly superb - almost all of the ten songs are among the most memorable the band has written since their glory days in the mid-80's, when they rested at the very top of the heavy metal hierarchy. There isn't anything particularly unique or original demonstrated on Brave New World, but Maiden's strength always lay in solid-as-a-rock songwriting, not innovation. This is classic Maiden all over again - each song has a feel distinctively evocative of one of the band's most respected albums. "Ghost of the Navigator" is a very complex tour-de-force of Seventh Son-style chugging rhythms and offbeat breakdowns; "Brave New World" is a catchy number that is highly reminiscent of the band's best 90's song "Fear of the Dark"; "Blood Brothers" is a mellower song that carries on in a style similar to the underrated classic "Still Life" off Piece of Mind; "The Mercenary" and "The Fallen Angel" are two fast-paced chuggers reminiscent of Number of the Beast-era material; and "Out of the Silent Planet" is a heavily arpeggiated and fast-paced song that would've fit perfectly on Somewhere In Time.

However, the album's two main highlights are "Dream of Mirrors" and "The Nomad". The former catches the listener off guard with a quick and impetuous intro (sort of...Bruce sings right from the start), then goes into a beautifully foreboding clean guitar riff before hitting the clutch at the 5-minute mark and turning into a classic Maiden barn-burner. The latter is a magnificent song that can best be described as a "Powerslave" for the 21st century; it kicks off on a grand scale with Maiden's most original rhythm in ages which is soon accompanied by a lead guitar line that invokes a highly effective Middle-Eastern atmosphere. The middle of the song is an absolutely gorgeous instrumental section - perhaps the best one of these Maiden has ever done; upon climaxing, the song returns to the initial Arabian Nights-tinged riff and closes off in grand fashion. Both songs are true epics in scope and magnitude - each clocking in at over 9 minutes.

As for Bruce? Well, if you thought he sounded great on Accident of Birth and The Chemical Wedding, you'll think he's absolutely stunning here. He hits every note beautifully and channels the emotion of every song better than ever before. What an amazing talent this man is... what longevity too - I can hardly believe he's singing this well at age 41.

Yes, folks, the "reunion" lineup wasn't lying when they claimed that Brave New World would be the best Iron Maiden album to date. All 66+ minutes of this opus are absolutely magnificent. It is unfortunate that it will inevitably be panned by narrow-minded critics who will whine about it sounding "too 80's" (whatever the hell that means). This album will not only restore Iron Maiden to greatness in the metal scene, but also bring a whole lot of new fans to the fold. Brilliant work, blokes - UP THE IRONS!

This review is credited to:
The Havoc Vulture