IRON MAIDEN – The Book Of Souls

Iron Maiden faithful have finally had their prayers answered with the band’s double CD release (90+ total minutes of Maiden) entitled The Book Of Souls. With the tri-axe attack, Steve Harris plucking out unimaginable bass leads and rhythms, Nicko McBrain’s signature skin-slamming, and Bruce Dickinson’s immortal ball-busting screams, The Book Of Souls has been thrown to the ravenous appetites of legions of Maiden fans throughout the world. It’s clear the band worked hard on this album … but sometimes “too much work” (and rework) can cause an album to unintentionally become sterile and vanilla, if you will.

Unfortunately, that’s case-in-point what you’ll find within The Book Of Souls. There’s plenty of quality music and extended jams on offer, but at the same time very few catchy lyrical melodies or songs that capture you, get stuck in your head, and become signature, immortal rallying cries (forever and ever amen). As such, The Book Of Souls initially builds excitement, but is bound to take a back seat in your Maiden (and Metal) collection after several spins.