Iron Maiden is back with another live album. I love Iron Maiden, even if I am not the most knowledgeable with regards to their large body of work. One thing I have always wondered was why are there so many live disks out? Let's see, how many are there? Death on the Road, Beast Over Hammersmith, Rock in Rio, Live at Donington, A Real Live One, A Real Dead One, and Live After Death. Man, that's a lot of live recordings for one band. Not that it's a bad thing, Iron Maiden knows how to rock it live, and this album is no exception.
I don't recall when I first introduced myself to the absolute headbanging bliss that is Maiden. I do, however, remember ignoring them for the longest time during my early music years, before my taste actually developed. But once I did, I was sucked into the world of power metal that was complex, technically proficient, and just plain rocked. Listening to Maiden live, on this disk for example, you stop thinking about any of the music's technical merits, you start banging your head and raising your horns. I can sense many of you out there nodding your head in agreement, you know who you are. For you I reciprocate: \m/ \m/
Death on the Road is a two disk set featuring a mix of the old and the new across 16 tracks and totaling a little over 90 minutes of live metal. The most represented album is the 2003 release which inspired this set's title, Dance of Death, with 6 songs appearing mixed throughout the old standbys.
The album doesn't have the best recording quality for the music, but it does do a good job of getting you in the middle of the crowd. Bruce Dickinson isn't much for between song chatter and they keep the music going, but more than that there are plenty of "sing along with Bruce" segments, which really enhance that feeling that you are there, especially when you have the stereo cranked up.
The new songs sound good, but I'll admit it, I was waiting for some of the classics. I didn't have to wait long as "Can I Play With Madness" turns up as the third song, this has always been one of my favorites. We also get "Trooper," "The Number of the Beast," and to close the show "Run to the Hills." Among the newer classics is "Fear of the Dark," which always sounds great, especially with the crowd singing along at the opening. The new songs such as the show opener "Wildest Dreams," and "No More Lies" also have potential to grow in stature.
Iron Maiden is one of the few bands that I think can get away with as many live albums as they do. They have the talent and the material to back it up. Don't believe me? Put this in your player and try to disagree. It may not be the most technically sound of recordings, but it has energy and just flat out rocks. Just remember that Maiden has been doing this for over 25 years, and they are still going strong.
Bottomline. Iron Maiden is a great live group. They have put together an amazing career, and their live albums document the stages they go through. This is the latest chapter of this legendary band. Death on the Road is an excellent album, although I think I prefer the Rock in Rio show from 2001 a bit more. This is a must have for the Maiden fan, and anyone who likes their metal loud and powerful.
Recommended.
This is also being released as a DVD, so you can see the show as it happened in Dublin, Ireland.
1 comments:
yes, they are very good live
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