A Matter of Life and Death (album)
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| A Matter of Life and Death | ||
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| Studio album by Iron Maiden | ||
| Released | 28 August 2006 (most of the world) 5 September 2006 (North America)[1] |
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| Recorded | 2006 at Sarm West Studios, London | |
| Genre | Heavy metal | |
| Length | 1:11:54 | |
| Label | EMI (majority of countries) Sanctuary/Columbia (U.S.) |
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| Producer(s) | Kevin Shirley | |
| Professional reviews | ||
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| Iron Maiden chronology | ||
| Death on the Road (2005) |
A Matter of Life and Death (2006) |
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| Back cover | ||
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| Back Cover | ||
A Matter of Life and Death is the 14th studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 25 August 2006 in Italy and in Finland, 28 August worldwide, and 5 September 2006 in the United States, Canada and Japan. It is the first album in Iron Maiden's almost 30 year career to enter the U.S. Billboard charts in the top 10, and has seen significant chart success in many other countries.[2]
While the album is not a concept album,[3] war and religion are recurring themes in the lyrics throughout the album, as well as in the album's artwork.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
The band, still consisting of the same lineup as their previous two studio albums (making it the second most stable lineup; see Powerslave), started to write the songs near the end of 2005 after their hugely successful appearances in the U.S. and Europe. By the end of the year, the songs were done and they started rehearsing at Sarm West Studios in London.
At 72 minutes, A Matter of Life and Death is the band's longest album to date (exceeding 1995's The X Factor by approximately one minute) and its average song length (7:12 per track) also makes it the longest Iron Maiden album by song average. The album is their most progressive approach taken since Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, according to some Maiden fans.[citation needed]
This is the band's fourth studio album that is not named after a specific song on the album, following Piece of Mind, The X Factor and Virtual XI.
The album cover was created by Tim Bradstreet, an American artist, currently best known for his covers on the Punisher comics.
During their North American, Japanese and European tours, they performed the entire album in full. They announced after the show at Earl's Court, London on December 23rd, 2006, that the album would never be played in its entirety again.
[edit] Critical response
The album was met with stunning reviews. Metal Hammer rated the album 10/10 and stated that "Iron Maiden have utterly surpassed themselves", Kerrang! rated it 5/5 and said 'Another [Iron] Maiden classic... Keeps what longtime fans loved about the band alive." Classic Rock also awarded it Album of the Year, and the band won an award voted by Classic Rock readers, for the album.
[edit] Track details
The first single to be released from the album was "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg". It was released on 14 August 2006. The video for the single can be streamed from the official Iron Maiden website. On 10 August 2006, "Different World" was put on the official website for everyone to hear [2]. The following day "Brighter than a Thousand Suns" was also put on the official site for public streaming [3], and on August 23, 2006 the whole album leaked to the Internet.
The second track on the album, "These Colours Don't Run", is about being a soldier in the war zone. According to lead singer Bruce Dickinson in an interview with Kerrang! magazine; "the song was an effort to put a human face on people who go out and fight wars. They call it 'peacekeeping', but these people put themselves in harm's way, and whether or not you agree with the reasons why they're doing it, they're just doing their job". Drummer Nicko McBrain told Rhythm Magazine the title was inspired by the incident with Sharon Osbourne during Maiden's last performance on Ozzfest 2005 (August 20, 2005 at the Hyundai Pavilion at Glen Helen in San Bernardino, CA) when Sharon and friends threw eggs at Iron Maiden during their performance: "I can't remember verbatim what he [Bruce] said, but he hurled a load of abuse and said, 'These colours don't fucking run', meaning we weren't gonna leave the stage."
"Different World" was the second single released from the album[4]; it has already been receiving airplay on many rock radio stations. Clip to this single released in 16 October 2006 is on the Iron Maiden's website The song also features an animated video, similar to that of Wildest Dreams.
[edit] DVD documentary
In addition to the standard CD release, A Matter of Life and Death was also released in a limited edition version which contains a bonus DVD. The DVD, which has a total runtime of nearly one hour, contains a half-hour documentary, plus videos and photos all shot whilst the band were making the album. The documentary "The Making of A Matter of Life and Death", directed by Matthew Amos (also director of The Early Days and Death on the Road DVD documentaries), features candid video footage shot largely by Kevin Shirley himself during the recording of the album giving a behind-the-scenes look at life in the studio. The bonus DVD also features the full 7:21 minute video promo for "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg", and a special intimate filming of the band recording "Different World" in the studio. The album is also available as a limited edition double picture disc vinyl in gatefold sleeve, and as a digital download. [5]
[edit] Track listing
- "Different World" (Music: Adrian Smith/Steve Harris, Lyrics: Steve Harris) – 4:17
- "These Colours Don't Run" (Music: Smith/Harris, Lyrics: Bruce Dickinson) – 6:52
- "Brighter than a Thousand Suns" (Music: Smith/Harris, Lyrics: Harris/Dickinson) – 8:44
- "The Pilgrim" (Music: Janick Gers/Harris, Lyrics: Harris) – 5:07
- "The Longest Day" (Music: Smith/Harris, Lyrics: Dickinson) – 7:48
- "Out of the Shadows" (Music: Dickinson/Harris, Lyrics: Dickinson) – 5:36
- "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" (Music: Dave Murray/Harris, Lyrics: Harris) – 7:21
- "For the Greater Good of God" (Music & Lyrics: Harris) – 9:24
- "Lord of Light" (Music: Smith/Harris, Lyrics: Dickinson) – 7:23
- "The Legacy" (Music: Gers/Harris, Lyrics: Gers) – 9:20
[edit] Credits
- Bruce Dickinson - vocals, Guitar, Keyboards
- Dave Murray - guitar
- Janick Gers - guitar
- Adrian Smith - guitar, guitar synth
- Steve Harris - bass guitar, keyboard
- Nicko McBrain - drums
- Kevin Shirley - producer
[edit] Charting positions
The album went gold in Finland in its first week.[4] This gold record became Maiden's 8th from Finland. The album sold over 220,000 copies worldwide in its first week of release and sold over 500,000 copies worldwide in 3 weeks. It entered at no. 4 in the world album chart, no. 1 in ten countries, no. 4 in the UK charts, no. 2 in Canada, no. 4 in India , and for the first time entered the U.S. top 10 at no. 9 with sales of over 56,000. An update on Iron Maiden's official website states that "In just the first week the new album has shipped over a million copies worldwide and impacted on the charts pretty well everywhere in the world". In doing so it has charted in the top 20 in 34 countries worldwide.
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Brazil Top 100 | #1 |
| 2006 | Canadian Album Charts | #2 |
| 2006 | German Album Charts | #1 |
| 2006 | UK Album Charts | #4 |
| 2006 | U.S. Billboard 200 | #9 |
| 2006 | U.S. Billboard Top Rock Albums | #4 |
| 2006 | India | #2 (debut #4) |
| 2006 | Switzerland | #2 |
| 2006 | Spain | #4 |
| 2006 | Finland | #1 |
| 2006 | Russia | #1 |
| 2006 | Greece | #1 |
| 2006 | Italy | #1 |
| 2006 | Turkey | #2 |
| 2006 | Sweden | #1 |
| 2006 | Australia | #12 |
| 2006 | Croatia | #1 |
| 2006 | Poland | #1 |
The album went Platinum in Finland (30,000+), and gold in : UK (100,000+), Sweden (30,000+), Greece (10,000+), Canada (50,000+), India (45,000+), Italy (40,000+) and Switzerland (15,000+)
[edit] Near Future Performances
During the A Matter of Life and Death tour as well as afterwards, additional performances in the near future have been mentioned. For example, at multiple dates towards the end of the tour front man Bruce Dickinson hinted that Iron Maiden may be playing at Donington in 2007, which would eventually be confirmed true. On December 22, a message was posted on their official website confirming that they would be playing at the Dubai Desert Rock Festival on March 9, 2007, which will be the first time the band have ever played there. [5] During the Copenhagen show on Thursday 28th December, Bruce Dickinson mentioned that Maiden would be "bringing back the 80's Egyptian thing in 2008" (apparently referring to their Powerslave album). This could mean a "sequel" to the 2005 "Early Days" Tour and accompanying DVD, which seems to be in line with earlier comments that there would be a tour with songs from after the first four albums. For the first time, they will perform in Bangalore (India) on March 17 2007. So far the band has visited the "DUBAI DESERT ROCK FESTIVAL" on the 11.03.2007.They've visited Athens two days later,and played before 10.000 people.They have also performed in Belgrade (Serbia), on March 14 2007. in front of 20.000 spectators, 21 years after the band started Somewhere in time tour there in 1986. They performed in India on March 17, with an audience of over 30,000 fans. The tour in India caused the album to retain the #2 spot on the charts. Also dates have been confirmed for Slovenia,Czech Republic,Bulgaria,Germany,England(Donington),Italy(Venice),Basque Country(Bilbao) and several other countries.In Athens, Dubai, Belgrade, and Bangalore, the following songs were performed:
- Different World
- These Colours Don't Run
- Brighter than a Thousand Suns
- Wrathchild
- The Trooper
- The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg
- For the Greater Good of God
- The Number of the Beast
- Fear of the Dark
- Run to the Hills
- Iron Maiden
- 2 Minutes to Midnight
- The Evil That Men Do
- Hallowed Be Thy Name
The setlist is not expected to change much for the following concerts. You can get full information for the Iron Maiden following gigs, as well as the information about the tickets on the following link: http://www.ironmaiden.com/index.php?categoryid=15
[edit] References
- ^ IRON MAIDEN announce special album format. ironmaiden.com (2006-08-03). Retrieved on October 29, 2006.
- ^ A Matter of Life and Death kills the charts worldwide!. ironmaiden.com (2006-09-11). Retrieved on September 17, 2006.
- ^ IRON MAIDEN Drummer, Guitarist Talk About New Album. Blabbermouth (2006-07-05). Retrieved on September 17, 2006.
- ^ Iron Maiden kotimaisten myyntilistojen kärjessä. MTV3 Finland (2006-08-31). Retrieved on September 17, 2006.
- ^ "IRON MAIDEN CONFIRM HEADLINE APPEARANCE ON DUBAI DESERT ROCK FESTIVAL", 22 December 2006, Iron Maiden Official Website, at [1]; last accessed December 26, 2007.
